This article was last updated on April 16, 2022
Canada: 
Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…
USA: Oye! Times readers Get FREE $30 to spend on Amazon, Walmart…Expectations:
Debut films of star-progenies are always special in music – or should be. Sajid-Wajid's melodies sparkled in the first film of Sonakshi Sinha (Dabangg) and they recently did a good job for Varun Dhawan's first solo lead film, Main Tera Hero. We need a high score this time from this talented duo as the film introduces Tiger Shroff, son of the original Hero, Jackie Shroff.
Music:
Mohit Chauhan excels in the lead track, 'Rabba', but this steeply melodious track should actually be termed a Sajid-Wajid triumph. Let us explain: Sajid-Wajid ensure that their own stamp is there on the compositions of specialized singers like Mohit and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, without getting overawed by their expertise, images, brands or styles like many of their contemporaries. Mohit almost sounds Wajid-ish in this lovely number. Kausar Munir's lyrics here are evocative without having any special in them. Guitars shimmer in the track, though we think that 'bigness' was needed in the orchestration, rather than the overuse of the keyboard.
Mohit is in great form even in 'Tabah', sounding even more like Wajid than in the previous track. A soft rock kind of number, this composition distinguishes the music duo as genuine film composers as different from mere song purveyors. In fact, the use of the rock guitar is exemplary here, and the way it is alternated with a piano riff is superb indeed.
The arrangements are harmonious, the beats trendy yet melodic, and the sound takes a welcome backseat to the vocals, highlighting the emotional wallop in Mohit's singing that is almost searing. In terms of creativity, this is probably the most accomplished song on this soundtrack. Instantly catchy, yet trendy, groovy yet deeply melodious, this is S-W at their best.
The song's remix version 'Tabah – Remix', however, brings in all the noisy elements that were kept away in the original and the cacophony is not something to relish, except maybe on a live dance floor.
Remember 'Muktasar' from Teri Meri Kahaani? Well, Sajid-Wajid take some inspiration from their hit 2012 song to fashion the next track, 'Raat Bhar' (Shreya Ghoshal-Arijit Singh). Shreya is her usual seasoned self in this duet, and Arijit imitates Wajid the way Mohit did in the earlier tracks, singing in full-throated manner. However, it is high time he did not emphasize the 'ta' phonetic syllable so much in the word 'raat' and improves his diction with reference to these fine nuances of Hindi and Urdu.
Sajid-Wajid exhibit their versatility by coming up with an almost bhangra-pop-like number in 'The Pappi Song' (written and sung by Raftaar). The lyrics are quite amusing ('Aaj kiya hai face wash / Maine gaal kiye hain clean / Gimme a pappi / Karde Gaal mere rangeen') and the childish voice who keeps saying 'This is the pappi song-uh' at intervals adds a delightful quality to the beats-heavy, rap-laden track.
This film soundtrack is a unique case in which two labels share a soundtrack, because the track, 'Whistle Baja' (Manj-Nindy Kaur-Raftaar) uses the flute riff made famous by Laxmikant-Pyarelal in Hero (1983) as the base and Saregama is one of the rights owners of that song.
The high-energy infectious track is full-on Punjabi with a dollop of English and Hindi and has a lovely dance beat. Nothing is original – in the literal sense too! – but we find ourselves grooving to the tune, and of course the old flute riff has as much to do with the initial appeal as this ingenious new composition fashioned around it.
For a change, the Punjabi lyrics (again by Raftaar) are kept simple and comprehensible with an amusing quotient in their directness ('Gal na kar tu chhadne ki / Plan hai ghodhi chadhne ki') and the singing too is invigorating.
Sadly, the sole song composed, written, and sung by Mustafa Zahid and Bilal Saad, 'Tere Binaa' is unabashedly and monotonously clichéd and a drone of a track. The dullness of the song makes us wonder why it was included in a score of bright numbers, where even a sad song like 'Tabah' is so passionate.
Overall:
This is a youthful and peppy album from Sajid-Wajid. And the icing on the melodious cake is the foot-tapping 'Whistle Baja' composed and re-created by Manj Musik. Go for it!
Our Pick:
'Rabba', 'Raat Bhar', 'Tabah', 'Whistle Baja'
Music: Sajid-Wajid, Manj Musik & Mustafa Zahid-Bilal Saad
Lyrics: Kausar Munir, Raftaar & Mustafa Zahid-Bilal Saad
Music Label: T-Series & Saregama
Article written by staff at Bollywood Hungama. Read more
Be the first to comment