Dabangg Music Review-III

Planet Bollywood

Sajid and Wajid’s career started in a Salman Khan film way back in 1998 (Pyar Kiya Tho Darna Kya) and since then they have produced consistently for films starring this hugely popular star. But arguably their best music has been released in recent years for soundtracks such as Wanted, Main aur Mrs Khanna and lately Veer. No wonder the producer (Arbaaz Khan) is sticking to a winning formula for the music of the forthcoming Dabangg. Will the duo produce another hit soundtrack?

Track 1 is the enjoyable”Tere Mast Mast Do Nain”, a romantic number built around qawwali arrangements. There’s nothing new here in the music department but give it chance and you will be hooked albeit in the short term only. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan seems to be singing for everyone these days and whilst he is undoubtedly a fine performer you get the feeling he needs to be more selective to prevent his singing from sounding stale. Lyrics by Faiz Anwar are the highlight. Overall a good start to the soundtrack.

Track 2, ”Munni Badnaam” is composed by guest composer Lalit Pandit and is made strictly for the film so don’t expect it to be hogging your playlist. Singing is by Mamta Sharma and Aishwarya.

Track 3 gets us back in the groove with the lovely “Chori Kiya Re Jiya” . Again expect nothing new by the duo but you have to admit the arrangements are pretty catchy nevertheless thanks to some melodious guitar strings and addictive beats. By far the biggest attraction of this song is the duet by the fantastic jodi of Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal who prove yet again why they rank as the finest singers of their generation. Uff their irresistible vocals make this one a killer for romantics! Credit to Sajid and Wajid for attracting such performers.

Track 4 is the folksy song”Hud Hud Dabangg” which isn’t bad but sounds like a rip off from the superb “Omkara” title track. Firstly Sukhwinder Singh’s typically rustic singing (he is supported by Wajid) is a dead giveaway but the music is very similar too with the heavy drums and powerful violin strings. Even the UP lyrics sway your opinion towards Vishal Bharadwaj’s original masterpiece. So whilst you can conclude that this is not a bad effort by any means, it can’t touch the original classic “Omkara”!

Track 5 is the peppy dance number “Humka Peeni Hai” . Another typical village based song by Sajid and Wajid, this one relies heavily by the onscreen presence of Salman Khan having a blast whilst drinking away the night! Singing trilogy of Master Saleem, Wajid and Shabab Sabri works well against the folksy lyrics by Jalees Sherwani. Strictly for the film.

Track 6 is the second version of “Tere Mast Mast Do Nain” featuring a contribution by Shreya Ghoshal. Any contribution by her is always welcome to a song.

Track 7-9 are remixes for the above tracks which you might try if you enjoy the originals.

Track 10 is the”Dabangg Theme” which is interesting because alongside the music it contains some interesting and funny dialogues by Salman Khan.

Sajid and Wajid’s brand of music appeals to the mass audience because it’s simple, catchy, easy on the ears and fun. Dabangg further showcases their ability to connect with the mass audience. In other words it delivers (although perhaps not their best) thanks to their ability to attract strong singers such as Sonu, Sukhwinder and Shreya. As far as the film is concerned, it’s already attracting huge interest thanks to its inimitable star, Sallu bhai !