Even though Rohit Shetty has delivered several successful films as a director, he has never been known to possess a fine sense of music. Barring a few films like ‘Golmaal – Fun Unlimited’ and ‘Singham’, the majority of the films made by him have carried a weak soundtrack. ‘Dilwale’ is a special film as it brings together two actors who have always been loved as an on-screen pair. Come to think of it, all of Shah Rukh-Kajol films have boasted of popular music. Yes, the popularity of ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ or ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’ cannot be compared to that of a ‘My Name Is Khan’ but none of the films featuring the two actors has had bad music. Despite being one of the topmost music directors in the industry, Pritam never really got to compose for a Shah Rukh Khan starrer. He did compose the music for his home productions ‘Billu’ and ‘Always Kabhi Kabhi’ but one did not see him credited as the composer for a film which featured the actor in a leading role. The composer had collaborated with Shetty on ‘Golmaal Returns’ and ‘Golmaal – Fun Unlimited’ and the results were far from good.
Pritam tries hard (a bit too hard, actually) to replicate the sound of a standard, contemporary Bollywood love song with a partly Indian and Western touch to it. The Arijit Singh – Antara Mitra sung “Gerua” does not really have Pritam’s stamp on it. Rather, it has a late 90s touch to it. Pritam had clearly Shah Rukh and Kajol in mind while he was composing this track and he tried to create a song that one can identify with the pair. Pritam seems to have succumbed to pressure and let his signature sound take a backseat here. But, one is not complaining as even with a familiar sound, this romantic number makes for a good hear.
After Shah Rukh and Kajol reignited their romance in a romantic number, the younger pair (Varun Dhawan and Kriti Sanon) grooves to a peppy, hip-hop number called “Manma Emotion Jaage”. Pritam seems to be in his elements here as he sticks to his style and composes a dance number that grows with repeated hearings. Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics help in elevating the freewheeling tone of the track. Amit Mishra might not have a voice that resonates in your mind after you hear the song but he sings pretty well. Anushka Manchanda gets a few lines to sing and she is good as usual.
An instrumental piece that one heard in “Gerua” forms the base for “Janam Janam”. The track, unlike the former, can be easily recognized as a Pritam composition. The melody stays in your mind and the track has the potential to rule the charts for a long time. Though there is a common thread that joins the two, it has a more intense and somewhat melancholic feel to it. The lead singers, Arijit Singh and Antara Mitra, are repeated here. Antara does give a good account of herself but it is an Arijit Singh show all the way as the singer impresses with his command over the complex notes in this composition.
One cannot help but compare “Tukur Tukur” to “Chicken Song” (‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’), as it had a similar tune and sound to it. Keeping aside the comparisons, this Arijit Singh number is strictly situational and would probably appeal more when one sees it on the screen. The song has an old Goan/Portugese sound to it which is engaging. However, that alone cannot help a middling tune sail through.
The lounge-ish backgrounds of “Daayre” make an impression before the tune, too, leaves a mark with its endearing melody. The electronic sounds merge well with the dreamy tune. Amitabh Bhattacharya writes some simple lines that work well for this mildly sad number. “Daayre” is more subdued than the rest of the songs in the album. Though Atif Aslam comes to your mind when you hear this track, Arijit Singh does complete justice to the song.
‘I have heard it before’, is what you think after you hear “Premika”. One does not have to think too hard as it was Pritam who composed “Dushmana” (‘Raqeeb’) a couple of years back. Both the songs do sound similar to each other what with the hookline of “Premika” bearing a sharp resemblance to that of “Dushmana.” Thankfully, it does not turn out to be an exact copy and is a much better composed number. This dance number complements the exuberant image of Varun Dhawan and should catch up with listeners once the video is out.
The theme tune of ‘Dilwale’ is derived from “Janam Janam” which makes for a good hear but the DJ Chetas exploits the tune to create a remixed version (“Theme Of Dilwale – DJ Chetas”) which does not make a good impression. The electronic beats dominate the basic tune to such an extent that it turns into something else altogether.
The tracks featuring Shah Rukh-Kajol and Varun-Kriti carry a different sound and can be easily distinguished from each other. The older pair gets the intense romantic numbers while the younger pair will be seen dancing to energetic, peppy numbers. ‘Dilwale’ is one of the better soundtracks that a Rohit Shetty film has boasted of. Though the music is not in the league of a ‘Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge’ or a ‘Kuch Kuch Hota Hai’, it fits in well within the boundaries of this commercial entertainer.
Rating: 3/5
