Raja Natwarlal
Music Review – Raja Natwarlal
By Tejaswi
Rating: 2.5 / 5
Director Kunal Deshmukh takes a break from serious and heavy films and switches to the comedy genre with Raja Natwarlal which sees his favourite star Emraan Hashmi donning the titular role. Pakistani actress Humaima Mallick who makes her debut in Bollywood with this film is cast opposite Emraan in this UTV production which has its music composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja, son of the legendary Illayaraja. Yuvan who is a well-known name in the Tamil music industry also makes his full-fledged Bollywood debut with this film (having earlier scored a single song for the film Striker (2010)). With the composer being relatively unknown in Bollywood, expectations from the album is quite moderate. Therefore it remains to be seen whether Yuvan does manage to surprise the listeners with this album.
Mika Singh is at his elements in Dukki Tikki which sees the composer getting into full on dappankoothu mode and producing a fun and massy number. Obviously inspired by his own song from the Tamil film Pudupettai, Yuvan gives the tune a slight makeover which will satisfy the tastes of the local audience. But with the overdose of massy ‘item’ numbers in today’s films, there is a real danger for tracks like Dukki Tikki to get bulldozed by more popular tracks since it really does not offer anything out of the ordinary except for the catchy hook. Therefore it is only safe to assume that the popularity of Dukki Tikki will be directly proportional to the film’s performance at the box office.
The mood shifts to romance with Tere Hoke Rahengay which comes in two versions. Shweta Pandit is the voice of the original version and she rules it! Yuvan’s tune oozes romance and Shweta with her voice intonations and modulations makes it her own. The Reprise version sees current favourite Arijit matching Shweta in every which way proving yet again that when it comes to romantic tracks, he is just unbeatable! What makes it even more praiseworthy is the fact that while the original had softer beats giving more prominence to melody, the Reprise version is more techno and despite that Arijit’s voice is in the forefront and he manages not only to stand fort but also make his presence felt. Credit for the same should also go the music director for ensuring that the singers vocals did not get lost in the melee rather have seamlessly blended with it thus ensuring a very delectable musical cocktail!
Namak Paare is the “item” number of the album and who better than the voice of item numbers, Mamta Sharma to vocalize the same. She is joined by Anupam Amod in this very average track which honestly offers nothing new! The singers give a satisfactory rendition but Yuvan’s tune is so predictable that it really doesn’t make a mark on us. Add to the fact that with almost every other so called “item” numbers sounding so similar to each other, it has really become a big task for the listener to recognize one from the other. Therefore, it is highly improbable that this track will have a long shelf life!
Benny Dayal take a well-deserved break from dance numbers to get into sufiyana mode with Kabhi Ruhani Kabhi Rumani. But if you think that this is yet another Qawalli, wait till you hear it! Composer Yuvan brings in a mélange of sounds to the table while at the same time maintaining the underlying Qawalli feel of the song. Singer Benny Dayal shows his class and versatility by switching genres flawlessly and even effortlessly underscoring the fact that he has been grossly underutilized by the Bollywood composers. Coming back to the song, Kabhi Ruhani surely deserves a place on your playlist.
The album ends with yet another Dance track, this one aimed at the partygoers. Flip your Collar Back is a mix of Reggae and Hip-Hop and the composer desperately tries to make the song sound suave and cool but fails miserably! This is partly because the tune meanders aimlessly and therefore just fails to register. Singer Benny Dayal gives his best to the track but it is just not enough to make the song any more likeable. This one is best avoided!
To sum up, composer Yuvan Shankar Raja has made a satisfactory debut in Bollywood with Raja Natwarlal but given the fact that he is a veteran of 100 plus films in the South, one expected more from this young and talented composer who one hopes would do a much better job in his future outings in Bollywood.
My Picks: Kabhi Ruhani, Kabhi Rumani, Tere Hoke Rahengay
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