‘Chammak Challo’ made us slaves with its peppery tune and hip-hop-goes-Bollywood feel. Shahrukh Khan was so sure about the song being the biggest hit on the charts that he especially launched it before the album. Unable to check the leak, a breach in his territory, Shahrukh made sure that songs of his big film, masterfully created by the talented Vishal-Shekhar, are launched amidst much fanfare and fun. And indeed the music launch was the first gala night for Ra.One. Now as the songs are with us legally, are we excited? Yeehaw or yawn, we would find out soon!
First naturally comes the Chammak Challo. Ah! the song has become an entity by itself. There is nothing great about the song’s lyrics (woven out of clichéd words), but Chammak Challo is a sure-shot winner. It’s refreshingly different and sets a euphoric mood. Less said, the better, but the song has four different versions including a Punjabi and international mix. Akon is at his best in the International Version of the song with no female co-singer to steal the show. The international mix comes very close to the leaked version of Chammak Challo. It’s not jazzy, quite unlike the original.
Anyway there is even a Punjabi Mix of the song, served with Bollywood tadka. Expect a smattering of words like mahiya and nakhre! Hamsika Iyer’s sassy voice does full justice to this smashing track.
Chammak Challo Club Mix with little variation is made suitable for disc consoles. But when the original is so good, who needs the club mix anyway!
It’s a Chammak Challo vicious circle! Enter at your own risk. Still the album has a proper Remix Version for you. Now we get why Shahrukh Khan so fondly called his fans the Chammak Challos. The heady remix will stick in your head.
The phenomenal music album comes with another brilliant number, Dildara Dildara by Shafqat Amanat Ali! We don’t know why the makers are hell bent on saying that the song is a rehash of a classic number Stand By Me by Ben E. King, when it sounds so unique and in essence is a pure Bollywood love track.
The next number is Criminal. If you think your energy level has waned, then do listen to this track. Akon has also lent his voice to this song and Vishal Dadlani gives him a good company. Both have belted out a track which can even wake up the dead.
Now is the time to clamber down after partying enough. Ecstatic mood of yours will feel a lilt with the melancholic strain of Bhare Naina. If you have been to the rock fests quite often, this song would not come as a nice experiment. The fusion works when its dramatic crescendo hits the highest pitch. And right at that moment the song will take you on a musical ride. Kudos to the singer, Nandini Srikar, for rendering this quasi-classic, rock number. But we would have loved the track more if it had been a soothing, somber track touching our hearts.
Now the Ra.One album gives out the message of G.One, who comes with a promise to be Right By Your Side. This is a musical example of Bollywood music gelling so well with the contemporary international music. We can get the feel; the track would look and sound incredible on big screen. Just wait for the show.
The song Raftaarein leaves one with a strange feeling that the song is from Don 2. Seriously, no kidding! The punchy song drags you in with its high-on-discotheque electronic beats. The fast-paced number perfectly suits the theme of our superhero, who is not sluggish in saving the world in time of crisis, and dazzles like a luminous celestial body.
Jiya Mora sounds drab as it sounds just like Raftaarein. Then comes the instrumental numbers of the album - Comes the Light, I Am On, Song Of The End - you can get a better feel and also the picture when the song goes live on silver screen. Song Of The End manages to haunt us with its serious tune. Got a feel like zombie! There are no zombies in the movies only super people and a sexy chammak challo like Kareena Kapoor.
A few words in the end. No matter how you welcome Diwali this year, Shahrukh Khan promises you a thrilling, riveting and a cinematic experience this festive season and it gets evident with this astounding music album, crackling with songs like Chammak Challo and Stand By Me that leave you bowled over.
Aishwarya Rai defines Bollywood: British model Scarlett
