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By Joginder Tuteja, April 10, 2004 - 15:18 IST
Tigmanshu Dhulia, the man behind one of the better made movies of 2003 - Haasil - directs a complete masala movie 'Charas' this year which, according to him, is a non-stop adventurous thriller. While 'Haasil' was a hard-hitting drama that raised the issue of student-politicians nexus in the colleges, 'Charas - A Joint Effort' is about drug trafficking (as the movie title suggests) and stars the majority of it's star-cast from Haasil - Jimmy Shergill, Hrishitta Bhatt and Irrfan Khan (who bagged all the awards for his villainous act in Haasil). Addition to the starcast is Uday Chopra, who is trying hard to establish himself in the industry, and Namrata Shirodkar who is still looking at getting her due that she rightly deserves. Produced by Anjum Rizvi, Charas - A Joint Effort features the combination of musician Raju Singh and lyricist Javed Akhtar who have come out with number of non-film albums together in the recent past.
'Hum Hai Deewane' is about two happy-go-lucky guys who are on a drive and singing about their carefree attitude towards life. Very similar to 'Teri Masti Mein Mastana...Tere Ishq Mein' composed by Vishal Shekhar for Padam Kumar's 'Supari' last year, the song is just about average and doesn't carry much impact. Sonu Nigam and Shaan too aren't at their best and Javed Akhtar saab's lyrics just fall in the average category. Overall, not a best start to an album from which one has good expectations.
'Sulgay Hue Hain' - a supposedly love song - falls completely flat from start to finish. Kumar Sanu is completely out of sync in this painfully slow moving song that may have probably worked if it was a part of a music album but fails as a movie score. Alka Yagnik's presence too doesn't help the song at all. A downer!
'Bambhole' that follows next is a weak attempt at presenting the gala time that the drug revelers are having in a group. Sunidhi Chauhan, for a change, gets it really wrong here and doesn't convey the feel of the song at all. In an attempt at sounding sub-conscious in the effect of drugs, she tends to drag the number all the way. The tune is soulless as well and Javed Saab's lyrics too do not help the cause much. One of the weakest songs in the album!
'Charas', the title song is westernized in its approach and is written by Tigmanshu Dhulia himself. A fast moving song, it gives an impression that it will be used in background pieces at certain thrilling situations in the movie. Use of electronic guitar is good in the song and Soumya Raoh vocals too are energetic. A situational song, it is short and sweet and will fit well in the narrative of the movie.
'Tumhen Arpan' is a love duet by Hariharan and Chitra who sing the song extremely well and with complete conviction. The only hindrance here is the slow pace of the song and poetic lyrics, which threaten to disrupt the flow of the movie that is supposed to be a fast paced thriller. Moreover, the song has a classy touch and again will appeal only to niche audience. Definitely not a chartbuster material that may be grabbed by the masses in dozens!
Mahalaxmi Iyer, who is slowly and steadily making her presence felt, sings the best of the enterprise 'Yeh Dhuan' which is again about the party making of the drug revelers, just like 'Bambhole'. But the good part of the song is that unlike the latter where Sunidhi Chauhan couldn't really get the mood right, Mahalaxmi succeeds in doing exactly the same here. The pitch she sings in and the varying moods that she depicts across the song make it enjoyable. Never mind the setting, choreography and cinematography of the song being exactly similar to lesser known 'Sutta Maar Le' from Rajat Mukjherjee's turkey of 2004 - 'Love In Nepal'. Namrata Shirodkar looks beautiful in the song and carries the song very well.
In sum, a merit here and there in 'Charas' are suppressed by the extensive weaknesses in the album that range from average music and lyrics, some uninterested singing and overall lack of appeal. Title of the movie again doesn't give any impression of the movie being a musical and the album is bound to face some rough times at the music stores.
  
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