Desh Drohi Review {1.5/5} & Review Rating
Oops, do we still have films like these being made? When times are really changing for Bollywood and anything which is typically 'masala' is out, one is surprised to see a film with a title like Deshdrohi. With hardly any known names involved, the writing is clear on the wall. The film stars Krishna Abhishek in the lead, is produced by Kamaal R. Khan - who not just acts in the film but also writes the lyrics - and is directed by Jagdish A. Sharma.
So what if the film has music by Nikhil who has gone solo after the split with Vinay? From a project with a title like Deshdrohi, one doesn't have any expectations from the soundtrack to follow.
A routine dance number for which attempts have been made to pep it up through fast paced arrangements, 'Ye Ishq Gunah Hone De' is a barely passable track sung by Shaan. Neither is guest lyricist Vimal Kashyap's writing any enticing nor is Nikhil inspired enough to create a kind of number which would hold any future whatsoever amongst music lovers. Belonging to the mid-90s, the song also appears in its female version with Khushboo Jain arriving on the scene. Well, the tune by itself is so banal that in spite of some English words being sprinkled in the proceedings, the number fails to create any kind of excitement.
Well, no offence meant but Nikhil may well reserve a tune like 'Tu Jaan Se Pyara' for the music of Bhojpuri films that he may compose in near future. Sung by Zubeen and Shweta Pandit, the track is straight out of 80s with lyrics like 'Tere Husn Ka Jadoo Chal Gaya'. A core Indian composition which is rooted but is terribly trapped in a time warp, 'Tu Jaan' tries to be a peppy romantic number but falls aside by a long distance.
Udit Narayan and Mahalaxmi Iyer come together for a kind of number that instantly makes one remember Anuradha Paudwal who ruled the scene in the first half of the 90s. 'Mera Wada Raha Jina Na' is truly in the mould of the kind of music which was made by T-Series in dozens with a similar melodic setting. Though Kamaal R. Khan has written the lyrics, one wonders whether he had got his inspiration from Sameer?
This one is supposed to be an item number in the making but the punch is clearly missing in 'Bewajah Youn Na Maar'. Now that's quite a pity considering it is Sukhwinder Singh at the helm of affairs. A number that sees Pramod Nair as the composer and Sahil Fatehpuri as the lyricist, 'Bewajah' is quite rooted and even has a rural appeal to it (something which was heard in 'Beedi Jalaile') but the overall composition just doesn't work. Khushboo Jain gives Sukhwinder Singh company here but ultimately this one turns out to be a forgettable outing.
With it's opening arrangements inspired from 'Tujhe Na Dekhoon To Chain' [Rang], 'Mera Halaat Ye Kya' takes a different route as it progresses and in the process doesn't come even 10% close to the Nadeem-Shravan composed tune. In fact this Zubeen sung number is more suited for the 'Bewafa'/'Bewafai' genre of non-film albums that Nikhil-Vinay had come up with in last few years and doesn't quite fit in well with a core Bollywood outing. Still, when compared to the numbers preceding it, this one may find some market for itself! No wonder the song is repeated a little later in the album.
The sound of flute at the very beginning of 'Tujhe Dekhoon To Aisa' reminds one of Anand-Milind from the late 80s/early 90s. Well, the number isn't anything better than what was heard a couple of decades back as Shaan and Shweta Pandit attempt a Punjabi outing. At maximum a kind of song that doesn't do any better that creating a feel of deja vu, 'Tujhe Dekhoon' too turns out to be a passable affair.
Whatever be the fate of the album (which doesn't really hold any surprises), credit must be given to Deshdrohi that it has indeed managed to get some top line singers coming together for the album. This is why one looks forward to what Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal have to do in 'Hum Karke Pyar Pachtay', a celebration number. Well, this one turns out to be the best of the lot and even though there isn't anything exceptional about the composition here, at least it keeps the fun quotient on with enough pep in it to keep the listener engaged. Thankfully, a decent ending.
One had zilch expectations from Deshdrohi and though the songs don't help much in any revival of fortunes for the album, a couple of tracks do turn out to be reasonably decent. Still, zero face value and promotion would mean that the music CDs would keep lying in the back row of the music stands and would subsequently be withdrawn in a matter of few weeks.