Lottery Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
Blame it on poor promotion. Otherwise how can one explain the fact that when the music album and the film featuring country's first Indian Idol Abhiheet Sawant arrive, no one even knows about it? Moreover, there isn't any excitement whatsoever as well, even though Abhijeet has done quite well in his first two albums - 'Aapka Abhijeet' and 'Junoon'. Nevertheless, one plays on Lottery expecting some surprise in store.
MUSIC
Santokh Singh composes for Lottery and the first song to come, 'Dhadkanein', is good but a tad too slow to arrive at the very beginning of the album. However, the tune grows on you as the song progresses and though at times one wonders if this was a tune made for a sad situation, one lets the thought pass by. Things do perk up later though once the 'remix version' arrives and for a change, one doesn't really mind the inclusion.
Immediately after comes 'Kamariya' which only succeeds in bringing down the 'class quotient' of the album. An item number that is set in a bar/night club, 'Kamariya' is as pedestrian as it gets. Thankfully, the best song of the album comes immediately after in the form of a serene-and-innocent romantic number 'Kab Chand Ban Kar'. A sweet sounding melody with a catchy rhythm to it, 'Kab Chand Ban Kar' arrives twice in the album and later in a sad version 'Pata Hi Na Chala'. However, it sounds good in each of the three versions and is one beautiful track in the album which can be given a repeat hearing.
Title song 'Lottery' (which is written and composed by Sanjay Pathak) makes a belated appearance in the album and surprisingly does turn out to be reasonably well tuned. It has a good rhythm to it (impressive again in the 'remix version' as well) and should do well if placed throughout the film's narrative.
Other than 'Kab Chand Ban Kar', if there is one song that should have been promoted aggressively, it is 'Kab Socha Tha'. This is one racy club track that is arranged quite well that give it a techno touch. Even though the number has sad undertones to it, it's the club feel of the proceedings that make the song interesting.
LYRICS
Kumaar writes for 'Dhadkanein' and does well with his poetic approach towards the love song. He is almost child like in 'Kab Chand Ban Kar' which is about realization of love. One wonders whether he could have reserved this writing of his for a bigger venture. He also does well in 'Kab Socha Tha' where he does write stuff that is different from the routine. In fact the more one hears this song, more one starts believing that 'Kab Socha Tha' was best suited for a Bhatt-Hashmi project. On the flip side, Sunil Chaudhary writes 'Kamariya' which has ingredients like 'Ilayichi', 'Laung', 'Pudina' and stuff alike. You get the drift, right?
VOCALS
Abhijeet Sawant's voice has matured over the years and this is reflected in his rendition of 'Dhadkanein'. He does remind of Kishore Kumar at places and is quite reliable in his singing. In fact he only makes one wonder that what is stopping composers from roping him in as a playback singer? One look at his rendition of 'Kab Socha Tha' and one can be rest assured that Emraan Hashmi would have been glad to pick up this song for one of his music videos.
And meanwhile, can composers stop calling Sunidhi Chauhan behind the mike whenever there is a requirement for an item number? Really, her talent is just getting wasted with every such number that she sings. Thankfully she is the best part of 'Kab Chand Ban Kar' where she rules the show in both the duet (with Abhijeet Sawant) as well as the solo version. Now that's the stuff she is made of and it's a pity that time and again composers ignore this romantic side of hers!
Meanwhile Sukhwinder Singh does his own take again in title song 'Lottery' and sounds excited and energetic even in a setting like this which isn't even 10% as high profile as that of Chak De India or Slumdog Millionaire.
OVERALL
Lottery does manage to throw in a surprise because except for 'Kamariya', each of the remaining songs does manage to work to some degree. It's a pity that the album has gone unnoticed, especially with the film being released as well. However, do give it a hear for at least couple of song ('Kab Chand Ban Kar', 'Kab Socha Tha') and you won't be disappointed.
