Mumbai Mirror Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
After having a dekko at the promo, one thing which is quite certain about Mumbai Mirror is the fact that it is one more addition to the world of cop 'masala' entertainers, a formula which is promising a good success rate in the current times. Moreover, music of films belonging to this genre is also following a standard format of a couple of item numbers, a love song, a situational track and a theme piece. This is what one expects from Mumbai Mirror as well. With Anand Raj Anand and Amjad Nadeem as composers, the album has lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed, Naveen Tyagi and Satya Prakash.
MUSIC
It is lead actor Sachiin Joshi himself who announces the arrival of Mumbai Police and is supported by an array of singers who contribute to the chorus of 'Doom Pe Lakdi'. A song by Amjad Nadeem which is set in a quintessential South 'masala' mode with everything from the beats, pace, overall arrangements to the stage and setting being entirely on the lines of a Tamil/Telugu cop flick; it has Sukhwinder Singh leading from the front. With songs of similar genre from films like Singham, Dabangg, Bodyguard and more turning into hits, this Shabbir Ahmed written number promises a good reach to its target audience if picturised and placed well in the film.
There is a complete shift in proceedings though with 'Marjawa'. Though it has nothing to do with the namesake titled song from Fashion, it does carry a brief glimpse of 'Saiyaara' which could well be incidental. The song starts rather smoothly with Sonu Nigam getting it perfectly right all over again. However one minute into the song and Amjad Nadeem take it to a crescendo, hence lending an altogether different energy to it. Shabbir Ahmed's lyrics are just the kind that go well with a song of this genre and by the time one hears Sayantani Das rendering the 'female version' of 'Marjawa'; you know that this one is special.
The album scores a big one with 'Govinda Ala Re' with Amjad Nadeem and Shabbir Ahmed bringing Wajid Ali on board. On the same lines as a 'Chinta Ta' [Rowdy Rathore] and the title song of Bodyguard, this one is a high energy track which could have been a born chartbuster had it been designed for a Salman Khan or an Akshay Kumar. Yes, the song basically caters to the gentry but given the target audience that Mumbai Mirror would be aiming at, 'Govinda Ala Re' fits the bill. Also, one waits to see how Sachiin Joshi goes about getting a flamboyant body language in motion after a rather subdued act in Aazaan.
It is time to bring two back to back item numbers by Anand Raj Anand into the album with 'Thumka' being heard first. Shreya Ghoshal is the one brought on board and though she has done a fantastic job already in 'Chikni Chameli' [Agneepath] and is quite spirited here as well, all would depend on how the song is picturised and hence ends up making a good impression on screen. As a standalone song though, 'Thumka' (which is written by Satya Prakash) is just about fine and not the kind that makes you go wow.
For the concluding song of the album, 'Blunder', Anand Raj Anand pairs up with lyricist Naveen Tyagi and ropes in Ritu Pathak. There is a one minute long build up to the song till the time one hears the word 'blunder', which actually is also the high point of the film. The way this song has been structured and pace, it can be assumed that it would come at a crucial juncture of the film's narrative where the protagonist is in the middle of some thrilling moments. While better than 'Thumka', the fate of this song too lies entirely on the way it is picturised and holds relevance to the film's plot.
OVERALL
Music of Mumbai Mirror is almost on expected lines where 'Govinda Ala Re' and 'Doom Pe Lakdi' do well in establishing the protagonist and keeping the energy on. However one just wishes that the item numbers 'Blunder' and 'Thumka', though not bad, could have secured an instant positioning for themselves in the list of chartbusters. To a good extent that is compensated for by 'Marjawa' which is a beautiful number that deserves to be bombarded all over and bring in a different flavour to the album. That should further help the album gain some good popularity as well.
OUR PICK(S)
Marjawa, Govinda Ala Re
