Rascals Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
From a David Dhawan film, you expect a musical score which is full-on 'dhamaal' and doesn't have a single serious moment. This also means that there is no
place for one of those quintessential romantic love songs either as the emphasis is more on 'masti' and 'mazaa'. This was apparent in his last few films like
Do Knot Disturb and Partner as well. With an unconventional choice of Vishal-Shekhar and lyricist Anvita Dutt forming the musical team here,
Rascals comprises of four songs, all of which have been playing on the music channels for weeks now with the album making a belated arrival on
stands.
MUSIC
The way 'Tik Tuk' begins, you get a sense of a quintessential party song by Vishal-Shekhar in force here. However this excitement is short
lived as 45 seconds into the song arrives Daler Mehendi who takes 'Tik Tuk' into a Punjabi dance floor zone. Even though Vishal-Shekhar try to infuse
their own style into the song by means of some Western arrangements and also intersperse the proceedings with some 'desi' rendition by Monali Thakur, there
isn't much distance that guest lyricist Irshad Kamil written 'Tik Tuk' manages to cover.
Next to arrive is the much hyped number 'Shake It Saiyyan' which is a Sunidhi Chauhan sung item number that is picturised on Lisa Haydon.
Though Vishal-Shekhar aim at bringing their own touch to this 'dhin-chaak' number that has quintessential Bollywood written all over it, surprisingly the
song is more in David Dhawan mode, what with a clear Laxmikant-Pyaarelal flavour to it. There was a time during the late 70s and early 80s when LP used to
compose many such 'masala' numbers and though lyrics have changed in this side of the century, the mood remains intact in the original as well as the 'remix
version'.
'Pardaah Nasheen' is one of the better numbers to arrive in the album and surprisingly makes a belated appearance. With some addictive beats
ensuring that the proceedings have a certain thump to them, 'Pardaah Nasheen' by Neeraj Shridhar and Sunidhi Chauhan had good potential to make an
impact if only its promotion would have begun a few weeks back. In fact this is the kind of number that would have been a definite chartbuster if only
picturised on Govinda in his heydays. This is pretty much the kind of song that Vishal-Shekhar would love to dedicate to David Dhawan himself.
There is a funny beginning to the title song 'Rascals' that is a Neeraj Sridhar solo. The number is interesting till the first 50 seconds when
just a musical interlude plays. However the moment Neeraj Sridhar begins his rendition, the song turns out to be barely average and entirely stuck in the
90s. In fact one can't help but draw comparisons with the likes of 'Ek Aur Ek Gyaarah', something which is one of the least remembered soundtracks
coming from the house of David Dhawan. Surprisingly, the song also appears in a 'remix version' but doesn't help the album much.
OVERALL
Rascals has the kind of soundtrack that was expected from the very beginning. Though one wouldn't have minded at least one hardcore chartbuster to
take the album to a different level altogether, it solves the purpose of adding some masala ingredients to the proceedings. However what surprises most is
the fact that the album has hit the stands too late in the day when the film's release is just round the corner. Now that can well be expected to make a good
difference to the sales of the album.
OUR PICK(S)
Pardaah Nasheen, Shake It Saiyyan
