Shaurya Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
Typically, from a film with an Army background, one expects a theme soundtrack. In addition, when the film has a Court Martial forming a major part of the narrative, one wonders if there would be any scope for music. However, Shaurya is a six track album and has Adnan Sami and Javed Akhtar saab roped in as composer and lyricist respectively which makes one look forward to this album.
There is a surprise in store at the very beginning of the album as Adnan Sami successfully creates an atmosphere, which would have befitted the stature of someone like R.D. Burman at the helm of affairs. Reminding of the kind of romantic numbers that Pancham would have loved to compose, 'Dheere Dheere' is a smooth sailing track, which truly manages to have a smooth sailing feel to it.
Whether it is the 'mukhda' or the 'antara' portions, both Adnan Sami and Sunidhi Chauhan bring on such beautiful rendition that makes one fall for the song in the very first listening. Sung at a low pitch, 'Dheere Dheere' has it's composition in complete sync with the lyrics and moves quite 'dheere dheere'! And yes, thank goodness there are no remixes this time around to kill the impact of such a beautiful number.
A similar smooth sailing feel is prevalent even in 'Dosti Kya Hai'. Instead of falling in the trap of 'Yeh Dosti Hum Nahi Chodenge' kind of setting, 'Dosti Kya Hai' is almost a romantic number if one closely observes the way it has been composed. Since the film is set in hills and mountains, the ice cold effect can be witnessed even in the way Udit Narayan and Abhijeet go about singing the number.
Going as per the mood of the film, this song, which is supposedly picturized on Rahul Bose and Javed Jaffrey, should make for a pleasant watch. Special mention again for the music arrangements, which manage to sustain the quality quotient of the album.
A complete turnaround happens in the proceedings as 'Jaane Kyun Jaaneman' arrives next. A club track with all around Western mode and styling, this appears to be an item number in the offering. However, what one gets to hear is hardly something which one would love to play on in a repeat mode. More than the sudden change in proceedings which surprise, it is the composition and singing (by Adnan Sami and Sunidhi Chauhan) which makes one look the other way round. An average track which is all sound and fury and nothing more!
Next to come is a theme number 'Shaurya' that is set in a rock mode. As a background theme piece expected to run throughout the film's narrative, this Kunal Ganjawala rendition makes for a decent inclusion. Rendered with a punch and aided by some hitting musical arrangements, this number set in a Western mode is decent but isn't the kind which would make for an anthem number in weeks to come.
After 'Jaane Kyun Jaaneman', Sunidhi Chauhan and Adnan Sami pair up again for 'Dar Dar Ke Mar Mar Ke', yet another item number in the offering. If compared with the number sung by them earlier, this one makes for a better hear and has beats-with-a-thump accompanying the song throughout. However, one does feel that the subsequent portions of the song aren't as effective as the beginning which brought with it quite some punch! A song about being brave and living life with a mission, 'Dar Dar Ke' is a kind of theme number, which has an item setting!
Finally comes a two-minute poetic piece rendered by Shah Rukh Khan, titled 'Shah Rukh Khan's Poetry'. One of the best pieces in the album to arrive, this track is written by Jaydeep Sarkar, the story writer of Shaurya. Raising questions around what exactly is 'shaurya', this well rendered piece is remarkably different from what Shah Rukh did in 'Sattar Minute' [Chak De India]. While in the latter number, he was all inspirational and energetic, in case of Shaurya, he gets more into an introspective mode.
Though the item numbers aren't anything great to talk home about, it's the beginning and the end of 'Shaurya' which is most exciting. While 'Dheere Dheere' is a kind of number which deserves to be a part of your romantic collection, Shah Rukh Khan's poetry coming in the very end makes you think and hence in the process helps in setting a platform for the film.
