Shuddh Desi Romance Review  

Shuddh Desi Romance Review  

Music: SACHIN-JIGAR Lyrics: JAIDEEP SAHNI Music label: YASH RAJ MUSIC Expectations: A big banner…  

<b>Music: SACHIN-JIGAR</b><BR> <b>Lyrics: JAIDEEP SAHNI</b><BR> <b>Music label: YASH RAJ MUSIC</b><BR><BR> <b>Expectations: </b><BR><BR> A big banner that keeps reinventing and a promising music duo working for the first time with them: add a talented lyricist and a modern yet desi love story set in the fresh locales of Jaipur with a young cast. Expectations have to be high. <BR><BR> <b>Music: </b><BR><BR> We can trust Sachin-Jigar to come up with peppy, fresh songs in keeping with the theme and timeframe of a film's story and also come up with infectious elements in their treatment of the music. <BR><BR> Cerebral use of singers and instruments is another strong point of the duo that open the soundtrack with the fun '<b><i>Shuddh Desi Romance</i></b>' (Benny Dayal-Shalmali Kholgade) with some really interesting lines (<i>Chhori lipstick lagayegi to bhoot ban jaayegi / Sandal-ein chadhayegi to oont ban jaayegi</i>) that yet make a point. While Jaideep Sahni's words have an interesting amalgam of substance and frolic, Benny Dayal and Shalmali Kholgade perfectly complement each other, Shalmali getting in her trademark twang, while Benny is improving by the song (<i>Race 2, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani</i>) from the mere crooner he was in his earlier films. The orchestration and sound is quite 'with-it' cool. <BR><BR> '<i>Gulabi</i>' (Jigar Saraiya and Priya Saraiya aka Priya Panchaal) is a shade experimental in nature but works on a placid beat with brilliant words by Jaideep. Obviously a tribute to the Pink (<i>Gulabi</i>) City that Jaipur is called, it has a Rajasthani touch, complete with a few words and phrases and speaks of everything being or turning '<i>gulabi</i>' - when one is in love. <BR><BR> '<b><i>Tere Mere Beech Mein</i></b>' features the two Chauhans of playbackdom - Sunidhi and Mohit - in a mass-friendly duet that is again superlatively written by Jaideep. Taking the <i>mukhda</i>'s first line from the <i>Ek Duuje Ke Liye</i> classic, it turns that song's concept on its head to denote today's kind of relationship rather than ideal and classic romance. The lyrics talk about living-in and the modern approach to living together in love, complete with almost contract-like terms (<i>Gaflat mein na rehna tu / Jo din tere dil ke honge / To hogi meri raina</i>) and about avoiding misunderstandings by reading more into situations. Sunidhi is superb, her caressingly soft vocals in some portions setting off Mohit Chauhan's raw-edged singing. The acoustic orchestral back-up imparts an indefinably snazzy ambience to the hook-lines - <i>Mili mili hai zaraa khili khili hai / Finally chali hai meri love life</i>. <BR><BR> Divya Kumar, who impressed us recently in <i>Bhaag Milkha Bhaag</i> and <i>Ghanchakkar</i>, uses his throaty voice to lend a deep desi feel to the fusion treatment given to '<b><i>Chanchal Mann Ati Random</i></b>', a song that is like any amalgam of Kishore Kumar and Sukhwinder Singh. The sudden folk ambience created at the beginning of the second <i>antara</i> is indeed interesting and gives it a nice folk-like feel. <BR><BR> Where this album falls short is in the overdose of instrumental tracks - five! - which is not what we look for if we buy the physical album or for that matter download it. The first track, with a Rajasthani chorus, is titled '<b><i>Mujhe Kiss Kar Sakte Ho? </i> </b>' The second, '<b><i>Love In Jaipur</i></b>', creates a mood of the Pink City with apt traditional instruments and beats before a guitar intervenes. '<b><i>Tez Waala Attraction</i></b>' treads familiar <i>filmi</i> terrain despite its attempt to be apt for the backdrop. '<b><i>Boyfriend Banogey? </i></b>' gets into fusion mode and '<b><i>Bhanwara Ma Bhatke</i></b>' once again uses folk vocals. <BR><BR> There is one small negative point though, especially vis-à-vis recent Sachin-Jigar albums that did not have this quality, it is in the fact that the orchestration is often too loud for the vocals. This could have been avoided, especially in a film set in a small town. <BR><BR> <b>Overall: </b><BR><BR> Sachin-Jigar give an easy, hum-worthy soundtrack in keeping with their 'tradition', though it remains to be seen whether the score has the longevity of their best work in the past. Lyricist Jaideep Sahni, back after a brief hiatus, is the hero of the album, though. <BR><BR> <b>Our Pick: </b><BR><BR> <i>Tere mere beech mein, Gulabi</i>