Yamla Pagla Deewana Review {2.5/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
One does expect the soundtrack of Yamla Pagla Deewana to be loaded with Punjabi flavoured songs from beginning till the end. Reason is obvious - the film has the entire Deol family coming together and unlike Apne, their last outing together, this one is far more 'desi' in appeal. However, one is a tad taken aback to see that instead of one single composer being entrusted with the responsibility to create an out and out masala soundtrack, there are RDB, Nouman Javaid, Anu Malik, Sandesh Shandilya and Rahul B. Seth getting a song or two apiece. Really, at this point one is not really sure about what would actually be in the offing.
MUSIC
Thankfully, the album takes a positive start, what with Dharmendra's smash hit chartbuster 'Yamla Pagla Deewana' making a comeback decades after it first made a country-wide impression. A rearranged version of the Laxmikant-Pyarelal song, 'Yamla Pagla Deewana' retains its overall flavour not just composition-wise but also when it comes to Anand Bakshi's lyrics. RDB does contribute a little with additional lyrics and interludes but the song doesn't loose it's originality at all. Sonu Nigam is just an apt choice to sing this one and along with Nindy Kaur, he indeed does a good job in this song. 'Yamla Pagla Deewana' arrives again in a 'House Mix' version that should find its way into the DJ's list of most preferred songs this season.
Nouman Javaid composes 'Charha De Rang' and one gets a solid impression that the makers were most confident about this track. Reason being that it appears as many as four times in the album. None of them are 'remixes' though and are just different parts of the song. A soothing track sans any Western influence whatsoever, 'Charha De Rang' retains its Indian flavour right through its four and a half minutes duration. A love song which has Ali Pervez Mehdi, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Shweta Pandit, Mahalaxmi Iyer and Rahul B.Seth coming in different parts, at places it does remind of 'Saudebaazi' [Aakrosh]. However, the similarity is just restricted to a strong Indian flavour but that's about it. Written by Rahul B.Seth and Nouman Javaid, it is a decent track where female singers actually end up bringing in far more energy than their male counterparts.
One is not too sure about what exactly do the lyrics 'Tinku Jiya' stands for. However, the fact still remains that this Anu Malik composition is what promises to be a 'masala' outing for the masses. Rest assured, if this song is choreographed on the same lines as a 'Beedi Jalaile' [Omkara] or 'Munni Badnaam' [Dabangg] then there won't be anything stopping this one from finding good audience, especially in interiors of the country. A kind of track that one would associate with a 'Bhojpuri' film, 'Tinku Jiya' (which has Anu Malik turning lyricist as well) promises to be a raunchy number with Mamta Sharma and Javed Ali going all out to keep the momentum on.
In an album like Yamla Pagla Deewana, one didn't expect a quintessential love song. However, there is 'Sau Baar' which is inspired by Pakistani-pop and actually reminds one of many a songs that have been sung by Atif Aslam. This time around it is Omar Nadeem at the helm of affairs and while his 'mukhda' is good, the 'antara' that he shares with Shreya Ghoshal turns out to be barely ordinary. Though one would have really wanted this song to be exciting enough, considering the fact that composer Sandesh Shandilya and lyricist Irshad Kamil come together all over again, the results aren't fantastic.
After 'Tinku Jiya', composer/lyricist Anu Malik and singer Mamta Sharma come together all over again for 'Chamki Jawaani'. Initial portion of the song is on the same lines as 'Kajraare' [Bunty Aur Babli]. However, what follows next is not even close as 'Chamki Jawaani' hardly manages to excite. Now this is a surprise since the male singers behind the mike are Daler Mehndi and Master Salim but still, the song turns out to be hardly foot tapping. At this point, one starts getting doubts around the rest of the album since 'Chamki Jawaani' fails to impress.
Unfortunately the album only continues to go downhill with 'Son Titariya', yet another item number with a 'desi' flavour to it, doesn't catch your attention. In fact one starts wondering at this time around that why is Yamla Pagla Deewana taking a UP/Bihar route when one would have expected a trip to Punjab. Is it the 'munni badnaam' factor, one wonders, even as composer Rahul B.Seth doesn't quite succeed in creating any magic whatsoever along with singer Krishna Beura.
Thankfully there is some Punjabi flavour (finally) in the album with 'Kadd Ke Botal' which is written by Dharmendra himself. A celebration track which is put to tune by Rahul B.Seth and has Sukhwinder Singh, Harshdeep and Rosalie Nicholson teaming up for this 'dhol' and 'bhangra' track, 'Kadd Ke Botal' is decent but again not the kind that would top the charts in 'Yamla Pagla Deewana'. The album concludes with a much expected 'Gurbani'. A minute long piece from Shri Guru Granth Sahib, it is a devotional track which is put to tune by Sanjoy Chowdhury and sung by Shahid Mallya.
OVERALL
Even though the album is a loaded affair with as many as seven original pieces, the few tracks that manage to make an impression are (expectedly) the title song from the past and an item number 'Tinku Jiya'. 'Charha De Rang' can be given a few listening as well but the rest don't quite manage to make an impression despite an attempt at winning over the massy audiences. Really, one expected a far better outcome from Yamla Pagla Deewana than what it eventually has to offer.
OUR PICK(S)
Yamla Pagla Deewana, Tinku Jiya, Charha De Rang
