Raja Natwarlal music review: Yuvan Shankar Raja's music is palatable but nothing extraordinary

By Prateek Sur
| Updated: August 4, 2014 12:10 PM IST

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Singers: Arijit Singh, Mika Singh, Shweta Pandit, Mamta Sharma, Anupam Amod and Benny Dayal

Kunal Deshmukh directorial Raja Natwarlal, starring Emraan Hashmi, is a revenge drama of a conman. Pakistani heroine Humaima Malick makes her Bollywood debut with this film. It is a known fact that all Emraan Hashmi movies have great music. So will the Raja Natwarlal music album impress us? Let us find out in the song by song music review... Also Read - Tiger 3 actress Katrina Kaif talks about her equation with her co-star Salman Khan; says 'I found my place...'

Dukki tikki: Sung by Mika Singh, this track is a south styled massy number designed to entice the listener to the dance floor. A rehash of his own track from the Tamil film Pudupettai, Yuvan uses Mika Singh to get the desired massy effect and hits bulls-eye on that front. Though the basic tune remains true to the Tamil original, Yuvan has given it a local flavor by blending it with Shehnai, Drums and even the occasional guitar. The result is quite palatable for the local audience and should find favour with the target audience. Also Read - Tiger 3 OTT release: Salman Khan's film to be released on THIS platform, where and when to watch

Tere hoke rahengey: Sung by Shweta Pandit, this song is immensely hummable. Beautiful use of the accordion and guitars, this shows Yuvan at his classic best. Shweta’s voice modulations is mention worthy so is the melody which will slowly but surely steal your hearts. The reprise version sees the current hot favorite Arijit Singh crooning to a more techno version of the same song. Usually when the song gets too techno sounding, the singer’s vocals get pushed to the background and therefore the overall quality of the song suffers. But credit to the music director that he has been able to ensure that Arijit’s voice sounds as powerful as it always has been despite the omnipresent techno orchestration through the track. Also Read - Long after calling Aishwarya Rai Bachchan plastic, Emraan Hashmi says he'd wait 1.5 hours to get a glimpse of her

Namak paare: Sung by Mamta Sharma and Anupam Amod, this song is the mandatory item song of the album. The song sounds quite templatized and fails to create any kind of excitement whatsoever. After having successfully captured the listener’s imagination with Munni Badnaam, Mamta Sharma is in danger of getting pigeonholed as the item number specialist, an image from which she desperately ought to break away by stepping out of her comfort zone and showcasing her inherent versatility in different genres at the earliest.

Kabhi ruhani kabhi rumani: Sung by Benny Dayal, this song is not your typical qawalli. The song has a very distinct breezy melody which camouflages the classical instrumentation. Except for the tabla, the rest of the arrangement though mostly classical flirts more with the romantic melody genre than the usual sufish sounds that one usually expects in a qawalli. The experimentation, however, is a much welcomed break from the fast paced dance numbers.

Flip your collar back: Sung by Benny Dayal, this song is inspired by hip-hop and reggae. However, the song is a bit let down as the tune keeps meandering almost pointlessly. The lack of a catchy hook also hits the song hard and so do the weird lyrics which make it a tedious listen. The only saving grace is Benny Dayal who keeps shifting his genres very effortlessly.

Verdict: Raja Natwarlal's music is nothing extraordinary, however, it is a mixed bag. Given his past track record, a lot more was expected from Yuvan Shankar Raja’s Hindi debut. If the film does well at the box office the songs will remain in your playlist, else they will just vanish in thin air.

Our Picks: Kabhi ruhani kabhi rumani and Tere hoke rahengay

Rating : 2.5 out of 5

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ByPrateek Sur
| Updated: August 4, 2014 12:10 PM IST