Film: " Joker"; Music Directors: G.V. Prakash Kumar and Gaurav Dagaonkar;
Lyricist: Shirish Kunder; Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Adarsh Shinde, Udit
Narayan, Daler Mehndi, Sonu Kakkar and Shweta Pandit; Rating: **1/2"
Joker"
marks the first Bollywood outing for music maestro A.R. Rahman's nephew
G.V. Prakash Kumar. He has composed five tracks in the album, and one
song is composed by
Gaurav Dagaonkar. All songs have been penned by the
movie's director, Shirish Kunder.
The album gets a jump-start
with "Kafirana (I want fakht you)". Composed by Dagaonkar, the item
number, which has Chitrangda Singh giving a rare glimpse of her dance
moves, has a lot of dhol beats and a catchy tune. The lyrics are a mix
of Hinglish (Hindi and English) and Marathi, and giving them voice are
Sunidhi Chauhan and
Adarsh Shinde. They have done justice to this peppy
composition.
Next on the playlist is "Jugnu". Crooned by Udit
Narayan, it ends up reminding the listener of his song "Yeh taara woh
taara" fom "Swades". However, if the two are compared, the composition
of "Jugni" is quite ordinary, and it fails to make an impact. Narayan
has maintained his charm with the vocals and has been supported well by
chorus and whistling. Good for a one-time listen, but nothing beyond
that.
The next number "Sing raja", folk has been mixed well with
electronic sounds. Singers Daler Mehndi and Sonu Kakkar allure the
listener with their energetic vocals, which blend well. They repeat the
term "Nach Le" in many languages during the song, but a high point in
this song is a flute loop. Overall, the number fails miserably in the
lyrics department, but this composition by G.V. Prakash is definitely
engaging.
It is followed by "Yeh
Joker", another peppy number in
sync with the mood set by "Kafirana", but nowhere close to it in terms
of enjoyment. It is heavily dependent on Sonu Nigam's musical might, but
even he fails to make it pleasant. Singer Shweta Pandit and the chorus
too are a drag. The track is vigorous during certain intervals but is
unable to take off fully thanks to the run-of-the-mill lyrics.
There
is a ray of hope with "Tears of
Joker" and it delivers with its
depressing, yet appealing sound. The flute has been used brilliantly
along with the tabla and sitar. With this one, one finally gets a taste
of the musical capabilities of G.V. Prakash. This one is a clear winner
and the best track of the album.
The album rounds off with
another instrumental "Alien arrival". The saxophone is just enchanting
and there are some fine beats used in its build up. It would be
interesting to watch how it is interspersed in the movie as the sound of
it suggests it should have a lot of visual appeal.
Overall, the album is a good mix of sounds, but it fails in terms of lyrics. Go for it purely for the instrumental tracks.
© IANS 
