Music Review: CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA

Music: Shanker-Eshaan-Loy, Kailash-Naresh-Paresh, Bappi and Bappa Lahri, Bohemia

Lyrics: Rajat Arora, Shaily Shailender, Kailash Kher, Bohemia

Though CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA’s main cast, director, music directors and producers are Bollywood’s very own. Publicity for the film suggests otherwise. Promos are even making their way on hulu.com! It helps when Warner Bros. is one of the leading banners. What possible reason could the producers have for targeting a Bollywood flick (attracting mainly Indians) to those darn outsiders? Perhaps your “Gora” friends, who feel proud every time they say “Chicken Tikka Masala” at a restaurant, can see it? Or maybe they’re trying to target audiences in China? After all why see a well executed action movie when you can watch a shoddy display from Bollywood? It’s really a win-win for everyone!

So many questions so little time, all those will be answered once the movie releases worldwide on January 16th.

Despite the international feel, the music is all Desi. In keeping with the consistency of almost every other album there are only five original compositions, spread over four music directors/combos. Lyrics coming from Rajat Aroraa, Kailash Kher and Bohemia.

‘S.I.D.H.U.’, the opening track, introduces the listener to the movie’s main character portrayed by Akshay Kumar. Something straight out of a 1970s film about a small “Gaon”, Kailash Kher, Paresh and Naresh keep the arrangements simple complimenting Kher’s unique singing style with simple tablas and dholaks. By no means is it a chartbuster but will flatter the storytelling during the movie. If there’s nothing else you take from this song, at least you’ll know how to spell “Sidhu”.

The title track takes its turn next, ‘Chandni Chowk To China’. After the release of ROCK ON!! the listener is delighted to finally see a Shanker-Eshaan-Loy composition. That excitement however is short lived. The trio use a repetitive formula that’s been stretched since the ‘Mitwa’ days. Neeraj Shridhar and Anushka Manchandra sustain a moderate pace through the song, and out of no where comes Shankar Mahadevan backed by some power chords. Neeraj doesn’t showcase any sort of originality, making him a breeze that enters one window and leaves through another. Anushka displays subtle versatility, leaving the listener refreshed. Not too high pitched and not too husky.

Bapphi and Bappa Lahiri re-vamp an old hit from AAP KI KHATIR ‘India Se Aaya Tera Dost’. The composition is lifted with more contemporary music, but Bapphi’s dull singing doesn’t leave any sort of impression. Like the album opener, this will be better suited for the purpose of the film rather than the charts.

Shreya Ghosal makes her mark in yet another romantic ballad accompanied by Shanker Mahadevan, ‘Tere Naina’. The trio opt for a very calm and soothing sound while Shanker contains his explosive style. The true winner is by far Shreya. A pure essence of beauty can be sensed through her soft rose pedal laden voice. However Shreya is not enough to keep this track afloat, the composition fails to captivate the listener. Also the lyrics from Rajat Aroraa don’t exactly put him up for the best lyricist category, decent but not great.

To amp things up Kailash-Naresh-Paresh come together again for a bhangra/rock number, ‘Chak Lein De’. The music diverts from the typical Kailash style and goes straight for pop as opposed to the usual folk. A highly enjoyable sound from both the singing aspect and from the music. The usage of the electric guitar only adds more attitude.

Akshay Kumar’s intentions are starting to become clearer as each movie passes. He wants to become a rapper! Listeners first saw him tread in these waters on the SING IS KIING soundtrack, now he teams up with successful producer/rapper of the Indo-Urban community in ‘CC2C’. Kumar’s amateurish effort follows the same path as 99.9% of artists pertaining to this genre…rapping about themselves! Thanks for being original! This will mainly appeal to those hip hop kids who cruise around in their tricked out Hondas with 14 inch hub caps.

To enhance the “kool” factor, remixed versions of ‘Chandni Chowk To China’ and ‘Chak Lein De’ by DJ Amyth are featured as the closers. Next time you’re at a party make sure to tell the DJ about these, absolutely mind blowing! Actually they’re not…that was a lie. It’s the typical rotation of a faster beat, some disk scratching here and there and synthesizer effects with excessive repetition.

Overall there’s too much emphasis on trying to be cool and not enough on the product. Only one song holds your attention for more than four minutes, ‘Chak Lein De’. The lyrics are not on a ground breaking path, then again CHANDNI CHOWK TO CHINA is a comedy and that was never the intention. Shanker-Eshaan-Loy’s two song effort was dismal after their surprise hit ROCK ON!! (regardless of the fact that the album was too peppy and nowhere near the rock genre). Key Tracks: ‘Chak Lein De’

Rating: 1 out of 5 stars