Kaabil Music Review

"Misdirected musical disaster"

Music: Rajesh Roshan, Gourov-Roshin

Ratings: ½ star

1. Kaabil Hoon

What transpires in the first minute of the song is musical misdirection of ridiculous proportions: there are neat claps and strings for precisely ten seconds before a jazzy saxophone, followed by vocals (Jubin Nautiyal) – so far so good – but just when Jubin changes a verse, kicks in a… dafli. And this dafli-like sounding percussion is equally supported by electronic percussion. Before I could even understand the point of it, the track has changed a few scales and has become a cacophonous disaster. The tune is inherently dated (which is Rajesh Roshan’s inextricable problem – you can’t take him out of the ‘80s), which makes it look like Roshan wants best of both the worlds here—old and new – but he cripples when electronic music is bestowed upon him. His under-confidence is visible.

Only benefit – strictly in terms of structure and not composition – that this song had due to this old-fashioned music director is that when you feel the song would end, which is around 03:50, Roshan reminds us how a tune (no matter good or bad, old or new) has to let grow organically and not chop for radio-slot length. But that portion has Palak Muchhal at her shrillest. This one title track is enough for you to dread of five more songs of the album.

2. Haseeno Ka Deewana

Roshan’s own song from Yaarana gets here what every old song is getting these days: a recreated version. Gourov-Roshin have done it. They end up making something which could be a challenge for listeners to listen it on full volume on their earphones and come out without damaged ears. I didn’t want to give it more than a single listen. All I could hear is transformers rioting with sample sounds thrown in.

3. Kuch Din

Finally a mellowed track and I raise the volume of my earphones again. This romantic track has nice tune, old-world again, but it needed an old-world singer. Jubin Nautiyal makes it devoid of any soul. But he is not to be blamed alone, as more than him it’s over-dependence on electronic and poor production value that mars the track. A naturally produced and orchestrated female version of this song by someone like Alka Yagnik would tell you what this song really is.

4. Mon Amour

The slow prelude before the main dance track is nice. The arrangement here is neat too. But it’s so generic and gets so repetitive that it becomes exhaustive to hear. And, of course, Vishal Dadlani for slightly western and energetic track is an obvious choice.

5. Kaabil Hoon (Sad Version)

The sad version rendition of the main hook of the title track by Jubin Nautiyal is so funny that you don’t feel sad or anything anymore.

6. Kisi Se Pyar Ho Jaye

Gourov-Roshin recreate another song of Roshan. This one from Julie (the word Julie in the song is replaced by Jaana) with additional lyrics by Kumaar which feels like they exist in another song. Again, electronic laden, and with meandering piano bits which just doesn’t gel. Zubin, again, is not evocative at all.

Kaabil is a misdirected disaster by all measures.