Raja Natwarlal Music Review

Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Lyrics: Irshad Kamil 

Ratings: * * ½

Yuvan Shankar Raja, a big name down south, had originally debuted in Hindi with only a single song in Striker (2010). He gets to compose an entire soundtrack for Kunal Deshmukh’s Emraan Hashmi starrer Raja Natwarlal. 

1. Dukki Tikki

With shennai, drums, whistles and Mika Singh, all the basic requirements to produce an infectious masala song were fulfilled. Yet, Yuvan Shankar delivers a largely monotonous one that doesn’t soar up at any point. But, scores some points for infusing guitar in this arrangement that ends the track. 

2. Tere Hoke Rahengey

This one has some foot-tapping beats and beautifully broad orchestration, but that sounds as if it is played in rush and the overall composition just survives to come out of a commotion. It is Shweta Pandit who shines in each bit of hers throughout the song. 

3. Tere Hoke Rahengey- Reprise

The feel good original track is re-imagined with a jazzy piano in the start, an electric guitar in the midway and dramatic violins in the end with Arijit Singh adding to the melancholy. However, as much as the said arrangement saves the song, the fast paced techno bits spoils it.

4. Namak Paare

Item numbers’ favorite Mamta Sharma backs this one with Anupam Amod in this terribly noisy affair. Nothing redeeming to talk about.

5. Kabhi Ruhani Kabhi Rumani

As the name suggests, this is supposed to be a qawalli track. But, as each and every sound in this one sounds processed through a computer software, it feels lacking required rawness. And, with only the tabla sticking to the base, the track, led by Benny Dayal, estranges to become a breezy romantic one. 

6. Flip Your Collar Back

Reggae and techno based ‘Flip Your Collar Back’ has very neat and fine production, and banks on its electronically produced percussion, EDM bits and vocals provided by Benny Dayal. Inclusion of non-quotidian words like “peerwar” and “barkha” in its almost pedestrian lyrics rounds other edges of this track while its energy increases steadily.

Bringing one of the best composers from the south to debut into a full album, they got the production value of the soundtrack right but couldn’t manage to bring an identity or a vision to it. 

A (heavily) edited version of this review appeared here at moviecrow.com