BizAsia Music Review: ‘Freaky Ali’
Still on a high from his sports film ��Sultan�۪ (2016), Salman Khan has been working another sports project for his brother titled ��Freaky Ali�۪ (2016). Directed by Sohail Khan and starring Nawazuddin Siddiqui in the lead role along with brother Arbaaz Khan and Brit starlet Amy Jackson, ��Freaky Ali�۪ looks like a copy of Hollywood flick ��Happy Gilmore�۪ (1996) starring Adam Sandler. Based around golf that possibly majority of Indian cricket obsessed Indian population would not have even heard of, this movie could do the job of mass education about this posh sport. And who better than the latest acting sensation of Bollywood who is the most unconventional looking hero for a leading role ��� Nawazuddin who is considered to be the common man�۪s hero. Khan family�۪s favourite music duo Sajid ��� Wajid are behind the music of this film with lyricists Shabbir Ahmed and Danish Sabri. Looking at the trailer one expects the film to have some street fun music, possibly some romantic tunes and definitely aspirational songs for a sports achievement film.
Din Mein Karengey Jagrata is the party celebration song of the album with Shabbir Ahmed�۪s lyrics. Set to a wedding theme in the video, the song lyrics actually have nothing to do with a wedding as such. The lyrics are all about having fun and going all night. Sajid-Wajid try and a blend of Amit Trivedi style big band trumpets mixed with an electronic beat that is not effective enough to give that unique sound to this song and make it a big club hit. The music lacks depth and sounds purely programmed with no live instrumentation. The vocals are perhaps the best part with Divya Kumar and Wajid doing a good job with good control and fun in their delivery. Swati Sharma supports with a few lines at the beginning of the song and should have got a lot more presence for her delivery style. Overall a decent song but nothing really exciting or grand to make this a hit.
An aspirational song, Parinda Hai Parinda acts as a theme song for the main character in the film. Shabbir Ahmed�۪s lyrics are the best part of the song as he describes the free spirit of the character and gifted by God�۪s grace which is what makes him an achiever. The good lyrics are a bit let down by the clich̩d composition which sounds like heard hundred times before and makes this song a decent background song rather than a leading theme song. Wajid�۪s traditional deliver further amplifies the clich̩ of the song but the clarity and confidence of his delivery also works well for the lyrics. This is an average song overall that could have been a lot better if there was something unique about its sound.
Ya Ali Murtaza is a serious but powerful song in a unique qawwali style never heard before. Finally a good arrangement from the music duo on this song that combines two cultures into one song. Marathi beats with Muslim qawwali lyrics is a piece of genius delivered by Sajid ��� Wajid. Danish Sabri�۪s lyrics are a prayer that bridges gaps between two religions and caters to the two festivals in the month of release with Ganesh Chaturthi and Eid-ul-Adha. Vocals are deep and engaging by Wajid, Sabri and Payal Dev who all do a good job. This is the star song of the album but very seasonal for the festive period and is not at all commercial in its appeal. It is a good song nonetheless and the best one on the soundtrack.
FINAL WORD
The soundtrack of ��Freaky Ali�۪ is below average overall. It lacks commercial and even mass appeal which is usually high in a Sajid ��� Wajid soundtrack. But that is consistent with the film in a way considering the cast is not very commercial or a big budget production. There could be more songs on the album at least in the background but just having 3 songs on the OST is quite a dud. The songs are not that great either with nothing really special about them except for Ya Ali Murtaza that aims to play on cultures and religion to create an impact which it does but only on a short-lived shelf life. The party song Din Mein Karengey Jagrata is a disappointment and Parinda Hai Parinda is a kind of bore. The album has no depth beyond these songs and even lacks vocal variety with Wajid leading all songs. The album does not feel like an album with a few songs that are mostly situational and provide background soundtrack for the film. Not really worth a listen as such!
BizAsia Showbiz Rating ��� 5/10
