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Music Review: ‘Dolly Ki Doli’

'Dolly Ki Doli' poster
‘Dolly Ki Doli’ poster

After the hit success of ��Khoobsurat�۪ (2014) Sonam Kapoor is back on the screens early in 2015 to capture the year at the start as the new generation leading ladies. She did well in the last movie and so the anticipation is high for ��Dolly Ki Doli�۪ where she is the centre of it all opposite three actors Rajkummar Rao, Varun Sharma and Pulkit Samrat and under debutant director Abhishek Dogra�۪s leadership with Arbaaz Khan�۪s production metal. A film about a girl version of Ranveer Singh in ��Ladies Vs Ricky Bahl�۪ (2011) who goes a step further by marrying guys and making a run with their money should be a good amount of fun to watch if executed well. Kapoor�۪s bubbly personality on screen should help the cause of the film and thus be a good entertainer. Sajid-Wajid have the task of delivering the music for this masala wedding chaos film which means there will be more item songs than wedding songs in the soundtrack of this film.

Music Review: 'Dolly Ki Doli'
Music Review: ‘Dolly Ki Doli’

Sunidhi Chauhan launches the album with Phatte Tak Nachna giving this female lead soundtrack the attitude, fun and charisma it needs. A proper item number with a Punjabi tadka is brave and has no apprehensions about it showcasing the personality of Sonam�۪s character in the film. Lyrics by Danish Sabri are loud and proper item number with tons of attitude to it. Set in a wedding function setup where Kapoor delivers all the glitter and dance moves this song will easily find its way into wedding DJ sets but its no-fear strong lyrics for a bride might not go down well with traditional Indian weddings. Moreover as expected, Sajid-Wajid�۪s composition is more item number than wedding party song. Even though they use tons of dhol and claps with snake charmer hooks, Sunidhi�۪s powerful and crude delivery makes it a good item number with a decent airplay future but not a great one.

Fashion Khatam Mujhpe is the real item number true to the combination of Sajid-Wajid and Arbaaz Khan style. Throw Malaika Arora Khan in the video and Mamta Sharma of Fevicol Se & Munni Badnam fame and you have the perfect mix for a hit song. Mamta�۪s vocals ooze oomph and perfect pitches all the way while Wajid�۪s supporting vocals complement hers well as in all their previous hits. On the composition front the duo know what they are doing well as no one can beat them in this category which they have proved so many times by delivering super-duper hits. This song like their other songs in this category is based in the UP-Bihar music setting and so the arrangement is straight forward with a lot of dholak and trumpets. Lyrics by Irfan Kamal are average and perhaps the only factor that could hold this song from becoming a mega successful number like its predecessors. But Malaika�۪s hotness in the video might just push it through to the top. Wait and watch.

Wajid sings the next one with lyricist Danish Sabri doing the supporting vocals. The song is called Babaji Ka Thullu and is a total embarrassment to even listen to it. Talk about over-the-top cheese and dramatically over done lyrics and vocals then you get this totally rubbish song. Danish�۪s lyrics brief must be deliver total crap which he successfully does. The arrangement is the only decent factor in the song going from a low to a trance high with a good transition. This song might find success in the villages and with took-took drivers, but to save any sensible ears, we would recommend skipping this song!

Malaika Arora Khan - Fashion Khatam Mujhpe
Malaika Arora Khan – Fashion Khatam Mujhpe

Divya Kumar takes lead next on the title song Dolly Ki Doli which is a total relief to listen to after the earlier disaster. Lyrics by Irfan Kamal are very well written to sum up the film and the character that is very well arranged by Sajid-Wajid giving it an urban vibe with shenai bridges to give it the wedding feel. The engaging and suspenseful music composition is quite apt for the title song and goes very well with Kumar�۪s vocals who delivers it to the tee. Musically this is perhaps the best song on the album although not completely original in its melody. But put all aspects together and this song stands out from the others and is a good listen. Considering it is the title song and thus very situational to the film its success will be limited to just around the film but not denying the credibility of the song.

The magical voice of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is saved till the last for a romantic ballad Mere Naina Kafir Hogaye sung to the emotive and deeply romantic lyrics of Kumaar. Starting to a melodious piano intro and followed by a simple tabla beat the song evolves nicely into a western jazz bridge piece which is quite unique and perhaps not heard in a Hindustani classical romantic song before. Must listen to the harmonium solo for the second bridge! Other than the effortless voice of Rahat, lyrics by Kumaar are so melodic that it is going to be difficult for songs coming in the year ahead to beat this. By the time it comes around to Valentine�۪s Day this song would be the superhit of the season. Sajid-Wajid yet again ��deliver a humongous romantic hit for a Arbaaz Khan production like they always do and this one is worth listening to on a repeat.

Sonam Kapoor in 'Dolly Ki Doli'
Sonam Kapoor in ‘Dolly Ki Doli’

FINAL WORD

Under Arbaaz Khan�۪s production formula, Sajid-Wajid keep the formula the same for the soundtrack of ��Dolly Ki Doli�۪ and play it safe. A romantic Rahat Fateh song, a North Indian item number with Mamta Sharma and a decently good title song to create a wholesome OST. But are these songs good enough to match up to the work of ��Dabangg�۪ (2010) and ��Dabangg�۪ (2012)? Guess not…

Although the romantic melody of Mere Naina Kafir Hogaye is fantastic and matches up to delivering a huge hit, Fashion Khatam Mujhpe and Phatte Tak Nachna might not be able to match up to the expectations of the listeners as they are decently average songs but not path-breaking in any way. The compositions are good but the average lyrics are not strong enough to deliver a big hit. The missing charisma of Salman Khan on screen would also be a contributing factor to keeping these songs from becoming superhits. Babaji Ka Thullu is perhaps one of the worst songs made in recent times and overall brings the rating of the album down by the time you reach the 4th song. But then the combination of Rahat & Kumaar take it back up making this album well worth a good listen.

BizAsia Showbiz rating ��� 7.5/10