Golmaal

By: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM

Friday, June 30, 2006

From a hilarious 2005, the season of comedies continues in 2006 with massive back to back successes of Malamaal Weekly and Phir Hera Pheri. While Malamaal Weekly hardly had any numbers to talk about and music of Phir Hera Pheri gained most from the call of 'Ae Meri Zohrajabeen', one expects a rollicking soundtrack from Vishal-Shekhar who have been the composer duo responsible for bringing a new age funky soundtrack to Bollywood films. Starring the quartet of Ajay Devgan, Arshad Warsi, Tusshar Kapoor and Sharman Joshi along with one and only Paresh Rawal, the film has Rimi Sen as the solitary heroine with Vishal Dadlani and Kumaar coming together for lyrics. Months after their last full fledged score in Taxi No. 9211 [they composed a solitary qawalli in Tathastu], Vishal Shekhar promise to return with a bang with the musical score of Golmaal, a Rohit Shetty film.

The final result is something that is quite stylish, satisfying and thoroughly enjoyable!

'Golmaal Golmaal Everything Is Gonna Be Golmaal' - As soon as the chorus girls start crooning this in unison, you know what to expect from the rest of the album. With a funky rhythm to boast, the fun begins as soon as hip-hop comes into picture and from this point on there is no looking back. Though the song is shot on the 'four boys' in the movie, it is Anushka Manchandani who sings the track with aplomb as her voice suits the foreign babes on the beach gyrating along with the boys. Not to be confused with Anushka Dandekar [another popular small screen celebrity who was seen as John Abraham's wife in Viruddh], Anushka Manchandani is a former VIVA girl who makes her Bollywood playback singing with this number. Vishal Dadlani too joins in briefly for an intermittent voiceover to add the spice. A fun number with an eye candy appeal that should set the ball rolling for the film, title song Golmaal by Vishal-Shekhar is the best way to begin this youthful album. For a song like this, there is an immense scope for a remix to rock and the same happens as the beats take a different dimension altogether by taking a metallic touch. Play it on loudly and hit the dance floor without a second thought!

One hears Golmaal once again with the track 'Daal Me Kaala Ya Kaale Mein Daal' that has Shaan and K.K. singing along to the racy rhythm set by the composer duo with Vishal doing his rap-n-reggae in the background. A situational number set in western mode, one can expect its signature tune during the crooning of Golmaal to appear as a part of film's background score. No, it's neither a dance number nor or of a kind to be sung along but one won't really mind playing it on during a fast drive on a highway with a group of friends as accompanying partners. Also, it fits in well with the situation. It comes in both the original and a much faster remix version but it is the latter that works more due to the genre of the song and the mood it creates. Have you been watching music channels lately? Then we are sure you wouldn't have missed the signature tune that has accompanied the initial promos of the film where each of the characters in the film were introduced [remember the famous scene with Ajay Devgan on two bikes?] The signature tune turns out to be 'Theme music - Golmaal that begins with a whistle and continues to be western in approach with right ingredients of rock and metallica. The music picks up pace towards the latter half and starts sounding like a RD Burman tune [Vishal Shekhar continue to be inspired by Burman da] and the club mix arrangement in the end give the theme music just the right finale!

After as many as 5 tracks dedicated to the spirit of Golmaal comes the best song of the album 'Kyon Aage Peeche Dolte Ho' and you have to just hear it to believe it! If you have been thinking that Vishal Shekhar are primarily about Dus Bahane and Salaam Namaste then you have to hear 'Kyon Aage Peeche' to see what they are capable of! That's because they pull off a number that almost pays a homage to a song composed half a century back - 'Jawaan Hai Mohabbat' sung by Noorjehan! An amazing composition set in the 50s, it revolves around a situation in the film where Paresh Rawal and Sushmita Mukherjee sing-n-dance a la 50s style. Shot in black & white with everything from musical arrangements to choreography to costumes to mannerisms to background dancers to shot taking being truly 50s, it makes for a hilarious 4 minutes number. Sone Pe Suhaaga' comes through excellent rendition by Sneha Pant who brings back the nostalgia. Shekhar is her male partner and while he is fine, it is Sneha who should walk away with all the accolades. Fun continues in the remix version of the song that again maintains the authenticity of 50s by adding in 'dholki' beat to make it sound like a Punjabi 'ched-chaad' number!

Party mood of the album is pretty much evident from start to end as 'Mast Malang' has a clear Vishal-Shekhar edge to it. When compared to the songs preceding it, it is a step behind from novelty point of view. Still the music is of the kind that it won't bore if the song is presented well on screen with good choreography to support. An OK track that won't be remembered much though after the film is off the screens.

Javed Ali, who was the singing partner of Alisha Chinoy and Shankar Mahadevan in one of the biggest songs of last year, 'Kajra Re' [Bunty Aur Babli], croons 'Reh Ja Reh Jaa Re'. This time around he is the prominent singer with Sunidhi Chauhan [who just appears briefly towards the end] as his singing partner. While the song pretty much maintains the same mood as the rest of the album, it has a certain peppy feel to it that easily enables it a place in one of those quick-to-grasp time-pass track. A cool look with a dash of Punjabi flavor and an associated feel-good factor make 'Reh Ja' a nice boy-calling-girl-to-fall-in-love number that adds on to the youthful appeal of the album. The remix with an added 'bhangra beats' doesn't do any harm either!

Golmaal has already created some curiosity around it due to a youthful look and feel. Music by Vishal Shekhar only consolidate it further by their funky music that brings to fore the genre and theme of the film and goes in accordance to that. It doesn't try to be overtly inventive and still brings to fore a sound that would be loved by the young crowds.