Ok,
so
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
is
a
huge
film
by
all
standards.
After
all
Akshay
Kumar
and
Deepika
Padukone
are
coming
together
in
this
film
which
is
supposedly
based
on
Akshay's
own
life
story.
Moreover,
both
the
films
by
director
Nikhil
Advani,
Salaam-E-Ishq
and
Kal
Ho
Naa
Ho,
have
boasted
of
some
very
good
music.
Still,
one
has
good,
not
extraordinary
expectations
from
the
music
of
Chandni
Chowk
To
China.
Reason?
The
album
has
songs
by
composers
as
diverse
as
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy,
Kailash-Paresh-Naresh,
Bappi
Lahiri-Bappa
Lahiri
and
Bohemia.
Frankly,
when
something
like
this
happens,
i.e.
coming
together
of
various
composers,
as
an
audience,
one
tends
to
be
a
little
wary
about
the
music.
Whether
it
would
come
with
a
consistent
sound?
Whether
each
of
the
composers
would
have
indeed
come
up
with
their
best?
Will
someone
end
up
compromising
since
the
entire
responsibility
of
creating
the
soundtrack
doesn't
lie
on
him?
MUSIC
Thankfully,
all
fears
are
laid
to
rest
once
you
are
through
hearing
the
album
'at
least
twice'.
Yes,
at
least
twice
because
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
(CC2C)
isn't
one
of
those
'let's
make
an
instant
impact'
kind
of
an
album
that
works
in
the
very
first
hearing.
And
this
is
pretty
much
because
of
the
'consistency
in
sound'
factor!
In
the
six
unique
songs
that
form
a
part
of
the
film's
soundtrack,
there
is
so
much
happening
in
all
directions
that
it
is
impossible
to
catch
the
sound
and
announce
a
genre
after
the
first
listening.
One
has
to
be
patient
enough
with
CC2C
and
once
you
have
been
successful
in
doing
that,
it
will
rock
you.
And
rock
one
does
with
the
title
song
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
by
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
that
is
all
set
to
be
a
rage
in
a
fortnight
from
now.
A
fun
track
with
funnier
lyrics,
it
has
a
good
fusion
of
Indian,
Western
and
Oriental
rhythm
which
accounts
for
a
deadly
combination.
A
unique
number
in
quite
a
few
aspects,
it
certainly
must
have
been
a
difficult
tune
to
compose,
especially
after
considering
the
fact
that
it
isn't
one
of
those
typical
love
songs
or
an
item
number.
The
remix
version
that
appears
later
only
adds
to
the
fun.
What
takes
the
cake
though
is
another
number
which
has
the
same
title
i.e.
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
but
altogether
different
setting,
tune
(by
Bohemia),
lyrics
and
presentation.
All
set
to
be
a
flagship
number
of
the
album,
just
like
it
was
in
case
of
Snoop
Dogg
version
of
'Singh
Is
Kinng',
this
track
is
a
show
reel
for
Akshay
Kumar,
the
real
life
star,
as
demonstrated
through
the
lyrics
of
the
songs
itself
which
go
into
a
holds-no-bar
approach
while
proclaiming
Akshay
to
be
the
biggest
star
that
the
country
has
seen
in
the
current
times.
Watch
out
for
this
one!
Another
number
which
is
primarily
focused
on
Akshay
again,
though
this
time
on
his
reel
life
character
of
Sidhu,
is
'S.I.D.H.U.
'
Coming
with
an
out
and
out
Indian
feel
to
it,
courtesy
the
tune
by
Kailash-Paresh-Naresh
and
a
small
town
setting
(in
case
of
CC2C,
a
narrow
lane
setting
due
to
Akshay's
upbringing
in
Chandni
Chowk),
this
is
one
track
which
requires
multiple
hearing
to
be
grasped.
In
the
beginning,
it
sounds
like
an
advertisement
jingle
but
as
one
delves
deeper
into
the
song's
setting
(which
talks
about
the
young
man
called
Sidhu
who
is
a
simpleton
and
is
loved
by
all),
it
does
ultimately
settle
down.
Surprisingly,
there
isn't
much
fun
in
Bappi
Lahiri-Bappa
Lahiri
combines
'India
Se
Aaya
Tera
Dost'
which
is
a
take
off
on
yesteryear's
'Bambai
Se
Aaya
Mera
Dost'.
Though
lyrics
have
been
turned
around
a
little
and
accompanying
music
made
somewhat
zanier,
the
final
effect
is
just
not
enticing
enough.
Will
picturisation
make
a
difference
here?
Unlikely
since
the
song
tends
to
be
a
little
screechy
on
ears.
Thankfully,
'Tere
Naina'
by
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
acts
as
a
soothing
balm
since
the
love
song
instantly
reminds
of
the
likes
of
a
'Chup
Chup
Ke'
(Bunty
Aur
Babli)
or
'Falak
Tak'
(Tashan)
or
'Bol
Na
Halke
Halke'
(Jhoom
Barabar
Jhoom).
No,
the
tunes
aren't
similar
here
but
the
genre,
i.e.
pure
Indian
melody
is.
A
beautiful
sounding
number
that
leads
a
listener
to
'Chak
Lein
De'
which
is
made
entirely
for
an
Akshay
Kumar
fan.
A
track
composed
by
Kailash-Paresh-Naresh
that
gives
the
sense
of
a
revolution
in
the
making,
it
doesn't
go
ballistic
in
creating
a
jingoistic
flavor
to
the
proceedings
but
remains
subtle
yet
strong.
A
situational
number
(that
also
appears
in
a
remix
version)
which
is
expected
to
make
its
presence
felt
at
multiple
junctures
in
the
narrative.
LYRICS
Rajat
Arora
goes
all
out
in
getting
the
right
fun
quotient
in
place
while
writing
the
title
song
of
CC2C.
He
writes
'Tere
Naina'
as
well
while
contributing
to
'India
Se
Aaya
Tera
Dost'
but
it
would
still
be
the
title
track
that
would
come
easily
to
kids
and
would
be
grabbed
by
elders
alike.
Kailash
Kher
writes
'S.I.D.H.U.
'
and
'Chak
Lein
De'
and
once
again
delivers
something
which
is
non-filmy.
Bohemia
certainly
had
a
task
in
hand
to
write
a
song
(the
other
version
of
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
which
required
Akshay
Kumar
to
be
shown
in
a
particular
light)
and
it
seems
that
the
superstar
himself
had
a
lot
to
contribute
with
words
here.
VOCALS
Neeraj
Sridhar
has
seldom
failed
and
he
impresses
yet
again
with
his
rendition
of
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
as
well.
Anushka
Manchanda
comfortably
adds
on
another
hit
to
her
tally
while
letting
her
hair
down
for
the
same
track
but
it
is
Shankar
Mahadevan
who
takes
the
tempo
of
the
song
to
a
different
level
altogether
whenever
he
comes
into
the
picture.
However,
the
voice
which
would
be
heard
for
many
more
weeks
to
come
would
be
that
of
Akshay
Kumar
who
holds
center
stage
for
the
other
version
of
Chandni
Chowk
To
China.
Pretty
much
comfortable
behind
the
mike,
he
makes
sure
that
he
is
not
just
seen
but
also
heard.
Bappi
Lahiri
is
a
disappointment
with
'India
Se
Aaya
Tera
Dost'
though
Kailash
Kher
gets
a
different
flavor
altogether
to
an
out
and
out
commercial
film
like
this
with
his
rendition
of
'S.I.D.H.U.
'
and
'Chak
Lein
De'.
However,
the
moment
the
voice
of
Shreya
Ghoshal
is
heard,
all
is
forgotten
as
she
pairs
up
with
Shankar
Mahadevan
for
'Tere
Naina'.
She
gets
into
an
experimental
mode
here
in
her
rendition
and
succeeds
once
again.
OVERALL
The
album
comes
with
a
wide
range
and
this
is
what
works
in
its
favor.
Rohan
Sippy's
last
major
production,
Bluffmaster,
also
had
an
ensemble
score
and
the
sound
there
was
more
Western
in
feel
to
go
with
the
mood
of
the
film.
In
case
of
CC2C,
the
sound
is
more
rooted
and
yet
comes
with
a
good
enough
range
to
be
offered
to
a
listener.
Chandni
Chowk
To
China
is
clearly
the
next
musical
hit
in
the
making.