EXPECTATIONS
Hardly
any.
These
are
what
one's
expectations
are
from
the
music
of
Striker.
If
the
film's
title
is
hardly
encouraging
enough
to
check
out
what
the
music
has
to
offer
(Striker
is
about
a
carom
player
living
in
slums
and
surrounded
by
criminals),
the
cast,
people
behind
the
film
as
well
as
an
abrupt
release
announcement
preceded
by
an
audio
release
are
hardly
enticing
enough.
Moreover,
even
with
six
composers
(Shailendra
Barve,
Amit
Trivedi,
Yuvan
Shankar
Raja,
Swanand
Kirkire,
Vishal
Bhardwaj,
Blaaze)
contributing
a
song
or
two,
you
do
feel
apprehensive
if
Striker
would
indeed
be
an
ensemble
affair
worth
making
a
beeline
for.
MUSIC
Reluctantly
one
plays
on
Striker
and
Sonu
Nigam
brings
on
the
longest
track
in
the
album,
'Cham
Cham',
which
lasts
more
than
seven
minutes.
Composed
by
Shailendra
Barve
(who
was
the
guest
composer
in
Taare
Zameen
Par
with
a
beautifully
composed
'Mera
Jahan'
to
his
credit),
'Cham
Cham'
written
by
Jeetendra
Joshi
is
yet
another
soothing
piece
with
a
'qawalli'
base
to
it.
However,
instead
of
following
a
tried
and
tested
genre,
'Cham
Cham'
makes
a
good
effort
(and
also
succeeds)
in
being
slower
in
pace
and
also
maintaining
a
good
blend
of
rhythm
and
melody
that
starts
settling
in
after
one
has
given
it
a
patient
hearing
3-4
times.
Amit
Trivedi
(of
Dev
D
fame)
comes
up
with
'Bombay
Bombay'
which
appears
to
be
a
jam
session
that
has
been
impromptu
converted
into
a
full
fledged
number
for
a
film.
Prashant
Ingole's
lyrics
don't
quite
bring
in
much
novelty
in
the
proceedings,
especially
the
part
where
Siddharth
(the
lead
actor
in
the
film
and
also
the
singer
here)
starts
'talking'
about
the
essence
of
'Bombay'.
Also,
the
number
eventually
appears
to
be
a
wannabe
track
with
not
much
grip
in
it
to
make
you
play
it
on
in
a
repeat
mode.
At
best
a
track
that
may
appear
briefly
in
the
background.
'Haq
Se'
is
composed
by
Yuvan
Shankar
Raja
who
is
a
known
name
down
south
with
close
to
75
films
to
his
credit.
His
number
here
does
take
it's
own
time
to
settle
in
and
though
it
is
not
really
the
kind
that
would
result
in
the
sales
soaring
for
Striker,
it
has
a
hook
to
it
which
catches
your
attention.
One
wonders
though
if
he
could
have
roped
in
some
other
singer
than
himself
since
he
does
sound
awkward,
especially
in
the
'mukhda'
person.
This
Nitin
Raikwar
written
track
is
yet
another
theme
track
and
is
about
motivating
an
individual
to
for
his
dreams.
Swanand
Kirkire
gets
into
a
'sufi'
mode
and
plays
the
triple
role
of
a
composer,
lyricist
and
singer
for
'Maula'.
A
well
paced
number
with
an
interesting
beginning
via
means
of
various
instruments
coming
together
that
remind
one
of
R.D.
Burman's
sense
of
orchestra,
'Maula'
has
a
soothing
feel
to
it
and
after
'Cham
Cham'
turns
out
to
be
another
track
that
turns
out
to
be
a
decent
hear.
The
best
of
the
lot
though
comes
in
the
form
of
'Yun
Hua'
which
has
Vishal
Bhardwaj
and
Gulzar
pairing
up
once
again.
30
seconds
into
the
song
and
you
know
that
it
has
a
distinct
stamp
of
this
musical
'jodis'
that
is
fast
earning
a
loyal
audience
for
itself.
A
soft
song
which
remains
Indian
in
appeal
throughout
with
a
touch
of
Western
classical
shade
to
it,
'Yun
Hua'
is
sung
beautifully
by
Vishal
who
makes
one
sit
up
and
wonder
all
over
again
that
why
doesn't
he
get
behind
the
mike
more
often?
After
singing
the
title
track
of
Kaminey,
he
impresses
once
again.
After
'Cham
Cham',
composer-lyricist
team
of
Shailendra
Barve
and
Jeetendra
Joshi
return
with
'Pia
Saanvara'
which
is
the
first
(and
the
only)
song
to
arrive
with
a
female
voice.
A
soft
song
which
has
an
uncanny
resemblance
to
the
title
track
of
Chalte
Chalte
in
it's
beginning
portion,
'Pia
Saanvara'
comes
on
it's
own
the
moment
Sunidhi
Chauhan
takes
over.
A
slow
moving
number
with
a
semi-classical
base
to
it,
'Pia
Saanvara'
is
about
a
woman
pining
for
her
love
to
come
close
to
her
all
over
again.
The
album
ends
on
a
euphoric
note
with
Blaaze's
'Aim
Lagaa'
which
has
a
Remo
Fernandes
feel
to
it
and
picks
up
the
steam
from
the
word
'Go'.
Rest
assured,
this
number
should
find
an
appearance
all
through
the
background
score
of
Striker,
especially
at
the
crucial
junctures.
A
rap
track
that
doesn't
require
much
attention
from
a
viewer
and
listener
from
the
lyrics
perspective,
it
has
good
enough
beats
that
go
well
with
the
theme
track
that
Striker
would
have
been
expecting.
A
good
ending
to
the
album.
OVERALL
As
stated
earlier,
it's
zero
buzz
around
the
film
coupled
with
largely
unknown
names
and
coming
together
of
an
unconventional
score
that
would
go
against
Striker
from
the
sales
perspective.
Nothing
wrong
with
being
unconventional
but
then
if
an
album
has
to
make
an
impression
commercially,
it
requires
an
adequate
backing
as
well;
something
which
is
completely
missing
in
case
of
Striker.
OUR
PICK(S)
'Aim
Lagaa',
'Yun
Hua',
'Cham
Cham'