Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania is the latest romantic comedy from Dharma Productions starring Student of the Year alumni Alia Bhatt and Varun Dhawan. The soundtrack is composed by Sachin-Jigar (Shuddh Desi Romance) and Sharib-Toshi (Raaz: The Mystery Continues) with lyrics penned by Kumaar. It features the vocal talents of Anushka Manchanda, Shreya Ghoshal, Shalmali Kholgode (Lat Lag Gayi – Race 2), Vishal Dadlani and Arijit Singh amongst others.
The album kick starts with Saturday Saturday, which is a revision of The Titans, Indeep Bakshi and Badshah’s 2012 release by the Sabri brothers. The early promos of the track have hit the air waves, or rather the digital waves, and it has been steadily climbing the charts as the new party anthem. Other than pressing the right party-track buttons, that is, references to girls, drinking, clubs etc, the track has nothing to offer that has not been already offered by its predecessors.
Samjhawan is yet another revision, this time from Jawad Ahmed that originally featured Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. It is a melodious duet with beautifully penned Punjabi lyrics. It is quite reminiscent of Ishq Bulava from Hasee Toh Phasee, which may explain the choice of Arijit and Shreya’s fresh vocals. While they both do a good job rendering the number, Rahat is sorely missed.
Daingad Daingad, crudely put, is in the same line as numbers such as Sasuraal Genda Phool (Delhi 6) and London Thumakda (Queen). That is, a desi/folksy (most likely wedding-based) number voiced by various artists to get the raw familial vibe. The comical lyrics are well penned and does tickle your funny bones a bit. That being said, it fails to wholly grasp your attention on its own. It may fare better as part of the film’s narrative.
Lucky Tu Lucky Me (So that’s what the kids are calling it these days!) joins its brethren I Hate Luv Storys (title track), Dhat Teri (Gori Tere Pyaar Mein)and Besharmi Ki Height (Main Tera Hero). It is a trendy party number about ‘getting lucky’ and Anushka and Benny do a fantastic job with the track’s tongue-in-cheek lyrics. Varun’s rap, while well written, arguably lacks finesse and slows down an otherwise energetic number.
Emotional Fool is simply unimpressive. It is relatively well written but the music is very ill-paced with weak hooks and over-tweaking of the vocals has a nerve-grating effect to say the least.
D Se Dance is by no means a pillar of innovation (See Drama Queen & Punjabi Wedding Song – Hasee to Phasee, Chingam Chabake – Gori Teri Pyaar Mein, Balam Pichkari – Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani) but that does not stop the formulaic number from engaging you. It is an energetic desi-party song with a catchy harmonium hook and enthusiastic dhols, rendered with equal gusto by Vishal, Shalmali and Anushka.
In conclusion, Dharma Productions’ romantic comedies have begun to sound very much like each other of late; despite the use of different composers (Vishal-Shekhar, Pritam, Amit Trivedi and now Sachin-Jigar and Sharib-Toshi). It is almost impossible not to make comparisons. If one is keeping score, Sachin-Jigar compositions trump Sharib-Toshi compositions, mainly because the latter’s creations comprise of two remakes and an amateurish overly digitized track. Lay off the tech guys! Sachin-Jigar waive histrionics and give the people what they what which in this case is more of same. This gives us a very listenable albeit mediocre album. Much emphasis is placed on the chemistry of Alia and Varun to supplement the album’s likability.
Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania hits silver screens on 11 July 2014!
