Dum Maaro Dum looks to be a new experiment for Bluffmaster team Rohan Sippy and Abhishek Bachchan as they explore the drugs and hippie lifestyle in Goa. Featuring an interesting and very promising cast of Rana Daggabutti (making his Bollywood debut), Prateik Babbar, Bipasha Basu, and the latest item gal on the block Deepika Padukone.
Let’s get right to it! The title track Mit Jaaye Gham (Dum Maaro Dum) is indeed a shocking and bawdy twist on the RD Burman track. With an infectiously dirty hook that pulls you right in, this song is an example of how to redo a classic song with aplomb. Where Thank You and its Pyar Do Pyar Lo failed in re-creating an original composition to a gem of a song, this track by Pritam and lyrics by Jaideep Sahni passes with flying colours. They keep the indelible chorus of Hare Krishna Hare Ram and the original composition, but mix in some electronic beats into the song, which works so well with the rave feel of the film as well. Anushka Manchanda is a positive chameleon on the tune, in parts tough when she sings the ribald lines and purring like a true item singer. Although I may like the song, it will be contentious to the moral police with its very naughty lyrics, and to music purists with a classic song being wrecked. One thing’s for sure, this song will burn the club dance floors and on everyone’s iPods for a while.
Right after this dance track, comes the romantic number Te Amo (Spanish for I love you) and pictured on Rana Daggabuti and Bipasha Basu. This one is a nice track that has a breezy and chilled out sound with the lovely vocals by Ash King and Sunidhi Chauhan. Ash King has a nice quiver in his voice that sounds great on a romantic track like this and Sunidhi Chauhan is quite overshadowed but makes a mark with her softer voice. This duet version is the best out of the three versions, as Sunidhi Chauhan’s solo work does not have the same spark as it does with the duet. The version by Mohit Chauhan is quite nice with just the strumming guitar and perfect material for his vocals as well. The remix version sounds quite a lot like the recent Usher song ‘DJ Got us Falling Love’, not the best of the bunch.
Jaana Hai is situational song with Zubin Garg on vocals. It starts like a rock number with the thrashing guitars but ends up like a typical Sufi number we have heard countless times before. We hardly hear much from the versatile Zubin, but it’s unfortunate he was given a song that sounds like his other hit ‘Ya Ali’ from Gangster. It is a very mundane track, but Zubin’s vocals make it worth a listen or two.
Papon sings Jiyein Kyun, and his voice has a certain sadness and vulnerability that works perfectly with this song. The lyrics by Jaideep Sahni are very conversational with name-dropping English words in the beginning, which seems odd in a movie like this. However, it gains momentum at the half way mark where it turns into a rocking number worthy of an early Atif Aslam comparison. Yet the simplistic lyrics let this song down from being a great track.
The fabulous Thayn Thayn is a definitely a favourite with its groovy bass and Abhishek Bachchan’s fun rap verse. The lyrics are much better here, with Abhishek musing about the current state of affairs and he sounds very comfortable in a faster verse than the relaxed ‘Right Here Right Now’. The song features such a catchy chorus and sound effects of gun loading and shots going off in the back. Ayush Phukan and Earl provide able support to this Abhishek dominated number.
Barring two brilliant tracks, the Dum Maaro Dum soundtrack is a very sporadic bunch of tracks that leave much to be desired considering the hype surrounding this film. It seems like Pritam is hitting a speed bump with Thank You and Dum Maaro Dum, highlighting two or three well-composed tracks while relying and reworking his previous hits for the remainder of these albums.
