Film: Raqeeb
Director: Raj Kanwar
Music Director: Pritam
Lyrics: Sameer
Rating: 1.5/5
After Humko Deewana Kar Gaye, Raj Kanwar is back with Raqeeb, but as a producer. The film has no high profile actors; Tanushree Dutta, Jimmy Sheirrgill, Sharman Joshi and Rahul Khanna make up the cast. While you can be unsure of what to expect from the film, here’s what the music is like.
The first track has been rendered by KK, and is called “Jaane Kaise.” That’s precisely what we are asking. How is it that a singer like KK ended up with this song? While it’s nice and soft, the song per se fails to arouse any feeling. It is simply one of those many hundred tracks that come and go without leaving behind any impression. Still, this one is by far the best and most melodious track in the entire album.
As if in compensation, the remix provides a club-like feel. However, the question is, why would clubs play a depressing song? You can just about hear either track and be satisfied that you heard both. The ‘Wow’ factor, however, seems to be missing from either.
Channa Ve Channa by Gayatri Ganjawala is like one of those confused tracks that are neither rustic nor modern-day. While she has a great voice, there is far too much going on in the song. At over four and half minutes, this track is killing in the last thirty seconds. Skip this one.
The remix makes you feel that the music is helping you count down to some kind of a rocket blast. The song is crammed with the “dhinchak” stuff while the original track is playing. This one is worth a skip as well.
Sunidhi Chauhan’s Dushmana sounds like a Enya impression in the first seven seconds. After which, it picks up tempo and sunidhi Chauhan sings along. This one is a loud and great number to dance hard to, if you have a few extra calories worth burning. While it is high on energy levels, it is low on being a great track to hum along with.
The second version of the song has Kunal Ganjawala doing the same. Barring a few changes in sound levels, it is the same old thing. Nevertheless, the version with Chauhan is far more energetic and peppy.
A duet is what Tum Ho is, with Zubin Garg and Tulsi Kumar on the vocals. This song has nothing going for it. The orchestra strums and the singers are do their part, and the result is an average track. With a salsa twist, almost like “Zinda Hai” from Josh, this track does nothing to you. Like the others, it is a so-so offering.
The moment you have heard the first few seconds of Qateel, you know it’s Alisha Chinai at the vocals, and the lady does a good job. It gives you the feeling of being in one of those tracks that are a backdrop while an important scene is being uncovered. This song isn’t exactly one of Chinai’s memorable works, but is one of the better songs in the album.
While Pritam is busy basking in the glory of providing the music for Metro and the already released Dhoom 2, Raqeeb sounds like a mixture of all his mediocre and forgettable tracks packaged into one album. It does nothing to you, there isn’t a single track you would want to listen to for the second time, forget playing it repeatedly.
