Music Review: Namaste England

Music Review: Namaste England

EXPECTATIONS There were good expectations from the music of Namaste England due to multiple reasons. First and foremost this is a romantic musical which gives ample scope for good music. Moreover, it is also second in the franchise that was started by Namaste London, which means expectations are manifold. Thirdly, the film is directed by Vipul Shah who has good ear for music, something that he has demonstrated right since the days of Aankhen. With Mannan Shah as the composer, one picks up this soundtrack which has as many as seven songs. MUSIC The album kick-starts on a winning note with Atif Aslam leading the show for 'Tere Liye'. A kind of quintessential Bollywood romantic number that time and again works, this one has good variation going for it right from beginning till the conclusion of its five and a half minutes duration. A catchy track, it also has newcomer Akanksha Bhandari chipping in for a while and making a fair impression. This one can be heard on a loop for sure. The song which follows, 'Bhare Bazaar', is a chartbuster variety and it is surprising that it hasn't reached the kind of peak that it deserved. Vishal Dadlani is in great form with this boisterous number which is set to be become all the more popular in weeks and months to come. Rishi Rich collaboration, this one has rap portions by Badhshah which work quite well too. Later towards the middle portions Payal Dev makes an entry as well and together the team ensures that 'Bhare Bazaar' turns out to be a winning number. It is time for some celebrations to be taken forward with Shahid Mallya and Antara Mitra collaborating for 'Dhoom Dhadakka'. However, even though the first few seconds of the song seem promising, it doesn't really go anywhere once the entire 'mukhda' portion is heard. It tries to blend into the Punjabi milieu and ambience but the results are just ordinary. Even though Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is on the forefront for 'Tu Meri Main Tera', there isn't much to cheer about as this one sounds like a sad track instead of something happy. He is supported by Shadab Faridi and Altamash Faridi and though the sufi feel is apparent, overall this song about love and separation doesn't really strike a chord.  'Kya Kahoon Jaaneman' comes next and this one comes across as a surprise entry into the scheme of things. A song of seduction, it practically comes out of nowhere and doesn't really fall into the realm of 'desi' flavour that was audible all this while. As a standalone number, this one has some good rendition by Shashaa Tirupati. However, one doesn't see the song covering much of a distance musically beyond the run of the film. Mannan Shah brings himself behind the mike for 'Ziddi Hai Dil' and this one tries to take a semi-classical approach. Honestly, it comes across as more of a boring number right from the onset and though it aims to express the mindset of the protagonist who is going through some turmoil in his life, one can well imagine it to be slowing down the pace of the film instead. Last to arrive is 'Proper Patola' and this one actually brings in a 'proper' closure to the album which has some interesting bits but then also goes a bit haywire in the middle. Coming to this song, it has Badshah, Diljit Dosanjh and Aastha Gill coming together. The trio ensures that you do groove to the tune and in time to come one can also expect it to find favour amongst DJs to bring party revellers on the dance floor.  OVERALL The music of Namaste England works, though in patches, a couple of songs could have covered a much larger distance but with the film struggling currently at the Box Office, one wonders whether that would eventually be possible. OUR PICK(S) Bhare Bazaar, Tere Liye, Proper Patola