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By Joginder Tuteja, August 1, 2007 - 16:47 IST
Chak De India marks the return of Shahrukh Khan with Yash Raj Films. Unlike other blockbusters in the past like DDLJ, DTPH, Mohabbatein or Veer Zaara, Chak De India isn't what you term as 'feel-good-cinema'. Instead this Shimit Amin film promises to be a 'zara-hat-ke' affair due to its theme revolving around the sport of hockey.
In fact one was hardly expecting songs in this film which only has Shahrukh Khan as star power. Hence, it comes as a surprise of sorts to see Jaideep Sahni write lyrics and Salim-Sulaiman (favorites with YRF when it comes to background score of their films) roped in for composing 7 tracks in the album. While the composer duo had created some peppy tunes in YRF's Neal N Nikki, the same is not the case with Chak De India which hardly has anything to hum around.
A theme track, 'Chak De India' opens the album with 'dhol' beats welcoming you to the playing arena. Sukhvinder Singh is spirited as usual in this track that highlights the glory of India and its ability to keep its head high in the most adverse of circumstances. Salim Merchant & Marianne D'Cruz are the backup vocalists in this song which promises to play throughout the film's narrative. 'Chak De India' is a kind of number which has the potential to grow after audience has seen the film.
Hema Sardesai, who is quite selective when it comes to picking up a number to croon, gets a solo for herself in the form of 'Badal Pe Paon Hai'. The number sounds like an advertisement jingle from beginning till the end. The overall feel created is nothing different from countless such tunes which you have heard in jingles/tracks that are created for the woman-of-today. This rhythmic tune with a western base is not bad but remains to be situational at best.
Shahrukh Khan introduces the hockey team with 'Ek Hockey Doongi Rakh Ke' which has him 'narrating' rather than 'singing'. Salim-Sulaiman mix the essence of 'Chak De India' and 'Badal Pe Paon Hai' by creating a number which again follows the jingle mode while adding on the 'dhol' beats. As Shahrukh Khan talks about each and every player of the team, the team members also talk about their unique traits, likings and dislikings.
In the end, KK makes a belated appearance for merely crooning the three words - 'Chak De India'. Overall, an extremely average song which doesn't have enough ammunition in it to make you give it a repeat hearing, except for probably watching it unfold on the big screen.
Later in the album, the remix version of the song also appears as 'Hockey Remix', which has Medival Punditz (Gaurav Raina, Tapan Raj) at the helm. This time around, it is just the chorus girls in the background who croon the title of the song 'Ek Hockey Doongi Rakh Ke' with Shahrukh Khan missing from the action. Nothing really impressive...yet again!
Anushka Manchanda, who is fast gaining popularity due to her distinct voice, gets to croon a solo 'Bad Bad Girls'. A track that follows the theme of women liberation and has a strong A.R. Rahman hangover, 'Bad Bad Girls' is fast on pace with it's rhythm keeping the proceedings lively. First track in the album that manages to hold your attention, this is the one which should feature during the coaching/practice sessions in the film at number of instances. A fine theme number.
There is a twist in the tale with the arrival of 'Maula Mere Lele Meri Jaan' which brings an altogether different feel to the album. Crooned by Krishna & Salim Merchant, the number is not one of your traditional lively qawallis. Instead it moves at a slow pace with sadness written all over it.
In fact after a point the song becomes so depressing that one senses a gloomy environment all around. By this point, one seriously starts wondering about the thought process that YRF and Salim-Sulaiman had before creating the soundtrack of Chak De India since not even a single track so far boasts of anything that could elevate it to chartbuster status.
'Sattar Minute', which marks the end of the album, is perhaps the 'sabse achche do minute' of the album! Lasting just 2 minutes in duration, it is not a song but an extended monologue by Shahrukh Khan who gets into an inspirational mode with his hockey team. In the track, he motivates them to go and deliver their best without worrying much about winning or loosing. Ultimately, it is Shahrukh's voice and dialogue delivery which ends up making all the difference.
Chak De India is completely different soundtrack from what you expect in a Yash Raj Film. Still, that's not really a consolation since even Kabul Express hardly had a feel-good theme and yet the music by Raghav Sachar had at least a couple of tunes that went on to become extremely popular. One can't say the same in case of Chak De India which primarily follows the situational/jingle route and doesn't come up with a single number that could become the highlight of the album.
  
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