Music Review: Chennai Express

Just recently the industry saw a grand music release of the much talked about flick Chennai Express, starring the King of Romance, Shah Rukh Khan with his Om Shanti Om co-star, Deepika Padukone. It is a romantic comedy produced by Gauri Khan under the banner of Red Chillies Entertainment, and directed by Rohit Shetty. The brilliant composing duo Vishal-Shekhar have successfully managed to give the album some fast track dance sequences, sizzling romantic numbers, as well as a pinch of South Indian masala, considering the movie's theme.

The album commences with "One Two Three Four (Get on the Dance Floor)" in the clean and attractive vocals of Hamsika Iyer and Vishal Dadlani. The track, heavily dripping in Tamil dance essence, is meant to sound funny and joyous but somehow fails to hold a grip on the audience. It can be listened to occasionally but a high play count may just offend the ears.

Up next is "Titli" which may be considered one of the best songs in the album. Fresh Tamil singers Chinmayi Sripaada and Gopi Sundar have their hands on it, and together carry a soft melodious tune to the track. It washes a sense of silent happiness when listened to, however once again, it does not seize enough attention to be considered among the hit tracks of the season. The track also features another dubstep version which again may be considered a little lackluster.

Amitabh Bhattacharya, the lyricist of the film, has unexpectedly given his vocals to this song "Tera Raasta Choodon Naa". This romantic ballad surely deserves a chance to be heard, and carries a fresh breeze that allows the audience to enjoy the moments shared.

The track "Kashmiri Main, Tu Kanyakumari" is another dance number stuck in the 90's trend of upbeat songs sung by the rapidly rising name, Arijit Singh, and later joined by Neeti Mohan and Sunidhi Chauhan. The song features a blessed tune but soon downfalls due to quirky lyrics that disintegrate the song to a total disaster at certain points.

"Ready Steady Po" is yet again another fast-paced flying track of the album which has the potential to grab a spot in the DJ's top playlists. It is a well pictured dance number that gives way to the smooth flow of the lyrics amalgamated in the vocals by new talents - Brodha V, Smokey, Enkore and Natalie Di Luccio, with support from Vishal Dadlani. This track has potential but could have been promoted on a better platform of theatrical promos.

Last but not least is the title track "Chennai Express" sung by well known veteran South Indian singer, SP Balasubramanium. He provides a fun touch to the song that makes it bearable for at least one listen. However, his voice dully suited Shah Rukh Khan's personality, thus becoming a slight drawback for the song, and film overall.

This marks the end of the music review of Rohit Shetty's much-anticipated flick, Chennai Express. Although the music doesn't hold much grip over the audience owing to its unavoidable self hype, it is well set considering the movie's premise, the South Indian setting and the introduction of new talented Tamil singers to the music industry.

BollyCurry will be back soon to entertain you more, but before bidding adieu, we lend our best wishes to the entire cast and crew of "Chennai Express" for the release of the film on August 8th, 2013.

Writer: Sonia R.
Editors: Aanchal V. & Jenifer Y.
Graphics: Amna M.