Dhoom 2   Producer: Yash Raj Films Director: Sanjay Gadhvi Starring: Hrithik Roshan, Abhishek Bachchan, Uday Chopra, Aishwarya Rai, Bipasha Basu, and Rimi Sen Music: Pritam Lyrics: Sameer Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam, K.K., Alisha Chinoy, Vishal Dadlani, Dominique Cerejo, Sukhbir, Soham Chakrabarty, Jolly Mukherjee, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Suzanne, and Bipasha Basu Audio On: Yash Raj Music    Number of Songs: 6 Album Released on: 19 October 2006 Reviewed by: Aakash Gandhi  - Rating: 7.0 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

Sunidhi Chauhan kick starts the album with the energetic Crazy Kiya Re. Pritam opens the piece with ace arrangements that has you fantasizing about what a chartbusting track this is going to become! The club beats and guitar are enlaced with the table to give you that trans-cultural feel. Sunidhi’s vocals are reminiscent of her Dhoom Machale performance, as she goes hot n’ heavy in her rendition. Unfortunately, after hearing the opening lines you feel Pritam didn’t exploit his tune to get the optimal utility out of his composition. You feel dissatisfied when the song terminated, as the melody just didn’t live up to much of Pritam’s earlier works, especially the original Dhoom. Verdict: Extreme potential – just lacked some key elements.

What follows is the sole (can you believe it?) remix of the soundtrack: Crazy Remix, by Bunty Rajput. The remix is typical of many of its kind. And as mentioned, the problem in the first was not the arrangements, but the melody, which remains a hampering constant here.

Next is yet another loaded Pritam track in the form of Touch Me. K.K. and Alisha Chinoy are teamed together once again after their most recent outing together in Aap Ki Khatir’s ‘I Love You For What You Are.’ Although weighed down by a rocking string of music, Pritam once again misses the spot with his melody. More appealing then the opener, Touch Me’s strength lies in its instrumental variability. But it’s strengths are equally balanced by the poor lyrics and lagging melody. Sameer should have thought twice before having the piece revolve around lyrics like “don’t touch me, don’t touch me, don’t touch me soniya.” K.K., who was a recent revelation in the music of Bas Ek Pal fails to impress his vocal prowess on this tune. In company is Alisha Chinoy, who is decent in support. However this piece does succeed solely due to Pritam’s efforts with the baton. The consistent beat, interlaced with a tamed play of the guitar in the musical interims, are a pleasure to experience. Verdict: Solid music, but lacks completeness.

The trend of corny English lines continues in My Name is Ali. As suspected by many, this is in fact of response to Dhoom’s ‘Dilbara.’ However the difference here is that we have the actress (Bipasha Basu) rendering the dialogues instead of Uday Chopra. The song has a chance, as did the previous two. But Sonu Nigam’s repetition of the line ”Excuse me to please” completely ruins whatever progress Pritam’s arrangements had made, and really starts to grind down on your nerves. Verdict: A purely situational number – nothing more!

Dil Laga Na takes us back to Tata Young’s Dhoom Dhoom. Not necessarily better than the other tracks, but Dil Laga Na is definitely the most entertaining track so far. Not only do we get to soak in the vocals of various seasoned singers, but Pritam throws in a little treat in the middle of it. What? I’m not going to spoil it for you! The lineup includes Sukhbir, Soham Chakrabarthy, Jolly Mukherjee, Mahalaxmi Iyer, and Suzanne. Pritam borrows some northern elements to help infuse Dil Laga Na with a little dhoom dhoom! Verdict: Although far from perfect, the song is enjoyable.

And finally we come to what arguably could be the most awaited (yet again) song of the year 2006: Dhoom Again. Pritam gets the ride started off with an impressive play of the percussions, which gradually build up to a crescendo – leading us to the main vocals of Vishal Dadlani. Yes, that’s not a typo
Vishal (of Vishal-Shekhar) has lent his voice here and does so for S-E-L in the future music of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom. But who said that remaking a classic is impossible only applied to films? Quite the contrary, Pritam tries to recreate the sensation he stirred in his earlier Dhoom Machale (recently discovered to have outside inspirations), but it’s not to be, as the task is simply too difficult to accomplish. The arrangements are nowhere near as exciting as they were in the original, and Vishal Dadlani’s vocals, although impressive, can’t give the number the same spunk and electricity that Sunidhi had injected into it. Verdict: Although unable to live up to expectations, Dhoom Again is a pleasant close to an otherwise somewhat disappointing soundtrack.

If you were to ask me whether or not Dhoom 2 has lived up to expectations; I would sadly have to say no. In fact, Dhoom 2 is one of Pritam’s weakest soundtracks to date. However, the quality of music here will have little effect on its sales, or on the inevitable success of the film (a la Don). It’s almost common knowledge now that Pritam has been having an ongoing affair with unoriginality. But we’ll give him the benefit of the doubt – Innocent until proven guilty, as it is just too early to tell if the songs have been lifted.

Overall Dhoom 2 has some solid music, but lacks the substance that’s characteristic of high-quality music. But like them or not, you’ll be hearing them a lot! The CD has been packaged with a bonus CD featuring Yash Raj Films’ past hits. Take a chance