Darna Mana Hai   Producer: K Sera Sera & Varma Corp. Ltd. Director: Prawaal Raman Starring: Vivek Oberoi, Saif Ali Khan, Boman Irani, Nana Patekar, Shilpa Shetty, Isha Koppikar, Antara Mali, Sohial Khan, Sanjay Kapoor, Raghuvir Yadav, Revathy, Aftab Shivdasani, Sameera Reddy, Sushant Singh, Rajpal Yadav Music: Salim-Suleiman Lyrics: Abbas Tyrewala, Lalit Marathe, Taabish Roman Singers: Sunidhi Chauhan, Sonu Nigam, Aparna Jha, Ravi Khote, Ninad Kamat, Naresh Kamat, Salim Merchant, Clinton Creejo, Vijay and Raghuvir Yadav Audio On: Zee    Number of Songs: 6 Album Released on: 12 June 2003 Reviewed by: Shahid Khan  - Rating: 6.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

Get prepared to scare yourself silly with the latest movie from the RGV productions camp, "Darna Mana Hai". But the film´s main motto is "jo darr gaya woh mar gaya" and if the audience also believes in that adage, then everybody will be too scared to have the guts to be scared. In that case, if you are a person who likes your music different and a little out of the ordinary (by Bollywood standards) then get prepared to dance yourself silly.

The infectious "Stop" will certainly get your arms and legs shaking. The singers, Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan, give each other orders on when to move and when to stop. It is fun to stop and start your dance moves by their instructions. Okay, you may end up looking like a wally doing it but, hey, that´s part of the fun. What is nice about the music is that it is erratic in a catchy way. Just the kind of track to get your heart pumping with excitement.

The title song, "Darna Mana Hai", has sensuous vocals courtesy Chauhan and captivating music. Unfortunately, what could have been a great song is ruined by Ninad Kamat and Naresh Kamat´s repetitive whisperings of "Jo darr gaya woh marr gaya". This may serve a purpose in the film but from a casual listening point of view, it ruins what could have been pure listening pleasure. Minor irritations aside, this number makes for a decent dance track. The

"Darna Mix", with the same singers, is quite inferior in comparison. It suffers from an increased dominance of the Kamat singers and Chauhan´s vocals being relegated to the background. The incomprehensible bits of spoken dialogue are quite grating on the ears.

A certain line is repeated again in "Jo Darr Gaya Woh Mar Gaya" (Chauhan, Kamat and Salim Merchant). If it was not for the fact that the words "Darna Mana Hai" are not used, this would have been a superior contender for the title song status than the actual official one. An enjoyable pop/rock enigma, Chauhan excels once again. She is in the limelight and, for once, the male singers are relegated to the sidelines and are hardly noticeable.

If you are zonked out of your head then you may be able to find rhythm in "Homework"

(Aparna Jha, Clinton Creejo, Vijay, Raghuvir Yadav). The sound effect of a computer game or an arcade ping pong ball machine is blended with pop/rock for a trance-like effect. The interesting music is spoiled by Jha´s deliberately screechy rendition. The overall result is rather average.

Salim-Suleiman opt for western blues style in "No Smoking". This song will probably provide an atmospheric feel in the film, no doubt it (even though all the songs won´t be used in the movie, some will be used as part of the background score). But, on its own, it is quite poor, not least, due to

Ravi Khote´s (last heard in "Snip") obnoxious rendition. This is fast-forward material.

"Darna Mana Hai" is a mixture of a few good songs, a couple of average tracks and one particularly awful one. Definitely a mixed bag.