Planet Bollywood
Hulchul
 
Producer: Ganesh Jain, Ratan Jain
Director: Priyadarshan
Starring: Akshaye Khanna, Kareena Kapoor, Paresh Rawal, Arshad Warsi, Jackie Shroff, Sunil Shetty, Amrish Puri, Lakshmi, Arbaaz Khan, Manoj Joshi, Farha, Shakti Kapoor.
Music: Vidyasagar
Lyrics: Sameer
Singers: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Sujatha, Shaan, Kunal Ganjawal, Gayatri, Sayonara Phillip, Poornima, Raja Lakshmi, and Hariharan
Audio On: Venus    Number of Songs: 6
Album Released on: November 2004
Reviewed by: Aakash Gandhi  - Rating: 5.5 / 10
 
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Public Rating Average: 5.11 / 10 (rated by 410 listeners)
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After indefinite comedy in the forms of Hera Pheri and Hungama, Priyadarshan offers us his next laugh riot titled Hulchul. Comprising of a hit star line-up of Akshaye Khanna, Paresh Rawal, Suniel Shetty, Kareena Kapoor, Jackie Shroff, Arshad Warsi, Arbaaz Khan, and Amrish Puri, Hulchul has what it takes to go the distance at the box-office.

Something that really hasn’t clicked with Priyadarshan is his music. Neither Anu Malik nor Nadeem-Shravan were able to gain receognition; and the music was turned a cold shoulder while the films went on to be hits. Priyadarshan gets a fresh name from the south to handle the music department, the names is Vidyasagar. Sameer, who is a constant with Priyadarshan, writes the songs.

Rafta Rafta is what starts off. Vidyasagar offers us a female lead by the name of Sujatha, who although has been heard before, is definitely not one who has made her mark in the music industry. Opposite her is Udit Narayan, as both of them do a fair job in the rendition. Sujatha’s voice really doesn’t suit well with the rather bland composition by Vidyasagar. His composition, although starting off well, begins to fade in quality as there is simply no creativity added to the piece. Sameer’s lyrics are what we can expect from him, ordinary. Verdict: Plain

Vidyasagar brings a lyrically clichéd song to us next, Hum Dil Ke. There is much influence from Vidyasagar’s southern roots right from the get-go as the song opens up on the rendition by a classical flute. The vocal pair is masked by the names of

Shaan and Sadhna Sargam, both of whom are usually always associated with quality songs to their credit. Sadhna Sargam is really making her official mark in playback singing this year after a long hiatus. Yet, her choice is usually of class and quality. This piece doesn’t meet her standards, as once again the composition by Vidyasagar is hackneyed and unknown to uniqueness. Shaan sounds regular and is unable to dig this one out of the “ordinary” category. The only novelty this track has is probably the melody, which is pleasant only at times. Sameer’s lyrics are a bit different but don’t stand out much here. Verdict: Mildly boring

Continuing with the southern trend, Vidyasagar opens up Loot Gayee with the classical flute once again. With lyrics like “Loot Gayee Lanka Ravan Ki” Sameer has undoubtedly trenched into unknown waters, and not for the good! With extremely sub par lyrics coupled with a non-arousing composition, this item track is another one to add to the nonsense of item numbers that Bollywood has dished out. With an uninspiring vocal lineup of Gayatri, Sayonara Phillip, Poornima, and Raja Lakshmi, this one will definitely be a laughable track on screen! Verdict: Rock bottom!

It doesn’t take a genius to figure out that this album has been on a negative slope till now. Luckily, Ishq Mein breaks that trend and brings some feel with it. Shaan and Alka Yagnik feature on this track and do a decent job. Shaan does a much better job than he did in Hum Dil Ke, mainly due in part to the fact that he suits these playful songs more. The song has its ups and it certainly has its downs. The ups really lie in one, the vocal rendition, and two, the catchiness that lies in the title line. The downs comprise of Sameer’s very unoriginal lyrics and the rather uncreative composition of Mr. Vidyasagar, who hasn’t proven himself so far. Nonetheless, so far this is the best track of the album, and when the best is average; you know you have a problem. Verdict: Not bad…but definitely not good!

I guess Vidyasagar was planning on making a V with this album, as after having a steady decline, it seems as if he’s marching uphill with Lee Humne Kasam. Musically, this is the best piece the album has. Starting us off with the guitar, which is superimposed on by the flute creates for a refreshing feeling. Then, he brings the essence of orchestra with the usage of the strings that slowly fades into the clapping of hands and the chiming of electronic beats. Vidyasagar does his part in introducing


Harhiharan, but Mr. Hariharan, doesn’t continue the trend. As is Sadhna Sargam, Haraharan is also making his mark this year. Unfortunately, this one doesn’t nearly martch up to some of his exquisite performances; the latest being Piya Thora Kaisa Abhiman from the brilliant classical album of Raincoat. In addition, the pace of this song isn’t characteristic of Hariharan’s talent and that is another reason why he fails in his rendition. The lyrics by Sameer are another on the promises of staying together till death do them part. This is a perfect example of a song that has what it takes musically but the other departments are virtually non-functional; resulting in yet another average track. Verdict: Inconsistent Mediocrity!

Vidyasagar completes his V with the best piece of the album, Dekho Zara Dekho. It’s rare to hear an album that doesn’t boast of at least one good track isn’t it. Don’t’ let the folk like opening throw you off as this one is a fast paced, catchy, and fun-filled bouquet of sounds for your ears to enjoy. It all starts off with a very unique chorus, and I mean very unique! Vidyasagar’s flavorful composition allow for a great flow of music for both Udit Narayan and Kunal Ganjawal to render to. In addition to Sadhna Sargam and Hariharan, Kunal, more than anyone else, is making his mark on Bollywood and has impressed many; as it all started with his beautiful rendition in

Murder’s Bheegey Hont. Nonetheless, he teams up with Udit Narayan for a light-hearted piece. It’s going to be a treat watching this on screen as two of the male leads run after the female lead. Sameer’s lyrics are simply alright but they do the job in enticing excitement. All in all, it’s a pretty good ending to a rather average album. Verdict: Surprisingly Good!

Once again, Hulchul continues the trend of mediocrity for Priyadarshan’s musical scores. Vidyasagar doesn’t prove himself with this album and most likely will fall in the eyes of musical critics. Let’s only hope this South Indian composer can catch a break next time. At the B.O. the film is doing a decent job, no thanks to the music! For Priyadarshan, music is pretty much a gone case, just focus on the film and leave the rest to the comedy loving audience worldwide.

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