Naach   Producer: Varma Corp./Film Factory/K Sera Sera Director: Kiran Reddy and Ram Gopal Varma Starring: Abhishek Bachchan, Antara Mali, and Ritesh Deshmukh Music: Amar Mohile and Shailendra Swapnil Lyrics: Nitin Raikwar, Taabish Romani, Jaideep Sahni and M Singers: Shweta Pandit, Kunal Ganjawala, Sukhwinder Singh, Gayatri Iyer, Adnan Sami, Sonu Kakkar, Sumit Kumar and Makhrand Deshpande Audio On: T-Series    Number of Songs: 8 Album Released on: October 2004 Reviewed by: Narbir Gosal  - Rating: 6.0 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

Ram Gopal Varma´s film factory has already released three films this year, and with Vaastu Shastra releasing this weekend, all eyes are on his next venture Naach. Varma is co-directing this film, his first directorial venture since last year´s hit Bhoot. Naach stars Abhishek Bachchan and RGV protégé Antra Mali, and has been in the news for Antra´s resemblance to Urmila a la Rangeela. However the soundtrack for this film is far from

Rangeela. Naach´s soundtrack is more comparable to Varma´s other production Road, because both these soundtrack have a distinct sound that is not ´very Bollywood´. Naach has been composed by Amar Mohile and Shailendra Swapnil, and both of these gentlemen try to go for an experimental sound. You´ll notice that a mix of instruments, both eastern and western, as well as mixing sound bytes into the compositions is a re-occurring theme on this album. And while this may not sit well with the audience in every case, Naach is worth the listen for a few numbers!

The album get´s off to a haunting start with Awara Mann Mein. Sung by the sexy Shweta Pandit, this song oozes a subtle sexual energy. Amar Mohile´s composition is extremely unorthodox. Using a heavy strings and horns orchestra, Mohile offsets Pandit´s soft voice with the use of heavy percussion and conch shells in intervals. This gives the song a strange but charming quality, and after two or three listens you really begin to appreciate the song.

Nitin Raikwar´s lyrics are apt for the song. Pandit´s rendition is good, she sounds sexy and seductive.

Shweta Pandit returns for the title track, Naach Naach Ke which is a great song, but takes time to grown on you . This one has a slight country western feel with a latin vibe. However, rather than being light and fluffy, this number get´s heavy in parts. Shailendra Swapnil´s use of the trumpet is good, and the flamenco beats build up gradually through the song, and make for interesting listening. Shweta´s singing here is a bit more forceful, and goes well with the unconventional track, she has good control over her voice. Taabish Romani´s lyrics are pleasant. A few listens should really help you learn to appreciate Swapnil´s composition. The visuals on this track should definitely uplift the number.

Rakht Ka Hai appears in two versions, and both are unappealing. This number tries to go into the same territory as Tez Dhar from Musafir, the country/rock and roll genre. The opening portions (approx the first minute or so) show promise, but once the song get´s underway you´re left with a bad taste! Shailendra Swapnil´s composition is too uneven, at times it´s quiet and puts focus on the signing, and at times it´s loud and obnoxious! The guitar sounds great, and Swapnil could have really done wonders with this song, but it is not so, the song comes off as too weird! Most of that fault lies with

Makhrand Deshpande. He has written the lyrics and sung one version. His version is absolutely horrendous and begs for the fast forward button. It´s bad enough when the song itself is composed so strangely, but Deshpande´s singing is out of whack! This songs sounds like a drug fueled bender under Deshpande´s vocals. The second version sung by Kunal Ganjawala and Shweta Pandit is only listenable for the vocals. Kunal has a great hold of his voice, and is perfectly suited to this number. Shweta Pandit lends credible support, but it´s not enough to make this song listenable let alone likeable. Seems like Swapnil was going for a funky sound, but instead music, lyrics and (in Makhrand Deshpande´s case) the singing is all weird.

For a good listening experience try Berang Zindagi, which is sung by the dependable duo of Sukhwinder Singh and Gayatri Iyer. This song is arguably the best on the album! Mohile has done wonders with a simple sitar loop and heavy arabic influences. These two elements are key in making this song a hit and Mohile´s use of the clapping effect mixed with fast percussion near the middle of the song will have you tapping your feet. Sukhwinder Singh has come to master these fast club songs, this is no challenge for him either. Gayatri Iyer is a new voice which has a lot of strength and versatility. In some parts of the song she sounds like Asha Bhonsle, but her rendition is her own, she does a good job. Nitin Raikwar´s lyrics are okay, but when you have a chartbuster like this the quality of lyrics doesn´t matter.

Another fast number on the album is Ishq Da Tadka which follows the same path as Berang Zindagi, but doesn´t make quite the same impact. Not to say this song is bad, but Mohile´s composition is a bit more standard here. This song does score on vocals, with the distinct voices of Adnan Sami and Sonu Kakkar. Both lend energy and a contrasting sound to the song, which suits it´s arabic theme to the hilt. Again Nitin Raikwar´s lyrics are nothing to write home about, but get the job done. This one will have you bobbing your head and snapping your fingers.

Sara Sara has a bit of a Broadway Show tune feel to it because of the singing. Kunal Ganjawala and the chorus´ exchange of lines is dramatic thanks to Mohile´s use of piano and strings to highlight certain portions. Mohile puts the echo effect to good use with both the voices and the instruments. Kunal also has a good voice for these types of songs, so he excels. Taabish Romani´s lyrics portray the characters ambition nicely. However the song doesn´t really leave a permanent impression with the listener. Some may find this number to be enjoyable, and some may find it to be a bit boring. Either way it´s worth one listen.

Another song that doesn´t leave quite the impact is Bandhane Lagi sung by Shweta Pandit and Sumit Kumar. This song isn´t bad at all, it´s just slow and sometimes boring, which is a big change from the rest of the album. Mohile keeps the composition pretty slow paced and sober keeping the serious theme of the song in mind. The use of soft instruments like the guitar, piano and flute is perfect for this type of song. This one seems really situational while being romantic all at once. Jaideep Sahni´s lyrics are nice, there are some nice phrases in this song. Sumit Kumar´s rendition is okay, he doesn´t falter at any point. Shweta Pandit´s rendition is perfect, she blends her soft voice in nicely with the soft music. This one will find select listeners, but won´t appeal to the whole audience.

On the whole Naach isn´t quite what you´d expect from a hindi film soundtrack. Amar Mohile and Shailendra Swapnil try to go for the more cutting edge sound, and in the process the soundtrack to this film suffers on some levels. While

Berang Zindagi and Ishq Da Tadka will immediately go down well with the general audience, other songs will take time to grow on the listener. Awara Mann Mein and Naach Naach Ke take a few listens to get used to, but thanks to their layered compositions, they end up leaving lasting impressions. Sara Sara and Bhandane Lagi won´t sit too well with some people, they have selective appeal, while

Rakht Ka Hai has no appeal at all. Buy this album after listening to it elsewhere, because it doesn´t follow any conventions and the sound may be too experimental for some. I have a feeling that an album like Naach will start selling after the film releases, because from the movie stills, it looks like Ram Gopal Varma has done a good job with the visuals in the songs. In the meantime, Naach is a decent album with something different for the audience, whether you like different or not is entirely up to you.