Luck   Producer: Shree Ashtavinayak Cine Vision Pvt. Ltd Director: Soham Shah Starring: Imran Khan, Shruti Haasan, Sanjay Dutt, Danny Denzongpa, Mithun Chakraborty, Rati Agnihotri, Music: Salim-Sulaiman Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed and Anvita Dutt Guptan Singers: Anushka Manchanda,Clinton Cerejo,Naresh Kamath,Robert Bob Oumulo,Salim Merchant,Satya Hinduja,Shruti Hasaan,Shruti Pathak,Sukhvinder Singh Audio On: T-Series    Number of Songs: 9 Album Released on: 25 June 2009 Reviewed by: Samir Dave  - Rating: 7.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

We now return you to our original programming, as we are back at the rocking PB music beach house ™ blasting the soundtrack to “Luck” through the sub woofer atmosphere! The movie marks Imran Khan’s third appearance on screen, following the excellent “Jaane Tu…Ya Jaane Na” (with the girl next door Genelia D’Souza) and the not so excellent “Kidnap” (known more for Minissha Lamba’s revealing her body, than for the actual story of the film). Imran was also seen as a child actor in “Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar” and “Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak” (uncle Aamir Khan’s debut Bollywood film).

Over the last few years, we’ve seen the preview of what could be generation next’s batch of superstars amidst a hype/hysteria that hasn’t been seen since the Khan trio first hit screens (Aamir, Salman and Shah Rukh). Now, Imran has been roped in by director Soham Shah (“Kaal”) to star opposite Sanjay Dutt, and debutante Shruti Haasan (daughter of famous eccentric actor Kamal Haasan), and this film will be a true test for Imran after the mega flop “Kidnap”.

Now that all of that is out of the way, let’s get to what we are here for, the music! Salim-Sulaiman follow up their super hit soundtrack to Aditya Chopra’s Shah Rukh Khan starrer “Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi” with their latest, “Luck”. The talented Shabbir Ahmed and rising star Anvita Dutt Guptan write the lyrics. So, on this hot ‘n’ heavy beach, let’s blast the music and get down to the beat!

First up is, “Luck Aazma” which starts off with some chilling electric guitar backed by a techno bleep ‘n’ bloop beat. The ever-reliable Sukhwinder Singh is the saving grace of the track that raises it above the slightly mediocre melody. Sounds good when you play it loud, but ultimately isn’t catchy enough to immediately hit repeat (though it has the potential to grow on you). I can see this song played in the background during a montage of scenes. Lyrics are just about ok. I was expecting more, but this track is not a great start to the album. Am I out of luck?!?!

The next track, “Khudaya Ve” is in one word, brilliant (with music and with the beautiful poetic lyrics). The song grabs you from the first synth chord and holds onto you with the amazingly endearing vocal performance by Salim Merchant. His voice silkily glides over the supporting music, which includes a lounge like beat, strumming acoustic guitar, and some nice synth keyboard work. Listening to it while typing these words, all I can think about are clear blue skies and the feeling of introspective bliss. This one will make your soul soar, yes it’s that good! Guess what, we the listeners are most definitely in luck with this beautiful song!

Can our lucky streak continue? Let’s head on over to the next track, “Jee Le”, which kicks the album into overdrive! Shruti Pathak and Naresh Kamath provide the sizzling vocals. The track starts out with the flute and guitar in a nice jugalbandi style. Then the vocals begin, and the song just takes off from there. There’s a lot of interesting synth work being done by the programmers, and if you listen closely you can hear the layered synth programming. The flute solos throughout the track and the aggressive rapping really add to the song. The singers go back and forth from English to Hindi smoothly and the Hinglish doesn’t sound out of place at all. A track that gets hotter each time you listen to it, go ahead and hit the repeat button, because you are sure to get lucky!

Whew, let’s look at the scoreboard. One so-so track and two really good ones, which is not so bad considering the current state of Bollywood music, most soundtracks are lucky to have one good song with the rest being instantly forgettable.

Luck be a lady, as we move to track four, “Aazma (Luck is the Key)” with vocals by Kamal Haasan’s daughter Shruti Haasan who is an accomplished singer/songwriter. In fact she started out as a singer/composer, before moving into acting. Look for her music in the Tamil version of the hit Bollywood film, “A Wednesday” which is titled “Unnaipal Oruvan”. The track starts out with some nice guitar work, which is followed by Shruti’s throaty voice. Her voice is more in the mold of the natural deep-throated voice that Western singers have, the kind that is leagues away (and different) than the traditional fragile tones of previous generation’s singers like Lata Mangeshkar. Clinton Cerejo who provides some rapping midway through joins Ms. Haasan and adds his panache to the song. Shruti gives the track it’s oomph and in many ways, this moodier more aggressive version is superior to the Sukhwinder Singh take that opens the album. Another memorable track, and you will start believing that luck is the key!

Now, brace yourself for the final original track, “Laage Le” which is quite simply mind blowing in its energy! A hard-hitting techno song with layered synths, “Laage Le” demands to be played loud. Salim-Sulaiman really craft a tune that will shoot adrenaline throughout your body. Anushka Manchanda simply brings the house down. Bravo to her, and the music directors for creating a melodious aggressive dance track that has some depth to it. You can almost imagine this track being in a Sanjay Gupta film as his films usually have the hard techno dance tracks sung huskily by female singers. Luck be a lady indeed!

From here on out, it’s time to hit the PB REMIX ZONE (add echo effects here). Now normally I look at remixes with a jaded eye, as most are just sped up percussion heavy versions of the originals, but “Luck” has some that are definitely worth pumping up the volume for.

Of all the songs that I dreaded the remix for, it’s the exquisite “Khudaya Ve”, but the radio remix manages to add a soft, slightly faster percussion rhythm and still maintain the integrity of the original song. Worth a listen, or two, or three, or…you get the idea!

“Luck Aazmaa” redux by DJ Amyth is interesting as the remix artist has taken the original and taken it to another level, giving it a dhol beat that pounces on the track at the right moments.

Amyth also works magic with the remix for “Jee Le” which again is not your standard dance track, but rises and falls with the melody of the music. The best part of this track is that the synth work doesn’t overpower the vocals by Shruti Pathak, as there really is no hard core percussive beat, with soft synth chords and an echoing slight flute to drive the track forward.

Inexplicably the album rounds out, not with remix of the obvious “Laaga Le”, but with another mix of “Khudaya Ve”. Amyth starts out with the synth sounding iron drums of the Caribbean, and moves on with an almost reggae like beat. It works well, and I can see this being played in clubs for some romantic dance ‘n’ grind with that special someone in your life.

All in all “Luck” is a soundtrack that is worth your time to listen to and enjoy. The entire album can be listened to without hitting the skip button, and that’s something that is quite rare in today’s Bollywood music scene. Salim-Sulaiman have done a very good job in composing tunes that will have you hitting the repeat button. So dear readers, after listening to the album, you’ll certainly feel like music’s lady luck has paid you a visit.

Till next time, live from the rocking PB music beach house ™, remember to blast that Bolly music and get ready to get lucky!