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 An action packed fantasy adventure about a man and his sword should have action packed edge of your seat thrilling music, but unfortunately “Drona’s” music (composed by newcomer Dhruv Ghanekar with lyrics by Vaibhav Modi) falls far short of that “exciting” mark. One has to wonder again, whether there is room for music in a film like “Drona” (directed by Goldie Behl) that is in the relatively unexplored (for Bollywood) sword and fantasy genre. Abhishek Bachchan tries to prove he is worthy of carrying a sword, as Priyanka Chopra plays the damsel in distress, with Kay Kay Menon sporting a weird hairdo as the villain. Of course, this isn’t the first time that one of Bollywood’s leading heroes has taken up the sword. Fans of Hindi films will remember Salman Khan’s less than stellar film, “Suryavanshi”. Who could forget the classic song “Goodbye, Namaste, Salaam….”composed by the leading music directors of that day, Anand-Milind? If that hasn’t bowled you over, then you must be shuddering to think what the music of “Drona” must be like. Fear not readers, for I have changed into my “Drona” costume (and I look ridiculous) and picked up the sword to write this review for you.
I’m sure you’ve seen the “Mummy” inspired sand storm scene with Abhishek Bachchan flailing this way and that in the promos for “Drona”. The background music for that promo happens to be the self-titled first track on this soundtrack. If this serves as the backbone of the film, to convey to the listener the strength and power in Abhishek’s lead character, than the song fails as a stirring theme song. What we get instead is a tune that sounds almost like a T.V. commercial jingle. I can almost picture someone saying, “Drona birth control….sirf tumhare liye…”, or something like that. The music is fairly standard techno dance drum machine heavy instrumentation. Vocals by the music director himself Dhruv Ghanekar fail to impress. Not a very good start to the album. Where’s Superman when you need him?!? The second track is oddly titled, “Oops…I did it again”. Oh, I’m sorry, it’s actually, “Oop Cha”. Another track that’s average in melody, instrumentation and arrangement. Nothing memorable about it, and even Sunidhi Chauhan seems to be simply singing to cash a check. The funky offbeat start with sounds and odd percussion start off the song on an interesting note, and even the repition of, “Oop Oop Cha…Oop…Oop” is interesting in a way (although I keep thinking of a roving band of mad monkeys when I hear those lyrics). Another average song, that simply needed a little more oop….er…I mean oomph to take it to another level. It doesn’t take a dark knight to hit…next! Right Batman? The third track, “Bandagi” is pleasant to listen to as it’s solidly grounded with a classically based raaga foundation. Sunidhi Chauhan reins in her voice to deliver some excellent vocals. Roop Kumar Rathod joins her and the two succeed in creating a romantic atmosphere. Instrumentation is kept to a bare minimum with the use of tabla and drums to accentuate the singing. It’s a sweet song, and the first on the album that really merits a second listen. It will spin a web on you, like Spider-Man!
Onwards we go, “Biff, Bam, Kapow” as I swing my sword around making those around me highly uncomfortable. They think I’m a madman, but in reality, I am…a hero. Ahem, let’s get back to the soundtrack, shall we? The next song is, “Khushi” featuring the always-amazing Shaan who is always a pleasure to listen to. The music is jazzy and this tune would be at home on the Broadway stage in New York; but it again lacks a certain kick. The jazz arrangements don’t have the punch that they should. Also, this track seems oddly out of place in a fantasy action movie with a sword-wielding super-hero. It will be interesting to see how this song will fit into the story of the film. Can you picture it? The Incredible Hulk, dancing his way in a blind rage off the stage and into your hearts. Now, once again my friends we enter the PB remix zone. First up, “Drona Redux” which amps up the percussion and puts Sunidhi Chauhan front and center. Not bad, for a remix, though the original is better. Finally, we have the remix of “Oop Cha” which doesn’t sound much different than the original. It’s nothing too memorable. Overall, “Drona” is a fairly average album that probably won’t race up the charts or remain on anyone’s playlist for long. The music just does not have the epic feel a big budget special effects super-hero action adventure film should have. You should be able to feel the adrenaline of the film, and it just doesn’t happen. You can shout, “up..up..and away” all you want, but the music will not make you believe a man can fly.
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The fourth track, “Nanhe Nanhe” is heavy on the drama, and probably fits a very moving set of scenes within the film, but by itself sort of fades into the background. The very under rated and under employed Sadhna Sargam seems to be the stereotypical choice for songs such as these. Disappointingly, her voice sounds a bit tired in this song, lacking its usual sweet tone. The music is also standard run of the mill melodramatic fare. One would say it’s almost like the ghost who walks…the Phantom!
