Dhan Dhana Dhan Goal - Music Review

By Joginder Tuteja for IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.


Goal is special. It has a number of things, which are happening only for the second time.

It is the second film of director Vivek Agnihotri after Chocolate.
It is the second sports based film to release in 2007 after Chak De India.
It is the second UTV production to have been shot in UK this year after Hat Trick.
It is the second film with John Abraham and Arshad Warsi forming a pair after Kabul Express.
It is the second instance of Vivek Agnihotri and composer Pritam coming together after Chocolate.
It is the second time that John Abraham and Bipasha Basu would share a frame in 2007 after ‘Phoonk De' in No Smoking.

Though with Pritam at helm, one can expect a hardcore commercial song or two from Goal, expectations are more of a theme-based soundtrack from the album. One hopes though that at least a couple of them rise above being conventionally situational and give something to a listener to cheer and dance along. This is exactly what happens as beyond the situational tracks, two more numbers ('Billo Rani', 'Ishq Ka Kalma') promise to be sure fire chartbusters.

Unexpected happens at the very start of Goal as what you get to hear is completely against what you could have ever imagined as the first track of the album. No theme song. No situational track. No anthem music. What you hear is an out and out 'masala' track, 'Billo Rani', which follows the 'qawalli-mujra' mode and turns out to be a number which could belong to the heartland of India. Pritam gets an unlikely combination of Anand Raaj Anand and Richa Sharma to sing for him and the duo does quite well to croon with full gusto.

With Pritam looking at instruments like harmonium, tabla and dholki rather than the set of western instruments available to him, he throws a surprise by making a thorough 'seeti-maar' number. Racy and instantly catchy, 'Billo Rani' is a guaranteed chartbuster which would make much more than just it's presence felt across the nook and corner of the country. If handled well, this Javed Akhtar saab written track could turn out to be 2007's 'Kajrare'! And yes, for those who want to take this number to the dance floor of clubs and discotheques, there is always a remix track which picks on additional pace with 'dhik-chik' added for creating the effect!

What happens when the sound of three chartbuster tracks 'Hare Krishna Hare Raam' [Bhool Bhulaiyaa], 'Ada' [Garam Masala] and 'Bhagam Bhag' [Bhagam Bhag] is merged into one single track? 'Ishq Ka Kalma' is born! Just two minutes into it and you know that a popular song is in the making. Though 'Ishq Ka Kalma' is designed as 'made for an item song', there is also a touch up in the form of 'Aale Aale' which gives a sports angle a la 'Ole Ole' which is a sound much heard when football matches are cheered by spectators. This funky track by Neeraj Sridhar that has ample dose of English interspersed with the main lines has ample scope to be aided by some imaginative picturisation for a promotional music video. And yes, Neeraj can comfortably add 'Ishq Ka Kalma' as yet another successful number to his repertoire!

Please note that this piece has been reproduced from IndiaFm.com, Click Here for Original.

A punch on the face comes next when newcomer Devrat gets all charged up for his rendition in 'Hey Dude'. With the lyrics further spreading on as 'Hey dude, don't mess with me', you know that it's a clear messaging to the opposition both on and off the field. An out and out Western track with high on arrangements and an overall loud appeal (to go with the genre of the film and song's setting), 'Hey Dude' is a kind of musical piece, which is expected to appear regularly at various junctions in the film. Expect it to carry on the heat of the narrative whenever it blazes on.

Finally a bona fide theme track hits the album when Daler Mehndi takes center stage with 'Halla Bol'. Ever imagined that the sound of Bagpiper could be interspersed with 'dhol' beats? Well, Pritam and his team do so, to create a vociferous sound for this spirited number written by Javed Akhtar saab. One would have expected 'Halla Bol' to arrive at the very beginning of the album though due to it's theme. The song keeps it's Indian feel intact and aided by an elaborate orchestra, it blazes on and promises to keep the flag flying high. Look out for the track's culmination which times around a minute and keeps you hooked on with it's grand appeal!

The moment 'Tara Ru' begins, one gets a sudden feeling about Goal slipping away into a different territory. While all this while the soundtrack kept an upbeat mood, the slow beginning to 'Tara Ru' gives an impression that the finale would be taking a different route. This is what happens as 'Tara Ru' turns out to be a big yawn with the four-minute audio not really catching your attention. The song's theme is about a team which is on the verge of loosing and is being motivated not to give up and keep it's head high on the face of adversity. It may work to an extent in the film but as an audio this Javed Ali sung number is a strict no-no.

Nevertheless, keeping an odd 'Tara Ru' aside, Goal has it's many bright points in the form of 'Ishq Ka Kalma' and 'Billo Rani' (difficult to choose the better of the two). While these two tracks would keep the music company happy, title song 'Halla Bol' and 'Hey Dude' are the numbers, which would keep director Vivek Agnihotri happy. As for Pritam, he can count Goal as yet another album in 2007, which would continue to feature his name in the charts.