Luck By Joginder Tuteja

Rating: **

EXPECTATIONS

Soham Shah's last film Kaal had boasted of chartbuster music. So much so, that it is selling even till date while the songs continue to play across satellite channels.

Now with a bigger star cast and much bigger budget in hands, Soham returns with Luck which is easily one of the most anticipated films of the season. Its thriller promo has done the trick and one expects that the music too will follow the high adrenalin mode and get the right thump in place; something which is much needed for the movie belonging to this genre.

MUSIC

Salim-Sulaiman and lyricist Shabbir Ahmed had created 'dhoom' with the soundtrack of Kaal and with Luck they come back to the scene once more. As expected, the title song ' Luck Aazma ' arrives first and goes on to find a place throughout the album with two more versions to follow.

Sukhvinder Singh sounds ordinary in the original version but things get seriously zany once the 'remix version' of the song arrives a little later. A number about trying one's luck and taking risks that could be the now or never moment for the protagonists, ' Luck Aazma ' with supporting vocals by Satya Hinduja is a kind of number that should find a place throughout the film's narrative as a background score.

For the first time in the album a female voice is heard and it's a pleasant surprise indeed since the person making her debut behind the mike is none other than Shruti Haasan herself.

Though it's a slow start for her version of the title track (named 'Aazma - Luck Is The Key'), one looks forward to what Shruti has to offer as she gets into the pop mode. She is well supported by Clinton Cerejo who gives her company with her English portions.

Arrangements are a little different for this version as Salim-Sulaiman gives it an entirely Western touch unlike the Sukhwinder version that had an Indian feel to it. Shruti does well with her debut and it would be interesting to see if she manages to get a music video all for herself for this very number!

Things get a little sombre with 'Khudaya Ve' that does remind of 'Yaar Mangyasi' [Kaante] but doesn't quite come close to it.

A sad number about a protagonist missing the ones he loved most, this Salim Merchant sung number doesn't grow on you in spite of repeated hearing and at maximum turns out to be a passable inclusion in the album.

Entry of it's 'remix version' is another surprise since a slow moving number like this which didn't have much appeal to begin with itself didn't quite warrant another version. This is not all as there is third version of the song as well, what with both Salim and Sulaiman coming together behind the mike for the version that is titled 'Radio Mix'!

Luck Anvita Dutt Guptan is the guest lyricist in Luck as she contributes with 'Jee Le'. A number that comes with loads of attitude, 'Jee Le' is a Shruti Pathak number with Naresh Kamath giving her good support.

A catchy track with a slight Middle-East flavour to it, it has a faint resemblance to 'Halla Re' [Neil N Nikki] that again was a Salim-Sulaiman composition.

No, we are not really looking at a chartbuster track here but it has enough fodder to warrant a flashy picturisation and some glitzy choreography. Add to that a bevy of beauties and 'Jee Le' should be a good treat for eyes. And yes, this time around, presence of a 'remix version' does make sense!

However, there is a surprise dampener in the form of 'Laaga Le'. Why a dampener? Because the singer at the helm of affairs is Anushka Manchanda who is known for being choosy about her assignments.

However, 'Lagaa Le' is nothing more than being plain and simple pedestrian as it is straight out of 80s and doesn't have a fresh appeal to it.

Expect the song to play primarily in the background as characters continue to be engaged into something far more interesting on the fore front. With Robert'Bob'Omulo as the supporting voice, 'Lagaa Re' is as forgettable as it gets.

OVERALL

It would be just so wrong to compare Luck with Kaal as it doesn't even come remotely close to it. The album had so much potential in it and could well have been the Dus moment for the composer duo here.

However, in spite of all the technology and free space for experimentation available to them, Salim-Sulaiman don't come up with anything better than a merely average soundtrack.

OUR PICK(S)

'Luck Aazma', 'Jee Le'