Jabariya Jodi music review: Sidharth Malhotra, Parineeti Chopra's film offers a soulless, fragmented album, lacking in originality

In their much-awaited caper comedy  Jabariya Jodi , Parineeti Chopra and Sidharth Malhotra will reunite for a second time after the 2014 rom-com Hasee Toh Phasee. If their 2014 outing saw a brilliant pill-popping scientist fall in love with a struggling businessman, Jabariya Jodi attempts to shed light onto the practice of abduction of grooms (pakadwa vivah) prevalent in Bihar, where the groom is forced by the bride’s family into marriage.

A still from Khadke Glassy

But unlike Hasee Toh Phasee, which was buoyed by its tender, soulful compositions, the album of Jabariya Jodi seems to be a calatogue of party numbers injected with an occasional dose of romantic songs. Tanishq Bagchi returns to do what he perhaps does best, or more accurately, what he does the most. Originally an Ashok Mastie and Honey Singh number, Bagchi has rejigged ‘ Khadke Glassy ’ to punctuate it with more ‘yaay’, ‘oh ho’ and ‘aye haaye’ than your sober selves can process. It i interesting to note that a film, set in the heartland of Bihar, uses a Punjabi song with such confidence and pomp. Because of the overuse of EDM beats in a bid to feed energy into the song, ‘Khadke Glassy’ comes across as more alarm-tune-appropriate than a party number. ‘ Zilla Hilela ’ is yet another remixed track — this time, Bagchi has reimagined the oh-so-popular Bhojpuri song, ‘Zilla Hilela’. With the cocktail of drums, tabla, and harmonium, Tanishq here has tried to retain the authentic core of the song, but the blaring background score, along with the ear-rending vocals make ‘Zilla Hilela’ a far inferior version of the original. Monali Thakur, who is usually dependable in celebratory numbers, is also unable to lift the song up from its mediocrity. In this case, the only redeeming quality of the song is its familiar lyrics, which may ensure some head-bobs and lip-syncing from viewers. ‘ Dhoonde Akhiyan ’ is one of the better compositions from the spread. Sung by Yasser Desai and Sufi singer Altamash Faridi, ‘Dhoonde Akhiyan’ benefits solely from the singers’ commitment to the song. Altamash has earlier crooned the Qawwali portion of ‘Deewani Mastani’ (from Bajirao Mastani). His grainy, textured vocals add an unexpected, yet welcome twist to the familiar romantic song strain. However, neither the music nor the lyrics do much for the song. Rashmi Virag’s poetry comprises the routine phrases strung together haphazardly to make the stanzas rhyme. For instance,

“Nainon Se Naina Takray/ Na Jaane Kya Dhunde Akhiya” / Kaise Tumhe Ye Samjhaye, Na Jaane Kya Dhunde Akhiyan"

Similarly, Tanishk’s tunes are so unoriginal and unimpactful that it will slide onto the peripheries of your brain immediately after you stop listening to it. Despite being hackneyed, it at least does not compromise or permanently damage your auditory faculties, which may well be the case with ‘Zilla Hilela’ and ‘Khadke Glassy.’ Halfway into the album, hides possibly the best song in the line-up. Composers Sachet-Parampara, who were propelled to unequivocal success after their smash hit ‘ Bekhayali ’, creates a song that belongs to the same spiritual school. Much like ‘Bekhayali’, ‘ Khwabfaroshi ’ starts off slowly only to pick up the beats right at the crescendo, where Sachet’s goes full throttle with his no-holds-barred delivery. Lyricist duo Siddharth- Garima, who have showcased their expertise in the romance genre with memorable tracks like ‘Mohe Rang Do Laal’ (Bajirao Mastani), ‘Lal Ishq’ (Ram-Leela), and ‘Hans Mat Pagli’ (Toilet, Ek Prem Katha), wield their magic wands to fashion a composition with a throbbing heart. ‘Khwabfaroshi’ may recede away into oblivion owing to the success of its spiritual predecessor, but it sure is a winner in this sea of run-of-the-mill fares.

Sidharth Malhotra and Parineeti Chopra in a still from Jabariya Jodi song Ki Honda Pyaar

It is a shame that neither versions of ‘ Ki Honda Pyaar ’ invoke any reactions from the listener. Both Arijit Singh and Neha Kakkar have tried to do their best with whatever was offered to them, but even the most talented of singers cannot shoulder the weight of an entire song that sounds only too akin to ‘Tera Rasta Mein Chhodu Na’ (Chennai Express). Moreover, it is rather infuriating to witness the makers’ complete disregard for one of the most essential details revealed in the trailer. Both the songs, penned by Raj Shekhar, are yet again in Punjabi, while the film, as mentioned earlier, is set in Bihar. ‘ Macchardani ’ embodies the fun and frolic that Jabariya Jodi promises. Mishra describes the banalest activities of a millenial world, and his simple words evoke a sense of familiarity and amity that the over-the-top yet doldrum album could not induce. For instance,

“Tujhe ring pehnaunga aur queen banaunga/ Phir world ghumaunga sweety Pin password saare tujhko bataunga/ Teri lagaunga DP”

Both Vishal Mishra and Jyotika Tangri let their hair loose in this one, engaging in a hilarious musical banter. None of the songs, however, have a thread of commonality within themselves. These songs could very well be plucked from different albums and repackaged as the jukebox of the film. They lack any shred of character, or reference to the central theme of the film, which is pakadwa vivah.  Hence, the album comes across as fragmented and bland, with too little to write home about. Jabariya Jodi is scheduled to hit theatres on 9 August. Listen to the entire jukebox  here.