The Zoya Factor music review: Shankar, Ehsaan, Loy whip up an above-average soundtrack with fresh lyrics

The Zoya Factor has garnered positive reviews ever since the film's trailer was launched. Based on the 2008 popular eponymous novel by Anuja Chauhan, the film is director Abhishek Sharma's take on Zoya Solanki's life. Featuring Sonam Kapoor Ahuja and Kaarwaan actor Dulquer Salmaan as the male lead, The Zoya Factor seems to be in the same cinematic space as 2014's Khoobsurat, which starred Sonam and Fawad Khan.

Though the makers have only released three songs, the soundtrack of The Zoya Factor is replete with musical promises (or at least one would expect, given the names attached to it). Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy take on 'Lucky Charm' and generously embellish the track with multiple banjo and mandolin sections. Much in the genre of 'Slow Motion Angreza', 'Lucky Charm' is everything happy and merry. Shankar Mahadevan takes the lead in this song which aspires to zero in on India's lucky charm, which would aid her in her Cricket World Cup journey. Raghuvir Yadav sounds eerily similar to Sukhvinder Singh, and Tipu, Swaroop Khan, and Ravi Mishra provide the much-required background vocals. 'Lucky Charm' has Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy's signature feel-good vibes, that suits perfectly on a canvas, like The Zoya Factor. Special shoutout to Tapas Roy for his deft work with the banjo and mandolin.

Sonam Kapoor in a still from The Zoya Factor. YouTube

'Kaash' is a track with which the composer trio managed to bring in their best work to the fore. The easy-breezy song elevates to a completely new level with Arijit Singh and Alyssa Mendonsa's soothing vocals. The song's USP, apart from Mendosa and Singh being on-point with their crooning, are Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics — "Ik rait ka sehra hoon main, Baarish ki fiza hai tu, Aadha likha ik khat hoon main, Aur khat ka pata hai tu." A song about hopeful love and helpless infatuation, 'Kaash' showcases a new-age musical blend, and manages to maintain a freshness to a genre which has been clearly overworked in Bollywood.

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Shankar, Ehsaan, and Loy probably dropped the ball with 'Pepsi Ki Kasam'. In trying to be chic and quirky, 'Pepsi Ki Kasam' (much like the title) serves more as a brand endorsement than a film's song. The music is one-tone and is heavily peppered with auto-tuned background vocals, which frankly make the track annoying. 'Pepsi Ki Kasam' joins the long list of party songs that seem to have become a staple in big-budget Bollywood films. The composition does not stand out in any way and is pulled down by dim-witted lyrics (Bhattacharya). Even though Dulquer is a treat to watch on screen, when the actor lip-syncs to "Baby baby baby Taxi leke aaja I can’t live without your love Cause I can’t live without your love Baby baby baby Promise tu nibha ja I can’t live without your love", there is only so much that one can do but sigh heavily.

Though the film promises to be engaging and fun, the tracklist creates a lesser impact. With only three songs out till now, here's hoping that the upcoming ones manage to showcase an original voice. The Zoya Factor is scheduled to hit theatres on 20 September.