Music Review : Corporate
It's all about money, honey! And if there is a dash of power and politics added to it, it becomes a deadly game of one-upmanship, backstabbing and a sophisticated game that is played behind the glass corridors, modular rooms and ceilings that look up to the sky. That's the essence of Madhur Bhandarkar's Corporate that stars Bipasha Basu in a central role who watches all the proceedings with a close eye as business entrepreneurs Raj Babbar and Rajat Kapoor clash in their battle for supremacy. Supported by actors like Kay Kay Menon, Harsh Chhaya, Sammir Dattani, Minissha Lamba, Lillete Dubey along with Payal Rohatgi in a special appearance, Bipasha enjoys all the attention as she is a witness to this high voltage drama that has music by 'Page 3' composer Shamir Tandon with Sandeep Nath doing the job as a lyricist.How can one ever forget the marvelous composition 'Huzoor-E-Aala' that had Ashaji giving it her all to come up with a splendid composition? She kick-starts the proceedings with 'Lamha Lamha Zindagi Hai' that comes in a regular and a sad version. There is an extended musical piece to set the prelude for this philosophical number that seems to be taking off from where Lataji left with 'Kitne Ajeeb Rishte Hain Yahaan Pe' in 'Page 3'. The difference here is that while 'Kitne Ajeeb' dealt with the relationships of convenience, 'Lamha Lamha' is about living life today, yesterday and tomorrow. Mainly a song for the background music score, it carries a certain meaning to it and should fit into the situation, but that's about it! The song is slow moving and doesn't cause any harm to the ears but overall neither the regular nor the sad version are of the kind that would qualify it to be one of the best songs this year. Sapna Mukerji, who is rarely seen in the Bollywood scheme of things as far as music and songs are concerned, makes an exception for 'O Sikandar' where she has Kailash Kher as the dominating partner. Kher also features as himself in this qawalli that is quite catchy and racy and works instantly with the listener. Picturized on Payal Rohatgi who makes a guest appearance in this item song, 'O Sikandar' carries a meaningful feel to it as it inspires an individual to rise up from the ashes, understand his worth and take on the world! Pretty much suited for the situation, the track promises to bring certain strength to the narrative due to sheer passion it brings with it. Also notable is Payal Rohatgi who is seen in a different light altogether as she sheds her image of the past and looks graceful yet glamorous with a new body language and expressions to match. It's time for two more versions of 'O Sikandar' to come as some jazzy effects with rap-n-reggae [sounding rather unnecessary] are thrown in to spice up theqawalli in its 'International Dance Mix'. Sorry, but one would go with the original any time rather than giving a hear to this attempted fusion that hardly cuts ice! Some more twists and turns are added to the 'Desi Mix' version of 'O Sikandar' that has Sonu Kakkar moving away from the sophisticated 'andaaz' of Sapna Mukerji to being more vociferous. All said and done, in the end it is Kailash Kher who stands out in each of the three versions along with Sapna who does well in the original version. But is it the item song of the year so far? The answer is NO, but it is still better than numerous other item numbers that pop in a film's narrative without any cause and the reason for that is some thoughtful lyrics by Sandeep Nath. One can't help but go to the beginning of the song as soon as one hears a husky male voice uttering the words – "Hello Darling, You Are Fired". You ask yourself a question if this is for real and reaffirmation comes on hearing it again. A song about the way a corporate world works with behind-the-scenes happenings, back stabbings, sweet talks and the works, it is sung by Alisha in a manner that Usha Uthap is famous for. Comprising of some English words to suit the mood of this song set in a trendy western manner, it comes across as a rather easy tune that may not have really required much effort behind its creation. Gary Lawyer croons a couple of lines in this theme number that has the line 'It's a Corporate world' coming at numerous junctures. An average number that would be forgotten soon after the film is released and gone. A remix version comes in the shape of 'Corporate Title' that has some rework done to it, but not too much avail. It's time to get into an Anu Malik mould with 'Peele Peele Do Do Ghoont' that tries to be all hip and trendy but just doesn't come across as one due to its lyrics that seem to be out of synch with the mood of the tune. Yet another average song that has hardly any retention power beyond the film's run, it doesn't quite work inspite of Vasundhra Das' presence behind the mike where she is supported by Sangeet Haldipur. Yes, with help of an effective choreography, one may just choose to ignore the lyrics by swaying along with the tune but overall it is not a song to really cheer about loudly. 'Corporate' has an extremely average soundtrack but that doesn't really come as a surprise as the film is hardly about songs and dances. With musical pieces primarily to be incorporated as a part of background score with hardly a song or two featuring in its entirety on screen, this score by Shamir Tandon just passes muster.