Kalpana Lamji and Vikas Sahni haven’t been too adamant in promoting this Sushmita Sen starrer Chingaari. It looks like director Kalpana Lamji, who last directed Kyon, is putting her hopes on the album to generate some interest in the film. Interest is automatically created when you notice that Aadesh Shrivastav, who has been quite picky lately, has composed the music.

Aadesh Shrivastav deserves a lot of credit today. He’s the first major Indian musical figure to actually put his foot down on plagiarism. Those who aren’t aware…Shrivastav has accused Raj Kanwar, Anu Malik, and Sameer of plagiarizing one of his unused songs in Deewanapan in their upcoming venture, Humko Deewana Kar Gaye. Raj Kanwar justifies Shrivastav’s accusation by asking can’t two creative minds think alike? Well, Shrivastav isn’t going to hear any of it, and why should he! Anu Malik has been getting away with plagiarism for too many decades, and he’s finally got caught! Mr. Shrivastav, I applaud your actions and hope you’re successful.

Yet I digress…Aadesh Shrivastav has really proven himself quite well with some fine creations in Baghban, Chalte Chalte, and most notably, Dev. I’m sure he composed the songs of Chingaari before the controversy aroused because he is actually working with lyricist Sameer in this soundtrack. Let’s see if Mr. Shrivastav can continue the trend of quality and class in Chingaari.

First up we have Maha Kaali. Featuring Sunidhi Chauhan and Aadesh Shrivastav, in their respective versions, this track is quite powerful and tends to force itself on you, which ultimately is what leads to its downfall. One would have wished to see Shrivastav create a more breezy number that isn’t so aggressive in nature. Renditions by both Sunidhi Chauhan and Aadesh Shrivastav are as forceful as the piece itself. Sameer’s lyrics are purely situational and quite clichéd when it comes to praising the Gods.

Dank Maare is by far the highlight of Chingaari. Almost as catchy as Shrivastav’s Rang Deeni of Dev (although not quite), Aadeshji uses the same forceful beats as he did in the previous track, but the music tends to flow much nicer due to the instrumentation and percussion use by Shrivastav. And it always helps to have a Sunidhi Chauhan singing for you! To this day it amazes me to hear how different she can make her voice sound without taking anything away from the quality of her voice! Shrivastav renders his own male version to the same powerful effect as Sunidhi. As far as lyrics go, this piece will have you shaking a leg so fast that you wont even be thinking of the lyrics when you listen to it. Final Verdict: Enjoy this one…it’s the best tune in Chingaari’s kitty.

Kitni Sardi Kitni Garm takes you back a few decades when this type of slow tune was popularized by Panchamji. The composition varies quite a bit throughout its seven-minute lifespan, which is a huge plus. The level of difficulty in composition is up there and Shrivastav sings to his music with the appropriate amount of sorrow and emotion. His wife, Vijeyta Pandit, makes a usual appearance in his soundtrack and does justice to the piece. Sameer’s lyrics are above his ordinary, as he writes about someone waiting for their love. However, the extremely slow pace and long length of the track will only gain the liking of a few hardcore lovers of such styles. It’s a nice composition on the whole, but not worth the time.

Vijeyta Pandit made a wonderful impact in Dev, with the mesmerizing composed Jab Nahin Aaye The, which was beautifully written by Nida Fazli. The song that gives her great scope here is Dulhan Dulhan. Her voice has always seemed to be a blend of Kavita Krishnamurty and Lata Mangeshkar, two very talented vocalists. Here she sounds as sweet as ever, and is given a nice musical landscape by Shrivastav on which she let’s her vocals paint a beautiful portrait. I personally love the spontaneous inclusion of the female chorus, which blends with the piece and makes for a great effect. Sameer’s lyrics are pleasing and don’t take away from what Vijeyta Pandit and Aadesh Shrivastav have given this number. If you’re waiting for a second version of this one also then you’re out of luck!

Jab Jab Saiyaan will find very few takers but its authenticity is quite evident. Shrivastav composes a core mujra that has the very young and beautiful Himani Kapoor rendering for the first time. She belongs to the Richa Sharma/Jaspinder Narula class of singers and is the main highlight of this piece. If hard-core classical/raga-based mujras are your cup of tea then this is the song for you.

The instrumental piece, Tandaav makes a spot for itself at the very end of this quite different soundtrack. Unfortunately, the piece fails on all fronts. The unnecessary force that was experienced in the first track, Maha Kaali reappears here. Also, the “Maha Kaali” refrains throughout the piece begin to annoy, as one hopes to find some pleasing music but finds none.

Overall, Chingaari falls far short of what Shrivastav created in Dev. However, there are some songs in here that are definitely worth a listen, such as Dhank Maare and Dulhan Dulhan. Shrivastav virtually took all of 2005 off and the rust shows. Nonetheless, if you like a filmy soundtrack that is high on eastern elements with something a little different then this may be worth your money.