Licence to thrill? Sadly, not quite Bollywood music

The soon to release spy thriller Agent Vinod is modelled on the James Bond and Mission Impossible series, which both feature instantly recognisable scores. So this Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer, with music by Pritam has an important task to accomplish

The soon to release spy thriller Agent Vinod is modelled on the James Bond and Mission Impossible series, which both feature instantly recognisable scores. So this Saif Ali Khan and Kareena Kapoor starrer, with music by Pritam has an important task to accomplish. A catchy score is essential for the music to remain memorable.

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And it’s exactly in this area that Agent Vinod fails. It isn’t cohesive. There are two dance songs, a love song, an offbeat mujra number and a main theme. The album’s most talked about song is ‘I’ll do the talking tonight’, an official spin-off of Boney M’s Rasputin. It’s a bass-thumping, auto-tune heavy number. Sure, it will coax you to shake a leg at a nightclub, but what’s it doing in Agent Vinod, apart from the forced Russian connection?

Dil mera muft ka is a quirky mujra piece that blends electronic beats with distorted guitars. The bassline is quite groovy though, and singer Nandini Shrikar does a good job maintaining the teasing and playful tone.

Raabta is an alternative romantic piece that features melodic guitar fills. Hamsika and Arijit Singh do the vocals in the main version, but Shreya Ghoshal’s rendition in the final track is better.

There are two more versions in the album – it seems Pritam couldn’t finalise just one.The second last original track ‘Pungi’ is more interesting. Featuring Mika, this is the perfect street-dance number with its vernacular language, horn sections and beat. It’s easily the best song in the soundtrack.

Agent Vinod (Theme) a fast-paced electronic number fares well too. It’s complexly layered with a full-range sound featuring electric guitars and orchestration. If only there were other similar sounding songs in the soundtrack, Pritam’s effort would have worked. But as things stand, Agent Vinod is just a hodgepodge of disconnected tracks that don’t stand together.

What we like:Shreya Ghoshal’s voice in Raabta. Pungi is fun too . What we don’t like: Too many remixes, no consistent mood

Rating: **