Can one really redo classics like Khaike Pan Banares Wala? Shankar Ehsaan Loy have tried and yes .. it is wonderful.

It does take a lot of courage to remake a classic movie like Don, especially considering that the movie is an Amitabh Bachchan classic. Director Farhan Akhtar has attempted this monumental task with King Khan playing the lead role. Priyanka Chopra will be bringing alive the character Zeenat Aman played in 'Don' (1978) whereas Kareena Kapoor will be essaying Helen's brief role. Arjun Rampal will be doing Pran's role and Isha Koppikar's role brings new dimensions to this action pot-boiler.  Shankar Ehsaan Loy have teamed up with lyricist Javed Akhtar  and taken this a step further by recreating a musical track that puts a new spin on evergreen classics like “Khaike Pan Banaraswala” and “Yeh Mera Dil”. The result is a delightful mix of wonderful lyrics, funky upbeat music with a lot of techno stuff that is going to appeal to the younger generation.

The signature Don song “Main Hoon Don” gets a makeover with Shaan doing a passionate vocal rendition of this fabulous number. The lyrics are not the same as the previous version. Shankar-Ehsaan Loy wonderful musical arrangements include a lot of string  and techno effects to make this a trendy number that would vibe with today’s audience. The remix (Fnc International mix)  is quite a rocking number and may be heard in many of the clubs.

After the signature song we move on to the remake of the Asha Bhosle classic “Yeh Mera Dil” .  Again a nice effort with a lot of fresh techno sounds and funky beats. Sunidhi does a great job trying to recreate the magic of Asha. The song will be a hit though even though Sunidhi does have big shoes to fill.

Shankar Mahadevan is famous for his devotional songs and made waves with his hit number “Bappa Morya re “. This Ganapati number is no exception. Shankar is wonderful and music arrangements including the Dhol sounds reminded me of the good old Ganpathi Celebrations in Mumbai. This is a high energy number that reflects the excitement of celebration. This number also caused a lot of pain for the composers. Just before the release they realized the song was accidentally wiped off the tape and had to re-record the entire song in a short period of time.

Now how does one redo “Khaike Pan Banares Wala”? Udit Narayan who has lately been involved in making Bhojpuri movies is the right choice to sing the song. With the slightly higher pitched voice he make the song a little lighter than the original. He is able to bring out the typical UP laborer feel to the song. Shah Rukh Khans rapping of Bhojpuri lyrics adds special color and vibrancy to the song.  The addition of Jhankar beats and guitar solos makes this song superb and is probably going to replace the original as a dance floor favorite.

Kajre Re.. watch out.. here is Alisha Chinoy with yet another high energy number.. Aaj Ki Rat. She is joined by the inimitable Sonu Nigam and the melodious Mahalakshmi Iyer to create a sensational  number that has power beats and fabulous techno effects. This is a song that is here to stay.

Don The Theme  is a westernized lounge musical mix modern makeover of original 'Don’. It begins with a knock on the door, somebody asking ‘Who is it?’ with SRK replying in a husky voice: Don!  It is a well done number and is quite up there when it comes to theme songs.  Don Revisited by Midival Punditz is again a theme music with brass rendition of the original number Mujhe Pehchano…Main Hoon. The dialogues by Shahrukh Khan are interspersed. Yet again a nice number.

Kudos to Shankar Ehsaan Loy for giving a beautiful and hip make-over to a timeless classic.  Now we must wait for the film to see King Khan in the Don role

|