You can listen to the songs at the end of the review.
Despite that “fond” evocation of the dated 90s sound in more places than one, composers Sajid Wajid manage to create an entertaining piece out of Daawat-e-Ishq with lyricist Kausar Munir, courtesy the qawwali base that almost never fails (shades of raag pilu I am guessing) and the sprightly, nuanced singing by Javed Ali and Sunidhi Chauhan. The instrumental version plays out an imaginative, whacky version of that lead hook (played on oud?) adorned with kitchen orchestra type sounds. The datedness unfortunately gets stronger and gets in the way of the enjoyability in Mannat and Rangreli. Mannat has an interesting diversion midway through that lasts a short while, but otherwise is largely ho-hum, despite having Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal on vocals. The shorter reprise version features pretty much the same arrangement and the same singers, so the musical impact is pretty much the same. Rangreli fairs a little better owing to the overall energy of the song, a lot of it from that wedding band setting. Wajid and Shreya Ghoshal keep things commendably upbeat from their end too. Jaadu Tone Waaliyan too follows a qawwali-esque route but with a mod twist, and the combination works fairly well. The singers led by Shadab Sabri do an exuberant job from their end. It is only the second interlude that sounds jarring amidst all this. Shayarana is the only song that sounds totally devoid of any yesteryear influence in its sound, and the composers produce a charming melody here, backing it up with an infectiously happy arrangement, and Shalmali Kholgade takes care of the rest.
Sajid-Wajid produce one of their better works in Daawat-e-Ishq. But compared to Habib Faisal-YRF’s last, Ishaqzaade, this one is notches lower. Incidentally Shalmali bagged the top song in both movies.
Music Aloud Rating: 7/10
Top Recos: Shayarana, Daawat-e-Ishq, Jaadu Tone Waaliyan
PS: Very pretty-looking jukebox!
