Drona music: Not very enchanting

Inscribed swords. Sand-faced monsters. Tintin-hair baddie. Bandana-sporting hottie. Everyone's busy seeking Drona [Images]. Warrior to some. Saviour for others. One Abhishek Bachchan [Images] to do it all.

Director Goldie Behl, who previously made Bas Itna Sa Khwab Hai -- a Shree 420 meets Wall Street-type -- appears to be smitten by Hollywood's steady manufacture of fantasy-filled feasts. And so even if we presume Drona may not be a The Lord of the Rings, The Mummy [Images] or a Prince Caspian, it definitely looks inspired.

Abhishek: The Next Superhero?

Starring Bachchan Jr, along with mom Jaya, Priyanka Chopra [Images] and Kay Kay Menon, Drona revolves around a mythical superhero , flash gold 'n' zardozi costumes and all. Fantasy is by and large a tricky genre in our films. Either they become they go the Krrish [Images] way or go down as in the case of Anil Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit starrer Rajkumar.

Composed by Dhruv Ghanekar against Vaibhav Modi's lyrics, the soundtrack has its own share of plus and minuses.

The title track, which introduces the listener into the legend of Drona, rendered by him is stylish, groovy and catchy -- both in sound and arrangement. It may not have the finesse of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's techno-friendly creations for Don, but the minimalism and rawness only adds to Drona's overall appeal. Its other version Drona redux, featuring Sunidhi Chauhan [Images], is strikingly glamorous and a few rungs higher on intensity and aggression.

Priyanka Chopra

Sunidhi drops in again, amidst amusing noises of 'plop' 'ding' 'woing,' to croon Oop cha with her trademark husky coolness. And for all its electronic fervour, there's nothing exotic about this oddly titled ditty celebrating the 'que sera sera' policy. Interestingly enough, the Fare-Play remix, with Bob Omulo pitching in to do a fancy rap, works much better.

Sunidhi takes a break from her comfortable huskiness to deliver the gently paced Banda gi alongside an equally competent Roop Kumar Rathod. As much as we appreciate Sunidhi's refreshing move, mellifluous notes of flute and tabla alone don't make a classic melody. Banda gi's uneven tune brusquely shifts from high to low pitch, making it way too jarring to ignore.

Serene and dulcet, Nanhe nanhe boasts of an ultra melodious Sadhna Sargam entering the lullaby mode, playing around with sweet-sounding metaphors. Ideally, Ghanekar could have gone easy on the instruments and let Sargam take complete charge. Nevertheless, Nanhe makes a smooth impact.

Shaan [Images] tries to do a Frank Sinatra in the dripping-with -cheer Khushi. While the bounciness is nice and all, it's not particularly infectious. Quite the opposite, actually. The excessively melodramatic temperament of the track -- in mood and orchestration -- doesn't help one bit.

A subject like Drona, high on make-believe and enchantment, screams for adventure and surreal in its compositions. And while the soundtrack has its moments, in entirety it's too average to achieve any of these elements.

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