Irshad Kamil fans were left stunned when it emerged that he had written the 'Swag Se Swagat' song for Tiger Zinda Hai. Not that every Irshad Kamil track has to be poetic, but one didn’t quite expect him to write a populist track like 'Swag Se Swagat'.
Yash Raj Films has now released the Arabic mix of the song. Without disrespect to Kamil, or the film's music directors Vishal-Shekhar and Julius Packiam, it was the singing of Vishal Dadlani that really hurt your ears. Dadlani’s vocals are there in the Arabic version, too, but thankfully the soothing voices of Arabic singers Rabih Baroud and Brigitte Yaghi make the number far more pleasant to listen to.
Though we don’t understand the language, the Arabic version certainly sounds better than the original.
With 'swag' being the theme of the song, it is natural for a singer to try to bring that quality into his voice. The problem with Dadlani's rendition of the song was that his attempt at getting 'swag' into his voice tended to irritate and drive you away.
Neha Bhasin singing such a track, too, came as a surprise, but she had a controlled, bearable swag in her voice.
Thankfully, the exotic locations and Katrina Kaif’s hot moves make both the original and the Arabic version treats to watch.
Needless to say, Salman Khan’s inimitable moves always create a rage. Watch the Arabic version below.
Tiger Zinda Hai is set to be released on 22 December. You can try your hand at predicting the film's box-office performance here.