'Move Your Lakk' – Diljit, Badshah, Sonakshi’s combined efforts fail to lift Noor song

It has become the norm to rehash classics and just add a little rap tune to make one believe it is a refreshing composition. By that count rapper Badshah should be lauded for creating a brand new song for Noor (2017). Tilted 'Move Your Lakk', the song, however, comes across as a clichéd Punjabi pop-rap track. So, basically, if you are not fond of the genre, you needn’t bother 'moving your lakk'.

The striking aspect of the song is that it brings together Badshah, Sonakshi Sinha and Diljit Dosanjh on the dance floor. The trio have also combined to sing the song.

Sinha had already given a taste of her limited singing talents with the single 'Aaj Mood Ishqholic Hai' and, later, made her playback singing debut with her rendition of the 'Rajj Rajj Ke' track from Akira (2016). Thankfully, she has little to do in this song, so bearing the brunt of this average track are Badshah and Dosanjh.

Poetry has nothing to do with rap. All that such music needs is rhyming words that sync with the music. However, one can’t just put in any words for the sake of creating a track. Badshah was perhaps not at his creative best when he conjured up the lyrics. Save for the words ‘move your lakk’, there is no flow, no connection between the mukhda (intro) and antara (verse). The words just flow in different directions.

The Punjabi audience is best suited to judge what Dosanjh is singing here, but Noor is a Hindi film and non-Punjabi listeners are likely to draw a blank over the lyrics. For a man who has given us soulful numbers like 'Dum Dum' (Phillauri, 2017) and 'Ik Kudi' (Udta Punjab, 2016), he would be honest enough to admit that 'Move Your Lakk' is not his best effort.

Given the challenge at hand, it was imperative that the music appealed to all audiences. After all, haven’t non-Punjabis admired the likes of Gurdas Mann and Sukhbir even though they barely got hold of their lyrics? 'Move Your Lakk' is peppy in parts, true, but for much of its duration, it beats into your ears like a cliched, loud Punjabi pop-cum-rap number.

As the writer and composer, Badshah has no one but himself to blame. As he sings 'dekh ke tujhe bigda hai manasik santulan [I lost my composure looking at you]', listeners are likely to feel likewise on watching this song.

Poor music notwithstanding, 'Move Your Lakk' still ought to have the thing that would make you move your limbs. Unfortunately, for a high-octane track, the choreography is pretty pedestrian. At times, Sonakshi Sinha appears to be moving with her feet tied together. Rap music has a swagger to it which is expressed through the classic hip-hop moves. They may appear simple but are never easy to pull off. A poor attempt makes you look like a wannabe. That is something neither Sinha nor Dosanjh would be cool with.

Despite its all-round frailties, such music always has an audience. Dosanjh, Sinha and Baashah fans will certainly say ‘yo!’ to 'Move Your Lakk'. So, watch the song here: