Namaste England song 'Dhoom Dhadaka' is a peppy, foot-tapping number

One of the criticisms of Anurag Kashyap's Manmarziyaan (2018), which was released on 14 September, was that the songs had too much of Punjabi, which meant the music did not have pan-India appeal.

There is no such trouble for Vipul Amrutlal Shah’s Namaste England, which has kept the Hindi audience in mind while doing the music. The makers released the 'Dhoom Dhadaka' song today. 

Lyricist Javed Akhtar has kept Punjabi to a bare minimum. The song has bhangra beats, and Akhtar pens neat lyrics in the intro that bring out the essence of Punjabi culture.

The opening lines are fine, but the antara is average. Luckily, the song quickly goes back to the more meaningful, appealing lyrics.

Composer Mannan Shaah has scored a fine, peppy track that rides on a nice mix of bhangra and Punjabi pop tunes. The tempo goes soft in the antara, for the singer Shahid Mallya too switches to low notes. If you listen carefully, the music in the first half might remind you of Sukhwinder Singh’s 'Kawa Kawa' from Mira Nair's Monsoon Wedding (2001). 'Dhoom Dhadaka' has the same vibe. 

But then, play bhangra beats to any track and you will find similarities. What cannot be taken away from Shaah is that 'Dhoom Dhadaka' is an entertaining, foot-tapping track. 

Lead singer Shahid Mallya has a fine, pleasing voice, unlike other popular Punjabi singers (Guru Randhawa, Jassi for instance), many of whom have powerful voices. Mallya's is a tad mellower. However, it works well with 'Dhoom Dhadaka'. 

Antara Mitra is the co-singer but we don't get to hear her in this video. 

While the lyrics, music and singing are captivating, we can’t say the same for the choreography. Arjun Kapoor looks too heavy, and he can barely pull off his feet. He is too slow in his bhangra moves. Parineeti Chopra, too, looks flat-footed. But the song itself scores for its music and singing.

Watch 'Dhoom Dhadaka' below and tell us if Namaste England, which will be released on 19 October, will be a hit.