Student Of The Year 2's 'The Jawani Song': Vishal-Shekhar's version is all glitter, no gold

There are few things sadder than watching a classic being ripped apart for a new generation. As is, perhaps, inevitable, Student Of The Year 2 features Tiger Shroff, Ananya Panday and Tara Sutaria enjoying their reunion to the beats of an updated RD Burman number. 'The Jawani Song' is composed by Vishal Dadlani and Shekhar Ravjiani, with Dadlani and Payal Dev providing the vocals.

The song is played at the reunion, which is a repetition of the session from Student Of The Year (2012)'s 'The Disco Song'.

From the costumes to the sets, the song is picturized to the style and jazz that suits a Dharma production. There is even Tiger Shroff in a gold shimmer suit, just in case the sets were not ostentatious enough.

From fashionably styled retro clothing, a rock concert stage, to anime-shounen school outfits, the song is quite the fashion show. If any college festivals are funded this well, the Enforcement Directorate has work to do.

The song is a featurette for Shroff's dancing abilities, and the actor does well. He can certainly move, but the choreography still rankles. Sutaria and Panday seem a little raw, and their inhibition shows in the close-ups, which, understandably, have been kept to the minimum.

Shroff hogs the stage, popping some moves with his usual athleticism. Even Aditya Seal does his opening bit, but fades away in the latter part. In fact, the first SOTY felt more like a school reunion dance than this one.

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While it would be silly to object to the anime-influenced clothing, it is the song that balances it out. Vishal-Shekhar, huge fans of RD Burman, have created a proper tribute to the composer before in the form of Jhankaar Beats (2003). This song might not be up to the same standards, but is not all bad.

The opening has the pace and verve to keep you going. Dadlani's voice definitely has the energy to match up to the original, but it is the shift between the upgraded composition and the older version that jars the experience.

Despite that, Kishore Kumar's voice on RDB's original composition still has the power to get you going. Payal Dev has little space in terms of singing, but does well.

The composition has been upgraded with an impressive mix of new elements — an additional percussion beat, and a saxophone backup. It helps, but only to an extent. In its new avatar, the song seems to lack the smoothness of the original.

Perhaps, that was a conscious choice. Regardless, it is hummable still. But the credit for that belongs to Punchamda.

Student Of The Year 2 is directed by Punit Malhotra and will hit the theatres on 10 May. Check out the new and old versions below.