Rising Pune Supergiants Anthem "Dum Ka Naya Rang" review

Well its that time of the year. And you guessed it right. IPL 2016 is here - The great Indian circus of cricket returns.

Like with each edition, IPL 2016 too makes an effort in establishing a brand connect by using a heavy dose (read massive airplay / rotation)  of sonic branding (anthems, team theme songs, tvc's) across TV, Radio and Internet.

In this post we review the Rising Pune Supergiants Theme Song "Dum Ka Naya Rang" Anthem.

Sung by the very popular Mika Singh, the theme song opens with the strains of the traditional Maharashtrian tutari.

As a theme song for the Pune IPL Team this anthem expectedly has a strong Marathi / Puneri vibe to it.

The dhol tasha combination form the backbone of the rhythmic arrangements while adding a distinct traditional and local flavour to the song. Distortion heavy power chords fuse effectively in the background.

 The noteworthy let-down on the arrangements front is the use of traditional Punjabi style dhols (did the composer/ producer lose focus and forget this was an Anthem for a Maharashtra based team!!) towards the end which takes the sheen away from an otherwise interesting soundscape.

Lyrically the song tries to forge a positive and motivational connect with the listener with the central message being - lets aspire and inspire.

The usually reliable Mika makes a half-hearted effort here. His unflattering nasal intonation fails to pack a punch. Probably a more robust, open throated voice was what was required to add some "Dum" to this one.

Music Composers are often challenged with unenviable task of creating Anthems.
Despite having an ascending contour of melody (generally the norm for anthem like songs) this effort somehow disappoints. It still remains to be seen what kind of recall value the Dum Ka Naya Rang‬ Anthem possesses.