Cast : Akshay Kumar, Lara Dutta, Dimple Kapadia, Rajpal Yadav, Gulshan Grover
Producer : Percept Picture Company
Music Director : Ram Sampat
Lyricist/s : Munna Dhiman, Asif Ali Beg & Israr Ansari
Singers : Kunal Ganjawala, Joi Barua, Sonu Nigam, Sona Mohapatra, Sukhwinder Singh & Krishna
Release Date : 25 December 2008
JUMBO (originally a Thai film KHAN KLUAY (2006) and THE BLUE ELEPHANT (ENGLISH 2008)), a fun-frolic joy-ride opens up new chapter of animation in Bollywood where voices of bankable actors makes all animated characters sing, dance and act. It's much on the strategic mindset and guidelines of flicks like THE INCREDIBLES, ICE AGE etc that collaged grand face-values of actors with the techno-flashy CGI animation. Akshay Kumar plays the boisterously fervent voice-over of lead character JUMBO, the baby elephant who strolls out from his parents to become a war-elephant! Ram Sampath, a controversial musical figure (KRAZZY 4 controversy) is the man behind musical substance for this flick and this time he complete a hat-trick of working for Akshay Kumar's flicks. Barring the exceptions of films like HANUMAN and KRISHNA, animation films have never made it big in audio markets. Does this internationally acclaimed animation extravaganza have the desired musical buzz to create thump in the marquee? Can Ram Sampath's techno-wizardry be breaking out jinx for ''not-so-successful'' genre of animation flicks? Just listen to it...
Carnival is all set to explode with Akshay Kumar taking the centre-stage in his thriving jiving dancing attire in funky hip-hop stylized ''Everything Gonna Be Alright''. Kunal Ganjawala's boisterously voluble tones resonate high with rhythmical jingle grooves to create out an everlasting euphoric feel. Ram Sampath composes it like a catchy commercial jingle, mixed with trendy hip-hop rhythms with bountiful synths and electronic sounds. Munna Dhiman's wordings are sportive and zesty to core that gives this child-fiction entertainer a rollicking promotional boost on all circuits. It's one flashy melodic aspect that will surely be creating a word and awareness for this kid-loving fun-fare.
Ice Ice Baby! Baby Elephant ''Jumbo'' makes large-hearted presence with all his ''doodley-doo'' acts with funky hip-hop and loads of thriving electronic punches in the title track ''Dil Mera Jumbo''. Upcoming singer Joi Barua (sounding similar to Adnan Sami) varying pitched vocals are suited to hilt in serenading out playfully frolic sentiments with all peppery emceeing and enthused chorals. Asif Ali Beg's fervently zippy wording (''J se hai jigar baby, U se ultra cool yo, M se hai Mastana, B is for the best of friends, O is number one yeah''...) deserves special mention for being creatively sporadic and meticulous enough to make impact on ears in its jumbled English and Hindi lyrical verbatim. A promising title track that should do wonders when it strikes chord with multi-colored sporty animated characters on silver screen! Love blooms and that too in kid-loving animation flick with Sonu Nigam leading out from front with Sona Mohapatra in ''Chayee Madhoshiyan''. Sampath creates sounds and rhythms that are close to ''Tumhi Dekho Na'' (KABHI ALVIDA NA KEHNA) and ''Suraj Hua Madham'' (KABHI KHUSHI KABHI GHAM) with a surround-sound mushy ambience. Sonu Nigam is expectedly brilliant in all varying mood but Sona Mohapatra?s peculiar tones are bit off beat in this context. It's ''club'' remix filled with transcendental ''trance'' mode sounds too contemporary but still carries enough zing that can really burn up the floors.
''Badhte Chalo'', a fiery climax track emanating out the zest of marching contingent comes out as decent hear. Sukhwinder Singh adds jingoism of ''Chak De India'' (CHAK DE INDIA) in his throaty outburst in a composition that sounds analogous to ''Chale Chalo'' (LAAGAN). Munna Dhiman's motivational spark in wordings have the melodramatic finesse but it will be it's vibrant on-screen presence that will cast major spell for listeners.
Krishna poignantly expressive vocals in booming baritones make the final countdown for the album with the feel of war-fare in situational soundtrack ''Jaye He''. The song is melodramatically appealing for it's in thunderous orchestration with loud drumming, rigorous percussions signifying out the pop-patriotism of the fighting contingent on battle field. Like ''Badhte Chalo'', it has rip-roaring motivational lyrical works by Munna Dhiman but the feel is completely situational.
JUMBO comes out as an above average musical fun-fare where Ram Sampath makes his reasonably solitary modest entry of this year. The album prospers heavily with its promotional track ''Everything Gonna Be Alright? with two impressive numbers ''Dil Mera Jumbo'' and ''Chaye Madhoshiyan'' hitting the deck. In terms of commercial success and substance, it won't be as triumphant or phenomenal as HANUMAN but is likely to draw better business than the bulk of recently released animation flicks.