Jatt and Juliet Review

 I don’t often watch Punjabi films. The storylines are usually clichéd, cringe worthy or make no sense. If I do watch one, I end up laughing for all the wrong reasons. But when a film called Jatt and Juliet claimed to have the most viewed Punjabi film trailer ever on youtube I had to take a look. The pun in the title, lifted from a famous Shakespeare play also made me curious.  

The internet marketing for the film is impressive and obviously aimed at Punjabis abroad. The plot seems like yet another “boy meets girl via Canada with a bit of humour” story, but the music seemed less clichéd. The album consists of just seven short songs and five of them are sung by Diljit Dosanjh who also takes the lead role in the film. He is a good singer, but I would have like a little more variation on the album. The only female vocals on the album are backing ones and the songs seemed to run into each other.

 
A big bhangra number called Fatto kicks off the album. With its cars and girls in short skirts and suggestive poses, the preview for Fatto looks more like a bhangra video than a film promo. I’m not quite sure why Diljit Dosanjh is brandishing a plastic gun in parts of the video.

The start of Hi-Fi Juliet is rustic, but the rest of the song is more modern, perhaps too modern in places. Bachaa is another traditional bhangra number which is made for the dance floor. I expect to hear this a lot during wedding season and it’s probably one of the best songs on the album.

Kuriye Mind Na Karin is the closest the soundtrack comes to a slow romantic number. It has a good groove to it and is quite sweet in places. The action slows even moreand gets a little more reflective with Challi Vangra Judai. Sukhwinder Singh’s vocals are excellent and it’s lovely to have a gentle song amongst all the bhangra.

Main Jaagan Swere is the electro dance number at the end of the soundtrack where the remixes usually go. It’s the shortest song on the album but manages to pack in a lot of bass. Pooja Kiven Aan has a slightly odd mix of Punjabi and English lyrics, but some good vocals from Sharry Maan. It's a typical Punjabi track but has some very western undertones.


Verdict: Jatt and Juliet might be borrowing a few promotional tricks from Bollywood, but the music is still unashamedly Punjabi. Decent Punjabi album which fans of Diljit Dosanjh will love.