Lately Indian Cinema has seen a steady flow of movies about sports such as Lagaan, Chak De India, Salaam India, and Goal. Victory is one such film and its sport of choice is India's favourite sport, cricket.

Victory stars the industry's newest member Harman Baweja (Love Story 2050) and Amrita Rao (Vivah) in pivotal roles with Anupam Kher, Gulshan Grover and Dilip Tahil in supporting roles. Accompanying them is an array of cricketers from India, Australia, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and South Africa. Made under the banner of WalkWater Media and Victory Moving Pictures, Victory is written and directed by debutante Ajitpal Mangat. Music has been directed by Anu Malik while lyrics have been penned by Amitabh Verma (Life in a Metro) and Syed Gulrez. The album has seven songs with a long list of singers comprising of Anushka Manchanda, Sukwinder Singh, Daler Mehndi, K.K., Kailash Kher, Sudesh Bhosle, Mahalaxmi Iyer, Shaan, Altaf Raja and Sonu Nigam amongst others.

Whether Harman Baweja emerges victorious after his second venture is a fate to be decided when the film hits the cinemas on 30th January 2009. Meanwhile, let's find out whether the music of Victory stays true to its name.

Victory jump starts with Money Money Money, a racey dance number sung by a vivacious Anushka Manchanda. The track is doomed from the word go, rather the words "show me the money, hey take the honey." The overdone techno beats do not help and it ends up sounding like noise. The lyrics by Syed Gulrez do get better as the song progresses. However, the rapid repetition of "Money, Money Money, Money" does get annoying. While Anushka's hyped up and energetic vocals are the saving grace of the track, her partner Krishna is quite the opposite. His vocals are overly pretentious and the sheer screaming at end writes this singer off completely.

What is a movie about sports without a war-cry song? A song that is supposed to be full of passion and confidence urging the players to march on and claim victory. Songs like 'Chak De India' (Chak De India) and 'Chale Chalo' (Lagaan) come into mind with blazing dhols, uplifting lyrics and vocals oozing vigor and strength. The next track, Bhala Utha Chaka Laga, sets out to do exactly that. It has the blazing dhols, the uplifting lyrics (Syed Gulrez) and the strong vocals (Sukwinder Singh and Daler Mehndi) but still lacks the oomph to become a crowd pleaser. Unlike Sukwinder's latest offering, 'Jai Ho' (Slumdog Millionaire), his rendition does not pack a punch. The same can be said about Mehndi. The same lyrics are repeated throughout the song and it lacks a tune or melody as most of the words are merely communicated without some sort of musical touch. The music is the same old, loud and fast Punjabi beats with nothing new and fresh to offer. Fortunately, it is situational track, so a strong picturisation with a wild crowd and an engaging game sequence will win the track some points.

The fun and games stop with Aisa Toh Socha Na Tha, an emotional number sung by the immensely talented K.K. Apart from K.K's emotionally charged rendition, the track suffers from poor composition by Anu Malik and clichéd lyrics from Amitabh Verma.

The dhols make a comeback with Kailash Kher's We Love Kirket, a song depicting the love for the game in India. Unfortunately, the clichéd Punjabi beats and poorly constructed lyrics (Syed Gulrez) reduce the song to a below-than-average fair. Surprisingly, Kailash Kher's vocals also fail to impress.

Next is Tu Ne Re, a romantic number sung by none other than the very popular Shaan. The relatively short track seems longer due to it being quite slow. Anu Malik does not lose any points for composing this track but does not gain any either, since it has nothing new to offer. It's a tried and tested musical piece with light orchestration, some high notes and drum rolls. Syed Gulrez's lyrics are also run-of-the mill. Shaan's fans may take to his track but even his performance is half-baked.

After 'Tu Ne Re' is the title song, Victory. Like its predecessors, this track also fails to impress. Its biggest downfall is Dibyendu Mukherji's vocals as he literally screams the words the out. Anu Malik's composition is a horrendous attempt at delivering a rock number while Syed Gulrez's passable lyrics are difficult to assess thoroughly on account of them being shouted at the listener by Mukherji.

It seems as though the best has been saved for last. Maaza Aa Gaya is the shining light at the end of the dark tunnel that is the music of Victory. 'Maaza Aa Gaya' remains true to its title as it does not fail to entertain. Anu Malik's composition reminds you of his older songs in the 90s that were so much fun. The amazing and enthusiastic ensemble of singers in this song is what works in its favor. Also the music perfectly captures the mood of desi celebration with dhols, flutes and an energetic chorus. The lyrics, though simple, are effective. The emotional piece by Suresh Wadkar at the end is right on queue and gives the song that melodramatic Bollywood touch. The track manages to cleverly narrate the scene of celebration as well serve as a lively dance number. The track will work wonders if it is picturised with equal gusto. 'Maaza Aa Gaya' is definitely Victory's crowning glory. Truly, Maaza Aa Gaya!

In lieu of 'Maaza Aa Gaya', Victory is a disappointing album. Anu Malik who has been known to give good music in the past (Umrao Jaan and Main Hoon Na) seems to have lost the plot with Victory. The songs aimed for the right idea but somewhere in the composition and delivery something went terribly wrong. Sadly, Victory does not emerge victorious.

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