Dinesh Kamath's column on film 'Special 26' that was published in Newsband

Special Chabbis is an upcoming Bollywood heist drama film directed by Neeraj Pandey of A Wednesday fame. The film stars Akshay Kumar and Kajal Aggarwal in the lead roles with Jimmy Shergill, Manoj Bajpai and Anupam Kher in supporting roles. Cinematography is by Bobby Singh.

The film is based on a real life group of con artists who pulled off many clever robberies during 1980's, and robbed famous businessmen and politicians by pretending to be the CBI or Income tax officers, on the pretext of conducting raids they would take away all the black money hoarded by them, the film also takes its concept from the real-life daring heist dated 19-March-1987 where the same group posing as CBI officers executed a daylight income tax raid on the Opera House branch of Tribhovandas Bhimji Zaveri in Mumbai, and disappeared with jewellery worth lakhs. The movie is set in the early 1980's.

The movie has Akshay Kumar as Ajay Singh, Kajal Aggarwal as Priya Chavan, Jimmy Shergill as Senior Inspector Ranvir Singh, Manoj Bajpai as CBI Officer Wasim Khan, Anupam Kher as P.K Sharma (Sharmaji) and Divya Dutta as Shantiji.

The film takes its foundations from the infamous robbery of 19-March-1987, when 26 people posing as income tax officials raided a famous jewellery store in Opera House, Mumbai. They had walked away with jewels worth lakhs. This incident shocked jewellers across Zaveri Bazaar. According to the sources, Neeraj waited for almost three years after A Wednesday, as he wanted Akshay Kumar for the film. Akshay plays the leader of the 26-men army in the film. His character’s name will interestingly be Mr. Ajay Singh (meaning 'unconquered lion' in English).

Manoj Bajpai has been roped in to play the real CBI officer, and Anupam Kher plays a vital role in the film. Kajal Aggarwal plays a specially-written role of Mon Singh's love-interest (she is the only female character in the film). Kajal Aggarwal is playing role of a school teacher.

The film began shooting from February 23, 2012 in Delhi. The first schedule of the film was shot in Chandni Chowk, following which the unit moved to Jama Masjid.

Music Directors are M.M. Kreem and Himesh Reshammiya; Lyricists: Irshad Kamil, Shabbir Ahmed; Singers: KK, M.M. Kreem, Sunidhi Chauhan, Aman Trikha, Shreya Ghoshal, Shabab Sabri, Chaitra Ambadipudi, Keerti Sagathia, Papon, and Bappi Lahiri.

The soundtrack seems good with five original tracks. Four songs have been penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by M.M. Kreem, while Himesh Reshammiya has chipped in with a composition with lyrics by Shabbir Ahmed.

First up is Tujh sang lagee with a soulful rendition by KK; the song has a qawwali touch and Sufi energy flowing incessantly. The music has been nicely composed has the rustic elements which feature in the song. This song is definitely one of the highlights of the film.

 It is followed by an out and out Punjabi track Gore mukhde pe zulfaan di chaavan. It is composed by Reshammiya and crooned by the trio of Aman Trikha, Shreya Ghoshal and Shabab Sabri. The vocals by the singers are fine in general.

Next song Kaun Mera is a beautiful romantic ballad where Chaitra Ambadipudi's enchanting voice mesmerizes the listener. The song is pure bliss. The noteworthy musical arrangements play a complementary role and allow the voice to do all the talking.

The song has two more versions, one by the Papon, the poster-boy of Assam who is equally engaging. Here vocals take the centrestage. This one too is a beauty and grows on you, a must listen.

The third version by Sunidhi Chauhan has been given a slow and mellow treatment but sounds good to the ears.

Chaitra Ambadipudi has an angelic like voice. Sunidhi’s vocals are great as usual. Given a choice, it's really hard to choose the best amongst the three and frankly speaking all of them deserve equal cheer. A big thumbs up!

Mujh mein tu is a very spirited and idealistic sort of love song, which explores what place that special person holds in one's heart. A fine track, it will have many takers amongst the lovebirds and those seeking romance.  

It also has another version that has been crooned to perfection by Kreem and he elevates the track to a mesmerizing level that touches every chord of your soul.

Keerthi Sagathia’s melodious voice gives the song the substance. M.M. Kreem’s vocals are decent, but Keerthi’s version is more powerful and is nicely blended with the composition.

Rounding up is our very own Bappi Lahiri, fondly called Bappi Da, making you groove with Dharpakad, which reflects the subject of the film. Try it out just for the amusing lyrics which are sung by Bappi Lahiri.

To sum up, Special 26 has a number of songs which will appeal to many Bollywood enthusiasts. These include Tujh Sang Lagee, Kaun Mera – Part One and Mujh Mein Tu. Overall, the ensemble will work with music lovers.

So do watch the film Special 26 when it gets released on 8 February 2013.