DJ Munks.com

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Sajid Nadiadwala is back after kind of a flop movie earlier this year in Housefull. Even though Housefull did well with its collections at the box office it still was a terrible movie.. But now he has teamed up with director Siddharth Anand who has made hit modern romance movies like Bachna Ae Haseeno, Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum. Thus Anjaana Anjaani could turn things around for Sajid with a hit that would be even appreciated by the audiences. The trailer looks like it could do the trick with super talented Ranbir Kapoor and super hot Priyanka Chopra leading the way.

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Vishal Shekhar have already had a big musical hit this year with I Hate Luv Storys and so the expectations are really high on the musical front for something new and different. They surely have the calibre and Vishal’s voice to create some magic… but what scares me is looking at the list of lyricists involved here for a total of 9 songs. Does it give a music director & the movie director variety with the songs or makes it difficult to get the right sound with the inconsistency? Let us listen and find out..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani – The title song is definitely new not similar to anything that I think I have heard before. Although the start seems a little disappointing with English lyrics, the chorus is very catchy and you will instantly like it. It has the big sound with a full band including elements of rock, dance and brass. It is an upbeat song and will work well in the international circuit on radio stations and Bollywood dance parties… that is the beauty of Vishal-Shekhar’s composition! Lyrics by Neelesh Misra are average but modern and fun. We first heard singer Nikhil D’souza on the song Sham in the movie Aisha and we loved him. Knew he had a long way to go and here he is opening Vishal-Shekhar’s big budget movie with Monali Thakur supporting him on the female vocals. 7/10 for all the fun this song projects.

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Track 2 – Hairat – Vishal-Shekhar show how mature their music is with a modern global audience appeal. The music of this song could easily be used on a big budget Hollywood movie OST in the background of a suspense thriller.. with English lyrics ofcourse. But here Vishal shows not just how mature his music is but also his lyrics are. The wording and rhymes are perfect and the work of a pro. ‘Long time hiding’ but ‘never forgotten’ singer Lucky Ali delivers a performance to remember. His voice texture brings a different energy and flavour to the song. Love this song as the perfect high speed drive song. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Aas Paas Khuda – An OST for a romantic movie would be incomplete without Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice.. His Sufiana voice works magically on your listening senses. Although this is nothing compared to his other hits but it has it’s own feel. What doesn’t work too well here is the composition of the song. It is outdated and not unique. The instrumentation is average too. Saving the day a little are Vishal & Shekhar’s lyrics which too are not the best. 6/10.

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Track 4 – Tumse Hi Tumse – Three lyricists on this song!! Amitabh Bhattacharya & Anvitta Dutt have written the main lyrics while Shekhar sings it for them. Caralisa Monteiro has written and sung the English lyrics. I really like the vocals and lyrics of this song but the song doesn’t click for me overall.. and that is because of the arrangement. The rock instrumentation is something that I am not sure about was the best musical fit. Well that is just my opinion but something doesn’t make this song click and it becomes an average song. 6.5/10.

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Track 5 – Tujhe Bhula Diya – The start of this song is mesmerising with Shruti Pathaks voice and some innovative guitar strumming. What a come back on the composition and arrangement tactics! Fantastic and truly brilliant!! The bits of Qawalli thrown in on the bridge comes in beautifully.. especially after acoustic main stanzas. The music shifts into three different arrangements seamlessly with excellent classical instrumentation. The Punjabi lyrics at the start followed by the main lyrics are the work of Kumaar and Vishal himself again. They are very good and singer Mohit Chauhan’s harmonic vocals forces you to take notice of them. An overall great song.. 8/10.

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Track 6 – I Feel Good – This is a Vishal Dadlani song with his vocals, his lyrics and his music. Shilpa Rao who recently delivered a mind blowing performance in the song Nain Parindey in Lafangey Parindey joins Vishal on the vocals. Her presence helps but not much.. this is still an average song with another rock English lyrics song. The guitar solos in the bridge make it better but not enough. Only thing worth noticing is Shilpa Rao’s work who usually sings classical song and now delivers a rock chick song. 6.5/10.

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Track 7 – Anjaana Anjaani – This song starts off with very soothing music with ambient flutes and Shilpa Rao’s deep voice on the vocals with Vishal accompanying her again. The they do work well together and you can appreciate the pair as you hear them together in more songs. I love the lyrics by Kausar Munir & Irshad Kamil. Musically it is very well mixed and arranged with lounge taking on rock in the chorus. Innovative but this song needs to be heard a little too many times for it to grow on you. 7/10.

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Track 8 – Tujhe Bhula Diya (Remix) – The only remix on the album is by Abhijit Vaghani who has done an excellent job of making this great song a little different & upbeat. He has given it a twist with a piano melody and a trance feel. He has still managed to keep the traditional elements including a harmonium solo which goes almost dry without a beat which is very brave to play on a trance dance floor. Respect to this mix.. 8/10.

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Track 9 – Aas Paas Khuda (Unplugged) – So I guess I was right with the fact that the musical composition wasn’t working for the original song above. When you hear this unplugged version it sounds totally different and you really appreciate the beauty of it. What you appreciate more is the beauty of voices.. and this includes a feature by Shruti Pathak. Fantastic version! 7/10.

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FINAL WORD

Above Average – 7/10

Anjaana Anjaani has no bad song and no really good song. It is a bunch of average and above average songs with Tujhe Bhula Diya & Hairat being my favourite songs that truly stand out. Title song Anjaana Anjaani Ki Kahani is catchy and different too but not stunning. Is it the influence of too many lyricists? I don’t think so.. I think it is a Siddharth Anand thing. He usually has a couple of big songs in his movies with other average songs that don’t fight for too much attention. Maybe it is his weird strategy of his or just plain bad luck! Vishal-Shekhar do an decently good job like they always do but the influence of Vishal’s rock background is truly evident and maybe overused. Overall I would still recommend you buy this album as a whole. OST available on T-Series.

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Dharma, Sony and UTV Motion pictures come together for Mr. Karan Johar to do a remake of Stepmom!! Why why why..! Lol.. I am only kidding. I do understand that really good English movies don’t quite reach Indian villages and the people who don’t speak English, but then this movie is nearly worthless for the International Bollywood fans. Thus for the UK Bollywood fans all there is left to see in We Are Family are the performances of Kajol, Kareena and Arjun Ramphal with debutant director Siddharth Malhotra’s vision.

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“Ain’t no mountain high.. ain’t no valley low.. ain’t no river wide enough baby..

If you need me call me.. no matter where you are .. no matter how far.. no problem baby”

We don’t have Marvin Gaye in We Are Family but we certainly do have the best of Shankar Ehsaan Loy on the music with Irshad Kamil and Anvit Dutt writing the lyrics. What I am curious to find out if the OST of We are Family has any inspirations from the Stepmom OST as that truly is some soundtrack. Let us hit play and find out what this 10 track album has in store.. (last 4 songs are bonus songs so lets check out the first 6 for We are Family)

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Track 1 – Aankhon Mein Neendein – The song opens with what you would imagine coming out of the Aisha soundtrack with serious similarities until Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shreya Ghoshal’s soulful voices fill your ears. The arrangement of the song is catchy at the start but then goes into sounding like an average Bollywood song. Some good instruments used like the mouth organ solo. The overall music feel of the song is similar to the sounds of Kal Ho Na Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and thus lacks true identity. The lyrics by Irshad Kamil are pretty complicated and not that you will pick up on your first listen except for the chorus.. and thus it will take a couple of listens to start liking this song. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Dil Khol Ke Let’s Rock – Elvis would probably kill himself if he listens to this. Sure it is not bad for Bollywood but this song is suicide in the international markets. Totally inspired by Jailhouse Rock and written by Anvita Dutt is what is playing the most of TV these days.. but I am still to develop a liking for this song. The Dholki twist in the bridge of the song is pretty cool but overall the song fails to impress musically and lyrically. Even the vocal performances by Akriti Kakkar, Anushka Manchanda & Suraj Jagan are purely average. 5/10.

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Track 3 – Reham O Karam – This song comes as a surprise after an average and a nearly average song. Pure Shankar Mahadevan vocals can blow anyone away. They are just perfect and can swing your mood and calm your nerves within a minute of listening. This is what you call God gifted talent!! Vishal Dadlani has been singing a number of really good songs and seems to be promoting himself as a singer now and not just a music director.. he is singing for his competition music directors now! Good for him.. and for us since this song is something else. They lyrics by Irshad are very good but not catchy again. The music is nearly not there and is not required as Shankar fills up all the airwaves but when there is then it is with the rock theme with some exciting orchestration and electric guitars. Must & totally recommended listen. 8/10.

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Track 4 – Hamesha & Forever – Sonu starts off this song with some good piano work and harmonic chorus. The mastering could be off in this song as the music seems to sound louder than his vocals. So technically not the best. Again with the lyrics.. the beauty of words comes across through long phrases rather than rhyming words and thus misses the real click that usually works with the audiences. It’s a decently good song overall but I won’t recommend it. SEL (Shankar Eshaan Loy) seem to be loosing it with what really works with their listeners. 6/10.

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Track 5 – Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman – Bela Shende is a name that has come up after a long time after Jodhaa Akhbar & Paheli. She does another acoustic song to piano which actually sounds really good as far as the music arrangement and her vocals are concerned. The lyrics for a change do work! The sad feel of the song is very situational and I guess works in the background in the movie when she about to die. 7/10.

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Track 6 – We Are Family Theme – Well now we know why there is excessive use of piano throughout all the songs in this movie since it is part of the theme. This is where SEL excel.. in creating good theme musics for situational movies. They never fail to impress in this category and this could well win them an award in the music department.. Musically this song is that good.. Check it out. 8/10.

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Track 7 – Noor E Khuda – Bonus Track from the movie ‘My Name is Khan‘.

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Track 8 – Aaj Kal Zindagi – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Wake Up Sid‘.

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Track 9 – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehan – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna‘.

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Track 10 – Kal Ho Naa Ho – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho‘.

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FINAL WORD

Above Average – 6.5/10

Just a little above average for this OST because of the disappointment that it brought along.. With names like SEL, Irshad Kamil & Karan Johar I was expecting this to be something new that would thrill. But every song is almost predictable with SEL deciding to play safe all across the OST with nothing new in the CD players. No big track to hit the dance floors and all they could come up with was a copy of Jailhouse Rock. The lyrics are good but they don’t click. The vocals are good but fail to totally impress except really good vocals in Reham O Karam and Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman. hus I won’t recommend you buying this OST but surely get the above two songs. Music on Sony Music.

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On the occasion of Eid Arbaaz Khan has started his own production company with wife Malaika Arora Khan under the banner Arbaaz Khan Productions and out comes their first movie with brother Salman Khan and debutant director Abhinav Kashyap who has also written the story of DABANGG. Dabangg seems to be a jolly good movie similar in some aspects to Salman’s last years hit Wanted but with a funny side to it where he is a corrupt police officer but savior of the poor and thus goes by the name Robinhood Pandey!

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Dabangg Trailer

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Dabangg has a really big cast including the likes of Vinod Khanna, Dimple Kapadia, Anupam Kher, Om Puri, Mahie Gill and producers Arbaaz Khan & Malika Arora themselves amongst others. They also have new girl Sonakshi Sinha on the block in the lead role. We’ll have to wait to see how good she is on the screen.. And to support a multi starer movie like this Salman Khan decides to bring his favourite music duo Sajid-Wajid on the job who have done his recent movies including Veer and Wanted. Supporting them with their hand written lyrics are Jalees Sherwani who does most of Salman’s movies, Faaiz Anwar who has written some amazing music like Jab We Met and Lalit Pandit on a song too. So we have a handful of people contributing to this album. To say the least it is a music multi-starrer!

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Tere Mast Mast Do Nain – Start off with one of my favourite singers in the current crop who takes classical to the next level right in the first 30 seconds.. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sings Faaiz Anwar’s lyrics to a catchy classical composition by Sajid-Walid. The instrumentation and feel of the song is purely simple like many other Rahat songs but that’s what we love anyway.. don’t we? It is still different in many ways with some really good vocal harmonies to check out. Very romantic and works very well for Bollywood music lovers in the UK. It is perfect for an evening radio listen. 7.5/10.

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Track 2 – Munni Badnaam – A typical bad boy at a drunken village girl dancer feast song.. If this is confusing then think Bedi Jalayle or Babuji Zara Dheere Chalo and you will know what I am talking about. Mamta Sharma sings to the lyrics and music by Lalit Pandit. A total carefree fun song with some really crazy lyrics.. not the kind I have ever heard anything similar to before. Very crude but funny.. just a total classic in many aspects.. “Item ye aam hui tere liye.. Mein Jhandu Baam hui darling tere liye..” You will hate it on the first listen thinking what rubbish is this .. But then listen to it a couple of times and sample the video on a music channel to see Malaika Arora looking super sexy and you will start loving this total party number.. ! Can’t wait to play this song in my next party. Definite dance floor burner.. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Chori Kiya Re Jiya – Two soulful voices of Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal can come togerther only for a really good romantic song.. and this is the one..! A blend of traditional village hindi with modern singing & lyrics style gives this song a different texture. Sajid-Wajid give it a modern acoustic guitar feel with a simple 2 x 2 beat. Jalees Sherwani keeps the flow of his pen very smooth and so the lyrics are just perfect for such a song. The only thing this song lacks is that extra special touch to make it listenable on a repeat. So I would classify it as an average song. 6.5/10.

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Track 4 – Hud Hud Dabangg – Talk about extra special touch and this song has it.. A clear differentiator the moment you hear the first line and its composition. Never heard anything like this before with some really innovative lyrics by Jalees and a genius composition by Sajid-Wajid with extra-ordinary traditional instrumentation touch. Cant hear a single modern instrument in there even though I am sure they used a few at least. But the best part of this song is Sukhwinder Singh’s vocal rendition. I would give him an award for the best singer this year without a second consideration for this song. Check it out and you will agree. 9/10.

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Track 5 – Humka Peeni Hai – Wajid takes on the mike himself with our UK boy Mater Saleem and Shabaab Sabri for another classic village style fun song this time with a drunken theme on a all men party. And guess what it works.. The use of Harmonium with Dholki and Matki on a digital beat is totally fearless by Sajid-Walid that gives you a really different texture to the melody of the song. The beat is soo cool that your feet and shoulders will move automatically. So let it go and enjoy Jalees Sherwani’s exciting lyrical party. When listening to this song you can’t help but feel the excitement and fun in the song that takes you to the scene of a village party. Brilliant. 8/10.

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Track 6 – Tere Mast Mast Do Nain (Duet) – This is just track 1 on a repeat but this time with Shreya Ghoshal taking over the mike for some of the lyrics. She does an excellent job like she normally does so no complaints. I kind of like the duet more than just Rahat’s solo version as it gives more depth to the feelings in the song. 7.5/10.

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Track 7 – Munni Badnaam (Remix) - Remixed by a female DJ – DJ Megha sounds like a good way to go but even though she does a good job with it you will rather go with Sajid-Wajid’s original desi dance version. The western touch with an electro feel and double synthetic beat looses the whole purpose on a village street song. It’s just a contrast of ideas but Megha still makes a point about her DJ abilities. 6.5/10.

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Track 8 – Tere Mast Mast Do Nain (Remix) - Designer Hippies vs the Bombay Bounce impress me with their ability to look at remixes in a different way but disappoint at certain points in the song. Their arrangement skills and keyboard synths are just a good combination on the right song but they go a little too further with sound effects in an over adventurous spirit to impress. A song is still definitely worth a listen. 6.5/10.

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Track 9 – Humka Peeni Hai (Remix) – Fried Brain Music.com remix this favourite of mine to a good standard. I can imagine the number of difficulties around remixing a song like this but he does a decent job although the song doesn’t fit a UK dance circuit song. It is difficult to place in a traditional or an electro set. 6/10.

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Track 10 – Dabangg Theme – Salman Khan voices this robin hood themed Spanish flavoured music that Dabangg represents. Its different but sounds like you are listening to a movie trailer. That is what probably this track was mixed for. 6.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Pretty Good – 7/10

Dabangg surely has the bang factor in the typical Indian village style mixed with the Bollywood flavour and the Salman Khan cheesy fun factor. It has style and innovation by Sajid-Wajid in songs like Hud Hud Dabangg, Humka Peeni Hai and Munni Badnaam while romance takes centre stage in Tere Mast Mast Do Nain and Chori Kiya Re Jiya. Kudos to Jalees Sherwani for some exciting lyrical arrangements in a total gaun style. The music of Dabangg definitely has the potential to work in the western market event though it has the total Indian village touch to it. That’s its differentiator. For those who that factor does work too well for .. for them there is always the Salman Khan factor !! Music available on T-Series.

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Yash and Aditya Chopra are famous for romantic movies under their banner Yash Raj Films. Recently they have started experimenting with other genres and been extremely successful everywhere. Now they are trying to get a mix of genres with romance in the true Mumbai ishtyle. Lafangey Parindey is the story of a Mumbai street biker and fighter who comes across a blind girl who loves to skate dance. He teaches her to see and she teaches him to love in between their rough lives. Yash Raj have put their faith in an extremely talented director Pradeep Sarkar who made the hit – Parineeta for this challenging project. The trailers look good with a strange on screen combo of Neil Nitin Mukesh and Deepika Padukone. Will their on screen chemistry work is something we will have to wait and see but their typical Mumbaiya accents sure do work well.

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I would imagine a movie based around the streets of Mumbai will have the Marathi flavour to its music but that is something we can find out now. What I am also very curious to find out is if ad jingles composer R. Anandh can create a hit OST on his debut music direction work. He atleast has real good support on the lyrics side with Swanand Kirkire who has written fantastic lyrics for movies like Parineeta, Lage Raho Munnabhai, Rajneeti and 3 Idiots. Let us listen and find out if this 7 track OST works for the UK Bollywood listeners.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Lafangey Parindey – Mr. Anandh brings along a new singer to open his first Bollywood OST project. That is quite brave.. but affective. Ronit Sarkar has a good voice with a pop-rock texture to his voice that works well in the setting of this song. Very urban Mumbai with good instrumentation in this composition. The fun element in the chorus with “Dhing-ra-k-ding” takes away the seriousness of this song that talks about the life of the streets of Mumbai and gels in well. The harmonies & range in Ronit’s voice are worth noticing. He is definitely a good find. The lyrics are good but sound familiar. Not the best song to start the OST but being the theme of the movie I guess they didn’t really have much choice. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Man Lafanga – Now this is a really good composition with fantastic lyrics and the best vocals of Mohit Chauhan. His voice gives feeling to any song to put him in. The acoustic guitar sounds unique in many respects throughout the song. The basic simple beat and rhythm gives it the easy going pace of a good romantic song in the making. The lyrics are just perfectly placed and are brilliant as a man talks about his recluse heart that he has no control on and it does whatever it wants when it comes to love. Plus this song grows on you the more you listen to it and is addictive-ly fun. Press repeat!! 8.5/10.

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Track 3 – Dhatad Tatad – Shail Hada comes along after a long time and impresses you with this vocal quality on this song. Anushka is here too and seems to be quite in demand these days. The typical Mumbai street fun angle of the song comes out clearly with the title phrase throughout the song. This song will be this year’s hit for all Ganesh Chaturthi dances in Mumbai. It surely has that fun quality in lyrics and music that the Mumbai audiences will love.. but here in the UK not so much It is very street and an average listen. 6.5/10.

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Track 4 – Nain Parindey – This song starts off with a beautiful piano piece that sets the tone of the song in a pure and blissful way. Shilpa Rao just makes that better.. She is a brilliant voice and has sung some excellent romantic, ambient and lounge songs. This is yet another beautiful song to add to her list. Kirkire’s lyrics are just perfect, poetic and meaningful. R. Anandh keeps the music simple and blends it just right to give it that soulful feel that makes this song one of the best on the OST. Worth every penny. 8/10.

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Track 5 – Rang Daalein – Rock star Suraj Jagan is probably the best rock voice in Bollywood these days and definitely the most talented. You must even remember him as an actor in Rock On! He was the lead singer of the competing band & director of MTV later in the film. He sure knows how to make a song his and that too very effortlessly. His vocals are just bang on. The music is a good rock composition with good use of bass guitar and electric lead guitar solos. The surprise element is the mix of dholki and Scottish pipes in the chorus. Check that out.. you will like it. The lyrics are not the best but work for a rock song. 7/10.

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Track 6 – Born To Fly – After a long time we hear an instrumental theme music based track in an OST. And it is a good one. The orchestration is well conducted and has elements of excitement, climax, pace and harmony to it. It uses inspiration from Rang Daalein, Dhatad Tatad & Lafangey Parindey songs on the album to blend them all together. 7/10.

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Track 7 – Man Lafanga (Club Mix) – Remixed by Joshilay who call it a club mix but it doesn’t work. Atleast definitely not for the UK clubs.. or even for radio for that sake. It just does not have that effect or feel to it. Joshilay have just used a deep bass line beat and looped it all over. It does nothing for the song and thus just frustrates you once you have heard and become a fan of the original. Ignore. 5.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Pretty Good – 7/10

Well not the best of OST’s to hit the Bollywood music scene this year but it sure has 2 good songs including Man Lafanga and Nain Parindey. The others are average or above average but far from being bad songs. Thus Lafangey Parindey is overall a very listenable album that people with Mumbai roots will definitely appreciate and like. R. Anandh does a reasonably good job for his first Bollywood album with a good range of singers. He introduces Ronit Sarkar who has the potential to be a good lead singer. Swanand Kirkire does well on some lyrics but could have done much better considering his past work. What is really missing from this OST is a range of songs and versatility. The absence of a good dance tune could possibly affect its radio & TV airplay with no demand of the movie songs in clubs. And these are big parts of what go into making a hit film these days. Album available on YRF Music.

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Actor Anil Kapoor’s Film Banner has made some really good offbeat movies like Gandhi My Father and My Wife’s Murder. Aisha looks like another good one to look out for but this time with his very own daughter Sonam Kapoor!

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Aisha is a modern movie based in the high live of Delhi and inspired by the book Emma written by Jane Austen. There is a British connect that the UK audience cannot miss.. and thus the movie will sure be an attraction when it hits the screens here. What would be interesting to see is the execution of Emma by Sonam who has been paired with Abhay Deol who comes from a totally different school of acting with the offbeat touch. This fresh look to onscreen pairs could come only from some fresh eyes that Rajshree Ojha brings being a first timer to Bollywood direction… and the promo shows the freshness to the movie cut.

Let us come to the music side of things.. and Amit Trivedi is the man incharge. I truly admire his work in Dev D, Wake Up Sid and Aamir. Thus I have high expectations from the OST of Aisha. Especially when you have Javed Akhtar doing the lyrics then you definitely know the quality is at the highest of standards. Let us see if this really works for the UK Bollywood music lovers..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Suno Aisha – The song starts with some excellent keyboard programming and evolves into typical Amit Trivedi sound with the clapping, trumpets and flutes with a super deep keyboard bass. The arrangement of the song is extremely catchy with a very global music appeal that even a west European with no understanding of music loves (this is as per test with a couple of west Europeans). Trumpets, double bass, clarinets and flutes steal the show all together. Amit just loves his wind instruments.. and we love him for that Keep your ear open for a few acoustic guitar strums thrown in here and there with a guitar and trumpet solo for the 2nd bridge.

The vocals are by Amit too and are simply brilliant. Nakash Aziz & UK boy Ash King give additional vocals. The lyrics are simple and good in truly Javed Akhtar style and demonstrate the self obsessiveness of Aisha’s character. Overall I love this song.. and so will you. 8.5/10.

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Track 2 – Gal Mitthi Mitthi - Amit gives this a very traditional start with Ek Tara and Shehnaai instruments that transition beautifully into a very modern funky super deep bass beat. He again further blends this very well with a bit bhangra and shehnaai samples throughout and keys. True genius and master of innovative music blending!! The music definitely has a party appeal and will work well on the dance floor in a mix. Tochi the superstar from the music of Dev D comes back here with Amit giving us yet another hit. The lyrics are designed for a wedding giving the song a perfect fit with lines like “tu kar de ishaara mein dooli le aaoon”. Kudos to Javed saab. A definite hit. 8/10.

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Track 3 – Sham – Welcome new kid on the block Nikhil D’souza in an acoustic avatar with Amit Trivedi and Neuman Pinto on the vocals. He sounds like many other modern acoustic singers but unique in his own way. The texture and harmonies in his voice make you instantly love him. Amit uses only an acoustic guitar in this song and it works brilliantly. If you play the guitar listen to the 2nd bridge of this song for some learning with guitar body tapping. The main thing to watch out for in this song are the beautiful poetic lyrics of Javed saab. It is so romantic that it will make even the strongest heart melt. Perfect for a background song on a romantic hug. 7.5/10.

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Track 4 – Behke Behke – You might remember the rugged voice of girl band singer Anushka Manchanda and also from a number of Bollywood songs lately. She is well in demand but this song doesn’t really work for me. It has good vocal performances by Anushka, Samrat Kaushal, Raman Mahadevan, Suman Sridhar and rap by Robert Omulo. But the Spanish feel with average lyrics and a killer beat is just too much going on. It is not a bad song but it overall doesn’t catch up to you. 5.5/10.

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Track 5 – Lehrein – “Khoyi Khoyi si hun mein, Kyu yeh dil ka haal hai, Dhundhle saare khawab hai, uljha har khyaal hai”.. Simply beautiful poetry with every emotion twirled around simple words. Javed Akhtar is best at sad songs like this where he does not stop emotions flowing through the tip of his pen. Anusha Mani’s vocals are spotless and pure with backing vocals by Nikhil D’souza and Neuman Pinto. Amit lets the music flow keeping it very simple and live band like. The violin solo is perfectly performed in the 2nd bridge. If you close your eyes for a bit and open them looking outside the window at the sky with this song in the background it could literally make you cry even on your happiest days. Simply beautiful. 7.5/10.

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Track 6 – By The Way – This vocal style works better for Anuskha and the fun element can be felt in her singing. A total girl band banging with self obsessed and careless attitude lyrics. The rock music style with dynamic raving electric guitars complements the lyrics and vocals perfectly. The overall arrangement and style work for a girls night out and driving around in an open car celebrating life. That’s the appeal.. nothing more.. 6.5/10.

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Track 7 – Gal Mitthi Mitthi (The Bombay Bounce Dhol Mix) – Time to party and enjoy the best party song on this album in the punjabi dhol with Bombay style beats (Aptly named mix! ). A very good remix by DJ Lloyd and Discreet. It is on my top songs list for DJ’ing already and the crowd loves it every time I play it. Kudos DJ Lloyd! No flashy over-adventurous work. Well done! 8/10.

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Track 8 – Lehrein Remix (The Bombay Bounce Lounge Mix) – Sensational!! DJ Lloyd and Discreet are on fire here. For once the remixes make sense and you love them as much as the original. That is what the aim should be for any remix… but does not always happen in Bollywood This lounge mix is brilliant and relaxes your body and mind. Put it on loud and sink into a hot bathtub to feel the magic of music. 7.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

EXCELLENT & HIGHLY RECOMMENDED – 8/10

In today’s economic climate, when you pay for a CD with 8 songs you would want them all to be good. Amit, Javed Saab and all the singers & musicians on Aisha understand that and give it to you. You can’t ask for more than this. Except one, every song is excellent on this OST. It is innovative with a new sound with perfectly written lyrics and genuine vocals. Aisha matches the movie look, theme and taste of the modern UK audience. The album has a global appeal and is still different from the others. Buy it.. buy it today !! OST available on Sony BMG.

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Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is the 7th movie under the Balaji Motion Pictures Banner. Not a single movie so far has had music that stands out or can boast of a hit. If we leave the music and talk just about the movie, not a single of their productions has delivered well the box office except for average business.

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai could just about be the one to change it all for the biggest small screen banner who could now be the big screen banner that Ekta & Shobha Kapoor have dreamed of making it… and it all rests on the shoulders of brilliant actors Ajay Devgan & Emraan Hashmi. These guys usually always deliver the vision of their producers and directors. But does director Milan Luthria who has made movies like Kachche Dhaage, Chori Chori, Deewar & Taxi No. 9211 have it in him to deliver a hit underworld Mumbai theme movie? That we will have to wait till the 30th July to watch.

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For now let us analyse what hit maker Pritam can deliver with lyricists Irshad Kamil, Nilesh Mishra & Amitabh Bhattacharya for a movie with a very dark theme. Pritam has never actually worked on a Mumbai dark side themed movie although he has delivered some super hits with movies like Gangster, Jannat & Rajneeti recently. I would imagine this OST will have some street talk Mumbai songs with the slang and violent gun shots with a mix of romance & totally dark Mumbai themed music for background scores of the movie. I would love it if Irshad can repeat his magic of Karam on the lyrics cause that was sensational. Let’s hit play and check it out.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Pee Loon – Very pleasant first 30 seconds of the album that set the tone of the album. And you can’t ask for more than Mohit Chauchan’s voice following the soothing 30 seconds of music. This Qawaali based romantic song reminds you of the sea side by Haji Ali. The melody and instrumentation are heart felt with a mesmerising harmonium solo in the middle bridge which you must take a notice of as that is not something you hear often in music these days. The team of Pritam, Irshad & Mohit make an instant classic romantic hit. A must listen. 8/10.

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Track 2 – Tum Jo Aaye – Seems like this is more of a romantic movie than a underworld bloodshed extravaganza. Tulsi Kumar along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan perform a very soulful vocal rendition to Irshad’s poetic lyrics. Once again Pritam sticks to the Qawali style Bollywood music format with another good harmonium solo. The dholki played on this song is brilliantly recorded. The classical composition & recitation work well in the favour of this song and even has a Punjabi element to it. It is a good song but not the best. It won’t stick in your head as much as Pee Loon. 7/10.

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Track 3 – I Am In Love – We know Karthik from two really big songs – Behka from Ghajina & Behne De from Raavan recently. Both truly are brilliant. So is I am in love. You can really feel the emotion when he says “I am in Love”. His vocals & harmonies are spotless on a great voice. The lyrics by Nilesh Mishra will make you sit up and take notice of them as they rhyme all the way. Pritam’s composition & simple music complement this song perfectly. It is just simple & beautiful. You will surely like it. Do listen.. 7.5/10.

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Track 4 – Parda – Haha.. revival of the classic.. Remember Duniya Mein Logon Ko from Apna Desh? Sunidhi & Rana Mazumder do a revision of that classic and spice it up with some new lyrics by Irshad which are not that great. Rana freaks you out here sounding exactly like The Boss – R. D. Burman. Pritam very successfully gives you the 70′s feel with this composition and Sunidhi is his star that delivers it very well on the mic. You can’t help but sing along every time the “Monicaaa” shout comes along. I love going back in time.. & this song takes u there. A production & creative genius song. Lacks brilliant lyrics. 7.5/10.

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Track 5 – Babu Rao – From the start you will take notice of the unique music style. Kudos to Pritam for this coming up with this composition. It is genuine, unique and works perfectly with the theme of this song. The programming of the instruments is imaginitive & brave.  Mika has his usual fun and is perfect in the vocals department. He sounds like a street don. But the best part of this song are the lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. They are cool, funny & represent all gangsters. I won’t be surprised if they start using this song as their gang theme song.. lol. 8.5/10.

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Track 6 – Tum Jo Aaye (Reprise) – If you liked track 2 then this version will blow you off with its calmness, style, purity & melodic feel. It is just genius. It is all about 4 instruments – gorgeous tabla, resounding ghungroos, brilliant harmonium and Rahat Fateh Ali’s voice. I don’t want to tell you more. Just listen to it & you will discover the beauty of Indian music. 8.5/10.

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Track 7 – I Am In Love – KK & Dominique do a 2nd version of Track 3 which is also like a reprise version. It is as good as Track 3. KK & Karthik each have their own place and you can’t really compare these 2 versions. Karthik has more depth while KK has a sharper stylish voice. Lyrically & composition-ally it is the same song. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – Pee Loon (Remix) -DJ A-Myth is one of the best DJ’s in India and he really proves it this time with giving a decent remix which does not kill the original. And thank God they very selectively chose this song rather than doing a remix of every song on the OST. So overall a very decent & cute remix. Perfect for a warm up set or calm drinking party. 7/10.

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Track 9 -I Am In Love (Dance) – There you go.. that’s how you ruin a good song with a not required remix. A trance mix of a great song with 2 different versions already on the OST.. I don’t see why did they need a third version and too on a totally inspired trance beat. This is perhaps the only blunder on a perfectly good album. Please end the OST on track 8 to keep you ears safe. 4.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 7.5/10

This OST is definitely not what it feels like. It is more of a romantic album rather than a underworld album with Marathi influences. Every song is better than expected and there is no below average song except the last track.

3 beautiful romantic songs, 1 bar type song which is a production beauty as is a revival of a classic and 1 brilliant underworld song that thrills you in every way. Babu Rao, Pee Loon and Tum Jo Aaye (Reprise) are the definite picks of the album with all credit to Pritam once again for a masterpiece album. His choice of singers, instruments & lyricists is brilliant. Each of them perform with a simple goal to make this OST worth listening to. And it sure is.. So go buy Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Available on T-Series.

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