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Oooohhh.. This seems like an exciting project. Not just because Deepika Padukone is looking hot & Saif+Deepika are looking great together.. but because Imtiaz Ali is back after the smash hit Jab We Met. He made a superstar actor out of Kareena in that movie.. & now it seems she has recommended her boyfriend to the director man. I don’t really see the problem with that cause Saif can be brilliant if the role fits his profile (as demonstrated in Omkara & KHNK).

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Saif Ali Khan has gone a step ahead this time though & is not just acting but also producing Love Aaj Kal with Dinesh Vijan. He is also picked up the trick from Akshay & dressed Singh in this movie.

The trailers look fun & the star chemistry is looking good with a good light story line typical to an Imtiaz Ali movie.

Another factor prominent in an Imtiaz Ali movie is good music. Jab We Met’s music was ground breaking with songs like “Mauja Hi Mauja”, “Yeh Ishq Hai”, “Nagada Nagada” & the romantic “Tum Se Hi”. The man behind all of that is back on Love Aaj Kal. Pritam is the most sought Music Director in the industry & is back to prove why he is the man most in demand when it comes to making hits.. This time he is back with Irshad Kamil who he worked together with on the songs of Jab We Met & Aa Dekhen Zara.

NO doubt they all make a great team together.. but lets find out if their magic works yet again with the OST of Love Aaj Kal for the UK audience.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Twist – This is a big one.. !!!!! A hit & a dance floor blazer in Neeraj Sridhar’s super style. It’s a cross of Nagin meets Panjabi MC with the Snake Charmer theme. The vibe of the song sounds similar to “Ab Toh Forever” from Tara Rum Pum but it is still a genuine hit. The lyrics are rubbish but the fun factor is so prominent that you wouldn’t pay attention to that and just do the “Twist”. This is for the clubs.. for weddings.. for birthday parties.. & for every damn party. Its now at the top of my DJ set list of must play songs.It is not as good as Mauja.. but Pritam sure is back to put this composition up there in that category.

We have a winner at the start of the album ladies & gentleman   Hit Hit Hit – 7.5/10.

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Track 2 – Chor Bazaari – This song is a care free.. give a damn to the world type of song. The musical texture is great with a smile beat pattern, trumpets, Spanish acoustic guitar & a touch of the village sound. The arrangement is superb with the drops & come backs with versatile use of instruments. To top all instruments are Neeraj Sridhar & Sunidhi Chauhan’s voices. They sound great together & you can feel confidence oozing out of Irshad Kamil as he beautifully plays around with words to give some good lyrics. I like this song as it has a soft feel with still a dancy grove to it. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Aahun Aahun – This is my favourite song in the album so far !! A different side of Pritam’s work that I have never heard before. He demonstrates talent competing outright with AR Rehman on this one. The vague guitar at the start leads into 70′s disco effects with Master Salim’s phenomenal Punjabi lyrics. If you have not heard of him before then look for a song called “Teri Sajni” and you will find out how talented this man is. The beat when it comes in shocked me like the beat in “Genda Phool” did. The fusion of Neeraj & Salim’s voice is genius along with great looping & vocal scatting effects. This is so 21st century with roots set in traditional Indian music. I love the lyrics too with a good mix of English, Punjabi & Hindi. Aahun Aahun is totally catchy & genius. Production at it’s best.. 9.5/10.

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Track 4 – Dooriyan – Pritam tries to create another “Tum Se Hi” style slow romantic number with Mohit Chauhan but does not do too well. This song does not have the simplicity of Tum Se Hi in lyrics & composition although it has great deep meaning lyrics. The music & arrangement are average with a good flute solo in the middle. Mohit’s vocals are great as usual but not the best. This song might work for some for not for the masses. 7/10.

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Track 5 – Ajj Din Chadheya – I somehow knew there will be a song like this in the album. Typical Pritam.. & thus he brings in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. An almost acoustic romantic song for the background. Very basic instrumentation but very neat & calm.. Love the acoustic guitar work!! Good lyrics about a man talking to God about what he wants for his love & how badly he wants her. The combination of powerful lyrics with soft music & vocals is striking. Great job. 8/10.

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Track 6 – Thoda Thoda Pyar – Am hearing a good typical Mehndi night Ladies Sangeet type of a song after a long time. This one is different too with a good mix of Dholak, Tumbi & Dhol to typical Punjabi shouts from a good all female chorus. Sunidhi then takes the lead to give a true Bollywood song.. something like you would have last heard in the 90′s. No comparison to Pritam’s Punjabi song production skills as he is the best at that.. but what is worth noting is Irshad’s lyrics who creates a great Punjabi intro rhyme and main lyrics that fit the composition really well. A must play at all weddings in UK. A definite hit with the desi ladies. 7.5/10.

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Track 7 – Main Kya Hoon – This is probably the only song I don’t like on this OST. Doesn’t quite fit the bill. It sure add’s variety but does not seem to gel with the variety above. It’s got this trippy trance synth to a slower beat. It is something you would hear in a remix but definitely not in an original. The lyrics & KK’s performance are average too. Hate the vocal effects Pritam has used on KK’s voice. Skip this one please. 5/10.

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Track 8 – Twist (Remix) – DJ Sanj from US is back with Pritam after doing a dudd job in Aa Dekhen Zara. But this time he does a good job. I love this mix. This is the one that I have already started playing at my parties & it works beautifully with the crowd. People love it.. I love it… This is good with a double beat grove & female rap but still sticking with the Nagin style. Neeraj’s vocals sound much better here. 7.5/10.

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Track 9 – Chor Bazaari (Remix) – DJ Sanj goes the Reggae beat side for this remix. Although it sounds fair & doesn’t sound too bad.. but I din’t quite enjoy this one much. I could do without it to be frank. 6/10.

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Track 10 – Aahun Aahun (Remix) – Reggae done.. it’s Bhangra time.. !!   I loved the original and now this remix thrills me too. Instead of taking Pritam’s innovative music, Sanj takes his innovative composition & Salim + Neeraj’s great vocals and blends them to a Dhol beat with Punjabi shouts. This now sounds like a normal song & not an innovative experiment. You can imagine this to be original & the other to be a remix. Both are great though. 8.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Really Good – 7.5/10.

Bollywood has been waiting for a biggie this year. This is it.. !!

Love Aaj Kal is commercial Bollywood at it’s best this year. It has the big dancefloor number called “Twist”, the romantics “Dooriyaan” & “Ajj Din Chadheya” and the fun song “Chor Bazaari” & “Aahun Aahun”. A overall complete package of good commercial Bollywood music that the masses will like all over the world.

Pritam uses all his favourite singers like Neeraj, Rahat Fateh Ali, Sunidhi & Mohit Chauhan.. & they do not disappoint him. Pritam is back in form with some fantastic work in “Twist” & “Aahun Aahun”. These songs are already getting lot of hype and air play on Radio & TV. With the movie release (July end) & some good filming by Imtiaz for these songs.. they have the potential of being the biggest hits of the year !! Twist is going to be a rage..!

A must buy CD as it is total value for money and pure funnnn for the UK audiences !!

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A couple of songs by Pritam & they expect the album to do well. Doesn’t always work.. Considering most of his work is “inspired”. No doubt the man has got talent .. but Gourav Dasgupta easily outdoes Pritam on this OST with his songs sounding much better compared to the ones done by the great Pritam…

Gourav Dasgupta is an upcoming name in the Bollywood music scene with the likes of Amit Trivedi. I think this man too has some mettle & a long way to go…

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A Sci-fi thriller with the title of a R.D.Burman & Anand Bakshi classic, with the cast of sexy Bipasha Basu in the role of a DJ… & “Mr. Do it Different” Neil Nitin Mukesh along with a new director Jehangir Surti under the Eros banner does build up a lot of expectations. You would expect the psychedelic beats and the ambient lounge that goes with the futuristic fast music taste. Well… lets see how it does..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Gazab – I like the production of this song. Sounds nothing like a typical Pritam song. Sunidhi Chauhan & Shaan give some really good vocals to average Irshad Kamil lyrics. It’s a fun song with a catchy Bass & beat pattern on the music side and a ‘grow on you’ chorus which will sound very familiar. This song can do well in London Bollywood parties as a warm up party starter. Glad to see Pritam experiment with arrangements and instruments. Like it – 7/10 .

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Track 2 – Rock The Party – Here we go down the Sci-fi ‘Love Story 2050′ route with Sunidhi Chauhan’s average vocals. Although a fast party bop-per song, it has a certain calm and softness about it. I think that comes from Sunidhi’s vocals. A catchy chorus & punch line again. I think the whole song has been created around Bipasha Basu who plays the role of a club DJ in the movie. Will be quite interesting to see how it’s been shot. the lyrics are average yet again this time by Avishek, Ravi & Sheershak Anand. Decent work by Gourav Dasgupta. Although I don’t see this song working too well in UK Asian market. 6.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Power – Gourav Dasgupta experiments with this track & I think it fails !! Dibyendu Mukherjee is a brilliant singer but sounds like he is trying to change his voice in this song compared to track 4. Sure it demonstrates his versatility but whole concept does not work. This song is a slower deja vu of Paisa Paisa of Victory & many other such songs that talk about the power of money & it’s intoxication. The lyrics by Syed Gulrez & Prashant are not new or brilliant. Skip this track if you want- 5/10 .

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Track 4 – Aa Dekhen Zara (Lounge) – After the great R.D. Burman made this song a rage.. there have been endless number of remixes of it. This is by far the best version of the song I have ever heard. Dibyendu Mukherjee & Gourav Dasgupta are the stars of this epic work. Kudos to them !!!  I know people who have heard this song & fallen head over heals for Dibyendu for stunning vocals. Even backing vocals by Shweta Vijay are really good. Gourav plainly uses a tambourine, re-verb’ed electric guitar and Congo percussion’s. He easily outdoes any other lounge producer in Bollywood by miles. I could listen to this song a repeat endlessly. It surely has place in the next Buddha Bar compilation. Fantastic song – 9/10 .

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Track 5 – Mohabbat Aapse – Another romantic in Pritam style but finally with some good original lyrics in this OST by Irshad Kamil. Most noteworthy & outstanding in this song are the vocals of Aakriti Kakkar… This Delhi girl is not just good looking but the next Shreya Ghoshal of Indian female vocals. She’s already done some really good songs but I think this is the best of her. The best thing about her is that she sounds fresh and like a new voice in every song she does. Track 5 is all about her with lot of credit to Irshad too. Pritam’s musical work is average but a great choice of picking up Aakriti & Irshad of this song. Good listen – 8/10 .

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Track 6 – Power Club Mix – The song is crapppp… But the version is at least better than the original Track 3. It’s a mix of house with trance and a tinge of rock to it. I guess we will see it as a background track through the fast paced scenes in the movie. Skip again.. – 5/10 .

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Track 7 – Gazab Club Mix – DJ Sanj doesn’t do much to this song except for give it a Michael Jackson’s Billy Jean beat and then resort to a more Indian beat on the chorus. Still prefer the original. I will still play Track 1 compared to this version. Wasted mix.. – 5/10 .

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Track 8 – Aa Dekhen Zara – Neil Nitin Mukesh decided to sing this song himself… and he does a decent good job. We have heard Amitabh, Aamir, Sharukh, Sanjay Dutt.. etc. do a bit on the mic … so nothing new here. Singer Sunaina joins in where we hear Bipasha was originally supposed to sing this. But I guess Gourav decided to drop her. We have seen the trailer’s for this song on TV & so we know the club trance feel to it. The music does full justice to what the Director wanted to achieve visually. This song sure has a future in the London clubs & also is on high rotation on Asian radio channels. It surely has the potential to be big. 7/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Overall Average – 6/10 .

The music sure complements the movie theme and requirements and delivers to the expectations of what we expected it to be. That is what is disappointing about it… No surprises & no outstanding work. A couple of terrible & a couple of good ones make it a balanced average album.Worth a listen no doubt.. and the Aa Dekhen Zara (lounge mix) is a must keep on your Ipod’s.

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