DJ Munks.com

Paritosh Painter is a well known name in the comedy circuit. He is now making his directorial debut with Paying Guests with the massive production hand of Mukta Arts above him with the talented Mr. Subhash Ghai leading the way.

Subhash Ghai has not been very successful recently with his last 2 movies Yuvvraaj & Black & White being labelled as flops with poor scripts. But with a bunch of sexy girls like Neha Dhupia, Celina Jaitley, Riya Sen, Sayali Bhagat & Delnaz Paul there is not much of a script required anyway this time.. ;)  Plus the presence of actors like Javed Jaffery, Shreyas Talpade, Johnny Lever, Chunky Pandey & Ashish Chowdhry adds that extra comic zing to the movie. But the trailers still look very sleazy & ‘not so’ funny.

We’ll come to investigating the movie in due time after it hits the screens but for now lets find out if the work of music directors Sajid Wajid holds any potential. Their last couple of attempts were average doer’s like Kal Kissne Dekha & Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge and were nearly of the same young-comic genre. The lyrics of Paying Guests are by Jalees Sherwani, AK Upadhyay & Wajid.

..

REVIEW

Track 1 - Jack & Jill - Shaan & Earl D’souza set the tone of the album right from the word go.. And that tone is total sleazy slapstick humour. lol. Sajid Wajid have produced a very interesting take on the kindergarten poetry with a funky groove to it & a romantic twist on the lyrics. It surely got fun in every element & Shaan’s vocals are spotless yet again. I don’t know if I hate or like this song.. It’s funny but irritating !!  The video sure is irritating with all actors dressed as school kids.. So overall irritating I say.. 5.5/10 .

..

Track 2 - Paying Guests - The title song is almost an exact musical copy of Sajid Wajid’s previous work on tracks like Salma-o-salma & Nako-re-nako from Dhoondte Reh Jaaoge. The vocals of Wajid are of the exact same texture too. It seems Sajid Wajid are obsessed with the Mumbai Marathi beat structure as they use it on almost all of their soundtracks. The lyrics are irritating & cheap. Overall the song totally fails.. 4/10 .

..

Track 3 - Ya Rabula Rabbi - The title sure sounds different & thus I was intrigued & waiting to listen to this. The song though .. does NOT sound very different! It’s catchy for sure but the music arrangement has traces of “Your my Love” from Partner which is Sajid Wajid’s work as well. So it seems these dudes are just going around in circles & re-creating their own work… My enthusiasm of hearing something new on this OST is dead by now !!

Sonu Nigam & Amrita Kak’s vocals are average. This probably will be the song with the maximum radio & TV airtime from this soundtrack as it has good lyrics & music formula that has worked well before. Plus it has the advantage of having all the hot couples in the video doing their thing.. Fairly decent track but lacks creativity except the title. 6.5/10.

..

Track 4 - Nazar Se Nazaria - Sounds like a crude item number from the lyrics & Sunidhi Chauhan’s vocals. I wonder which of the hot leading ladies is in the video.. Well atleast we have something to look forward to cause this soundtrack is almost over with nothing more to offer. This song fails to keep you listening for long & makes no impression for you to come back to listen to it again. The vocals are average.. lyrics are prude & crude. The music is inspired yet again from a number of songs that I can spend the day listing. 4.5/10.

..

Track 5 - Jack & Jill (Remix) - DJ A_Myth is back after a while to Bollywood remixes but with nothing super. I like the rap on this mix but the beat is not hard or attractive enough to be played in a main club dance set. This remix can find it’s way to night start up sets to empty dance floors but no where else. This remix does not make anything better for the average original. 5.5/10.

..

Track 6 - Nazar Se Nazaria (Remix) - I fail to understand why they decide to put remixes on their soundtrack except ‘filling up the CD’ reason. This is a totally useless remix by A_Myth. It’s difficult to make out if he has even done anything to the original except add a light electro bass line. What a waste of 3 minutes 29 seconds !! 3.5/10.

..

FINAL WORD

Below Average - 4.5/10.

Sajid Wajid are loosing touch. Their music is either inspired from others or from their own work. The music of every song on this OST is copied. The comic element in the songs is tending more towards sleazy rather than funny. The vocal performances are average by the best singers in the industry. The new Indian Idol participants can sing better than this.. The remixes are a total waste of time & CD space. Do you need more reason’s to avoid Paying Guests OST??

..

Am a big fan of director Nagesh Kukunoor’s work; Iqbal, 3 Deewarein & Rockford being my favourites. Am thus really looking forward to this movie. The biggest advantage this movie has is the massive name of Akshay Kumar associated with it. Hence the expectation’s are high from the movie.. NOT the music.. !!

Except for 1 song in Iqbal & 1 in Rockford, there is nothing extra-ordinary in the music of Nagesh’s films. From the trailers on the tele so far, the of music of this film seems no different.

..

8×10 Tasveer is a psychological thriller under the Percept Pictures Company Banner & is produced by Shailendra Singh. Starring along with Akshay are Ayesha Takia, Sharmila Tagore, Girish Karnad, Javed Jaffrey and others.

Although Salim-Sulaiman are the main music directors for this OST, they have help from singers Neeraj Shridhar & Bohemia doing the music of their own tracks. Lyrics are by Irfan Siddique for the main tracks, while Sameer & Bohemia pen one each.

Love the cover with that look Akshay has.. sure does catch your attention. The package inside seems to be the common structure these days with 5 main song & 5 remixes. Lets find out if this OST has the zing..

..

REVIEW

Track 1 - Nazaara Hai - We got the exclusive of this song a week before it’s release and thus have been listening to it since then. It’s managed to grow on me.. but just a lil bit. The deep electronic bass at the start caught my attention quite instantly but dint really enjoy the acoustic drums on this composition. The structure is quite standard rock with no innovation. Vishal Dadlani’s vocals are good but not the best. Suraj Jagan could have possibly done a better job. The lyrics are good & describe Akshay’s tale. The guitar solo’s in the 2nd half are great & make it better song. It’s one of the better rock songs with the recent trend of rock flavour in Bollywood music. 7/10 .

..

Track 2 - Haafiz Khuda - Mohit Chauhan does what he does best again. But I guess I have reached a point when I want to hear a new style from him. His recitation style is soulful and heart warming but just like his other numbers; eg. Masakali. The compositional arrangement is simple acoustic instrumentation & sounds like a modern sufi number. Quite like the lyrics on this song with a strong Urdu poetry influence. Tulsi Kumar’s vocals are good too. 7/10 .

..

Track 3 - Aaja Maahi - Neeraj Shridhar sings this song in his true Bombay Viking’s style with English lyrics at the start. Lyrics by Sameer are so simple and smooth that you can instantly fall in love with this song. Plus Neeraj ad’s his special touch to it not just vocally but also musically. His composition reminds you Chandani Raatein by Partners in Rhyme, except for the rock interludes. The lounge feel of this song makes it perfect for a romantic night with your partner. Quite like it but it sounds familiar to things you have heard in the past. Tulsi Kumar makes this song special. 7/10 .

..

Track 4 - I Got The Picture - Be it getting RDB to the music scene in India from UK or Bohemia from USA.. Akshay always does it in style. This is the second time Bohemia comes together with Akshay after CC2C on Chandni Chowk To China. That track was average. This one is below average.. It fits the theme of the movie.. but does not fit Bollywood. Bollywood can only go till a certain distance.. Experiments in music genres beyond that don’t work. This one is like listening to Eminem - The Way I Am. 5/10 - only for trying something new.

..

Track 5 - Kuchh Is Tarah - It is exactly the same as Haafiz Khuda but only with simpler & more romantic lyrics. I like this version more than Track 2. Salim-Sulaiman save on their composition work while Irfan does the main work of reviving the lyrics. Mohit & Tulsi give the exact same rendition to these alternate lyrics like Track 2. 7.5/10 .

..

Track 6 - Haafiz Khuda (Remix) - Yet another wasted remix by DJ Amyth. This track so does not need a remix !! Also this remix does nothing much for the song commercially either. It’s light slow mix that can only be used in lounge mix warm up sets. 4.5/10 .

..

Track 7 - Nazaara Hai (Remix) - Much better this time. Sounds like DJ Amyth put some thought in this remix atleast and has done a decently good job in converting this rock song to a Electro dance mix. I can see myself & many other DJ’s using this mix in their sets. Not a commercial hit though. 6.5/10.

..

Track 8 - Aaja Maahi (Remix) - Don’t quite like this remix. It completely changes the feel of the original song with a very common beat pattern that you must heard on a few million dance tracks world over. Amyth tries to give it a trance feel but fails and manages to ruin the song all together. 4/10 .

..

Track 9 - I Got The Picture (Remix) - Bohemia decides to remix his song himself without handing over any any rights to Amyth. I guess he heard his other remixes on this OST.. and thus.. a wise decision I say.. ! He literally cuts the song into half by bringing the 5 plus minutes original down to 2:46. I do like his work on this as he gives his dark rap a Bhangra touch with a funky break beat pattern. Works… 6/10 .

..

Track 10 - Kuchh Is Tarah (Remix) - Cross Track 5 with Track 6 [5x6] .. What do you get..? Answer is not 30.. it’s Track 10. And the score stays the same.. 4.5/10 .

..

FINAL WORD

Average - 6/10.

The actual score should have been 5/10 but I am being generous as I like Kuchh Is Tarah & Nazaara Hai a little more than the recent OST releases. T-Series the record label mess it up by adding below average remixes to an otherwise decent OST. 8×10 Tasveer is not for the masses nor for the classes. Kuchh Is Tarah & Aaja Maahi are probably the only 2 tracks that will get decent radio airplay in the romantic shows. The music composition, vocal performances & lyrics lack originality and the extra punch to make this album stand out.

..

Aamir started it .. Sharukh follows… Remakes of South Indian films is becoming a trend. It was Ghajini first and now we have Billu Barber which is a remake of a Malyalam movie.. only this time we have the big name of Priyadarshan associated with it along with Sharukh Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment. So when it comes to Sharukh’s name being associated with a project especially under his own banner than we know it has to be a commercial bonanza. The album is thus no surprise…

The man of comedies from South Priyadarshan is another commercial and masses man. Thus the obvious choice is to bring Pritam on board. He delivered some of the biggest hits of 2008 with movies like Singh Is Kinng, Kismat Konnection, Race, Jannat and many more. Forget the fact that most of his music is inspired or copied. The bottom line is he deliveres music that is loved by the masses and thus super-hit in all aspects. Hence a wise choice to have him on board in a movie that is packed with item numbers with the hot dusky beauties of Bollywood shaking it up with the King Khan himself.

But the question is… Does Pritam deliver yet again.. ?? Lets hit Play and find out…

..

REVIEW

Track 1 - Marjaani - Pritam tries to re-invent an already used formula of Mauja hi Mauja in this song. Exactly same beat pattern and style with Punjabi vocals. It starts with an Arabic feel to it with prominent use of Udu. Very clean vocals by Sunidhi and Sukhwinder Singh. Lyrics do make sense.. it’s Gulzar after all. It has a prominent bass line that keeps up with the beat and thus a great club number. Very Bollywoodishly shot with Kareena and Sharukh and thus a sure shot hit for all parties. As a DJ I am already blasting this track all over UK. but cant compare it to Mauja can we ? It’s fair to give it a 7/10 .

..

Track 2 - Love Mera Hit Hit - Neeraj Shridhar and Pritam are a great team. But what on earth is this song all about!!! Pritam just got a little tooo carried away and lost it..  Senseless lyrics, basic beat pattern, reverb’ed vocals, repetitive… but very catchy and good use of flute in it. I like the rap parts. What a relief to know it’s not Gulzar Saab’s lyrics. I would have been dead of shock.

This is one of those songs that if you listen twice, it will stick in your head and you will keep humming the punch line. Then you will abruptly stop and hate yourself for getting hooked on such a stupid number. It’s dumb, but somehow works in a senseless way. Another club hit with an electro bass. [ Hate it when I have to admit something good in a senseless thing :@ ] . 4.5/10 .

..

Track 3 - You Get Me Rockin & Reeling - Now we are talking. Neeraj finally gets to do what he is best at. A light romantic number with all the elements to become a big hit eventually once they start promoting it after they are done with Marjani and Hit Hit. This song deserves all the raves for its western with Indian blend. The English parts are refreshing but sound familiar. Pritam finally proves a point on Track 3. A must listen. 8/10 .

..

Track 4 - Ae Aa O - This sounds like a song written by Neeraj in his college days for his Bombay Vikings launch but failed to ever make it anywhere with it. Great vocals by K.K as always but the song doesn’t work. It’s neither catchy, nor great lyrically and hangs half way between rock and cool pop. The dirty guitar and KK are probably the only good things in this song. Just another college anthem.. but not cool enough. 6/10 .

..

Track 5 - Jaoon Kahan - Sayeed Quadri pens this beautiful sad song and Raahat Fateh Ali Khan comes yet again to Pritam’s rescue. The song is very situational and relatable to the story of a poor barber faced with hardships and dis-ownment of his family and friends. Sad songs are an integral part of most Sharukh movies. This one not one of the best but I like it. 8/10 for the lyrics, vocals and to Pritam for trying something different for a change .

..

Track 6 - Billoo Bhayankar - Gulzar comes back with this fun packed song which is my favourite on this album. Very authentic, traditional, rural and true to the flavor of the character played by Irrfan. It suits the movie title and I can imagine it in the climax and at all happy times in the movie. Kudos to Gulzar and the singers Ajay Jhingaran, Kalpana & Raghuveer who clearly outshine all the other regular pro singers on this album !! It reminds you of ‘Khaike Pan Banaras Wala’ from Don.. only peppier and more fun.. Pritam now has new found respect by me for his work on this track. 9.5/10 .

..

Track 7 - Khudaya Khair - This is just the desi version of You Get Me Rockin & Reeling. Evidently more Bollywood with the same chorus like. The orchestration is good but nothing new or different. Pritam hasn’t done much here plus the vocals by Soham are ordinary. So much so they dissolve Gulzar’s lyrics. Listen to track 3 rather than this. 6/10 .

..

Track 8 - You Get Me Rockin & Reeling (Video Edit) - It’s the same as Track 3. Things they would do to fill up an album and make the soundtrack look bulky. Dominic does the female vocals on this and they are good no doubt. But ignore this track. 6/10 for doing anything different except a female singer.

..

Track 9 - Love Mera Hit Hit (House Mix) - DJ Amyth tries to rescue a messed up track with his House beats. He does rave it up no doubt.. but his best bet would have been to remove the vocals and keep the music for a simple House track. 5/10 .

..

Track 10 - Marjaani (Kilogram’s Balkan Mix) - I usually like Kilogram’s mixes but not this one. Too much experimentation !! A Bollywood song with Punjabi lyrics to a house beat with a very prominent Arabic feel and a Spanish chorus bridge. Doesn’t work.. It’s Overdone !! Original is much better. 4/10 .

..

Track 11 - Khudaya Khair (Reprise) - It’s a pleasure to hear Abhijeet’s voice after a long long time. His voice was used for Sharukh for such a long time but then he went low with so many new singers on the block. He comes back in a more acoustic version of Track 7 and does it so much better. The singing senior proves a point to the freshers. 8/10 .

..

Track 12 - You Get Me Rockin & Reeling (Remix) - Oh come on !!! What would it take for Pritam to leave a good track along. DJ Suketu always does a good job & you don’t doubt his talent in this mix.. but why this track..?? The remix does no good to an already great number. 5/10 .

..

Track 13 - Ae Aa O (Remix) - I never like DJ Nikhil Chinnappa & DJ Nawed’s remixes. This mix is no different. Plain useless. Waste of 5 mins of listening time. Mr. Nikhil please stick to being a VJ. 4/10 .

..

Track 14 - Marjaani (Electro House) - DJ Sunil and Spinz do a much better job than Kilogram. Electro is the most popular dance genre in India at the moment and I can already see this mix being spun on a repeat. It’s a slow soft electro mix with a clean electro bassline and good playing around with the vocals. The Dj’s are not trying hard to impress and thus is pretty good. I recommend this mix. 7/10 .

..

Track 15 - Love Mera Hit Hit (Remix) - Although it has Delhi boy NYK & DJ Chetas on it.. I still don’t want to listen to it. Just had enough of this rubbish track. Whatever they try with it.. It’s not going to work. Bass gives u a headache on this track. Not mixed well either. 3/10 .

..

FINAL WORD

Overall Average - 6.5/10 .

1, 3, 5, 6, 11 and 14 are my recommended tracks. Rest are as easy as hitting the skip button on the remote. Well Pritam does answer my initial question. He surely has still got it.. but it is wearing out !! He has become inconsistent and is going all over the place in some songs but then comes back in a few. Probably, that could also be because of the Sharukh & Priyadarshan influence. You decide..

..