DJ Munks.com

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Brothers Mahesh & Mukesh Bhatt have created a number of hits under their banner Vishesh Films including Raaz, Raaz 2, Jannat, Zeher, Kalyug, Gangster, Murder and many more.. A few common names to a number of recent hits out of Vishesh Films include director Mohit Suri & actor Emraan Hashmi. Another common feature to Mahesh Bhatt movies is the introduction of a new face.. and this time it is a cutie called Neha Sharma playing Emraan’s love interest in Australia. So what is left to see is if all these common factors together once again deliver another hit with Crook: It’s Good to be Bad. The movie revolves around the recent racist attacks on Indian students in Australia and the growing ambition of a man who cares nothing about the world..

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Hit music maker Pritam has worked for Vishesh Films and made some of the biggest hit soundtracks including Jannat, Woh Lamhe and Gangster. Mahesh & Mukesh Bhatt sure know how to make a hit movie and Pritam knows how to deliver the best OST. But it has been a while since they all hooked up together on a project. Will Crook be able to deliver the big hits with the lyrics of Kumaar and the big melodies of Pritam? Answers are as below..

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Challa – Bollywood is moving in 2 directions.. Western and traditional Nothern India. This song is the perfect example of that. Superstar Punjabi singer Babbu Mann who is almost worshiped in Punjab makes his Bollywood appearance with this inspired cover of Gurdas Mann’s traditional folk song Challa with a musical twist by Pritam. The English vocals and lyrics are by Suzanne D’Mello give it that western feel. The lyrics by Kumaar are purely authentic and true to the Punjabi flavour. This is a smart business song by Pritam rather than a brilliant composition. This song truly has appeal to not just the Bollywood lovers but to a huge mass of Punjabi music lovers in the UK & USA where Babbu Mann has a massive following. Thus Pritam captures it all with this tune. Definitely a dance floor tune. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Mere Bina – Nikhil D’souza is the man in demand these days in Bollywood and is sure worth every second of listening and every second of the work of the music director & the lyricists. He knows how to deliver a romantic tune with a very melodic deep voice. His talent & gifted voice is unmissable as he hits some really accurate notes. The harmonies he has done for this song under the genius direction of Pritam is commendable. The music is simply beautiful.. and better are the lyrics by Kumaar. It just reminds you of the beautiful songs of Raaz 2 that Kumaar had penned & were super hit on all airplay. This is the next big song. Love it.. 8.5/10.

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Track 3 – Kya – This song starts off with very synthetic keyboard work with filter effects on Neeraj Sridhar’s voice. Totally not required!! Don’t get what Pritam is trying to deliver in this song. The composition is below average and totally inspired with a fair amount of English lyrics. The Hindi lyrics are decent but not the ones you will find yourself singing after listening to the album a couple of times. I say ignore this song as you will rarely be hearing it anywhere on TV or radio. Quite disappointing after Mere Bina.  6/10.

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Track 4 – Tujhi Mein – This song has an interesting keyboard melody with an alternative rock composition. It is something you would expect from Pritam & his rock band background. The vocal performance by KK is spotless & powerful as always with average lyrics. You really have to listen to the electric guitar solo about 3 minutes into the song. Absolutely brilliant guitar work with a very different texture sound to the strings and very well recorded. This is a good listen but could take some time to grow on you. Do listen to it a few times. 7.5/10.

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Track 5 – Challa (Remix) – Our Scottish Punjabi boys Tigerstyle excel in reviving folk Punjabi songs with their hands exactly on the pulse of the UK Bhangra lovers. Their use of absolutely unique and culturally specific Punjabi instruments and composition is classic and brilliant with a modern beat. Give this song a couple of weeks and it will be at the top of BBC Asian Networks chart.. Guaranteed..!! My definite favourite from this album. 8.5/10.

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Track 6 – Tujhko Jo Paaya – If Mere Bina was brilliant then this is supertastic!! A bit of shuffle on the lyrics by Kumaar and a rename of the song title gives you Tujhko Jo Paaya.. that too in Mohit Chauhan’s voice only to the sound of an acoustic guitar. His vocals are soo warm that you just feel like snuggling in with a loved one. Mohit also does a harmony rendition at the end that you have to listen to without fail. Genius version. 9/10.

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Track 7 – Tujhi Mein (Reprise) – This is a more acoustic and ambient version of Track 4 with almost new lyrics except for the chorus. Sung again by KK and you really don’t see any other singer who can sing this song. But I’d settle with track 4 and don’t really feel the need of this version. It is present in the album totally to cover the story and is purely situational. 7/10.

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Track 8 – Mere Bina (Unplugged) – A third version of this beautiful song out of a total of 8 songs…. and you know what.. you don’t mind it.. As this time it has the deep & powerful voice of KK to it. No complaints to his singing or the unplugged melody composed & arranged by Pritam.. but I prefer Mohit Chauhan’s acoustic version in Tujhko Jo Paaya. It just sounds better in his voice. This version is again in the soft rock setup with a really good keyboard solo this time and fantastic band instrumentation. It is lyrically and composition-ally a brilliant song and thus will sound good with any vocalist & musical setup. 8/10.

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 7.5/10

Crook gets a ‘very good’ simply because the total of individual scores of each track gets it a high score. It deserves that… but all thanks to a brilliant song called Mere Bina which is a treat to listen to in every setup and in every version. Also contributing to the high score is the presence of a Punjabi hit number in the form of Challa with an international appeal. Other than these 2 songs, the rest of the album is average. There is not enough variety & not enough creativity to boast off. Thus as an overall album I would classify Crook to be an average OST. But it sure deserves all the airplay and all the recognition to Challa & Mere Bina. Good job yet again to the team of Pritam, Kumaar, Mahesh Bhatt, Mohit Suri & the fantastic lineup of singers. OST available on Sony BMG.

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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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Am writing a music review after a long time.. I hope I haven’t lost touch with my music. And I hope exactly the same for Vishal-Shekhar who are making music after a long time. Frankly I feel fit and up-to-date.. One can’t really loose touch of music flavour & understanding can they! I guess it is the same for Vishal-Shekhar too. They are good at what they do & I feel they can never loose that! After Dostana in 2008 they only worked on Aladin last year. This year they are back with I HATE LUV STORYS (== IHLS).

Cliche line..?? I hope the music is not cliche for this exciting forthcoming project which is a Karan & Hiroo Johar & Ronnie Screwvala production under the UTV banner. Starring Imran Khan & cutie Sonam Kapoor who are back after flops LUCK and Delhi-6. IHLS is the brain child of debutant director Punit Malhotra who has also written the story. Karan Johar loves working with new directors I guess.. Well can’t object to that since they usually give him hits like Dostana recently. Another common factor to these projects is the hit music of Vishal-Shekhar. These guys make some of the biggest club tunes like Desi Girl, Bachna Ae Haseeno & Om Shanti Om.

So lets hope IHLS delivers something new for me to play in the parties which is fresh, young and with a killer beat just like the film trailer. Check it out.. It is about a guy who works in the film industry & doesn’t believe in love but then has to work on a romantic film with a girl who is crazy about love.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Jab Mila Tu – This song reminds you of exactly the same album opening to Dostana with Jaane Kyu. A soft romantic beauty this song is.. I love it’s vibe with the classic double bass rhythm and some sharp acoustic guitar at the start followed by dirty electric guitar in the para’s. Anvita Dutt is a hugely talented writer & her lyrics on this song are truly mesmerising. Vishal lends his vocals to his compilation himself & the texture of his voice fits in brilliantly. You will be humming & singing along this tune in a matter of a few minutes. A perfect Sunday morning radio tune – 8/10.

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Track 2 – Bin Tere – So what if Vishal can’t sing every song on the album.. he is hugely talented and can write lyrics equally well. Even if it is for a phenomenal ex-Pakistani band Fuson singer Shafqat Amanat Ali, Vishal can give the lyrics lot of substance & depth. Respect to him.. Shafqat gives his soul in the form of his voice to this song which moves to a rather fast upbeat for a sad romantic song like this. Listen to the guitar on this number. Some really good solo’s with a wholesome band instrumental compilation. Sunidhi Chauhan makes an appearance & does a harmony with Shafqat in the last 2 minutes. Like this one.. but definitely not the best I’ve heard. 7/10.

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Track 3 – I Hate Luv Storys – This funky title song is a modern equivalent of Shut up and bounce from Dostana.. only a lot cooler!!! This is the tune I’ll be blasting in clubs and parties. In the voice of Vishal Dadlani again with the lyrics of Kumaar, this song has a catchy hit chorus line with part Hindi part English lyrics. It is fresh, cool, funky, hummable, dancy and very capable of lighting the dance floor on fire if mixed right by the DJ’s around the world. It is not a massive tune like Desi Girl or Bachna Ae Haseeno or Deewangi Deewangi.. but it has it’s own style & it works. Sure hit – 7.5/10.

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Track 4 – Bahara – A start with the classical Rajasthani voice of Sona Mohapatra is always a good style. It works with the listeners as proved by Genda Phool last year. Shreya Ghosal’s melodic voice literally makes you feel like Spring as she talks about the thrill of her first love with the lyrics of Kumaar. A good romantic song with a very good unique composition. Could have done with more classical instrumentation.. But it is alright. You will still like it. 7/10.

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Track 5 – Sadka – Another song with strikingly good lyrics by Anvita Dutt. 3 Idiots singer – Suraj Jagan gives it a very deep vocal touch. He sounds ambient & very powerful for a song with lyrics talking about worship of love. Mahalaxmi Iyer does well too on the female vocals.. but not outstanding. Suraj steals leads the song all the way. The production & composition sounds similar to the others with the typical Vishal-Shekhar deep bass guitar. Good song. 7/10.

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Track 6 – Bin Tere-Reprise – This version completely surprises you with how good it is. Vishal lets his partner Shekhar take on the mic this time & also lets Kumaar improvise on his original lyrics. A big sacrifice !! and it truly pays off. The acoustic guitar is brilliant.. soulful & melodious. The lyrics are truly beautiful and make you fall in love. A valentines day classic to be or a perfect background song for your wedding reception. Love it.. 8.5/10.

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Track 7 – Bahara (Chill Version) – One of my favourite singers Rahat Fateh Ali Khan comes down to make a good song even better. His voice alone gives so much more depth to Kumaar’s lyrics that you just won’t believe how the same song so different.. even when it is not a remix !! The chill version is a true lounge mix and relaxes your nerves. Close your eyes and listen to truly enjoy the bliss of the classical recitation by Rahat. A must listen. 8/10.

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Track 8 – Bin Tere-Remix - DJ Kiran steps in to try and make a great song dancy.. Succeeds at that.. but truly ruins the feel of this soulful number. The trance feel fits in but not well enough to make you like this version. You can stop listening to this album after Track 7. I would hate to find any DJ’s out there playing this anywhere.. Ignore this one. 5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Super Good & Fresh – 7.5/10

Forget loosing touch.. Vishal-Shekhar have only got better. This album might not prove to be very big hit like some of their previous work but it sure has a different essence that they can boast of. It is an all rounder filling in all the gaps in the current market for different genres. It works in every respect to deliver a good package with a lot of love in it.. Ironic for a title that hates love !!

Buy this album if you are a music lover. Or even if you just love your partner then buy this album to impress them with your romantic listening taste.. You will feel the magic ! Available on Sony Music.

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Sikandar seems to be a very offbeat movie with an intense subject to potray. The film is based in the picturesque setup of Kashmir with the sensitive subject of influence of terrorism on school children. Sikandar is a thriller about a school kid who finds a gun lying on the road on way back home & how that changes his full life. This will surely be an intense film & stars Parzun Dastur [Tussi Na Jaao Sardar kid of KKHH.. ] along with Sanjay Suri and R Madhavan. Sikandar is written and directed by Piyush Jha and produced by Sudhir Mishra.

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For such offbeat, intense & small budget movies, the music is usually not much to look forward to. For a non-commercial movie the music will never be commercial !! Plus offbeat movies like this usually use music as a tool to add narrative to the script or use as a background score. Thus the expectations are not sky high. One only expects the music to be soothing, meaningful, have some kind of a narration & with good instrumentation reflecting the culture of the Kashmir valley.

The music of Sikandar has some big names associated with it including the likes of Prasoon Joshi and Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Lets find out what the album truly delivers…

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Dhoop Ke Sikke – It is said that superstar lyricist Prasoon Joshi saw this movie and was so inspired that he went home & wrote a lovely poem. Producer Sudhir Mishra loved it soo much that he decided to use it as a song in the movie. Shankar Ehsaan Loy worked on the music .. and the final outcome was this song in the voices of Shankar Mahadevan & Anusha Mani.

The song is true to the hype as the SEL boys always make magic when with Prasoon.. like they did when they made Maa for Taare Zameen Par. The lyrics are brilliant and the music has the soothe touch to a soft rock rhythm. The lyrics sum the scenic beauty of Kashmir with suttle references while it talks majorly about the innocence of a child and how the society influences their future. It sure is a good listen & I love the start with Anusha’s vocals. 8.5/10 .

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Track 2 – Gulon Mein (Serene  Version) – This kind of an OST would sound incomplete without the vocal touch of Mohit Chauhan [last heard on Masakali from Delhi-6] . The lyrics of Neelesh Misra are truly serene. They are deep, touching and thought provoking. The music by Justin-Uday is soft and easy to the ears. Its majorly acoustic with some great guitar work. A must listen track all in all as Mohit pulls the spot light off Shankar from track 1. 8.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Arzoo (Naat) – This is a traditional song sung in a purely religious style by a village boy named Mehrajuddin from Aru in Jummu & Kashmir. His style portrays raw talent and has the depth & recitation style of the mountain valleys. There is no music & his vocals carry the track thru for 2 minutes in style. 7/10 just for this tenagers voice.

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Track 4 – Allah Hoo – Justin-Uday are on a roll here and show their true talent after giving music for Hijack. Allah Hoo is a true Sufi ambient track. The music is simple & thus pure and soothing to the ear. I cannot imagine the music to be any better on this composition than it already is. They let the vocals by Yash Narvekar and Hrishikesh Kamerkar do all the talking and they do it in style. These 2 new singers are here to stay as no music instrument is better than the human voice. They both are gifted. Must mention lyricist Kumaar does an excellent job as well. Simple.. but Great listen !! – 7.5/10 .

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Track 5 – Gulon Mein (Upbeat Version) – The lyrics by Neelesh Misra have a different voice this time with KK giving it a rock touch that he brings with him to most of his tracks. The vocals are average though. Sandesh Shandilya [who's previous work includes movies like Chameli & K3G] does a decent job but nothing extra ordinary or worth noticing. Is he loosing his touch..? But thank God he has kept it simple and not made a remix out of it.. The upbeat version is not really upbeat except for the soft rock composition style. 6.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Manzaraat – Finally we get a Kashmiri song in theme with movie but the sound is totally different than the soft rock & sufi feel in the album so far. It sure adds variety to the OST but fails to impress as Shilpa Rao’s vocals, Justin-Uday’s music & Kumaar’s lyrics are all average. At times it sounds like Bhumro but doesn’t get close to the quality of that song. 6/10 .

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Track 7 – Chaal Apni – This is a romantic upbeat number with a Kashmiri compositional touch again to a modern digital beat. I would have called it to be average but the more I have heard it, the more I have started dis-liking it. I have come to a point where I can’t stand it. The music by Justin-Uday just doesn’t work and the singers Hamsika Iyer & Hrishikesh Kamerkar fail to impress here. Please end the album at track 6. 4.5/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Niche, Average – 6.5/10 .

As expected, it is not an OST for the masses but for the niche classes who enjoy sufi, lounge and soft rock. I would give it a higher rating & call it “Above Average” but the OST lacks any kind of commercial value and stays totally focused around the script of the movie. But the songs are good individually. The lyrics are deep and beautiful for the first few tracks. The singing renditions are brilliant by the maestros. Buy this album if you like to experiment with your music and like the calm of chillout music. If you are a commercial junkie.. then stay away from this soundtrack.. !!

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