Pyaar Impossible, Badmaash Company & Lafangey Parindey.. 3 average movies on the box office this year by Yash Raj Films. They need a big hit to make up before this year ends. Will Band Baaja Baaraat (BBB) be that big hit? Who knows.. we will find out on the 10th of December. What we know is this movie launches two new careers. Director Maneesh Sharma is the new man behind the camera while lead actor Ranveer Singh is the new face in front of the camera. He is the son of actor Sunny Deol if you don’t know that already. Thus the man has some big responsibility on his shoulders considering his fathers & grandfathers fantastic reputation on the big screen. Lets hope he can make it work on screen with Anushka Sharma in a movie about weddings in Delhi.
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Winter time in Delhi is the season of weddings. For a movie on that theme & based in that city, the expectations are really high on the music front as it should be able to deliver the music that will be playing at every party of every wedding in this peak season. The guys who producer Aditya Chopra can close his eyes and trust to deliver big hits is the pair of Salim-Sulaiman. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi & Aaja Nachle are couple of the big names of their handy work. Joining them are Amitabh Bhattacharya writing the lyrics and the projection of debutant director Maneesh Sharma. It will be interesting to hear what Delhi sound can this album bring to the market in peak wedding season. Let us listen..
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REVIEW
Track 1 – Ainvayi Ainvayi – Quite a tune.. Salim Merchant voices this song himself with Sunidhi Chauchan. This is after a very long time that I am loving Sunidhis work in a song. Her vocals are bang on with the perfect texture & tone in a song style that suits her perfectly. Salim kicks butt too.. The music is a really good mix of the Punjabi tumbi start & blends into a modern deep base beat pattern. The music is funky and works in the growing & evolving Delhi music scene. It is not a style of music that you would have heard in Bollywood. The lyrics hook line Ainvayi Ainvayi is soo damn catchy & will stick in your head & your tongue for a long time just after the first listen. The lyrics are proper Delhi talk & work very well. This is still not the traditional Bollywood dance songs & so will take some time to grown in the market.. and even longer in the super traditional UK Asian music market. But for the music innovation I give it 7.5/10.
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Track 2 – Tarkeebein – The brilliant voice of Benny Dayal that Rahman once discovered is still one of the most smooth voices in the industry. Salim teams up with Benny on the vocals and they sound unique & fresh together. A good partnership on some fantastic lyrics by Amitabh. Really love the flow of the lyrics on this song which talks about ideas, confidence and the fight to excel in this world. This could be the anthem of the college kids this year. The music is really cool with a unique beat pattern with some exciting mix of sitar & harmonium on this modern mix. Like this song. 8/10.
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Track 3 – Aadha Ishq – The queen of romantic Bollywood songs – Shreya Ghoshal gives this song some effortless vocals. The mix on her vocals does not seem right at some points but I guess that is just me… Salim-Sulaiman cannot get that wrong. The music is an average traditional romantic composition. Nothing flashy about it.. but the highlight of this song are the lyrics. The title hook Aadha Isha has been very well placed in by Amitabh delivering a beautiful song. This song will easily find it’s way to the radio waves but will not rock the boat a lot here in the UK as it lacks stunning music & vocal work. 7/10.
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Track 4 – Dum Dum – Another Benny Dayal number this time with Himani Kapoor who has not been around for a long time. She does well but does not create a lasting impression. The lyrics are catchy but the music composition is not. Although Salim Sulaiman do a lot with the music with fantastic instrumentation & creative use of bass guitar & percussion, it still lacks mass appeal. It sure is a different & good song but something about it does not stick and create an impression. I think it is the arrangement & composition. That is why probably it has been placed in the middle of the album as it could not make place anywhere else in the OST. 6.5/10.
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Track 5 – Mitra – The creators of the song jump on the mic here as well. Lyricist Amitabh & Salim sing this song quite well. It is an easy going number for some background listening in your car after a tiring day at work. A song about separation & loosing your friend but with a rather bright composition. It is not a dark song that will make you cry & thus I like it more as it is a contract of emotions on the music & lyrics front. Something really cleaver & well done by both these boys. It is very situational & the music has a good use of synths & keyboard work with guitars. Must listen song. 7.5/10.
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Track 6 – Baari Barsi – Finally the wedding Punjabi number we have been waiting for. A salute to Salim Sulaiman & Amitabh for what they have done with this song. The traditional lyrics of Baari Barsi has just been totally transformed into a modern spin off with a bold pop RnB beat with a very cleaver use of shenaai & dhol. It still has the classic fast typical Punjabi clossing of the song which will surely get you up on your feet. The lyrics are very interesting and new. It still incorporates all the family members in the rhymes and gets them up to very modern phrases. Vocals by Harshdeep Kaur & Labh Janjua are brilliant. It is absolutely fun when Labh Janjua says “buggi wuggi” instead of “boogie woogie”.. lol. Check this song out as you hear it in the next wedding you attend. Fabulous work. 8/10.
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Track 7 – Band Baaja Baaraat (Theme) – This is soo the new sound of Bollywood.. and the new sound to be of Indian weddings. A complete modern version of your traditional brass band at a baaraat. It is brilliant & perfect creative musical mix by Salim Sulaiman. Love this short 1:55 duration piece. The instrumentation & arrangement of the various instruments & effects is just genius. It is experimental & learning for music producers around the world. 8.5/10.
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Track 8 – Ainvayi (Dilli Club Mix) – This dude Abhijit Vaghani brings in a new sound to remixing all together in Bollywood. He seems to be re-inventing Bolly remixes. He is producing some really classy remixes that have spirit & essence and have not been done just to fill up the CD. This is quite an upbeat & the name clearly describes what sound is working in the Delhi clubs these days. The vocals have been re done by our UK boy Master Saleem of Kangna fame with Sunidhi. The effects & rhythm of the song is bang on the money. This is to be my next favourite mix song for the London parties. 8/10.
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Track 9 – Dum Dum (Sufi Mix) – Ok now.. this mix does not really work for my. It is by Abhijit & in his support he surely has done something different & unique with the original with new more powerful vocals by Sukhwinder Singh. But the song in itself and the whole idea just does not work. The sufi side of it is not even clear.. It completely misses the trick. I rather don’t like this song at all. 5.5/10.
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FINAL WORD
Very Good – 7.5/10
Except for one composition of Dum Dum, rest of the songs of BBB are pretty cool and right there where you would call it a good album. All credit goes to the innovation, creativity and pure musical talent of Salim Sulaiman and the beautiful lyrics of Amitabh Bhattacharya. The performances by the singers are good as always with a come back by Sunidhi Chauhan. The OST lacks a huge range & variety of music but it delivers on the expectations for a wedding centric movie. For the UK market the album will actually pick up & make the best use of its potential when the next wedding season kicks in the summer. Till then it will be slow & steady rise in popularity for this OST & it’s Punjabi numbers Ainvayi Ainvayi & Baari Barsi. Tarkeebein & the theme song are my personal favs. Buy this album. Music on YRF Music.
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!
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.
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 !!
Track 5 – Mitra – The creators of the song jump on the mic here as well. Lyricist Amitabh & Salim sing this song quite well. It is an easy going number for some background listening in your car after a tiring day at work. A song about separation & loosing your friend but with a rather bright composition. It is not a dark song that will make you cry & thus I like it more as it is a contract of emotions on the music & lyrics front. Something really cleaver & well done by both these boys. It is very situational & the music has a good use of synths & keyboard work with guitars. Must listen song. 7.5/10.
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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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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.