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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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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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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I dint really know about the existence of this project until the soundtrack came out. I have been listening to it for a week now thinking if I should review it or not. The variety and uniqueness of this OST persuaded me to talk about it. Amit Trivedi must have spent a few hundred days on making this 18 track album.. I sure could write a few 100 words giving it the credit and appreciation it deserves.

A multi faceted Anurag Kashyap decides to do a modern take on the traditional DevDas. As laughable the concept sounds, it is an extremely great idea and I sure am curious of how he must have developed the script and shot it. The cast doesn’t look very exciting but on the music front we have the very talented Amit Trivedi. He impressed the world with his highly acclaimed work on Aamir in 2007. Although not a commercial success, but truly a genius piece of work !!

When I heard “Dev D” for the first time I guessed it sounds like Amit’s work and I was very excited to confirm the same from the CD cover. Amitabh Bhattacharya & Shellee do a great job on the variety of lyrics in this OST.

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REVIEW

First of all, if you are looking for some Pritam beats or Rehman orchestration or SEL fusion… then please turn away. This is not a commercial album. I will be shocked and traumatically excited if this album gets any commercial success cause that would mean a mass mature audience ! Listen to this album for the variety, fusion and a complete musical package to realise how global the Indian sound has become..

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Track 1 – Emosanal Attyachar (Brass Band Version) – I hated this track for the opening song when I first heard. I can’t stop singing it now !! It is the quiriest, most catchy, genuine, genius and innovative song in a long long time !! Sung in a typical traditional wedding brass band setup by a genuine band with the song sung by the true band singer and no established singer. The accent and pronunciations give it a typical street flavor. A super hit melody & must for all India wedding barat’s (Not the lyrics). This deserves an easy 9/10 .

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Track 2 – Duniya – Amit Trivedi brings back his Chakkar Ghumyo style from Amir to a faster funkier beat. Terrific lyrics and vocals of Amit but very close to the Amir feel. Not as original as track 1 but a great listen. 7.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Nayan Tarse – My favourite song on the CD. A 3min short, true easy listening brilliance. A rare fusion of traditional lyrics with deep vocals of Amit with an ambient music beat that goes rock on the chorus. Can you imagine & picture such a combo without listening to the track.. Do you imagine how vague that sounds !! A 9.5/10 to this brilliant piece of work.

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Track 4 – Pardesi – Another folk ambient chilax track fusion. This time with sitar’s, acoustic strings and claps. This singer named ‘Tochi’ makes a mark with his soulful voice. I so want to find all his work now. A nice soothing bass beat pattern. I don’t like the “That’s how we do it” on the track. But you have to listen to it – 8/10 .

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Track 5 – Saali Khushi – If you are down and feeling low this is the song which is going to wrap up your story for you. Song about missing good times in Amit’s voice yet again. A slow rendition to good lyrics. 7.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Paayaliya – 5 Tracks down and you can never relate these songs to the Devdas concept. This song brings the true traditional flavor of the concept in Shruti Pathak’s voice. A light song in Rehman’s compositional style but am sure Amit has done a better job at it. 7/10 .

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Track 7 – Mahi Mennu – How can a variety music album be compete without the punjabi element to it. Labh Janjua singing to good fusion of Dhol with a strong bass line is always good. A light average song. Can be easily missed as not very catchy. 6/10 .

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Track 8 – Aankh Micholi – A dint like this track. Nor the music or the composition or the lyrics or the vocals or the mixing of the track. Below average. Give it a miss. 4/10 .

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Track 9 – Yahi Meri Zindagi - A refreshing song with a light happy feel to it about being content of everything around. Aditi Singh Sharma gives it a global pop flavour. A fair track. 5.5/10 .

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Track 10 – Dhol Yaara Dhol – This Rajasthani number enriches the soundtrack. The texture of instruments and vocals is very soothing. Shilpa Rao renders this romantic song beautifully. Perfect song on a long romantic drive or a special dinner date. Do try to understand the lyrics.. that’s when you will relish this track. 7/10 to this one.

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Track 11 – Ek Hulchul Si – JOI gives some really good vocals here to a rock song. This rock does not categorise under the Rock On!! style but more of a Kings of Leon meet The Script sound. A very lively and catchy tune. Notice the classical tunes they play on electric guitars at the first solo. Recommended! 8.5/10 .

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Track 12 – Hikknaal – Labh Janjua back with a better Punjabi number. It’s got tumbi’s and authentic Dhol. Amit still has a long way to go when it comes to producing Bhangra stuff. Not for UK Bhangra lovers. 7/10 .

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Track 13 – Dil Mein Jaagi - Anusha Mani writes and sings this song only to a piano. It’s simply beautiful and very theatrical. It reminds you of the great music in Parineeta. Really good song. 7.5/10 .

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Track 14 – Emotional Attyachar (Rock Version) – If you are thinking this is going to be anything like the brass band version, you are in for a BIGGGGG Surprise !!! New lyrics (except for the punch line) a total hard rock musical and some really powerful vocals by Bony Chakravarthy. Think Parikrama or Metallica and you know what I am talking about… and imagine that with the chorus lyrics of Track 1.. Haha.. This is brilliant !! 8.5/10 atleast.

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Track 15 – Ranjhana – A 2 minute beautiful rendition of vocals by Shilpa Rao & Kshitij. It’s sad and you can feel the pain of the character. Very well done with just strings orchestra. 7.5/10 .

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Track 16 – Mahi Mennu (Sad Version) – Labh Janjua finally makes an impression with his vocals here as there is no poor quality Punjabi music by Amit to dissolve his vocals. Deep and resounding. 7.5/10 .

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Track 17 – Dev-Chanda Theme 1 – Theme music for the movie.. and very attractive. It’s sweet & charming. Its double bass all through with Pa Pa para & Ooooo ‘s all through. Amit shows he can keep it simple & yet beautifully smooth. a nice 2 minute piece for doing a little Ball dance in your living room with your sweetheart. 7.5/10 .

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Track 18 – Dev-Chanda Theme 2 - Another instrumental with whistles and violins. The melody is captivating. 7.5/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 8/10 .

A brilliant variety album at the start of the year from a music director to watch out for.. Amit Trivedi proves his brilliance yet again after Amir. Forget commercial music if you have an ear for the niche then this is what you should shop for. Buy this CD and keep it at the top of your CD rack because you can listen to it in all possible moods.

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