DJ Munks.com

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Kunal Kohli has not written, produced or directed a movie in over two years now with Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic being the last one that did well at the box office. A gap of two years..?? Not at all surprising with Kunal because all his movies are done with a gap of 2 years. He does not necessarily always come out with a good final product but Break Ke Baad does look like it could be an entertaining hit at the box office. Directed by Kunal Kohli’s old assistant Danish Aslam making his directorial debut with current Bollywood heartthrobs Imran Khan & Deepika Padukone, this movie sure has the potential and the look to make an impact closer to Christmas this year.

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One of my all time favourite lyricists – Prasoon Joshi is back to mainstream big budget movies after a while. His last big budget movies included Ghajini & Delhi-6 that were fantastic on the music front with Mr. Rahman’s involvement. This time the man with the magic pen teams up with hugely talented Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar boys Vishal Shekhar. They are already on a roll this year with hit soundtracks including I Hate Luv Storys and Anjaana Anjaani. The guys are brilliant and know how to make the hits. With Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics to add on, I have really high expectations from the OST of Break Ke Baad.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Adhoore – Rock star Vishal’s vocals are always a good option for the opening of an album. His vocal texture suits the modern international look going around in Bollywood these days. Supporting him on the mic is Alyssa Mendonsa who does a good job too. The composition & sound of this song is quite similar to Anjaana Anjaani in the main chorus. Did not expect Vishal-Shekhar to run out of ideas. But nonetheless I don’t see the harm in reusing a tested formula that works with some fresh new lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. The lyrics, music & vocals are not path-breaking but the song works and will be heavy on radio. A hit.. not a super hit! 7/10.

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Track 2 – Ajab Leher – A very cool start to the song by funky Sax by Rhys D’souza & electric guitar. It sets the tone for a light fun song with a very catchy element to it. The overall composition & instrumentation of the song is fantastic and very modern American pop jazz. The lyrics are perfectly set in this music. Even though they are fun they still carry a bit of complexity in them that Prasoon delivers fantastically. Neeraj Sridhar’s vocals are banging and cool with backing vocals by Vishal & Shekhar themselves. This is a much better song that does not take long to grow on you. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Dhoop Ke Makaan – If you concentrate on the vocals of this song you will appreciate the sheer talent that Prasoon is. The song is about inspirations & motivation and it does just that to future writers. The music & composition are not aspirational but work for the song. It lacks innovation & feels like Vishal-Shekhar decided to play it safe. Although they do mix a brilliant guitar solo in the 2nd chorus. The vocals are by Shekhar & Sunidhi Chauchan with backing vocals by Caralisa Monteiro & Mikey McCleary. An average song unless you let the vocals inspire you. 7/10.

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Track 4 – Dooriyan Hain Zaroori – Don’t know where I last heard the voice of Monica Dogra Could be a new entry into Bollywood… and quite a pleasant one. She is very good & has a range from a soft voice to that of a rock chick. It takes some talent to stand next to Vishal on a rock song!! She totally has it.. This is a very catch Indian-rock song & could easily rock a venue like Rang Bhavan in Mumbai or a Hard Rock venue in UK. The electric guitar work & solo’s are fantastic. The lyrics and composition are versatile & show the great relationship between Prasoon & Vishal-Shekhar. I recommend this song. 7.5/10.

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Track 5 – Main Jiyoonga – Nikhil D’souza is clearly the best male vocal lead entering into Bollywood this year. With a line up of hits including movies like Aisha, Anjaana Anjaani, Crook & now Break Ke Baad. This time he delivers a theatrical feel good song with some exciting drumming by Mr. Gino Banks himself. Some excellent guitar work again on the music front in a composition that could easily work for a musical theatre show. Some good lyrics to this song as well. It is not your normal big hit song.. but I like it. 7.5/10.

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Track 6 – Don’t Worry About Me – What a song..!! Vishal pushes everyone away on this song. He takes the pen from Prasoon, takes a keyboard & tells Shekhar + musicians to rest the day off.. and also gets up on the mic. The man is brilliant in all the roles on this purely English song. This is not Bollywood anymore and I strongly suggest releasing this song in International markets on your regular English radio channels. It will get lost in India as I know no radio or TV will play it. It is different & not mainstream but I can imagine listening to this on XFM or Heart FM in the UK. A song with true potential. Well done to Vishal!! 7.5/10.

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Track 7 – Adhoore (Remix) – Remixed by Abhijit Vaghani who doesn’t sound like a DJ but sure knows how to rock a club with a proper tune. This is a good remix that I can’t find any reason to criticize. It is not cheesy or sluggish and has a good rhythm to it. It will surely make you dance… and I will surely play it in my sets. This is as good as the original. 7/10.

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Track 8 – Dhoop Ke Makaan (Acoustic) - You have to listen to this song!!! Shekhar has completely redone the vocals and they are simply BRILLIANT!! Plus the guitar work by Hitesh Sonik is exemplary. This is now perhaps the best song on the album and much better than the original. 8.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Quite Good – 7.5/10

Break Ke Baad is a decently good album. It comes in the league of Anjaana Anjaani and is almost similar in many aspects but better in some. It has a similar sound to the music which comes from Vishal-Shekhar but the tone & variety of the album is different which comes from new director Danish Aslam. The types of song in the OST have a good variation to it spanning over different genres. The aspect that this album is very prominently better in is the lyrics that come from the genius of Prasoon Joshi. All the respect to him. Listen to Break Ke Baad and it will grow on you. It has no massive hit song to go by but for the UK audience it sure has something for everyone. OST on T-Series.

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a class apart. You have to admit that when you read names like Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam & Black next to his name credits. The man is an artistic genius and his vision & direction is exemplary. The colours, cinematography, artistic camera work, fantastic performances with a good story are some of his strongest points that he brings to the table. Guzaarish looks to be another classic piece of work from him starring supremely talented actors Hrithik Roshan & Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles. It shows similarities to Black in look & the disability concept where Hrithik is a disabled magician now pleading to be put to death. The concept is very interesting and I am sure the movie is the one to watch for at least excellent direction & acting by both the stars.. if nothing more.

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Ronnie Screwvala usually always spends his money wisely. Co-producing a movie like Guzaarish under the UTV banner is a big risk in a market that is recovering from recession & thus not taking risks with non-mainstream movies. He must have immense confidence & faith in the script of the movie and most importantly in Sanjay.

Sanjay has taken multiple roles in this movie.. Producer, Director being his usual roles.. but he is the music director for the first time for a full OST. He has done this before in his last movie where he successfully created a massive hit with his first composition – ‘Thode Badmash‘ from the movie Saawariya. He has now composed the full OST of Guzaarish with no help except for the lyrics of Vibhu Puri & A. M. Turaz. You ofcourse don’t know these 2 names as Vibhu is a newcomer and Turaz has never made a hit song in his 3 year career so far.

I am quite excited to hear this OST and see if Sanjay can bring the same emotions, his classic unique style & untapped vision in the aural domain as he quiet easily delivers these characteristics in the visual domain.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Guzaarish – In his first project Sanjay has decided to at least play safe with his singers and use his most reliable vocalists who have delivered hits on his past projects. He gave K K his big break & K K gave him Tadap Tadap in HDDCS which is by far one of the most powerful songs in Bollywood & one of the most difficult songs to sing. But KK takes a rather softer touch to his vocals in this song. He gave Shail Hada his big break in Sawariya and he is here too but contributing mainly with background vocals. The lyrics by Turaz are brilliant. The song is purely artistic & theatrical with clear sad elements. Violins by Suresh Lalwani are just brilliant with some excellent guitar work. Kudos to Sanjay for the composition in the opening track. Watch out.. this song almost makes you cry. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Sau Gram Zindagi – The piano melody at the start of the song sets the tone of the song with the soothing voice of Kunal Ganjawala. The vocals are good and brings out a different aspect of Kunal’s performance capabilities but it is not the best of him. But the choice of taking him is evident as there are English lyrics towards the end and Kunal does them very well like many of his other songs. The whistling is great too & adds more definition to the song. The song is a recipe in a sing song fashion and explains the main characteristics of 100 grams of life. Very well & carefully written by Vibhu Puri. The orchestration in the second bridge is of Rahman calibre and shows the amount of effort & detail Sanjay has put in doing his first music OST. The overall composition is almost like a ghazal. I still love it. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Tera Zikr – I would like to credit musician Tapas Roy who plays the Odu on this track almost effortlessly. The music in the first 30 seconds of this number is very exciting and truly innovative in the Kashmiri style of music. The arrangement by Sanjay is fresh & noteworthy for any aspiring musician. Shail Hada finally gets his song as the main vocalist and he does not disappoint at all. It is almost like you have been waiting for him. He literally makes you welcome him. This song is probably now one of my all time favourites!! It is a piece of genius. The lyrics by Turaz are absolutely simple but gorgeous. I could kiss his hands for writing this song. You will fall in love with it. These lyrics make Shail’s job very difficult & you thus have to applaud his work when you have heard the full song. The instrumentation variety & arrangement is fabulous. A very unique set of instruments blend together over different ranges taking your mind & heart up the mountains. Even the use of Rakesh Pandit’s high pitch voice is a perfect fit to the song. I cannot find enough words to prise this song. Must hear!! 10/10.

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Track 4 – Saiba – After the Kashmiri mountains Sanjay now takes us to Goa & it’s Portuguese musical heritage. The Spanish guitar & bongo-Congo arrangements with Accordion give a good variety & range to the OST so far. The vocals by Vaibhavari Joshi, Fancois Castellino & Shail Hada are good for this Goan style of song. The lyrics are average & thus so the overall composition of the song. It is simple & thus nothing much worth noticing except the instrumentation. You can miss this & you won’t miss much. 6/10.

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Track 5 – Jaane Kiske Khwaab – This is very short & sweet song. It says a lot with a beautiful concept in a matter of 3 minutes with K K’s vocals. An acoustic guitar, cymbals & piano are all to accompany him. The words by Turaz are simply beautiful and touching. They say a lot in a few lines. The composition by Sanjay is good. A good listen. 7/10.

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Track 6 – Udi – This is a situation party song again with a Spanish dance music inspired tune. Probably used for one of magical performances situation in the movie. The rhythm is a good mix of Goan & Spanish musical styles but lacks the click factor to catch on. You won’t latch onto this song & sing along. The vocals by Sunidhi are good but do not show her full potential and talent. Lyrics by Turaz are average. 6/10.

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Track 7 – Keh Na Sakoon – This is another acoustic guitar & piano based song with very soft vocals by Shail Hada. The artistic flavour of this song is again in its composition & lyrics. “Keh Na Sakoon main itna pyaar, seh na sakoon itna pyaar.. itna pyaar karta hoon“. Such a deep & beautiful thought penned by late Jagdish Joshi & Vibhu Puri. The sad & loving expression is well reciprocated in the vocals and music of this song. The piano work by Jarvis Menezes is excellent. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – Chaand Ki Katori – You will immediately notice the powerful & classical vocal style of Harshdeep Kaur make an impression on you. Her vocals go to a higher pitch with every line of the lyrics. She hits every note perfectly & then eases into the next note pitch. The vocals are very beautiful. The lyrics by Vibhu Puri are deep and very interesting. Concentrate on every word and you will notice the different aspects about life that Vibhu has covered in this song. Musically Sanjay uses a deep bass Flugel horn which I don’t think I have ever heard in a Bollywood song. It fits in very well with the vibe of the song. Great arrangement. 7.5/10.

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Track 9 – Daayein Baayein – Another K K song with lyrics by Turaz. Unlike most sad songs in this OST so far, this song takes you to a happier place under the sun. It does not have the dark indoor musical feel which comes with a good amount of strings and high pitch K K voice. The lyrics are happy & talk about happy lovely memories. Very good variation to the OST but as a standalone song it is not the best or a catch number. It is quiet average. 7/10.

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Track 10 – Dhundli Dhundli – The album ends with a very different and poetic song. It is still very artistic in every aspect and is also situational to the movie. The pitch keeps rising as this song has the pleasure of Shankar Mahadevan’s voice with some high pitch violin. The lyrics by Turaz are very well framed to the situation and are a story in itself. Musically this is a big violin orchestra work. Sanjay has conducted and executed it a perfectly grand and intricate style. This is a very well thought and well executed song. It has a system & different levels that it reaches on the music & the vocals. It is not a job of an amateur but a genius. 7.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 7.5/10

Sanjay Leela Bhansali likes to do things in an artistic larger than life way and this is very clearly noticeable in his music as well. For a first time music director he has done a fantastic job. You can easily compare the music of Guzaarish to international world music albums and you will not be able to undermine Sanjay’s work. He truly has the calibre to be the next Rahman.

What this OST & Sanjay’s style lacks is mainstream variety in the music styles. Whether he is capable of producing something like that is what needs to be seen to make him the next Rahman in Bollywood land. His attempt in Guzaarish is purely situational and is quite versatile within that domain. He does not explore beyond that. Most songs are average as they are within the same delivery style and thus limited. But there is definitely no bad song in there.

The vocal performances by K K & Shail Hada are the highlights with some phenomenal lyrics by Turaz and Vibhu Puri. Both should have really bright futures from hereon. I also have to give credit and mention all the musicians of Guzaarish as the instrumental work is very good. Sanjay deserves all the credit for managing this to the dot. For sure buy the album available on T-Series.

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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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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!

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Dabangg Trailer

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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.

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Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai is the 7th movie under the Balaji Motion Pictures Banner. Not a single movie so far has had music that stands out or can boast of a hit. If we leave the music and talk just about the movie, not a single of their productions has delivered well the box office except for average business.

Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai could just about be the one to change it all for the biggest small screen banner who could now be the big screen banner that Ekta & Shobha Kapoor have dreamed of making it… and it all rests on the shoulders of brilliant actors Ajay Devgan & Emraan Hashmi. These guys usually always deliver the vision of their producers and directors. But does director Milan Luthria who has made movies like Kachche Dhaage, Chori Chori, Deewar & Taxi No. 9211 have it in him to deliver a hit underworld Mumbai theme movie? That we will have to wait till the 30th July to watch.

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For now let us analyse what hit maker Pritam can deliver with lyricists Irshad Kamil, Nilesh Mishra & Amitabh Bhattacharya for a movie with a very dark theme. Pritam has never actually worked on a Mumbai dark side themed movie although he has delivered some super hits with movies like Gangster, Jannat & Rajneeti recently. I would imagine this OST will have some street talk Mumbai songs with the slang and violent gun shots with a mix of romance & totally dark Mumbai themed music for background scores of the movie. I would love it if Irshad can repeat his magic of Karam on the lyrics cause that was sensational. Let’s hit play and check it out.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Pee Loon – Very pleasant first 30 seconds of the album that set the tone of the album. And you can’t ask for more than Mohit Chauchan’s voice following the soothing 30 seconds of music. This Qawaali based romantic song reminds you of the sea side by Haji Ali. The melody and instrumentation are heart felt with a mesmerising harmonium solo in the middle bridge which you must take a notice of as that is not something you hear often in music these days. The team of Pritam, Irshad & Mohit make an instant classic romantic hit. A must listen. 8/10.

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Track 2 – Tum Jo Aaye – Seems like this is more of a romantic movie than a underworld bloodshed extravaganza. Tulsi Kumar along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan perform a very soulful vocal rendition to Irshad’s poetic lyrics. Once again Pritam sticks to the Qawali style Bollywood music format with another good harmonium solo. The dholki played on this song is brilliantly recorded. The classical composition & recitation work well in the favour of this song and even has a Punjabi element to it. It is a good song but not the best. It won’t stick in your head as much as Pee Loon. 7/10.

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Track 3 – I Am In Love – We know Karthik from two really big songs – Behka from Ghajina & Behne De from Raavan recently. Both truly are brilliant. So is I am in love. You can really feel the emotion when he says “I am in Love”. His vocals & harmonies are spotless on a great voice. The lyrics by Nilesh Mishra will make you sit up and take notice of them as they rhyme all the way. Pritam’s composition & simple music complement this song perfectly. It is just simple & beautiful. You will surely like it. Do listen.. 7.5/10.

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Track 4 – Parda – Haha.. revival of the classic.. Remember Duniya Mein Logon Ko from Apna Desh? Sunidhi & Rana Mazumder do a revision of that classic and spice it up with some new lyrics by Irshad which are not that great. Rana freaks you out here sounding exactly like The Boss – R. D. Burman. Pritam very successfully gives you the 70′s feel with this composition and Sunidhi is his star that delivers it very well on the mic. You can’t help but sing along every time the “Monicaaa” shout comes along. I love going back in time.. & this song takes u there. A production & creative genius song. Lacks brilliant lyrics. 7.5/10.

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Track 5 – Babu Rao – From the start you will take notice of the unique music style. Kudos to Pritam for this coming up with this composition. It is genuine, unique and works perfectly with the theme of this song. The programming of the instruments is imaginitive & brave.  Mika has his usual fun and is perfect in the vocals department. He sounds like a street don. But the best part of this song are the lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. They are cool, funny & represent all gangsters. I won’t be surprised if they start using this song as their gang theme song.. lol. 8.5/10.

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Track 6 – Tum Jo Aaye (Reprise) – If you liked track 2 then this version will blow you off with its calmness, style, purity & melodic feel. It is just genius. It is all about 4 instruments – gorgeous tabla, resounding ghungroos, brilliant harmonium and Rahat Fateh Ali’s voice. I don’t want to tell you more. Just listen to it & you will discover the beauty of Indian music. 8.5/10.

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Track 7 – I Am In Love – KK & Dominique do a 2nd version of Track 3 which is also like a reprise version. It is as good as Track 3. KK & Karthik each have their own place and you can’t really compare these 2 versions. Karthik has more depth while KK has a sharper stylish voice. Lyrically & composition-ally it is the same song. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – Pee Loon (Remix) -DJ A-Myth is one of the best DJ’s in India and he really proves it this time with giving a decent remix which does not kill the original. And thank God they very selectively chose this song rather than doing a remix of every song on the OST. So overall a very decent & cute remix. Perfect for a warm up set or calm drinking party. 7/10.

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Track 9 -I Am In Love (Dance) – There you go.. that’s how you ruin a good song with a not required remix. A trance mix of a great song with 2 different versions already on the OST.. I don’t see why did they need a third version and too on a totally inspired trance beat. This is perhaps the only blunder on a perfectly good album. Please end the OST on track 8 to keep you ears safe. 4.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 7.5/10

This OST is definitely not what it feels like. It is more of a romantic album rather than a underworld album with Marathi influences. Every song is better than expected and there is no below average song except the last track.

3 beautiful romantic songs, 1 bar type song which is a production beauty as is a revival of a classic and 1 brilliant underworld song that thrills you in every way. Babu Rao, Pee Loon and Tum Jo Aaye (Reprise) are the definite picks of the album with all credit to Pritam once again for a masterpiece album. His choice of singers, instruments & lyricists is brilliant. Each of them perform with a simple goal to make this OST worth listening to. And it sure is.. So go buy Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Available on T-Series.

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Yet another comedy with Akshay Kumar & ‘Remake Specialist’ director Priyadarshan. These two can’t seem to get enough of each other. Well they used to make a great team in the good ol days of Hera Pheri but recently they seemed to have lost it with movies like De Dana Dan that was beyond plain rubbish. Khatta Meetha seems to be rather fun where Akshay Kumar is a road contractor with the name “Sachin Tichkule” and thus this time the fun is on the corrupt government & diplomatic functioning of the Indian public sector departments. Based in Mumbai the Marathi angle is quite clear and Priyadarshan most commonly uses the music style of the city where the plot is based around. Also, common to Priyadarshan movies is the fun angle clearly evident in the songs. So I am expecting totally senseless, slapstick Marathi songs.. lol.. That doesn’t sound too good does it..? But let me assure you, Priyadarshan very un-commonly does surprise you at times as well. Let’s hope this is one of those times.

He has Pritam on his team yet again but with a new kid on the block named Shani. Last time their combo worked really well was not long ago with Marjani in Billu. This movie does not have the look of a big track but lets find out anyway what this 7 track OST have in store.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Nana Chi Taang – It sounds like our dear Indian rapper U.R.L. kicks off this album with very good pronunciations for these Marathi lyrics written by Irshad Kamil. Kunal Ganjawala is back on a song working with Pritam that lacks class and flavour. I am quite disappointed with Pritam to open this OST with a below average composition like this. I know some Marathi and what the title means is “your grandfathers leg”.. that’s quite literally though!! It has the fun element but not really when you think about the fact that he is trying to impress a girl with these ‘heard before’ lyrics. Truly disappointing! 5/10.

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Track 2 – Sajde – Now this is a good typical Pritam romantic song that he gets right every time. You can never doubt Pritam’s calibre with Irshad’s lyrics when it comes to romantic songs. And on top of this when you get 2 of the best voices of K. K. and Sunidhi together it all comes alive. This song makes you see the video by just closing your eyes. Truly mesmerising and simply worth doing ‘Sajda’ of. 8/10.

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Track 3 – Bull Shit – Famous Pakistani pop singer Shehzad Roy features on this song and has even written the lyrics of this song. This is a really funny and truly expresses the currouption of the Indian politicians who could sell the country for a bit of money. The singing is true to the style of Shehzad and you can easily recognise him if you have heard any of his big musical hits. Speech within the song is another typical style of Shehzad and he delivers a fun song but it is not jaw dropping.. Music is my new name “Shani”. I am guessing he is probably the Pakistani pop singer and actor ‘Usman Shani’. His composition is good but average musically. 6.5/10.

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Track 4 – Aila Re Aila – Another Marathi influenced fun song.. but this time it truly is fun because Nitin Raikwar’s lyrics are cheeky & funny with amazingly powerful vocals of Mr. Daler Mehndi. He is just too good and can make you have fun even without any music. His voice and energy can just keep you going on the dance-floor. Kalpana Patowary’s vocals completely complement Daler’s vocals and credit is to Pritam to pick them for this song. Pritam’s music is very good too and has a place in Mumbai street parties. It appeals to the masses.. 7/10.

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Track 5 – Nana Chi Taang (Remix) – This is a good remix by Kiran Kamath but it is very difficult to like this song as a whole because of its below average lyrics and composition. But this remix is surely better than the original. 5.5/10.

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Track 6 – Sajde (Remix) – There is absolutely no need to remix this song and DJ A-Myth does not help the song in any way. The tempo is still the same rather with a reggae beat. I would surely credit him for trying to do a completely new job by recording new female vocals with Harshdeep Kaur but they don’t really work for me. Sunidhi compliments the lyrics and KK more. 6/10.

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Track 7 – Aila Re Aila (Remix) – Kiran Kamath has tried to do something with this remix which is frankly not very clear to me. I don’t really get what is going on in this remix. Probably I am too sleepy or bored or just plain inexperienced to evaluate this song. It sounds very confused with heavy keyboard synths for key bass and too many whistles. The original works better for me on this one. 5.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Average – 6/10

Khatta Meetha OST does sound like a Priyadarshan movie soundtrack. It has the mix of fun and Marathi and romance but lacks innovation and songs that you would like to put on a repeat. Other than Sajde & Aila Re Aila all other songs are purely average and not even worth a second listen. All singers have performed well but the OST does not surprise you. Like I said.. Its not very common for Priyadarshan to surprise you. Let’s hope his next project gives us something more for the ears. I will not recommend for you to buy this album but surely do buy Sajde on the Internet and give it a repeat listen. Album on T-Series.

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