FORGETTABLE KAHIN KA!! (JHOOTHA KAHIN KA – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Sanjeev-Ajay, Rahul Jain, Siddhant Madhav, Amjad-Nadeem-Aamir, Kashi Richard & Yo Yo Honey Singh
♪ Lyrics by: Amjad-Nadeem, Enbee, Lil Golu, Sanjeev Chaturvedi & Alok Ranjan Jha
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 12th July 2019
♪ Movie Released On: 19th July 2019

Jhootha Kahin Ka Album Cover

Listen to the songs: JioSaavn | Gaana

Buy the songs: iTunes

Jhootha Kahin Ka is a Bollywood comedy film starring Rishi Kapoor, Jimmy Sheirgill, Omkar Kapoor and Sunny Singh in lead roles. The film is directed by Smeep Kang and produced by Anuj Sharma and Deepak Mukut. The film has music by Amjad-Nadeem and their new partner Aamir, Yo Yo Honey Singh, Siddhant Madhav, Sanjeev-Ajay, Rahul Jain and Kashi Richard. I’ve known about Amjad-Nadeem for years, and they have some decent songs, so expecting something worthwhile from them. Not expecting from Honey Singh, and Siddhant Madhav, Rahul Jain, and Kashi Richard, I’ve read their names in passing in some Zee Music albums which I haven’t reviewed or heard. So, let’s see what this album has to offer.

Amjad-Nadeem-Aamir’s Saturday Night happens to be Neeraj Shridhar’s second one with that name, the former being from ‘Bangistan’, composed by Ram Sampath. While in that song, Sampath fused club beats with Celtic sounds, here we get an annoying mix of overused club beats with the intermittent tumbi sounds. Neeraj Shridhar isn’t bad at singing such songs, so the vocals don’t annoy as much as they would’ve with another singer. The rap by Enbee is utterly avoidable, and the female singer Jyotica Tangri barely gets anything to sing. Do we have to talk about the lyrics by Amjad-Nadeem?
Funk Love by Yo Yo Honey Singh has the quintessential Honey Singh beats that have been missing from Bollywood for some time, and Lil Golu’s lyrics, something else that has been missing in Bollywood for quite some time. And after listening to the song, you know why. Though the beats start off quite intriguingly (though there’s nothing new, but that’s just Yo Yo’s forte, I guess) the vocals and lyrics make you cringe all throughout the song. Especially the title lyrics. Which do not sound like ‘Funk Love’ at all.
Out of Sanjeev-Ajay’s two songs, they collaborate with Siddhant Madhav for Munde Da Character, which starts with interesting Punjabi folk sounds created digitally, as can be made out from the sound of it. Brijesh Shandilya handles the vocals of the mukhda and the hookline well, and is accompanied by a horde of other vocalists (Siddhant Madhav, Rani Indrani Sharma, Nazim Ali, Deepak Yadav and Makrand Patankar) who mostly come into action in the antaras. The female vocalist, Rani Sharma, sounds great particularly, in the second antara. The composition is catchy, and thanks to the fresh Punjabi arrangements, it is a song I don’t mind listening to in its entirety, unlike the previous two songs on the album. Sanjeev Chaturvedi’s lyrics are also suitable and how lyrics for a normal Bollywood song should be.
Sanjeev-Ajay’s other song, Jhootha Kahin Ka, is composed in collaboration with Rahul Jain. Again, it starts with a heard-before but catchy Punjabi tumbi piece, which later is joined by harmonium, dholaks and Navraj Hans’ strong voice. The song carries a sound close to Gurdas Mann’s pop numbers, and thanks to Navraj Hans’ vocals, it sounds better. Rahul Jain and Ankit Saainraj accompany him with the vocals, but it is mostly a Navraj show all the way. The hookline is quite weak, and the lyrics (Sanjeev Chaturvedi) too are functional and nothing more.
The last song on the album, Jugni, is another song with club beats, and starts like a Yo Yo Honey Singh song, but it is actually composed by Kashi Richard. Yes, the beats are catchy here, and Enbee doesn’t irritate as much as he did in ‘Saturday Night’. The beats engage you throughout the length of the song, and the four singers, (Enbee, Kapil Thapa, Rohit Sharma and Chintan Bakiwala) though you can’t really differentiate one from the other, seem to have done a good job because the end result sounds good. The hookline has been composed in that typical designed-to-be-annoyingly-catchy way, but the beats and the ‘kadak maamla‘ refrain help the song get my green signal.

Not an album I’ll revisit again for any reason, because none of the songs stuck with me, but I would remember it for the way it is so typical with its beats, in both its club songs and Punjabi songs.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 5 + 2 + 7 + 5.5 + 6 = 25.5

Album Percentage: 51%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Munde Da Character > Jugni > Jhootha Kahin Ka > Saturday Night > Funk Love

Which is your favourite song from Jhootha Kahin Ka? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

A MUFFLED SOUND EXPLOSION!! (PARMANU – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Sachin-Jigar & Jeet Gannguli
♪ Lyrics by: Vayu Srivastava, Dr. Kumar Vishwas, Sachin Sanghvi & Rashmi-Virag
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 15th May 2018
♪ Movie Released On: 25th May 2018

Parmanu Album Cover

Listen to the songs: Saavn

Buy the songs: iTunes

Parmanu is a Bollywood drama/thriller film starring John Abraham, Boman Irani and Diana Penty, directed by Abhishek Sharma and produced by Zee Studios, JA Entertainment and Kyta Productions. The film revolves around the 1998 bomb test explosions conducted by the Indian Army at Pokhran, Rajasthan under the leadership of Dr. APJ Abdul Kalam during PM Atal Bihari Vajpayee’s tenure. The film has opened to mixed reviews, but what had me most excited about the film (since the subject matter isn’t really the kind I like) was the music by Sachin-Jigar. Well, Sachin-Jigar and Jeet Gannguli, as I learned after the album released.

Sachin-Jigar April start the album off with a refreshing song Shubh Din, which follows the folksy Gujarati/Rajasthani template to the tee, but still manages to turn out as an entertaining number. They recreate their own ‘Aavi Re Hoon Aavi Re’ (from the Gujarati movie Carry On Kesar), and the song has a catchy instrumental loop after the hookline, which Sachin-Jigar have made sure, hooks the audience. The arrangements give the impression that the makers were going for something grander, but had to settle for less than what they intended. The folksiness doesn’t come out full-fledgedly as one would expect from Sachin-Jigar, but ends up sounding muffled. The vocals by Keerthi Sagathia and Jyotica Tangri are amazing though, as is Sachin-Jigar’s composition, so at least the song is entertaining for as long as it plays.
The next folksy number by Sachin-Jigar, Thare Vaaste, is like a patriotic recreation of their song ‘Chunar’ (ABCD 2), especially lyrically. Vayu Srivastava’s lyrics are aptly poignant and patriotic, but sadly, the composers’ tune doesn’t match up to that level; it fails to move the listener. The anthemic tune gets repetitive after some time, and though Divya Kumar does well in trying to make the song sound energetic, it is again the fault of the muffled-sounding arrangements, that the song doesn’t come to life as would be expected.
Kasumbi, the best song of the album, also sees the duo follow the folksy template, but this time Vayu’s lyrics are Punjabi, in a film set in Rajasthan. This one starts off like another ‘Chunar’ spawn, but soon sets in as a moving patriotic number — the shehnaai is the most remarkable instrument used here; it harks back to the old patriotic songs. Again, the arrangements sound muffled here too (what’s with the poor programming throughout the album?) but Sachin-Jigar’s tune is so strong, it can be overlooked. Also, Divya Kumar gives an amazing performance, especially in that gem of a hookline. Vayu’s lyrics are beautiful, incorporating the word ‘Kasumbi’, which is probably the name for the saffron colour associated with patriotism in Gujarat and Rajasthan.
The last two songs composed by Sachin-Jigar in this album, have soothing tunes and less of a folksy impact than the previous songs. Sapna is the trademark Sachin-Jigar romantic melody (a la ‘Meet’ from ‘Simran’) in its composition, but the lyrics by Sachin Sanghvi are not romantic at all. Overall it is a pleasant listen, which Sachin-Jigar doing their signature method of repeating an instrumental loop after the hookline. (The loop in this song sounds a lot like the one in ‘Maana Ke Hum Yaar Nahin’ from “Meri Pyaari Bindu”). Arijit Singh is himself in the song, and carries it off like he carries off every song he’s ever carried off. The guitars are enjoyable and soothing, and the sarangi is beautiful, and the song itself is fortunately short — any longer and it would’ve been too long.
The last song by Sachin-Jigar, De De Jagah, is yet another in the same vein as ‘Sapna’, but this time, the lyricist (poet and politician Dr. Kumar Vishwas) complements it with romantic lyrics. What strikes me right away, yet again, is that something is wrong with the mixing, making Yasser Desai’s voice sound like it has been recorded on WhatsApp. Sachin-Jigar’s vibrant composition is one of the best of theirs over the period of 2016-2018, and Yasser Desai, barring the bad use of his vocals, tries to do his best, and succeeds fairly enough. The guitars and tablas complement each other surprisingly well, and the harmonium provides the soul in the song. The tune of the hookline is what will get you hooked to this song, just like songs traditionally are supposed to do.
Now, the reason I described that as Sachin-Jigar’s last song, is because there’s a kind of guest composer we have in the album; he has been waiting patiently for his turn, and I’m more than happy to talk about his song. The man in question in Jeet Gannguli, who has somehow bagged a romantic (read Mohit Suri-like sob-inducing) song in a movie like this. Jitni Dafa is one of those songs we have heard enough of in Bollywood, and I can’t believe the makers would proactively damage their own music album by including such a song in the album. It starts off painfully simple, and until those ‘Aashiqui 2’-ish beats start, it isn’t that painful, but when they do start, you keep waiting for the song to end. Rashmi-Virag write great lyrics, but hey, I’m quite sure John’s character in the film has time to weep like this at such a critical time and dire situation. And the singer is Yasser Desai, trying his best to be a mix of Mustafa Zahid, Arijit Singh, Saim Bhatt and Atif Aslam.

Parmanu has a soundtrack that mostly sticks to the point (barring that guest song) but something is definitely wrong with the arrangements; if they had been better mixed and mastered, the sound would’ve been grander and more enjoyable!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 8 + 7 + 8.5 + 7 + 7.5 + 5 = 39

Album Percentage: 71.67%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Kasumbi > Shubh Din > De De Jagah > Thare Vaaste = Sapna > Jitni Dafa

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 19 (from previous albums) + 01 = 20

Which is your favourite song from Parmanu? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

DECEMBER 2017 ROUND-UP (FUKREY RETURNS, FIRANGI, TERA INTEZAAR & MONSOON SHOOTOUT – Mini Music Reviews)

It is time for my Round-Up for December 2017, which is slightly delayed due to me being so busy, but better late than never, right?

December 2017 Round-Up

This Round-Up includes the following music reviews:

1) Fukrey Returns – Prem-Hardeep, Jasleen Kaur Royal, Sumeet Bellary, Shaarib-Toshi, Gulraj Singh, IshQ Bector, Shree D & Laxmikant-Pyarelal

2) Firangi – Jatinder Shah

3) Tera Intezaar – Raaj Aashoo

4) Monsoon Shootout – Rochak Kohli, Viveick-Mayur, Chinmay Harshe, Chetan Rao & Vikram Shastry

The music review for “Tiger Zinda Hai” will be posted separately.

♦ Fukrey Returns, But Ram Sampath Doesn’t! – FUKREY RETURNS Music Review

♪ Music by: Prem-Hardeep, Jasleen Kaur Royal, Sumeet Bellary, Shaarib-Toshi, IshQ Bector, Shree D, Gulraj Singh & Laxmikant-Pyarelal
♪ Lyrics by: Kumaar, Late Anand Bakshi, Aditya Sharma, Satya Khare, Raftaar, Rohit Sharma, Arsalaan Akhoon, Shree D, Mrighdeep Singh Lamba & Vipul Vig
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 16th November 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 8th December 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn

So Fukrey has returned. Sadly, the man behind “Fukrey”s enjoyable music, Ram Sampath has not returned, and after his underwhelming stint in ‘Raees’, he doesn’t get a chance to bounce back with a franchise that was initially his. Anywho, let’s judge on what we have been given.
Prem-Hardeep, the original composers of ‘Kala Chashma’ before Badshah remade it in ‘Baar Baar Dekho’, get a chance now, to ruin somebody else’s song. Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s ‘O Meri Mehbooba’ (Dharam Veer) gets ‘remade’ into Mehbooba, a banal club song which starts and ends with the Fukras being rejected by a random girl in the club, who happens to be singing in Neha Kakkar’s voice. Yasser Desai gets one line that repeats over and over again, and it is frankly the best line of the song. Raftaar’s rap is too stereotypical. Jasleen Kaur Royal’s Peh Gaya Khalara, though fitting into her now-overused Punjabi dance number template, is quite enjoyable, with the sweet vocals by herself and Divya Kumar, Akasa Singh & Akanksha Bhandari accompanying them. The arrangements are what make the track more enjoyable, and also the quirky lyrics.
Familiar territory is entered in Ishq Bector & Shree D’s semiclassical Raina, which, though quite soothing, gets tedious due to its length (it is the only song on the album over three minutes long, and goes up to over four minutes long!) The arrangements help propel it forward though, and also Shree’s vocals. Shaarib-Toshi enter the Bollywood scene after a long time with a delightful Punjabi melody, Ishq De Fanniyar. The male version by Shaarib is great, but the Female Version has all the feels, hence scores higher. The beautiful melody seems like a wonderful sequel to the first movie’s ‘Ambarsariya’. The lyrics are sweet as well, not to mention amazing accordions in the arrangements.
The techno sounds come along with the last three songs, bunched up together, out of which two are by Sumeet Bellary (composed for ‘Fuddu’ last year), and one is by (another person who re-enters Bollywood as a composer after a loooooong time, longer than Shaarib-Toshi), Gulraj Singh.
Sumeet’s two songs rely on weird techno gimmicks, which fail to propel the songs forward. Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai is a quirky friendship anthem, but is pulled down by lack of catchiness in both music and composition. Bura Na Maano Bholi Hai is like a title song, but gets all over the place in no time. The arrangements are slightly better here. Both songs are sung by Gandharv Sachdev, wit Shahid Mallya joining him in the latter song, and aren’t all that well sung.
Gulraj does well in his title song, Fukrey Returns, with a nice catchy musical loop, and heavy use of brass and techno sounds which makes his song sound even better. Siddharth Mahadevan on the vocals is a bonus.

Not as great as the first movie’s album, but still a commendable album considering the amount of new talent on there. But nevertheless, I wish Ram Sampath had returned!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 3.5 + 3.5 + 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 + 3.5 = 27.5

Album Percentage: 68.75%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Ishq De Fanniyar = Ishq De Fanniyar (Female) > Peh Gaya Khalara = Tu Mera Bhai Nahi Hai = Raina = Fukrey Returns > Bura Na Maano Bholi Hai > Mehbooba

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 43 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Fukrey Returns) = 44

♦ Quite A Desi Album! : FIRANGI Music Review

♪ Music by: Jatinder Shah
♪ Lyrics by: Dr. Devendra Kafir, Ashraf Ali & Krishna Bhardwaj
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 21st November 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 1st December 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn

The song with almost the least amount of Punjabi words (second only to ‘Gulbadan’, which comes later on in the album) in its lyrics, Oye Firangi, starts the album off, and Jatinder Shah steals your heart right away. The charming melody immediately gets you grooving — thanks to a little EDM twist in the hookline — and though it is very simple, it is amazing thanks to the programming, and Sunidhi’s marvellous voice. There comes a British-era ballroom style orchestral portion at the end, but I wish the composer had extended that into another antara instead of ending the song with it! Another charming but heard-before melody, Sahiba Russ Gayiya, starts from where ‘Channa Mereya’ ended, with a similar structure and arrangement. Rahat’s voice is a boon to the song, and it’s the first song of his in a long time that doesn’t get on my nerves.(Ahem, ‘Mere Rashke Qamar’!) I love the way he pronounces the hookline. The Unplugged Version sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, is funnily named ‘Sahiba (Male)’, as if Rahat’s version wasn’t by a male singer. The song itself is an improvement on the original, in that we get to hear Shafqat’s impeccable aalaaps, and though the choice of Shafqat doesn’t make it sound less like a Pritam song in general [Shafqat is just as much of a Pritam camp singer as Rahat is!] it surely does sound less like ‘Channa Mereya’, because the electric guitars have been toned down. Acoustic guitars play the larger role here. However some factors make both versions balance out at the end.
If ‘Sahiba’ had ‘Channa Mereya’ written all over it, Tu Jit Jawna has ‘Bhaag Milkha Bhaag’s title song all, and I mean ALL over it! Daler Mehndi, who I wish had sung the BMB number too, sings this one, and so it is quite bearable, but otherwise, it falls flat and sounds hollow in its emotion. It is also lyrically a counterpart to ‘Oye Firangi’, except Daler paaji doesn’t call him a ‘Firangi’ (foreigner), while Sunidhi did.
Gulbadan is a Qawwali-esque number, sung by Mamta Sharma. Good to hear her sing a different kind of song, though I’m sure the video will be the same kind of Bollywood ‘item number’. The hookline is greatly composed, with amazing arrangements by Shah, but again, falling into the too much tried-and-tested category of arrangements. I guess the best that comes out of this song is hearing Mamta Sharma’s gentle voice, because she thankfully hasn’t been made to sing in the annoying loud voice of hers.
But the album’s best is the wonderful folksy number, Sajna Sohne Jiha, which transports you back to the Punjab of the olden days. Wadali Bros’ Qawwali ‘Ve Sone Diya Kangna’ has been given a nice reinterpretation by Shah, and it works so well. The rhythms at the beginning really bring out the song’s folksiness, and Jyoti Nooran’s strong voice helps propel it to the finish line, where it emerges the winner compared to the other songs of the album!

A very desi album to the film ‘Firangi!’

Total Points Scored by This Album: 3.5 + 3.5 + 4 + 3.5 + 3.5 + 5 = 23

Album Percentage: 76.67%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Sajna Sohne Jiha > Sahiba Russ Gayiya (Shafqat) > Oye Firangi = Tu Jit Jawna = Gulbadan = Sahiba Russ Gayiya

♦ No Intezaar for This Album! : TERA INTEZAAR Music Review

♪ Music By: Raaj Aashoo
♪ Lyrics by: Shabbir Ahmed
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 11th November 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 1st December 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn

After a long time (or is it the first time?), one single composer gets a chance to compose an album for a film starring Sunny Leone. Somehow, she debuted smack in the middle of the multicomposer craze and so, got mainly multiple composers to compose for all her films! Raaj Aashoo handles the album.
The title track, titled Intezaar Title, instead of a more apt ‘Tera Intezaar’ (Obviously, because that’s the film’s name), is a dreary 2000s melody, sung by Shreya Ghoshal too, as if she is still in her debut year. Adding to the ennui, is the Qawwali-ish chorus. Raaj’s composition is good, but dated. The arrangement is the best thing about the song, especially the flute. Another very typically 90s melody, Khali Khali Dil, sees Payal Dev and Armaan Malik at their clichéd best. The digital sounds do not help make it more ‘modern’ or anything, and even the harmonica fails to create any impact. Quite a similar sound follows in the dreary Mehfooz, another song straight out of Nadeem-Shravan’s music-bank. The guitar work makes it sound like a version of Mithoon’s ‘Sanam Re’ title track, sans the tablas. Yasser gets a version, and, sounding like Arijit as always, manages to make it sound genuinely interesting. The arrangements here too make this song much more interesting than ‘Khali Khali Dil’. The song appears in two more versions, one by Palak Muchhal and the other by a new singer named Hrishikesh Chury. Palak’s 2½ minute long version fares better than Hrishikesh’s normal length one, because of the pleasant arrangements. Also, Hrishikesh tries to sound like Kumar Sanu.
The best song on the album, Abhagi Piya Ki, becomes the best only because the others don’t deserve it. It appears in two versions, a banal one sung jarringly by Kanika Kapoor and Raja Hasan, and a slightly better version sung much better by Payal Dev and Javed Ali. The tablas that went missing from ‘Mehfooz’ seem to have come to this song, and they play in surplus. The semiclassical touch to the song is good, but the 90s melancholia seems to have followed the composer like a thundercloud whenever he sat to compose for this film.
The only song that does not sound anything like a 90s song is Sexy Baby Girl, and it doesn’t work because it tries to sound uber-cool with its lead singer Swati Sharrma, like always, trying to add unnecessary style to her words, resulting in a disaster. Also, the lyrics are cringeworthy.

This is not an album anyone would have waited for.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 3 + 2 + 2.5 + 2.5 + 2 + 3 + 3.5 + 3 = 21.5

Album Percentage: 53.75%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध< नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Abhagi Piya Ki (Javed/Payal) > Abhagi Piya Ki = Intezaar Title = Sexy Baby Girl > Mehfooz = Mehfooz (Palak) > Mehfooz (Hrishikesh) = Khali Khali Dil

♦ Surprising Monsoon in Winter!!: MONSOON SHOOTOUT Music Review

♪ Music by: Rochak Kohli, Viveick Rajagopalan, Mayur Narvekar, Chinmay Harshe, Chetan Rao & Vikram Shastry
♪ Lyrics by: Sumant Vadhera, Kartik Krishnan, Deepak Ramona, Chinmay Harshe, Rohit Bhasy, Neeraj Sharma, Vinit Gulati, Nidhi Gulati
♪ Music Label: Saregama
♪ Music Released On: 19th December 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 15th December 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn

Rochak gets two songs, and reminds us why he’s one composer that keeps popping up in numerous albums scattered over the year’s span. It is because of his strong melodies. Pal is a cherishable melody which, though predictable, does give you goosebumps, and makes you want it to rain. Arijit’s heart-touching rendition is enough to make anyone fall for the song. On the other hand Miliyo Re is a very Sachin-Jigar-ish romantic song, with Monali and Rochak behind the mic, with vocals that aren’t amazing, but are functional. The composition is good but very commonplace; not as distinct as Rochak’s other songs this year.
Viveick-Mayur present their only song Andheri Raat next, a haunting song with weird Marathi rap, and awesome Punjabi-flavoured male vocals. Neha Bhasin kills it behind the mic, as does her co-singer, Rajiv Sundaresan, doing the aforementioned Punjabi-flavoured portions. The Marathi rap by Aklesh Sutar is funny, and quite weird too.
The other three songs are quite situational, all by newcomers, with neither one exactly standing above the others. Chinmay Harshe’s Miss You Balma, by Akriti Kakar, is experimental but has you questioning “Why??” because the jazzy composition and the rock arrangements don’t really gel well with each other. Akriti aces the vocals though, singing in an unusually (for her) low pitch. The other duo, Chetan Rao & Vikram Shastry, present two songs, one being a folksy item song Maachis Ki Teeli, in which the very unconventional choice of singer, Bhavya Pandit, whi hasn’t ever sung such a song, proves to be great, as she adjusts to the song’s folksiness very well. Her co-vocalists provide good company as the loafers interjecting occasionally. The last song Faislay has a quite dated tune, and a very mismatching digital loop that starts it off, but Mandar Deshpande’s singing brings it up.

An album that is good, but still will be a wipeout.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 + 3.5 + 3 = 21

Album Percentage: 70%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Pal = Miliyo Re > Andheri Raat = Maachis Ki Teeli > Miss You Balma = Faislay

Hope you liked this section of reviews! The review for ‘Tiger Zinda Hai’ will be out soon!

NOVEMBER 2017 ROUND-UP #1 (ITTEFAQ, THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR, RIBBON, RAM RATAN, SHAADI MEIN ZAROOR AANA & JULIE 2 – Mini Music Reviews)

November 2017 Round-Up #1

NOVEMBER 2017 ROUND-UP #1

This round-up covers the following albums of November 2017 releases: ‘Ittefaq’ by Tanishk Bagchi, ‘The House Next Door’ by Girishh G, ‘Ribbon’ by Mikey McCleary & Sagar Desai, ‘Ram Ratan’ by Bappi Lahiri, ‘Julie 2’ by Rooh Band, Viju Shah & Javed-Mohsin, and ‘Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana’ by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Kaushik-Akash-Guddu for JAM8, Zain-Sam-Raees, Rashid Khan & Anand Raj Anand.

The ones that haven’t been covered in this post will be included in the next round-up for November, or will be written about in a separate post all for themselves.

♦ Intense & Intriguing, Ittefaq Se: ITTEFAQ Music Review

♪ Music by: Tanishk Bagchi & Bappi Lahiri
♪ Lyrics by: Anjaan, Tanishk Bagchi & Groot
♪ Music Label: Saregama
♪ Music Released On: 23rd October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 3rd November 2017

Listen to the song: Saavn
Buy the song: iTunes

The only song from this film is a Atmos-Pop remake of “Raat Baaki” (Namak Halaal), named Ittefaq Se. Tanishk Bagchi is back to his remaking streak, after some nice original music in “Shubh Mangal Saavdhan” with partner Vayu. He keeps the original song intact, and that’s good, and he mysterious vibe that accompanies the song goes well with the setting of the film. The beats are nice as well. The only place the song lacks is the vocals, where Jubin sounds like he always does, and is starting to sound monotonous now, and Nikhita eats up her words while producing an over-stylish voice. I would have preferred Neeti Mohan on this one. The change in lyrics from “Pyaar Se” to “Ittefaq Se” actually fits in really well!

A good remake, that called for better voices behind it!

Total Points Scored by This Song: 3.5

Song Percentage: 70%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 38 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Ittefaq) = 39

♦ As Always, Romance Predominates: THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR Music Review

♪ Music by: Girishh G
♪ Lyrics by: Shakeel Azmi, Vayu Srivastava & Chen-Yu Maglin
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 16th October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 3rd November 2017

Listen to the album: Saavn
Buy the album: iTunes

Girishh G starts the album off with a dulcet Mithoon-with-Bhatts-like melody, O Mere Sanam, that impresses because of its complexity, like every other Mithoon melody. Benny Dayal sings in his trademark husky tone for romantic songs, and the hookline is something that gives you goosebumps. Girissh’s piano is the highlight of the arrangements, while Shakeel Azmi’s lyrics are beautiful with a delicious assemblage of Urdu words. Ye Waqt Maut Ka Hai is aptly disturbing, demonic as it is, and the composition is frankly very bad. It is Vayu Srivastava’s lyrics that make the song disturbing, and not because it is scary! Because it is cringeworthy. Suraj Jagan spoils the vocals, his co-singer Shilpa Natarajan could’ve done just fine without him. Xiao Xiao Ma is a haunting Chinese lullaby-ish number, which is good as long as it lasts, volatilizing shortly afterwards. The last track, The House Next Door, is a short instrumental piece, which again has the problem of not being captivating, despite the wonderful use of strings.

Not the best album for Girishh to debut in Bollywood with!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 4.5 + 1.5 + 3 + 3 = 12

Album Percentage: 60%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध।< नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: O Mere Sanam > The House Next Door = Xiao Xiao Ma > Ye Waqt Maut Ka Hai

♦ Cute Little Ribbon: RIBBON Music Review

♪ Music by: Mikey McCleary & Sagar Desai
♪ Lyrics by: Dr. Sagar & Puneet Sharma
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 31st October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 3rd November 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Mikey McCleary presents a Sufi rock song, Charkha Ghoom Raha Hai, to start off the album, and also introduces a new singer Aniket Mangrulkar, a singer who is a much better tuned rock singer than the much-in-demand Amit Mishra. The composition by McCleary is irresistible, especially in the hook parts. The rhythms are spot on, and the lyrics too, are meaningful. Sagar Desai, the second composer, comes with a dulcet number, Har Mod Par Umeed Hai, which couldn’t have been better sung by anyone other than Jasleen Royal with her sweet voice. The composition is slow and jazzy, and so it takes some time to love, but it is at par with the first song on the lyrics front.

This seems to be the season for short and sweet (and most importantly, script-driven) soundtracks.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 4 + 3.5 = 7.5

Album Percentage: 75%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Charkha Ghoom Raha Hai > Har Mod Par Umeed Hai

♦ Bappi’s Music Ratan Has Lost Its Shine!: RAM RATAN Music Review

♪ Music by: Bappi Lahiri
♪ Lyrics by: Deepak Sneh
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 12th October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 3rd November 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

So, I only heard this album because the music composer was Bappi Lahiri, and I should’ve realised he is so irrelevant these days as far as composing goes. Nevertheless, here’s the “review” — a highly uninterested one, at that. Nand Lala starts off thinking it is ‘Bairi Piya’ (Devdas), but then goes off into a ‘Maiyya Yashoda’ (Hum Saath Saath Hain), and then becomes cheesier than any Krishna song ever. Palak’s cheap vocals do not help. The composition is bad, as expected, and Bappi doesn’t give anything great in the arrangements either. Instead he adds a cringeworthy English “rap” in the interlude! 😣 Nagada Nagada is the most dated 2000s Gujarati dhol mix, and Raja Hasan and Bhoomi Trivedi are made to sing like pop artists making a Garba album to be sold outside temples. Yeh Hai Dance Bar is as cheesy as its name — and Bappi is singing it himself. He tries to make it full of techno sounds but it flops. Jal Jal Jal Rahi Hain Raatein, starts off as if it could be the best of the album, with the irresistible sensuous tabla beats that R.D. Burman used in ‘Jaane Do Na’ (Saagar), but as soon as Sadhana starts with her outdated voice, it goes downhill. Mohammed Irfan too, sings like Bappi Lahiri! It turns out to be the most cringeworthy song on the album.

Bappi Lahiri clearly has lost his Music Ratan!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 1.5 + 0.5 + 2 = 6.5

Album Percentage: 32.5%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Why don’t you just skip it? I might be the only one in the world to have had the honour of listening to it!

♦ Reprise Versions Zaroor Sunna: SHAADI MEIN ZAROOR AANA Music Review

♪ Music by: Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Kaushik-Akash-Guddu for JAM8, Raees-Zain-Saim, Rashid Khan & Anand Raaj Anand
♪ Lyrics by: Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Kunaal Vermaa, Shakeel Azmi, Kumaar & Gaurav Krishna Bansal
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 24th October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 10th November 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Out of the three versions that Jogi appears in, any layman would pick Shafqat’s version as the best – owing to his seasoned voice and classical prowess, and amazing nuances, not to mention Arko’s clever usage of wedding sounds at the beginning. The duet version is spoiled by Yasser trying to ape Shafqat’s singing style, and Arko’s typical duff rhythms with harmonica. The female version by Aakanksha Sharma is good too, where Aakanksha sounds like a better version of Palak Muchhal. The overall composition, though, is typical of Arko now, and he needs to move on from this. It is the sister of ‘Tere Sang Yaara’ and ‘Nazm Nazm’. Kaushik-Akash-Guddu compose Main Hoon Saath Tere for JAM8, another song that relies on the company’s previous success, ‘Zaalima’. The digital tune is tweaked, and Harshdeep gets kicked out, and some notes undergo permutations and combinations, and voila! We get this song. The hookline reminds me of some song, but I cannot remember at all which one! Arijit’s singing is very dull and he seems asleep, but Shivani Bhayana’s female version is pretty good, with different arrangements. The song falls flat in the antara though. It is Pallo Latke by newcomers Raees-Zain-Saim, which surprisingly becomes the song of the album, as an individual song (not including the various versions). As a remake of a Rajasthani folk song, it is surprisingly good, and will do until we get to hear some real Rajasthani folk music in “Padmavati”. Jyotica Tangri sounds amazing here, sweeter than she does in her Neha Kakkar avatar. Yasser spoils the song again, along with Fazilpuria’s annoyingly interrupting rap. The Dr. Zeus-esque tumbi seems out of place in a Rajasthani song though. Rashid Khan returns after a loooooooooong time, to give another typical romantic song Tu Banja Gali Benaras Ki, again in three versions, out of which once again, Shafqat’s steals the thunder. The composition is nothing special, it is Rashid’s usual sweet as sugar tune which is oh-so-predictable. Asees sounds sweet in her version, while newcomer Asit Tripathy also does well. Asit’s version scores high because of the beautiful Rajasthani arrangements — the ravanhatta being most prominent. The lyrics resemble those of ‘Main Rang Sharbaton Ka’ (Phata Poster Nikhla Hero), and are good enough until they become very cringeworthy with the Hinglish portion. Last on the album is veteran Anand Raaj Anand’s angsty rock song (in two versions) Mera Intkaam Dekhegi about a boy warning his girlfriend (ex-girlfriend??) that if she rejects him, she will have to see his revenge. Oh, the melodrama. She should just say, “Oh alright, let me get my camera too so the world can see it too.” Krishna hurts the ears with his painful rendition, and Anand’s was skip-worthy right from the beginning.

An ensemble of composers bring five pleasant, but heard-before songs, and are forced to make innumerable versions of them, to make sure we never forget them. No wonder the newcomers steal the cake.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 4.5 + 4 + 4 + 3 + 3.5 + 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 4 + 1.5 + 1 = 37

Album Percentage: 67.27%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Jogi (Shafqat Version) > Pallo Latke = Jogi (Duet) = Jogi (Female) = Tu Banja Gali Benaras Ki (Asit) = Tu Banja Gali Benaras Ki (Shafqat) > Main Hoon Saath Tere (Female) = Tu Banja Gali Benaras Ki (Female) > Main Hoon Saath Tere (Male) > Mera Intkaam Dekhegi (Krishna) > Mera Intkaam Dekhegi (Anand)

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 39 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana) = 40

♦ Raunchy Diaries: JULIE 2 Music Review

♪ Music by: Viju Shah, Rooh Band, Atif Ali & Javed-Mohsin
♪ Lyrics by: Sameer Anjaan & Shabbir Ahmed
♪ Music Label: Divo Music / VMS Music / Publishing Sdn Bhd
♪ Music Released On: 18th September 2017
♪ Movie Releases On: 24th November 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Rooh Band & Atif Ali’s debut in Bollywood starts off with quite a corny title song Oh Julie, which is good enough as far as the arrangements and rhythm go, but the vocals and lyrics pull it down; stuff we have heard time and again. Their second song Koi Hausla Toh Hoh, also sung by their leading vocalist Anupam Nair, is the everyday Pakistani pop, something even the Bhatts would resist from including in their albums now, with staid lyrics like “Saanson Ka Chalte Rehna Hi Toh zindagi nahin”. Veteran composer Viju Shah’s stint of three songs for this album is devoid of much electronic disturbance. The romantic song Kabhi Jhootha Lagta Hai, is a typical 90s melody, in which the singer Mistu Bardhan sounds like Sadhana Sargam does in her live concerts. The voice is harsh to the ears. The reprise version Aise Kya Baat Hai, in Palak Muchhal’s voice, is better only because the voice is more ear-friendly. Otherwise, the song is just as flat and dated. His third song happens to be a raunchy item number, Kharama Kharama, sung by Pawni Pandey, and which surprisingly fares much better, thanks to the irresistible South Indian rhythm. Again, it is bogged down by a typically 90s composition, and the lyrics obviously. Javed-Mohsin, nephews of Sajid-Wajid, present the last song, Mala Seenha, sung by Mamta Sharma, a tedious rehash of their uncles’ item songs with the singer. Again, the rhythms are the only worthy parts of the song.

An album that you will automatically avoid.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 2 + 2 + 2.5 + 3 + 3 = 15

Album Percentage: 50%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Kharama Kharama = Mala Seenha > Aise Kya Baat Hai = Oh Julie > Kabhi Jhootha Lagta Hai = Koi Hausla Toh Hoh

Hope you enjoyed this Round-up! Second one coming soon!!

OCTOBER 2017 ROUND-UP (CHEF, TU HAI MERA SUNDAY, RANCHI DIARIES, GOLMAAL AGAIN, JIA AUR JIA — Mini Music Reviews) + Important Announcement!!

The Important Announcement

Due to the scarcity of time, from now on, I will sum up the entire month’s reviews in a set of two articles each month, one usually around the 15th of the month and the other towards the end. Of course, certain albums that I feel need a separate post (either because they might have many songs, or be spectacular albums, or even if the movies are highly awaited ones) I will do so for those albums. I will reveal the chosen album for this month — it’ll be “Secret Superstar” — I don’t guarantee it’ll be rated very high, but because of the buzz surrounding it, it requires a separate post, I feel! Meanwhile, the usual monthly awards posts will sum everything up once again at the end of every month in the form of awards. I really hope this format helps me balance my schedule! And I can’t wait to return to my normal long posts — till then enjoy your luck of getting to read short reviews from my side!!

October 2017 Round-Up

So this post will cover the reviews for the all but two of October releases that have already released — ‘Chef’ by Raghu Dixit & Amaal Mallik, ‘Tu Hai Mera Sunday’ by Amartya Rahut (Bobo), ‘Ranchi Diaries’ by Nickk, Jeet Gannguli, Tony Kakkar & Bobby-Imran, ‘Golmaal Again’ by Amaal Mallik, Thaman S., Lijo George-DJ Chetas & Abhishek Arora, and ‘Jia Aur Jia’ by Sachin Gupta, Nisschal Zaveri & Sameer Nichani. There will be separate reviews for ‘Secret Superstar’ and ‘Rukh’, both by Amit Trivedi.

♦ A Delectable Treat For The Ears: CHEF Music Review

♪ Music by: Raghu Dixit & Amaal Mallik
♪ Lyrics by: Ankur Tewari & Rashmi-Virag
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 26th September 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 6th October 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Listen to ‘Tere Mere’: Saavn
Buy ‘Tere Mere’: iTunes

Raghu Dixit starts off the album with Shugal Laga Le, a song having a heavy folk influence from Kerala. The backing vocalists provide that freshness associated with Kerala, and Raghu’s characteristic voice makes it all the more intriguing to listen to. In his arrangements too, he adds a dash of everything, and especially those percussions are mind blowing, along with the banjo. Ankur’s lyrics made me acquainted with a new phrase “Shugal Laga Le” meaning “find a hobby, or find something to do”. The next song by him is also reliant on folk music, this time Celtic/Irish. Banjaara is steeped heavily on the beautiful flutes that characterise Irish music, with amazing percussion and backing vocals yet again. Vishal Dadlani does great justice to the sing with those power-packed vocals. The song is one of those many motivational songs that Vishal gets to sing in Bollywood, except that this time, it has a whole new style to it. The mellow Darmiyaan, exudes a positivity in spite of the fact that it is a sad song — mostly because of Raghu’s ebullience. A splendid guitar backdrop makes it simple and sweet, and Raghu’s diction has to be lauded. Raghu takes forth the melancholia in a more Bollywood-ish way in Khoya Khoya, which I rank as the best of the album — underrated Shahid Mallya taking charge of the vocals in a very beautiful way, and Dixit’s composition has that old-world-charm to it. The sarangi is quite impressive here! The alternative rock set up will make this one loveable to many! Raghu’s last song on the album is the effervescent Tan Tan, rendered with spunk by Nikhita Gandhi, the only female vocalist on the album. In her texture, she gives off vibes of Shalmali and Shefali. Guest composer Amaal Mallik, whose song Tere Mere was also removed from the album later, produces a song you can immediately tell is by him. That doesn’t make its richness diluted, though — it’s still wonderful, with the nice dholak rhythm accompanying Armaan Malik’s beautiful voice. Also, Rashmi-Virag’s lyrics are amazing!
All in all, Chef is one of the best albums of the year in that it is a clever mix of melancholia, inspiration and romance. Raghu Dixit must sign more and more Bollywood films — I firmly believe that this is his best Bollywood album yet!

Total Points Scored by This Album (in the order mentioned in the review): 4 + 5 + 4 + 5 + 4.5 + 4 = 26.5

Album Percentage: 88.3%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Banjaara = Khoya Khoya > Tan Tan > Tere Mere = Shugal Laga Le = Darmiyaan

♦ A Perfect Sunday Album: TU HAI MERA SUNDAY Music Review

♪ Music by: Amartya Rahut
♪ Lyrics by: Milind Dhaimade
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 29th September 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 6th October 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Out of Arijit’s two songs, the classically-steeped sad song Dhundlo Tum fares better, with an addictive strings orchestra accompanying it, and it quickly steers away from the Bhatt-ish genre that it starts off with. Had that continued, it wouldn’t have been half as good. The digital Sitar is beautiful. His other song, Thodi Si Jagah, is also classical-based for some initial parts, before it turns into an upbeat number that loses itself halfway through the song. The rock backdrop ofthe hook line couldn’t have been more clichéd. Arijit’s vocal prowess is clearly showcased in the song though. It is Amartya’s violin solo that impresses though, with its distinct classical tune. The title song, Tu Hai Mera Sunday, takes a pleasant Christmassy turn, with soft jazz making your ears happy. Shalmali renders it with a familiarity that makes you feel amazing. The brass portions have been done really well here, as are the drums. The clarinet and piano is wonderful too. It is nothing more than the lyrics that make it sound even more personal though. Ash King’s Yeh Mera Man is a pleasant departure from his previous song ‘Bandook Meri Laila’ (A Gentleman) and brings him back to his comfort zone. Again, a jazzy tune gives the song a kind of spring, and that whistle portion is so pleasantly surprising and charming, it is hard to dislike. The guitars are impressive here. Yeh Jo Pyaar Hai, a clubbish number sung by Nandini Srikar, is probably the weakest of the album, where the tune and the arrangement are just mismatched; the hookline sounds like this song was pitched for the situation of ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ (Don) before ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ was finalised.
Amartya’s best album to date provides us with a nice mix of classical music, jazz music and a banal club number! This album will go highly underrated and unnoticed though!

Total Points Scored by This Album (in order mentioned in the review): 4.5 + 4 + 4 + 3.5 + 3 = 19

Album Percentage: 76%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Dhundhlo Tum > Thodi Si Jagah = Tu Hai Mera Sunday > Yeh Mera Man > Yeh Jo Pyaar Hai

♦ Uninteresting Diaries: RANCHI DIARIES Music Review

♪ Music by: Nickk, Jeet Gannguli, Tony Kakkar & Bobby-Imran
♪ Lyrics by: Nickk, Manoj Muntashir, Tony Kakkar & Sattwik Mohanty
♪ Music Label: T-Series
♪ Music Released On: 7th October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 13th October 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Some newcomer Nickk is — he has just been made to make another ‘Baby Doll’, now that Meet Bros. just be refusing to do it. However, Fashion Queen has something in addition to the usual ‘Baby Doll’ sequels — an Arabic strings backdrop that just helps it as much as a car can help you fly. The new singer Raahi seems disillusioned with the ideals that it is okay to sing like Kanika Kapoor if you aren’t her. The composer’s rap is dumb. Helicopter‘s lyricist and composer Tony Kakkar uses the word ‘helicopter’ as a metaphor for ‘getting high’. 😶 Siblings Tony and Neha render it with as much mediocrity as they can muster. I can’t believe Tony is the same guy behind ‘Saawan Aaya Hai’ (Creature 3D) and ‘Khuda Bhi’ (Ek Paheli Leela), but then he has made ‘Ek Do Teen Chaar’ (Ek Paheli Leela) and ‘Do Peg Maar’ (One Night Stand). Jeet Gannguli’s Thoda Aur is the composer’s usual pathos-filled romantic number — you would think that after a year-long break, he would return with something pleasant. But it is the same old Arijit-Palak love story. And the irony is that this song sounds like ‘Saawan Aaya Hai’ (Creature 3D). So did Tony help him here instead of making his own song better? 😏 The last song is a banal Mika solo Godfather, composed by Pritam’s former assistants Bobby-Imran, which I couldn’t even finish once when I started to listen to it.
This is a Hodge-podge of the worst songs from the weirdest mix of composers ever.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 2 + 1.5 + 3 + 0.5 = 7

Album Percentage: 35%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Thoda Aur > Fashion Queen > Helicopter > Godfather

♦ Amaal Ka Kamaal (Again): GOLMAAL AGAIN Music Review

♪ Music by: Amaal Mallik, Thaman S., Lijo George, DJ Chetas, Abhishek Arora, Anu Malik & Raamlaxman
♪ Lyrics by: Kumaar & Rahat Indori
♪ Music Label: T-Series [“Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate” on Saregama]
♪ Music Released On: 6th October 2017
♪ Movie Released On: 20th October 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Listen to “Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate”: Saavn

The album to the much-awaited fourth instalment to the ‘Golmaal’ series starts with the Title Track, where South film composer Thaman S. is called in just to do that clichéd Kuthu rhythm we are all bored of. Brijesh Shandilya does well as the lead male singer, but Aditi Singh Sharma sounds utterly replaceable. She gets another song, Itna Sannata Kyun Hai, composed by Lijo George and DJ Chetas, where her part towers over her male co-singer Amit Mishra’s parts. The hookline is like a desperate scream in our ears, to make noise. The EDM after the hookline is so bad, I can’t describe it. Amaal Mallik, lead composer, gets two songs, where one is obviously a 90s remake. ‘Neend Churayi Meri’ (Ishq) is the privileged song, named by the company as Maine Tujhko Dekha. The song’s best part is that Neeraj Sridhar returns after a long time to sing a song that is tailor-made for his song. Sukriti Kakar complements him well, but the song is better as an individual song than it is as a remake. Had the hookline been original, it would have been amazing! Amaal’s second song happens to be the album’s best — Hum Nahi Sudhrenge gives those rays of positivity like ‘Apna Har Din’ did in ‘Golmaal 3’. Though the song is similar to Amaal’s other EDM numbers like “Sooraj Dooba Hai”, “Buddhu Sa Mann” and “Zindagi Aa Raha Hoon Main”, it works well because of its positivity and Armaan yet again sings charmingly! What Saregama holds of the album is an unplugged, slow-paced version of ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’s Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate, sung very simply by Nikhil D’Souza and Anushka Manchanda, and arranged soothingly by Abhishek Arora (of Abhishek-Akshay) and Samyuktha Narendran. It doesn’t work too much though, in spite of not changing much from the old song.
The worst Golmaal album is held up solely by Amaal’s songs (or song).

Total Points Scored by This Album: 2.5 + 2.5 + 3.5 + 4 + 3.5 = 16

Album Percentage: 64%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Hum Nahi Sudhrenge > Maine Tujhko Dekha = Aate Jaate Hanste Gaate > Itna Sannata Kyun Hai = Golmaal Again (Title Track)

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 35 (from previous albums) + 02 (from Golmaal Again) = 37

♦ Nisschal O Nisschal, Aur Compose Karo! : JIA AUR JIA Music Review

♪ Music by: Nisschal Zaveri, Sachin Gupta, Sameer Nichani & Shankar-Jaikishan
♪ Lyrics by: Mudassar Aziz, Raqueeb Alam, Vachaspati Mishra & Hasrat Jaipuri
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company [“Jia O Jia Reprise” on Saregama]
♪ Music Released On: 17th October 2017
♪ Movie Releases On: 27th October 2017

Listen to the songs: Saavn
Buy the songs: iTunes

Listen to “Jia O Jia Reprise”: Saavn

The songs by Sachin Gupta start off the album, and though they do not impress you immediately, you do get attuned to them on hearing them for a couple of times. Na Shukre is a wild rock song about carefree girls, and Smita Malhotra makes a rocking debut with her vocals in this, the rock guitars played wonderfully. Shivani Bhayana’s Naach Basanti, on the other hand, is a bit too rowdy to go with its amazing club arrangements, but apparently by the lyrics, it is supposed to be some sort of an ode to “Sholay”. Many of the small additions by Gupta in this song happen to catch your attention, like the techno sounds at the beginning, and the folksy portion at the end.
The newcomer composer, Nisschal Zaveri, steps in for the rest of the songs (with lyrics) and I must say, he does quite an amazing job in his first album itself. His lullaby-ish, classical-based Na Jaa appears in two versions, one in Asees Kaur’s voice, with a stark resemblance to her singing in ‘Kaari Kaari’ (Dobaara), while the other is in Nandini Srikar’s voice. Obviously, Nandini’s version wins my heart because of her seasoned voice and more classically inclined singing. The Tabla in this song has to be mentioned, as do the strings, guitars and mandolin. The arrangements overpower the voice of Asees in her version, another drawback of that version. Nandini’s version has everything that the music buff longs for in a good song.
Zaveri’s other song, released by Saregama, is a reprise of Shankar-Jaikishan-Mohd. Rafi classic Jia O Jia, and is an apt remake of the song, with an upbeat clubbish sound, one of the freshest remakes I’ve heard this year. The song feels like a splash of water on your face — despite being a remake, Zaveri uses his creativity to make it a bit unconventional, without being bogged down by the thought of what’s popular these days. The synth has been used amazingly, and the backing chorus singing “Jia O” after every hook is just sweet! Jyotica sounds amazing in this song, the least she has sounded like Neha Kakkar ever! But Rashid Ali, being heard after a long time, falls flat due to the excessive programming done to his voice. The Latino turn of sound midway into the song takes time to get used to, but is awesome!
The background score composer for the film, Sameer Nichani, gets one of his instrumental pieces added to the album, and it is called Jia Aur Jia Theme, and is heavy on Spanish guitars, played in a very sensuous way. It is extremely short at one and a half minute, but soothes your senses for all its worth.
A hidden gem of an album, wherein we find a new composer who must get many, many more songs in Bollywood!! Zaveri scores higher than Gupta here.

Total Points Scored by This Album: 3.5 + 3 + 4 + 5 + 4 + 4 = 23.5

Album Percentage: 78.33%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Na Jaa By Nandini > Jia O Jia Reprise = Na Jaa = Jia Aur Jia Theme > Na Shukre > Naach Basanti

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 37 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Jia Aur Jia) = 38

I hope that wasn’t too long (though I know it was) but this is what I’m going to have to do until I am a bit more free. I personally liked this method of reviewing and don’t mind continuing it forever too! So maybe, just maybe, you might get the “Secret Superstar” and “Rukh” reviews in this format too, but in separate posts and not clubbed together! Lets see! Till then, enjoy music! 😉

EACH SONG, DOBAARA! (DOBAARA – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Samira Koppikar, D. Wunder & Macks Wolf
♪ Lyrics by: Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Puneet Sharma, D. Wunder & Tasha Tah
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 24th May 2017
♪ Movie Releases On: 2nd June 2017

Dobaara Album Cover

To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE

To buy this album on iTunes CLICK HERE

Dobaara is an upcoming Bollywood horror film, starring Huma Qureshi, Saqib Saleem, Adil Hussain, Lisa Ray and Rhea Chakraborty in crucial roles. The film has been directed by Prawaal Raman and produced by the director along with Ishaan Saksena, Vikram Khakhar and Sunil Shah. It is an official remake of the 2013 Hollywood horror film ‘Oculus’, which is considered to be one of the scariest movies of all time. So horror films in Bollywood have been very miserably made, with people flying around so pathetically that it looks hilarious. For once, I feel that this is going to be a well-made horror film in Bollywood. Of course, another thing typical of Bollywood horror films is that they have romantic songs. For ‘Dobaara’, the music has been composed by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Samira Koppikar, D. Wunder and Macks Wolf. Well, I know nothing about the latter two names, so I can’t speak about them, but I am expecting a lot from the first two names — Arko and Samira. Arko has been giving great songs for the whole of the last year and I don’t think he wants to stop now, so expecting good, creative songs from him. Meanwhile, Samira has vanished from composing after her amazing debut more than two years ago, with ‘Maati ka Palang’ (NH10). And she’s back now. Again, expecting a good song from her. So let’s see exactly how haunting the music of ‘Dobaara’ is!

1. Kaari Kaari / Kaari Kaari (Reprise Version)

Singers ~ Arko Pravo Mukherjee & Asees Kaur / Arko Pravo Mukherjee & Payal Dev, Music by ~ Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Lyrics by ~ Arko Pravo Mukherjee

“Maazi ko maazi rehne de, ankhiyon se nadiyaan behne de,
Toote inn waqt ke tukdon ko, rab ki farmaaish sehne de,
Shaakhon se kaliyaan tooti hai, jab se tu khud se yun roothi hai,
Zara dekh gaur se, oh saaiyaan, aks yeh tera, tu hi hai!”

– Arko Pravo Mukherjee

The song with which Arko starts off the album, reassures me yet again, that he is going to give amazing songs for this album. A beautiful, and by beautiful I mean extremely beautiful and more than that too, semiclassical melody is what the album starts with, and Arko can bask in the success of the song as it will reach many a listener’s hearts. The composition is a semiclassical melody that instantly hooks you, and Arko has structured it in a way that Bollywood songs usually aren’t. For example, after the mukhda, there’s a short stanza that doesn’t fall into any category and it goes “Tere jaisa hi dikhta hai, aks tera..” That stanza is bliss! The antara is just as soothing as the mukhda, while the hookline (which is subtly hidden within the Mukhda/antara) is just outstanding. As in all classical tunes, this one has intricate nuances, and the vocalists carry them out well. The song, featuring in two version, gets everything right in both versions. The arrangements are slightly different in each version. The first version has a beautiful, acoustic setting, with the guitar riff sounding mind blowing. Piano starts it off with a wonderful female voice programmed so as to enchant you right at the beginning! But the guitar riff that sets in once the melody starts, is just so simple and down-to-earth, that it is tough to dislike! The slide guitars + snaps combo in the interlude is wonderful as well. The Reprise takes the more classical route, and it starts off in a different way altogether. The guitar riff has been scrapped from this, and replaced by digital beats, along with something sounding like a Chinese xylophone. The arrangements of this one were a major throwback to ‘Ab Tohe Jaane Na Dungi’ (Bajirao Mastani), and how coincident that Payal Dev has sung that one too. This one has an amazing aalaap in the interlude, and it is entrancing. Of course, no Arko song is completed without at least one guitar strum or riff, and he brings the guitar into play in the antara. The vocals are flawless in both versions. Asees in her version, gives her career best performance, and it sends chills down the spine listening to her perfecting each and every note, especially the nuances in the hookline. Payal, on the other hand, gives a more classically-toned rendition, which is probably why I remember the ‘Bajirao Mastani’ song. The thing to note is when she suddenly goes high in one of the hooklines towards the end. That was splendid! Arko, with his deep voice, enters in the antara, but complements the two ladies well in their respective songs. He writes the lyrics as well, and gives an aptly romantic, and soulful piece. A mind-blowing classical-based song, but kept extremely simple, all the better to win hearts with! 💜

Rating: 5/5 for Original, 5/5 for Reprise

2. Humdard / Humdard (Alt. Version)

Singers ~ Jyotica Tangri / Neha Pandey & Parry G, Music by ~ Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Lyrics by ~ Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Rap in Alt. Version Written by ~ Parry G

“Takleef hogi, bechain honge, yeh raaste hain pathreeley,
Woh Zindagi ki, kahaani kaisi, ke bin lade hi jo jee le!”

– Arko Pravo Mukherjee

The next song by Arko, is highly disappointing. It is supposed to be some kind of sad song, but it barely manages to get the emotion right. The composition is more like a club song where a lady is sitting and singing a song while the main characters are sitting in the bar trying to forget their breakup. The beginning itself is so abrupt and odd, that it is tough to go on trying to like the song. The antara is good compared to the rest of the song, though. The arrangements are mostly digital beats that irritate mostly, and remind one of the songs from the ‘Saansein’ (2016) album. However, there’s a nice portion on strings that is mildly entertaining. Both versions have basically the same arrangements, but they differ in the vocal department. And both singers, I must say, fail to fit the bill here, and both of their renditions turn out to be least satisfying. The first version has Jyotica Tangri trying to be Neha Kakkar again, but even Neha Kakkar wouldn’t have sounded great in this song. Maybe Sonu Kakkar. And in the Alternate Version, newcomer Neha Pandey doesn’t impress at all, unfortunately; she suddenly changes vocal tones and that sounds very weird. And a quite impressive rapid rap by Parry G, who impressed even in ‘Jai Maa’ (Behen Hogi Teri), also features in the second version. I must say he sounds a lot like Yo Yo Honey Singh. The lyrics by Arko, are the saving grace of the song. They are actually good, and deserved a better composition to accompany them! A disaapointment from Arko after that brilliant song.

Rating: 1/5 for the Original, 1.5/5 for the Alternate Version

3. Ab Raat (Version 1) / Ab Raat (Version 2)

Singers ~ Arijit Singh / Samira Koppikar & Jonathan Rebeiro, Music by ~ Samira Koppikar, Lyrics by ~ Puneet Sharma

“Dard dard andhera, zakhm si chaandni, Dhul jaayegi dhoop mein,
Sard haathon ka ghera, shehar ki berukhi, kho jaayegi goonj mein,
Parindon ki azaanein, gungunaati raah bhi, kehti hain aankhein choomke,
Bas, Abb raat guzarne waali hai, abb raat guzarne waali hai,
Abb raat guzarne waali hai, bas raat guzarne waali hai!”

– Puneet Sharma

At first, I thought this song is a remake of the old song ‘Ab Raat Guzarne Waali Hai’ (Awara), because the lyrics of the hook are the same, but it apparently isn’t, because this song has been released by Zee and not Saregama. 😂 Anyway, Samira steps in with her song, and even this song features twice. (The makers are really taking the title ‘Dobaara’ very seriously, huh?) However, I have no complaints with this song featuring twice. The song is a very, very soulful composition that gives you goosebumps. It is songs like this that must be added into horror films and not useless romantic songs. Samira’s composition is haunting to the core, very apt for the situation. The mukhda starts a bit slowly, but as soon as the hookline plays for the first time, you start getting intrigued and immerse yourself into the song. The first antara has an amazing tune, as does the second one, which is more like a Pritam-ish conclusion, rather than an antara. The arrangements by Samira, are yet another example of how to impress with the most used and most clichéd template ever. She employs a very effective soft rock arrangement to the first version, and it provides the required strength to the composition, which would sound sleepy without it. The drums, acoustic guitars and rock guitars complement each other very well, and it provides such a BEAUTIFUL ambience, spellbinding indeed. A Version 2 has been given a more acoustic treatment till the hookline starts, with the Acoustic guitar prominent. However, instead of making it plain and boring with only the guitar, Samira adds in a bit of this and a bit of that to make it sound better. A heart-rending flute has been employed in various places, and especially the interlude’s flute portion is something not to miss. Samira still doesn’t resist to add the drums here either, though. So this version sounds more like a Lounge Version, due to the combination of the flute, acoustic guitars and drums. Vocals are again flawless in both versions, Arijit at his soulful best, and Samira singing in a very different voice than she has in her other songs. She keeps it high-pitched, unlike the low pitch she uses in many of her songs. She has a co-singer named Jonathan Rebeiro, who has given a couple of words here and there as backing vocals. Last but definitely not the least, can we admire the lyrics here? The song is such a soulful song, but behind that tune are the genius words of Puneet Sharma, who writes less frequently, but has written some amazing songs for ‘Revolver Rani’ (2014; also the first album I ever reviewed!!) and songs for albums like ‘Cute Kameena’ (2016), ‘Mr. Joe B. Carvalho’ (2014) and ‘Aurangzeb’ (2013). But here, he gives another amazing piece of writing, which I just instantly fell for. The song is about waiting for the dark times to pass, and as they say, “This too shall pass”. A ravishing song!

Rating: 4.5/5 for Version 1, 5/5 for Version 2

4. Malang

Singers ~ Tasha Tah & D. Wunder, Music by ~ D. Wunder & Macks Wolf, Lyrics by ~ D. Wunder & Tasha Tah

“Malang Malang Maiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn” 🐏

– D Wunder

This next song makes me recheck whether I’m actually listening to the ‘Dobaara’ album anymore or not. A generic Punjabi club number on the lines of Dr. Zeus’ songs is what makes up the “grand” finale to this album. The composition is so irritating at places, but catchy in some places. The hookline has the lead female singer bleating like a sheep, “Maiiiiiiiiiiinnnnnnn”. That part is so irritating. The arrangements are typical club beats, but they aren’t so engaging. The vocals are execrable, and I’ve given an example up above. The English parts of the song are enjoyable though. But that’s like a “One in a million” good part, to quote the song. The Punjabi parts are so irritating, you forget to like anything else. Lyrics? What lyrics? Appalling.

Rating: 0.5/5

Dobaara is an album that depends on the Reprise versions to propel it. Three out of the four songs have another reprise, so that we hear it again. Thankfully, all these reprises are either better than or equal in comparison with the original songs, so I’m not complaining. Arko strikes gold, and what shiny gold, in the first song of his, but disappoints with the next one. Meanwhile, Samira Koppikar gets her guest composition extremely well, in both versions. Whoever D Wunder & Macks Wolf are, I hope they aren’t looking at Bollywood for a career. An album that gets a much higher rating than it would have, thanks to reprises, which made us hear the songs “dobaara”!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 5 + 5 + 1 + 1.5 + 4.5 + 5 + 0.5 = 22.5

Album Percentage: 64.29%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Kaari Kaari = Kaari Kaari (Reprise) = Ab Raat (Version 2) > Ab Raat (Version 1) > Humdard (Alt. Version) > Humdard > Malang

Which is your favourite song from Dobaara? Please vote for it below! Thanks! 🙂

A BEHEN WHO CAN’T DANCE, BUT CAN ONLY ROMANCE! (BEHEN HOGI TERI – Music Review)

Music Album Details
♪ Music by: Kaushik-Akash-Guddu for JAM8, Rishi Rich, Jaidev Kumar, Amjad-Nadeem, Yash Narvekar & R.D. Burman
♪ Lyrics by: Bipin Das, Yash Narvekar, Amit Dhanani, Late Anand Bakshi, Sonu Saggu, Rohit Sharma, Parry G & Raftaar
♪ Music Label: Zee Music Company
♪ Music Released On: 23rd May 2017
♪ Movie Releases On: 9th June 2017

Behen Hogi Teri Album Cover

To hear the full songs of this album on Saavn CLICK HERE

To buy this album on iTunes CLICK HERE

Behen Hogi Teri is an upcoming Bollywood romantic comedy starring Shruti Hassan, Rajkummar Rao, Gautam Gulati and Gulshan Grover in lead roles. The film is directed by Ajay K. Pannalal and produced by Tony D’Souza, Amul Vikas Mohan and Nitin Upadhyaya. The film’s slogan is “All Indians are NOT Brothers and Sisters!” Well, going by the trailer and this slogan thingy, it seems like a quirky and light hearted romantic comedy, but you know Bollywood, they can add drama into anything and everything. The music of the film, as expected is by multiple composers, including Pritam’s A&R venture JAM8 (Kaushik-Akash-Guddu this time), Rishi Rich, Amjad-Nadeem (after a long time, huh!), Jaidev Kumar and Yash Narvekar. Out of these composers, none, I repeat none, have given anything outstanding in the past, so one can just hope that some miracle occurs and they give us great music for this film. Expectations are moderate, but hoping for the best, let’s explore the music of ‘Behen Hogi Teri’.

1. Jai Maa

Singers ~ Sahil Solanki, Jyotica Tangri & Parry G, Original Composition by ~ Prem Hardeep & Badshah, Music Recreated by ~ Jaidev Kumar, Lyrics by ~ Sonu Saggu, Rap Lyrics by ~ Parry G

Wow. So now the music industry has started remaking remakes. ‘Kala Chashma’ (Baar Baar Dekho), which was a quite banal remake by Badshah, of the Punjabi pop number ‘Kala Chashma’ by Prem Hardeep, itself, now gets remade into a mata-ki-chowki song. Jaidev Kumar, who had earlier remade ‘Subha Hone Na De’ (Desi Boyz) into a similar satirical devotional song, ‘O Meri Mata’ in ‘Bajatey Raho’, takes the same composition that Badshah had made. Nothing changed in the tune, and that’s why it would make the public even crazier. The arrangements seem more toned down and not as harsh and shrill as they were in the original (I mean the original remake). I guess they added the dhols here specially for the jagraata setting. And they’ve, quite to my immense pleasure, gotten rid of the EDM at the end, and the shouting ladies and breaking glasses from the ‘Baar Baar Dekho’ song. Vocals here sound good and aptly funny as per the Goddess prayer setting. Sahil Solanki sounds much better than Amar Arshi, the original singer of both the original and Badshah’s remake. A rapper called Parry G {I don’t know why these people like to write a single letter after a weird nickname; we are going to meet another one later in the album!} reprises Badshah’s “sadkon pe chale jab ladkon ke dilon mein tu aag laga de baby firrrreeeeee” with a rap that sounds much more pleasant. Jyotica Tangri is a nice replacement for Neha Kakkar, but with less of an edge in her voice. The replacement lyrics by Sonu Saggu are quite funny too, but not something that will make you “ROFL” or “LOL” either. Interesting how the remake of a remake turns out to be better than the original remake. Let’s start remaking remakes now. P.S. I hope a certain music company doesn’t read that or else we will be over-flooded with ‘Baby Doll’ remakes. (Then again, aren’t we already over flooded by them!)

Rating: 3/5

2. Tera Hoke Rahoon

Singer ~ Arijit Singh, Music by ~ Kaushik-Akash-Guddu (KAG for JAM8), Lyrics by ~ Bipin Das

Next up, we get a dulcet melody from Pritam’s A&R company, JAM8. This time, the composers of the two songs in ‘1920 London’, Kaushik-Akash, are joined by someone calling himself Guddu, thus making it a trio. And this way, they produce a song that I will remember as one of the best (and the best till now) from any composer for JAM8. The composition, for once, doesn’t sound like a Pritam composition; for once the composers working behind the JAM8 label do not try to emulate Pritam’s late 2000s style of composition. In fact, the composition kind of reminded me of Bobby-Imran’s songs in ‘Badmaashiyan’, or some of Jeet Gannguli’s works. The free flow of the hookline makes it instantly likeable, and the mukhda and antara has a calm, soothing but haunting touch to it, something I’m always ready for if it isn’t too maudlin. The arrangements are fabulous; they just add to the haunting characteristic of the song. The guitar has been played in such a subtle manner, in the beginning, that it is impossible to not be sucked in right away. And when the orchestra sets in, the song just gets many times better. The electronic tabla adds to the serenity, while that wonderful flute interlude is something you shouldn’t miss. In the antara guitars have been played in a wonderful play-stop-play-stop manner that is so comforting. And the tabla doesn’t stop either! Arijit, the first choice for any composer associated with Pritam, and Pritam himself, renders the mellow composition with such ease, in the voice of his that I love, as opposed to that droning voice he uses in sleepy songs. The way he sings the “uff tak na yaara karoon”, is so beautiful! Bipin Das (newcomer?) writes lyrics that are instantly lovable. The first time JAM8 do something that doesn’t resemble their mentor’s work heavily, and it turns out to be a success.

Rating: 4.5/5

3. Jaanu

Singers ~ Juggy D, Shivi & Raftaar, Original Composition by ~ R.D. Burman, Music Recreated by ~ Rishi Rich, Lyrics by ~ Late Anand Bakshi, Rap Written by ~ Raftaar

So after the remake of a remake, we get a remake of another classic, in fact, one of my favourite songs by R.D. Burman. The likeable, sweet and fun-to-listen-to classic gets a makeover and now it looks horrendous. Rishi Rich seems to have struck a big deal in Bollywood after his long hiatus, because after he returned in ‘Half Girlfriend’, with a mediocre title song, he gets to do another (though horrible) song here. The man makes sure that somebody says “This is a Rishi Rich refix” before the song starts, and that is so annoying! We have the credits in front of us and we can read your name there. I know here are some music listeners out there who don’t care about who made a song, and they will continue not caring, so even if you say your name there, they wouldn’t care. And then comes the cliché of saying the names of the singer (Juggy D) and the rapper (Raftaar). And what I don’t understand is, why not say the name of the female artiste! Hasn’t she contributed anything to the song? They did the same thing in ‘High Heels’ from ‘Ki & Ka’ and they repeat it here. If anything, Shivi is shining in this song amongst the hackneyed renditions of the male artist and Raftaar. Oh by the way, Juggy D. 😄 Another artist naming himself like that. Rishi Rich has kept the composition intact, fortunately. But what he does instead, is even more unfortunate. He breaks up the hookline, making it sound like a cassette that is stuck at one point. And then it stops to make way for a weirdly-placed techno music piece. And then it proceeds and ends. How boring. There are so many raps in the song, it is hard to concentrate on the actual song. And Raftaar raps so oddly. Just to keep the “Behen” theme intact, he adds so many lines about sisters, that were so unnecessary. And now for thr vocals. Juggy D can’t sing at all. The proof? If someone isn’t able to sing the nuance in the word “Hindustan” in this song, he or she is definitely not a good singer. Shivi barely manages to sing that part, but does much better than her co-singers, making her stand out even with a mediocre performance. Of course, they don’t match the singing calibre of the legendary combination of Kishore Kumar, Mohammed Rafi, Asha Bhosle & Usha Mangeshkar from the original song. The arrangements are irritating club sounds, EDM thrown here and there. But I enjoyed the parts with the Spanish guitars, and the strings incorporated from the old song. A horrible remake of a song that deserved a much better remake, or no remake!

Rating: 1/5

4. Teri Yaadon Mein / Teri Yaadon Mein (Reprise Version)

Singers ~ Yasser Desai, Pawni Pandey & Yash Narvekar / Yash Narvekar & Sukriti Kakar, Music Composed by ~ Yash Narvekar, Music Produced by ~ Rishi Rich, Lyrics by ~ Yash Narvekar & Amit Dhanani

Rishi Rich comes back for the next song too, but this time, things are different. This time, the song is a romantic song. And this time, Rishi Rich has only produced the song. Rishi Rich gives a composing break to someone I’ve seen many times in the singer category in various Amaal Mallik, Meet Bros. and even Rishi Rich songs, Yash Narvekar. He gets to compose the tune. And I must say, it is quite a commendable tune! Yes, does follow the usual Bollywood romance template, with its tune, but it manages to engage the listeners. However, the listener does lose interest in some places. The hookline is very typical, but still, it managed to garner my interest. The antara too, follows the same pattern. What really engages the listeners, though, is Rishi Rich’s beats and arrangements. In the first version, Rishi employs a nice and groovy beat, a hip-hop beat in a romantic song, which at first elicits a weird reaction from the listener, but it sets in perfectly after a couple of listens. Especially the tablas which Rishi has added occasionally, are amazing. The second version, the Reprise, takes a more templated route, with guitars and piano taking the lead, making for a more calm listen. A harmonium too pops up later on, quite oddly. The piano interlude in that version is a must-hear. The vocals are good in both versions. While Yasser, sounding as similar to Arijit as ever, and Pawni Pandey stir up a nice chemistry in the first version, the essence of the song only reaches us in the Reprise because the voices of Yash & Sukriti haven’t been touched. Programming ruins the feel of the voices in the first version. However, I loved Yash’s backing vocals in the first song, that sound like tabla bols. Yash & Amit Dhanani together write a song that is full of typical lines and phrases, like the song title itself. Experimental, but works to some extent. The Reprise version fares better!

Rating: 3.5/5 for Original Version, 4/5 for Reprise Version

5. Tenu Na Bol Pawaan / Tenu Na Bol Pawaan (Reprise Version)

Singers ~ Yasser Desai & Jyotica Tangri / Asees Kaur, Music by ~ Amjad-Nadeem, Lyrics by ~ Rohit Sharma

Amjad-Nadeem, back in the composing scene after quite some time, have been roped in for the final song on the album. Amjad-Nadeem are usually known to meddle in typical romantic songs or horrendous massy item songs. This time around too, they have provided a typical romantic song, but that typicality is very enjoyable. The composition is sugary-sweet, something that is very rare from Amjad-Nadeem, who usually produce melodramatic sounding songs. The hookline is so heard-before, so clichéd, yet it manages to click with the listener. There is a high-pitched line that just makes you love the song even more. The antaraa are a bit less engaging, but still manage to keep the flow of the song intact. There are two versions to this song as well; one being a male version (with female humming in the background, hence the credit for Jyotica) and the other being a female version, which is kind of unplugged. The male version has heavenly instrumentation. It starts off with nice chimey sounds, followed by the sweetest flute portion I’ve heard in quite a while. The melody is structured on a simple guitar riff that, though it is very simple and typical, engages the listener. Strings join in later, bringing the third dimension to the song, and how! The second version is, as I said before, unplugged, and has a nice acoustic guitar riff playing in the background, and nothing else. The minimalistic feel of it, makes it even more appealing. Vocals are perfect in both versions. This is no doubt, Yasser’s best performance ever, and he sounds so different than usual here! Jyotica does the humming in Yasser’s version. Asees Kaur, on the other hand, renders her unplugged version with such a beautiful aura around her, that it is mesmerizing. Though her track is longer by one minute than Yasser’s, it makes for a good calm listen. The lyrics by Rohit Sharma (I don’t know whether he’s the Sharma who composed the songs of ‘Anaarkali of Aaraah’ or any other one. He’s definitely not the cricketer, right?) are sweet too. A song full of sweet things. Sweetness lies in simplicity after all.

Rating: 4.5/5 for the Original Version, 4.5/5 for the Reprise Version

Behen Hogi Teri is an unexpectedly cool multicomposer album! Going by the composers’ names, I was least expecting such a good album. However, it seems like all the composers have pitched in to provide their best. For a romantic comedy, a good album is a must, and fortunately, this album delivers as expected, if not less than expected. Yes, one song is very bad, but the others make up for it. And since the finance theme predominates the album, maybe that’s why they managed to wrench out such good songs from the music directors. An album predominantly made of romantic songs, but still works fine!

Total Points Scored by This Album: 3 + 4.5 + 1 + 3.5 + 4 + 4.5 + 4.5 = 25

Album Percentage: 71.43%

Final Rating for This Album: सा < रे < ग < म < प < ध < नी < सां

Note: The letter which is underlined is the final rating.

Recommended Listening Order: Tera Hoke Rahoon = Tenu Na Bol Pawaan = Tenu Na Bol Pawaan (Reprise) > Teri Yaadon Mein (Reprise) > Teri Yaadon Mein > Jai Maa > Jaanu

Remake Counter

No. of Remakes: 12 (from previous albums) + 02 = 14

Which is your favourite song from Behen Hogi Teri? Please vote for it below! Thanks!

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Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 19 (from previous albums) + 01 = 20

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♦ Fukrey Returns, But Ram Sampath Doesn’t! – FUKREY RETURNS Music Review

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 43 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Fukrey Returns) = 44

♦ Quite A Desi Album! : FIRANGI Music Review

♦ No Intezaar for This Album! : TERA INTEZAAR Music Review

♦ Surprising Monsoon in Winter!!: MONSOON SHOOTOUT Music Review

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♦ Intense & Intriguing, Ittefaq Se: ITTEFAQ Music Review

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 38 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Ittefaq) = 39

♦ As Always, Romance Predominates: THE HOUSE NEXT DOOR Music Review

♦ Cute Little Ribbon: RIBBON Music Review

♦ Bappi’s Music Ratan Has Lost Its Shine!: RAM RATAN Music Review

♦ Reprise Versions Zaroor Sunna: SHAADI MEIN ZAROOR AANA Music Review

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 39 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Shaadi Mein Zaroor Aana) = 40

♦ Raunchy Diaries: JULIE 2 Music Review

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The Important Announcement

♦ A Delectable Treat For The Ears: CHEF Music Review

♦ A Perfect Sunday Album: TU HAI MERA SUNDAY Music Review

♦ Uninteresting Diaries: RANCHI DIARIES Music Review

♦ Amaal Ka Kamaal (Again): GOLMAAL AGAIN Music Review

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 35 (from previous albums) + 02 (from Golmaal Again) = 37

♦ Nisschal O Nisschal, Aur Compose Karo! : JIA AUR JIA Music Review

Remake Counter:

No. Of Remakes: 37 (from previous albums) + 01 (from Jia Aur Jia) = 38

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1. Kaari Kaari / Kaari Kaari (Reprise Version)

2. Humdard / Humdard (Alt. Version)

3. Ab Raat (Version 1) / Ab Raat (Version 2)

4. Malang

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1. Jai Maa

2. Tera Hoke Rahoon

3. Jaanu

4. Teri Yaadon Mein / Teri Yaadon Mein (Reprise Version)

5. Tenu Na Bol Pawaan / Tenu Na Bol Pawaan (Reprise Version)

Remake Counter

No. of Remakes: 12 (from previous albums) + 02 = 14

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