Khushboo Music review of Khushboo by Joginder Tuteja

There was a time when the name Pahlaj Nihalani was associated with hardcore commercial masala flicks. As time progressed, audience taste also went through a change and different genres overshadowed the kind of films, which came from the veteran filmmaker of three decades. Now Pahlaj Nihalani is back as he makes a romantic film titled Khushboo while launching two new faces, Avantikka and Rishi Rehan.

 

While he ropes in a new director Rajesh Ram Singh to handle the affairs behind the camera, the music department is handled by Adnan Sami and Javed Akhtar saab. As a composer, Adnan Sami hasn't been particularly impressive even though he kick started with a superb score in Lucky - No Time For Love. However, with Khushboo he comes up with much more than just a decent score.

 

It's time to be surrounded by snowy peaks with the advent of 'Kyon Hai Mujhe Lagta'. A mesmerizing melody which has been sung exceedingly well by Shreya Ghosal along with Adnan Sami himself, 'Kyon Hai Mujhe Lagta' has a Western feel to it even though it stays on to be truly Indian throughout it's 7 minutes duration. Even though the length of the song is longer than usual, every minute in it is worth putting the song on a repeat mode!

 

Teenage romance is in its full bloom in the well-written track that comes quite easy on lips and gives the album a great beginning. What surprises though is the 'Hip-Hop' remix version, which comes later since it completely changes the mood and setting of the song, hence making it just right for the club setting. A smart mixing, which makes 'Kyon Hai...' doubly enjoyable!

 

Next to come is a bonafide club track 'Dil Yeh Kahe' which has Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan coming together. The choice of singers is just right for a song belonging to this genre and though the mood created here is similar to that of 'Koyi Kahe Kehta Rahe' [Dil Chahta Hai], one doesn't mind that at all. A fast moving track, which has been choreographed, well as well, it shows Avantikka in a light, which is completely different from that of a coy girl as she appears in 'Kyon Hai Mujhe Lagta'. A club-mix version comes later and only aids in keeping the momentum going.

 

With Khushboo throwing a pleasant surprise with both the numbers at the top turning out to be quite enjoyable, one looks forward to the rest of the album, which has four more songs to come. This time around, Adnan Sami ropes in Shankar Mahadevan for rendering 'Kya Hai Sochati Tu', yet another track that isn't bad at all. In fact, the song boasts of a good rhythm and Shreya Ghosal pretty much compliments Mahadevan at every line in this conversational song. This song should be good fun to watch on screen as it details the expectations of the lead protagonists around their ideal spouse-to-be!

 

After some fun outing, it is back to mush and romance with 'Tum Jo Mile Humko' where Adnan Sami comes behind the mike once again with Mahalakshmi Iyer in tow. With a trademark Adnan Sami stamp to it, in terms of composition and singing, this soft song makes for a pleasant hearing and goes well with the romantic mood of the film. Still, in comparison, 'Kyon Hai Mujhe Lagta' would be a preferred choice if one has to choose a love song in the album.

 

Now this is a kind of number, which would make Govinda greedy! 'Badi Albeli Hai Tu' has so much of 80's written all over it that one can't help but get nostalgic about the music from the era gone by. Even though this song rendered by Udit Narayan and Sunidhi Chauhan has Adnan Sami mentioned on the credits, it appears to be a true-blue Bappi Lahiri number right from the basic tune to the orchestra which is put in place (and hence reminding of 'Gale Mein Laal Tie' from Hum Tumhare Hai Sanam). Also, it is surprising to see Javed Akhtar saab spin the kind of lyrics in this 'dhinchaak' song (appearing again in a 'remix version') which boasts of a 'jhatak-matak' choreography by Saroj Khan.

 

Bappi Lahiri indeed comes to the scene, though quite belatedly and as a guest composer, for 'Paake Tujhe'. Written by Dr. Deepal Dhusia, it is a typical KK number, though with lesser punch than what one normally associates with the most versatile singer that we have on the Bollywood playback-singing scene today. A sad number, which thankfully doesn't drag in spite of it's setting; 'Paake Tujhe' later comes in a 'Lovers Mix' version as well.

 

A fun song about being one up in the state of affairs, 'Kisme Kitna Hai Dum' is a bonus song, which comes at the album's end. The song is hardly impressive though even with Amit Kumar at the helm of affairs. The song reminds of 'Hum Bhi Hai Josh Mein' [Josh] but doesn't quite make much of an impression. In the hindsight, it seems just apt that the song is not a part of the film.

 

Khushboo turns out to be a decent affair when one wasn't expecting much from the album. While 'Kyon Hai Mujhe Lagta' is the pick of the lot and can be a singular reason for the album to be given a hear, the remaining tracks fill in well as well to make Khushboo better than just a passable fare. Though Adnan Sami was far from impressive in movies like Dhol and Mumbai Salsa and was just about fine in Shaurya, he comes up with a better soundtrack in Khushboo.