Aaja Nachle Review {3.0/5} & Review Rating
Music of Aaja Nachle serves to be special. And the reasons are more than one.
a) Aaja Nachle is THE comeback film of Madhuri Dixit. Of course, there is no question of a compromise when it comes to music here.
b) The film's title. When a movie itself screams 'come dance', it should have enough ammunition in it's soundtrack to make you dance
indeed.
c) The Yash Raj factor. After Jhoom Barabar Jhoom they desperately need a hit soundtrack. The need of the situation is much more
than a single super successful track (Chak De India) or a critically appreciated album (Laaga Chunari Mein Daag).
Do the composer duo Salim-Sulaiman and lyricist team of Piyush Mishra, Jaideep Sahni and Asif Ali Beg do well to get the desired results?
The way it turns out eventually is that the album isn't quite 'special' (as one would have hoped) but does have a few tunes which should make
you play them on for some time to come at least. In the nutshell, is it a superhit album in the wings for Yash Raj Films? Not quite as they may
have to wait longer!
Title song 'Aaja Nachle' is the kind of track that Madhuri Dixit fans would have been waiting to see her in! This Piyush Mishra
song has all in it that gives Madhuri ample opportunity to get into a 'jhatak-matak' act which is bound to be lapped up by her fans worldwide.
A stage performance, 'Aaja Nachle' has a controlled Sunidhi Chauhan singing with aplomb. She gets the right 'ada' in her rendition
hence doing well to suit the kind of image that Madhuri has built over the years.
With strong Indian classical influence, Salim-Sulaiman get the Indian mood right for this song that has a rustic edge to it and reminds one of
Madhuri's own 'Chane Ke Khet Mein' from Anjaam. A sure shot popular track in the kitty for Madhuri here. The only song to find a
repeat version in the album, ‘Aaja Nachle’ is heard in a 'reprise' version at the end of the album which is thankfully different from
oh-so-common fly-a-dozen remix versions!
After some 'naach-gaana', it is time to get into a romantic mood with 'Ishq Hua'. With a young feel to it, this Sonu Nigam and
Shreya Ghoshal sung track is a mix of poetry and conventional Hindi movie lyrics by Jaideep Sahni (also the writer of the film), all of which
makes for a good listening.
Salim-Sulaiman get the melody working for this soothing track which is quite easy on ears, courtesy some soft arrangements. 'Ishq
Hua' has a Yash Raj stamp all over it and has a certain cute element to it which should make it popular amongst kids as well!
It is a delight to hear Richa Sharma sing 'Show Me Your Jalwa' which is an addictive song from the word GO. Inspite of a jingle
feel to it which sets you thinking about such music being heard in countless ads, it is hard to ignore the sheer rhythm on which the song is
based.
With Kailash Kher and Salim Merchant as Richa's male singing partners, 'Show Me Your Jalwa' by Jaideep Sahni is truly rustic in appeal
and brings the feeling of a small town setting well in spite of the catch line of the song being in English. While Richa is just perfect in her
rendition here, she also sets the right platform for Madhuri to actually 'show her jalwa'.
Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, the man from whom one tends to expect a lot whenever his name appears in credits, croons 'O Re Piya'.
Jaideep Sahni is at the helm of writing for third song in a row which is not really a kind of romantic number which one expects from Rahat
Fateh Ali Khan. A situational track with shades of a 'qawalli' setting, 'O Re Piya' takes some time to register itself in the mind of a
listener.
Yet another number which is easy on ears, 'O Re Piya' would be enjoyed more with the narrative rather than being played out loud
before one has witnessed the situation in the film where the song appears. A song that boasts of good quality but doesn't quite make for a
popular track in the offering.
If there is one thing that strikes most about 'Soniye Mil Ja', it is the sound of 'ahas' and 'ohos' which gets the celebration mood
rolling. Madhuri Dixit's singing is another good reason to give 'Soniye Mil Ja' a hearing since she adds certain spunk to the
proceedings with Sunidhi Chauhan pitching in with a bit as well.
A track about arrival of youth which in turn is a matter of celebration, 'Soniye Mil Ja' is yet another rooted number which finds its base
in the interiors of the country and would be appreciated more after one has seen it with the movie. Also, Piyush Mishra's lyrics are different
from 'pyaar-mohabbat' routine and instead talk about situations in simple words sans any complications with incidents from everyday life.
After 'Ishq Hua', 'Is Pal' is the second hardcore romantic track to arrive in the album. Yet again, the singing 'jodi' is the
same with Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal though the lyricist changes from Jaideep Sahni to Piyush Mishra. In fact, the overall mood
created by 'Is Pal' is similar to that of 'Ishq Hua' and if you a die hard romantic, it may not be a bad idea to put both the songs
together in a repeat mood and play them for hours at stretch. No, 'Is Pal' may not be the next chartbuster track in the offering but those who
swear by melodious music and love to be entertained with soothing numbers, this is just the right one!
An out and out situational track which is perhaps made for a situation for a stage performance in Aaja Nachle comes in the form of
'Koi Patthar Se Na Maare'. Musically, this one written by Piyush Mishra is the weakest of the lot musically as it hardly comes with
a retention value. A slow moving pensive number with Sunidhi Chauhan, Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam at the helm, 'Koi Patthar Se Na
Maare' gets poetic but tests the patience of a listener who till this point was enjoying a mix of melody and rhythm in the offering. Skip this
one.
New find Sonia Saigal croons the English track 'Dance With Me' penned by Asif Ali Beg who in the past has written for films like
Neal N Nikki, Dhoom 2 and Victoria No. 203 amongst others. Surprisingly, the dance number here isn't quite the kind which makes
you go 'wow' and play the track in a repeat mode. The song sounds like an 80s disco track and even the arrangements are hardly the kind
which suit the grandeur of a Yash Raj setting. Very average with all hopes centered on the eventual picturisation of the song!
In the end, one still feels that there could have been more to the film's soundtrack to make it outstanding, something which is not really the
case. One misses the presence of something exceptional the music of Aaja Nachle; not quite an unreasonable demand to begin with! Of
course 'Koi Patthar Se Na Maare' and 'Dance With Me' don't really make you go for that 'repeat' option but then there are definite
hits like Aaja Nachle and 'Show Me Your Jalwa waiting to explode with good melodies like 'Ishq Hua' and 'Is Pal' sure
to catch the fancy of those who are in love.
