Music: A.R. Rahman
Lyrics: Irshad Kamil
Music Label:T-Series
Expectations:
The dubbed Rahman scores of the '90s are back - with Kochadaiiyaan, Lingaa and now I. But we are not in the fresh era of Roja and Bombay anymore. So we do not expect much.
Music:
Nakash Aziz (of 'Saare Ke Fall Sa' from R...Rajkumar) sings 'Ishaq Taari' with aplomb, with Neeti Mohan adding a clever touch of softness to the fun track. Rahman's repetitiously standard and fast-paced orchestral hooks anoint this catchy number, and Irshad Kamil sinks (creatively too) into the standard South word-fitting zone. It's remix version is very similar, except for more pace and cacophony.
'Tum Todo Na' (Ash King-Sunidhi Chauhan) gets into a ballad-meets-choir mode and the relentless guitar-led melody works slowly but does not remain in memory after repeated listens. A big reason for this may be the casting of Ash King, whose approach to Hindi songs is plain flat and flaccid.
Sunidhi is in soothing mood in her brief portion, with Irshad Kamil writing some imaginative verse ('Dardon Ka Ghera Hai /Saansein Jisko Kehta Hoon').
Bela Shende is given the 'female' - and much more melodious - version of this song, with an old-world prelude and a softer approach. Bela is in dulcet form, but does nothing that Sunidhi could not have done had she sung this version as well. Ash King comes in once again, though he is slightly better this time, and we loved the overlay of voices going in different directions at one point. The end-alaap by Bela is also much better than the raucous way in which Ash King ends the former version.
Arijit Singh-Shreya Ghoshal collaborate on 'Tu Chale' a placid (by ARR's standards) romantic duet. Western, typically Rahman, flourishes are heard at key junctures in this song, and Shreya is clearly brought in for the high raag-daari needed, that too with a Southern touch. In fact, the song's structure is so heavily Southern that the lyrics seem to be in a frenzy to say something very fast (listen to the antara that begins with the line 'Jaana Tera Khayaal'. The catchiness of the song is almost completely on the repeated 'Apna Hai Yeh Khayaal' sung by Arijit, who as always, sings in a style close to the composer of his song.
'Aiyla' (Shiraz Uppal, Natalie Di Luccio) is a classic Rahman ditty full of frenetic pace and irreverence to melody. Natalie does a fine job, especially of the Western classical choral portions. Shiraz has nothing much to do in this song that lyrically is almost completely nonsense and a shocker from the redoubtable Irshad Kamil.
Irshad writes the next song 'Lady O' (Nikita Gandhi) beginning with completely inane verse like 'Kanjivaram Si/ Gori Garam Si /Naari Naram Si / Aayi Re Aayi Re Chhayi Re'. Once again, we see the completely disconnected verse, and the staccato jerks in the composition and the words remind us that in almost 18 years, the music director and his films have not moved much beyond stuff like 'Telephone Dhun Mein Hansne Wali' and its ilk.
Overall:
The score meets the low expectations. Rahman's penchant for great sound makes the album sound better than it is.
Our Pick:
'Ishaq Taari', 'Tu Chale'