Phhir Review {2.0/5} & Review Rating
EXPECTATIONS
Though more often than not films coming from the house of Vikram Bhatt do boast of soundtrack which is at the least decent, one isn't too sure about Phhir since it has taken quite some time to find an arrival on the stands. Composers Sharib Toshi and Raghav Sachar are capable of surprising the listener but one still plays on Phhir only reluctantly while hoping that there is something good that eventually comes out of it.
MUSIC
It's an Emraan Hashmisque beginning for 'Yaadein' which the actor would have lapped up in past, present as well as future without much ado. A club track with a thump to it which has a catchy enough rhythm to make you nod in appreciation, this Sharib-Toshi composed number (with Sharib coming behind the mike) has conventional but effective lyrics by Sagar that convey sadness of the protagonist who is missing his beloved. Thought at times it reminds one of the kind of sound that one had heard in Raaz - The Mystery Continues, you only end up acknowledging and appreciating it more than turning away since an enjoyable song like this is always welcome.
Phhir continues the same direction as 'Yaadein' with 'Satrangi Saathiya' following the same Bhatt template that has worked time and again. Yet another number Sharib-Toshi track that has seemingly just switched from one Bhatt (Mukesh) to another (Vivek), 'Satrangi Saathiya' which is written by Kumaar (with added contribution from Sanjiv Chaturvedi) is easy on ears again and has a potential to cover greater distance if the film turns out to be successful. This time around it is Toshi who turns singer and the results are as good as 'Yaadein'.
Though the album moves from one composition team (Sharib-Toshi) to Raghav Sachar, the switch isn't difficult on ears at all since the composer does well to keep the momentum up for the album. This time around the mood is even more contemporary and youthful with focus on making 'Love Is All I Got' a good enough romantic number that could just have been an ideal Valentine Day release. Raghav does well as composer as well as singer and along with lyricist Aditya Dhar; he spins a melodious enough tale that has enough in it to stay on with the listener even beyond the film.
There is a downfall immediately after with 'Karma Queen' which is totally out of place not just in the overall mood of the album but also the kind of quality that it was boasting of all this while. It is tough to believe that an item number like this was really required here since it only ends up distracting a listener from Phhir. While Raghav and Aditya pair up yet again and Sunidhi tries to bring in all the energy via her vocals (with Raghav joining her a while later), the results are just not impressive. Of course there is a brief 'inspiration' from 'Neend Churayi Meri' (Ishq) as well but that doesn't count much as even Anu Malik had his own 'sources' of inspiration for that one.
There is a mood shift soon after with a song which follows the template of a 'bhatakti aatma' situation. Of course this is not really the case as is in Phhir which isn't a supernatural outing but then with Vikram Bhatt at the helm of affairs, one could pretty much see a sad song like this coming. Surprisingly the song (with Raghav and Aditya again) doesn't quite manage to hold on's interest much and only ends up being strictly situational despite Shreya Ghoshal at the helm of it.
The album doesn't end on a high either with 'Loot' turning out to be a club outing which is only marginally better than 'Karma Queen'. A song with a heavy 80s flavour to it, this Raghav-Aditya combination does have that brief portion (involving a saxophone) that does add on to the nostalgia but outside that it doesn't make you desperate to catch up with how the story unfolds when it plays on screen. Raghav Sachar, Neha Bhaseen and Jankee Parekh come together to lend it a quintessential 'climax song' feel but overall 'Loot' just about manages to pass muster.
OVERALL
Phhir starts off well and is fine till mid-way but loses direction after that. In a way the results are just as one would had anyways assumed since the soundtrack wasn't expected to break any new grounds. The silver lining comes from the fact that there are still 2-3 songs that at least manage to hold a listener's interest to some extent.
OUR PICK(S)
Yaadein, Satrangi Saathiya, Love Is All I Got