Even though most of his films have been action oriented (with strong, embedded emotions), Anil Sharma does have an ear for good music. His films like, 'Gadar - Ek Prem Katha' (Bollywood's biggest hit of all time) and 'Hero - The Love Story Of A Spy' had some lilting, melodious music by Uttam Singh. Even the box-office dud 'Ab Tumhare Hawaale Watan Saathiyo' had reasonably good scores. In 'Apne', Anil manages a casting coup of sorts by getting all three Deols to work together for the first time. Here's hoping that the composer, numero-uno Himesh Reshammiya, will make this movie even more musically memorable for all the Deol fans and movie buffs.

So with much hope, we move on to the first song of the album 'Mehfooz'. Since Bobby plays the role of a rock star (in the earlier part of the movie), this is a very typical Himesh style dance floor number. Easy paced, nice flowing rhythm, with Himesh in good form, both as a composer and as a singer. But it's the lyrics by Sameer which are worth mentioning - "Mehfooz rakhta hoon dil mein, Tere ishq ka fasana, Nahin, Nahin, Gawara, Tera kisi ka ho jana."

The 'Mehfooz -(Remix)' by Akbar Sami, a necessity these day, has been tastefully done.

An extremely infectious and subdued rhythm commences the charming love song 'Dekhoon Tujhe To Pyaar Aaye'. The lyrics, specially the mukhda – "Tere aane se pahle, Tere jaane ke baad, Aati hai aati hai, Teri hi teri yaad, Teri hi yaad tadpaye, Dekhoon tujhe to pyaar aaye, Seene se dil chala jaaye," add to the hummable charm of the number. The orchestration is on the milder side (just a hint of plate sounds) and the melody reigns supreme, perhaps to highlight the superb lyrics.

'Dekhoon Tujhe To Pyaar Aaye -(Remix)' by Akbar Sami is like a Bally Sagoo style remixed version. The beginning is more of an instrumental, dominated by base and crunch guitar. Later on, the superb lyrics take center stage and the infectious charm of the highlighted vocals remain intact.

Synthesized been sounds, combined with ektara commence the authentic Punjabi folk dance composition, 'Ankh Vich Chehra Yaar Da, Dil Vich Ghar Mere Pyaar Da'. What a pleasant surprise to run into a genuine 'bhangra' based, rustic Punjabi number, which brings with it the earthy scent of Punjab (impregnated fragrance of 'watna di matti'), rather than the typical Punjabi pop, which comes a dime a dozen and are becoming monotonous. Thumbs up to the number starring the three Deols (with Dharmendra in his 'Jatt Yamla' form!), Shilpa Shetty and Katrina Kaif. It's a track that is bound to bring the house down in parts of the North, specially Punjab and Haryana. All the three artists Himesh, Shaan and Kunal sing well, with Amrita Kak singing just one line, "You're the one for me, Bairiya ve".

The 'Ankh Vich Chehra Yaar Da, Dil Vich Ghar Mere Pyaar Da' - (Remix)' by DJ Akhtar, impresses. The quickened pace makes the number even more enjoyable and dance inducing.

Next up, 'Bulls Eye' is Himesh's answer to the inspirational number from the Sylvester Stallone's 'Rocky IV', 'Eye Of The Tiger'. Heavily inspired (in spirit) by the above mentioned number, 'Bulls Eye' is an all English number, rendered flawlessly and easily by Shaan. Earl's rap is excellent. Keeping in mind the theme of the movie, which is boxing, this is an aggressive, motivational number that encourages a person to have a "do or die" attitude. The signature title track, 'Apne To Apne Hote Hain' is also added to give it that emotional touch. The repeated lyrics, "You gotta survive, You gotta hit the bull's eye," drive home the message clearly.

'Tere Sang', is a short, sweet, situational Punjabi based number, that is a part of the title track 'Apne'. The very talented, but rarely heard Jaspinder Narula is excellent, as she seeks divine intervention to help in meeting the beloved.

Finally, it's the title track 'Apne', that has been lingering on our minds ever since the promos of 'Apne' hit the TV channels. A pure raaga based composition, extremely sweet and melodious, with lyrics that are capable of moving anyone to tears. Sample this - "Beete guzre lamhon ki saari baatein tadpati hain, Dil ke surkh diwaron par bas yaadein hi rah jaati hain, Baaqi sab sapne hote hain, Apne to apne hote hain.' Sonu Nigam is absolutely mind-blowing, he sings with such absolute feeling and emotion, that he sounds almost real. All the above mentioned features make this number simply outstanding. In fact, it would not be an overstatement to say that Himesh does an Anu Malik of 'Border' ('Sandese Aate Hain'), such is the beauty of this extremely emotional number. Jayesh Gandhi comes in for the Punjabi part and he is fabulous. The brief number 'Tere Sang' is a part of this number and comes in the antara and is used well.

All in all, Himesh demonstrates yet again (after 'Benaras', 'Kyon Ki..' and 'Tere Naam') that he is an extremely talented composer, who is not just about Sufi/pop numbers. As an album, 'Apne' will go down as one of Himesh's better works that is both commercial as well as classy and the sales will pick up further (after the movie releases). Go for it, even if you are not a Himesh fan!

Rating : 7.5/10