One often wonders how the Bhatts and our friendly neighborhood artists from Pakistan and Bangladesh produce such magical melodies, capable of bowling us over repeatedly. The answer is (as Mukesh Bhatt simply puts it), "Fresh voices and new sounds."

After the musical hit 'Gangster', Bhatts' latest offering with Emraan Hashmi (his numbers from 'The Train' are still ruling the charts) essays the male lead. Yes, we are referring to 'Awarapan', which is their costliest and their best (as Mukesh Bhatt says) movie till date. Once again, the 18 crore film relies heavily on the support of the artists from across the border.

The first time that the promos of 'Awarapan' hit the TV channels, the haunting melody of 'To Phir Aao', its enchanting flowing rhythm and Mustafa Zahid's unique, base vocals, rendering this masterpiece, left us spellbound. And we immediately knew that, "music's lucky mascot", Emraan Hashmi has another winner up his sleeve. After hearing the full version, we knew that we were right. The turbo charge comes from Sayeed Quadri's mesmerizing lyrics. There are three versions of this mind-blasting composition, and no one is complaining!

The original version is a tad on the slower side. Soft guitar strumming, plates, with female vocals in the background herald 'To Phir Aao'. There are minimum musical arrangements and it highlights Mustafa Zahid's superb vocals (though his sur is not that perfect, which are full of feeling and distraught emotion. Sayeed Quadri's lyrics are award winning. Here is a sample - "Dil baadal bane, Aankhein bahne lage, Aahein aise uthe, Jaise aandhi chale, To phir aao, Mujhko satao, To phiraao, Mujhko rulao!" Just excellent. A winner all the way!!! And all the credit goes to Roxen, the band from Pakistan, of which Mustafa Zahid is the lead singer.

The second variant is the 'To Phir Aao-Lounge' version. Easily the best of the three in terms of musical arrangements, which are so smooth and soothing and all with completely new sounds. In the original, the rhythm is slow, while in the remixed version it is too fast for comfort. The enchanting, flowing rhythm that sweeps the listeners off their feet is maintained well only in the lounge version. The more one listens to this composition, the more addictive it gets.

Added rhythm and repeated "Aa bhi jaao" commence the 'To Phir Aao-Remix' version by DJ Suketu. The pace is too quick for comfort. This version has also been used as a promotional video, featuring, Emraan Hashmi, DJ Suketu along with all the band members from Roxen.

Beautiful electronic flute notes commence yet another enchanting, romantic composition by Mustafa Zahid - 'Tera Mera Rishta'. The tune in the mukhda is derived from the earlier number 'To Phir Aao', as the repeated "Tera mera rishta purana" is very much similar in style to the repeated "To Phir Aao". What one must add here though is that this tune is a bit flat, as compared to the first one. Mustafa Zahid's vocals are more base, more masculine. In fact, his style of singing is a bit like Kishore da, and it is his singing rather than the rhythm, which makes this number worth hearing again and again. Of course, Sayeed Quadri, who has by now become a permanent lyricist for the Bhatts scores once again with classy, heart touching lyrics - "Tera yaqeen kyon, Maine kiya nahin, Tumse raha kyon juda, Mujhpe yeh Zindagi, Karti rahi sitam, Tune hi di hai panaah, Tera mera rishta purana". Yet another top class number by Roxen.

'Tera Mera Rishta-Remix', by DJ Suketu starts with some female whispering in the background, like - "My love will live forever" etc. After that it is the usual upped tempo and rhythm.

A synthesized groovy rhythm starts off the pop-styled 'Mahiya'. Rendered by Suzanne and composed by Annie, this is a youth oriented, racy dance track. The highlight of the number is the lyrics penned jointly by Sayeed Quadri and Asif Ali Beig, which are partly in Urdu and partly in English, gelling together beautifully and will be loved by the youth. Suzanne, who has sung for quite a few Hindi movies (mostly the English parts), and as female background vocalist, gets to sing a full fledged number here. She is good with the English rendition, though she gets screechy in the Hindi parts and is quite nasal too. Do we have a female Himesh in the making here?

'Mahiya-Remix' by DJ Suketu is just a space filler, nothing novel offered here. We do not want to sound repetitive by uttering the same things, like heightened rhythm and beats etc.

Remember the beautiful love ballad 'Tum Ho Woh Aasmaan' from Hrithik's blockbuster 'Krrish', which saw a new entrant in the form of Rafaqat Ali Khan? Well, here he is rendering this traditional Sufi number by Sheikh Baba Farid, beloved of all the Punjabis. Baba Farid's 'mazaar' is in Pak Pattan, and devotees from all over Punjab (from both sides of the border) flock here in large numbers to pay homage to this 12th century Sufi saint.

Coming back to the lovely composition, this is not a typical Sufi rock that we encounter nowadays. Rafaqat's 'Maula' is basically a 'tasawwuf' number, sung in praise of the Lord, who is akin to the beloved. Rafaqat's singing is heart-wrenching as he goes, 'Meinda (meaning mine in Punjabi) ishq vi tu, Meinda yaar vi tu, Meinda deen vi tu, Mera imaan bhi tu, Mera jism bhi tu, Meri rooh bhi tu.' Such total submission to the beloved can only be to the Lord, almighty. The lyrics by the Baba give goose pimples. Such is the power of this number that it hypnotizes the listener completely. Some lovely classical touches and hard rock guitar add to the charm and prevent the number from becoming too morose.

All in all, 'Awarapan' is another classy compilation from the house of the Bhatts, with hardly a blemish. Surprisingly, it has not generated the kind of sales that was expected. But rest assured, it will pick up in a big way, and soon.

Rating: 8/10