Jab We Met

Article Updated 13 October, 2007 12:32:48 AM IST

Jab We Met

Director Imtiaz Ali from Jamshedpur impressed everyone with his very first venture 'Socha Na Tha'. The movie did not get the commercial success it deserved, mainly because the two very talented and fresh faces, Abhay Deol and Ayesha Takia did not get the backing of super hit music, which is a prerequisite for a successful love story. The music by Sandesh Shandilya was good, but the chartbusters were missing. So it is not a surprise that this time around Imtiaz has chosen the music director who has lady luck smiling on him all the time. Yes, we are talking about Pritam, whose movies(for which he composes music) seldom fail at the box-office. The latest example is that of Priyadarshan's 'Dhol', which despite the lean period of 'Ramzaan' has already become a good average. So let us check out whether Pritam will be lucky for Shahid-Kareena and Imtiaz.

After the rocking title tracks of 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' and 'Dhol', Pritam seems set for another chartbuster in 'Mauja Hi Mauja', which is the first track of the album. The groovy rhythm propels one to dance, which when combined with Mika Singh's mast and bindaas singing and the deadly combo of the always popular Punjabi-Hindi-English lyrics, is bound to become a sure fire hit. The composition should be patronized by the youth and will burn the dance floors of the discotheques and pubs. The only hitch will be the lyrics in Punjabi, which will be difficult for those who are not conversant with the language. But no worry, as the deadly rhythm will do the trick.

Some lovely synthesized rhythm commences the 'Mauja Hi Mauja-Remix' by Bunty Rajput. As the original was already rhythmic and pacy there was no need to remix this track. But it's a demand of today's times and Bunty has done a good makeover, so who minds a second, spicier version of the chartbuster.

Its quite a unique start to the highly romantically charged 'Tum Se Hi'. The flow of the tune is very smooth and the background female vocals nice and unique. The musical arrangements (lovely electronic flutes, plates and beads) lend an air of romance, very essential in a love ballad. Mohit Chauhan, the lead singer of the famous Indi-pop group, Silk Route, has good base vocals, but the problem is that his vocals may not be fit for Shahid, who has a youthful voice. Maybe a Shaan or even a Soham Chakraborty would have been a better choice. Irshad Kamil's lyrics are classy. "Na hai paana, Na khona hi hai, Tera na hona, Jaane kyon hona hi hai, Tumse hi din hota hai, Surmai shaam aati hai, Tum Se Hi." A beautiful love ballad that could have been classified as a gem of a number, but the main problem is that the tune is in parts inspired from Celine Dion's chart topper from 'Titanic', "My heart will go on". And this in a way spoils the classy effect.

D.J. Sunil does a nice job with the 'Tum Se Hi-Remix'. Even though the pace and background vocals are quickened, Mohit Chauhan's vocals are not tampered with much, and the soft musical arrangements thankfully remain the same.

A beautiful electronic piece commences, the 'Tum Se Hi-Instrumental', then the female background female vocalists take over. Lovely massive orchestration, violin and guitar pieces all combine together to make a beautiful instrumental. The conclusion is simply fantastic, as the orchestration takes the shape of a wonderfully crafted Western musical symphony. A real treat for all music lovers. All throughout hearing this lovely instrumental, the only wish was that Pritam should refrain from his compulsive lifting/plagiarizing, as he is quite talented and doesn't need any inspirations as such.

And as if to say that Pritam has heard us, the next number 'Aao Milo Chalo' has Shaan as the lead singer. After the racy and happening, 'Allah Hafiz', from 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa', Pritam composes another one, with almost a similar theme (yes, this one is a tad on the romantic side). As the movie is about two wanderers on a journey, their chance meeting and interactions, this is a situational track, (which should be played in the background) complete with words like "manzil" and "raaste". Ustad Sultan Khan's classical interludes are simply classes apart and their smooth fusion with the main song serves to spice up the track.

Light guitar string sounds and Ustad Rashid Khan's alaap, along with some lovely flute notes commence 'Aaoge Jab Tum', the composition by the guest composer, Sandesh Shandilya. He sure delivers a 24-carat gem with this absolutely divine composition. Ustad Rashid Khan's skillful, emotive and effortless rendition, along with some lovely lyrics make this a delightful track. "Naina tere kajrare hain, Nainon pe hum dil hare hain, Anjane hi tere nainon ne, Waade kiye kaee saare hain, Saason ki lai, Madhyam chale, Barse ga saawan, Jhoom Ke, Aaoge jab tum saajana". But Sandesh seems to be inspired by the Talat Aziz's masterpiece "Ghar Ke Ujiare" (from Mahesh Bhatt's critically acclaimed 'Daddy') as the mukhda has shades of the above mentioned, highly sentimental, emotional track.

'Ye Ishq Hai' is the song that has been picturised in the beautiful ancient Naggar Fort, and around exotic locales of the popular tourist town, Manali, with Kareena donning the Kullu dress and dancing along with local dancers. Yet, one wishes that the song was as original as the beautiful locales, as this number is a blatant rehash of Pritam's very own "Mahiya" number from the recently released 'Aawarapan'. Even the style of singing (by Shreya) is the same, and one is at a total loss to understand as to why Pritam has resorted to this.

'Yeh Ishq Hai-Remix' is characterized by nice synthesized and pacy beats and rhythm. Some lovely singing (thankfully no rehashing here) by Shreya makes it a cute dance track.

Pritam brings the album to a close with another of his specialty, the totally rocking bhangra based dance number, aptly titled 'Nagada' (an Indian musical instrument used during ancient times). This is a typically a robust, bhangra based dance number, inspired by the very popular Punjabi folk song, "Baari Barsi". Javed Ali (of 'Kajra Re' fame) and Sonu Nigam join in the revelry with their full of zest and enthusiastic singing. Irshad Kamil's Punjabi lyrics are good and help to keep up the tempo required.

Without trying to sound monotonous, we have to say once again that inspirations aside, Pritam has another winner by way of 'Jab We Met'. The film's audio is already threatening to enter the top five and join, 'Om Shanti Om', 'Saawariya', 'Bhool Bhulaiyaa' and 'Chak De! India'. It will be patronized by the Gen X and those who love the sound of today.

Rating: 7.5/10

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