Showbiz

Article Updated 29 December, 2007 01:25:45 AM IST

Showbiz

Showbiz marks the debut of Tushar Jalota, nephew of the legendary "bhajan" singer, Anoop Jalota, under the able guidance of the Bhatt banner. The Bhatts have been instrumental in introducing a number of stars in Bollywood, be it Rahul Roy, Emraan Hashmi or John Abraham. The success of all their ventures have relied upon one single factor, popular, mass pleasing and yet good quality music. Be it Aashiqui, which saw Rahul Roy emerge as a star, Jism gave us John Abraham and Murder heralded a new star, Emraan Hashmi.

In this film, Showbiz, the music department has been handled by Lalit Pandit (of the Jatin-Lalit fame), and Bhatt's permanent lyricist, Sayeed Quadri. So let us check out this latest offering from the Bhatt camp.

Light guitar strumming and canned applause commence, 'Tu Mujhse Jabse Mila Hai', rendered by K.K. The canned applause suggests that it may be a stage performance number and as a result one expected the song to be more vibrant and energetic. Yet that is not the case. Even though the song is quite melodious, the rhythm is flat. Even Sayeed Quadri's lyrics are very routine. This number just doesn't make one sit up and hum. Seems like Lalit Pandit is still in the 80s era, where flat melody was the demand of the situation. Even K.K. fails to deliver despite trying his level best. Quite a mediocre number first up.

A rock-like start, along with a rap by Earl, which goes something like this - "Lets do it tonight, while the world is asleep," commences the next version, which can be classified as a remix. The flat rhythm and pace persists and that's where the problem lies. Earl's rap doesn't help the cause much.

It appears that Lalit realized his mistake pretty fast and he makes amends with the very next number, 'Meri Phalak Ka Tu Hi Sitara'. The song is wrongly printed as 'Palak' instead of 'Phalak' (which means sky in Urdu) on the audio cover. This will definitely rate as the best song of the album, a song worthy and in keeping with the Jatin-Lalit legacy and the Bhatt banner. Lalit successfully encashes the Raaz ambience which still remains one of the biggest hits of the Bhatts. The song commences on a slow note, and gradually picks up pace with heightened music arrangements and singing. K.K. is absolutely wonderful. Lalit should be commended for some lovely musical arrangements. The superb orchestra plates, bead sounds and some good use of trumpets peppered with a beautiful chorus and female background vocals all deserve praise. Sayeed Quadri's lyrics are also impressive - "Tu mujhse rootha rahe, Mujhe sanam shikayat nahin, Na mujhse iqraar kar, Ye maan loon mohabbat nahin, Tum bin jee sakoon lekin, Ye mujh mein himmat nahin, Meri phalak ka tu hi sitara, Aawara maujon ka tu hi kinara." All the combined factors make this an excellent number.

Lovely flute notes and light guitar strumming commence the unplugged version of 'Meri Phalak Ka Tu Hi Sitara'. The composition is similar to the first one, but as it's an unplugged version, there are no heavy musical arrangements here, only light ones like flute, guitar and plate sounds are used to give the desired effect. K.K.'s strong and masculine vocals ring loud and clear. This version has its own charm and is instantly likeable.

Lovely banjo and guitar combo marks the start of 'Kash Ek Din Aisa Bhi Aaye', an intense, passionate love song. Though the melody is an often heard one (a very 90s type which Jatin-Lalit used to excel in), but all credit goes to the two lead singers, Shaan and Shreya for a spirited performance. The chorus does get irritating after a while though. Sayeed Quadri too deserves a pat on the back for some simple and effective, though filmy lyrics.

'Meri Ibteda' is the slow, female version of 'Kash Ek Din Aisa Bhi Aaye' and it's just a one liner, sung with feelings by Shreya.

The album concludes on a disappointing note with the very average 'Duniya Ne Dil Toda'. It's a situational number and justifies the tag line of the movie - "The Dark Side Of Fame", as with fame comes heartbreaks, unfulfilled desires and soaring ambitions which are bound to have a sad, tragic effect. Hence the "rona-dhona" song. The problem lies once again with the flat melody that just doesn't leave any sort of impression. It's a song that makes one want to press the fast-forward button. The less said about Sayeed Quadri's lyrics the better. They are pedestrian and at times childish. It may be that it was the demand of the situation. Sayeed Sahab there are innumerable songs on heartbreaks with memorable lyrics, and you should not have followed the beaten path.

The music album on the whole is a mixed bag of sorts, but is certainly not in keeping with the Bhatt legacy. Lalit Pandit fails to deliver without the company of his partner/brother, Jatin. Apart from this, some very inferior and laid back publicity by the makers is not helping its cause much. In fact, some of the best songs of the album are not being publicized.

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