Jannat

Article Updated 12 March, 2008 05:02:24 AM IST

Jannat

The winning team of Emraan Hashmi, Pritam and Sayeed Quadri are back once again, under the Bhatt banner (after conquering the charts with Gangster and Awarapan), to enthrall the music lovers with their upcoming venture Jannat. Based loosely on the events inspired by the sad and sudden demise of the Pakistani cricket coach, Bob Woolmer, the film has been in the news due to a bitter fight between two big music companies, over its music rights. Eventually, the rights were handed over to Sony BMG, amidst claims that the music of Jannat was one of the best music scores by the lucky music director, Pritam. Let us check out if the claims were indeed true and whether the fight was worth it!

Looks like the claims were true, if the first track of the album, 'Judai' is anything to go by, but its not by Pritam. The Bhatt's Pakistani connection, which was missing in their last venture, Showbiz (which expectedly bombed), surfaces with 'Judaai' with Pritam giving credit to the composer Kamran Ahmed, who also doubles as the singer. The first two lines are taken from Reshma's classic, superhit 'Lambi Judaai' (Hero). With a great legacy like that to look up to, Kamran has come up trumps with the mind-blowing composition. With music's lucky mascot Emraan Hashmi at the forefront, it is bound to hit the charts. There are three versions of this scintillating track, and do we mind? No, not at all!

The first version has been rendered by the superbly talented Kamran Ahmed and its difficult to say whether he is a better singer, composer or writer. He is excellent in all the departments. Kamran's vocals sound a bit like his counterpart from Pakistan, the hugely successful Atif Aslam, though his voice is deeper and more husky. Superb guitar strumming and synthesized rhythm (reminds of the tune of 'Tere Liye' (from Veer-Zara) commences the song. It speaks of the pain of separation from the beloved and has the ability of catching the attention of the listeners instantly with 'zabardast' rhythm, simple tune, which is bit on the rockish side. It is the simplicity of the tune and the arrangements that are in sync with the situation, and that is what spells magic. Excellent guitar strumming and violin form the backbone, making the song one of the best romantic-longing numbers heard in a long while.

If you cannot get over Reshma's 'Lambi Judai', wait till you hear the queen of folk numbers, Richa Sharma rendering her version of Kamran Ahmed's 'Judaai'. Though tune wise the version is the same as the male version, but the lyrics are different. More Punjabi has been used here. Richa's prowess is her easy rendition of high notes that have been utilized well, as she gives a fine demonstration of her skills. This was missing in the male version.

Kamran's heart wrenching 'O Rabba' and unidentified female vocals whispering "Something in the air, Something in the sound," commences the 'Lambi Judai-Kilogram Mix'. As it's a remixed version, the pace has been enhanced to give it that club touch and English lyrics have been used to make it more up market and of course the synthesizer too has been abundantly used. A nice job all the same.

A lovely oriental rhythm, a throwback to Gangster, commences the light, soft romantic track, 'Zara Sa'. A trademark Pritam composition, which has the capabilities of striking a chord with the romantics at heart, has been sung to perfection by K.K., Pritam's favourite. The ease with which he renders the song is amazing, as he simulates the wonderful feelings of love with his superlative singing. Pritam's makes him croon "Wo, O, O, O", Ganjawala style (just like he did earlier with other singers) and it has become a rage among the youth, like Kishore Da's yodeling. The rhythm is nice, smooth, almost flowing and the arrangements with light guitar and soft percussion instruments has been widely used.

String sounds commence the 'Zara Sa-Power Ballad' and it's a ballad alright with K.K.'s vocals sounding loud and clear against minimum musical addendums in the background. There is a strong hint of rock and even K.K's singing takes on a rockish touch in the version. Only the chorus with the crooning remain.

Guitar and female crooning start the proceedings for 'Haan Tu Hai' and we have K.K. once again doing the honors. The song itself is no great shakes, as Pritam takes a stroll down memory lane. The style is reminiscent of the songs of the '70s. So as a result, the traditional percussion instruments and orchestra form the backbone of the song, which takes on a slight qawwal touch in the chorus. The chorus can be termed as the highlight of the song, but it would have been better if there was a female version of the sad number as well. Maybe Shreya could have been roped in. Sayeed Quadri's lyrics are filmy and routine, as he describes the feelings of the hopeless in love. K.K is excellent, but his bad diction sticks out like a sore thumb.

Super soft guitar and soothing vocals of Rana Mazumadar herald 'Door Na Ja', but don't be misled by the start, as all hell breaks loose and the song takes on a hard rock character, with extreme guitar and sounds of drums and plates beating hard. Pritam uses his favorite instrument, the guitar and almost all the variants, like electronic and crunch have been utilized to give the desired effect. Rana's vocals have a certain charm and the manner in which he puts in his feelings as he pleads "Na Ja" is praiseworthy. His singing remains soft and the rock touch, which is present in the music, is not evident in the singing style. A good blend of rock and soft music.

The album ends with 'Jannat Jahan', as one rock based number follows another one. This one is totally rock, hard rock to be precise. The lead singer Rupam Islam's (lead singer –Fossils band) singing style too is inspired by the king, late Jim Morrison ('Love Me Two Times Baby'). The tune of the title song is the kind that has been used by many a rock bands. Rupam's singing, though inspired, deserves praise as the drugged, inebriated vocals enhance the effect of the song. The situational number has some very apt lyrics by Neelesh Mishra, as the spirit of the movie comes alive. It also gives a good insight into the theme of the movie and the characters of the lead protagonists. The song serves the purpose fully and the composer deserves credit.

On the whole, Pritam is back to his winning ways once again with Jannat. The music is a sure shot chartbuster, albeit the best number, 'Judaai' by Kamran Ahmed. The rest of the songs are also good and after hearing the whole album, we know why the two big music companies were fighting over its rights. Grab it!

Rating : 7.5/10

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