NAVRATRI FARE

MOHABBATEIN
HMV, Rs. 55
A Yash Chopra film means good compositions, and Lata Mangeshkar being the dominant female singer. Since this film has youngsters, six new voices have been used, so these new voices are the dominant singers and not Lata, which is bad news for those who expected to hear the ‘Nightingale’ sing some new numbers. And since Aditya Chopra is director of the film, he repeats his Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge composers Jatin-Lalit. But if listeners are harbouring great expectations from this score, they will be let down. Jatin-Lalit do come up with a melodious score, but there’s nothing new they have to offer, with the songs conveying a sense of deja vu.

The album begins with the melodious Humko hamise chura lo, sung by Udit Narayan and Lata Mangeshkar. The song is a rehash of Jatin-Lalit’s Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenege number Ho gaya hai tujhko to pyar sajna, but both, Udit and Lata sing it superbly. Chalte chalte is an endearing number, about falling in love, sung by new singers Udbhav, Manohar Shetty, Ishaan, Shweta Pandit, Sonali Bhatawdekar and Pritha Mazumdar. Well, the guys are quite good, but the female singers leave a lot to be desired. Their singing is flat anad emotionless. Pairon mein bandhan hai is run-of-the mill, but the instrumenta l Rhythms of Mohabattein is engrossing.

On the flipside, Aankhen khuli sounds like Mujhko nahin hai khabar from Dil To Pagal Hai. A very longish Punjabi folk song Soni soni ankhiyonwali, a regular feature in a Chopra film, follows. The concluding number Zinda rehti hain mohabbatein, a sad version of Humko hamise chura lo, tugs at your heart-strings. Anand Bakshi’s lyrics are nothing to talk about. Mohabbatein’s music is not a patch on Dil To Pagal Hai, but nevertheless, it has its moments and appeal.

LAKEEREIN - PENAZ
Archies Music, Rs. 55
Penaz Masani comes up with her second pop album after Tu Dil De De, this one titled Lakeerein. And this album of hers is a major improvement because it has variety, in the sense you have songs based on Latino music and also very ethnic, folk music. Shantanu Moitra, who is among the popular pop composers today, experiments with sounds and comes up with numbers well-suited for Penaz’s drawling style of singing. The album takes off with a bang with the highly catchy title song, which has danceable Latino rhythm. What’s more, this number has good lyrics by Sam Panchmukhi, which beautifully express thoughts on the hardships of life.

The next number Hawa si nasheeli, is fast-paced, and very much like Shankar Mahadevan’s Breathless. Saanwaria is folksy, while Kho gayi main kahan is a haunting ballad.
Side B is comparatively lacklustre, with only Haseena, a rock-n-roll type number, standing out. The album does justice to Penaz’s versatility and is among the better Indi-pop albums today.

BEST CHOICE
ASTITVA
T-Series, Rs. 40
The music of this film is a class apart. It’s not your usual kind of popular music, but something which will appeal to your aesthetic senses. You have two composers working on the score, Sukhwindara Singh and Rahul Ranade, who come up with compositions in keeping with the serious theme of the film. And they are songs which do strike you as different. Like Sukhwindara’s haunting Chal chal mere sang, which besides being composed by him, also has lyrics by him. The semi-classical Main thi main hoon, stressing a woman’s identity, has been composed by Ranade, and so is the very interesting Gaana mere bas ki baat nahin, which is well-sung by Shankar Mahadevan and Sadhana Sargam. Another version of this song, with jazz, features in the end on Side B, but the fusion doesn’t really work. Shrirang Godbole’s lyrics have good wordplay in this number. The theme music of the film, Spirit of Astitva conveys the essence of the film.

On the flipside, you have the sensitive and slow Kitne kisse hain sung heart-rendingly by Hema Sardesai. Sukhwindara excels as he renders the high-pitched and inspiring Zindagi kya baat hai, with profound thoughts penned by Godbole on positive outlook towards life. Sample this line “Jisko kehto ho andhera, din ki woh shuruaat hai”, a beautiful thought expressed by the lyricist. Sukhwindara and Kavita Krishnamurthy trace the origins of muysic in Sabse pehle sangeet bana which has music and lyrics by Sukhwindara. A pat for the the composers, and the lyricist, for all the effort put in to come up with something extraordinary. A must hear.

Reviewed By Salma Khatib And Pandit Shimpi