There are only two production houses in the country today that guarantee quality music coming from their stable - Yash Raj Films and Vishesh Films. Both have a certain branding that they have been able to build around over the years and the result is that regardless of the director, cast or crew of the film, the music is always one of the most looked forward to if it bears a Yash Raj or Vishesh Films stamp. Awarapan is no exception, more so since it brings together Bhatts, Emraan Hashmi, Mohit Suri and Pritam again.

Listen to the sample music

While Mohit Suri has seen a hat trick of success in the form of ‘Zeher’, ‘Kalyug’ and ‘Woh Lamhe’, Pritam has hit gold with both ‘Gangster’ and ‘Woh Lamhe’. Moreover Emraan Hashmi has rarely got it wrong when it comes to music for his films, latest example being ‘The Train’ which is doing superb at the music stands.

Though in case of Awarapan, Pritam is mainly in the capacity of music arranger (due to actual compositions being done by Pakistani artists), his name still carries enough weight to make one look forward to the film’s soundtrack.

If you have been a fan of ‘Woh Lamhe’ [Zeher], ‘Aadat’ [Kalyug], ‘Tere Bin’ [Bas Ek Pal] and ‘Zindagi’ [The Train] then be rest assured that it won’t take you more than a single hearing to pick up ‘Toh Phir Aao’. The track follows the genre which Pakistani artists have made popular over the least few years and is an instant winner.

Mustafa Zahid’s voice carries a mature feel with it as he sings along to a tune originally composed by him. Written by Sayeed Quadri who is now a regular with the Bhatts, the song has a lyrical depth that follows an unconventional approach and requires one to give a close hearing to appreciate the beauty it carries along with itself.

Arriving first in a haunting ‘Lounge Version’, ‘Toh Phir Aao’ later comes in a regular version (which is almost unplugged in the way it has been arranged) and makes you fall in love with it all over again. Last but not the least, DJ Suketu created ‘remix’ version knocks the doors. This time around there is an altogether different feel to the proceedings as Suketu goes all out in creating a club house sound. By the time the third version is through, one doesn’t worry much about what rest of the tracks have for the offering since ‘Toh Phir Aao’ is a good enough reason to play on ‘Awarapan’.

Mustafa Zahid continues to dominate the album by composing and singing ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ which has Sayeed Quadri at the helm of writing again. With a slight touch of oriental shade in its beginning and towards the middle, the song moves on to accommodate itself into a core Pakistani style of composition that makes you lap up ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ even as you are just two minutes into the song.

A love track, it has been composed differently, as obvious in the way Mustafa goes about rendering it, and one has to especially watch out for the way he goes about singing the title line ‘Tera Mera Rishta’. The song comes with lavish presentation and is sure to keep you hooked on the proceedings as it is played along with the film’s narrative. To add to it the Bhatt style of presenting a number on screen and you know that you are in for a treat when ‘Awarapan’ hits the screen.

Later DJ Suketu gets into motion for creating the remix version of the song and ensures that a promotional music video is on the cards soon. Instantly getting your feet tapping and getting you all excited to hit the dance floor, this version of ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ only adds on to the wholesome appeal of music of ‘Awarapan’.

Asif Ali Baig pairs up with Sayeed Quadri to write ‘Mahiya’, a track which is a mix of Hindi and English lyrics. A number with an underground feel to it, it throws a surprise since one was expecting a love soaked track after looking at the title. Instead it turns out to be a dance number which is not quite pacy but maintains a strong underground feel to it, courtesy the beats which accompany ‘Mahiya’ throughout it’s duration.

Composed by Annie and sung by Suzzane, who has been a regular in the ‘background vocals’ circuit for a long time now, ‘Mahiya’ has been set as a track for someone who is a child-woman with dreams of true love in her eyes. A fast moving track that appears twice with the remix version by DJ Suketu witnessing Annie doubling up to appear behind the mike as well, ‘Mahiya’ may not boast of a ever-so-memorable feel as set by ‘Toh Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ but turns out to be a decent peppy hear.

A traditional Sufi song by Baba Farid, ‘Maula Maula’ is composed and sung by Rafaquat Ali Khan. Surprisingly, the track doesn’t quite manage to hold on to your interest and at maximum fits in strictly for situational purpose. A slow moving track with minimal arrangements unlike ‘Ya Ali’ [Gangster] which was full on orchestra, ‘Maula Maula’ has an authentic flavor to it but pales in comparison to not just the other songs belonging to this genre but also the tracks heard before this in ‘Awarapan’. Telling the tale of a protagonist for whom his girl is everything, the track has its maximum chances during the film where it is expected to make repeated appearances throughout the narrative.

‘Awarapan’ starts off on an excellent note with both ‘To Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ kicking it off brilliantly. Later ‘Mahiya’ completely changes the mood of the album and in the process takes one aback a bit due to an ‘item song’ feel to it. While one successfully adjusts to this sound as well, ‘Maula Maula’ appearing in the end turns out to be slight downer of sorts since one tends to expect a much better outcome when a Sufi track appears in a Bhatt film.

In the end, it is left to Mustafa Zahid’s ‘To Phir Aao’ and ‘Tera Mera Rishta’ to give ‘Awarapan’ a platform from where it can expect good album sales.

This entry was posted on Wednesday, May 23rd, 2007 at 9:28 pm and is filed under Music Review. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.