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Music: Ankit Tiwari
Lyrics: Manoj Muntashir
Singers: Late Jagjit Singh, Arijit Singh, Tulsi Kumar, Ankit Tiwari, Vishal Dadlani, Neeti Mohan, Rekha Bhardwaj, Payal Dev, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, DJ Bravo, Harshi Mad
Album Released: October 2016
The album comes with gargantuan expectations after the ultra-melodious and the super-hit score of Tum Bin (2001). Unfortunately, the result is ‘Meh!!’ despite the presence of Arijit, Tulsi, Ankit himself and the evergreen Jagjit Singh!
‘Koi Fariyad’: It is excellent to hear the Late Jagjit Singh once again along with the mixed with vocals of Rekha Bharadwaj, a la “Unforgettable” duet with Natalie Cole and the late Nat King Cole. The sing is basically a rehsh of the 2001 melody but Rekha adds her own panache to the song. 3/5
‘Ishq Mubarak’: A romantic song sung in a Sufi style –this is rising up the popularity charts, but it didn’t seem to do much for me. One of the rare Arijit songs that didn’t seem very romantic , it seemed very common in it’s treatment. Good lyrics by Manoj Muntashir though … Aisa lagta Hai Teri Aankhein Meri Aankhon Mein Reh Gayeen. Overall 2/5.
‘Dekh Lena’: A better song than the previous dragging number, it still fails to grab you by the throat. This had the potential of being the one stand-out duet like the “Jab Se Tum Aye Nazar Mein” or “Chhoti-Chhoti Ratein, Lambi Ho Jaati” from the predecessor. While Tulsi and Arijit are good in their rendition, it doesn’t offer anything different from the flood of romantic duets that keep coming from the Arijit machinery…disappointed so far! Hopefully the other songs will take the graph up. 3/5
‘Jaeger Bomb‘: The Humpty-Dumpty lyrical styled party number doesn’t do too well either. With random English lyrics thrown here and there, it doesn’t get the beat grooving at all. Sung by Ankit Tiwari, DJ Bravo, and Harshi Mad, this should have been the “Suru Ru Ru…“ of the original Tum Bin but once again… fail! 2/5.
‘Dil Nawaziyan‘: Sung and written by Arko Pravo Mukherjee, it seems like a fusion ghazal, He is ably supported by Payal Dev. Even though the song is not addictive by any standards, it is definitely one of the better numbers of the album. Changes pace every now and then from a fast-paced peppy song to a ghazal like melody, but no stand-out lyrics, which are largely seeped in English. 3/5
‘Masta’: Where is this album going? Another song thatg keeps changing pace – this Neeti Mohan and Vishal Dadlani song, though energetically sung, fails to infuse any energy in the listener. It couild be me but it felt like the songs either kept going out of tune or had morphed into a different song altogether. 1/5
‘Tum Bin’: Another rehashed (?) song from the previous installment, it is sung melodiously by Ankit Tiwari, but not a patch on the original by Chitra & Sonu Nigam. The mood is the same, although the tune is vastly different with the core lyrics “Tum Bin Jiya JKaye Na” being retained. 2/5.
The songs became such a drab after listening to them repeatedly, that I didn’t even spend much time writing more than a line of two about each song, unlike the energy I felt like pouring into my previous review Mirzya! Maybe the songs will grow on the listeners with the extraordinary visuals, but so far they seem to have no feet to stand on.
OUR PICK(S)
Since I have to pick something I will go with ‘Koi Fariyad’ as a tribute to the Late Jagjit Singh – oh we miss him! A special mention also to ‘Dekh Lena’ even though it is in the mold of several other romantic duets that keep getting churned out.
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