Tum ko bhi hai khabar
Mujh ko bhi hai pata
Ho raha hai judaa
Dono ka raasta
Door jaa ke bhi mujhse
Tum meri yaadon mein rehna
Bidding farewell to the conventional, Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna is destined to top the music charts. With a handsome mix of lilting music, minimal lyrics that speak volumes, and some foot-tapping numbers that are bound to make the dance floor a crowded place, this album offers a great variety of music within a single soundtrack.
The expectations from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna were huge, burdened with a mammoth star cast and a director who has experienced only success at the box office. But the music delivers and judging by the promos, the film also appears extremely promising.
This past year has seen many successful film music albums but the one thing lacking was the variety of music within a single film; Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna breaks this trend.
The music, composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, takes the listener through different genres of music and different styles of fusion. And Javed Akhtar's lyrics suit the theme of each song, whether the need is of sheer poetry, or a fun Hindi – English mix, hitting bull's-eye.
The album opens with a sad song, which happens to be the title track of the film. Sung by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik, the beauty of this soulful song lies in the fact that the music never overpowers the lyrics. The use of the piano and flute in this composition is superb and it has really been a long time since such a romantic sad song has been heard, bringing a tear to your eye. Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik deliver the song in a very soothing pitch, bringing across the love and pain that the song demands. The grand symphony-like ending to the song is also spell-binding.
The second song of the album, Mitwa, is a surprise because it's a combination of Sufi, Indian classical and rock, a first for a Karan Johar film. A situational song, Javedsaab's lyrics, like "Jo Hai ankahi, jo hain ansuni, woh baat kya hai bata' mixed with English lyrics gives the song a very distinct feel. Sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, the song starts of with a very Pakistani feel to it but then quickly mixes in classical. When Shankar Mahadevan takes over at Mitwa, the song picks up pace and then the verse comes back to Shafqat Amanat Ali while Caralisa takes over the English lines. The rhythm of the song is very catchy and the remix version, Mitwa Revisted, will be a hit in discs and lounges.
Where's The Party Tonight instantly reminds the listener of the super-hit It's The Time To Disco from Kal Ho Naa Ho. It is sung by Shaan, Vasundhara Das (who also sang It's The Time To Disco) and Shankar Mahadevan with Loy chipping in for the English lyrics.The song begins with a combination of techno and tabla with English lyrics. Later the song combines bhangra and 80s English pop to create a tune which will have people hitting the dance floors.
The truly romantic song of the film is Tumhi Dekho Na, sung again by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik. Upon hearing the song, you realize that it's similar to Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna in treatment and hence the choice of singers remains the same in both songs. It's hard to remember a song recently which has made such beautiful use of the piano as has been done in Tumhi Dekho Na, where the piano is the only instrument being used at times. Again the lyrics are the highlight of the song with words like "Sach yeh ikraar hai, sach yehi pyaar hai, baaki bandhan hai sab jhoot ke…" hinting at the forging of one relationship at the cost of others. The softness in Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik's voice even at higher pitches adds soul to the song and makes it a very soothing listen.
Rock N Roll Soniye, a rocking song which we learn has been filmed on the father-son duo (both real and reel), will definitely be a treat to watch on screen. After hits like One Love and Dus Bahaane, Shaan seems to be the perfect voice for Abhishek Bachchan, especially for his fast numbers. This song not only mixes rock and bhangra, you also hear a bit of jazz which comes as a pleasant surprise. Smart lyrics like "Sexy Sam Sexy Sam Wham Bam Wham Bam Thank You Sam" may initially leave the listener confused, but once we learned that Amitabh Bachchan's name in the film is Samarjit Singh Talwar (Samarjit aka Sam), we realized that the song actually reveals a lot about the character's personality. Lyrics like "Aag se thandak, barf se garmi, maang ke hum pachhtaaye" only add to the masti of the song and the incorporation of "Sar pe top lal, hath mein resham ka roomal oh tera kya kehna" in a song which is essentially western rock, jazz and a touch of bhangra with a lot of English lyrics just makes the song even more fun. After Rang De Basanti and Fanaa, Mahalaxmi Iyer is back, this time with a more fun song, breaking away from the typecast that she could only sing soft romantic numbers.
Lastly, Farewell Trance seems to be an attempt to attract non-Indian listeners by explaining what Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna means and is essentially a musical piece with minimal lyrics.
This is definitely one of the best film music albums of the year. The songs have hit written all over them even before the visuals have been well sampled on television (Farah Khan's choreography will only enhance these already melodious tracks). The expectations from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna may have been mammoth but the music surpasses all expectations!
Let Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's mesmerizing melodies and Javed Akhtar's inimitable lyrics cast its magical spell on you... yet again!
