Aditya Chopra dons the director's cap for the first time post Mohabbatein. It is hard to believe that Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi will in fact be only his third film as a director, his first of course being Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenga. Both his earlier films had great music and their songs are popular even today and with Adi and SRK coming together for a third time, all are expecting a hattrick from the music as well. Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi is an album which grows on you with time but sadly is still unable to match the magic of DDLJ's music nor is there even a single track which has as soulful a melody as Hum Ko Humi Se from Mohabaatein. After impressing immensely with their scores in Fashion, this time Salim Sulaiman disappoint.
Tujhe Mein Rab Dikhta hai is a sweet melody sung by Roop Kumar Rathod but somewhere it just doesn't work in hooking the listener. The melody, as well as the lyrics, have a very yesteryears feel and it sounds like songs heard earlier. One can only hope that the picturization of the song will uplift it. Considering that it seems to be the title track of the film, one cannot fathom why such an ordinary and uninteresting composition has been selected. Even the female version, a situation track sung by Shreya Ghosal which is just over a minute in length, is equally ineffective.
Haule Haule is the pick of the lot even though it too sounds a bit dated in terms of the composition. But Sukhvinder Singh adds such a dimension to the innocent, flirtatious mood of the song that it becomes enjoyable. It is the type of song that will have you smiling along with it as you hear the lyrics as Sukhvinder has somehow managed to bring a certain "cuteness" to the way the song has been sung. The accordion is used beautifully and gives the dated tune freshness. Being the best film of the album, it pales in comparison to even mediocre songs from Adi's earlier two films.
The next track hits you with a stark contrast from the earlier two numbers which hardly had any electronic sounds and relied solely on real instruments as Dance Pe Chance is fully electronics and percussions. But once again its tune is hardly anything novel or even interesting and the lyrics also don't add much. Lines like "Zara kamar ko aise ghumana, jaise hawa mein aanth banna na. Lo ban gaya step soniya, tu ban gaya hep soniya" and "Ek haath ko uncha uthale, mandir ki ghanti baajale. Lo ban gaya step soniya, tun ban gaya hep soniya" essentially explain what the song is about; oversimplified lyrics for an oversimplified tune. It may find some liking amongst the younger generation, but it is hard to imagine it becoming as rage as it is not even as pacy as some of the recent dance numbers. Sunidhi Chauhan has sung it perfectly though and hopefully the picturization on screen will make this song more popular.
No one other than Sonu Nigam could have pulled off a song like Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte which is a treat for all those who love the classic era film songs but even this trick has been used in earlier films several times and although this song is enjoyable, it is nothing great. Tunes from classics, lyrics from other classics and even the names of classic films are mixed together to create this song. In fact you may find yourself identifying the tune and the lyrics as often lyrics from one classic are matched to the tune of another. An average number which will probably look great on screen as it is rumoured to feature some of Bollywood's current leading ladies (Kajol, Rani, Priety, Lara) in guest appearances along with of course Shah Rukh.
Dancing Jodi is an instrumental track which is almost a remix of Dance Pe Chance minus most of the lyrics. The tunes Haule Haule and Tujhe Mein Rab Dikhta Hai are also brought in with their lyrics being an underlay. Probably a tune which will be used for a stage performance in the film.
Although the songs of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi are nice, they aren't anything great and definitely a far cry from the songs of DDLJ or even Mohabbatein. Their biggest drawback is that they remain mostly ordinary and do not really have anything extraordinary to offer. Not a single song can be labelled as the soul; it's an average album but one which will surely be uplifted by their picturization as they sound like situational tracks which will sound better when heard with visuals.
