Anu Malik: With a difference

Priyanka Bhattacharya

Unfazed by the dismal performance of Aap Mujhe Achche Lagne Lage, Vikram Bhatt is back with his latest film Awaara Pagal Deewana. The multi-starrer has Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Aftab Shivdasani, Preeti Jhangiani, Amrita Arora and Aarti Chabria.

Music director Anu Malik experiments using different sounds and is successful in composing an album which is a near perfect mix of typical old Hindi film songs and something new as well -- sure to impress the listener. The lyrics are written by Sameer.

The first song on the album Jisse hasna rona hai has an entire barrage of singers -- Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Shaan, Udit Narayan, Sarika Kapoor and Sunidhi Chauhan.

But even such an ensemble of talented singers fail to make this song sound fresh. It is a typical filmisong and very long -- probably trying to do justice to all three couples featured in the song.

The second track begins with a rustic, jungle beat that somehow transforms into the ultra slick Maine toh khai kasam. Sunishi Chauhan and Abhijeet do a good job with this number. Trust Malik to mix all kinds of sounds, ranging from jungle beats to oriental and then Latin American.

Up next, More sawariya by Sunidhi Chauhan and Shaan. Again, Malik has tried to infuse different kinds of sounds in one song. The beats are vibrant and may catch on as a dance number.

The romantic ballad featured next has an Arabic touch to it but gets over very quickly.

After experimenting with different sounds in the previous tracks, the next side sees Malik back to his own style of romantic melodies. The title track Awaara pagal deewana, sung by Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan kickstarts a great song.

The next song Yeh tune kya kiya, rendered by Sonu Nigam and Anuradha Paudwal is also a slow romantic song and almost sounds like a hangover from the previous one.

Mailk experiments once again with Ya habibi, which as the name suggests, has a strong Middle Eastern influence. Adnan Sami's voice is perfect for this number. Shaan and Sunidhi Chauhan do a good job supporting him. What makes this song unique is the perfect blend of Arabic sounds and Hindi lyrics.

The music of Awaara Pagal Deewana is an effort to be different and may cater to an audience that is ready for a change. It does falter at places but for the most part is quite catchy.

Two years after the dismal Dhaai Akshar Prem Ke, director Raj Kanwar is back with his latest venture -- Ab Ke Baras. Rumoured to have a reincarnation theme, Ab Ke Baras introduces two newcomers Arya Babbar [son of Raj and Nadira Babbar] and Aparna Rao.

In Bollywod, good music is a prerequisite for the success of a film. To ensure this, Kanwar roped in Sameer to pen the lyrics and Anu Malik to compose the music.

However, the music doesn't inspire you. The album is the regular fare with no distinctive charactersitics.

The album begins with Deewane aate jaate, a typical romantic number, which has Sonu Nigam crooning along with Alka Yagnik. Sonu Nigam sings well, proving that romantic songs are his forte.

Next is Pyaar Mohobbat, found in two versions in the album. A normal version sung by Udit Narayan and Anuradha Paudwal and a 'sad' version where Sonu Nigam replaces Narayan. Both versions are very slow and tend to drag.

Saari umar mein rahun has a catchy, though familiar tune. The lyrics seem to be inspired by the popular Bryan Adams track 18 till I die with Sonu Nigam crooning saari umar nein rahoon athara saal ka.

Awaara Dil, a remix sounds like one of the dozens of remixes on television. It might catch on with the clubbing circuit. Surprisingly, the remixed version of the song is placed before the original on this casette.

The second side starts with Mujhe rab se pyaar. Sung by Adnan Sami and a newcomer Anuradha Sriram, the Qawwali undertones blend well with the song.

Hoga hoga is sung by the Preeti-Pinky duo and Sonu Nigam. Anu Malik has tried to infuse too many techno sounds, which tend to clash with the vocals at times.

Mein pyaar mein hoon is sung by Shaan and Anuradha Paudwal. The bells in the background add a nice effect though the overall song is strictly okay.

Aaya Mahi is the original version of the Awaara dil club remix. It is brilliantly sung by Sukhwinder Singh, Richa Sharma and Sunidhi Chauhan.

The lyrics by Sameer are okay, nothing that would leave an impact. The music by Anu Malik is passable -- not one of his best works to date but certainly not one of his worst. Easy on the ears, this one is for those who like the typical Bollywood fare.