KANK – The Music For Me

I had huge expectations from Karan Johar – and his track record of KKHH, K3G & KHNH (though KJ wasn’t the director, he was quite involved in the film) had me eagerly anticipating the music of Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna. The immensely talented trio of Shankar Ehsaan Loy try hard to recreate the magic of Kal Ho Naa Ho, with the hangover going beyond just the range of songs.

The title track here finds resonance in KHNH title track, however the lyrics do not live upto the optimism in the words – “Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna”. For a title track, the antaras have more pathos than there should have been; the magical piano strokes throughout the song fail to find an echo in its words. “Aansu Hain, Ke Hain Angaarey, Aag Hai Ab Ankhon Se Behna.” Surely, I would have appreciated the song to be one of hope than melancholy.

Shafqat Amanat Ali in “Mitwa” makes the song instantly likeable; his vocals are powerful & it will repeat the success like other songs of this genre (read Pakistani touch). However, had the western bit of this song been avoided, it would have been a purist’s delight. The music directors have experimented a bit too much with their sounds, which may not appeal to everyone. They could have left it to “Mitwa Revisited”, which is the remix version, and to be honest I haven’t felt the need to listen to this remix in its entireity.

“Where’s The Party Tonight” is catchy but again I feel the sounds become very electronic after a while. Agreed it is a disco song, but it doesn’t weave the same magic as the very retro “It’s The Time To Disco” from KHNH. Maybe I’m comparing too far & too early, considering the fact that I got hooked to KHNH disco track only after I saw the movie. One can’t miss the zing with which the phrase “Sapno Ke Din Hain, Sapno Ki Rateein” sounds through the track & will surely make you want to groove.

“Tumhi Dekho Naa” moulds the title track tune into a happier version (thankfully!) this time. The lyrics are mushy & singing mellifluous. This is perhaps the only true romantic number of the album.

“Rock n Roll Soniye” is the run-of-the-mill Punjabi number on the lines of “Pretty Woman” & “Shava Shava”. This song is good while it lasts though again I wish the music directors had not relied heavily on mish-mash of western & punjabi sounds. Much like the others, this song will gain popularity after its video airs (for the uninitiated, it features Kajol).

“Farewell Trance” would be a treat for fans of this genre but again it doesn’t really have my attention due to its techno feel. Maybe that was the intention KJ had the with musical theme of KANK.

All in all, the album didn’t hook me enough on its first hearing. However, I guess with the visuals & movie unfolding over a period of time, the songs have the potential to grow. I, no doubt, look forward to seeing how he weaves these songs in the movie.

P.S. Initially, I didn’t think the music was a winner like KHNH but as I write this I do see the tunes filling up my mind. The music is already “growing” on me – I am beginning to rethink this review but I’ll let it stay.

Win-Win-Win-Win!

Picture this…

It’s a hot summer evening & you are travelling by bus – long distance travel, when you wished you had carried something to eat & drink for the long hours ahead. To your relief, the bus halts & you see the door open with a guy, carrying 3-4 bottles of “packaged drinking water” to sell, trying to get in. However, he & others of his brigade are forbidden to enter the bus by the conductor, who thinks this will delay departure of the bus (or maybe is it just his whim?). The guy fumes & leaves the bottles still in tow.

You see another hawker from the window but the bus’ window pane would not budge to open & before you can shout, he has left to sell his wares to the next bus. You curse the heat & as the bus drives on, you try and take a short nap. Just then an altercation between the bus conductor & a fellow passenger stirs you out of slumber. You realize the conductor does not have sufficient change (chillar) to hand back to the passenger buying the ticket & both are holding the other at fault for not carrying change. Just another day, you think & sigh…

Now, picture this same setting but the proceedings quite different this time…

The guy selling water bottles climbs the bus & palavers the conductor into something which culminates in this guy jingling out 1-2 Rupee coins totalling to 50 Rupees to the conductor who promptly hands over a Rs. 50 note back to him while allowing him passage into the bus to sell his wares. What a wonderful jugaad, I mused as I bought the water bottle from this guy. And yes, needless to say the conductor was only happy the dole out the change, from his now heavy-with-coins bag, to passengers.

Idealists would term it as a sort of bribery, however I would tend to see it as an interesting arrangement where all these 4 parties stood to gain… A classic case of ingenuity at work as a result of which multiple parties benefitted.