Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have been in news for a few months now for their superhit score of ’Dil Chahta Hai’. ’Abhay’ is their latest offering. If the music of ’Dil Chahta Hai’ was youthful, peppy and romantic, then ’Abhay’ comes across as completely contrasting. It is something on the lines of the music of ’AKS’ ....Strange, Dark and Disturbing, but narrating the flow of the movie. But one glaring difference between ’Aks’ and ’Abhay’ is that ’Aks’ had a chartbuster ’Rabba Rabba’ which had a mass appeal, but ’Abhay’ lacks in this. There isn’t a single song that may lead to serpentine queues in front of music stores.
’Koyal Se Mili’ (Shankar Mahadevan, Sujatha) is smooth on ears with just a few instruments playing their roles in the orchestra. The song is fine but is completely based on Rehman’s style of composition. Also it has absolutely nothing original to offer except for Javed Akhtar’s poetry.
After ’Shabba Shabba’ (Daud), the ’Kabeela’ music is back with ’Zingoria’ (by Nandini). Fairly enjoyable and good till it lasts, but again not having the potential of breaking into the TOP 5 charts.
’Hasde Hasde’ (Shankar Mahadevan, Mahalaxmi) seems to be designed for a situation in a ’Laugh Club’ with some members participating with their gags. The jokes thrown in are good but the question that raises in one’s mind is that can a common man laugh only at the jokes that deal with ’Extra Marital Affairs’ (which is so obvious in 3 out of the 4 jokes). But all said and done, the song makes a good timepass.
The ones that give some punch to this album are ’Dekho Abhay’ and ’Kal Tak Mujhko Gaurav Tha’.
’Kal Tak Mujhko Gaurav Tha’ (Kamal Hassan) disturbs and if this was the purpose then it is immensely successful in that. The psycho element of the character Abhay comes out very clearly in the lyrics ’Kal Tak Mujhko Gaurav Tha, Main Devtaaon Ki Hoon Santaan.....’
’Dekho Abhay’ (Shankar Mahadevan) starts off as some advertisement of a Diamond Comics thriller. The promos of the song too contain some animated shots that further justify that the song is targeted for children. But we all have been anticipating Abhay to be a bold psychological thriller...isnt it?
Manisha Koirala too joins the bandwagon of the actresses trying their skills behind the mike in ’Hey..Who are you?’. Dont get decieved...neither Kamal Hassan nor Manisha sing here. In fact its basically a musical piece with a liitle bit of ’Bed time Stories’ by the lead players thrown in the narration. But to be fair to Manisha, she does a good job in whatever little she is offered. The track will obviously make more sense when visualised on screen.
To enhance the prospects of the album, there are 5 bonus tracks in the shape of Kamal Hassan’s earlier hits. ’O Maria’ (Saagar) and ’Dekhta Hoon Koyi Ladki Haseen’ (Sanam Teri Kasam) do not need much of an introduction. Then there is the title track of ’Hey! Ram’. ’Sitam Ki Aandhi Se’ (Velu Nayakan) exudes pain. Nostalgia is back with Kishorda’s ’NOT-MUCH-HEARD’ ’Aate Hai Chale Jaate Hain’ from Yaadagar.
Abhay means ’The Fearless’. Now does that stand for the reel life character that Kamal Hassan plays in the movie or the real life Kamal Hassan. Thats because he has indeed been ’Abhay’ in getting composed an indeed ’DIFFERENT’ music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy which is neither ’arty’ nor does it fall completely in the commercial category.