Hi friends,
Exams over. Jhamela khatam. I’m back and how! Please don’t even dare to talk about how my exams were; I’m practically in no mood to insult myself! It ended on a better note, though! I just wanted to chill after that, but as I had already listened to Just Chill Chill, I decided to go to a market and get myself an MP3 of Salaam Namaste. I’m glad I did! Bought it at a very cheap price, but it works fine [though must admit, they cheated me by giving four less albums than mentioned on the cover - Missed out Amit Sana’s Chal Diye :-(]
On the cover, Preity and Saif looked as if exported from a foreign country! And does the album rock? Find out (Either yourself, or by reading this review - The choice is entirely yours, but I prefer you to opt for the latter.) So here’s it! Check it out!
Music - - - Vishal-Shekhar. Another feather in their cap!
Lyrics - - - Jaideep Sahani. A good job done well!
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Salaam Namaste: A great start to yet another Yashraj Album. Though the film looks quite modern (a deviation from the traditional family dramas after Dhoom) and so is this rocking song! A must for youths mainly, who will take to the song whole-heartedly. Kunal Ganjawala proves yet again that he’s a great and a talented singer, and is on his way to the top. Vasundhara Das, who is quite selective in singing for Bollywood flicks, makes her presence felt in a big way. A surefire hit all the way, whose market value will rise all the way!
Rating - 8.5/10.
My Dil Goes Mmmm: If you are surprised by the lyrics, then it’s normal for you to expect a fun-filled kinda song. Don’t worry, this won’t disappoint you, and it carries forward the good impression created by the title song, and maintains the tradition of a romantic song in every Yashraj Films, but in a genuinely hatke way. It slightly resembles Kuch To Hua Hai [Kal Ho Naa Ho], but the similarities end here! Do you think anyone except Shaan could sing this in a better way than what he has done? And I also think I don’t think I need to say that Gayatri Iyer does full justice to the opportunity provided to her! It doesn’t bore you at all during the odd 07:26 minute duration!
Rating - 9/10.
What’s Goin On: Yet another shock that you may witness on the title of the cover. One really wonders whether this is supposed to be a crossover film (It is said to be on the tracks of DIL CHAHTA HAI in terms of style)
The lyrics of this one goes like - Paune barah baje dono ghar se chale... What’s goin on... ?? What can I say, it again, maintains the tempo of the album of songs catering mainly to the teenagers and the college-going crowds! Kunal Ganjawala and Sunidhi Chauhan do a decent job in a song that appears to appear (???) at a time when the duo are upto some tricks. It makes for a good hearing overall!
Rating - 8/10.
Tu Jahan: Hehe, good to see a Hindi lyric for a change, and good also to have some different variety of a song in this one! Fun no more guys! Sonu Nigam has arrived for an apparently sad song (He made an appearance in the sad Tanhayee in DCH too!) Mahalaxmi Iyer comes on for his company, and the two come up with a superior product! A good one to listen in isolation on a Saturday evening when you are missing your beloved! Go for it! (even if you have your beloved besides you)
Rating - 8.5/10.
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Over!!
Yes, my friends! This is it! Nothing more in store for you. Okay, fine, an album cannot just have four songs. There must be something else, you say. It’s your say that matters anyways. As far as I am concerned, these are the ones. Anyways not eating much of your head, proceed reading this piece for three more, though a repitition of two of the four already mentioned. It directly follows from the law of variable proportions and it states... Oh sorry! My mind tinkered for a while! Read on to find out the meaning of what I wish to say, in case you haven’t understood it yet (and I am sure you haven’t)
English Club Mix of My Dil goes Mmmm... appears in full josh!! And this time, fully in English, mind you! Being consigned from India to Overseas, it is probably there to appeal to the International audience, it will create a lasting impression in the domestic market too! Youngsters may flock to the music store just for this one! Note the way ’’My dil Goes Mmmm...’’ is pronounced! Shaan is lovable to the hilt, and a female by the name Caralisa is impressive too!
Rating - 9/10.
An Instrumental of the same appears right after, and carries forward the impression created by the English Club Mix! Though not as great, it works to a certain extent! Done by DJ Aqeel!
Rating - 5.5/10.
Something for the traditional Indian audience as well (it appears to be so in any case!) The Dhol Mix of Salaam Namaste’s title song that obviously goes by the name ’’Salaam Namaste’’ is more-or-less the same as the original. Though there are tidbits of differences here and there, the overall impression is likely to affect the frame of mind of the chartbusting original! An okay number!
Rating - 5/10.
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Salaam Namaste may be low on count, but it definitely far high on content. Having just four songs (in actual) doesn’t actually make a dent in the album. The craze for the film, and also for the album, is unprecedented, and it will only scale further with each passing day! The demand of the album is elastic, and the supply will have to be adjusted accordingly, though the price can, in no way, be raised! However, a discount @ 6% will be beneficial! The goodwill earned by Yashraj will increase tremendously with this album, and they will scale dazzler heights!
Yashraj Productions may opt for Short-Term or Long-Term loans to produce more of the album, and earn supernormal profits by it’s sale. As they will be the monopolists, their gains will fully be at their discretion! If we differentiate this album with previous ones of Yashraj [Dhoom, Kal Ho Naa Ho, etc.], we may integrate that this one is far different from others in terms of what it has in store for us!
OVERALL RATING:- 7.643/10.
[This comes up in a direct manner - by adding individual ratings, and dividing them by the number of songs - 7! A unique method, wassay?]
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Please forgive me if my (terrible) exam influence rules over my review at some parts! Just that I was too deeply involved in it! In any case, I’ve been successful in editing it at many places!
What do you guys think about the album? As commenting is a must, do the same without wasting a single moment, lest... You know it yourself guys!
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TaKe eXtra caRe,
aLi.
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P.S. This is my 29th review, though technically 30th! Check out my last review to find out why!
© Aliasgar Poonawala, 2005