Some Hindi Movie soundtracks though by no means classic or even memorable, do have a few songs that always remain favourites. One among these is the soundtrack of the movie Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa (1994-Music: Jatin Lalit. Lyrics: Majrooh Sultanpuri Dir: Kundan Shah) (Not to be confused with the grand-daddy of unbearable movies Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham)
By any yardstick, the soundtrack of Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa cannot be a collector’s item, yet some of its tracks are sheer pleasure.
My Favourites
Deewana Dil Deewana (Amit Kumar, Udit Narayan)
This number is lively from the word go. The guitar with which this hummable song opens is marvelous and so is the flute that immediately follows it. The surprisingly underused Amit Kumar is in full throated splendour here. All stanzas cutely convey the innocence of first love: a lover waiting for his girlfriend to return.
‘Dil Se laga kar ke rakha hai kab se resham ka tera rumaal
Aage kahun kya jaaneman, aa dekh ja mera haal’
Though this is Amit Kumar’s boisterous number all the way, Udit Narayan enters the song effortlessly in his own style with ‘Andaz Dikhlati Sau Sau tarah ke’.
’Kyon Naa Hum Milke Pyar Kare’ (Amit, Udit, Vijeta Pandit)
Peppy and spunky, this number has a rarely heard tune. ( in filmi parlance, ‘Zara Hatke’) I like Vijeta, the singer much more than Vijeta, the actress. She is endearingly awkward when she goes ‘aa aa aa karaar mila’. One wonders why she did not further her abilities in this area.
Once again easygoing yet meaningful lyrics like
“Chalke milan ke hain jaam yahan,
nahi hai sambhalne ka kaam yahan”
I love this line. It’s one of my many mottos in life (another motto I follow is ‘Phatela jeb sill jayega, joh chahega mill jayega’ But more on mottos some other time)
The Okay - Dokays
Woh toh hai albela (Devki Pandit, Kumar Sanu)
Devki Pandit’s pleasant voice saves song that would have been otherwise ruined by Kumar Sanu’s nasal voice. Not my favorite and somewhat preachy too, though the tune is catchy like the others in this album..
Aana Mere Pyaar Ko (Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik)
The guitar in this happy skippy number is very Goanese and enjoyable. Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik are better than their usual selves. (They aren’t exactly my favourite singers, thus I can’t go gushing about them)
‘Sacchi yeh kahani hai’ (Amit Kumar, Alka Yagnik)
A rather situational song better seen than heard. Simply, the story of a don. Amit Kumar seems to be having fun and Alka offers good company. But why does this song remind me so much of Boney M’s Ma Baker and even Rasputin?
My personal pick of the album
Ae kaash ke hum
A song almost everyone would like, even the avid Kumar Sanu haters. One of his best and he isn’t even nasal here. Delicate lyrics, make this one of my favorite romantic songs of the 90’s
Ae kaash ke hum hosh mein ab aane na paayein
Bas nagme tere pyaar ke gaate hi jaayein
Overall, Kabhi Haan Kabhi Naa is a refreshing hear, something typical of Jatin Lalit’s style (albeit with a marked R.D. Burman influence)
This album is worth having for(in order of my preference)
1 Ae kaash ke hum
2 Diwana dil diwana
3 Kyon na hum milke pyaar karein