Considering the hype Karan Johar use to create for his movies and its music, there is no surprise about that the expectations are so high for the music of “KANK (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna)”. I liked “Kal Ho Naa Ho” soundtrack very much though whether it is an award material is a debatable issue. It was not only a chartbuster album but also a winner of two national awards. SEL (Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy) won best music director and Sonu Nigam won a deserving best playback singer award for singing the title track. Also the comparison of KANK with KHNH music is inevitable. So what is the music of KANK, a winning and also an award material? Let us see..
The product can’t be called an outright SEL product. From the sound of the music, it is pretty evident that Karan Johar has interfered a lot into the work of SEL. As Karan Johar claimed he has ventured into a new area with this movie, he could also have allowed SEL to try something fresh in music. The music sounds more Karan Joharish than SEL’s. For trademark SEL stuff we have to wait for “Don” soundtrack. The problem with the soundtrack is that it has a serious KHNH hangover. The two main melodies (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and Tumsi Dekho Naa) of the soundtrack are definitely pleasant and soothing for our ears with soft strings and piano pieces but they are heavily inspired by the title track of Kal Ho Naa Ho. Especially the tune of “Tumsi” song is exactly the tune of “Har pal yahaan” lines from KHNH song. Also the songs get boring in the midway. Also the beats are so ordinary and clichéd. “Where’s the party tonight” is a sequel of “It’s the time to disco”. “Rock n Roll Soniye” is a mix of “pretty woman” and “Maahi ve” songs. I don’t know when I am going to listen to a remix like Rahman’s “Taal Se Taal” or Adnan’s “Hai Rama” and “Sun Zaraa”. The “Mitwa Revisited” is pretty ordinary. The flow and rhythm of the melody doesn’t gel with the rhythm and tempo of clubby beats in it. “Farewell Trance” has nothing interesting to offer. I don’t know why they went for a trance version of the melodies. Lounge mix would have been better or they could have done an orchestral version of melodies like how they did in “Kal Ho Naa Ho”. The trance beats doesn’t sound well along with the melodies on piano.
The likeable parts of the album are actually in the dance numbers “Where’s the party Tonight” and “Rock n Roll Soniye”. SEL always makes their dance numbers highly energetic that will instantly makes us to shake our body and tap our foot on the floor and they have done it perfectly well in these two songs. The variations and shifts to various genre of the music in these two songs are pretty interesting. “Mitwa” is a kind of song that SEL haven’t done so far. It is the only song that is fresh in all aspects. Though it has got a Pakistani pop feel to it (mainly because of Shafqat Amanat Ali’s voice and singing), guitar pieces and Shankar’s alaaps are all trademark SEL stuff.
Finally, the verdict is that if you haven’t heard “Kal Ho Naa Ho”, then probably this album may excite you. Award? I would be surprised if SEL gets even nominated for this score in any of the bollywood awards next year. Winner? Who knows, the album may become a massive hit after the release of the movie (of course because of the Khan factor).