Music Review: Thank You

EXPECTATIONS In Anees Bazmee films, one thing that remains consistent is his flair for including out and out massy numbers in the soundtrack. They may sound ordinary/heard before/old fashioned in a few cases (Welcome, No Problem) or instantly attention grabbing (Singh Is Kinng, No Entry) but the fact remains that they work. Due to this very reason, one expects Thank You to be a vibrant and foot tapping album as well, more so since it marks the return of Pritam-Akshay Kumar-Aneez Bazmee combination after Singh Is Kinng.

MUSIC There has been a lot heard and spoken about ‘Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo’ [Jaanbaaz] being adapted for Thank You. Just like ‘Dhanno’ which just took the germ of Apni To Jaise Taise and turned it around in Housefull, even ‘Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo’ maintains it’s own individuality. So while the rhythm of the key words ‘Pyaar Do… ‘ and the lines that follow remains intact, Pritam turns it around to bring it an altogether different start and a freshly composed ‘antara’. The clap sound, so very essential to ‘Pyaar Do.. ‘ is the highlight of this Mika sung number again and along with the ‘remix version’, the song turns out to be an instant attention gainer. It is surprising though to see that Amitabh Bhattacharya, who was so impressive as a lyricist in Band Baaja Baaraat, doesn’t quite spin a similar magic for the words of ‘Pyaar Do…. ‘ and is plain average here. However the spirited rendition by Mika coupled with an instant recall value of the 80s hit saves the day for ‘Pyaar Do… ‘ which should do well to keep the dance floors busy. The mood is elevated further (and for the better) with the highlight song of Thank You, ‘Razia’, arriving next. From the word go, this one is a smash hit in the making and it is surprising that it has not yet been promoted (and spoken about) in the same manner as ‘Munni Badnaam Hui’ and ‘Sheila Ki Jawaani’. In fact it won’t be wrong to say that ‘Razia’ completes the trilogy of item numbers belonging to this genre as it has everything going in it’s favour, right from the core flavour, rhythm, catchy appeal, Ritu Pathak’s vocals, Master Salim’s accompanying voice and the lady at the centre of it all – Mallika Sherawat. Compared to Malaika and Katrina, one can pretty much sense Mallika to be covering a much larger distance and with lyrics (by Ashish Pandit) that go as ‘Razia Gundo Mein Phas Gayi’, it is crystal clear that there would be no stopping for the song amongst the masses. As for the discotheque hoppers, there is always a ‘remix version’ to keep them entertained. Remember ‘Kyon Aage Peeche’ from ‘Golmaal’ which had a 50s appeal to it? Well Richa Sharma gets into the same mould for ‘Full Volume’ and gives the song a good kick start before Neeraj Sridhar gets into his groove and makes the song as his own. Written by Kumaar, ‘Full Volume’ is a ‘masti’-n-‘dhamaal’ track that could have been straight out of the 80s with a choice between Jeetendra or Govinda to be actually grooving to this one. Leave aside the fact that the lyrics have a total massy feel to them, it is the sound created by Pritam along with his hit association with Neeraj that ensures that ‘Full Volume’ (along with it’s remix version) would find instant recognition for itself the moment it is aired. All one looks forward to now is some picturisation that would get the song it’s deserving audience. Next to come is ‘My Heart Is Beating’ that has nothing to do with the namesake melodious track which was composed for Julie decades back. Instead this Kumaar written number is actually more in the Joy Mukherjee/Shammi Kapoor mould and reminds one of the full-on-energy dance numbers from the 60s. Not that ‘My Heart Is Beating’ actually manages to go the whole hog but from the nostalgia point of view, it still aims at being there. Also, Sonu Nigam tries to get into the Md. Rafi groove here but only ends up sounding like Shabbir Kumar and that too in not much of a positive way. More on the louder side (and also enjoying a ‘remix version’ for itself), ‘My Heart Is Beating’ turns out to be barely average but may see a turnaround in fortunes if complimented by some vibrant picturisation. Thankfully the album ends on a much positive note with ‘Pyaar Mein’ turning out to be a mix of ‘Dil De Diya Hai’ (Masti) and ‘Kya Bataaon Main’ (Crook). So how does this combination work? Well, the spirit of ‘Dil De Diya Hai’ forms the basis of ‘Pyaar Mein’ which seems to have been made for a pre-climax situation while the rhythm that follows a little later is set in exactly the same mode as that of Pritam’s own ‘Kya Bataaon Main’ which unfortunately went unnoticed. The combination works though for ‘Pyaar Mein’ which (thankfully) instead of sounding like a sad track actually has a catchy feel to it which is elevated due to the presence of Neeraj Shridhar and Javed Ali. And yes, this time around Amitabh Bhattacharya does justify his presence here as the lyricist.

OVERALL Thank You was meant to be a fun film and this is how it turns out to be as well. Also, this was one supposed to be a massy album and one song which ensures that there would be good sales figures generated is ‘Razia’. Yes, songs like ‘Full Volume’ and ‘Pyaar Do… ‘ are good enough as well to keep a listener interested. Still, if not for ‘Razia’, Thank You would have stayed on to be a decent commercial album where the songs come and then go a few weeks after the film’s run is through. However ‘Razia’ ensures that aided by Madame Sherawat’s enticing moves and a promising visual appeal, Thank You would not be ignored.

OUR PICK(S) Razia, Full Volume, Pyaar Do Pyaar Lo