Housefull

EXPECTATIONS Whether it is producer Sajid Nadiadwala or director Sajid Khan, they have always maintained that their films are meant to entertain. One saw that in their earlier association Heyy Babyy which went on to be a big success. Its music too caught on with masses with Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy coming up with a few chartbuster tracks, most notably ‘Ishq Mohabbat’. Now as the Heyy Babyy team reloads, as publicised by the makers, one looks forward to see what exactly does the team have in store for the audiences this time around. Sameer and Amitabh Bhattacharya write.

MUSIC The way ‘Oh Girl You’re Mine’ begins, you know that it is going to be a fun outing ahead. Though the song has primary lyrics that go as ‘Tere Ishq Mein… ‘, it’s the parallel sound of ‘Oh Girl You’re Mine’ which is prevalent throughout, something which brings a constant rhythm. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy bring a new singer on board, Tarun Sagar, who comes along with Alyssa Mendonsa (along with Loy Mendonsa as supporting vocalists) for this foot tapping number that brings together all the lead protagonists in the film. Featuring the much hyped sequence with all three leading ladies in bikinis, this instantly catchy track (which also appears later in a faster ‘remix version’) is bound to be noticed in weeks to come. The fun continues, this time with a ‘Masti’ effect to it as one is transported back to the era of 70s and 80s when lovers searched for those private moments in the confines of the house. Titled ‘Papa Jag Jayega’, this ‘masala’ number (which acts as an instant coffee) written by Amitabh Bhattacharya has Ritu Pathak, Neeraj Sridhar, Alyssa Mendonsa and Amitabh Bhattacharya having fun while ensuring that ‘Pappa’ doesn’t wake up due to all the noise. A situational track that should work with the visuals, ‘Pappa’ also arrives with a ‘remix version’.There is huge fun in store soon after with the much awaited today’s version of ‘Apni To Jaise Taise’. Titled ‘Aapka Kya Hoga – Dhanno’ (due to the reference of ‘Dhanno’ right through the five minute duration of the song), it starts off as an entirely different new number before Mika strikes after an entire minute has gone by. While Sunidhi Chauhan leads the show to begin with (and gets the right sensuality in), Mika gets a distinct North Indian flavour in his rendition while ensuring that he doesn’t let the original singer (Kishore Kumar) down. The musical team here ensures that it doesn’t just go about remixing the song from the past. Instead, a fresh treatment is meted here and though the germ is kept intact, everything from lyrics to most of the tune has been reworked upon. An outright chartbuster track that has Shankar Mahadevan and Sajid Khan as the supporting vocalists with Arun Ingle, Mani Mahadevan, Rahul Chitnis, Kaustubh D and Nitin Karandhikar coming together for a chorus, ‘Aapka Kya Hoga – Dhanno’ brings back the nostalgia of the 80s and ensures that current generation also gets exposed to this memorable track from Lawaaris. The album continues to get inspired from the past with ‘I Don’t Know What To Do’ reminding listener of the kind of songs that were heard in Manmohan Desai and Prakash Mehra films. The common factor here? Shabbir Kumar, who returns after a hiatus and sounds just the same as he did in the 80s. A fun ‘suhaagraat’ number where the groom is completely clueless about what to do and the girl is trying to teach him a lesson or two, ‘I Don’t Know What To Do’ is funny and aimed at the gallery. Of course purists may scoff at what the team of Housefull have to offer with this track but the fact remains that Sunidhi Chauhan along with Shabbir Kumar have all the fun behind the mike and the same effect is expected through visuals as well. The way ‘He’s Such A Loser’ begins, it appears like a groovy Bondisque track which would be full on attitude. However, as one starts concentrating on lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya, one realises that the song has been designed in a comic vein. Describing the central protagonist of the film who is referred to as ‘panauti’ and ‘manhoos’ by one and all, the song goes all out in ensuring that there is nothing positive about him which is brought to fore. Vivienne Pocha gets a major song for herself and along with Amitabh Bhattacharya, she does well in making best use of the opportunity.

OVERALL As expected, Housefull is a fun album and never takes itself too seriously to turn into a landmark affair that would be remembered for years to come. The songs are meant to be entertaining enough to fit in well with the film’s narrative and not allow any full moment whatsoever to come in. This is why there is no conventional love song or a ‘dard-e-judaai’ affair. Instead, majority of songs move at a fast pace while ensuring that the fun element is never lost. With Housefull all set to be first major film to hit the screens after the conclusion of IPL and excellent promotion of both movie as well as music ensuring very good visibility in weeks to come, this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy soundtrack should manage to do well commercially.

OUR PICK(S) ‘Aapka Kya Hoga – Dhanno’, ‘Oh Girl You’re Mine’, ‘Papa Jag Jayega’