Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani Music Review

Rating: ★ ★ ★ ★

Dharma Productions, Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Pritam Chakroborty (Music Director) and

Amitabh Bhattacharya (Lyricist)..When such big names are associated with any project, the stakes are very high in all aspects; as a result the final outcome has to devastating and full of dynamites. "Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani" is one such soundtrack which is expected to be adrenalizing, electrifying and refreshing and which is bound to rule the charts at least for some months, considering the first time combination of Karan Johar (Producer) and Pritam. Also, Karan Johar's sense of music is unquestionable as there is hardly any soundtrack from his stable that has disappointed and on the other hand Pritam has always been associated with the 'Hit' tag, for instance his last year super hit soundtracks: 'Jannat 2'; 'Cocktail' and 'Barfi', as a result the expectations from this soundtrack is sky scraping. In this case, 'Badtameez Dil' and 'Balam Pichkari' have already proven to be 'fire crackers' and have jumped straight into the top 5. With seven originals and two reprise versions, let's see if this turns out to be the biggest soundtrack of 2013 till date!

Without any surprise, 'Badtameez Dil' sits rightly at the first position, a highly addictive, foot tapping number with some stuffy/no-sense lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya (AB), it was Gulzar who created 'Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji' and it's AB who creates 'Badtameez Dil' (although no comparison can be made to the great Gulzar and the legendary song). Benny Dayal vocals are spirited and his renditions certainly make one smile. Shefali Alvaris with her auto tuned (as always) vocals makes a small stint in the second half and goes unnoticeable. It's a fun song with unresistable foot tapping arrangements and a retro touch to it especially the way saxophone/trumpet has been used. The choreography by Bosco-Ceaser is worth noticing where Ranbir Kapoor is charismatic. In short, Chart scorcher!

Suddenly as one moves to "Balam Pichkari", a tradional voice is heard singing a folk song, one gets an instant urge to check if their playlist has been shuffled and then and there the song changes the tempo and within a few seconds the 'Pareshan' (Ishaqzaade) star Shalmali Kholgade makes an entry with Vishal Dadlani joining him and one gets transported into a world of 'Holi' celebrations where the lyrics by AB are something else, something that deserves to be heard, something that is filled with creativity;

" Itna Maza Kyu Aa Raha, Tune Hawa Mein Bhaang Milaya..

 Dugna Nasha kyu chaa Raha, Aankhon Se Meetha Tune Khilaya."

Talking of vocals, Shalmali is captivating and Vishal is at his usual powerful best whereas the arrangements are a perfect blend of Indian and Western instruments making it a hot-seller. Smash hit!

Mohit Chauhan makes an entry with the breezy, morning track "Ilahi" which is dominated by guitar strums, mandolins and chorus (children) with more emphasis being laid on the vocals. An introductory song for Ranbir Kapoor where the lyrics beautifully defines the unconstrained and carefree attitude of the protagonist who is filled with life. Mohit Chauhan instills so much energy in the song that one instantly falls in love with it. Certainly to be played on 'Repeat' mode! To add more depth to the soundtrack there is "Ilahi  (Reprise)" by the new sensation Arijit Singh, an interesting version as it's not easy by means to match the magical charm of Mohit Chauhan, still Arijit Singh brings his own style and spark to this one which has more arrangements than the original with the tempo a notch higher. Terrific..Both Versions!

When artists like Tochi Raina and Rekha Bhardwaj joins together for a composition, the track should consider itself fortunate enough to be sung by these magicians.."Kabira" is one such composition which blows the listeners inside out on the very first hear. The song lands in a forte of which Rekha and Tochi are Queen and King respectively, the result: Sheer Brilliance! It starts with soft instruments where Rekha starts off the proceedings and soon Tochi Raina joins her. Certainly will be used at a crucial juncture in the movie post interval. The song is right up there with the best of the lot, for instance Amit Trivedi's 'Iktara' (Wake Up Sid) sung by Tochi Raina himself, the musical arrangements of which seems to have inspired this number as well. As one desperately crave for a reprise version for this one, Pritam brings "Kabira (Reprise)" where Arijit Singh joins very talented Harshdeep Kaur. The dholak and tabla creates a tradional aura where Harshdeep vocals are magical and Arijit Singh proves yet again that he is an all-rounder when it comes to the genres of songs, notice how elegantly he sings the first paragraph. The good thing about the reprise version is that the female lyrics are completely changed and relates to a girl's marriage where her family describes their state of mind as she is leaving the home and moving to her 'sasural'. The shehnai at the end gives a feeling that the song may find a place in the movie but that's only an assumption. Nevertheless, a musical treat..Both Versions!

Now, from this point the soundtrack starts moving towards average and ordinary stuff which disappoints me a bit.."Dilliwaali Girlfriend" which is catching a lot of eyes these days on television, shows promise at the start with fast paced dance like arrangements where the starting lines reminds us of Sajid-Wajid's 'Soni De Nakhre' (Partner) and later on the renditions between Arijit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan falls in the same corridor as 'Ainvayi Ainvayi' (Band Baaja Baarat). Barring the comparison, apart from the lyrics by AB, the song offers nothing new, an average song that will enjoy a short stint and will definitely be a good watch on screen.

"Subhanallah" is a soft romantic love song where Sreeram does a pretty decent job (although he sounds like Sonu Nigam at places) along with Shilpa Rao who sings only two lines, it's melodious, especially both the paragraphs, but the phrase ’Subhanallah’ fails to melt the heart of the listeners and sounds a bit repetitive after few minutes, thus the songs lacks freshness and is on the same old template. A good song that may grow after a few hearings but not the trademark 'Pritam Zone'!

At last we have the item number "Ghagra" where the presence of Rekha Bhardwaj and Vishal Dadlani raises the bar very high..sky high and to be honest the song may sound disappointing on first few hearings to many listeners but tell me how many people liked the epic eight minute song 'Kajra Re' (Bunty Aur Babli) until it's video created havoc and played a major role in attracting audiences to the big screen, well, talking about this one, it has the potential to become a hot seller once the video is unleashed with the probable Madhuri Dixit. The song has traditional folk type arrangements with lots of Harmonium and Tabla in the interludes and moreover Rekha Bhardwaj is breathtaking with her vocals and Vishal provides the required hook and power to this five minute track. A song to watch out for!

To conclude, 'Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani' just falls short of becoming the biggest soundtrack of 2013, considering the shelf life of the songs. Although it has every element a Bollywood soundtrack should have, two brilliant dance numbers in the form of 'Badtameez Dil' and 'Balam Pichkari'; two majestic compositions if the form of 'Ilahi' and 'Kabira'; an item number 'Ghagra'..What pulls it back is the two average sounding compositions, 'Dilliwaali Girlfriend' and 'Subhanallah', not that they are bad but lacks freshness and gives a heard before feeling. All in All, it's a fantastic soundtrack which will rule the charts for some time, unless until the soundtrack of 'Raanjhnaa' releases which has the great magician A.R.Rahman!