Pritam Chakraborty, Emraan Hashmi, Sayeed Qadri (Lyricist) and the 'Bhatt' camp - a well stirred combination of these four artist brings forward the much anticipated soundtrack of 2012, "Jannat 2" which comes with loads and loads of expectation, reason being their previous venture, Jannat, which is still considered one of the finest soundtrack to come out of the stable of Pritam. This time an added advantage on the vocals with maestro's like Shafqat Amanat Ali, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Mohit Chauhan makes one anxious and adding on that curiosity Pritam provides a stunner with nine tracks, although as usual five originals with 4 reprise versions with a different set of singers. Let's see if Jannat 2 matches upto all the hoopla and hype created!
Going by the trend, the first track "Tu Hi Mera" was made viral a week before the music release and the aggressive promotions on small screen has already made this a HIT. Shafqat Amanat Ali is underutilized and the lyrics by Sayeed are clichéd and predictable but Emraan Hashmi screen presence and the melodious tune will make one listen to this for sure. A number that will grow with time but seriously could have been much more rich on the lyrics and vocals department. Good start anyways!
Up next Rahat Fateh Ali Khan in "Tera Deedar Hua" makes an impact straightaway with his high pitched vocals. Pritam again gives his own treatment to the qawwali genre (earlier before in 'Dil Mera Muft Ka') and is a treat for RFAK fans. The alaap in the first interlude and the guitar riff in the second are worth hearing. The lyrics by Sanjay Masoomm are mediocre in an era where artists like Amitabh Bhattacharya, Prasoon Joshi and Irshad Kamil have raised the bar very high with their pen. The picturisation can do wonders with the beautiful Esha Gupta (debutant) alongside Emraan if choreographed and presented well. As an audio alone, it will have a limited shelf live!
It has a "Tera Deedar Hua (From The Heart)" where Javed Ali steps in and surprisingly the final result is better than the original as his voice brings out more emotions and pathos. The whole song is one note low as far as the high pitch in the original is considered and suits the genre well. The alaap from 1.29 to 1.47: WoW! Must hear! (Note: In both versions, the mukhda has been composed by Anupam Amod)
Some gorgeous Piano starts "Tujhe Sochta Hun" and the 'King of Pain’ K.K weaves magic around Sayeed beautiful and at the same time painful lyrics. The piano in the background is haunting, mesmerising, hypnotising to say the least..Make no mistake, there would be enormous Piano Cover Versions of the song very soon (waiting for Aakash Gandhi's version). K.K is top-notch and shows why he is still considered the best playback voice in the industry, my God! What enormous alaap. The song is right up there with the best of the lot and can even challenge Pritam very own ''Zara Sa'' (Jannat). The Arabic renditions by some female voice seem unnecessary unless explained in the video and also its surprising as the voice hasn't been credited on the covers. Forget everything people and lay your hands on this prolific composition. Magnificent! (Can’t get the piano out of my head)
Nikhil D'souza is a massive talent and Pritam has proved it lately, this time he performs a reprise version of 'Tujhe Sochta Hun' named "Sang Hoon Tere" where the piano is eradicated (almost) and some rock-lounge feeling has been created with added English vocals. Tough choice between the two versions, treatment wise, each track has its own beauty and will have its fans likewise. I would prefer the one by K.K.!
As soon as one reads the name Mohit Chauhan credited below a song expectations goes for a somersault sky dive...”Rab Ka Shukrana" is a kind of composition that needs some hearings to settle down and unlike Pritam's other instantly catchy tune, its a slow and steady horse that will be a smash hit once the video is out. After 46 seconds of piano (and sitar also) with soft and peaceful arrangements, one gets to hear Mohit Chauhan and he is simply terrific as always and does full justice to the song. The lyrics by Sanjay Masoomm are somewhat fresh with some religious words being used well as a synonym for love. As far as the video is considered, I think a love-making picturisation in on the cards for this one with hot and sizzling pair of Emraan Hashmi and Esha Gupta. Can't wait!
The best reprise of the soundtrack comes in the form of "Rab Ka Shukrana (Reprise)" where Anupam Amod (who hardly had any hit apart from Aakrosh's 'SaudeBaaji' and 'Thoda Sa Pyar' for the movie 'Kuch Luv Jaisa') makes a connection instantly. The arrangements here are a class apart and certainly deserve an applaud. The chorus is used very beautifully and one gets a feeling of WoW as the first interlude starts and the song picks up some rhythm and pace. The English vocals bring on some change and the use of Piano in the background is fascinating and intoxicating. As an audio alone, I would prefer this version (not many would agree with me on that though) and from the movie perspective Mohit Chauhan will do the magic!
"Jannatein Kaha" is a rehash of the previous super hit 'Zara Sa' and who else than K.K can handle this responsibility. English rap, rock beats, police sirens...too much? Naah! It will grab attention instantly more importantly due to the whoo oo hooo hooo part which was a signature tune for 'Jannat', although the best part of the song is from 2.44 to 3.18. Lyricist Mayur Puri although falls nowhere near to what Sayeed did for original 'Zara Sa' but still a good tune that would surely make up for an interesting watch on screen if not wasted on promotional stuff/credits.
Nikhil D'Souza returns with "Jannatein Kaha (Power Ballad)" which is minus all the unnecessary raps and beats. Better than the original..Yeah..Definitely! The change in the lyrics and the bracing guitar riff acts as icing on the cake and Nikhil proves his menace once again. No doubt sooner or later he will join the elite list of the bankable artists.
Jannat 2 is a typical Pritam and Bhatt soundtrack which will definitely rule the charts for the next one month, especially 'Tujhe Sochta Hu', 'Rab Ka Shukrana' and 'Tu Hi Mera'. Emraan Hashmi charismatic screen presence will do wonders for each song although it disappoints on certain aspects, more importantly Lyrics and creativity in the tunes. While Jannat was much heavy on the lyrics part, Jannat 2 fails to leave an impression with the lyrics and each song is clichéd. Nevertheless, enjoy all the songs as they are made to rule the charts for next 5 weeks, at least!
