Films
Reviews
Aankhen
Music Review
Synopsis - Aankhen - A dangerous game...Vijay Singh Rajput a honest, successful and disciplined Bank Manager commanding respect and reputation from his clients notices that the employees and the management have been cheating the Bank. The Bank Management terminates him. Watch how Vijay Singh plays a dangerous game against the Management with the help of Vishwas, Arjun ,Ilias and Neha!
There are a number of firsts in Gaurang Doshi's
Aankhen. First - the coming together of Triple A force - a legend called Amitabh
Bachchan, Khiladi No. 1 Akshay Kumar and the hunk Arjun Rampal. It also marks
the coming together of women of substance Sushmita Sen and Bipasha Basu, who is
billed to be the hottest queen in Bollywood after a confident debut in Ajnabee.
Another first is the debut of Vipul Amrutlal Shah as a director. Last year we
had seen a whole bunch of music directors composing for a single movie. But
Aankhen has not one, not two but four music directors for JUST ONE SONG. Now
isn't this a First ? But the FIRST that takes the cake is this one. Have you
ever seen a case when the front of the album cover displays the name of the
composer who composes just three numbers whereas the composer who does six
numbers are not even mentioned? Strange but true as in the case of Aankhen where
the former composer is Aadesh Shrivastava and the ones missed out are not any
newcomers to this field but the established Jatin-Lalit.
But 'first' things first. One just can't take away the credit from Aadesh
Shrivastava who impresses the most his in two numbers - The title song and
Gustakhiyan. The title song by Sonu Nigam and Remo is quite impressive which is
quite high on orchestra and is has both the singers sing full throatedly. The
song creates an impact in the very first listening and creates a mood for the
numbers to follow. The album begins in the best possible manner with 'Amitabh
Soliloqi' that has him rendering the philosophy about TRUTH. The style is quite
on the lines of 'Bhala Bura ' from AKS but more commercialized with a superb
background music and the haunting vocals of Remo Fernandes. One can go for
Aankhen for just this very number. A wonderful composition conceived by Vipul
Amrutlal Shah and having lyrics by Aatish Kapadia.
'Nazron Ne Teri' is a foot tapping number composed by Jatin-Lalit and written by
upcoming Praveen Bhardwaj. Though there have been countless romantic numbers
like this before, it is the beats and the overall effect that make it good. 'Kuchh
Kasme' is another romantic number in this album which is otherwise high on theme
songs and music. This duet by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik is very melodious and
should become popular (as will the other songs of Aankhen). Jatin Lalit's music
is soft and Praveen Bhardwaj's lyrics are impressive too.
In 60's came 'Aankhen' with Dharmendra and Mala Sinha, which was a thriller, and
then in 90's came David Dhawan non-stop entertaining action-comedy 'Aankhen'
starring Govinda and Chunkey Pandey. Both the movies were smash hits. Let's see
if history repeats itslelf again in the new millennium. Not many know that 'Aankhen'
was earlier titled 'All The Best', but got changed later. This is the reason why
the theme song and the number 'All The Best' has Remo rendering the same words.
He does a superb 'Ye Hai Jalwa' act yet again which has nothing but the
trademark Remo's voice effects. Jatin Lalit and Praveen Bhardwaj team up once
again.
'Gustakhiyan' is an intense love song which has a superb start. The entire
number is quite westernized with both Aadesh Srivastava and Vasundara(who sang
Shakalaka in Nayak and was the girl whose wedding everyone attended in the
recently released 'Monsoon Wedding') in full JOSH. The number is a guaranteed
HIT and the presence of a solid starcast is another plus. Prasun Joshi is the
lyricist. A bar number about 'Sharaab' and 'Shabaab' makes it's appearance after
a long time with 'Chalka Chalka'. Though Alka Yagnik's and Javed's rendering of
the number is good, but still this number by Jatin Lalit and Praveen Bhardwaj is
quite chalu and seems out of place in a A Grade project like 'Aankhen'.
And now the 'FIRST OF ALL FIRSTS' which has four music directors. Now isn't this
creativity at its maximum here ? The number in question is 'Phatela Jeb' which
is a tapori time pass song sung in the voices of Nitin Raikar, Aadesh
Shrivastava and Arun Bakshi - all of them having raw voices that suit the
proceedings. The four music directors are Nitin Raikar , Aadesh Srivastava
themselves and Jatin Lalit. Nitin Raikar writes the lyrics which only he can
write (!!!) and the end result is quite funny and entertaining. It is a light
number about a few young guys whose 'haalat' is 'fateli' i.e. they are broke and
are out to make some quick money. They are optimistic that one fine day their 'haalat'
will improve and they too will get the all the luxuries of the world.
The movie is a thriller about a bank robbery masterminded by BIG B. The songs
grow on you instantaneously and is a good way to start the new year with. BUY IT
AND YOU WON'T REGRET IT. And as the promos say - A DANGEROUS GAME IS ABOUT TO
BEGIN.
My gut is telling me - praying actually - that Vipul Shah´s Bollywood debut will be an entertaining farce. With this hot and happening a star cast, we expect plenty of style and panache. So, Aadesh Shrivastava´s got his handle over the panache. And Jatin - Lalit excel with the romantic fusion styles. But the music directors´ choice of Remo as the vocalist anchoring the title tunes was a bad move for this "dangerous game".
The upbeat Aankhen title song, prefaced with an entrancing Amitabh Bachchan soliloquy - which Universal´s label clowns call a "soliloqi" - sets the trendy precedent that the rest of the soundtrack must match. Techno-friendly Aadesh gives us a tune to enjoy and Sonu Nigam is at home as the lead vocalist. And, for the first and last time in the soundtrack, Remo is suitably restrained in the background.
Shrivastava´s "Ghustakhiyan Hain" does its best to maintain the electrifying momentum of the first track, and does a decent job keeping up. Aadesh´s own singing is pretty good, but I would have preferred to hear more of the rarely heard actress/singer Vasundara Das. She´s got a lot of talent, this lady.
Jatin - Lalit´s "Kucch Kasme Hain Jawaan" is a beauty! The brotherly music duo return to a genuinely inspired state after a long slump. What sets this short Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik ballad apart from the team´s past efforts is its ability to weave between soothing and rocky moods at different periods. We ought to thank Vipul Shah for not using the hokey wordsmithing of Sameer too. Praveen Bhardwaj´s lyrics are sooooo much better.
Don´t get too complacent though. Be prepared for boredom in spades when Remo returns for the Jatin - Lalit version of the "Theme Song". Mr. Fernandes has gained a modest amount of notoriety for his trademark jibberish singing, but a tune´s sole dependence on this style is plain stupid. More so because it is the same jibberish/words he has used in Daud, Pyaar To Hona Hi Tha, Khamoshi: The Musical and countless other movies before.
Speaking of inspiration, "Phatela Jeb" sounds very much like the "Excuse Me" track from N. Chandra´s recent flick, Style. Mere coincidence? I think not. With Nitin Raikwar contributing to both tunes, along with Aadesh Shrivastava and Arun Bakshi this time around, it is no surprise. What is confounding though is that this ´ripped´ tune needed the creative faculties of Jatin - Lalit, Aadesh Shrivastava and Nitin Raikwar to be put together!?!?!
Alka Yagnik invites Javed - a newcomer to the playback scene with this unimpressive two-line launch - with the double entendre filled "Chalka Chalka", and the lady has us hooked instead. Sure, the tune would probably go to Asha Bhosle in the days of yore, but Yagnik does a very good delivery too. Plus, the prospects of seeing either Sushmita or Bipasha boogey to this bar tune on screen are pleasant enough.
Ready for some Bhangra-ish, Rock and Swing? Jatin - Lalit sure are, and so am I. I love it when directors try something different. It is even better when it works. Thanks to Udit Narayan, Kavita Krishnamurthy-Subramaniam and the instrumentation this one scores in a big way. Kavita is in fine form, the best she has been in months.
How I wish the album would not have ended on the frivolous notes of Remo´s "All The Best". Some readers will hate me for lacking the tact to convey my feelings better, but I must say, "Remo man, shut up dude."
Were it not for the Remo misfires, I probably would have loved Aankhen´s music. The soundtrack comes nowhere near classic status - I doubt it even aspires to such categorization - but it is fine for several months of regular listening. In fact, Jatin - Lalit are far more laudable for this one when compared to their recent Kabhi Khushi Kabhie Gham efforts. Just get the earplugs out for their versions of the two theme tracks on the score. But if you still want to listen to the them, for your eardrums I wish you, "All the best".
7 out of 10