For some unearthly reason (perhaps known as Pritam), the entire music album, comprising of six songs, of Karan Johar’s Ae Dil Hai Mushkil wasn’t released online as a jukebox till after the film’s release on Diwali weekend.
Five songs had been released individually, one single every two weeks, ushering in a new (forced?) strategy of letting the film eventually bring in its full soundtrack:
Here’s music critic Rohit Mehrotra’s quick review:
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil (title track)
What distinguishes this from a typical Bhatt ‘FOSLA* song’ is the string section, and that brass, which Pritam has so elaborately used. The sameness of Arijit singh’s singing is pretty much intact in the song, so no surprises there. What takes things slightly higher are the excellent lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya. It probably is the most fabulously mounted title song in a hindi film this year.
Probably the weakest song of the album, and in spite of having a catchy hook <bulleya>, the song falls flat <bulleya>, the arragement sounds dense <bulleya> and save for Shilpa Rao, there is nothing that sticks in the song <Bulleya>. There is way too much ‘music’ that doesn’t allow the voice of Amit Mishra to flourish, and as a result, the throw in his voice sounds compromised, thereby killing the overall feel. Quite a bland effort to sound like a bonafide classic from Cokestudio Pakistan, <bulleya>.
Of course there has to be a Punjabi sangeet song — so what if the wedding is happening in Lahore, err Lucknow? That said, Cutiepie is not a bad song because of its tongue-in-cheek lyrics and excellent singing by Pradeep Singh Sran. It actually feels like the song is composed by Vayu (of banno and beat pe booty fame), because the hook of this song sounds similar to one he played for me years back, which incidentally hasn’t seen the light of the day so far.
Alizeh
Arijit Singh, Ash king, Shashwant singh and Pritam have been credited for Alizeh, that has a choir-like breeze and Bollywood-like ‘feels’. Trust Pritam to merge these two vastly different genres and give us a song that you might not want to repeat but will surely not skip. Credit where it’s due — the sound of this track is refreshing and quite soothing.
With the adorbs-feels of a typical 1960s duet, where the hero and heroine are wondering whether to see each other directly in an overcrowded market place, Pritam mixes the pizzazz of present times where hashtag millennials are celebrating a break up by complementing the eyes of their ex’s mother. Break up song is easily the breeziest song of the album and the one that you would tap your foot to and perhaps even sway to, never mind how over-populated your surroundings are. By all means, a top class song! Amitabh bhattacharya, Jonita Gandhi, Arijit Singh and Badshaah deserve all the love for this one.
There is hardly a song that I can recollect in recent times (heck, since forever) that has haunted me so much. Channa mereya is not only the best song of the album, it embodies all the things Karan Johar wants his fans to feel in his make-believe world. The pain of loving and the love of pain, mixed with a tune so fine, it refuses to leave the head. I know of people who have played this song as they hit the bed and kept it on loop while they wake up the next day so that this is the first thing they hear. Mad people, I tell you.
You win, Karan Johar!
P.S.2 – Type ae dil hai mushkil on your Macbook pro and ‘mushkil’ is autocorrected to ‘Musical’.
*FOSLA – Frustrated One Sided Lovers Association
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