AUDIO/VIDEO SCAN
Tri-lingual formula

PERSONALLY, I have never liked songs which are a mishmash of Hindi, Punjabi and English. But this album is an exception. It rides the three boats rather well.

It is the first album of Veronica in India, who has made a name for herself in England. No wonder, the tunes are purely western. But the lyrics are a smattering of Hindi and Punjabi. Somehow, the music, singing and the lyrics gel well.

What matters is that the music is foot-tapping. Some of the creations even have an international feel to them, mainly due to the fact that these are not very original. Nearly all of them are designed for the dance floor.

Songs like Dil Lageya, Tere Naal and Kya Karaan are already doing well on the popularity charts. Since some of the snatches are borrowed from Indian films, you find it easier to hum along.

Collaborating with Veronica in some of the songs is Juggy D. Many of the songs have been released in the video format, and have been well produced.

Lyrics are not particularly good but pass muster. Some of them have been penned by Veronica herself. She is blessed with an interesting voice, which is not very well trained though.

Most of these songs are also available as ringtones. That is the latest marketing strategy at work.

She has filled up the jacket cover with thanks to everyone from her parents to a million others who have helped her in some way. This may ingratiate her to all these people but is quite jarring for the listeners who do not happen to know her personally. Won’t it be a better idea to send such thank-you notes by post?

Lesser-known composers make extra effort to come up with fresh sounds. But novelty does not always mean quality. There is a stilted feel about their creations.

Here M.M. Kareem makes a conscious effort to impress but succeeds only partially. His songs are different but that does not in any way mean that they are any better.

Lucky Ali is the hero of the film and understandably has the maximum (three) songs. Kareem croons two singles, Todh diya and Bechainiyon mein lamha.

Madhushree sings Jaana hai jaana hai with feeling but is overshadowed because the male version of the song is done by none other than Jagjit Singh.

Shreya Ghoshal has only one number, but has stolen the show through it (Saansein madham hai).

Gayatri Iyer’s Main na janoo kaisi kasak hai does not leave much of an impression. The lyrics are by Sameer. — ASC