Music Review: Aao Wish Karein

EXPECTATIONS

Since Aao Wish Karein gives the perception of a romantic entertainer; one does expect music to play a reasonably important role in the film. Also, since composers Ankur Tewari and Xulfi had come up with a couple of tracks worth humming in Ek Chalis Ki Last Local, one expects a certain quality from their soundtrack of Aao Wish Karein.

MUSIC

Beginning of Aao Wish Karein is surprising though with 'Sabse Peeche Hum Khade' kick starting the proceedings. This is the same song that Mohit Chauhan had sung and had featured in the film Let's Enjoy. This time around it is Kunal Ganjawala who comes behind the mike for this melodious track that has an old world charm to it. Since the song has been heard over all these years, there is an instant recall value and it doesn't take much time to hum this Ankur Tewari written and composed number all over again.

Later, Kunal Ganjawala comes up with a much slower 'reprise version'. Sunidhi Chauhan brings on the spunk with a livelier version titled 'Sabse Peeche Kyon Khade'. Lyrics are different this time around and are told from the female protagonist's point of view where she gets into a conversational mode with the guy.

Xulfi begins 'Reh Jaane Do' with the trademark sound of guitar strings. A soft sounding pop track that has a sad connotation to it, 'Reh Jaane Do' moves at a very slow pace with focus on lyrics and rendition rather than any beats that could have otherwise diluted the overall impact. The song may not be the pick of the current season since it's not the kind that could be sung around the streets. However, hear it in the context of the film's narrative and it could make for a good background score. Also, after a promising beginning, its 'antara' doesn't quite manage to hold one's attention.

In the similar mode comes 'Tum Mere Ho' which is a romantic duet by Kunal Ganjawala and Sunidhi Chauhan. By now, the mood of the album is pretty much established as each of the songs so far has followed the same theme without getting into any tangents. The focus is not on creating a chartbuster song that would rock the dance floors or be played on highways. Instead, emphasis is on coming up with the kind of soundtrack that goes well with the soft and simple mood of the film, an atmosphere that composers Ankur Tewari and Mikey Mccleary manage to create in 'Tum Mere Ho'.

Xulfi comes up with the best track of the album in the form of 'Kuch Aisa' (which comes in both the upbeat and 'sad version'). If there is a song that deserves to be heavily promoted as of this very moment, it is 'Kuch Aisa'. Unfortunately, since there is a very small window between the music and the film release, it seems like quite a difficult task for this romantic melodious number to reach out to its target audience in a big way. It's the kind of song that most film makers would have loved to incorporate in their films as Xulfi has done quite well in playing the triple role of singer, composer and lyricist (with Danish Khan).

The last song of the album, 'Sab Yahaan Hain', though doesn't quite lead to similar sentiments. Set as a celebration song in a 50's mode, this Kunal Ganjawala sung track aims at getting into a carnival mode. However, it's playing time would be relegated to the screen time that it gets on the big screen since it is a hardcore situational song. A number about the wish coming true for the lead protagonist in the film (played by Aftab Shivdasani), 'Sab Yahaan Hain' is written and composed by Ankur Tewari with Mikey Mccleary joining in.

OVERALL

As stated earlier, it is apparent that the makers of Aao Wish Karein didn't quite have a chartbuster musical in mind when they came together to make music for the film. This is why the mood of the album remains situational for most part of it. Though none of the songs are bad per se, there isn't a hit quality to them either that would make the album sell like hot cakes. Hear it for some soulful moments in 'Kuch Aisa' and 'Sabse Peeche Hum Khade'.

OUR PICK(S)

'Kuch Aisa', 'Sabse Peeche Hum Khade'