Producer: Ashwini Dutt
Director: Sudhir Mishra
Starring: Anil Kapoor, Rani Mukherjee, Manisha Koirala, Sayaji Shinde, Saurabh Shukla, Satish Kaushik, Snehal Dabi
Music: Anand Raj Anand, Viju Shah
Lyrics: Mehboob, Javed Akhtar
Singers: Adnan Sami, Pamela Jain, Humshika, Shaan, Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramanium, Alka Yagnik, Nitin Raikwar, Rakesh Pundit,�Udit Narayan, Sukhwindra, Sujata Trivedi
Audio On: Zee Music
Number of Songs: 8
Released on: September 05, 2003
Reviewed by: Ron Ahluwahlia
Reviewer's Rating: 6.5 out of 10
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Calcutta Mail has been an interesting project for many reasons.� Firstly, it is said that the movie took 30 days to complete, but laid idle in the cans for almost two years!� Originally, Tips was to produce the music of the movie, however, Zee Records eventually took over.� Finally, the most surprising� aspect of Calcutta Mail, is that the music of the film (which was not used in the promotions) was released the same day as the movie!� To say that it was worth the wait would not be entirely true.� The album is dominated by Viju Shah (last heard in the dismal Dhundh-The Fog) with five songs, while Anand Raj Anand has three songs.� Overall, there are four�solid songs out of the�total eight (three of these are by Mr. Anand!).� Lyrically, the Calcutta Mail has nothing much to offer, even with lyrcial powerhouses like Javed Akhtar (who writes for Shah) and Mehboob (who writes for Anand).�

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Anand Raj Anand kicks off Calcutta Mail with Kahan Pe Meri Jaan Jaogi?.� This number is as catchy as they come, and with a singer like Adnan Sami, you cannot go wrong with this one!� Pamela Jain surprises with her masti bhari vocals, and is a welcome change from her Chitra-wannabe style.� You foot will surely be tapping to this one.
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Haunting! Alluring! Even seductive!� Pyaar Se Dekhle is a song whose foundation is its singers, and Sonu Nigam, along with newcomer Humshika, leave no stone unturned in making this the best song of the album!� Sonu Nigam is shines in a completely restrained rendition.� Humshika has an elegant quality to her voice.� Her voice to the ears is like pure silk to the touch!� Beautiful!�
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Next, Viju Shah comes up with a song like Bheeghi Bheeghi Hawa Hai.��Strangely, it seems as though Shaan and Kavita Krishnamurthy Subramanium are singing faster than the music!��Musically, the song is 100rademark trademark Viju Shah (the techno background and the�extensive use of tabla), which leaves nothing for novelty.� With bland lyrics, this one�s a loser.
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Alka Yagnik (she seems to have been reduced to only one song in all her albums)�tries to breath life into the dead Meri Zindagi Meri Jaana.� The beat and music of the song�is�nice to listen to, but�seems like�Meri Mehbooba from Pardes with a Viju Shah touch.� And what does Nitin Raikwar think he�s doing as a playback singer?� Also, the addition of ridiculous noises doesn�t make a song more interesting, neither does throwing in the odd conversation piece.� Of course, in a Viju Shah album, there must room for Rakesh Pundit, who makes an extremely brief appearance at the end of the song.
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Sadly, Zindagi Hai Kya is Anand Raj Anand�s final contribution to Calcutta Mail.� Udit Narayan and Pamela Jain are wonders in this song, which despite not being very demanding, is a treat to listen to.� Some part of the song�even remind one of Tujhe Dekha To Yeh Jaana from Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge!
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Intezar Hai Tera is another sad attempt by Shah to create a good song.� The music is odd, as the�bass and traditional Indian instruments don�t gel.� Overall, this is another song that seems�tried and tested.� Sukhwinder Singh needs to find a decent song to bring him back to his Chaiya Chaiya days.�
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Just when all hope seems lost, Viju Shah delivers his only listen-worthy song in Calcutta Mail.� Tum Agar is soulfully written by Javed Akhtar and the depression in Udit Narayan�s voice is sincere.� Lyrically, this is the best song in the soundtrack, and, thankfully, is a break from Viju Shah�s usual synthetic music.�
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Yeh Sahib Ajeeb Hain,�regardless of� having 100% idiotic lyrics, makes for an interesting listen. Why?� Because�the use techno beats and sounds actually concur and form a cohesive piece. Moreover, Sujata Trivedi�s vocal have surely matured since her last major input to a Hindi soundtrack (Pukar).� If Sujata was given a real song to sing, she could reach great heights.� Give this one one listen (for�Sujata�s sake)�and�then forget about it!�
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The music of Calcutta Mail proves three things:�acclaimed lyricists don�t always rise to the occasion, a music director does not need the majority portion of a soundtrack to steal the cake, and Viju Shah will only compose outstanding music for Rajiv Rai and for him only!� If you decide not to buy the Calcutta Mail soundtrack (like the rest of the population), you will probably be a happier person.