It is no surprise to see another hit pair being repeated. However, barring a few, the real surprise will be if they actually hit the spot again. It rarely happens but in all odds, it seems Bipasha Basu can make it happen. But can Anand Raj Anand make it happen for this Mahesh Bhatt re-make? In some connotations yes, but for the majority of the soundtrack no. Gunaah is no Raaz music wise, but tries hard to be, and it is well known that Raaz’s soundtrack was instrumental in its success. It is very evident that Anand tries in parts to create a melodious soundtrack, as was the case in Raaz, which was produced under the banner of Vishesh Entertainment, but he is no Nadeem-Shravan. And for the simple fact that there is another composer in the film, the soundtrack loses its credibility. Nevertheless, Gunaah does have melody, tone and a sort of romantic feel to it. The songs turn out very listenable, even a second time around, but its over all lifeline still seems very short.

The lyrically different and thematic “Humne Tumko Dil De Diya…Na Pucho Kaun Hai Tum”. The smartest move made for the tune was choosing Babul Supriyo to sing it. Were it Udit Narayan the song would sound quite typical but he does manage to add some freshness into it. Alka is normal to good at times while Anand’s music is pretty much the same beat we’ve heard before. The song is successful in creating a mood, sad, solemn and in some sense sweet thanks to Praveen Bhardwaj’s lyrics, which is always good for a soundtrack. It’s so good for them that they decided to repeat the song again.

To follow up the tune is another soft romantic tune “Jab Dil Churaya”, which is probably better than the opener. The music is fresh, and the recombination of the excellent vocal duo of Babul and Alka well serves it favorably. The song still holds the same mood but Praveen’s lyrics are more regular here.

The man with the golden voice could probably do no wrong, Abhijeet joins in the fun to try and re-create this year’s biggest hit, “Tum Agar Samne”. “Saajana Saajana” is not even close because of the shrill heights Anand has taken Alka to, but is melodious nonetheless.

After listening to “Dil Ne Kaha” it comes to no surprise that Sajid-Wajid have composed it. Not only because their most used singer Sonu Nigam has sung it, but because it sounds like many of their Nigam solos! Most recently it is comparable to “Yeh Bekhudi” from Tumko Na Bhool Paayenge. It’s actually very disappointing to hear them compose such a typical tune again even though Sonu Nigam still gives it his all. The song is written by the late Anand Bakshi and is a hero’s ‘torn and distraught’ love song.

Sajid-Wajid had previously mentioned that techno qawaali’s were their expertise. So they have composed a typical one in here, “Rooth Kar Hum” which is unsurprisingly not different from “Roothe Yar” from Chori Chori, which like this one was penned by Anand Bakshi. A definite pass.

The theme track, “Theme of Gunaah” follows. It is surprisingly well-composed, slick theme track, which has Sunidhi Chauhan in a sensuous light, toned vocal backdrop. Ending it all off is “Mere Dil Pe Kisne” a typical love song. Sajid-Wajid must have been tired composing all of these redundant tunes. But the real question is why is Kumar Sanu credited to the tune when it is actually Sonu Nigam singing? (Sony Music had previously done the same with Asoka, accrediting Sunita Rao’s for Alka Yagnik’s).

Gunaah is certainly not the worst of soundtracks for the simple reason that the songs are not horrible. There is evident melody and a few things to like about it barring the fact that they are just average. We’ve heard it all before, but the fact that we can actually sit through most of them does deserve some credit. Buy it without the intention of constant repetition and it is a safe venture but expect very little. However as it may be able to bring in the audience and serve as ‘breaks’ in the midst of this crime thriller, it is truly no Raaz.