“Saajan” is a great example of Nadeem-Shravan’s signature soft melody. The album has one thing that is found wanting in most of the duo’s recent releases- soul. It is a combination of excellent singing, a heartfelt score and poetic lyrics that add depth to an otherwise contrived love triangle plot in the film.

“Dekha Hai Pehli Baar, Saajan Ki Aankhon Mein Pyar” has become an anthem for that precise moment when two people meet and click and know that they truly belong together. Alka Yagnik gushes of that moment, describing how she has seen love for the first time in her beloved’s eyes. Hers is a winning rendition. S. P. Balasubramaniam’s honey-laden voice adds even more harmony to such a melodious number.

Balasubramaniam sounds like he is full of masti in “Tumse Milne Ki Tamanna Hai, Pyar Ka Irada Hai”. A very enjoyable track about a man who promises to carry on meeting his girlfriend (but the question is whether he is serious about their affair or not, wink wink).

Every note drips with melody in “Bahut Pyar Karte Hain Tumko Sanam”. Anuradha Paudwal excels in this emotional heart-melter. Never has she sounded more poignant than when reciting the line “Hamari ghazal hai tassawur tumhara, tumhare bina ab na jeena gawaara”. Sameer’s simple yet effective lyrics tug at the heartstrings. Balasubramaniam sings a separate and shorter version of this song, which is also lovely to listen to partly because he has to sing a key lower here than he does in the other tracks in the album.

Every filmi romance has its fair share of pain and that pain is expressed in “Jeeye To Jeeye Kaise… Haye… Bin Aapke”. Kumar Sanu, Balasubramaniam and Paudwal each have a verse to themselves. The theme of dard-e-judaai is eloquently expressed here. Not all of the song is about dard, though. Along with separation from your beloved, comes the cherished memories that one loves to rekindle. “Kaise bhoolaaoon woh saari baaten, woh meethi raaten, woh mulaqaaten…”

Curiously, Pankaj Udhas is also credited as a singer along with the other three in the last song but he does not utter a single word! Still, he does have his own separate solo version of “Jeeye To Jeeye Kaise” where he sings the same words as Sanu in the other version. All of the singers are equally astounding in their parts of this song.

“Tu Shayar Hai, Main Teri Shayeri!” is a song that ranks up there with the best of N-S-Yagnik tracks. The lyrics are not brilliant but they do fit in wonderfully with the shayeri theme that is introduced into the storyline of the movie. Sameer pays tribute to great poetry and the effect that they have on spellbound listeners. “Teri har nazm, tera har geet hai yaad mujhe” It is a delight to listen to Yagnik bring life into this track with her peppy zeal.

Balasubramaniam is given another chance to show us his playful side in “Pehli Baar Mile Hain” (penned by Faiz Anwar). This number talks about true love at first sight and therefore is more serious than “Tumse Milne Ki Tamanna Hai”. Both the Balasubraniam solos are very different but at the same time there are a lot of similarities in terms of music arrangement. Due to this, it is sometimes hard to distinguish between the two songs. Regardless, “Pehli Baar Mile Hain” is still a lot of fun to listen to.

Now for the encore… “Mera Dil Bhi Kitna Paagal Hai, Yeh Pyar To Tumse Karta Hai” is an absolute gem. It is about losing control once you fall in love. Your crazy heart thinks about your true love day and night. But once you get to meet them, you become tongue-tied. “Par samne jab tum aate ho, kuch bhi kehne se darta hai” Sanu brings the sense of longing and desire into his sensational voice. Sanu overshadows Yagnik but she does put the cherry on top of the cream cake with her sugary rendition.

The great music of “Aashiqui” kick-started N-S’s flagging career but “Saajan” is also very important as an album because it confirmed that the musical duo were much than one-hit wonders. Films like “Aashiqui” and “Saajan” will most probably be forgotten one day but their music will always be here to stay.