Reviewed by: Anish Khanna
anish@indolink.com

Feel-good family sentiment, large group numbers, sisters singing about brothers, daughters-in-law singing to their ma-in-law.... Can Sooraj Barjatya be far behind? Well, no. This in a nutshell describes the Sooraj Barjatya film and - well - the Sooraj Barjatya film score (aren't his films just one big song really?). From its Ram-Laxman score, Rajshri Production's third Sooraj Barjatya project "Hum Saath Saath Hain" seems very much in the Barjatya genre and perhaps more Barjatya than Barjatya has been thus far.

The first and only love song on the album is "Mhare Hiwda Mein Nache Mor", which features the three crownprincesses of playback singing - Alka, Anuradha, and Kavita, along with Hariharan, Udit Narayan, and Kumar Sanu. The Rajasthani folk song is catchy. Add to it the visuals of Sonali, Tabu, Karisma, and Neelam in ghagras in the midst of the desert landscape, and the number promises to be a real treat on screen.

Mummies and papas listen up. Those of you who think Hindi films can't be educational need merely listen to "ABCDEFGHI...I LOVE YOU". Yes, we have the entire alphabet in song on this album. And yes, it sounds rather ridiculous. The number itself does a great job of creating the holiday feeling, but couldn't lyricist Mitali Shashank come up with something a tad bit more inspiring? The singers who are forced to endure this lyrical torture are Hariharan, Hema Sardesai, Shankar Mahadevan, Udit Narayan, and Saif Ali Khan (no, he doesn't sing, but adds verbal comments here and there).

"Yeh To Sach Hai" borrows its bhajan-like strains from the classic "Ae Maalik Tere Bande Hum". Bhagwan in this instance, however, is not THE almighty but rather mom and dad. Hariharan does an apt solo job with the song.

"Chotte Chotte Bhaiyon" is a shaadi celebration for the eldest of the brothers, where the other siblings rejoice and reminisce. Nothing terribly original here, but still feel-good nonetheless.

In "Maiya Yashoda", Alka, Anuradha, and Kavita re-unite to complain about their respective saiya's to their maiya - yaani ke - mother-in-law. Not bad, I guess. I found myself yawning through this number without the visuals.

When bhabhi first comes home to an extended family, she must first be introduced to everyone. This is exactly what happens in "Sunoji Dulhan Ek Baat", the album's big parody number. My personal fav's: Udit parodying his own "Papa Kehte Hain" and the whole "Mera Naam Mumumu" affair. The song is long but promises to be a comic delight on screen. The singers are Roop Kumar Rathod, Pratima Rao, Udit, Kavita, and Sonu Nigam.

The only truly original tune of this bunch comes at the end of the album - the title song. It is soft and different. "United We Stand" says the caption under the title of this film. Hariharan, Anuradha Paudwal, Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, and Kavita Krishnamurthy assert this fact with this number. All of this talent under one baton should only mean magic and to an extent it does that here.

So, what's missing? Well - one huge factor: Lata Mangeshkar. According to the gossip circuit, there has been a fallout between her and the composer, so she isn't a part of the score. One wonders, however, how wasted her talent would have been in a score chalk-full of group numbers. Also - it becomes clear how vital she is to breathe true life into a Ram-Laxman score. I must say that this score is not worth much at all when it comes to originality. Don't look for a whole lot of innovation here. Still - remember the golden "B" word - "Barjatya" - and you will realize that this after all IS still a Rajshri production - and one that is bound to leave a smile on all of our faces nonetheless.