Asambhav   Producer: Gulshan Rai Director: Rajiv Rai Starring: Arjun Rampal, Naseeruddin Shah, Priyanka Chopra, Mohan Agashe, Shawar Ali, Mukesh Rishi, Dippanita Sharma, Sharat Saxena, Tom Alter, Milind Gunaji, Arif Zakaria, Mumaut Khan. Music: Viju Shah Lyrics: Sameer Singers: Udit Narayan, Kavita K. Subramanium, Hema Sardesai, Kay Kay, Sunidhi Chauhan, Anuradha Sriram, Naseeruddin Shah, Rajiv Rai and Nayan Rathod. Audio On: Tips    Number of Songs: 6 Album Released on: 26 May 2004 Reviewed by: Shahid Khan  - Rating: 7.0 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

The association of Rajiv Rai and Viju Shah has always given us some incredibly catchy tunes in the form of "Yudh", "Tridev",

"Vishwatma", "Mohra", "Gupt" and "Pyaar Ishq Aur Mohabbat". Out of all those, my personal favourite is "Tridev" which has wonderful dance numbers such as "Gazar Ne Kiya Hai Ishaara", "Gali Gali Main" and

"Raat Bhar Jaam Se".

Naturally, the levels of expectations are raised for the music of their latest offering, "Asambhav". It is a little unfair to expect a classic (and that this album is definitely not) but there are some really wicked tunes here. The noticeable thing about it is the absence of the regular singers like Kumar Sanu and Sadhana Sargam. It is perhaps this absence that makes the album feel a little incomplete. Special mention should go to the absence of Anand Bakshi who wrote for all of Rajiv Rai-Viju Shah albums until he passed away. The lyrics by his replacement Sameer are not really up to the same standards though one must say that Sameer has made more effort here than he would in a Nadeem-Shravan soundtrack.

The song "Raatein Badi Hain" starts with a sudden "boom!" beat, which is maintained throughout the whole track. I almost jumped with fright when it started and nearly dropped my cup of tea. Hema Sardesai is fantastic and is a pleasure to listen to. I thought the tiny snatch of her voice in the title song of "Gupt" (dominated by Kavita K. Subramanium) was very promising so it is great to see her get a full song in an album by the same team.

Naseeruddin Shah´s dialogue throughout the song is interesting but gets irritating on repeat listens. I am sure many music-lovers out there are making dialogue-free versions of this track right now. Nayan Rathod and Rajiv Rai are also credited as singers for this number though I can´t work out where they actually sing in it. Must be in the background somewhere.

"Teri Dekh Dekh Ladkaiyan" (Udit Narayan, Kavita K. Subramanium) would be a standard punjabi dance number in an another soundtrack but Viju Shah has tried to make it sound a little different. This includes making the singers´ voices echo in the beginning of the song. Udit and Kavita always gel well together when they are given a good song and this one is no exception. Their upbeat rendition and the techno/punjabi vibe ensures that this is a track that will have you tapping your feet along to it.

Now, let´s move onto the song that I just cannot stop listening to! "Mashuqa Rubi" is definitely perfect for the dance floor. Anuradha Sriram, the mistress of addictive dance songs, is back to make us all restless with this track. Her zippy voice carries the tune along with the infectious mood of the chorus. "Mashuqa Rubi" is definitely up there with Anuradha´s other famous tunes, "Aa Hi Jaaiye" ("Lajja") and "Dupatta Mera Aa Rang De" ("Mujhe Kuch Kehnaa Hai"). Once again, Nayan Rathod and Rajiv Rai form part of the chorus.

Unfortunately, "Asambhav" has a dud and that is "Main Sada Hoon". There is certainly nothing wrong with Kay Kay´s rendition at all. He rises to the demand of the tune very well. But the tune itself gets boring and is a little dragged out. Thematically, it seems to be an extension of "Raatein Badi Hain". Maybe that is why Viju Shah went for a change of pace in the tune to help listeners establish the differences between the two songs. However, "Raatein Badi Hain" is still the superior theme song.

Sunidhi Chauhan and her band of chorus singers turn up for the livelier

"Koi Aayega". This is nothing new for her as she must be an expert at these type of sexy numbers by now. She still manages to impress with her seductive singing laced with a tinkling of emotion. Listen to her croon, "Aayega jab samne woh, baahon main usse bharloongi" and you´ll know what I mean. The album ends with the instrumental "Asambhav Theme". It´s pretty standard and sums up most of the music that we´ve heard in the past few tracks. It should sound good in the movie during the thrilling scenes.

Viju Shah´s "Asambhav" might not exactly win the award for the best soundtrack of the year but there are some pretty darn good tunes here. So if you´re looking for a few rocking tracks, buy it!