Jaani Dushman - Ek Anokhi Kahani   Producer: Shankar Movies / Raj Kumar Kohli Director: Raj Kumar Kohli Starring: Sunny Deol, Akshay Kumaar, Sunil Shetty, Manisha Koirala, Munish Kohli, Aftab Shivdasani, Sharad Kapoor, Aditya Panscholi, Arshad Warsi, Rajat Bedi, Siddarth, Rambha, Kiran Rathod, Mohini Sharma Music: Anand Milind, Anand Raaj Anand and Sandeep Chowta Lyrics: Sameer, Dev Kohli & Nitin Raikwar Singers: Udit Narayan, Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Jaspinder Narula, Sunidhi Chauhan, Poornima, Pamela Jain, Harry Anand, Sanchaita, Devendra Singh, Prashant & Nayan Rathod Audio On: Universal    Number of Songs: 6 Album Released on: June 2002 Reviewed by: Mandeep Bahra  - Rating: 6.0 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

This is supposedly Raj Kumar Kohli’s remake of his ‘70’s hit, Nagin. Nagin boasted a major casting coup, whereas Jaani Dushman can, at best, boast a very minor one! It is also the acting debut of popular singer, Sonu Nigam; but we’ll comment on the film when it releases. For now, lets concentrate on the music.

In keeping with the "remake" theme of the movie, Anand-Milind have fashioned a composition that could easily act as a sequel to Nagin’s main track.

"Aaja Aaja...Zindagi Main Tujhi Pe" is strikingly similar to "Tere Sang Pyar Mein" from Nagin! It is even sung by today’s ‘Lata/Rafi’ combo, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik. The song is enjoyable but certainly not very innovative. There are also two shorter sad versions of the song that are fairly unremarkable. They may serve a purpose in the film but on the soundtrack, they merely act as space fillers.

Gotta hand it to them, Anand-Milind may rip off tunes but at least they rip them off from a variety of sources. "Chal Kuriye" is a rehash of eighties bhangra hit,

"Maar Chhadappa" by British bhangra band, Heera. Jaspinder Narula is once again typecast as the ‘Punjabi kudi’ while Sonu Nigam provides enthusiastic accompaniment. Once again, the song is enjoyable but originality be damned!

Anand-Milind’s third contribution, "Ishq Junu Hai" is less derivative, although it is very reminiscent of Anand-Milind’s tunes from Dil. Alka Yagnik is her usual self and Sonu Nigam (wrongly credited as Udit Narayan) floats through the number with ease. Prashant provides high pitched interludes; the kind Sukhwinder Singh used to do before he graduated to ‘lead vocals’. The music here, as in "Aaja Aaja…", is very similar to Laxmikant-Pyarelal’s style and Sameer’s lyrics are characteristically banal.

The Punjabi theme recurs in the group song, "Roop Salona Tera Dekh Ke" which has no less than seven(!) singers. Anand Raaj Anand’s music is catchy and infectious, providing ample opportunity for all the singers (Sonu Nigam, Poornima, Sanchaita, Harry Anand, Pamela Jain, Devendra Singh and

Nayan Rathod) to shine. This track warrants a few listens and will probably stay with you for a while.

Anand Raaj Anand also provides this album with it’s best song, "Jaaneman Tu Khub Hai". The song is similar in design to "Deewane" from Indian, and it will get your feet tapping in no time! Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan complement each other as usual. Rewind!

You’d be forgiven for dismissing "Javed Bhai So Re Le" mainly because of the idiotic lyrics. In fact, Nitin Raikwar’s lyrics redefine "inane". However, Sonu Nigam’s energetic singing and Sandeep Chowta’s brilliant music somehow make the song immensely enjoyable.

Jaani Dushman is really not the turkey I expected, but it isn’t a classic either. It’s probably worth buying the cassette and keeping it in your car for short journeys (it may get tiresome on longer trips).