Kyon Ki   Producer: Orion-Mad Films Director: Priyadarshan Starring: Salman Khan, Jackie Shroff, Kareena Kapoor, Rimmi Sen, Om Puri Music: Himesh Reshammiya Lyrics: Sameer Singers: Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik, Kunal Ganjawala, Raadha, Shaan, Kailash Kher Audio On: T-Series    Number of Songs: 9 Album Released on: 16 September 2005 Reviewed by: Irfan Makki  - Rating: 7.5 / 10   Let us know what you think about this review Movie Review

Orion Mad Films, Salman Khan, Himesh Reshammiya - The lethal combination that produced a gem of an album in Tere Naam. Besides fetching Himesh a couple of awards that year, the music did exceptionally well in terms of sales too. What’s more, it is still selling remarkably well after more than two years since its release. The same team now comes together for the Priyadarshan directed, Kyon Ki. Traditionally, Priyadarshan’s films have never boosted off chart-topping music with Virasat being the sole exception. But one still looks forward to an album like Kyon Ki, as the Salman-Himesh musical combo doesn’t usually go wrong.

The album kicks off with the title track in trademark Himesh Reshammiya style. Sung by the Reshammiya regulars, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, the initial part "Kyon Ki Itna Pyaar Tumko" does remind one of the title track from Tere Naam but as the song progresses, it manages to hold its own and comes off extremely likeable. While it carries the Tere Naam feel all over it, the song is genuinely melodious and has been rendered expertly by Udit and Alka. Though it is a good song no doubt, yet one gets a feeling that there is still something missing. Overall, a nice opener to the album.

Next up is "Dil keh Raha Hai". Himesh teams up with Kunal Gunjawala for this song. With Himesh at the helms of affairs and Kunal at the mike, one would expect a rocking number. And that´s exactly what you get! Dil Keh Raha Hai wastes no time in grabbing your attention and makes an instant impact. Kunal´s vocals are exactly what the song demanded and he does one hell of a job at it. Sameer too does a good job with the pen. A song that sees Salman trying to woo Rimi Sen, the visuals too are extremely eye catching and suit the mood of the song to the T. Though Kunal´s rendition is spot on, his diction could have been better as he fails to sing the word "keh" and pronounces it "kea" instead. With a music director like Himesh who emphasizes so much on diction, it is surprising to see Kunal getting away with that. The mispronunciation withstanding, Dil Keh Raha Hai is bound to become a rage among the younger listeners and has the "Hit" stamp all over it. A sure shot Chartbuster!

Three different versions of the Title track follow soon. While all of these start off in a similar fashion, the intermediate portions are quite different. Expect these individual tracks to be incorporated at different stages of the film depicting the corresponding moods of the story. The third version in particular is worthy of attention. Though debutant singer, Raadha, does a nice job with the overall vocals, she ought to improve on her diction. Constantly missing the “s” in the word “Sanam”, she needs to sit down and work on her pronunciation.

"Jhakta Maare" is the next track. And contrary to the first impression one gets from the title, no, this is not a double-meaning track from a David Dhawan-Govinda masala entertainer. Instead, it is a now-mandatory vintage Himesh Reshammiya "Dupatta" number. Udit Narayan comes back in action for this fun-filled song and the racy picturization only adds to its appeal. Though the opening part does sound like a certain Arun Bakhshi, it is Kailash Kher who has been credited for it. While the lyrics are completely time pass, it will surely become a darling with the masses and frontbenchers. A high-energy song, Jhatka Maare is your ticket to unlimited fun - Himesh ishtyle!

"Dil Ke Badle" is yet another typical Himesh Reshammiya number. Udit and Alka team up once again for this sugarcoated number. Depicting a couple´s confession of love for each other, the song borrows heavily from Himesh´s earlier compositions. What’s more, Himesh doesn´t even work hard on the orchestra and lifts it completely from his "Ishq Chunariya" of Maine Pyaar Kyun Kiya. Even Sameer writes the same run-of-the-mills lyrics. The vocals too, are just about OK. Not that the song is bad, the problem with it is that it tries too hard to rise above the average level. And sadly that´s exactly what the song is, just average!

"Aa Jeele Ik Pal Mein" comes up next. Udit and Alka are paired up yet again for this love duet. Udit sounds extremely youthful and seems to be enjoying the playful racy number. The song is lyrically strong and Sanjay Chhel pens some good stuff. Alka, too, matches Udit step for step and as an end result, the song makes for an enjoyable listen. Himesh keeps the orchestra quite simple and that´s what works in its favor. Laced with Himesh´s own style of melody, the song has all it takes to please the listener.

A recent practice has been to incorporate remixes of the original songs in the same album and T-series continues the same trend here as well. Dil Keh Raha Hai remix concludes the album. While the original carries a soothing ambiance to it, the remix speeds up the pace and adds a lot more beats to its original counterpart. A track totally for the dance floor, this is one wicked remix. So raise the volume and get in the groove!

Now comes the big question. How does Kyon Ki match up to Tere Naam? Is it in any way comparable to Himesh’s best work till date? After going through the entire album I have come to the conclusion that it will be highly unfair to compare Kyon Ki with Tere Naam. The reason is simple; while Tere Naam´s major strength was its tragic feel, Kyon Ki´s music seems to reflect the film´s love triangle. If the score of Tere Naam was constructed around the trauma of the individual characters, Kyon Ki´s music is aimed at a story that consists of a nice balance between Romance, humor and tragedy. Released amidst tremendous hype, Kyon Ki is bound to sell big and will ensure another musical success for the Salman-Himesh combination. Although it is high on merits and will make a good addition to one´s collection, Kyon Ki is strictly commercial music and is not even remotely close to being categorized as a classic. I did get my money’s worth, but the overall experience was not too overwhelming, maybe I anticipated a musical score as good as Tere Naam. So go ahead, enjoy the tunes, as Kyon Ki is a fine album but Tere Naam it is not!