Reviewed by Mandeep Bahra
mandeep@indolink.com

This offering from the Khan siblings, (Salman, Arbaaz and Sohail), carries high expectations! Well, the music certainly delivers the goods! The title track, "Odh Li Chunariya Tere Naam Ki" could quite easily have been titled "Pyaar Kiya To Darna Kya". It has lyrics by Sudhakar Sharma and music by Himesh Reshamiya, whose only claim to fame so far is the title song of the TV soap, 'ANDAZ'; however, the track is well tuned and rather intricate. It's just a pity that the freshness of the composition is dampened somewhat by the ubiquitous singing pair, Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu!

Iqbal Sabri and Afzal Sabri join Anupama Deshpande to sing what else but a qawwali, "Teri Jawani Badi Mast Mast Hai". Iqbal Sabri has written the lyrics which are tuned by Sajid Wajid, creating a qawwali in true 'Sabri Bros.' style.

The rest of the soundtrack belongs to Sameer and Jatin-Lalit. As is the case with all J-L soundtracks the R.D.Burman influence is ever-present, so I won't bother mentioning it again. "Deewana Main Chala" is a reworking of J-L's earlier "Dil Hai Mera Deewana" from RAJU BAN GAYA GENTLEMAN. Udit Narayan sounds great and, coupled with the catchy tune, this song will definitely take off. Listen out for the mouth organ intro taken directly from SHOLAY's "Yeh Dosti"!

Stereo Nation's "I've Been Waiting" (otherwise known as "Don't Break My Heart") has already been copied by Nadeem-Shravan for MOHABBAT. Now its J-L's turn! The duo have wedded "I've Been Waiting" with their very own "Mehndi Lagake Rakhna" to create something a little different. "Chhad Zid Karna" has Udit Narayan singing enthusiastically, but he's joined by Anuradha Paudwal who doesn't sound like she's having as much fun.

Anuradha's solo, "O Sathiya O Beliya" tries hard to pull at the heart strings, but fails. What we're left with is a pleasant sounding song that isn't very memorable.

U.K. residents may remember Kamal Khan's debut single, "O O Jaane Jaana" back in September '96, which became quite popular. Well, Kamal has re-rendered the track for PYAAR KIYA TO DARNA KYA and J-L have given it the Hindi film treatment. The track is an enjoyable pop song which has an intro by an uncredited Salman Khan. Incidentally, the song is picturised on a shirtless Salman Khan and so will probably become very popular with the ladies once the film releases!

The final track, "Oh Baby" is the best (in my opinion)! Its not the lyrics or the music, but the general mood of the song that makes it so appealing! One of the lines is "Off Karo Na Mood Hamara....", well, listening to this song will certainly lift your spirits. Kavita Krishnamurthy gives an up-lifting rendition much like her earlier effort in KHAMOSHI's "Aaj Main Upar". Udit Narayan lends Kavita ample support and the backing singers are for once complimentary rather than intrusive with their chorus of "Oh Baby".

Their seems to be a conscious effort to give this film the DDLJ feel. Even the CD jacket is not the garish design usually employed by T-Series, but is slick and attractive. The Cd jacket also only boasts pictures of Salman and Kajol, there is no sign of Arbaaz, Anjala or Dharmendra! However, as far as the music is concerned, apart from the average qawwali and Anuradha solo, this soundtrack is well worth the money!

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