Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai  
Producer: Allu Arvind- Tips Films
Director: K. Murli Mohan Rao
Starring: Jackie Shroff, Aftab Shivdasani, Amisha Patel
Music: Sajid-Wajid
Lyrics: Jalees Rashid & Ajay Jhingran
Singers: Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik, Babul Supriyo, Sonu Nigam,Sunidhi Chauhan, Kay Kay, Iqbal-Afzal, Sabri Brothers
Audio on: Tips
Number of Songs: 10
Reviewed by: Rakesh Budhu
Reviewer's Rating: 4.5 out of 10

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Anand Bakshi unknowingly sparked the beginning of a number of film titles with his lyrics for Mohabbatein. Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai is one of them! Sajid-Wajid have been signed for a number of projects with three of them, including this one, already released in the time span of two weeks. Being one of the promising music-duos they could do no wrong, right? Well quality (over quantity) music obviously needs effort (ask Anu Malik about 2001, the year of a number of soundtracks that weren’t all winners!).

This duo tries hard to brand their own stamp in the music world but are too much of a mix of Anu Malik and Nadeem-Shravan. Not that music composers don’t copy from others or re-use their tunes, but Sajid-Wajid are not copying the best of the best and are constantly repeating the music that they are copying! (Just witness Chodd Ki Na Jao Piya from Maa Tujhe Salaam and Mehndi Mehndi from Chori Chori). The corollary is a sad indication of what poor chances the film has of making it.

Featured in all of the trailers is “Meri Tara Tum Bhi”, containing a well-teamed vocal duo of Babul Supriyo and Alka Yagnik. Despite having some hit tunes like Chori Chori Chupke Chupke and Maine Koi Jaadoo, Babul has been constantly left out of soundtracks lately. Romantically speaking, his voice does more than serve a purpose in this run of the mill soundtrack opener. There is nothing much to offer in terms of lyrics, in fact without looking at the cassette label you’d think these were part of Sameer’s ever so popular word bank. The refrains aren’t exactly perfect or groundbreaking and the song is more of a beautiful landscape tune. This song will serve its purpose in entertaining you, but in comparison to the wonderful, distinct songs we’ve heard lately, you’ll be disappointed at the direction Sajid-Wajid are heading in.

Dil Pe Chaane Laga”, the first title track is a peppy Arabic style track. While K.K. sounds pretty attractive, Sunidhi sounds noticeably odd and different from her norm. Dil Pe Chaane Laga starts off just like "Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai" and results in another copy from Oye Ranjana and that too some of Sanjeev-Darshan’s ever so popular Arabic numbers. This one is also mildly entertaining.

O Mahive”, a Punjabi number has a background that is another blatant re-hash of “Oye Ranjana” from Maa Tujhe Salaam. Sonu Nigam’s vocals are indistinguishable in comparison to any of the songs he sings recurrently. It should also be noticed that these beats have been tried and beaten up over and over again by the likes of Anand Raj Anand and the early Anu Malik, so, Sajid-Wajid, temporary or minute entertainment won’t do much for a soundtrack! The icing on the distasteful cake is that the backdrop is a total rip off of Anu Malik´s enjoyable backdrop from Jabse Dekha Hai/Pyar Re from Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai! Again, this tune has nothing to offer in the lyrics department and you won’t be repeating this one unless you loved the Maa Tujhe Salaam soundtrack.

While on Anu Malik, why do Sajid-Wajid choose to insult our intelligence by copying Anu Malik’s theme from Soldier to open “Pehli Pehli Bar Hai”? This is one replica that doesn’t need a genius to figure it out! Once you’re over the blatant copy you might as well get ready to hit the fast forward button on this, another version of the title track, sung averagely by Sonu and Alka. To top it off we have the protagonists speaking about their sleepless nights, the power and jadoo of their love and their indelible love for each other! Original eh?

Hopes are high that Kumar Sanu would save the soundtrack with “Dilke Nazar Mein”, a slow, soft, Nadeem-Shravan style song. Sanu fans would probably be the only ones that would listen to this one completely if at all. Essentially, he has done a good job, but he’s sung many songs like this for Nadeem-Shravan (just listen to Yeh Dil Aashiqana). The tune’s verses are briskly similar to “Main Duniya Bhula Dunga" from Aashiqui. The echoes and chorus of “Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai” give the song some potential, but not enough. The song is influenced with a certain Western style of music and overall is truly nothing unique or new. Alka Yagnik’s version is no different.

Aashiq Hoon” kind of seals the fate of the soundtrack. These “aashiq” teenybopper numbers never make it! Nor does the influence of Punjabi music, which again, is copied from “Dekhne Tujhko” from Maa Tujhe Salaam. Sonu Nigam has sung thousands of songs like these already.

Tujhe Dekkhar Jeeta” a ‘Happy Birthday’ number also seals its fate in the first few seconds of listening to it. Poor music, average (at best) singing by Sonu, Alka and Kumar Sanu sounding quite nasal, all amount to a one hundred percent non-starter song. The intervals do provide some change in the tune, but these songs too fail to grasp a listener’s attention unless they are groundbreaking. This one is far from it.

Chahton Ki Duniya”, a qawaali, highly influenced by several of Anu Malik’s tunes, and Nadeem-Shravan’s qawaali’s is sung by Iqbal-Afzal and the Sabri Bros. If you listen to these songs frequently and are entertained by them this one may be for you. Otherwise it is just a typical dramatic qawaali displaying the struggle of the protagonist. Singing is up to par.

Ending it all off is a short repetition of “Dil Ki Nazar” titled “Socchon Tumhein.” It is indeed nothing different from the original. Its strong point is the quality in Kumar Sanu’s vocals and an effective chorus. Effective, entertaining, but once again not original; if music composers could ride on old entertaining music we wouldn’t have a Refugee or Dil Se to treasure and enjoy.

Sajid-Wajid are heading the Sanjeev-Darshan way, and that is down hill. Yet you can’t even compare this duo to Sanjeev-Darshan because Sajid-Wajid haven’t even had an all out solo hit soundtrack or one that had complete mass appeal. They can’t bank on adding their own touch to copied music, for the big guns already do that! Establishing a name for themselves seems quite difficult, especially when their projects turn out as this one has. After Shararat, Chori Chori and Maa Tujhe Salaam, it seems they need a real big break, perhaps a Chopra film or a meaningful film director who extracts the best of the best out of their composers.

There is also another big grouse here. This soundtrack has lyrics that would match for any other film. They are romantic, strictly romantic and oft repeated as well. Aren’t we supposed to want to see the movie after listening to the soundtrack? How is this one different from all the other tunes we hear in and out? It’s not! Anu Malik should not worry one bit about being at the number one, or close to the number one position, because if these soundtracks are what composers are going to dish out he won’t be going anywhere!

Amisha Patel’s soundtracks have all had a decent score whether it be Gadar or Yeh Zindagi Ka Safar. If this is an indication as to how the film will do, then our box office queen is about to step down from the throne! Kya Yehi Pyaar Hai may pick up in the sales department because of Tips´ cheap prices but it is not at all worth it for music lovers who appreciate quality original music.