Producer: Vashu Bhagnani
Director: Satish Kaushik
Starring: Tushar Kapoor, Kareena Kapoor
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Sameer
Singers: Babul Supriyo, Preity, Pinky, Anuradha Sriram, Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik and Kay Kay
Audio on: Tips
Number of Songs: 8
Reviewed by: Narbir Gosal
Reviewer's Rating: 6.5 out of 10

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After Hrithik Roshan, and Abhisheik Bhachan, we have the next star son entering the industry, Tushar Kapoor, son of the legendary Jumping Jack Jeetendra! Tushar is being introduced opposite lovely Kareena Kapoor in the latest offering from Vashu ´Midas´ Bhagnani, Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai! directed by Satish Kaushik (oh no!). Tushar seems to have everything set so far. To help him on his way Anu Malik has composed some chart friendly tunes to ensure that the film will at least get a decent initial due the popular music!

The album gets off to a great start with the catchy Maine Koyi Jadoo. The song is a rehash of last years Piya Piya from Har Dil Jo Pyaar Karega, a really bad rehash! Babul Supriyo provides adequate male vocals, carrying his notes well, this guy is getting more and more popular by the day and it is evident why! Accompanying him are the often screechy and somewhat annoying duo of Preity and Pinky (who also provided the vocals to Piya Piya). It doesn´t make sense to me why both girls have to provide vocals for one heroine! If they sound this bad with each other, I´d hate to hear them all alone. The music is catchy and enjoyable, the tune fits the mood of the song well. Lyrics are no big deal (quelle surprise), these days good lyrics seem to be saved for the art house movies! But, none-the-less this track will have you grooving to the beat in no time!

Next up we have Jabse Dekha Hai, a fast paced love duet. Again it´s no surprise that Babul Supriyo (who is a dead ringer vocally for Kumar Sanu) does a good job with this track as well. Alka Yagnik is her usual self, I wish the lady would really experiment with her voice! Look at Alisha Chinaai in Rounde or Asha Bhonsle´s impressive vocal range in Kambakt Ishq (both songs from Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya). The music is nothing fantastic, but the soft guitar in the beginnings of the verses is pleasant, otherwise we´ve heard this type of song from Anu countless times before! Lyrics are okay and express the desire burning in the hero and heroines hearts properly.

While on the topic of this song we have a female solo version sung by Alka Yagnik yet again. I liked her solo version better than the duet where Babul overshadows her. She sounds much better in this version and carries the track off well. Lyrics are the same for the most part and still keep in the same mood of the track. Music is much the same, so overall we just have a better rendition by Alka and nothing more.

Up next we have the catchy ditty Rabba! The music is a cool mix of eastern and western beats. The song is extremely mellow and subtle in terms of music, although the opening gives us the impression of a racy track. The Instrument use is fantastic here, it´s not one of Anu´s bests, but his instrument experiment is impressive in certain portions of the song. Sonu Nigam's singing is awesome, but why is he required to scream over the heavy compositions in the verses? Lyrics are a little better this time around, but the pyar vyar deal has been done to death! Still the hero´s confusion over his ´first love´ is expressed well through the lyrics.

What doesn´t make sense to me is why the title song is placed fourth on the album! Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai is awesome in terms of the instruments and beats used! It opens with a very Arabic flavour which undertones the whole track. What kills this track is that the melody which, has been incorporated into the composition, comes across too strong! The song sounds very foreboding, and somewhat serious. The verses are a little lighter, for the most part. The lyrics are a declaration of love and are surprisingly average for the mood of the song. I do not understand why there was a need to repeat the title of the song over so many times, did Sameer run out of lyrics to fill the void? But the instrumentation of this track is excellent and carried off very well. Kay Kay´s vocals are more suited to softer numbers like the ones he was given in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, he wails and screams for most of the song.

Now Dupatta is something ´original´ and ´noteworthy´ (I use that term loosely for Anu Malik). The track is sung well by another one of those screechy singers, Anuradha Sriram, but in this song she sounds much more seductive! The music to the track is catchy, it opens with a more traditional feel, and incorporates westernized flashes here and there. Lyrics keep in the situation of the track, and are meant to be seductive, and at the same time playful. Sameer specializes in this kind of stuff and does his job well. Anuradha´s vocals are pretty good, she has a substantially expressive voice and carries the track off well. This one is one of the better tracks on the album.

Pyaar Re sounds like a rehash of Ek Pal Ka Jeena, and it´s evident from the opening of the song. The echoing voice is a direct rip off of Lucky Ali´s silken vocals, but instead of Lucky we have Kay Kay who does a decent job with his vocals. I think he does better with romantic numbers, but he suits this track equally well. The music however leaves a lot to be desired. It may be catchy to some people but I found that the melody is what really pushed me away from this track. The first time I found the song to be listenable, but after three or four listens the song became too monotonous and boring. Lyrics carry more of college feel as compared to the philosophical feel that Ek Pal Ka Jeena had. This one is surely a fast forward.

Ending off the soundtrack we have a more pleasant substitute for the title song. Guncha Hai is sung with a lot of effort and verve by Sonu Nigam. This song is by far the best song of the album and leaves a better taste in your mouth as compared to Pyaar Re. Sonu´s vocals are a little more subdued in this song, he does an excellent job. The lyrics are quite impressive for the song and Sameer shows that he has the capability of using new words in his songs as compared to his usual Pyar, Dil, Deewana and other mushy stuff. The music is soft and soothing and the overall effect of the song is easy on the ears. By the way would someone like to tell me why the female vocalist was sidelined to a backup singer, and why did she go uncredited? Still this is a good way to end off the album.

Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai mainly suffers from two basic things. Anu´s music may be ear friendly but none of the songs have any staying power. These songs can be easily forgotten, no matter how catchy they are at this point in time. Besides Dupatta and Guncha Hai and to a lesser extent Maine Koyi Jadoo, the other songs are pretty mediocre and sound like songs from Anu Malik´s music bank, but there is no doubt that these songs will catch on. The second flaw is the generic lyrics. Sameer seems to be running low on creativity these days. He is experiencing writers block. As a result we feel like we have heard some of these songs before, and the wording gets monotonous.

The movie is set to release in May, and from the promo´s of the film I must say that Kareena looks fantastic, and Tushar carries himself well. We´ll have to wait and watch for him. As for Vashu he has a superb track record so he is probably confident that this film will be a hit. Mujhe Kucch Kehna Hai´s music seems to fit Vashu´s bill as well. It´s in the same line as Hero No.1, Bade Miyan Chotte Miyan, and Biwi No.1. So if you enjoyed those soundtracks, pick this one up for your collection.