Ready for a tapori music album? I have not heard a good one in ages, and quite frankly, even if it were phenomenal when do such soundtracks stay in one´s memory beyond a year or two? Munnabhai M.B.B.S. is the first comedy from the production house of Vinod Chopra, so it´s a film we´re anxiously awaiting, even though Vinod himself is not directing this time. And given the Chopra-house pedigree of "Parinda", "1942: A Love Story", "Kareeb" and "Mission Kashmir", you might expect a brilliant soundtrack even. Guess again!

"M Bole To" starts off the CD, and realigns our expectations with the subject and mood of the movie. Vinod Rathod, Sunjay Dutt, Prachi and Priya Mayekar are all clear via their street lingo that this is unlikely to be a classic album. No, sir, no, at best you might kind of relish the whistling, dumb lyrics (most unlike Rahat Indori), heavy drum beats and "Bholi Soorat Dil Ke Khote" with "Billy Jean is not My Lover" musical pilfering in this oddity. I am not kidding when I say the song is different, but I doubt it is to appeal to even the strangest of palates one hundred percent of the time; I like it more when I´m in the mood for a laugh. So let´s just call it a weird semi-success.

Sunidhi Chauhan and Anu Malik´s "Dekh Le, Ankhon Mein Aankhein" is a more traditional form of musical success. I was satisfied with the mellow groove and sultry singing by Miss. Chauhan, though not so much the Malik music, so it appears that Mr. Music Director read my mind. When I got to the end of the CD, I was treated to a peppy, techno, Aqua-ish remix of the same track, with the addition of some dude named Joi providing extra English lyrics and singing. His words are nowhere near logical, but the music is a blast and the track rocks. Even Miss. Chauhan seems to be having a far better time with the upbeat mood of things.

"Apun Jaise Tapori" is written by Abbas Tyrewala, likely because Rahat Indori was traumatized after having to conceive the words for "M Bole To". Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi perfect the street lingo twang for the speaking portions of this... ahem... tune?!? And Vinod Rathod commands the singing sections. But this situational story of eve-teasing is nothing special to listen to. The jazz, shehnai and extra-terrestrial style musical interludes are creative, to give Malik some credit, but it sounds more like a stage show tune, not a film song.

"Chann Chann" brings us back to the traditional but beautiful world of filmi music, and in doing so it conveys an overwhelming romantic mood. It is noteworthy that Shreya Ghosal rocketed so quickly to super-stardom after her "Devdas" debut, but once again she proves the success is well deserved. Her singing is soft, supple and a sweet antithesis to Vinod Rathod´s painful and commanding responses, and the track deserves numero uno status for the album.

Shaan´s "Subah Ho Gayi Mamu", I believe, is supposed to be some kind of lullaby given the repeated references to "Chanda Mama". But the murder mystery style musical inflections do not support this theory. Either way, like the other Abbas Tyrewala worded song on the album, this track just isn´t very pleasant.

With our sky-high expectations of a Vinod Chopra film album, Munna Bhai M.B.B.S. is a mixed bag. "Chann Chann" and "Dekh Le" are commendable attempts of reaching memorable musical summits. But everything else you listen to on this CD is hard to believe, situational, fodder, kind of like the film´s premise of a hoodlum becoming a medical doctor. Hope we can stomach the movie better than the soundtrack.