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 Director Priyadarshan’s forte is remakes. Take any of his past flicks like Hulchul, Garam Masala, Bhagam Bhag and the more recent Dhol and you will certainly observe that they are all comic remakes of Malayam movies. And for these kinds of projects, he has a tendency to attach strong music and if necessary and fitting, crazy music!
With a title like Bhool Bhulaiyaa (another remake) you expect another crazy flick and if there’s one composer you would want to back it, that man is Pritam for sure! And the signs are good too; he certainly achieved a good soundtrack for Priyadarshan’s recent Dhol and brings out all his big guns here i.e. his favorite singers such as K.K, Shaan, Shreya Ghoshal and Tulsi Kumar. The only worry would be the lyricist Sameer but even he can be inspirational when he wants to be (let’s be positive listeners!). The first offering here is the title track Bhool Bhulaiyaa and it’s not a bad start to the soundtrack at all. It is peppy with a hip-hop nature and holds a mystical flavor to it which will no doubt help promote the movie but without on screen frills, you have to say it’s a little short on quality. Having said that, at least it’s fresh which is saying a lot for this soundtrack although I’m not too sure about the constant cries of ‘Hare Krishna Hare Ram’ which might not be to everyone’s taste! Singing by Neeraj Shridhar and the simple mix of English/Hindi lyrics by Sameer are fitting. In short the track portrays the zany theme of the movie perfectly! The Remix by DJ Amyth is just alright but you feel the pace of the original is more suiting.
At least Labon Ko Remix by DJ Kiran, DJ G and Earl is more bearable than the original as it peps things up. Thankfully K.K’s vocals are put to much better use in Sajda in which Pritam returns to the peppy dance theme. However in reality it’s still an uninspiring effort! I can see this one appealing to the youth for sure but everyone else can pass over this one. Lyrics are simple but ineffective. Run of the mill has never sounded better! Sajda Remix by DJ Suketu is arguably as good as the original. Give it a try especially if you liked the original.
The Remix tries its best to infuse something extra here but cannot eradicate that irritating verse! Allah Haafiz is K.K’s third and final appearance in the soundtrack and one that he will want to forget very quickly because it’s the worst score of the lot! One feels for the singer who has been quiet since his mesmerising performance in ‘Life In A…Metro’ and this marks a disappointing return for him. All blame pointed at Pritam and Sameer here for their obvious lack of creativity. Stay clear of this dud! Having given us a mixture of dance and love ballads, Pritam then switches themes to classical/semi classical as if to provide some variety to the soundtrack. Desperation is another way of describing things! Firstly you get Sakhiya, a semi classical arrangement in the main part of the track whilst Pritam tries to give it a current flavour by infusing it with electronic beats amongst other arrangements. Suffice to say it’s a failure overall as you quickly lose interest with this one. Tulsi Kumar’s talents deserve better than this. Sameer’s lyrics on the other hand are painfully dull! Ironically and arguably the best track of this entire soundtrack is the ultra classical based Mere Dholna which features all the arrangements you would expect from a ‘mujra’ based song including the dhol, tabla and ghungroo. To give Pritam some credit, his arrangements stand out crisply for once. As expected Shreya Ghoshal performs admirably with her delivery ably supported by M.G Sreekumar and although the track provides a welcome relief to the listener, you feel it is too little too late. It also drags towards the end (at 6.30mins - it is too long!). Overall Bhool Bhulaiyaa is a massive disappointment especially when you consider the amount of talent on show. Some of the industry’s leading singers are here, yet rarely you feel like you are enjoying their performance. That’s mainly down to the bland musical arrangements (from supposedly one of the leading composers) which are far too average and familiar for the seasoned listener. In fact when so many remixes sound better than the original, you know something is wrong! The biggest culprit however is Sameer who needs a major rethink of his writing style that has become ultra repetitive and stale. Simplicity is good but only with originality. Pritam delivered with Dhol but fails here and it is evident that he (clearly with a lot of work on his plate) is struggling to keep his music fresh. He is fast eclipsing the Himesh of Bollywood (as far as quantity is concerned) and needs to get his act sorted preferably by concentrating his efforts as opposed to diluting them! ‘Life In A…Metro’ seems a distant memory, so will the real Pritam please stand up?
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Sadly the next track, Labon Ko is a lacklustre love ballad from the off and has nothing new or interesting to offer! What’s worse is that the music is a straight port over from Pritam’s earlier soundtrack Darling (Hasaye Bhi Rulaye Bhi) albeit at a much slower pace. K.K suffers the most here as he is required to croon repeated verses such as ‘Bahon Mein Mere’ etc. Lyrics by Sameer are woeful. You have done well if you can get to the end of this track. A huge let down!
Let’s Rock Soniye continues the dance theme but is irksome for the horrible English verse ‘Let’s Rock Soniye’ which forms part of the main chorus, ouch! However lyrics aside, it has at least a few things going for it including some flowery dance music (resembles River Dance without the foot tapping!) and some credible singing by Shaan and Tulsi Kumar. It’s very apparent that this track supports a celebratory theme in the movie and is consequently more suited to the screen than on your iPod. Another let down!