Film Rivew- Madhoshi

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A tale set against the backdrop of the 9/11 tragedy, Bipasha Basu and John Abraham return in "Madhoshi" along with Priyanshu Chatterjee. Does "Madhoshi" have music that is as poetic as Bipasha and John´s last film together, "Jism"? Not exactly but the album is definitely good for a listen or two. Choosing Roopkumar Rathod and Shakeel Azmi as the composer-lyricist does have its benefits, as they are not heard too often in Hindi film music scene. This way, there is more chance of hearing fresher music and also as a filmmaker, you are bound to get more attention from a not so-often employed team instead of hurried scores from an Anu Malik or even Shankar Ehsaan Loy. This is why the music of "Madhoshi" remains situational to the film, as Roopkumar Rathod and Shakeel Azmi have obviously paid a lot of attention to the plot.

Disappointingly, the opening track in the album is not highly memorable. An old-fashioned melody, "O Jaane Jaana" will remind you of similar songs from the early 1990´s (especially the ones in films that starred Rishi Kapoor). The composition consists of a heavy dose of flute and tabla. Even though it is a passable score, I have to say that the voices of Udit Narayan and Sadhana Sargam are a treat on the ears. The instrumental version is even less enjoyable as the singers do not lend their voices to it and it magnifies the dull score.

The composer lends his voice to "Madhoshi", a great tune based on the movie title. It is a racy and fervent number boosted by Rathod´s seductive singing. Azmi´s words add that gravitas of emotion. There is also "Madhoshi (Club Version)", which I don´t like listening to. In my opinion, it is a forgettable remix and I doubt that it would even sound good in a nightclub. Having said that, Rathod´s resounding whisperings of "madhoshi madhoshi" has more of an effect in the remix version as the techno music suits it.

"Aye Khuda" (Roopkumar Rathod) is an excellent musical composition that showcases a wonderful arrangement of instruments. The music never gets boisterous, keeping in sync with Rathod´s poignant tranquil voice. At one or two points when the music does get loud, it has a very tense effect because it happens unexpectedly. Shakeel Azmi´s moving lyrics poses the question to God as to why he created love. It is Rathod´s own composition and the advantage there is that he knows exactly how to render the affecting lyrics. He does an awesome job.

Nothing much can be said about "Pyar Ka Khumar". It is a typical love song, which is neither here nor there. If it doesn´t impress you, it won´t horrify you either. This is another song that belongs to the genre of the heroine dreaming about her hero. Alka Yagnik sounds disinterested. It is no surprise as this is the kind of song she can sing in her sleep. If fans of the singer want to hear better stuff from her in recent times then refer to "Dobara". "Pyar Ka Khumar" is a ´timepass´ type of track, I wonder if this gap-filler will even be in the film.

The tune of "Chale Bhi Aao" is a re-tread of "O Jaane Jaana" (heard earlier in the album). It is the sad version of it and kudos to Shakeel Azmi for not repeating the same lyrics but presenting the same tune in a different guise with different expressions and words. As mentioned before, the singing is the best thing about "O Jaane Jaana". So, with a different singer, is it still the best thing about "Chale Bhi Aao"? Sadly not. Sonu Nigam is a clichéd choice for this type of number. The moment you hear his ´sad´ voice you just want to switch off as you´ve heard him sing the same way a thousand times before. A different choice of singer would have benefited the track.

A Bipasha Basu movie would be incomplete without an item song (well, any Bollywood picture seems to be incomplete without an item song these days). Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh kick up a storm in "Yeh Ishq Hai Gunaah". If an item song is done well then it is hugely enjoyable and this is no exception. Azmi is a promising lyricist and it his work that really benefits this sizzling number. A line like "Yeh ishq hai gunaah to gunaah karke dekhiye, Mohabbaton main zindagi tabaah karke dekhiye" instantly creates a steamy yet sinful atmosphere.