Music Review: ‘Ishkq In Paris’

‘Ishkq in Paris’ marks the return of the Pretty Woman Preity Zinta in a lead role after a��three-year sabbatical from the big screen and a string of guest appearances before that. Can’t say we have missed her much what��with whole��host of new talent coming in but there is something unique about her that will be good to see on screen again under director Prem Raj’s handy work who has a lot to prove with not a single hit to his credit yet. His only major project ‘Main Aur Mrs Khanna’ (2009) had a cameo by Zinta but that did not help save that average film either. He sure must have created an impact on Zinta who has decided not to just put her return in his hands but also her money since this is her home production. Making his debut as a lead opposite Zinta is Rhehan Malliek.

With a string of hit scores already this year with ‘Housefull 2’ (2012), ‘Rowdy Rathore’ (2012) and ‘Ek Tha Tiger’ (2012), Sajid-Wajid have been busy boys. I doubt how much time they must have been able to give to a niche project like ��Ishkq in Paris�۪ which is non-commercial with a requirement for world music influences especially from Europe which is not really their main strength but they sure have the ability to surprise and shock.

It�۪s All About Tonight starts off with what one could call the European music influence with heavy electronic music beat, synths and even some French lyrics. A deep bass beat gives it a groovy nightlife setup on the streets of Paris with really good overall music production. What doesn�۪t work are the average lyrics by Priya Panchal and Sophie Choudry along with average vocals by Sunidhi Chauhan, Rahul Vaidya and Sophie Choudry. One wouldn�۪t want to listen to this song over and over as it just isn�۪t strong enough on its performances. Bollywood has a long way to go when it comes to producing effective commercial electronic music.

Saiyaan is a good song that uses the soulful vocals of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan very effectively. To top the excellent vocals are the genius lyrics by the genius of Prasoon Joshi who never fails to disappoint with masterpieces like ��Ghajini�۪ (2008), ��Taare Zameen Par�۪ (2007), ��Rang De Basanti�۪ (2006) and ��Delhi-6�۪ (2009) behind him to name a few. The music composition which is a mix of traditional lounge with a beautiful switch of qawali style is a work of perfection by Sajid-Wajid. Perhaps the best song on the album!

Jaane Bhi De (Duet) in the voices of Sonu Nigam and Sunidhi Chauhan is a soft number with simple music with all focus on its composition and arrangement. A catchy number written by Kausar Munir, the lyrics are deeply romantic and carry through well in the voices of Nigam and Chauhan.��Having said that,��overall, the song somehow sounds average.

Teri Choodiyan Da Crazy Crazy Sound is your typical Punjabi fun number in the voice of Wajid himself. Set to a good commercial house beat with a lot of Balle Balle shouts this would work well for Punjabi weddings around the world. Written by Kumaar, this song is really fast paced and is well arranged for a song of this genre and reminds one of songs from ��No Problem�۪ (2010) composed by Sajid-Wajid too.

With a guest appearance by Salman Khan, Kudiye Di Kurti is another fun Punjabi number this time to an authentic Punjabi dhol beat. What makes this song good are the lovely vocals by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal set to well composed music by Sajid-Wajid. Lyrics by Jalees Sherwani are average but work well for this catchy number. Compare this traditional musical composition with the modern beat Punjabi flavour of Teri Choodiya Da on the previous track and one can see how much better the��traditional works.

Wajid himself does a solo version of Jaane Bhi De to conclude the album on a soft note. His performance is so different on a number of the notes making it really hard to compare his version with that of Nigam earlier giving this track its own personality. He may not be a seasoned singer as Nigam but he sure gives him a run for his money.

FINAL WORD

��Ishkq in Paris�۪ as expected is more Bollywood than international in its musical appeal with a strong Sajid-Wajid style influence to it. They don�۪t deliver their best in this album with all average or above average compositions, but for this project that does seem fitting. With a range and variety of music styles it does a good job of packing it all in with some good performances by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Sonu Nigam and Wajid himself. The female vocalists do disappoint in a way which is surprising considering Zinta is main front character of the film. Joshi and Munir deliver the best job with the pens making Saiyaan and Jaane Bhi De the songs to check out on this soundtrack.