Teen Patti

A situational soundtrack set in an out and out Western mood is what one expects from Teen Patti which has composer duo of Salim-Sulaiman coming together with lyricist Irfan Siddiqui. Though director Leena Yadav's last film Shabd had indeed boasted of a few good tracks by Vishal-Shekhar, there was more scope of coming up with commercially viable songs due to the romantic theme of the Sanjay Dutt-Aishwarya Rai-Zayed Khan starrer. Not that a plot driven film like Teen Patti can't be expected to have good music but then the job is only a little more difficult, unless a film has a film maker like Sanjay Gupta at the helm of affairs. This is the reason why one keeps expectations in check before playing on Teen Patti.

MUSIC
'Neeyat' is the song of seduction that marks the beginning of Teen Patti. Sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, the song surprisingly reminds of lesser heard 'Khatti Meethi' (Acid Factory) which was rendered by Manasi Scott. The similarity lies in the theme and placement though the setting is a little darker in 'Neeyat'. The song has a lazy feel to it and comes close to being the kind of number that plays in the opening sequence of Bond films. Erotic in the way it has been picturised, the song should work well along with the film's narrative and can be expected to pick up steam (no pun intended) if and when Teen Patti turns out to be successful at the box office. Later in the album, 'Neeyat' also sees a 'remix version' for itself where one can hear tid-bits of Amitabh Bachchan's voice. Also, there are added English lyrics by Ajinkya Iyer with Abhijit Vaghani pitching in as well.
Naresh Kamat goes on to sing a solo in the form of 'Intezar' (Arriving later in the 'remix version') which picks on momentum after an entire minute has gone by. As expected, the song has a Western setting to it and has carries an Indi-pop mood. There are quite a few variations that this situational track takes and while it may work at bits and pieces in the background, it can't be expected to be the kind of song that makes one form beelines in front of the music stands.

The songs of Teen Patti may not necessarily be carrying a chartbuster appeal to them but one thing that is noticeable is the consistent feel that the entire album carrying. There is no real jerk per se that one encounters throughout the album's duration and this is the reason why title song 'Teen Patti' doesn't cause any intrusion on its arrival. Salim Merchant reserves one of the better tracks for himself and renders 'Teen Patti' with the kind of attitude that does justice to a title song. The song catches your attention most at the point where 'Ikka, Baasdhah, Rani' is heard. If used judiciously right through the narrative of the film and attached at the crucial junctures, 'Teen Patti' (appearing later in 'remix version') should manage to hold one's attention.

There is a muffled sound of Amitabh Bachchan followed by a dialogue that begins 'Life Is A Game' which appears first in an English followed by a Hindi version. Yet again, the song has a Bond feel to it with Sonia Saigal coming behind the mike for the English version and later joined by Anushka Manchanda for the Hindi version. A theme track which is written by Asif Ali Baig, it may well be the one that plays in the opening credit rolls. The sound of violin which is interspersed in this four minutes piece is haunting and lends a feel of mystery to the mood of Teen Patti.

The album concludes with a two minutes piece by George Gershwin, 'Summertime'. Sung by Joe Alvares, this is the kind of number which one primarily finds in Hollywood affairs rather than mainstream Hindi films; 'Summertime' only carries forward the situational theme of the album.

OVERALL
As expected, Teen Patti remains Western in it's outlook and has its eyes on taking the narrative forward more than being the kind that is lapped up by the masses. With its intent and direction in place, Teen Patti doesn't throw any surprises and sticks to the requirement of the script instead of bowing down to commercial requirements of being a popular soundtrack that registers huge sales.

By Joginder Tuteja
bollywoodhungama.com

Toh Baat Pakki

EXPECTATIONS
Over last few years, Tips Music Films and Pritam have been delivering chartbuster soundtracks. Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani was one of the top selling albums of last year while last year, both Race as well as Kismat Konnection did very good business. Naturally, one expects at least a decent outing in Toh Baat Pakki. However, there is one factor that is required to be kept in mind before one starts expecting too much. The fact is that music played an integral part in the aforementioned three films with a strong element of love tying the film's screenplay together. However, Toh Baak Pakki is more of a situational comedy. Also, it doesn't have a big budgeted extravagant feel to it, something that oozed out of all other outings. This is the reason why one has expectations in check before checking out what does Pritam have to offer this time around.

MUSIC
Pritam Chakraborty turns into Pritam Singh once again for Toh Baat Pakki which has a Punjabi beginning to it with Mika Singh coming behind the mike for 'Jis Din'. A catchy number that instantly gets you jiving, it has everything that you have heard before from Pritam and is still reasonably impressive. This Mayur Puri written number has a good mix of Punjabi and Western arrangements that make it the kind of track that can find an audience in the bigger centres as well as interiors. Expect the track (which is repeated in a 'remix version', just like every other number in the album) to find it's way in the marriage processions to follow if and when the film turns out to be a success
The sound of guitar that marks the beginning of 'Phir Se' reminds one of many romantic tracks that Pritam has created for Imtiaz Ali in the past. However, the moment Sonu Nigam starts rendering the track; you get into the world of Mohd. Rafi. Sayeed Qadri plays it simple once again though surprisingly the tune is more Sajid-Wajid/Nikhil-Vinay than Pritam. One would have expected the song to be really melodious considering the fact that it is the only quintessential romantic number in the album. However, 'Phir Se', in spite of seeing a 'remix version' version followed by another one which has Rahat Fateh Ali Khan at the helm of affairs, doesn't quite break the ceiling and remains average at best.

Javed Ali and Shilpa Rao get together for another 'let's bring on the Punjab flavour' song which has so much of 'Yaara Dhol Bajake' (Dhol) to it that one wonders whether Pritam made both the songs at the same place few years back? The part rendered by Javed Ali especially reminds one of the all-boys show that one had seen in Dhol.... A Shabbir Ahmed written track, it has some annoying interludes which only end up making 'Dil Le Jaa' falling into the category of 'heard today-remembered tomorrow-forgotten after a week' track.

Finally comes a rock track 'Karle Mujhse Pyaar' which allows Pritam a free hand in getting into Life In A...Metro mode. It is nice to see this genre finding a place in Toh Baat Pakki because one could hardly see this coming in a movie belonging to a comic genre. Pritam and his regulars like Rana Mazumder and Soham Chakrabarthy get jamming for Sayeed Qadri's 'Karle Mujhse Pyaar' where one can clearly sense them enjoying their outing. One just hopes that the song (which finds a 'remix' for itself) music video running for it pronto so that it gets maximum mileage and find the kind of audience that it truly deserves.

Toh Baat Pakki reaches a relatively quieter end with a 75 seconds 'Aarti' (Om Jai Jagadish) which is sung well by Antara Mitra.

OVERALL
Toh Baat Pakki is a mixed bag with none of the songs being an assault on the ears but not all turning out to be so likeable that they would make this as the hot selling album of the season. 'Karle Mujhse Pyaar' brings in an urban contemporary feel but needs some solid promotion over next few weeks to make an impression. On the other hand 'Jis Din' is good though it does invoke a sense of deja vu. Don't look for anything extraordinary out of Toh Baat Pakki and you won't mind giving this score by Pritam a listening before he returns with something bigger and better in months to come.

By Joginder Tuteja
www.bollywoodhungama.com