Pyaar Impossible

It will be difficult for the fans of classic Salim-Sulaiman to accept a soundtrack like the one for Yash Raj’s latest movie, Pyaar Impossible, since they will be more awed by the sound design of previous soundtracks such as the duo’s unique Dor (2007). However, let's remember all the genres cannot have the same type of music, and that’s precisely why the duo keep changing their sound design and music style. That in turn makes them the most versatile music producers after A. R. Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar and Pritam. And that’s why they’ve come up with an extremely different soundtrack here, which is – to be frank – nothing new, but is surely very pleasant and entertaining at the same time. Not to mention addictive too!
The opening track “Alisha” is a surefire chartbuster from the word GO! Anushka Manchanda’s sensuous vocals make you really visualize Priyanka Chopra singing, something that doesn’t usually happen when you hear soundtracks of movies before their release. Salim Merchant’s backing vocals are apt and eclectic. Anvita Dutt Guptan’s lyrics are cool, hip and fresh, and don't make a caricature of English lyrics to “suit the tastes of the Desi audience”. But well, don’t all Salim-Sulaiman songs have intelligent English lyrics to suit the mood of the song? Coming to the composition, I guess there is no song that is as chilled out as this one right? With a groovy bass, a bit of percussion for spice, a hot beat, some cool synthesizer samples and a perfect amount of reverb to give the track an added final zing. This song will impress the listener and with the video already out and being aggressively promoted by the marketing department, it seems this song will top the charts and set them on fire! Recommended for replay value.

The heat rises a few notches in this cold winter with a rock-solid “Alisha Remix”, which makes the listener dance to the beat of the tune. Abhijit Vaghani is turning out to be one of India’s most dependable remix producer as right from the remix of “Dhan Te Nan” (Kaminey) till date, he has continuously produced hit after hit in the format of remixes, and here he continues to impress and how! This one is seriously recommended and will likely have a whopper of radio airplay.

Next in line comes the title track “Pyaar Impossible” which starts off with memorable guitar strums that set the mood and the genre of the song right away. The drum beats further enhance the impact of the song upon the listener, energizing them and making them smile all the way with a feeling that love is around – or am I getting carried away? Actually I’m not – the song really is all about freshness, innocence and pyaar, which either of the protagonists find impossible to grab, or so the lyrics say. Efficiently penned, the lyrics really reflect on looks and how people find looks the most important to fall for a person. It makes one think about the reality of the situation. And since the lyrics are not preachy, the song as a whole can be enjoyed for its freshness. The best thing about it though is that it comes in a new pop/rock flavour, which the Jonas Brothers and Miley Cyrus have been doing for a long time. The vocals of Dominique Cerejo and Vishal Dadlani are near-perfect and leave the utmost impact on the listener. Another chart-topper with the potential to leave the listener enchanted for a long time.

“Pyaar Impossible Remix” is mixed yet again by Abhijit Vaghani and gives a different, urban, contemporary twist, and makes the song all the more groovier and addictive. This one is for the people who love a jig or two. This remix, like with the one for “Alisha”, will earn immense radio airplay and clubs will hog it 24/7!

The contemporary urban R&B comes back to the fore with “You and Me” , a song that doesn’t have a remix and rightly so as it doesn’t need one! Neha Bhasin, who got her first big break with Salim & Sulaiman’s “Kuch Khaas Hai” (Fashion), comes back to do an extremely urbanized number with Benny Dayal (until recently he was known as ‘the guy who sings for A. R. Rahman’), who sings his second song for Salim & Sulaiman and proves why he is spreading his wings to a wider audience with a splendid performance! The duo of Bhasin and Dayal give tremendous energy to the song’s superbly arranged beats, samples and sound effects. Another song that yet again deserves replay!

In the penultimate track, we get the Indian version of one of the tracks of Hannah Montana! Here comes (DRUMROLL) “10 on 10” , an upbeat pop/rock track that is catchy and frothy! The rock beats and the teenage-girl pop feel that artists like Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and Leona Lewis have been giving us for a long time has finally arrived in a big way! Mahua Kamat and Anushka Manchanda (both of whom have had ample experience in pop/rock from their Viva days) penetrate the track in a big way to give that energetic n’ frothy feel. Whilst the lyrics aren’t that great, “Mere jaisa koi kahaan 10 on 10”? , with such an energetic song and energetic vocal singers (which incidentally also includes a male voice, Naresh Kamath) does anyone notice the lyrics? A cool, peppy song that’s targeted exclusively at the youth – it is directed at a niche audience and open-minded listeners who love the genre. Proud ‘elites’ will write the song off, but the youth will grab it!

For the last song, "Ek Thi Ladki", we get another track that fits in the pop/rock category with a zing of innocence. The lyrics sound so much like Taylor Swift’s number one single “Love Story”, but does that matter? The freshness is kept intact – and yes, there is a hint of childlike innocence too. Rishika Sawant’s vocals totally fit the cutesy proceedings of the song, and while the song and lyrics ooze the fresh and frothy situation to the audible ears, one wonders if the style has been inspired by the title song of Neal N’ Nikki which incidentally was also composed by Salim & Sulaiman. This one also stands out for a niche audience who like innocent and fun songs.

It will be impossible for all the people to agree with me on this count, and while some people will still go with their opinion that ‘it is a forgettable album at best’, I say otherwise. I personally feel that the musical duo have actually done well, by sticking to the movie’s feel-good element and situation, a tactic that will probably make the listeners realize that the movie is basically happy-go in nature! Taking this into perspective, I found the album particularly lovable and pleasing to listen to. I’ve personally heard a lot of Disney musicals (High School Musical, Hannah Montana et al, which provide ample emphasis on music), and I guess Salim and Sulaiman have been inspired by the cutesy atmosphere of those musical soundtracks, which is why we get to hear them for this fresh, innocent romantic comedy.

Overall, Pyaar Impossible OST is for the open-minded listeners and despite reluctance it’s certainly not impossible to fall in pyaar with this one! Not an excellent soundtrack by any means but surely not forgettable either! Go give it a try!
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