Woh Lamhe is the latest offering from the Bhatt Camp. Now, Bhatt Movies have some very specific traits.. all of them are quite medium to low budgeted, feature upcoming actors, boasts of impressive/ popular music and is always promoted innovatively. The last aspect is soo interesting, it can be a separate blog post altogether.
In this post, I shall only talk about Woh Lamhe, the movie and more specifically its music.
The movie, which I saw a couple of weeks back at PVR Punjagutta, Hyderabad is all in all average. It isnt as bad as a lot of other recent releases. And it isnt really that good. Mahesh Bhatt claimed this a true story based on his and Parveen Babi's love story that ... in the mid-80s. I wasnt in touch with the latest in those days, being a toddler, so cant comment how much of it seems true. It doesnt seem to be too much an accurate account, nonetheless that is least of a moviegoers concern. The story is pretty interesting as presented in the movie. But the direction, I would say is lacking. It starts off pretty well but then the second half fails to keep up. Contrary to what you would expect from the subject, the story fails to bring the viewer really up and close to the two central protagonists. So, even as the movie rounds up, you dont really relate as well to either of the characters as you should.
Acting on the other hand is quite decent. Shiny Ahuja is pretty strong here. He is definitely one of the big finds in the last year or so. Not only is he bashfully handsome, he is a genuine actor, who can underplay his part and yet sparkle on the screen. And he has been consistent on that front in all his releases so far : Hawaaron Khwaishen Aisi, (Kal, I havnt seen much, so cant comment), Gangster and here. He has range and it shows.
Kangna Ranaut is breathtakingly beautiful... She stands no competition as far as good looks go. She is just sooo conventionally beautiful, that you dont need to adjust your paradigms to accept her as a leading lady. If you have been watching the likes of Antara Mali, Nisha Kothari and ilk, you would know what I am talking about. ;-)
I dont think she is a great actor. But who cares? Well, on a serious note, she is quite adequate here, playing a Schizophrenia infected actor. The role demands loud drama and she can manage that. In Gangster, which was a little more sombre role for here, you could see her shortcomings in the acting department. But then she more than makes up for that on the looks front... Lemme stop ravishing on Kangna, else I'll be in trouble at home...
I hadnt been exposed to the music of Woh Lamhe before I saw the film, thanks to lack of hype and lack of TV viewing on my part. I thought the music was kinda nice when watching the movie. Offcourse, more attention was on the visuals than the audio then.. (please re-read the previous para to get the context...:) ) Later on, when I heard its soundtrack, I thought it was even better. I have to give it to the old man (read Mahesh Bhatt) to deliver decent quality of music with ever film. He has got the knack!!
The music is done (mostly) by Pritam, who is known to be good with innovative arrangements. He composes 3 original tracks and arranges 2 here. The best of the lot is with no doubts "So Jaon Maine..". Actually it is composed by Roop Kumar Rathod, while Pritam probably only doing the arrangement. It comes as two versions, Kunal Ganjawala and Shreya Ghoshal singing the two solos. And I can claim unabashedly, that is is Kunal's best effort with the microphone. The song is absolutely a dream. Its an amazing piece of composition, that when infused with the velvety voice of Kunal Ganjawala, creates a dreamy and melancholic effect on the listener. This song is actually what epitomises "Woh Lamhe" the movie, with its apt lyrics (by Shakeel Aazmi):
"So Jaon maine.. tum agar.. mere khwabon mein aao...mere khwabon mein aao..Without going overboard, let me repeat, this song is a dream, the kinds you want to sleep listening to..
Kho jaon maine.. tum agar.. meri yaadon mein aao...meri yaadon mein aao..
jaagi nazar mein..
soyi nazar mein...
har pal sanam tum... jhilmilao..."
The other really nice number is "Chal Chale.." sung by the fresh-voiced James, the Bangladeshi Pop sensation. He sung the immensely likeable "Bheegi Bheegi" in the movie Gangster, incidentally for Pritam. This song is a nice cheerful number with a lot of turns and variations, well rendered by James. The song has been written by Sayeed Quadri.
The next memorable number is "Bin tere kya hai jeena", allegedly another *adapatation*. This is in the voice of Jawad Ahmad, a Pakistani singer. Nice composition and is mostly in the low range. Jawad doesnt seem to have a vast range, but manages this song well enough to keep it likeable. The overall impact is soft and soothing.
Another Pakistani singer, Glenn sings the ghazal "Tu jo nahin". This isnt really a great piece of music. Comes out too flat to really appeal, but in keeping with the mood of the album which is Slow, Soft and Soothing, this one blends in well enough.
The last song in the album, discounting the remixes, is "Kya mujhe pyar hai", sung by the immensely talented KK. This one belongs to the formulaic league, the ones you watch on music channels and find on the lists. Peppy, energetic and fast, its got a zing about it, thanks mainly to KK's kinetics. Its an average number, you wouldnt mind listening in a nice compilation of an album. Also, allegedly this one is a rip-off of an Indonesian hit "Tak Bisakah".
Overall, the music of Woh Lamhe is no masterpiece, but is a good contemporary album to listen. Its a nice album that mostly keep 1 mood, without trying out too many things, a rarity these days.
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