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Hindi Movie - Aaja Nachle (2007)

Original title: Aaja Nachle (2007)
Category Bollywood
Year: 2007
Country: India
Time: 230 minutes
Production: Yash Raj Films
Distribution: Yash Raj Films
Director: Anil Mehta
Cast: Madhuri Dixit, Konkona Sen Sharma, Kunal Kapoor
Audio format: Dolby Digital Stereo
Video format: 1.85:1

Music Review

Aaja Nachle: almost a let down

Bollywood legend Madhuri Dixit is all set to make her much-awaited comeback in Aaja Nachle. The music is naturally expected to be great, in order to provide a suitable platform for the immensely talented performer to show off her unnatural grace on the dance floor. The music, however, is not quite up to the mark for this diva.

With the Filmfare award winning (for the movie soundtrack of Krrish) music director duo Salim-Sulaiman and lyricists like Piyush Mishra, Jaideep Sahni and Asif Ali Beg, the songs were expected to linger in the listener’s mind long after the end of the album. The tunes do catch on, at times, but the lyrics leave much to be desired.

The title track is good. The music is catchy from the word go and the lyrics are quite up to the mark. This song is absolutely tailor-made for Madhuri; no one else would be able to do enough justice to it. Her graceful acts would be perfectly complimented by the tonal variations incorporated in the music. This song can keep a listener dreaming about the ambience long after the last note has faded away. This track is the only one in the album to have a reprise version in the end, which is remarkably different from the usual series of remixes used as fillers at the end of almost every music album nowadays.

Ishq Hua is a great romantic track crooned by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, which should be a big hit with the listeners. The music has a certain degree of cuteness to it, which should make it a big hit with even kids.

Show me your jalwa voiced by Richa Sharma, Kailash Kher and Salim Merchant is a fantastic track and although the catch line is in English, the song is essentially rustic in its appeal. The song should be the perfect platform for Madhuri to show off her jalwa to the audience all over again. The song does sound a bit like jingles used in advertisements, but the tune and lyrics make it very hummable.

Rahat Fateh Ali Khan takes the helm of the partial qawali themed O Re Piya. The song was supposed to be quite good, but in spite of good vocals, the song fails to make a mark in the listener’s mind, having lost its charms halfway there.

Soniye Mil Ja is a cheerful track with the typical “aha”-s and “oho”-s. The song is very joyous with a mood of celebration attached to it. Madhuri Dixit lends her own voice to the song as well, further enhancing its appeal in the process.

Is Pal is the second hardcore romantic song in the album. Though voiced by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, the simplicity of the track may not carry it a long way, but it is good for romantic listeners nonetheless.

Koi patthar se na mare is a slow pensive number, which though adorned with vocals by Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghoshal and Sunidhi Chauhan loses its charm almost entirely due to the abysmally slow pace. Everyone except diehard poetry fans should steer clear of this one.

The copybook dance number had to be there at the end to do justice to the name of the album. Dance with Me, with debutante Sonia Saigal at the helm could be a perfect conclusion to this album. But the imitation of the 80’s disco style arrangement and lackluster background music sinks this song in a quagmire in under one minute. The eventual picturisation might be the only thing left, which can salvage something from this wreckage.

Aaja Nachle had a lot of promise and hype concerned with it. The music basked in its glory even before the official release. But, except for a few tracks, Aaja Nachle comes off as a disappointment.