Composer Ankit Tiwari and lyricist Manoj Muntashir sort of reprise their own Teri Galliyaan act in Dil Darbadar. Less electric guitar and more oud (I think), and thankfully less vocal processing. It still does remind a lot of the former and hence doesn’t impress a lot. Ajay Atul channel the joyfulness of Rajasthani folk very well in Tharki Chokro, though not without evoking memories of other songs of the kind. The song engages nevertheless, that folk sound never fails, and the brass band adds to the fun. It also has Swanand Kirkire’s light-hearted words and the ebullience from Swaroop Khan and the chorus going for it. Rajkumar Hirani’s regular partner Shantanu Moitra gets the rest of the soundtrack. Love Is a Waste Of Time has Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal behind the mic. I wasn’t very impressed with the promo since it sounded too much like Moitra’s older jingle-type songs. It still does for a large part, but the retro-flavoured sweetness in the arrangement (that violin-accordion combo in particular) sticks to you. The contrast between the polished nature of the song and the local dialect tone in Amitabh Varma’s lines sounds odd, nevertheless.
Swanand Kirkire gives another demo of his adeptness with cute-sounding lyrics in Nanga Punga Dost, Shreya Ghoshal’s second song in the soundtrack. Beautifully sung, and the composer gives the happy song a rather laidback treatment that works brilliantly. Lovely work by the violinist! Shreya gest a third song too, a waltz-y duet with Shaan titled Chaar Kadam. And this time it is back to the sweet-but-heard-before domain – it will bring a smile to your face, but some part of you might be wondering what it reminds you of. Bhagwan Hai Kahan Re Tu wears you down soon, even with Sonu Nigam’s characteristically soulful singing; the tune and arrangement just lack the impact despite some flashy transitions. The final track PK Dance Theme is basically a speeded up instrumental version of the humming hook from Love is a Waste of Time.
PK. A soundtrack high on the feel-good quotient but with a strong déjà vu about most of its tunes.
Music Aloud Rating: 7.5/10
Top Recos: Nanga Punga Dost, Tharki Chokro, Love Is a Waste of Time
(link via @Prakshid)