Baar Baar Dekho music review: There's more to this soundtrack than 'Kaala Chasma'

The biggest, most melodious find of the Baar Baar Dekho soundtrack is singer Jasleen Royal. Her voice is, hands down, the best part of the entire soundtrack. But more on that later. This six-song soundtrack is a mixed bag of different genres, which includes the quintessential wedding song (Nachde Ne Saare), the quintessential party song (Kaala Chasma) and the quintessential song to cry over (Khair Mangdi). Let’s just say Baar Baar Dekho‘s soundtrack is a well thought out one, and it proves that there’s nothing wrong with the “quintessentials” of the world. There’s something to make all kinds of listeners happy, including the very pricey one (yours truly). Let’s just get ‘Kaala Chasma’ out of the way. The last song on the album, and possibly the end credits song in the film as well, this 2000s rehash works very well with the Dharma Productions current repertoire. It’s an extension of ‘Kar Gayi Chull’ for all practical purposes. [caption id=“attachment_2937722” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Screengrab from Kaala Chasma.[/caption] For those of you who remember the Amar Arshi original from back in the 2000s, Badshaah’s version won’t sound any different. It’s exactly the kind of foot-tapping chart-buster a film needs, and Kaala Chashma doesn’t get old. This brings us to the first track on the album, and also the best, by multiple miles. ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan’ is the equivalent of ‘Khaabon Ke Parindey’ from Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, by which we mean, in an album of decent/good songs, it stood out as the most melodious, most intensely lucid song of the lot. Jasleen Royal’s voice merged with the poster boy of indie music Prateek Kuhad makes ‘Kho Gaye Hum Kahaan’ the perfect soothing, sombre number. It hits you in the right places, this one. Royal’s voice reminds me of a understated version of Zeb of Zeb and Haniya fame: it has the innocence of a little girl, but the magic as well. Blissful, to say the least. Touted as the romantic number of Baar Baar Dekho, ‘Sau Aasmaan’ is a let down. As much as I love Neeti Mohan and Amaal Malik (the composer), this song is like listening to all their previous hits songs being retouched. You’ll find it hard to tell the difference between Sooraj Dooba Hai, Buddhu Sa Mann and Sau Aasmaan, even when you’re sober. Time for a new sound, guys. EDM-ised bollywood tracks are passé.

Baar Baar Dekho is the sort of album that brings together different composers, song writers and creates a unique soundtrack that serves more as an amalgamation, and less like songs for the sake of songs. For that, it deserves due accolades. Now if only we can stop adding forgettable songs into the list. Dariya is one such track. There’s nothing wrong Arko’s composition, or his voice, but overall this is the least memorable track in the album. ‘Nachne De Saare’ is just a lot of fun; I can imagine it being played in elaborate Sangeets and catching on like Queen’s ‘London Thumakda’ or ‘Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ ‘Banno Tera Swagger’. Meanwhile, ‘Teri Khair Mandgi’ is an original 2011 number by Pakistani singer Bilal Saeed, and it falls into the category of really catchy “sad songs”. Like ‘Bin Tere Sanam’ or ‘Tu Hi Meri Shab’, it has the same intensity and Saeed’s voice is refreshing for a generation that was poisoned with Atif Aslam’s tone-deafness (clearly I’m biased). [caption id=“attachment_2937724” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Official Baar Baar Dekho poster. Image from Facebook.[/caption] Okay, first the bad news. Most of the songs from the Baar Baar Dekho album are a good one time listen. I doubt i’d remember ‘Nachne De Saare’, ‘Sau Aasman’ or ‘Dariya’ if you wake me up at 3 am and ask me what I did today. The good news is, both ‘Khair Mangdi’ and ‘Kaala Chasma’ are good picks. I’m not sure who’s idea it was to pick these two numbers, and how it fits into the larger plot of the film, but they are humm-able songs that won’t be forgotten tomorrow. And then there’s the delightful ‘Kho Gaya Hum Kahaan’ which redeems everything mediocre about Baar Baar Dekho’s sountrack. Thank you Jasleen and Prateek.