`IHLS` music: Mixture of fun and romance

The music of `I Hate Luv Storys` hardly goes off the beaten track.

New Delhi: The movie may promise to poke fun at the typical Bollywood romantic films, but the music of Imran Khan-Sonam Kapoor starrer `I Hate Luv Storys` hardly goes off the beaten track. The album, comprising eight tracks in total, is a mixture of fun and romance typical of any other boy-meets-girl love story.

The music has been composed by the Vishal-Shekhar duo, who have chart-topping numbers from films like `Om Shanti Om`, Bluffmaster` and `Dostana` in their kitty. The first song in the album, `Jab Mila Tu`, gives a western feel with its opening prelude, paving its way towards Vishal Dadlani`s open-voiced vocals. More than the simplicity in Anvita Dutt`s lyrics, it`s the rhythmic quality of the song that sets the mood for the largely romantic album and what the film may turn out to be. The next song `Bin Tere`, sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali, is reminiscent of his `Mitwa` from `Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna` which was quite a hit. Vishal turns lyricist with this song, which takes the romantic setting a step further with its reverberating guitar strums and soulful vocals. The song returns in two more versions - the first one is an acoustic `Bin Tere Reprise`, crooned by a solo Shekhar Ravjiani and the second being a remix by DJ Kiran. The title track `I Hate Love Storys` brings with it the fun element in the album with its fresh lyrics carrying the theme of the movie so-to-speak. Sung by Vishal again, it`s a racy dance-track in tune with the liking of Gen Y. Next in line is `Bahara` which has Sona Mohapatra singing folk tunes as a backing to the melodious number by Shreya Ghosal. This song, with its rustic feel and traditional rhythm is a welcome break from western beats dominant in the album. Listeners are treated to `Bahara` once again in the Chill Version of the song sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. A lounge number with an international feel, the track juxtaposes folk with Sarangi and the Spanish guitar and is slightly quicker in pace than the original. Rahat, who has proved his mettle with romantic numbers like `Main Jahan Rahoon` and `Ore Piya`, does justice to this song. The mushiness in the music of IHLS doesn`t end with `Bahara`. `Sadka`, sung by Suraj Jaggan, is a slow soft romantic one, with the open-voiced chorus similar to `Khuda Jaane Ke` from the film `Bachna Ae Haseeno`, which was also composed by Vishal-Shekhar. The interlude between the intro and the first stanza crooned by Mahalaxmi Iyer ups the dreamy feel, doing justice to Dutt`s meaningful lyrics. The music of `I Hate Love Stories is quite hummable and the album grows onto you the more you listen to it. PTI