Pyaar Ke Side Effects

By: Joginder Tuteja, IndiaFM

Thursday, June 29, 2006

Whatsoever be the box office fate of PNC films, one factor that stands out in most of them is their music. Whether it is Jhankaar Beats, Chameli, Hazaron Khwaishein Aisi, Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena or most recently Ankahee, the music has always been a high point of the enterprise. With a film starring an unlikely combination of Rahul Bose and Mallika Sherawat and belonging to a romantic comedy genre, Pyaar Ke Side Effects shows good promise both from the movie and music perspective. Pritam, who has given numerous good tunes for both Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena and Ankahee recently, is the composer for PKSE that comes with a tagline 'Watch Love Crash in This Season'. Pritam's lyricist partner for number of songs, Mayur Puri, joins him for this directorial debut of Saket Chaudhary.

It's time for funk, masti and dhoom, Pritam ishtyle, in the opening rap by Bob and Suzy for the song 'Pyar Karke'. A hip hop song with a difference, it is hardcore Punjabi track by Labh Janjua that would be primarily identifiable by the North Indian audience. But for those who frequent discs on a regular basis, language would hardly make a difference since such a number is universally accepted, whether it is up-market pubs or dance floors in USA and especially UK that are frequented by Asian community. Remix version of the track further builds up the tempo, as expected, and makes 'Pyar Karke' a fun time pass number that should keep the DJs busy for some weeks to come.

Funk continues with 'Dil Tod Ke Na Ja' that embarks a western beginning only to turn into an electronic fusion qawalli rendered by Rakesh Pandit. A singer with a strong classical base [that also reflects in the qawalli], Rakesh Pandit has earlier rendered for films like Kisna, Maqbool and Ramji Londonwaley in the capacity of a supporting singer but it is perhaps for the first time in a biggie that he has got an opportunity to sing a full fledged number. There is a remix version too that has DJ Kiran and DJ A-Myth doing the honors. There is a surprise in store as Mika, who is currently in news for all the reasons, is the singer roped in for the remix. In the end, in spite of all the efforts to create a foot tapping number with a catchy appeal, the song turns out to be just a little above ordinary but that's about it. There is a female voice in the song's background at number of places as she tries to create an enigmatic feel but that too doesn't make the song a must-listen!

A case of no credits for a voiceover is repeated in case of 'Jaane Kya' where a young female voice is heard to a considerable extent at the very beginning and then also during the flow of the track as she croons in English! Nevertheless, one moves on to hear this semi-classical/western fusion track that is a different experience and one of its kinds as it caters to classy audience. Packaged in a manner that would appeal to contemporary audience, 'Jaane Kya' may not be your next hit in the making but showcases the class of singer Zubin, composer Pritam and lyricist Mayur Puri.

From a song's title like 'Is This Love', you obviously expect a mushy outing. The context is very well set for a song belonging to the expected genre as the sound of guitar is heard for a good duration before Kunal Ganjawala strikes. Set as a simply worded number about realization of love, it is presented as a conversational number with only guitar as the accompanying partner for both Kunal and Sunidhi Chauhan, his female singing counterpart. An easy coming situational number, it should be one of the highlights of the film due to its situational and mushy nature. And yes, one does look forward to Rahul Bose acting on this song that has both Kunal and Sunidhi in top form.

'Bad Boy' appears in three versions, an original, remix [by DJ Sunil Spinz] and with a different title 'Allah Bachaye' but that hardly proves to be a deterrent as the song carries good repeat value. A hip-hop funky number with Sophie, Earl and Ishq Vector having all the fun with their rendition that carries distinct seductive overtures, it has Alisha Chinoy as the main singer who does a wonderful job once again. Lyrics that go as....

Boy: Hey girl!
Girl: Hey boy!
Boy: Would you be my baby doll!
Girl: Sure if you promise to be a bad boy!

.....hardly leave much for imagination and the message is loud and clear throughout the song as it hardly tries to be any different than it actually is! Naughty? Cheesy? Inviting? Seductive? There could be number of ways one may choose to term 'Bad Boy' but the fact cannot be denied that it is the best of the enterprise (solely from the music and rendition perspective if nothing more) and is (thankfully) reserved for the end. Truly justifying the presence of Mallika in the film, it should set the temperatures rolling if presented stylishly on screen and should be yet another good track in hand for DJs to play it for the dance floors!

Though there are a couple of numbers in the album that try to get some variety in, Pyaar Ke Side Effects more or less settles down as a dance floor album that could be a welcome addition for youngsters jiving to the hip-hop beats. 'Jaane Kya' and 'Is This Love' may be fine but what should set the fire on for the youngsters are songs like 'Pyar Karke' and 'Bad Boy' that should be heard for a few weeks to come.

Prominently an urban album, it may not be hailed as one of the best by Pritam but should manage at least average sales