EXPECTATIONS
Pritam.
Bhatts.
Emraan
Hashmi.
This
combination
has
to
deliver.
Period.
And
if
it
doesn't,
it
is
nothing
less
than
sacrilege.
After
all
there
is
a
long
standing
reputation,
as
created
by
Gangster,
Awarapan,
Jannat
and
Tum
Mile
which
has
to
be
maintained.
With
lyricist
Kumaar
(who
has
been
around
for
a
decade
and
has
been
delivering
consistently
ever
since
then)
bagging
his
biggest
project
till
date
as
the
only
man
contributing
with
the
words,
there
are
very
good
expectations
from
the
music
here.
MUSIC
While
one
expects
a
series
of
romantic
tracks
in
Crook,
there
is
a
surprise
in
store
as
a
dance
number
'Challa'
kick-starts
the
proceedings.
Based
on
a
traditional
folk
song,
as
acknowledged
in
the
credit
details
as
well,
it
has
the
signature
sound
of
'Tana
na
tana
na'
which
hooks
you
on
to
it
in
the
first
listening
itself.
Though
the
song
would
have
attracted
the
likes
of
Sukhwinder
Singh
to
be
the
obvious
choice
as
a
singer,
it
is
Babbu
Mann,
a
top
name
in
Punjabi
film
and
music
industry,
who
keeps
the
fun
going.
Suzanne
D'mello,
the
only
female
singer
in
the
entire
album,
gets
to
croon
a
few
interspersing
lines
in
English
but
it
is
the
'desi'
rhythm
fused
with
Western
arrangements
that
make
'Challa'
-
also
arriving
later
in
a
'remix
version'
-
a
track
that
should
find
good
acceptance,
especially
up
North.
Though
'Challa'
wasn't
exactly
what
one
expected
from
a
Bhatt-Pritam-Emraan
combination,
the
rest
of
the
album
pretty
much
delivers
as
expected
starting
from
'Mere
Bina'.
A
soulful
number
with
a
soft
rock
feel
to
it,
'Mere
Bina'
is
a
solo
track
(as
is
the
case
with
all
the
remaining
songs
as
well)
with
upcoming
singer
Nikhil
D'Souza
making
the
best
of
the
opportunity.
He
has
recently
delivered
a
hit
in
'Anjaana
Anjaani
Ki
Kahani'
[Anjaana
Anjaani]
and
also
impressed
with
his
outings
in
Aisha
and
Udaan.
Now
with
'Mere
Bina',
he
has
delivered
again
by
bringing
on
a
youth
flavour
with
a
strong
urban
to
it.
One
can
sense
the
team's
confidence
in
the
song
by
the
sheer
fact
that
'Mere
Bina's
is
repeated
a
couple
of
more
times
in
the
album.
First
to
come
is
a
Mohit
Chauhan
rendered
version
which
is
titled
as
'Tujhko
Jo
Paaya'.
With
just
a
guitar
playing
in
the
background
and
lyrics
doing
all
the
talking,
one
notices
the
simplicity
with
which
lyricist
Kumaar
has
conveyed
the
emotions
of
romance
so
beautifully.
This
is
on
display
once
again
with
KK
-
an
obvious
choice
of
a
song
belonging
to
this
genre
-
coming
up
with
his
own
take
in
the
'unplugged
version'
of
'Mere
Bina'.
Let's
acknowledge
this,
though
'Mere
Bina'
does
take
a
little
time
to
settle
down
due
to
it's
unconventional
flow
and
not
so
quintessential
Bollywood
appeal,
the
repeated
placement
of
the
song
(thrice)
right
through
the
album
means
that
it
does
succeed
in
turning
out
to
be
one
of
the
many
highlights
of
Crook.
With
all
men
enjoying
there
time
behind
the
time,
it
was
difficult
to
imagine
one
of
the
favourite
singers
for
composer
Pritam,
Neeraj
Sridhar,
to
be
missing
in
action.
He
gets
to
sing
a
fun
track
'Kya'
which
has
some
addictive
beats
ensuring
that
it
catches
attention
in
the
very
first
listening.
To
think
of
it,
the
song
does
follow
a
basic
template
that
Pritam
has
mastered
when
it
comes
to
youthful
songs
but
still
'Kya'
does
turn
out
to
be
an
immensely
loveable
song.
A
number
where
one
can
well
imagine
Neeraj
to
be
smiling
while
crooning
this
one
and
a
feel
good
appeal
via
visuals
on
screens
as
well;
'Kya'
should
find
it's
way
into
the
charts.
Now
this
is
a
song
that
could
have
been
straight
out
of
a
Mahesh
Bhatt
or
Vikram
Bhatt
directed
film.
'Tujhi
Mein'
carries
the
kind
of
sound
that
Bhatts
have
pretty
much
patented
over
the
last
couple
of
decades
and
one
is
only
thrilled
to
hear
it
all
over
again.
A
love
song
with
Kumaar
impressing
yet
again
with
simplicity
in
his
lyrics,
'Tujhi
Mein'
is
also
special
due
to
the
man
behind
the
mike
-
KK.
One
does
expect
the
singer
to
come
up
with
something
smashing
in
every
Bhatt
film
and
'Tujhi
Mein'
is
no
different.
No
wonder,
a
'reprise
version'
comes
in
as
well
which
just
doubles
the
fun.
OVERALL
Though
'Challa'
is
the
kind
of
number
which
is
placed
to
attract
crowds,
Crook
has
a
lot
more
to
offer
when
it
comes
to
some
really
quality
songs.
While
'Kya'
has
a
fun
element
to
it,
it
is
songs
like
'Mere
Bina'
and
'Tujhi
Mein'
which
come
with
a
catalogue
appeal.
These
are
the
ones
which
would
not
just
stay
with
the
audience
long
after
the
film
is
off
the
screens
but
also
find
their
way
into
the
future
compilation
albums.
While
Pritam
has
ensured
a
hit
album
for
Bhatts
yet
again,
Emraan
Hashmi
continues
his
good
run
after
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai
when
it
comes
to
quality
melodious
songs.
OUR
PICK(S)
'Mere
Bina',
'Tujhi
Mein',
'Kya',
'Challa'.
Story first published: Monday, August 8, 2011, 15:35 [IST]