EXPECTATIONS
What
kind
of
expectations
can
one
have
from
the
music
of
a
film
which
is
directed
by
a
man
who
pretty
much
has
a
patent
on
a
music
genre
itself
-
'The
Karan
Johar
music'?
Ever
since
the
release
of
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai
music
more
than
a
decade
back,
there
have
been
imitations
galore.
Some
have
been
flattering,
some
have
been
homage,
some
have
been
mere
mimicry,
some
have
been
plain
lacklustre
while
some
have
managed
to
follow
it
to
the
T.
'Karan
Johar
genre
of
music'
has
found
many
fans
and
followers
while
the
man
himself
has
continued
to
raise
the
bar
up
with
his
subsequent
outings
like
Kabhi
Khushi
Kabhie
Gham
and
Kabhi
Alvida
Naa
Kehna.
MUSIC
When
singers
like
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
Khan,
Shankar
Mahadevan
and
Richa
Sharma
come
together,
you
know
for
sure
that
there
is
a
quality
outing
in
the
offing.
This
is
what
one
gets
from
'Sajda',
a
qawalli,
which
boasts
of
some
intoxicating
rhythm
and
comes
so
quickly
on
your
lips
that
just
one
listening
and
you
can
already
hear
yourself
humming
it
around.
It
is
amazing
to
see
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
Khan
delivering
a
chartbuster
track
practically
every
second
month
and
this
New
Year
couldn't
see
a
better
outing
than
'Sajda'
which
maintains
an
Indian
quality
to
it
throughout
it's
duration.
Boasting
of
a
timeless
appeal
to
it,
'Sajda'
is
a
kind
of
number
that
is
not
dependant
upon
the
movie
for
which
it
has
been
composed
and
promises
to
play
on
for
many
more
months
to
come.
Ever
since
the
days
of
Dil
Chahta
Hai,
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
can
be
identified
with
a
particular
style
of
music
and
'Noor
E
Khuda'
just
takes
the
tradition
further.
A
soft
track
that
is
as
experimental
as
it
gets,
courtesy
coming
together
of
Adnan
Sami
and
Shankar
Mahadevan
who
sing
'Noor
E
Khuda'
rather
seamlessly.
It
is
remarkable
to
witness
one
of
them
picking
up
from
where
the
other
left
without
the
listener
getting
any
hint
of
a
handover
taking
place
behind
the
mike.
In
the
latter
half
of
the
song,
Shreya
Ghoshal
makes
an
appearance
and
one
can
sense
the
female
protagonist
pining
for
her
lost
love.
Placed
in
the
background
where
the
character
played
by
Shah
Rukh
Khan
gets
set
on
his
big
journey,
it
has
the
kind
of
lyrics
by
Niranjan
Iyengar
which
are
bound
to
make
much
more
meaning
when
heard
and
seen
in
the
film's
context.
First
quintessential
love
song
that
one
was
actually
waiting
for
to
appear
in
My
Name
Is
Khan
makes
a
belated
appearance
in
the
form
of
'Tere
Naina'.
Rendered
by
Shafqat
Amanat
Ali
who
goes
solo
for
the
song,
'Tere
Naina'
is
pretty
much
in
the
same
mould
as
'Sajda'
and
could
have
pretty
much
picked
from
where
the
latter
left.
Yet
again,
there
is
an
intrinsic
Indian
appeal
to
'Tere
Naina'
with
a
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
stamp
to
it
which
makes
it
a
song
worthy
to
be
heard
in
a
repeat
mode.
A
pure
love
song
which
takes
a
few
hearing
before
it
catches
up
with
you,
'Tere
Naina'
is
for
those
who
love
to
have
a
bit
of
class
in
their
music.
By
the
time
'Allah
Hi
Rahem'
comes,
one
has
set
high
standards
for
My
Name
Is
Khan.
This
is
why
this
Rashid
Khan
sung
number
stays
on
to
be
situational
at
best.
Yes,
it
carries
on
the
Sufi
flavour
as
prevalent
in
the
album
but
still
doesn't
turn
out
to
be
the
kind
of
track
that
one
carries
home
after
the
film's
screening
is
through.
Also,
as
a
part
of
the
album,
since
there
are
other
better
songs
to
pick
and
choose,
'Allah
Hi
Rahem'
merely
turns
out
to
be
the
kind
of
number
that
one
has
heard
and
seen
before
and
hence
can
be
just
given
a
quick
hear
and
forgotten.
'Khan
Theme'
which
follows
next
is
an
extremely
well
orchestrated
piece
that
boasts
of
a
live
recording,
a
rarity
in
today's
time,
and
has
a
mesmerising
appeal
to
it.
Lasting
close
to
two
and
a
half
minutes,
it
has
a
pensive
feel
to
it
which
pretty
much
follows
the
theme,
mood
and
expected
treatment
that
one
expects
from
the
narrative.
Expect
it
to
play
in
the
opening
and
end
credits
roll.
Lastly
comes
Shankar
Mahadevan
and
Suraj
Jagan
sung
'Rang
De'
which
is
a
complete
departure
from
what
one
has
heard
in
the
album
so
far
and
takes
a
soft
rock
route.
Since
it's
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
at
the
helm
of
affairs,
there
is
a
slight
Indian
classical
touch
to
it
as
well
(at
places)
but
overall
'Rang
De'
stays
on
to
be
a
quintessential
rock
track
which
brings
home
the
message
of
peace
and
togetherness.
One
wonders
though
if
the
song
would
find
a
place
in
the
film's
narrative
or
instead
would
have
a
music
video
devised
around
it.
OVERALL
Contrary
to
popular
misconception,
Karan
Johar's
music
hasn't
stuck
on
to
the
world
of
Kuch
Kuch
Hota
Hai.
It
has
continued
to
evolve
and
though
it's
hard
to
ignore
the
romantic
breeze
evidenced
in
his
films,
the
fact
is
that
he
has
in
fact
strived
to
be
different,
though
not
completely
but
at
least
partially,
in
each
of
his
outings.
However,
in
My
Name
Is
Khan,
he
along
with
Shankar
Ehsaan
Loy
and
lyricist
Niranjan
Iyengar
have
brought
not
a
partial
but
a
substantial
difference
to
the
way
music
in
his
films
is
being
looked
at.
Doing
something
like
this
was
always
meant
to
be
a
calculated
since
music
as
heard
in
My
Name
Is
Khan
doesn't
belong
to
the
kind
that
results
in
blockbuster
sales.
However,
given
the
fact
that
the
film
boasts
of
who-is-who
of
the
film
and
music
world,
has
a
guaranteed
chartbuster
in
the
form
of
'Sajda',
comes
with
a
huge
curiosity
value
and
overall
boasts
of
a
quality
feel
to
it,
it
is
bound
to
become
further
popular
after
the
release.