EXPECTATIONS
Ten
years
back,
with
a
title
like
We
Are
Family,
one
would
have
expected
the
kind
of
soundtrack
which
is
associated
with
Soooraj
Barjatya
films
or
closer
home,
even
Karan
Johar's
own
venture
like
Kabhi
Khushi
Kabhie
Gham.
'Pooja
ki
thaali',
a
mother
waiting
for
her
son,
100
odd
background
dancers,
antaakshari,
dumb
charades
-
all
of
this
and
more
would
have
been
the
order
of
the
day.
Not
anymore
though
with
films
going
through
a
complete
makeover
in
the
decade
gone
by.
This
is
the
reason
why
you
expect
some
modern
songs
that
belong
to
today's
generation
in
We
Are
Family.
Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
pairing
up
with
Irshad
Kamil
(who
has
extensively
written
with
Pritam)
is
another
reason
to
look
forward
to
what
the
music
has
to
offer.
MUSIC
It's
a
good
start
for
We
Are
Family
with
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
staring
from
the
credit
details
in
the
very
first
song.
Now
that's
a
reason
good
enough
to
rejoice
because
the
least
you
expect
is
a
quality
outing
with
purity
written
over
it.
This
is
exactly
that
one
gets
with
'Aankhon
Mein
Neendein'
turning
out
to
be
a
sweet-n-melodious
track.
Shreya
Ghoshal
and
Shankar
Mahadevan
give
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
Khan
good
company
to
ensure
that
this
romantic
number
passes
by
seamlessly.
Ok,
so
this
may
not
be
the
most
memorable
chartbuster
that
2010
would
end
up
with
but
it
doesn't
harm
one
either.
And
yes,
thankfully
there
is
no
'remix'
here.
On
the
contrary
a
song
that
doesn't
come
with
any
'remix',
is
basically
an
official
adaptation
of
a
Western
hit
and
still
doesn't
work
is
'Dil
Khol
Ke
Let's
Rock'.
Agreed
that
the
song
was
meant
to
be
a
parody
but
it
still
turns
out
to
be
a
complete
no-no.
Meant
to
be
a
fun
affair
with
the
lead
actors
trying
to
form
their
own
Hindi
version
of
'Jailhouse
Rock',
this
song
only
ends
up
distracting
a
listener
and
makes
one
worry
about
what's
next
in
store.
Written
by
guest
lyricist
Anvita
Dutt
Guptan,
this
attempt
at
rock
-
even
with
hot
blood
singers
like
Anushka
Manchanda,
Suraj
Jagan
and
Akriti
Kakkar
-
deserves
a
quick
skip.
Thankfully,
We
Are
Family
gets
some
redemption
for
itself
with
'Reham
O
Karam'.
Reminding
of
'Noor-E-Khuda'
(My
Name
Is
Khan)
in
the
way
it
is
presented,
'Reham
O
Karam'
starts
off
as
a
slow
track
and
makes
one
wonder
if
it
is
an
unplugged
take
that
is
being
offered.
However,
the
momentum
picks
up
70
seconds
into
the
song
and
it
turns
out
to
be
an
enjoyable
soft
rock.
Of
course
one
does
wonder
how
a
track
like
this
will
fit
into
the
film's
narrative
because
of
the
distinctive
genres.
Still,
coming
together
of
Vishal
Dadlani
and
Shankar
Mahadevan
behind
the
mike
brings
in
a
certain
class
to
the
proceedings.
It's
a
soft
beginning
for
'Hamesha
&
Forever',
a
quintessential
family
number,
which
finally
makes
an
appearance
in
We
Are
Family.
Of
course
it
is
presented
in
a
new
age
avtar
and
has
a
definite
Western
mood
to
it.
It
is
always
a
delight
to
listen
to
Sonu
Nigam
and
he
does
well
again
with
his
soft
vocals
once
again.
He
is
given
company
by
Shreya
Ghoshal
in
'Hamesha
&
Forever'
which
is
not
designed
as
a
chartbuster
but
more
in
the
mood
of
the
kind
of
background
score
that
runs
in
Western
family
flicks.
A
situational
track.
The
same
theme
continues
for
'Sun
Le
Dua
Yeh
Aasman'
which
has
Bela
Shende
going
solo.
An
even
slower
follow
up
to
'Hamesha
&
Forever',
this
one
is
seemingly
designed
as
a
track
which
would
get
emotions
oozing
on
screen
in
a
trademark
Karan
Johar
manner.
Finally,
the
album
ends
with
a
three
minute
theme
piece
'We
Are
Family
-
Theme'
which
basically
follows
the
mood
that
has
been
set
in
the
preceding
two
tracks.
OVERALL
Music
of
We
Are
Family
isn't
designed
to
turn
into
a
mega
commercial
success.
While
half
the
album
basically
comprises
of
theme
tracks,
the
sole
intended
chartbuster
(Dil
Khol
Ke
Let's
Rock)
doesn't
work.
The
only
number
which
has
the
potential
to
cover
some
good
distance
is
'Aankhon
Mein
Neendein'
with
'Reham
O
Karam'
carrying
potential
to
work
with
a
niche
audience.
The
album
(basically
the
situational
songs)
has
its
chances
of
growing
further
but
only
once
the
film
is
a
success.
OUR
PICK(S)
'Aankhon
Mein
Neendein',
'Reham
O
Karam'
Story first published: Monday, August 8, 2011, 15:42 [IST]