EXPECTATIONS
Despite
the
name
Pritam
staring
from
the
credit
details
of
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai,
you
are
not
overtly
enthused
about
what
the
music
would
have
to
offer.
Despite
the
fact
that
most
Milan
Luthria
films
(Kachhe
Dhaage,
Taxi
No.
9211)
have
boasted
of
good
music,
you
are
not
really
sure
if
there
would
be
something
similar
this
time
around.
Despite
the
fact
that
Emraan
Hashmi
and
good
music
go
hand
in
hand,
you
wonder
whether
the
good
run
will
continue
with
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai.
There
is
a
singular
reason
for
that.
The
film
belongs
to
gangster
genre
which,
on
paper,
leaves
very
minimal
scope
for
a
popular
soundtrack.
At
maximum
a
song
or
two
goes
on
to
become
a
chartbuster,
as
has
been
evidenced
in
Company
(Khallas)
and
Shoot
Out
At
Lokhandwala
(Ganpat).
However,
something
with
lends
wholesome
popular
appeal
doesn't
quite
appear
to
be
on
cards.
Well,
the
speculations
go
out
of
the
window
as
Pritam
along
with
Irshad
Kamil,
Nilesh
Mishra
and
Amitabh
Bhattacharya
prove
otherwise
and
come
up
with
a
soundtrack
which
surprises
and
entertains.
MUSIC
It's
trademark
Pritam
in
the
very
opening
notes
of
'Pee
Loon
Hoto
Ki
Sargam'
which
has
an
'alaap'
going
in
the
background
before
Mohit
Chauhan
arrives
on
scene.
A
beautiful
melody
that
has
chorus
adding
on
that
additional
zing
to
the
proceedings,
'Pee
Loon'
is
a
loveable
track
that
boasts
of
some
poetic
lyrics
by
Irshad
Kamil.
With
a
slight
sufi
touch
to
it,
'Peen
Loon'
is
the
kind
of
track
that
Imtiaz
Ali
would
have
loved
to
grab
with
both
hands.
In
fact
if
'mukhda'
is
a
great
kick
start,
'antara'
is
even
better
as
Mohit
Chauhan
gets
the
boyish
charm
of
Emraan
translated
through
his
voice.
A
good
kick
start
and
a
winner
all
the
way,
the
song
also
arrives
in
a
enjoyable
'remix
version'
and
in
the
process
keeps
Emraan's
hit
record
intact.
Set
in
the
70s,
'Tum
Jo
Aaye'
is
a
quintessential
Bollywood
track
where
Tulsi
Kumar
leads
from
the
front.
Even
though
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
Khan
is
also
roped
in
for
the
song,
he
arrives
only
two
minutes
into
the
song.
Yes,
Tulsi
does
fine
in
giving
the
song
a
kick
start
but
Rahat's
entry
brings
an
altogether
different
dimension
to
this
love
song
which
has
elements
of
'qawalli'
to
it.
Also,
despite
the
fact
that
the
song
is
set
in
the
70s,
Pritam
doesn't
make
it
sound
like
a
caricature
and
keeps
it
true
to
its
theme.
Written
by
Irshad
Kamil,
this
song
also
arrives
in
a
solo
'reprise
version'
by
Rahat
Fateh
Ali
Khan
and
it
is
tough
not
to
play
it
on
in
a
repeat
version.
Yet
another
winner
in
the
album.
Remember
'Monica
O
My
Darling'
from
Apna
Desh?
The
song
is
presented
in
its
new
avtar
with
Irshad
Kamil
rechristening
it
as
'Parda'.
While
the
basic
essence
of
'Monica'
is
kept
intact,
Pritam
brings
in
a
new
flavour
to
it
by
doing
his
own
bit.
Rather
than
a
straight
forward
'remix
version',
'Parda'
is
presented
as
an
altogether
new
song
especially
during
the
'antara'
part.
Sung
by
Sunidhi
Chauhan,
Anupam
and
Rana,
this
song
stays
totally
glued
to
the
cabaret
tracks
of
the
late
60s/early
70s
and
should
definitely
make
for
a
very
good
impact
on
screen
as
a
part
of
the
narrative.
The
song
that
is
timeless
though
and
doesn't
just
belong
to
the
70s
or
the
current
times
is
'I
Am
In
Love'.
If
'Pee
Loon'
reminded
one
of
Imtiaz
Ali
films,
'I
Am
In
Love'
is
the
kind
of
track
that
follows
Anurag
Basu
template.
If
Life
In
A
Metro
is
your
poison,
rest
assured
Milan
Luthria
has
inspired
Pritam
good
enough
to
make
a
melodious
track
like
'I
Am
In
Love'.
A
song
which
you
just
wish
could
be
played
in
loop
for
hours
at
stretch;
it
is
yet
another
instance
of
an
'antara'
turning
out
to
be
even
better
than
'mukhda'.
Also,
Nilesh
Mishra
brings
in
a
new
combination
of
words
despite
the
song
being
titled
plain
and
simple
'I
Am
In
Love'.
The
song
arrives
thrice
in
the
album
with
backup
vocals
by
Dominique
and
while
the
solo
version
by
relatively
new
entrant
Karthik
is
good,
it
is
K.K.'s
version
that
takes
the
song
to
a
different
high
altogether.
The
experience
matters
here
and
so
does
the
composer-singer
combination
which
results
in
yet
another
song
which
will
definitely
find
popularity,
especially
amongst
youth.
Also,
rest
assured,
the
song
will
find
a
definite
inclusion
in
all
the
'love
compilation'
albums
in
months
to
come.
The
'dance
version'
further
adds
variety
and
also
justifies
the
confidence
that
the
makers
had
in
bringing
this
song
multiple
times
in
the
album.
'Babu
Rao
Mast
Hai'
-
Now
any
college
goer
will
hear
these
lyrics
and
would
immediately
imply
what
it
is
trying
to
say.
However,
to
the
credit
of
the
team
here
(lyricist:
Amitabh
Bhattacharya,
singer:
Mika),
there
isn't
anything
risque
about
the
song
until
and
unless
someone
truly
runs
his
imagination
wild
and
reads
between
the
words.
Yes,
it
is
spicy,
mischievous
and
edgy.
However,
it
is
more
about
the
escapades
of
a
gangster
rather
than
his
love
for
women
and
wine
which
makes
it
stand
apart
from
'Ganpat'
or
'Khallas'.
It
takes
a
couple
of
listening
to
grasp
the
tune
but
once
that
happens,
it
hooks
on
to
you.
Given
Emraan
Hashmi's
on-screen
image,
that
of
someone
who
has
a
naughty
streak
to
him,
'Babu
Rao'
can
find
good
patronage
coming
for
itself.
OVERALL
As
mentioned
above,
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai
throws
a
surprise,
a
mighty
pleasant
one
at
that.
There
is
no
average
song
in
the
album
as
all
range
from
good
to
very
good.
Also,
there
are
definite
chartbusters
like
'Pee
Loon
Hoto
Ki
Sargam',
'I
Am
In
Love'
and
'Baburao'
(if
the
movie
runs,
there
won't
be
any
stopping
this
one).
In
addition,
'Tum
Jo
Aaye'
and
'Parda'
add
further
value
to
the
film's
music,
hence
making
it
a
complete
album.
Once
the
initial
inhibition
about
the
album
offering
only
gangster
score
settles
down
and
the
fact
emerges
that
there
are
quite
a
few
love
songs
on
the
offing
as
well,
Once
Upon
A
Time
In
Mumbaai
should
enjoy
a
long
innings
ahead.
OUR
PICK(S)
'Pee
Loon
Hoto
Ki
Sargam',
'I
Am
In
Love'
(K.K.),
Baburao',
'Tum
Jo
Aaye
-
Reprise'
Story first published: Tuesday, June 29, 2010, 15:00 [IST]