Jhootha Hi Sahi – Music Review

Director Abbas Tyrewala’s upcoming Hindi film “Jhootha Hi Sahi”, starring John Abraham and debutante Pakhi Tyrewala is an upcoming rom-com with music provided by the legendary A. R. Rahman. The soundtrack has seven pieces as well as two remixes, and it’s safe to say the musical maestro has done a phenomenally well with this – his first Hindi soundtrack since Mani Rathnam’s Raavan.

The first track is the rather cute and peppy “Cry Cry” with vocals by Rashid Ali and Shreya Ghoshal. The chorus line had been stuck in my head since I caught the very short promo on TV, and I was excited to finally listen to the full composition. The beat has an almost jungle-ish vibe, and the instrumentation is wonderful. Rashid Ali’s vocals have a laid-back feel to them, and Shreya Ghoshal’s honey-soaked voice is a beautiful addition to an already excellent piece.

The next piece, “Maiyya Yashoda (Jamuna Mix)” has a real classical/ethnic feel to it, but the beat ensures that it does not sound out-of-date. Javed Ali and Chinmayi’s voices complement each other very well, and they both tackle some of the more difficult phrases in the melody with ease and perfection. The “Thames Mix” of the same song has a heavier bass, and more techno feel to it (including dialling tones during the flute interludes…). Whilst this one is catchy, I much prefer the Jamuna Mix.

I love Karthik’s mellifluous singing for “Hello Hello”, a chilled number with a beautiful string arrangement in the background. The dialling tones are back in this song too, but they are seamlessly interwoven into the instrumentation of this track and manage not to seem out of place.

“Do Nishaaniyan” is next, a lovely ballad with a simple yet beautiful piano line that runs throughout. Sonu Nigaam’s emotive voice is perfect for this piece, and thankfully the instruments aren’t so overpowering as to detract from his magnificent performance. Whilst not being too complex as a piece of music, it is still well-rounded – you don’t feel as if it is lacking something. The “Heartbreak Reprise” of this song is also lovely. Sonu Nigaam delivers the lyrics poignantly and once again, the listener is not overwhelmed by heavy instrumentation.

Shreya Ghoshal is back for the “Pam Para”, a really catchy, upbeat piece. The saxophone interludes add to the jazzy feel, and Shreya effortlessly tackles this track with her energetic performance. There are parts where there seems to be one too many instruments playing at the same time, and while they don’t clash, it can seem a little overcrowded at times.

Regardless of how incredible the music is for the romantic “I’ve Been Waiting” (and the orchestration is truly spellbinding), it is the sublime, mellow voice of Vijay Yesudas that steals the limelight in this song. This track has a very American Smooth Jazz feel to it, à la Frank Sinatra’s “Fly Me to the Moon”. In terms of dance, think ‘Slow Foxtrot’ – I can imagine it on “Strictly Come Dancing/Dancing with the Stars” or something! Vijay Yesudas switches effortlessly between both languages; for once, the English lyrics don’t stick out like a sore thumb. This is one of my favourite songs in this album, but that could just be because I’m a sucker for the likes of Bublé, Nat King Cole etc. “I’ve Been Waiting” is a heavenly, beautifully sung composition!

Finally is “Call Me Dil”, an acoustic piece with another wonderful performance by Rashid Ali. It is the title song of the film (which was originally going to be entitled “Call Me Dil”), and is a bit of a sappy number. The addition of an electric guitar in the last part of the song adds a bit of a twist to this sweet track. A lovely track!

A. R. Rahman has done a great job of mixing a range of genres in this album. All in all, the Jhootha Hi Sahi soundtrack is a really enjoyable listen. 4.5/5.

Kavya Rajagopalan (c) Thamarai.com