Review
Pyar tunes from
Sandeep Chowta 

 
The promos for Pyar Tune Kya Kiya , a Ram Gopal Varma presentation, say it is a love story that's not so pleasant, but Sandeep Chowta's tunes have a cheerful air

Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya
Venus
Rs 55

After Mast and Jungle , Ram Gopal Varma's production house is releasing director Rahat Mukherjee's Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya . "Love stories are not always pleasant," says the promo, but the music is for the most part pleasant and cheerful.

Sandeep Chowta, Varma's favourite composer, is behind these tunes. He has just won the Filmfare award for the background score of Jungle . The words are by Nitin Raikwar, who shot to fame with his Kya bolti tu, the Aamir Khan hit in Ghulam . Incidentally, Aamir Khan performed this song at a live show on Tamil new year's day organised by Sun TV on April 14. He came on stage with the southern actress Revathi, and said with a twinkle in his eye, "I have a confession to make. I've always wanted to ask Revathi this question" and began the song, to loud applause. Aamir proved again that he can sing with a natural flair.

Back to this album. In Kambakth Ishq , Asha Bhosle performs with her usual charisma along with Sukhwindara Singh and Sonu Nigam. The energy reminds you of her singing in Rangeela re from the Aamir-Urmila hit Rangeela .

Sonu Nigam sings with a rough tonality, reminding you of R D Burman in Mehbooba Mehbooba from Sholay. A highlight of the song is the guitar playing in the background. One interlude reminds you of country music. The words talk about the craziness of love and how it is everywhere. Kambakth mix , which is a remix version with a louder rhythm and electronic effects, works okay. Mercifully, it doesn't destroy the musicality of the song.

Pyaar tune kya kiya is a romantic duet. Sonu Nigam's voice, which has a soft and smooth tone here is a complete contrast from that of Kambakth ishq. Alka Yagnik sings with a wispy, light tone which makes for a pleasant change from her normal style. The instrumental interludes consist of guitars and flutes. The rhythms complement the song as their patterns change, and the beats are layered.

The words and tune are well matched:

Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya? (Love, what did you do?)
E Pyaar Tune Kya kiya? (Oh Love, what did you do?)
Ek Hi Pal Mein Achanak (In one moment suddenly)
Di Hein Nayi Duniya (You gave me a new world)
Di Hein Nayi Khushiya (You gave me new happiness)

There is a solo version of this song by Chitra. The rhythm is minimised to a pearl drop effect and Chitra sings variations and improvisations on the original tune. The orchestral melodies are tight knit. Ku Ku begins with a violin prelude. The melody and beat are reminiscent of Irish music, which Sandeep Chowta used in Jungle with Aiyo aiyo Rama . Sonu Nigam sings with humour, using words such as "Ramaiyo" and "Krishnaiyo" to fit the rhyme. The flute melody has a classical sound and is fused with rock beats. A piccolo solo gives it a pleasant tone.

Jaana is a romantic song and could well be ranked the best track on the album. Sonu Nigam sings as well as ever and Kavita Krishnamurthy sing with a youthfulness that doesn't seem strained. The romantic mood and instrumentals are similar to Do pyaar karnewale jungle mein from Jungle.

Rhounde is a complete contrast to the other songs with the orchestral melody portraying darkness and evil. The victim describes her pain. Sandeep Chowta acknowledges that the tune is "inspired" by Wojceich Killar's song Vampire Hunters. But note to note lifting might or might not fall under that category. There are two versions, one by Alisha Chinai and the second by Sowmya. At first hearing, the way they emote makes them so similar that you can hardly tell the two apart. The use of orchestral dynamics to indicate the mood is similar to The Soul of Jungle which was an instrumental song from Jungle and perhaps also inspired by the same Killar song. The chorus, the brass, and the orchestra make an impact.

The version with Sowmya is almost the same but the orchestral movements are mellowed down a bit. The overall orchestral sound with Rhounde is a complete contrast to Pyaar tune kya kiya , especially in comparison to Chitra's version.

Sandeep Chowta has etched a stylistic niche for himself with Mast, Jungle, and now with Pyaar Tune Kya Kiya. But not everyone takes kindly to "inspired" tunes.  Urmila Matondkar and Fardeen Khan are the lead pair, and this film has at least one new aspect to offer: an excellent use of the orchestra.

Divya MInisandram 

Write to the author

Write to the editor