Dil Haara perfectly opens the album on an excited note, with Sukhwinder Singh infusing unbelievable life into the track. With the essence of spirited love, fun and ecstasy, the song goes from strength to strength with loud beats that never overpower the fantastic vocals but keep the listener pumped. Eventually, it reaches a thrilling crescendo that brings a fantastic rock feel to the surface. Piyush Mishra’s lyrics may not be poetically astonishing, but they are more than a welcome change from what one would normally expect from a love song. In fact, instead of a melodious serenade of love, this song embodies the energy of love to the very core. Mark my words; this track is going to be huge.
“Suraj ko andha kar do, dedo chand ka chashme. Ladki hoon, par mujhe pasand nahin duniya ki koi rasme. Kahin dillon ka mujhse hai, ajab-ghazab connection…Pooja ko yehi hai, yehi toh hai tashan!” –Pooja’s Tashan (Stylish!)
Immediately following is the track picturised on Kareena, titled Chhaliya. This track is everything you could expect it to be; peppy and robustly exciting. It relies primarily on great rhythm rather than Anvita Dutt Guptan’s lyrics, though they are also apt for the mood. Ranging from melodious to simply invigorating, it seems to fit the image of Kareena’s character in the film. After ‘Yeh Ishq Hai’, we can be sure that this track is going to exhibit another dimension of Miss Kapoor. Another winner in the bag!
“Life is strange. People are stranger. Har sundar cheez mein hota hai kuch danger. Zinda rehne ke bhi badalte hai ab fashion. Jimmy ki life ka yeh hai ‘tashan’.” –Jimmy’s Tashan (Interesting, but not as good as the rest.)
Before venturing into Dil Dance Maare, I should perhaps warn you not to evaluate it as a regular song. Before your jaw drops in horror, keep in mind that the song is supposed to have outrageously horrible lyrics as it comes during a scene where the characters are dressed up as foreigners and trying to speak English (key word: ‘trying’). With lyrics by Vishal himself, the song is an absolute laugh riot even though it may be the most bizarre of the album! If you can take it with a pinch of salt, fully understanding that the song is intended to make you cringe at the horrible English inserted into the lyrics, you’ll enjoy it immensely. Even with such ridiculous lyrics like “Oh very happy in my heart, Dil Daance Mare re!” Vishal-Shekhar manage to put together a hit. Sung by Udit Narayan, Sunidhi Chauhan and Sukhwinder Singh, the vocals are not as important in the song as the listener is meant to concentrate more on the hilarious lyrics and rollicking rhythm. Hats off to the composer duo for getting so creative with this track! As silly as it may seem, it can be incredibly hard to make a great song out of crappy lyrics while maintaining its humour. Like it or not, judging by initial public reaction, this song is a chartbuster in the making.
“Ram Chandra Ji kehgaye Siya se: aisa kalyug aayega, bhale burre ki jaaj bhi ek din humko creditcard dilwayega…kaho to tumhare chehre ka badal de hum position? Yeh hai Bachchan Pandey ka Ganga Kinare wala ‘tashan’!”–Bachchan Pande ka Tashan (Hilarious!)
After pumping our veins with high-octane energy, the album steers onto a more subdued note with the romantic Falak Tak. It maintains a modern feel throughout but somehow gives you a nostalgic feeling of melodious romantic tracks composed during the nineties. With soothing lyrics by Kausar Munir, you finally get a chance to kick back and relax in an album that never lets you waver for a second. This track is equally as captivating as the rest, but in a much more quiet way. What make it so fantastic are outstanding vocals by Udit Narayan and Mahalaxmi Iyer, who both bring a certain sense of magic to the song. It’s so great to see that Udit hasn’t lost his touch after so long! For those who aren’t a fan of romantic tracks, at least this gives you a chance to reel back from the unbelievable energy of the first few tracks.
“I’m a-speaking English phully. Sahi ghalat ko maaro goli! Hah, I’m wearing a suit, tana tan. Underwear ijh…phir bhi Indian. I’m villain of old tradition. Dish, my dear phellow, ijh my ‘tashan’!” –Bhayyaji ka Tashan (A knockout!)
The album comes to a timely close with Tashan Mein, a track that creates an adventurous mood, perfect for an action flick. Vishal and Shekhar further expand a rock-n-roll feel to the track with guitars and drums being the primary instruments used. Crooned by Vishal and Saleem, give a very rugged impression that works in tune with the mood of the rest of the track. Though it may not emerge as the biggest chartbuster of the album, it’s a perfect addition to the album because it fits perfectly into the theme. Not to mention, it’s exceptionally creative!
When listening to Tashan, you feel as if composers Vishal-Shekhar must have been high on something when they composed it (in a good way!) because they seem to seep each and every beat and note with an underlying essence of energy. Also, the four character snippets were a wonderful addition to the album. Boasting of at least three chartbusters, one fantastic romantic track and another admirable creative effort, the album lives up to the immense hype and hysteria. Will they all go down as a classic? Maybe not all, but the tracks will certainly prove to have a large life-span as they crawl up the charts right from day one. Since the title was revealed, many have pondering the exact meaning of the word tashan. Listen to the album and you’ll figure out just exactly what tashan is. So what’s your tashan?
