Terrorism has formed the pillar of countless movies in Indian Cinema, all of the dramatic genre. Tere Bin Laden aims to take a lighter approach to the topical issue by chronicling the antics of an ambitious Pakistani TV reporter who aims to migrate to the United States of America. Tere Bin Laden (Without You, Laden) is a movie to watch out for two reasons, the first being the obvious potential of it being a hilarious comedy and the second being, that it is the launch vehicle for Pakistani pop star Ali Zafar as an actor.
Tere Bin Laden’s music has been composed by Shankar-Eshaan-Loy (Dil Chahta Hai and Rock On!!), Dhruv Dhalla (Dil Kabaddi), and Ali Zafar. Lyrics have been penned by Jaideep Sahini (Aaja Nachle), Ali Zafar, Jaspreet Singh and Dhruv Dhalla. The album contains 8 tracks and features the vocal talents of Ali Zafar, Shankar Mahadevan (‘Desi Girl’ – Dostana), Master Saleem (‘Leja Leja’ – Teree Sang and ‘Maa Da Ladla’ – Dostana), Akirti Kakkar(‘Khudaya Khair’ – Billu and ‘Move Your Body Now’ – Kismat Konnection), Suraj Jagan (‘Sadka Kiya’ – I Hate Luv Storys and ‘Zehereley’ – Rock On!! ), and Anusha Mani (‘Lazy Lamhe’ – Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic).
Tere Bin Laden has been written and directed by debutant director Abhishek Sharma and is being produced under the banner of WalkWater Media. It been slated to release on 16th July 2010.
The album commences with Ullu Da Patha (son of an owl, i.e. a fool), a fast-paced Punjabi number sung enthusiastically by Shankar Mahadevan and Ali Zafar. Jaideep pens rather insightful lyrics, once you get past the barrier of loud music. The song’s about the protagonist’s actions being so outrageous that it hard to tell whether he is digging his own grave or someone else is doing it for him. Jaideep paints a picture of a fool, albeit a good-looking one. ‘Ullu Da Patta’ is in the same line at ‘Oye Lucky Lucky Oye’ from Oye Lucky Lucky Oye, ‘Chak De Phatte’ from Khosla Ka Khosla, and ‘Maa Da Ladla’ from Dostana. That is, loud desi numbers that are not only entertaining but musically provide a succinct synopsis of the film. If one does not find it too loud, ‘Ullu Da Patha’ will definitely impress you. DJ Sanj remixes ‘Ullu Da Patha’ by substituting the desi dhols for some modern sounds with Akirti Kakkar and Anusha Mani providing some backing vocals. Both versions are equally good; a rarity for remixes these days.
The party continues with Shor Sharaba, a Dhruv Dhalla composition sung by Suraj Jagan and Jaspreet Singh. Musically, the track is brilliant, a contemporary up-beat number with a catchy chorus that will have you tapping your feet to it in no time. Lyrics penned by Dhruv and Jaspreet, are strictly okay, that is, they are effective, yet slightly run of the mill. It’s a mix of Hindi and English and expresses the care-free, self-fish and cynical views of the protagonist, but the rap-like rendition ends up hindering the number.
Next, is I Love Amreeka, another contemporary, fun-filled number that also has a catchy tune to it. With an enthusiastic Shankar behind the mike, the song simply radiates fun and energy. Shankar is well supported by Anusha and Akirti who give the song just the edge it needs. The previous songs could have done with more a female touch, now that one thinks about it. Jaideep pens some great lyrics once again about the protagonist’s, you guessed it, love for America. I Love Amreeka appears as a reprise later on in the album where Shankar’s vocals are substituted with Zafar’s. Granted that there is nothing wrong with Zafar’s vocals, if a choice is to be made, Shankar’s version arguably trumps Zafar’s. Shankar, who has sung countless numbers such as these over the years, simply sounds more energetic than Zafar.
Kukduk, a Dhalla composition sung by Master Saleem is next. After ‘Ullu Da Patta’, ‘Kukduk’ feels like a repetition since both are Punjabi tracks, ‘Ullu Da Patta’ being the superior number. Apart from d
