The directing duo of Hasnain Hyderabadwala and Raksha Mistry return behind the camera after debuting with the unimpressive The Killer last year. This time around they team up actor Emraan Hashmi and actresses Geeta Basra and Sayali Bhagat in The Train; rest assured the movie has nothing to do with the transportation system! Relatively based on the Hollywood movie Derailed, this project is being produced by Shyam and Nardendra Bajaj who gave us one of the musical hits, Aksar, in 2006.
Emraan Hashmi’s movies are always eagerly anticipated not because we are still waiting to see his talented performance but because they almost always provide an amazing musical treat. It is no different in this case when they have roped in the very capable Mithoon for his first full fledged role as a music director. In the past, we have seen Mithoon produce some superb tracks namely ‘Tere Bin’ (Bas Ek Pal) and ‘Maula Mere Maula’ (Anwar). Joining Mithoon is lyricist Sayeed Quadri who is becoming a hot favourite in the music scene with his poetic lines. With such an impressive musical team, one already expects a fine album.
The album starts of with Beetein Lamhein sung by KK; a track tailor made for the able singer. It is a very sentimental track that reminisces about the happy memories of the past between a husband and wife. The soft sounds of the orchestra, light strums of the guitar mixed with Sayeed Quadri’s poetic lyrics create a song full of emotion. The Lounge Mix is more or less same as the orginal with a slightly faster pace in musical arrangements.
“Dard mein bhi ye lab muskura jate hain
Beetein lamhein hamein jab bhi yaad aate hain”
– Sayeed Quadri
The second track of the album, Mausam, comes to us in not one, not two but in three different variations. The man behind the mike is none other than Mithoon himself. Starting with the original, the track is yet another sentimental galore. The song depicts the regretful state in a man’s life. Mithoon impresses with his vocals that matches the gloomy tone of the song. Quadri’s lyrics once again strike a cord in your heart. The Progressive Mix is nothing special as the musical arrangments are too fast paced for the originally slow song. The Club Mix too does not beat the composition of the original; better you skip it and repeat the original.
“Zindagi ne zindagi bhar gham diye
Jitne bhi mausam diye, shabnam diye”
– Sayeed Quadri
Keeping with the theme of having various mixes, the third track of the album also comes in three variations. Teri Tamanna teams up KK and Zubeen Garg and as a result we get one entertaining hard rock dance track. Sayeed Quadri keeps his consistency with soulful lyrics and Mithoon’s musical arrangements of the guitar and rock beats are just perfect for this seductive track. In the vocal department, Zubeen is delivers a Sufi styled rendition while KK gives a more contemporary touch. The Club Mix mixes together some disco beats and makes the track more energetic. The Euro Mix gets your heart pumping. Both mixes are worth a listen.
The best of the album comes towards the end. The catchy and foot-tapping track, Woh Ajnabee, is already a winner among music fans as the video is doing the rounds on television these days. Mithoon’s vocals are perfect for this racy track even though the seductive vocals of Shilpa Roa dominate the song altogether. Mithoon, as a music composer, successfully fuses together some tuneful Indian and Western beats and produces a nicely paced dance number that you can’t help but sing along with. The Club Mix lives up to its title and is a much more peppy and entertaining track.
The album closes of with The Train – An Inspiriation. It is the title track of the album that metaphorically compares life’s ups and downs with the cycle of a train. Shaan has been roped in for this track and he does full justice to it. It is a very unusual track that will most definitely be placed as background music in the movie and will not appeal to many listeners.
Mithoon’s first project as a solo music composer is a success in every sense of the word especially when his team consists of such talents as Sayeed Quadri and KK. With the right choreography in the movie, the songs will surely get more accolades in the future. It is safe to say that this Train is definitely on the right track!
