Art imitates life in Mahesh and Mukesh Bhatt’s Tum Mile, which is based on the Mumbai floods of July 2005. Directed by Kunal Deshmukh (Jannat), the movie stars Emraan Hashmi (Aashiq Banaya Apne) and Soha Ali Khan (Rang De Basanti).
Music has been directed by Pritam (Jab We Met) and lyrics have been penned by Sayeed Quadri and Kumaar. The album is made up of 9 tracks and features the talents of Neeraj Shridhar (‘Hare Ram Hare Ram’ – Bhool Bhulaiya), Mohit Chauhan (‘Masakali’ – Delhi 6), KK (‘Khuda Jaane’ – Bachna Ae Haseeno), Javed Ali (‘Guzarish’ – Ghajini), Shafqat Ali Amanat (‘Mitwa’ – Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna) and new comers Irfan Ashraf and Shadab
Tum Mile hits the silver screens on November 13th, 2009.
The album commences with Tum Mile, which is a jovial romantic number sung by Neeraj Shridhar. Neeraj, who is usually heard fast-paced dance numbers, renders this soft, melodious number beautifully. Lyrics by Kumaar are good, but nothing to rave about. It is nice to hear Pritam compose something nice and sweet as opposed to usual loud commercial numbers that are inherent to his albums.
Tum Mile, the love reprise, appears later on in the album. This version is sung by Javed Ali and basically remedies everything that was wrong with the original version. The composition is 10 times more innovative. It is a relatively contemporary track, with some awesome musical moments through out the track that range from use of tablas, sitars, guitars and the flute. No offence to Neeraj, but Javed vocals is more emotive, which definitely gives the track that extra zing which makes it a great number. This is time round Kumaar’s lyrics are up to scratch and not as mediocre as the previous version.
Tum Mile, the rock version, is sung by Shafqat Ali Amanat. The rock version alternates between soft moments and loud ones and both portions are composed aesthetically. The guitar solo in the later portion of the song is definitely a high point in the song. Shafqat renders the song relatively well, but Javed Ali still takes the cake when it comes to expressive vocals. The love reprise still remains the best of the 3 versions of ‘Tum Mile’.
KK’s Dil Ibaadat, is easily the best track in the album. The intense love song, extremely well written by Sayeed Quadri, is sung to its full potential by the immensely talented KK. The intensity and emotion in his vocals is just incredible. Moreover, the melody has this quiet power about it which gives this romantic track the edge it needs to be a great number.
‘Dil Ibaadat’ also has a rock version, also sung by KK. The mixture of the piano and the acoustic and electric guitars is incredible. If two rock songs are to be compared, ‘Dil Ibaddat’ is undoubtedly superior to ‘Tum Mile’, as it is more intense of an composition.
In same line as ‘Dil Ibaadat’, is the next track, Tu Hi Haqeeqat. Javed Ali is behind the mic this time and is well supported by Irfan Ashraf and Shadab. Unlike ‘Dil Ibaadat’, ‘Tu Hi Haqeeat’ has a slight sufi-ness about it and has desi/rock touch. The amazing amalgamation of all these different genres is a feat made possible by Pritam, which is highly commendable. All hail the day the Hindi music industry discovered Javed Ali, the man makes every single number worth listening a thousand times. Ali matches the intensity of Quadri’s written words perfectly.
Is Jahan Mein, vaguely reminds you of Pritam’s ‘Junoon’ from New York in terms of the composition and the choice of instruments. It is still a relatively good track but is a weak show after powerhouses such as ‘Tu Hi Haqeeqat’ and ‘Dil Ibaadat’. After ‘Masakali’, it has become evident that Mohit Chauhan has knack for nailing fun-filled jovial numbers just as well as his soft love-lorn romantic tracks. ‘Is Jahan Mei’ reinforces that realisation, as Mohit’s enthusiastic rendition warms your heart all over.
KK reappears, heavy with melancholy, in Meri Jaan. It is a beautiful sad number, sung extremely well by KK. Musically, the track is incredible, especially the piano. Lyrically, Kumaar has penned some beautiful lines for ‘Meri Jaan’. He has captured the essence of a separation very well, and unlike the title number, there is no hint of mediocrity in this number.
The album ends with an instrumental, Soul of Tum Mile. It is intense, sinister, dramatic and yet soul touching and very beautiful.
In summary, Tum Mile is a definitely a brilliant album, in terms of composition, lyrics and the fantastic choice of playback singers. All the tracks are equally good but ‘Tu Hi Haqeeqat’, ‘Meri Jaan’, ‘Dil Ibaadat’ and ‘Tum Mile – Love Repris’ are the high points of the album. This one is definitely worth your while.
