Producer: Pritish Nandy, Rangita Pritish Nandy
Director: Saket Chaudhary
Cast: Rahul Bose, Mallika Sherawat
Music: Pritam
Singers: Alisha Chinoy, Earl, Sophie, Suzanne, Rakesh Pandit, Mika Singh, Kunal Ganjwala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Zubin, Labh Janjua

Pritam is one of the most enterprising music composers we have in Bollywood today. ‘Dhoom’ and ‘Gangster’ have been his biggest claim to fame so far. And there are allegations that some of his biggest hits like ‘Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai’ and ‘Shikdum’ have been lifted from western tunes. Still, one can’t take away anything from his capabilities as a promising music man. ‘Pyaar Ke Side Effects’ is not your regular Hindi Film Music Album. For, there’s a heavy dosage of English sections in almost all the numbers. As an album it is aimed at a niche market. Does it appeal to that niche audience? I would say fifty-fifty. There are a few indifferent numbers like ‘Bad Boy’, and ‘Allah Bahchaye’ followed by at least three very promising songs like ‘Dil Tod Ke Na Ja’, ‘Jaane Kya’ and ‘Is This Love…’ So, is it worth a buy? I would say Yes….Just about.

‘Pyar Karke’ is a Jazzy B meets Eminem wannabe number. The bhangra beat gels with the hip-n-hopping Yo Yo beat with a charming ease. The credits have been assigned to Labh Janjua with a rap section by Bob & Suzy. I wonder whether this Labh Janjua is the name of a Punjabi singer or is it some sort of Bhangra group. An appealing track nevertheless, with a niche band of listeners grooving non-stop. A song aimed at the yuppy NRI kinda crowd. The remixed version starts off with the celebratory notes of Dhol ensemble. Female chorus raps along in high spirits as the bhangra hip-hop rhythm makes you move your feet in style. The breathless female section in the middle is salt-n-pepper stuff. A cute song that has its moments!

‘Dil Tod Ke Na Ja’ is a pop qawwali that’s a winner from the word go. Tabla, live claps, electric guitar riffs and classically trained awesome vocals of Rakesh Pandit makes this number a thorough winner. The husky female whisper at the beginning as well as in the middle is an unnecessary addition and could have been done without. Even the lyrics by Mayur Puri are pretty decent. The remix by DJ Kiran and DJ A-myth starts off with an impressive hook line ‘Please Don’t Go’ taken from the hit pop number by the same name. Mika Singh adds another perspective with his sufi vocals (Although I would have preferred Rakesh Pandit in the remix too). The loop of western beats gives this song an altogether different feel as compared with the traditional tabla texture of the original. I don’t mind the sexy female oomph mixed in this Happening track. ‘Dil Tod Ke Na Ja’ has the gumption to be another ‘Allah Ke Bande Has De’. Hat Off to you Pritam!

‘You’ll Be My Baby Doll….’ ‘Bad Boy’ should have been a rap number by Earl and the average vocals of voluptuous VJ Sophie should have been strictly avoided. ‘Would You Be My Bad Boy…’ For Christ sake…Gimme a break. Haven’t we heard this line hundreds of times before? What’s the point! Rhythm-n-bass portions are appealing coupled with a tabla impression. Rest is gross. Remix by DJ Sunil Spinz is a welcome turnaround. It beats me what’s the point in Sophie singing the original when you could have had the ebullient magic of Alisha Chinai doing the honours instead. The keyboard melody loop, the zingy beat and the fun-filled music arrangements make for a decent song. The tempo has been unceremoniously dropped in the middle halting the flow unnecessarily. It picks up soon enough and the damage control is done. Earl and Suzanne act as the perfect fiddle for magical Alisha. Verdict: Remix is much better than the original.

‘Allah Bachaye’ is another version of ‘Bad Boy’. The slow tempo is augmented by Alisha’s silken voice in a different tempo. But even Alisha can’t save this one. Too much of this ‘Allah Bachaye’ is rather irritating. All these rap sections, husky sounds and similar sounding music arrangements are pointless. ‘Allah Bachaye’ doesn’t work for me. I am not sure if it would work for too many people either.

‘Jaane Kya’ is the best track of the album. Feeling Blue…Feeling Blue….The angel descends from the moon draped in untouched white. A daffodil smile sprinkles all around. Effervescence spreads in all hues and directions. The shimmering-with-magnificence female vocals begin the proceedings (I wonder why the credits for this singer are missing. She is truly special.), ‘Ya Ali’ man Zubin joins the festivities by lending a semi classical edge to the action. ‘Jaane Kya Chaahe Mann, Akhiyan Mere Saawan Chala….’ A folk tinge makes this song even more worthy-of-note as the fantastic musical arrangements makes it a treat. The dash of well played sarangi with the sensuous beats, wedded to the dripping-with-magic female chorus makes this song worth listening several times. The playful piano and the acoustic guitar scaffold this tightly woven number beautifully. ‘Jaane Kya’ is a gem that Pritam as a composer should be proud of.

I love the texture of Kunal Ganjawala’s vocals. Most often he scores points with me. In ‘Is This Love’ he doesn’t disappoint either. It’s a love ballad, that reminds you of Duran Duran and Wham love ditties of the eightees. Ganjawala’s singing style suits the western pop mould perfectly. And the pleasant surprise for me was Sunidhi Chauhan singing in the middle octave for a change. I am done with her shrieking raucous numbers. It was time she re-invented. Her harmonizing with Kunal in a soft soothing manner is the highlight of this number. Overall, ‘Is This Love’ is a fine number with minimalistic musical arrangements. So, just light a lamp of love in the middle of the road of nowhere and while away the time with that someone special. This time will never come back. So, make the most of it…