AAN - MEN AT WORK

Producer: Firoz Nadiadwala
Director: Madhur Bhandarkar
Cast: Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Paresh Rawal, Jackie Shroff, Lara Dutta, Preeti Jhangiani and Shatrughan Sinha
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Sameer
Singers: Kumar Sanu, Anuradha Paudwal, Abhijeet, Sonu Nigam, Shreya Ghosal, Shaswati, Sunidhi Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan, Shabbir Kumar, Sarika Kapoor and Ujjwala
Audio: T-Series

It’s raining Bollywood police flicks! The forthcoming movie ‘Aan – Men at Work’ is yet another addition to the season of movies looking at the old constabulary. This time around we have another impressive star cast, including the likes of Akshay Kumar, Sunil Shetty, Jackie Shroff, Lara Dutta and Preeti Jhangiani. The recently released soundtrack, composed by Anu Malik, features eight songs in total. Radio Sargam gives its verdict…

1) Dil Se Dilbar (Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal)
The opening track, “Dil Se Dilbar” does not capture your attention at all. This love duet sung by Kumar Sanu and Anuradha Paudwal is a complete disaster. Kumar Sanu’s vocals are average, which will disappoint his fans. Anuradha Paudwal is also plain mediocre in her rendition. The background chorus in the song is quite noisy, but luckily the fusion of instruments such as shehnai, dholak, guitar, violin and jhankaar help soothe the song. The track is also let down by the poor lyrics of Sameer. The only saving grace is the composition, which may help the track reach a higher chart position. Dil Se Dilbar is a poor start to the album.
Rating: 3.5/10

2) Jab Tak Rahega (Abhijeet and Anuradha Paudwal)
The romantic duet ‘Jab Tak Rahega” features Abhijeet and Anuradha Paudwal as the vocalists. The fantastic vocals of Abhijeet make this song commendable. Unfortunately, once again Anuradha sounds pretty ordinary. She simply doesn’t put her heart into the rendition. A routine chorus, composition and below average lyrics by Sameer do not have any appeal at all. This is yet another disappointment.
Rating: 2.5/10

3) Koi Pyaar Na Kare (Sonu Nigam)
Sonu Nigam lends his vocals for a sad solo, “Koi Pyaar Na Kare”. He ably catches the tune and sings it with brilliance. The chorus sounds okay. Sameer once again lowers the song’s graph with his routine lyrics. Anu Malik’s ability (which has been proving its mettle for some time) seems to be lost somewhat because the composition of this song is below average. Koi Pyaar Na Kare is a passable track.
Rating: 4/10

4) Koi Pyaar Na Kare … Second Version (Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghosal)
The second version of “Koi Pyaar Na Kare” appears as a duet. Shreya Ghosal joins Sonu Nigam this time around. Both singers seem to be in their elements. Sameer with disappointing lyrics and Anu Malik with flat composition once again push the song downwards. Only the singers shine in this piece.
Rating: 4/10

5) Jugnu Ki Payal (Shaswati)
How can it be possible that an action thriller does not carry item numbers? Continuing the tradition, Shaswati’s arrival emerges with “Jugnu Ki Payal”. She displays herself as a fabulous singer, delivering her energetic vocals perfectly. This up-tempo song also presents attractive crooning by Zubin in the background. The chorus is appealing and the tabla and drums compliment the sound. This song carries the lyrics by Tejpal Kaur who leaves a good impression as a lyricist. A good composition by Akbar Sami and Jatin holds the listener’s attraction.
Rating: 7.5/10

6) Nasha Nasha (Sunidhi Chauhan)
The electric singer Sunidhi Chauhan provides the second item number of this album, “Nasha Nasha”. Floating flawlessly with the fast musical beats, Sunidhi gives the song an energetic boost with her fire-like vocals. The chorus doesn’t support her and neither do the lyrics (written by Dev Kohli this time). Akbar Sami and Jatin score time-pass music. Sunidhi is the only attraction of this item track otherwise it holds no appeal.
Rating: 4/10

7) Humain Aapse (Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik)
Next follows a melodious love duet, “Humain Aapse”. Rendered by Sonu Nigam and Alka Yagnik, the song can easily be rated as the best number of the album. It’s reminiscent of the sweet melodious songs from yesteryear. Sonu adopts the legendary (late) Mohd. Rafi’s style with his rendition and does a decent job. Alka is extraordinarily and sounds great. Outstanding lyrics are complimented by an well-orchestrated music. This is a sure winner!
Rating: 9/10

8) Hamare Baad (Udit Narayan, Shabbir Kumar, Sarika Kapoor and Ujjwala)
A slow love number ends the album. “Hamare Baad” features Udit Narayan, yesteryear singer Shabbir Kumar, Sarika Kapoor and Ujjwala. There’s absolutely no need to comment on Udit’s singing qualities since he is now a maestro. Shabbir Kumar plays with his usual boisterous singing. It’s nice to hear Shabbir back. The superbly managed vocals of Sarika and Ujjwala lift the spirits too. Sameer’s lyrics leave an impression. Anu impresses with the sweet composition. A catchy song, it has the qualities to register impacts not only on the charts but also on the listeners.
Rating: 8/10

Overall:
Jugnu Ki Payal, Humain Aapse and Hamare Baad are the picks of the lot. The rest of the album is simply below average with no life at all. Anu Malik must have composed the music whilst keeping the action theme in mind since action-packed movies seldom have quality music. Nevertheless, Nadiadwala does play a magical trick by publicising the flick extensively on satellite channels and that can surely generate better sales. Overall, the album “Aan…Men At Work” is an ordinary piece of work if judged its music quality-wise.
Overall Rating: 4.5/10

REVIEWED BY GOHER IQBAL PUNN