INDIAN

Producer: Vijayata Films (Dharmendra, Sunny Deol)
Director: N. Maharajan
Music: Anand Raj Anand
Lyrics: Anand Bakshi
Starring: Sunny Deol, Shilpa Shetty, Rahul Dev

After making history with the incredibly successful Gadar, Sunny Deol is back, along with Anand Raj Anand, who is back from Jodi No. 1. The story is more about honesty against corruption, and though one would expect a few numbers about patriotism, it only shows up once. The rest are all love songs. Anand Raj Anand has released this album, along with Kyon Kii Mein Jhooth Nahin Bolta, around the same time.

Rab Di Kasam -
There seems to be two categories of Udit Narayan-Alka Yagnik duets: Memorable ones, and forgetful ones. This one seems to be in the latter category. The singing is competent, though nothing as great as in Lagaan. This song seems to have the same feel of "Aashiq Mujhe Aashiq" from Aashiq. The lyrics are quite repetitive, with the phrase "Rab Di Kasam" used too many times. The background music isn't great, but the music intervals are quite good, with the flute used effectively along with the strings.
Rating: 6/10

Deewane -
Shaan has been having a very good year. He's popularity has shot up quite quickly, as people like his youthful singing. However, in this song, his voice is a little too low, and he doesn't sound as youthful. Alka Yagnik sounds normal, once again being nothing special. The background music isn't very special, and sounds like something heard many times before. The beats work just fine with the song, and aren't too loud. The main tune isn't very catchy or memorable. Overall, another average song.
Rating: 6/10

Yeh Pyar -
Richa Sharma is back after a long time, probably since "Tun Tunak Tun" from Hera Pheri. Sunidhi Chauhan is on a role, after appearing in almost every song in Ajnabee. She sounds a little weak in this song, but she still sounds good. Richa Sharma sounds good as well, and their voices work together quite well. The beats are quite good, and the music is quite unique and catchy. The lyrics are quite repetitive here, and are nothing special. The tune is quite catchy, and works with the music to give more of an Arabic feel to the song, but still having the Punjabi number feel.
Rating: 7/10

Watan Walo -
Finally, the type of song needed for this type of film. Watan Walo is a nice song, with pleasant singing by Roop Kumar Rathod. The music is good for this type of song, and the chorus works very effectively. The only problem with this song is that it sounds too similar to a song from Border, and doesn't sound too original. The lyrics are all right, and suitable for a song of this type. It sounds like a background song.
Rating: 8/10

Jaana Maine -
A nice love duet with a unique pair: Abhijeet and Sadhna Sargam. Both sing quite well. It seems Sadhna is getting more popular with Hindi songs as of late, which is well deserved because she's a nice singer. The beats are a little mismatched for this type of love duet, and overpower the music. The tune is nice, though not original, and flows smoothly, and the flute is a nice touch.
Rating: 7/10

Thaath Nawabi -
Alka Yagnik is back for her third song in this album, but this time she's with the music director! Anand Raj Anand has a voice suspiciously similar to Pratik Joseph (Ande Ka Phanda - Jodi No. 1), with a very tapori-like voice. Alka Yagnik sounds just as tapori-like. The lyrics are repetitive, but then that's expected for a teaser number like this. The tune sounds good at times, but drags at other times. The instrumentation in the music intervals are unique, and match the teaser feeling.
Rating: 7/10

Overall Singing:
There is a nice variety of singers, and most perform competently. Alka Yagnik sounds normal, not as good as she does for Rahman albums. The rest of the singers work quite well, and it's nice to hear Roop Kumar Rathod and Richa Sharma again.
Rating: 7/10

Overall Music and Instrumentation:
The music for all the songs varies from empty to lively. The instrumentation varies just as much, but is good for most part. The beats work well in most songs, and avoid being too loud, or not fitting with the tunes.
Rating: 7/10

Overall:
Overall it's an effective album, but nothing really special. I personally would want more patriotic songs, and less love duets for a film like this, but unfortunately, it doesn't happen that way. This album is better than Anand Raj Anand's other recent release: Kyon Kii Mein Jhooth Nahin Bolta. It could be better, though.
Overall Rating (Not an average): 7.0/10

How does it compare to other albums?
(Not reflective of actual scores. From 1-10)
Indian: 5
KKMJNB: 4.5
Gadar: 10
Bichhoo: 6
Jodi No. 1: 5.5

REVIEWED BY RISHI J