Tum Bin 2 Music Review: Melody Rules Again After 15 Years

It has been 15 years since the release of Tum Bin. The film's music was hailed for being truly melodic and a dozen odd songs that had filled the soundtrack were lapped up one after another. Though Tum Bin 2 has comparatively lesser songs (eight in number), rest assured they would play on too, considering the kind of melodies that composer Ankit Tiwari and lyricist Manoj Muntashir have come up with. Also, thankfully this is one of those rare albums where multiple composers and lyricists haven't chipped in with a song or two apiece. That has ensured further consistency in sound.

If you have been a music lover over the years, chances are near to remote that you wouldn't have fallen in love with Jagjit Singh's legendary 'ghazal' 'Koi Fariyaad' [Tum Bin]. The impact is felt all over again as this time around, Jagjit Singh's portions from the original song are fused with Rekha Bhardwaj's version of 'Teri Fariyaad'. The musical team does a very good job and the makers realize it too that the 'ghazal' has in it to be popular all over again with today's audiences. This is the reason why an 'extended version' of the 'Teri Fariyaad' appears too, hence adding on to the overall appeal of the soundtrack.

It is a solo effort next from Arijit Singh as he goes about singing Ishq Mubarak'straight from the heart. The song adds on to the legacy of the singer as he makes a good impact once more. The lyrics are quintessentially Bollywood and though one doesn't dig into anything extraordinary, the fact remains that the song manages to leave a good mark in its sufi avtar. Play it on while remembering the one you love.

Same is the case with Dekh Lena which turns out to be an even better outing that 'Ishq Mubarak'. This time around, Arijit is joined by Tulsi Kumar and the young woman manages to impress with her unique voice, as she has done in the past too with majority of her romantic numbers. Pretty easy on ears and boasting of good simplicity, 'Dekh Lena' is the kind of number that has always worked in Bollywood.

For those who are longing for love though, there is the title song Tum Bin . What is good about this song is that it is remarkably different from the title song of 2001 release Tum Bin. While that had sadness written all over it, this one has Ankit Tiwari modulating his vocals as well as coming up with the musical arrangements in such a manner that it never turns out to be overtly weepy.

That said, soon after the composer and the lyricist change track and bring on some celebratory times with Masta. The song manages to take you back into the hills in a jiffy and soon enough, you just imagine yourselves cycling in the terrains and having some good times with the locals. In fact Vishal Dadlani too changes his entire singing style with 'Masta' and gets into the Mohit Chauhan School of singing mode while leaving behind his usual boisterous 'andaaz'. As for Neeti Mohan, she is an ideal companion in the song which is largely dominated by Vishal.

Arko Pravo Mukherjee, who is a composer-siger-lyricist himself, sings a love song for Ankit Tiwari next. Titled 'Dil Nawaziyaan', this one is a harmless piece of music that arrives in the soundtrack. On the same lines as the romantic numbers that had made an appearance earlier in the soundtrack, this one has Payal Dev turning out to be Arko's singing partner. She had done well earlier this year in Rootha Kyun [1920 London] and manages to make her presence felt this time around as well.

What doesn't quite work all the way though is much hyped song of DJ Bravo, Jaeger Bomb. Based on the name of a popular cocktail, this one has DJ Bravo coming together with UK born singer Harshi Mad and while they do try to come up with a cocktail of their own, the final impact is not quite a bomb. In the middle of this all Ankit Tiwari goes all Bollywood with his 70s style rendition too (which is inspired by Kishore Kumar). While the song is definitely not the kind that you would want to totally ignore, one does wonder what was it about all the hype!

Overall though, the music of Tum Bin 2 does work. Though it doesn't quite come close to the kind of music that has made Tum Bin immortal over the years, at least in the current times it is one of the better scores in the offering alongside Ae Dil Hai Mushkil.

Our picks: Teri Fariyaad, Dekh Lena, Ishq Mubarak, Masta