Music Review: Hello Darling

Album: Hello Darling
Director: Manoj Tiwari
Music: Pritam
Lyrics: Shabbir Ahmed
Singers: Javed Jaffrey, Akriti Kakar, Antara Mitra, Richa Sharma, Ritu Pathak, Rana Mazumder, Sunidhi Chauhan, Suzanne D'mello, Shweta Pandit and Priyadarshini.


A female centric film genre is sure to draw some typical wary reactions from an audience. Hello Darling, however, promises to be a class apart from mundane melodrama or feminist activism, the common obvious female dominated script themes! The plot is set to be a satirical comic story about three women entering the male-dominated corporate world while battling a case on sexual harassment, and the music reflects the cheekiness of the movie.

The album opens with 'Aa Jaane Jaan', a remixed and modified version of the older retro classic, sung by Jaaved Jaffrey, Akriti Kakar and Antara Mitra in this current album. The techno beats and tongue-in-cheek lyrics certainly brings to mind the image of three gorgeous gals using their feminine wiles to scale the corporate ladder, amidst male chauvinism that are implied by Jaaved's share of lyrics. Dance enthusiasts will most definitely appreciate this song, with its catchy beats upbeat background score, and we can see it becoming a hot favourite in dancing clubs.


Next in line is 'Band Baaja', crooned by Richa Sharma, Ritu Pathak and Rana Mazumder. In contrast to the modern techno music of the previous song, this one has a more traditional feel, with dhol beats persisting in the background throughout the duration of the song. One can imagine the track befitting to a wedding scene, with colourful dupattas flying in the wind. Rana and Richa's voices wonderfully complement one another, with wonderful deep vocals.


Sunidhi Chauhan sings her way into the album with the next track, 'Dil To Saala'. Where the first song had more of a Western feel and the second one a more traditional sound, this song merges the two composition styles, pairing dhol beats with techno rhythms and giving it a playful feel which reminds one of a combination of the first two tracks. Sunidhi's expression perfectly captures the essence of Shabbir Ahmed's playful lyrics, which go on upon the frivolities of the silly heart. This one is a must listen.


The next song is 'Attrah Baras Ki', sung by Suzanne D'mello. Yet another composition with a techno base. Suzanne's voice is lovely, teasing the listener, but as the rhythm of the song is more or less flat, with no crescendo or rhythmic variations, the song begins to feel boring mid-way on. We say, not so happening!


Shweta Pandit, Ritu Pathak and Priyadarshini sing the next track, 'Working Girls'. Namesake its title, the song is typical situational track, befitting the need of the movie plot. The lyrics scream female empowerment in essence, and roll out the woes of no time for love because "we are working girls". The melody has a slightly sleepy feel to it, but the ladies' lovely vocals do make up somewhat.


Rounding up the album is the remix version of 'Band Baaja', which amps up the 'danceability' of the original song. While some remix versions unfortunately do not sound as well as the original, this one is certainly worth a listen.


All in all, the music is not too bad, although the songs begin to sound like one another after you've heard the first few.


BC Picks: 'Band Baaja' and 'Dil To Saala'


BC Rating: *** 1/2