Though the music (Lalit Pandit, Pritam) of Mudassar Aziz’s directorial debut ‘Dulha Mil Gaya’ was far from being impressive, a couple of songs stood out for their terrific wordplay. Mudassar, who had also written for films like ‘Aashiq Banaya Aapne’, ‘Zindagi Rocks’, displayed a flair for writing lyrics in his first film as a director. ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’, his second film, has music by Sohail Sen, who has been less but quality work as a composer over the last couple of years. With credible names (Aanand L Rai, Krishika Lulla) backing the film and an interesting theme which revolves round a runaway bride from India who lands up in Pakistan, one has fairly good expectations from the album.
The soundtrack opens with “Happy Oye”, bits of which one heard in the trailer. The track, which has a Punjabi folk base with some synthesised beats thrown in for good effect, benefits from a very catchy hook line. The basic tune is well thought out too. While the song has a fast pace to it, the lyrics give one an insight into the titular character, played by Diana Penty in the film. There is also a slightly melancholic piece (1:57) which has been placed well in an otherwise upbeat number. Harshdeep Kaur sounds slightly different from her usual self and modulates her voice appropriately to get into the groove of the song.
The Punjabi sound is heard again, though in a more modern avatar, in “Gabru Ready To Mingle Hai”. While Tarannum Mallik chips in with a few lines in Hindi/Punjabi and Neeti Mohan renders a couple of phrases in English, it is a Mika Singh show all the way. The uplifting rhythmic arrangements give this engaging but templatized song, an edge. The ‘antara’ portion, reminding one faintly of “Rani Tu Main Raja” (‘Son Of Sardaar’), comes a little late into the song and could have been repeated once as it breaks the slightly monotonous sound of the ‘mukhda’.
“Aashiq Tera”, sung by Altamash Faridi, starts off as a soft romantic ballad and soon, turns into a qawalli. The tune sounds a bit generic at first but wins you over with its simplicity in some time. Mudassar Aziz writes some heart-warming romantic verses which are rendered effectively by Altamash. Sohail maintains a fine balance between the qawalli based structure and the light ballad sound the song carries. The composition does remind of you of a couple of other songs in the same genre but it complements the lyrics well and grows on you gradually.
“Zara Si Dosti” sounds very different from all the other songs in the album; while the other songs carry an Indian flavour to them, this one is a soft rock ballad with Western instruments heard throughout the song. This Arijit Singh sung track is the kind that Pritam used to compose in the early days of his career and now, is composed by the likes of Gaurav Dagaonkar, Chirantan Bhatt and Gourov Dasgupta. The tune, specifically the ‘antara’ part, has a 90s touch to it and is led by standard Western arrangements. The popularity of the song is completely dependent on the way it is picturised.
“Yaaram” is the kind of song a lover, who worships his beloved and believes in the sanctity of love, would sing. The romantic number carries a pleasant devotional touch and singer Javed Ali brings out both the romance and the spiritual/devotional factor in the factor very well. Mudassar Aziz, in some simple lines, beautifully conveys the feelings of a person who has devoted himself to the person he is in love with. The soulful melody makes an impression with the very first listening and makes you come back to it again.
The music of ‘Happy Bhag Jayegi’ is not a patch on the soundtrack that Sohail Sen had put together for ‘Gunday’, his last film as a solo composer. Mudassar Aziz shines as a lyricist and one hopes to see him writing lyrics for film that he does not, necessarily, writes or directs. Barring one song (“Zara Si Dosti”), the soundtrack is consistently engaging and carries a distinct Indian flavour that is missing in most film scores these days.
Rating: 3/5