“Darr Ke Aagey Jeet Hai” – when you have such a fearing tagline, trying to capitalise on the unshaven looks of the main protagonists, one felt that this was going to be an exciting and thrilling musical experience as an army of composers queued up to have their compositions exposed. That’s what ‘Mission Istaanbul’ (2008) tried to do.
“Nobody Like You” is a wild dance floor track from ‘Mission Istaanbul’ with sensational vocals from Neeraj Shridhar, Anoushka and Ishq Bector. It’s a party-ready track with pounding beats. The remix of “Nobody Like You” is another pounding track with compelling beats and vigorous singing.
Bhatt’s next track, “Mission Mission” is a bit of a hiccup. The pronunciation of ‘mission’ sounds like ‘nishaan’ and the song includes coarse words, which doesn’t suggest much creativity or high production values. The song is attractive because of its wild programming and sequential sounds but Hamza Faruqui’s singing is forced, jammed and superficial.
An alternative for club fanatics would have been an electronic theme with applied vocal trance, keeping the same structure but minus the unfaltering wordings.
Shammir Tandon’s “Hamara Kal Hamara Aaj Hamare Hi Hathon Mein Hai” is a recreated version of Bob Sinclair’s chartbuster “World Hold On”. Tandon’s song completely spoils Sinclair’s hit, with an outdated tune, uninspiring twists and derogatory and painful lyrics.
How could Tandon see a connection between words like “Hamara Kal Hamara Aaj” and “World Hold On”? Kunal Ganjawala, Gayatri Ganjawala and Raaj innocently sing the disastrous track, which gets a clubby feel make-over in the remix by Nikhil Chinappa and DJ Nawed.
One wonders why “World Hold On” has been delegated in the song and replaced with such insipid wordings by Shabbir Ahmed. The remixed version is a mélange of Turkish music, trendy beats and computerised vocals.
After all these not-so-happening tracks, Anu Malik comes to rescue the album. The revamped Malik, who has never been tired of working, presents his sweet melody in “Jo Gumshuda”, which clicks instantly. The Middle-East influence is brought by Ege, who handles his part with the required accent with panache and Malik’s music follows suit, keeping the Turkish musical invasion alive. Shaan and Mahalakshmi Iyer infuse soul in the romantic ballad and the backdrop of the Turkish music is a delight. Anu Malik extends the programming and ensures that “Jo Gumshuda” is equally balanced with melody and crispy sounds. “Jo Gumshuda (Remix)” is another fusion where lounge meets trance, with a pinch of beats, but is not comparable to the original. Anu Malik’s expertise is put to use where he brings a touching melody, reminding of his ’90s work at places. The singing duo trespasses the limits and delves into the passionately loving melodic tune. Special mention to Sameer who avoids his beloved word ‘sanam’ and uses a more-Arabic-sounding word such as ‘Gumshuda’. Clever move!
Zubeen Garg and Sunidhi Chauhan perform “Yaar Mera Dildaara”, a slow-paced song in Anu Malik’s typical style, which is sometimes reserved for the classical singer KK. The song builds gently and Zubeen Garg’s vocals are adequate. Sunidhi Chauhan’s entry is the best part of the song and her vocals are commendable.
The only minus point is that the song has a tiring tune and becomes a heavy affair. Ali’s high-pitched vocals are tight, but the song doesn’t allow him to show off his full vocal range. Sameer couldn’t resist using the overused words ‘ishq’ and ‘dildaara’ from his bank of words, which restricts the song’s appeal. Anu again puts double effort into the instrumentation, keeping the Middle Eastern theme intact.
Mika Singh and Pretty Priya comfortably embrace the situational song “Apun Ke Saath”, which is also composed by Mika Singh and penned Virag Mishra. The laid-back approach to the composing style and carefree singing automatically throw the song into a light category. However, the English words ‘Mission Mission’ fail to fit into the narrative of the song.
Leaving aside the “Mission-Mission” mess-up and Tandon’s amateurish take on Sinclair’s hit, Anu Malik comes to the rescue with a traditional melody in “Jo Gumshuda”. Bhatt also hits the right notes with the Shridharish track, “Nobody Like You”. However, Mika Singh’s tapori number, “Apun Ke Saath”, breaks the flow of the standard set.
One of the highlights of the soundtrack is the consistent Middle-Eastern sound in most of the songs, including the remixes. Among all the composers, Anu Malik was definitely in fine shape, having successfully gone through the reinvention phase. His presence is worth a mention and he deserved more spotlight. If only Anu Malik was given to recreate “World Hold On”, the soundtrack of ‘Mission Istaanbul’ would have had enough numbers to pack a dance floor.
Rating: 3.5/5
