(This article is sponsored by Sounds of India)

Directors Jatin-Lalit have come up with a thoroughly mediocre musical fare in Yash Raj Film’s 'Hum Tum'.

Inspired by the Hollywood blockbuster ‘When Harry met Sally’, the film stars Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee in the lead. Aditya Chopra is in charge of production and the film is directed by Kunal Kohli (wielding the megaphone after the disappointing debacle of Mujhse Dosti Karoge.)

The lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are cutesy and downright annoying most of the time. Alka Yagnik and Babul Supriyo sing the only tolerable number ‘Hum Tum’, a slow love ballad. Full marks to the singers for their restrained rendering of this song that is repeated later in the album as an instrumental track.

Alka Yagnik and Shaan sing the peppy 'Ladki Kyon', a ched-chad song replete with a light banter by Saif and Rani. The lyrics are hackneyed and the song itself lacks a certain something. Rani’s voice sounds nothing like Alka and the lyrics must surely be influenced by Prof. Higgins’s famous words “Why can’t a woman be more like a man?” Wake up and smell the coffee, Prasoon, Men are from Mars and Women from Venus!

From Alka’s ‘Gore Gore’ it is quite evident that her voice is fading and she cannot carry the youthful songs as effortlessly as it used to. We have her singing 'Yaara Yaar' with Udit Narayan, a fast paced number with a tabla back drop, typical Jatin Lalit fare, eminently forgettable.

‘Chak De’ is tolerable at first listen; Sonu and Sadhana Sargam sing this lively song, the lyrics urging all to chuck all worries aside and embrace life!

U 'n' I (Mere Dil Vich Hum Tum), a reggae-bhangra piece featuring Richi Rich and sung by Veronica and Juggy is your garden-variety crossover Birmingham Bhangra. The song is being welcomed in the overseas circuit but is receiving a lukewarm reception back home.

A disappointing album from the Yash Raj / Jatin-Lalit team.

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