Sanam Teri Kasam

Director: Lawrence D’Souza
Producer: Sudhakar Bokade
Cast: Saif Ali Khan, Pooja Bhatt, Atul Agnihotri & Sheeba
Music Director: Nadeem Shravan
Lyricist: Sameer

Singers: Kumar Sanu, Sunanda, Poornima, Pankaj Udhas, Alka Yagnik & Sapna Mukherjee
 

Sanam Teri Kasam has been lying in the cans ignored and forgotten for over 15 years now. Originally titled Sambandh and then renamed Ye Pyaar hi to hai, two of the songs of the film were released in the 90’s itself and became very popular with the audience.  Starring Saif Ali Khan and Pooja Bhatt and Atul Agnihotri and with music by Nadeem-Shravan, the film would have most likely been another musical hit then, with most of the songs being sung by Kumar Sanu and Alka Yagnik who were ruling the roost of Hindi film music in those days.  For today’s viewers/listeners, however, the movie and its music would seem quaint and outdated because of a very young and fresh Saif and Pooja and a typical 90s storyline and also N-S’s very humdrum music, which even in the 90s sounded repetitive after a point………The movie though slated for release in June 2009 already has movie websites downloading and playing the full film already!  

Ek Baar Ek Baar pyar se tu bol – The refrain is a straight lift from the English oldie ‘One and a two and I love you, lets play the game of love’……the song belongs to the ‘cute & sweet’ genre and has a good pace and feel.  Sung by Sanu and Poornima (formerly known as Sushma Shreshtha of Hai na bolo bolo fame), this song was actually released many years ago while promoting the film in its earlier avatar and was quite a hit – but forgotten for many years now.   

Itna bhi ja chaho mujhe –seems like Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu reliving their heydays……sounds suspiciously like it was recorded many years ago because Alka doesn’t sound too jaded or harsh as she usually does nowadays.  Kumar Sanu plods away in this typical N-S tune.  The unmistakable female chorus accompaniment which was so characteristic of their songs is very prominent in this song.  

Main dil ki dil main – A male duet with Kumar Sanu and Pankaj Udhas – what a waste of the talents of somebody like Udhas.  Again, a song so predictable with its twists and turns and violin section and the waltz beat that it may not inspire repeated listening.  Sanu is nasal and Udhas sounds really good!

Main pyar tumse – Based on the raga Shivaranjani – the opening lines of the song remind you of the Rafi hit based on the same raga – Baharon Phool Barsaon….the song has Kumar Sanu sounding more lachrymose than ever.  He is accompanied by Alka Yagnik who again is very competent in her rendition.   

Sanam hai pyar hi to hai by Sanu and Sunanda is a fast paced duet with ample doses of the dholak that keep the tempo of the song from flagging – but even Sunanda’s sweet vocals do not save this song from mediocrity!

Tum gawa hi do – an even more melancholic version of main pyar tumse……..

Ye dil darr raha hai is one of the better songs in the album.  Sung by Sapna Mukherji whose voice is recorded twice over to give it a duet or rather female chorus effect. Not a bad song in terms of music, orchestration and singing.  Nice guitar and violin work in the interludes.

If one wants to get transported back to the days of Saajan, Dil hai ki manta nahin, Aashiqi and reminisce on the good old glory days of Kumar Sanu, then this might be an album that they might appreciate.  Also the plus side of the album is that since it belongs to the nineties era, the orchestration is richer and fuller, less synthesized and we are spared of remix and rap.  But having said all this, I strongly feel that this is an album that is going to be easily relegated to the cobwebs as its film that has taken so long to see the light of day. It seems to me that only the die-hard Nadeem-Shravan and Kumar Sanu fans will show any kind of interest in this album.   

Sudha (Lakshmi) Rao

|