Boxful of could-have-beens

Despite being a major plot contributor, Ho Mann Jahaan’s soundtrack may not add to its shelf life

KARACHI:

Asim Raza’s Ho Mann Jahaan sounds almost like a promising box-office algorithm. As the film’s soundtrack, which has been put together by several artists, was recently released, The Express Tribune takes a look at the album and how it would fare with the listeners.

Mann Ke Jahaan was the first we heard from the film’s music when its first look was out. Penned by director Asim Raza himself, the lyrical themes are ordinary with random metaphors stringed together to formulate a coming-of-age anthem. Zebunnisa (Zeb) Bangash has done reasonably well with the vocals, dwarfing all other components of the track.

Dil Kare has the potential of a typical Atif Aslam song that makes things work for a film when all else fails. It is a simple, slightly hasty track that could have been improved given the credentials of Sarmad Ghafoor, who helped Gumby, Asadul Hafeez and Atif put the song together.

Coming of age with Ho Mann Jahaan

Asrar, beyond doubt, is a rare find who is destined for greatness not far from being actualised. The prodigal expressionism in his singing is one such characteristic that associates him with the school that produced giants of Eastern music. Coke Studio served as the perfect foot-in-the-door for him. As far as his singing is concerned, Shakar Wandaan was a through-and-through winner from the show’s previous season and here, too, the track serves as the album’s hallmark. The Ho Mann Jahan version of Shakar Wandaan is unshackled and all the more merrier.



The product of Fareed Ayaz and co, Ghar Nari, is authentic and draws from the specifications of high art. It gives no time to the listener to ease into the composition and the track plunges into the Khusruvian classic almost immediately for the sake of economy — an alien practice with the school of qawwali. Ghar Nari is brilliant and exceptionally uplifting. It is one song in the album that will make many look for a working download link.

Sarak Sarak is the tune that served as Mai Dhai’s license into the mainstream and rightly so. The experimentation of folk with acoustic pop was fresh and convincingly workable. The song’s inclusion in the film adds to the soundtrack’s musical diversity and may even add to its shelf life.

Dil Pagla is a well-worked composition but hints at the limitations in Zeb’s bag of tricks — she falls short in fully polishing the swerves and swings of the singing. It could have been a whole different piece had the likes of Sunidhi Chauhan or Sara Raza Khan been roped in for it. The track is a major could-have-been.



Khush Piya Waseen is a Saraiki number made famous by the towering Malika Pukhraj. Its Ho Mann Jahaan version features Tina Sani, who returned from yet another hiatus after submitting to the turns that Pakistani music has been taking. Despite sharing a sponsor with Coke Studio, the film’s producers opted for Tina and not the Ayesha Omars and Komal Rizvis for the tribute, for which we are grateful. The track has its own earthy vibe and will surely work for some due to its high recall value.

Dosti validates Zeb’s credentials as being good enough for inheriting Nazia Hassan’s mantle. The track brings back Zoheb Hassan and a plethora of memories from the time when the brother-sister duo defined the uber-efficient, urban Pakistani identity.

Baarish is a signature Jimmy Khan song that is refreshing and makes up for an OST addition that sets the tone for the cinematic experience. The lyrics are simple, so is the playing, yet the song might fall short of the sing-along kind owing to the mediocrity of its visible hook.

Verdict: The absence of a breakthrough track makes the album an atypical film set list. The soundtrack will sound great in the cinema and to a certain few in the car stereo.



Published in The Express Tribune, November 7^th, 2015.

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