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By
Joginder Tuteja, November 1, 2007 - 12:54 IST
 With as many as 4 composers (Gourov Dasgupta, Shafqat
Ali Khan, Anand Raaj Anand, Bappa Lahiri), two
lyricists (Virag Mishra, Panchhi Jalonvi) and six
directors (Sanjay Gupta, Apoorva Lakhia, Hansal Mehta,
Jasmeet Dhodhi, Meghna Gulzar, Rohit Roy) coming
together, Dus Kahaniyaan, as claimed by publicity
brochures, is 'The Biggest Album Of The Year'. Is that
true? At the face level yes, since it is world's first
3 CD soundtrack with a Lounge version, Club version
and a special CD that has a Gulzar penned poem for
each of the 10 stories in the film which is recited by
stars from the film.
Does the album live up to the tall claims? Indeed yes
as Sanjay Gupta does it again. Kaante, Musafir or
Zinda - Pick up any of the films directed by him and
what is bound to stand out is not just some technical
wizardry but also the film's soundtrack. The filmmaker
seems to have the formula for getting just the right
balance of rock, pop and Sufi melodies and Dus
Kahaniyaan is not an exception.
As expected, it is a rocking beginning to the
soundtrack with the title song 'Dus' composed by
Gourov Dasgupta that carries its punch throughout it's
six minutes duration. A track, which would be a
delight for any live performance on stage in a packed
stadium, ‘Dus’, brings with it an adrenaline rush
which cannot go wrong. Also refreshing is to hear the
voice of newcomer Anchal who crooned the English
portion for 'Ganpat' [Shootout At Lokhandwala]. There
is a Westernized accent to her voice which works for a
song belonging to this genre.
KK is reliable as always and enjoys his stint behind
the mike for this Virag Misra written track which
boasts of some excellent chorus effect. It has that
extravagant feel about it which is the hallmark of
Sanjay Gupta soundtrack/background score and promises
to make its presence felt in the film as well. DJ
Aqeel's club remix version makes 'Dus' further spicier
and promises to make you go 'high on a highway' once
the track is played in a repeat mode. Go for it!
 Gourov Dasgupta, Virag Mishra and Anchal come together
again, this time with Sunidhi Chauhan for company, for
'Jaaniye'. If you liked the sound of Shibani Kashyap's
'Zinda Hoon Main’, [Zinda] then you would appreciate
the setting of 'Jaaniye' too. The sound belongs to the
same genre though the mood changes to love and romance
with all the zany feel intact. Anchal and Sunidhi
enjoy a seamless outing together and ensure that Dus
Kahaniyaan has yet another potential chartbuster in
the making.
It would be criminal if a music video for the song is
not created pronto. Especially so, after one is
through hearing the remix club version by Gourov and
Roshan Balu. The pace increases a wee bit here though
the essence of the track is kept intact with no major
intrusions from unwanted arrangements.
If you thought that Dus Kahaniyaan was all sound and
fury all this while then catch on 'Aaja Soniye’, which
changes the course of the album. Sheer melody is the
epicenter of this well written track by Virag Mishra
who incorporates the poetic feel of Javed Akhtar's
words in 'Aaja Soniye'. Club remix version by Gourov/Roshan
is created for 'Aaja Soniye' as well and though it is
not heavy on ears, one would still want to go back to
the Lounge version due to its overall simplicity.
However, the title of 'Aaja Soniye' indicates yet
another Punjabi-influenced composition, there is a
pleasant turnaround as Gourov Dasgupta along with
singers Sudhanshu Pandey and newcomer Shweta Vijay let
melody dictate terms and bring on a heartwarming
number.
Well, for those who were missing the Punjabi beats all
this while, there is 'Nach Le Soniye' for them which
has Mika returning for a Sanjay Gupta film after 'Ganpat'
[Shootout At Lokhandwala]. In Mika's voice, one can
sense sheer confidence which comes after earning some
success as the singer comes up with one of his best
rendered tracks in recent times.
 Fourth song in succession, which has Gourov holding
the baton along with Virag, ‘Nach Le Soniye’, is a
Western-Bhangra-Indian melody mix number, which just
cannot go wrong with the listeners. Hear the stylishly
remixed club version and you know that this is going
to be yet another popular song from the album.
In the past Pritam and KK have come together to create
numerous melodious songs with Western arrangements. KK
does the same with Gourov for ‘O Maahiya’, which has
Shweta Vijay for company whose voice is digitally
modified to get an electronic feel. Her prime
contribution is to croon the punch line 'O Maahiya'
although it is KK, who drives the song from beginning
to the end. Club remix version gets a little
innovative here as the sound of 'Dus' is merged with
that of 'O Maahiya' at the very beginning before KK
takes over here this Panchhi Jalonvi written number.
This is a kind of number that cannot go wrong when the
man by the name of Emraan Hashmi is on fray! Wish he
was a part of Dus Kahaniyaan!
Kshitij Tare, who made a splash with 'Javeda Zindagi'
[Anwar], croons the best track in Dus Kahaniyaan so
far - 'Mushkil Kushaa'. Written by Panchhi Jalonvi,
this Bappa Lahiri (son of Bappi Lahiri) composed track
boasts of excellent lyrics, soothing music and some
heartfelt rendition. Kshitij's voice is truly
different from numerous other singers around which
makes 'Mushkil Kushaa' a delight to hear. Most
lightweight song in the album with minimal
arrangements around, 'Mushkil Kushaa' moves at a slow
pace and invites your attention throughout its
six-minute duration.
 The album seems to be getting into a different zone
altogether, hence bringing on some welcome variety,
with Shaqat Ali Khan singing and composing two back to
back tracks - 'Vichodeya Ne'’ and 'Kaala Peela'.
Written by Ambar Hoshiyarpuri, 'Vichodeya Na' reminds
one of 'Yaar Mangiyasi' [Kaante] that carried a
pensive mood too. After all the rock and fun, it is a
delight to hear a song immersed with 'Sufi' melody in
the ear pleasing along with the vocals of Shafqat Ali
Khan.
A smooth number, it is followed by even better 'Kaala
Peela' which carries a philosophical feel to it but is
still accessible to a regular listener due to it's
melodious feel and easy pace. For an album that
started with 'Dus' and gets into a completely
different zone with 'Kaala Peela', it is a wholesome
experience for a music lover.
Panchhi Jalonvi and KK return with 'Bin Tum’, which
has Anand Raj Anand at the helm who had given some
fabulous tunes for 'Kaante'. He delivers one of his
best for Dus Kahaniyaan too with 'Bin Tum' turning out
to be a quintessential Bollywood melody, which cannot
go wrong. A love song, which carries an Indian feel
throughout sans any Western influences, 'Bin Tum' is
for those who are lovers of soft music and 'Ghazals'.
Finale of Dus Kahaniyaan is endearing too with Anand
Raaj Anand taking it on himself to come behind the
mike for 'Bhula Diya' along with taking charge of
composition. Ibrahim Ashq's lyrics are sheer poetry as
they delve into a different terrain and make even a
sad track entertaining. While there is a distinct
Anand Raaj Anand stamp on the song, what impresses
most is the composer's rendition which is quite
balanced and controlled. Later he also assigns himself
the responsibility of remixing the track for the club
version even though one feels that the original should
have been just left intact.
 So is the soundtrack through with 10 original songs
with six of them also arriving in the club version?
No, not yet. There is more to come in the form of
Gulzar saab's poems which Sanjay Gupta has dedicated
to his wife Anu. What is special about these 10 poems
is that they are rendered by an actor from each of the
10 stories with music accompanying the delivery.
First, to come is Nana Patekar who is just perfect in
the way he recites 'Tere Utaare Hue Din' for the story
Gubbare. Gulzar saab must have been proud of the way
Nana goes about his recitation as he comes up with
just the right pauses and punches. The subtle music
that plays at the beginning of 'Der Aayad' instantly
brings your attention before another great artist,
Naseeruddin Shah, recites for Rice Plate. Hear the
words in 'Der Aayad' which has it's essence in
timeless love and togetherness and you can't help but
bow down to Gulzaar saab's magic behind the words.
Naseeruddin Shah also ends the album with 'Khuda'
(Rise and Fall) which comes across as antitheses of 'Chaal
Chalo Tum' which arrives later.
For the story High On The Highway, Dia Mirza is the
chosen one as she opens 'Khudkhushi' with the words
'Bas Ek Lamhe Ka Jhagda Tha'. One would have never
imagined Dia to bring such sensitivity in her voice
but she does just that which demonstrates a different
facet of hers in the poem around human relationships.
On the other hand from Manoj Bajpai one does have
expectations. Does he live up to them? Yes, he does as
he recites 'Khaali Samandar' for Zaahir at a slightly
higher pitch though 'Mujhe Talaash Nahi’ [Sex On The
Beach] takes a regular route.
When there is a Sanjay Gupta film, how can Sanjay Dutt
not come behind the mike for the music album? Though
he has not sung a song, he compensates for that by
reciting 'Chaal Chalo Tum' for Rise and Fall. Taking a
listener through life being a game of chess, Sanjay
Dutt gets philosophical as he goes through a pensive
journey. His co-actor from the 80s, Amrita Singh, is
heard later in 'Raat Tamir Karein' (Puranmashi) which
has one of the most enticing music pieces played in
the gaps when she is not busy reciting.
 Another senior actor whose voice stands out in this CD
is Anupam Kher who gets into a romantic remembrance
with 'Bauchaar' (Lovedale). Boasting of some of the
best poetry heard in the album so far, 'Bauchaar' is
for those in love. For Matrimony, Sudhanshu Pandey
speaks about ‘Talaq’, which deals about relationships,
break ups, and reconciliations. Neha Dhupia's
recitation for Strangers In The Night is good even as
the poetry boasts of some heavy duty Urdu words. The
music playing in the background is soothing yet again
which brings on consistency in this special CD.
There are albums which cater mainly to masses. Then
there some which cater to class audience. And then
there are some which take a middle route. Well, Dus
Kahaniyaan doesn't take a middle route. Instead it
gets everything for everyone and that too in a lavish
and wholehearted manner. This is why on one hand you
have got a Lounge and Club outing which mixes dance
numbers with heartfelt melodies while on the other you
have got an out and out class offering in the form of
Gulzar poems.
Let go off the cliché, this one is truly different!
Rating:- ****
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