When he started out with ‘Aamir’ in 2008, Amit Trivedi displayed that he was keen on trying out something out of the box. He proved so with ‘Dev.D’ in 2009. The media branded him as the next big thing on the music scene. Collaborating with Kausar Munir (‘Ek Tha Tiger’, ‘Dhoom 3’, ‘Main Tera Hero’) on this Shah Rukh Khan and Alia Bhatt starrer is a big feat. A script which turns around the choices, a young girl needs to make in her life with the help of a mentor oozes a sense of brightness and motivation. Well, that’s the brief for the music too.
Hearing Sunidhi Chauhan in a mainstream Bollywood movie after ages is so welcoming. She has sung a thousands of those songs where she pushes it to the extreme with her vocals . “Just Go To Hell Dil” works for the vocal variations which instantly captivate the listener. It is nothing special but still makes for a good song, also because of the opening piano interlude and the arrangements which are crisp. The song sets the tone for this album. The length of the track is justified, as it is the longest, out of all the songs.
“Love You Zindagi” starts off well with a breezy tune but becomes confusing because of Jasleen Royal’s childish vocals which, unfortunately, do not fit. It just does not! Credit goes to Amit Trivedi who manages to elevate the song with some interesting arrangements, including a plethora of musical instruments, which resonate well with the main theme of the movie. For a change, the chorus adds a lot of energy to this song.
The “Love You Zindagi (Club Mix)” rendered by Alia Bhatt is a notch higher as she expresses her emotions more naturally and her voice fits better than the original version. The fast-paced track coupled with catchy beats is definitely worth listening.
Arijit Singh’s “Tu Hi Hai”, which carries a feel-good mood is instantly likeable. The crisp guitar sounds make the track sound cool and are repeated again in the interludes. The composer deserves some applaud for the arrangement. The thing with Arijit Singh is that he puts his soul into his singing and after a few repeated hearings, “Tu Hi Hai” starts to grow on you.
“Taarefon Se” is where “Tu Hi Hai” ended and it is picked up by Arijit Singh for another breezy-sounds-meet-average-tune track and voila! It is Arijit Singh all the way who contributes more repeat value to the song rather than the standard arrangements of Amit Trivedi, who does not miss the chance to use the same instruments in such genres of tracks.
Vishal Dadlani infuses energy into “Let’s Break Up”. Actually, it a walk in the park for the composer-singer-lyricist in the singing department. His efforts are practically diluted as the tune is weak and the arrangements are so predictable, that it falls into the average category. The zingy sounds used at several places fall flat too and when Vishal repeats ‘basically, basically, basically’ two times (at 1:42 and 1:56), you get the feeling that this song is not to be taken so seriously.
Ilaiyaraaja’s “Ae Zindagi Gale Laga Le” from ‘Sadma’ (1983) is offered in two versions. While ubiquitous Arijit Singh smashes it in “Take 1” in his own unique style, Alia Bhatt, manages pretty well with “Take 2”, which is plagued with EDM and dubstep elements. The difference between the two tracks is the orchestration. Both singer emphasize on the word ‘zindagi’.
‘Dear Zindagi’ fits the coolness of Alia Bhatt, translates the energy of the inspiring Shah Rukh Khan and follows the theme of the script. Having said that, it is not ground-breaking. For a movie starring Shah Rukh Khan, it is strictly average and does not contain any chartbuster material, although all the songs will be superbly well picturized. Kausar Munir’s lyrics are commendable. Circa 2014, the composer’s templatized songs are not creating any buzz. Amit Trivedi, who has a huge potential, works hard on the sounds and arrangements, but misses the opportunity to create a memorable song, which had the scope to give an edge to this Dharma Production’s flick. Arijit Singh’s three songs, somehow, make up for it.
Rating: 2.5/5