Watching a Bollywood film is usually an experience, the energy, the over-the-top dialogues, everything makes it look like a whole another world, altogether. A lot of it is also because of the music that’s part of these films. We leave with vivid memories of choreographies, costumes, and tunes that we hum for a really long time. So, Bollywood’s cinematic experience with the right songs, can do wonders, case in point: Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.
As it is Imran Khan in romantic comedies is an unforgettable era now. And watching the film and listening to its songs on loop also has a lot to do with nostalgia. The one thing that most of its songs have in common is that playful vibe, which is honestly very rare these days. For instance, Choomantar, Dhunki, and even Madhubala are the type of songs that you’d want to hear on mundane days, as much as you secretly enjoy them at parties. Ali Zafar and his, “arrey thak gaye kya, arrey bhaiya UP aaye aur dhol nahi baja toh kya khaak UP aaye?” in Madhubala did desis right.
An even better thing about these songs is that they still feel fresh in each shaadi season, while also being the only upbeat thing about weddings.
When it comes to the unattainable love-story plot, Isq Risk was able to do what a lot of Bollywood songs these days fail at. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan’s voice to the wedding preparation montage, with Imran Khan being his version of a love interest, and of course the side glances – if that doesn’t scream romance, I’m not sure what does. We can deny it all we want, but the lyrics, the music and even the montage made us feel things. Isn’t that what romantic songs are meant for?
However, the thing that sets this album apart, is the fact that these songs feel like something that comes straight from the heart. Unlike most songs today, they aren’t remakes or over-the-top productions that make voices unrecognizable, they’re just true to themselves. And, let’s just face it, songs don’t need all this bling, they just want words that make sense and music that feels right.
Mere Brother Ki Dulhan’s album also kept intact the genre and even the plot. No song feels out of place while watching the movie, which makes them a very integral part. Surprisingly, there was also a sense of wholesomeness to these songs, the kind that can get one’s mood right. Like, when it comes to a song like Choomantar, it can change the space from gloomy to not-so-gloomy, and at the same time, it acts like a catalyst for when you get on a treadmill. That, in itself says a lot about the song.
It’s also not very easy to create an album that’s funky with some real meaning to the lyrics. When it comes to this specific album, we can feel the effort – from Choomantar‘s ‘aaja chal gum ho jayein’ to Madhubala and, Do Dhaari Talwaar, enjoying songs doesn’t come at the cost of meaningless lyrics. So, for any filmy, these songs or their lyrics are not just a ‘jam’ but even a definition of mood a lot of times.
Even when we look at the actors and their performance in the songs, we can see that they’re having fun — it certainly makes it easier for us to connect. Mere Brother Ki Dulhan might not have the most underrated music, but it feels like we need to talk about it more. It definitely leaves us wishing for that era of rom-coms to return. And not to be ‘that’ person, but we clearly grew up listening to better songs than kids these days.
Can we not get Imran Khan, his rom-coms and all these songs back? Is it too much to ask?
