8 x 10 Tasveer

8 x 10 Tasveer, an eagerly anticipated thriller, has an unusual combination. Nagesh Kukunoor, the director, who is considered a sensible film-maker, has critically acclaimed films like Dor, Iqbal, and the trendsetting Rockford to his credit. On the other hand, we have Akshay Kumar, who is a mass hero, well known for his mindless & logicless comedies. However, there's one thing that's common to them. Their last films (Bombay to Bangkok, CC2C) fared miserably at the box office.

Coming to the music, you have the duo of Salim-Sulaiman, who're on the top of the world with two back to back super hits, Fashion and Rab ne bana di jodi. So you expect them to be in terrific form.

Now, the big question. Is 8 x 10 Tasveer "picture perfect"? At least musically?

1.Nazaara Hai : This looks like the unofficial title song of the film and is sung energetically by Vishal Dadlani. Heavily depending on the electric guitar, the song holds your interest throughout and will be liked best by rock enthusiasts.

2.Haafiz Khuda : Sung by the masakali man Mohit Chauhan and the Himesh patronized Tulsi Kumar, this track is somewhere in between Masakali and Kuch Khaas, Mohit's earlier hit with the music director duo. It's soft, melodious and lilting, but lacks the class of the above mentioned songs.

3. Aaja Maahi : Neeraj Sridhar has had great success singing for Akshay Kumar(Heyy babyy and Bhool Bhulaiyya title tracks were sung by him). Unfortunately, he shouldn't have been chosen to sing this otherwise good semi-rock song with a catchy chorus. His voice sounds fake and lacks depth. Keep off melodies, man!

4. I got the picture : Once again, Akshay calls on Bohemia after they combined in CC2C. I'm generally not a rap fan, and it's no different for this song. There's no scope for innovation here, just the same old plain boring rap.

5. Kuchh is tarah : Ditto song no:2, haafiz khuda, with different lyrics and with Tulsi kumar sounding a bit better. Looks like the music director duo ran out of ideas!

Well, so there's nothing great in the album, though it does have a couple of good songs that will last for quite some time. Probably the duo is tired after the 2 big albums they gave and are taking some rest.

13 B

"Fear has a new address", claims the trailer of 13 B. But the soundtrack doesn't really sound spooky, expect for the theme. The film is a bilingual, and is called "Yavarum Nalam"in Tamil. And of course, Maddy badly needs a hit, especially when he has Three Idiots up next, along with Sharman Joshi and Aamir Khan. The music of 13 B is scored by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, whose last few offerings were only mediocre, excepting Rock On. And btw, this is only the 2nd tamil film that has music by SEL, the first being Aalavandhan!

1. Aasma Odh Kar : After a really long time, here is track from SEL that is not so typical of their style yet has some class. Like Aaj ki raat, for instance. The only drawbacks being the seemingly "heard before" feel in the second stanza and the Paartha mudhal naal type beats in the first stanza.

2. Bade se shehar main : Again, there's a very small heard before feel in the first stanza, but it's within permissible limits this time. The tune is simple, but this song sung by Karthik isn't that impressive and may take 2-3 listens to get accustomed to.

3. Sab Khairiyat hai : Lasting for only 1:48, this song gets over before you actually begin to think about it. A below average track, won't be remembered at all.

4. Oh sexy mama : Attempting in vain to sound really cool, this song completely falls flat. Can't believe that SEL are giving a song like this. The Johnny Gaddar title track like picturization with a devilish looking Madhavan doesn't help either. And of course, with the word "sexy" being used so many times, this song will find it impossible to penetrate into homes in Tamil Nadu!

5. 13 B theme instrumental : The only thing that sounds somewhat spooky in the album, this instrumental will most probably be used in the background during the film. Good work here, though i hear the theme is composed by Indrajit Sharma and Parikshit Parik and not SEL.


So, at the end of it, there's nothing worth hearing in the album except Aasma. Let's hope SEL are savibg the best for My Name is Khan!