Aamir's life has come a full circle. More than twenty years ago, in 1988, he made a sensational debut as a college student in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, singing "Papa kehte hain bada naam karega..", the evergreen song that indicated the great expectations parents had from their children and how he personally had no clue about his future.
Circa 2009. The perfectionist Khan finds himself in a very similar situation; He again plays a college student whose parents seem to have decided "Hamara beta engineer banega", for no apparent reason. And before he realizes it, he's already in college, to compete in and win the rat race. Whether he wants to or not is not even his choice.
Now to the music. Shantanu Moitra is seasonal yet classy, best remembered for Parineeta and Lage Raho Munnabhai, both associated with Vidhu Vinod Chopra. Will he be able to deliver for a commercial film like 3 Idiots, directed by Rajkumar Hirani (the man behind the two Munnabhai films)?
1. All Izz Well : If it was Paatshaala for RDB, it's All izz well for 3 idiots. Unconventional, catchy lyrics characterize this fun song in which the protagonists indirectly convey the sad state of the unprecedented engineering craze in the country and how they're utterly confused and start losing track of life in the mad rat race. But they know they don't have a choice; they also know that after all, as the adage goes, all izz well that ends well. A definite student anthem in the making!
2. Zoobi Doobi : Remember Pyaar ki yeh kahani from Honeymoon Travels Pvt Ltd? The strong Latino flavor is obvious in this thoroughly enjoyable track too. Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, who've given some memorable duets this year, can confidently add one more to the list. It's tango time, folks!
3. Behti hawa sa tha woh : This song is about reminiscences of all the good times two friends have had with the third and how much his easy-going has attitude inspired them, etc as they go in search in of him. Since it's not a fun track like the previous two songs, you don't find it that impressive even though it's pretty decent. Will definitely be more effective when you see the song in the film, rather than just listening to it.
4. Give me some sunshine : Another song with brilliant, thought provoking lyrics that reiterates the point that All izz well emphasized. Sample : "Conc. H2SO4 ne sara bachpan jala dala..". How true! As the title suggets, the song is about redemption; redemption from the bonds of H2S04 (sulphate?), from the enormous baggage of books, from parental pressure and of course, from alpha, beta and gamma! Another sure shot student anthem!
5. Jaane nahin denge : A solo Sonu Nigam show. Taking a cue from 5 point someone, I guess this song will be played when one of the protagonists is in a serious condition after a failed suicide attempt from the top of a building. The song talks about the intense friendship between the 3 idiots and how nothing can ever separate them. Like song no:3, this song is likely to be more effective in the movie rather than just the audio.
Aamir Khan has always been lucky in the sense that irrespective of the music director, he has always had very good songs in his movies. Unbelievable, but his lucky streak continues. Shantanu Moitra exceeds all expectations. Swanand Kirkire shows how good a lyricist he is.
Final verdict ? All Izz Well, indeed!
