"Ishq Bhi Kiya Re Maula..." Jism 2 Music Review

Song: Maula
Film: Jism 2
Composer: Arko Pravo Mukherjee
Playback Singer: Ali Azmat

Well, it looks like I broke my self-proclaimed rule of not having more than one song from a movie for the post title song (the first post with a Jism 2 song is here). 

So, the awaited Jism 2 music is out (at least I was waiting for it, I'm always waiting for music from Bhatt brothers' films). This Pooja Bhatt directed movie has a debut composer, Dr. Arko Pravo Mukherjee, who apparently was a surgeon before becoming a Bollywood music director (according to this article). The album also sees appearances by Ali Azmat, the famous lead vocalist of the Sufi-rock band Junoon. This is exciting, Ali Azmat is the first singer/artist from a band that I knew before he entered Bollywood film music! Anyway, you can listen to the Jism 2 songs here and here on the Jism 2 song jukebox (thanks T-series Youtube channel!). Here we go...


Abhi Abhi: This first track of Jism 2 starts in typical Bhatt-camp fashion. Sung by the always reliable K.K., the song follows the typical K.K. style. My favorite parts of this song are when the chorus comes, when the instrumentals increase, and K.K.'s voice becomes more high pitched (who doesn't love K.K.'s high pitches?) The lyrics are also pretty mainstream of talking about first meeting someone and the feelings that come with that. Though probably not a chartbuster, I think this song is a good one for sure.
Yeh Kasoor: Aha, a song sung by a lone female, which is not very common in Bollywood film soundtracks, especially those produced by the Mahesh Bhatt. This song, sung by Sonu Kakkar, takes a sadder tone, and is a nice change from the male singers who usually sing these songs. I also think that this song matches the theme of the film, and I can definitely see this being picturized on Sunny Leone (not necessarily in a bad way). I also think this song provides a good parallel of Jaadu Hai Nasha Hai from the original Jism. My favorite line- tu hi sab se kareeb hai mere...
Maula: Wow, this song is amazing, and definitely my favorite in the album! Maula marks singer Ali Azmat's first appearance in this album, and who better to sing a Sufi song than a Sufi-rock singer himself! The lyrics are simple yet deep, but of course, my favorite parts of the song are the dam daram daram daram da lines... I honestly don't know what I would do without Pakistani Sufi singers in my life. And that cello throughout the song is quite soulful; that's an instrument that you don't here often in Bollywood. This song definitely follows the pattern of slow-paced songs in the album. So far, so good Dr. Mukherjee!
Yeh Jism: Ali Azmat is back again with this film's title song, whose attitude resembles that of Maahi from Raaz 2 (hey, another sequel!). Ali Azmat is definitely two for two with song as well, and I think this should have been the first song in the album (I'm not sure why it isn't, maybe they wanted to start with a mainstream singer like K.K.). The song uses some interesting words in its lyrics, such as tarah tarah shikast hi hua, libaas, and dafan, and if it weren't thanks to BollyMeaning, I wouldn't understand these words at all (are they Urdu???). Anyway, this song keeps the album at its peak.
Darta Hoon: Eh, this song is a little weird, and admittedly, I don't really understand what its saying. I'm actually waiting for BollyMeaning's translation. Sung and composed by Rushk, a Pakistani band, the song has a little techno and metal, and is grungy. I'm not a fan of this type of music, but it does have a situational appeal, so it may fit well in the movie.
Abhi Abhi (Duet): This song is pretty much the same as the original, plus a Shreya Ghoshal to accompany K.K. (they should sing more songs together!). Shreya's voice actually sounds different and more seductive, definitely matches the theme of jism. Some people may like this version better, it would be nice if they used this duet in the actual film!
Hey Walla: Nah, I don't like this one too much either. I'm not a big fan of Bollywood songs that have English lyrics in them; I don't see why lyricists resort to English when India has so many languages in which lyrics can be inspired from. However, once again, this song, sung by Unoosha, is situational, and will probably be picturized on Sunny Leone. That finishes off the album!


I like this album overall; although it may not live up to the chartbuster appeal of the usual Bhatt soundtracks, I believe there are sure winners in Maula and Yeh Jism (it's that Ali Azmat magic!)...3 stars out of 5. Arko Pravo Mukherjee, good start, and you should definitely compose more for Bollywood!
★★★☆☆