Direction: Gurinder Chadha
Music: Anu Malik
Lyrics: Javed Akhtar, Dev Kohli, Paul Mayeda Berges
Singers: Sonu Nigam, Gayatri Iyer, Kunal Ganjawala, Anu Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Alka Yagnik, Sowmya Rao, Nisha Mascarenhas

The journalist turned director Gurinder Chadha, brings another English flick with Indian treatment and feel. Jane Austen’s popular novel Pride and Prejudice appears as Bride and Prejudice, though the plot is invariably the same. The Indian version is called Balle Balle Amritsar to L.A. A mixed bag of actors and actresses from America, British and Bollywood have been merged, so to say, Martin Henderson, Aishwariya Rai, Anupam Kher, Nadira Babbar, Namrata Shridokar and so on.

This Hollywood musical has compositions by Anu Malik and Javed Akhtar along with has compiled the lyrics. Though the base of the music is Indian, but special care has been taken to suit western taste and flavour of music. As the setting is of conventional Indian background, thus songs find their prominence and are also emphasized on. 

The first track opens with ‘Balle Balle’ a Punjabi wedding song. The track is lively and the voices of Sonu Nigam and Gayatri Iyer lead it with ease. The energy makes you going right through due to the employment of many traditional instruments. But again, we’ve heard many such songs before, with the same tune, touch and feel.  Lyrics just seem fine. The magic fails to spark!

Another emergence of a wedding track ‘Lo Shaadi Aayi’. A pile of singers Kunal Ganjawala, Anu Malik, Sunidhi Chauhan, Gayatri Iyer and Alka Yagnik make up for the song. Though any of them make at all impact. The track appears as the former one, with a change of style. The composition and lyrics seems too weary to make anybody going.   

Giving a break from the routinous track so far, ‘No Life without Wife’ feels very welcoming. It’s an amusing track and Gayatri Iyer, Sowmya Rao and Nisha Mascarenhas have left no stones unturned to make it a gripping one. The lyrics owe the credit to keep the track going adjusting with the different mood and varied essence of the track. Anu Malik though fades halfway, as a more suitable composition would have added more impetus.

Keeping upbeat to woo the Indian as well as the foreign audience, another traditional track makes its entry. This time it is a Gujrati garba by Gayatri Iyer. The track is more induced with music and thus there is very less for the singer to perform. Anu Malik gets into the skin of a lyricist and does some wordings. It would have been better if he would concentrate on the music rather, which appears very loud and baffling. It’ll make way for a good dance track rather.

‘Payal Bajake’ has the touch and feel of Goa. The track is groovy and Gayatri Iyer does it effortlessness. Lyrics by Dev Kohli and Paul Mayeda Berges (Gurinder’s husband) are good enough. Anu Malik is good here with the right balance of beats, pace and mood. The track has a youthful hue, and will be accepted easily by the young generation.

‘Tumse Kahen Ya, Hum Na Kahen’, the last track of the album is a romantic number. And who would have done it better than Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik. The lyrics are profound and Anu Malik’s outcome is a heart felt composition. Though the song is romantic there is a western feel to it. The song is worthy of every bit of hearing. It appears twice again, one as a sad song by Alka Yagnik and another as an instrumental. All of them have a soothing essence.

The outcome of the album gets halted in the process that it fails to make an impact. Though the people not associated with Bollywood may appreciate it, it’ll be a major downer in the country. The sound track is mediocre with neither the melody nor the experience strikes. Anu Malik doesn’t kick off with the music and it lacks distinction. For an international project as such, this will prove as a major impediment!