Aaja Nachle :::Music Review

She’s back and ready to reclaim her throne, conquering our hearts instantaneously with one of her quirky gestures that only “the” Madhuri Dixit can pull off. Our arms are spread wide open, ready for her to jump in and remind us of the magic we experienced during the 90s during her films, and thankfully, the wait is almost over! To entice your taste buds, the music of Madhuri’s next titled Aaja Nachle has released. While Aditya Chopra is producing the film, debutant director Anil Mehta takes the directional reigns.

For any Madhuri Dixit film, especially a comeback, fantastic music is essential. Known to be one of the best, if not the best dancer in Bollywood, one of the most awaited aspects of the film is the music and dance. And with a title like Aaja Nachle (Come Dance), expectations are sky high. Quite a risk I must say, on YRF’s part, to let music directors Salim-Suleiman craft the album. Though they have demonstrated undeniable talent with Kaal, Chak De India and Neal N’ Nikki¸ it might have been safer to go with more experienced composers like Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy. But being the risky man he is these days, Aditya Chopra puts the hearts of fans on the line by handing over power into questionable hands. Is the album good enough?

Way to get the album off to a mesmerizing start! Easily the best track of the album, Sunidhi Chauhan energetically renders the title track Aaja Nachle which seems to be the quintessential Madhuri track. It’s got the ‘dhin-chak’ beats, racy pace and appropriate lyrics by Piyush Mishra. It’s an absolutely perfect mix of slightly Western beats but an overall Indian feel that literally makes you want to get up and dance. No doubt this number is going to be an absolute rage and once it hits the screens, get ready for a chartbuster! It’s the only rack of the album to come in a second version titled Nachle (Reprise) which focuses more on beats than anything else. The beats are louder but the song is still just as effective. One of the few remixes that works!

In complete contrast, Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal crawl into the scene for a romantic duet titled Ishq Hua with lyrics by Jaideep Sahni. Though the lyrics are quite conventional, it’s a sweet song that’s soft and pleasing to the ears. Sonu Nigam is at his usual melodic best but it’s Shreya Ghoshal who surprises here as she sounds completely different than usual. There is something oddly different about her voice in parts of the song, though not necessarily in a bad way. If you’re looking to kick back or get into a romantic mood, check this out.

This one’s a totally fun and vibrant number and doesn’t seem to have any qualms about admitting it! With a title like Show Me Your Jalwa, you know to expect something exciting. Despite uninspiring lyrics for the title, the rest of the track is in Hindi and nicely written by Jaideep Sahni. Richa Sharma catches you completely unaware as she usually falls into the trap of singing routine sad and depressing songs and only occasionally gets a mainstream track like this one. She’s perfect and along with Kailash Kher and Salim Merchant brings tons of rustic appeal.

It seems like we’re on a roller coaster! Alternating between upbeat and soft songs is apparently an intentional trend of Aaja Nachle. Truly on a soothing note, the inimitable Rahat Fateh Ali Khan who is on a roll this year captures the mic solo and impresses one again in O Re Piya though it would be nice to see him sing a different type of song once in a while. It’s not conventionally romantic and unexpectedly breaks into a qawalli-ish tune for a bit. Enjoyable and should work well in the film, but this one definitely requires time to grow on you.

Madhuri Dixit herself opens Soniye Mil Ja to set the mood of the track followed by Sukhwinder Singh and for a small portion, Sunidhi Chauhan. This track, too, has a small-town feel to it and echoes celebration throughout. There’s not much to write home about in terms of composition as it isn’t instantly likeable and in fact probably won’t appeal to listeners until the film hits the screen.

Lovebirds Shreya and Sonu return with Is Pal which is even more soothing than the first romantic track of the album. If one were to epitomize a melodious track, it would be this one, undoubtedly! There’s just something about Sonu and Shreya’s voice. Alone, they are brilliant. Together, the combined effects of their voices take you into a different world. Sheer romance!

Situational in every way, shape and form, Koi Patthar Se Na Maare is a disappointment. If rumours are to be believed, this is to be picturized as a play in the film. It’s not unbearable but really doesn’t enhance the soundtrack at all. In fact, it slows the proceedings down completely. Let’s hope it looks good on screen at least! On the bright side, combined vocals of Sunidhi, Shreya and Sonu are wonderful and the lyrics are well written by Piyush Mishra.

In a complete turn of events, we have out first full-fledged track sung by Sonia Saigal. While listening, not once do you feel that Dance With Me is a wannabe-English track. It sounds like a song you’d hear on an American radio station! Composition-wise it’s not amazing but it’s enjoyable and hopefully will work in the film considering the title is completely relevant to the film. Not bad, but not great.


If the subject of the film is dancing, you naturally need to have a great score to keep viewers enticed. Watching Madhuri Dixit dance is icing on the cake! For the most part, the music of Aaja Nachle lives up to expectations and provides great variety. The title track kicked the album off on an astounding note and will become a universal chartbuster, guaranteed! If nothing, at least listen to that one track. Amongst the masses, ‘Show Me Your Jalwa’ should trigger appreciation and the lovers of romance and melody will be delighted with ‘Is Pal’ and ‘Ishq Hua’. The remaining tracks are not mindblowing by any means, but are quite passable. Salim-Sulaiman have impressed in for the majority of the album, but their two left feet seem to come into play occasionally.

From a film completely centred on dancing and music, one expected slightly better. The soundtrack of this film deserved to be completely innovative and magically special—something that it’s not. All it’s missing is that ‘X’ factor that would set it apart from other albums and make it a classic. Nevertheless, the title track is brilliant, romantic songs are enchanting and Show Me Your Jalwa is lively. What are you waiting for? Grab the album and pay heed to Madhuri Dixit’s plea when she asks you to ‘aaja nachle’!
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