The music album of ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ has been released amidst exponential expectations from one and all. Certainly the wheel of the professional life of Bollywood megastar Salman Khan has come a full circle as he is back to the place where it all started for him. And the ‘now famous’ first line of the trailer confirms the same - ‘Main Waapas Aa Gaya’.
Can the Rajshri-Salman combo live up to the legacy of ‘Maine Pyaar Kiya’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hain Kaun’. Can Himesh Reshammiya deliver a classic masterpiece like ‘Tere Naam’. Well, the answers to these and many more other curious queries will certainly be crystal clear in the near future.
For now, let us press the play button of the most anticipated music album of the year.
1) Prem Leela: Album kick starts with this song which sounds like an introductory number for Prem’s character. After playing a Lord Hanuman devotee in ‘Bajrangi Bhaijaan’, Salman seems to be portraying an adherent Lord Rama follower. The signature tune is catchy and the lyrics depict Ram-Leela setting perfectly. Vocals rendered by Himesh’s prodigies Aman Trikhia and Vineet Singh are praiseworthy though the song is not in the category of instant chartbusters. (3.5/5)
2) Prem Ratan Dhan Payo: Meera’s famous bhajan ‘Ram Ratan Dhan Payo’ has inspired this movie’s title as Prem’s character is again synonymous to Ram in the title track. Himesh shows his unmatchable grip on the traditional Indian music (Oodhani, Odh Li Chunariya, Teri Chunariya) and delivers a melodious number. Palak Muchhal is in top form and sings it beautifully. A glimpse of Irshad Kamil’s brilliance is heard in the beginning of the track – ‘Sukh Dukh Jhootha, Dhan Bhi Jhootha, Jhoothi Moh Maaya, Sachcha Mann ka wo kona jahaan Prem Ratan Paaya’. (4.5/5)
3) Jalte Diye: Himesh’s courage and confidence to expose the raw talent from the various talent hunt shows in this huge platform is praiseworthy. Anweshaa (Fame Amul Star Of India) is surprisingly flawless in this song and is ably supported by Vineet Singh and Shabab Sabri. Song begins with Harshdeep Kaur’s passionate voice which sets the tone for this semi-classical romantic melody. (4/5)
Listen to all the songs from Prem Ratan Dhan Payo in the Jukebox below
4) Aaj Unse Milna Hai: Remember the classic Kishore Kumar’s melody from ‘Paraya Dhan’ – ‘Aaj Unse Pehli Mulaqat Hogi’ or Salman’s own ‘Deewaana Main Chala’. The theme is similar in this typical Sooraj Barjatya Song where the hero is on the way to meet his dream girl. The beginning chorus gives an impression of a classic dance number but it turns out to be lovable travel song. Composition is simple but is wonderfully emoted by Shaan, who is heard after a hiatus. (4/5)
5) Jab Tum Chaho: This is a regular situational song with a 90s feel attached to it where the lady love is complaining and guy is trying to win her all over again. Palak Muchhal, Mohd Irfan and Darshan Raval render this regular number with utmost ease. (3.5/5)
6) Halo Re: Aman Trikhia is energetically behind the mic again after ‘Prem Leela’ for ‘Halo Re’. While the former has flavors of Ram-Leela, latter is based on Radha-Krishna chapters. Words penned by Irshad Kamil deserves a mention here. (3/5)
7) Tod Tadaiyya: This can be termed as a proper dance number of the album. The choice of singers is impeccable as Neeraj Sridhar and Neeti Mohan are just remarkable. This song will go down really well with the masses and is supposed to be a highlight on screen. (4/5)
8) Bachpan Kahan: Himesh weilds the microphone for arguably the best song of the album. Reshammiya has composed for numerous Salman movies but has never been the voice of his mentor under his own music direction. The only time he has sung for Salman is ‘Photocopy’ from ‘Jai Ho’ which is Sajid-Wajid composition. We need to wait and watch whether this is background song or Salman will lip synch it. Irshad shows his impeccable class with simple and effective lyrics which go well with all age groups. (4.5/5)
To complete the album we have 2 more versions of ‘Aaj Unse Milna Hai’. ‘Murli Ki Taano Si’ is slower version with couple of lines rendered by Shaan again. ‘Aaj Unse Kehna Hai’ is female version of same song sung by Aishwarya Majumdar again having just the mukhda. Song ends with the lines from the title track of the movie.
Rating: 
‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ is certainly not a run of the mill Bollywood album consisting of regular item songs and routine high beat remixes. The songs might not appeal to the DJ ambience and also to the specific listeners who are expecting a ‘Baby Doll’ or a ‘Dhinka Chika’. Songs are highly situational and designed with honest effort to suit the storyline of the movie. Himesh Reshammiya, as always, has delivered an outstanding score and lyrics by Irshad Kamil are results of deep thoughts and imaginations. This music has potential to reach the zenith if the film succeeds at the box office, which should not be a tough ask given the track record of Rajshri-Salman combo.
Note: One of the reasons why we delayed publishing the music review of ‘Prem Ratan Dhan Payo’ was because we wanted to listen to the entire music album multiple times before finally reviewing it. Like most Sooraj Barjatya films, the music of PRDP does take time to grow on the listeners.
Music Review By Abhishek Sharma (tweets @abhu_sharma)
Vote for the Best Song in the Prem Ratan Dhan Payo music album
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That’s me on the song “Halo re” who do not know.
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