Ae Dil Hai Mushkil Soundtrack oozes of Ardour

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil is undoubtedly the highly-anticipated Bollywood film of 2016.

This is the first time Pritam has composed for a Karan Johar’s directorial. His music for Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani has worked wonders, but now the real test is how good Pritam’s music is for ADHM.

So, here is DESIblitz’s view on the album!

The listener instantly connects with the Title Song. In fact, the first tranquilising piano notes are quite reminiscent of ‘Tum Hi Ho’.

Amitabh Bhattacharya’s heart-touching lyrics, emphasises the intensity of love: 

“Tu safar mera, hai tu hi meri manzil. Tere bina guzaara, ae dil hai mushkil.” 

No one could have sung it better than Arijit Singh. His velvety voice enhances the poignant tone of the song. But what really leaves a mark is the mellowness of the composition.

However, the real magic weaves when the song breaks out into different musical arrangements. This resonates with the ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ sentiment. 

While this title track might not necessarily be a Kuch Kuch Hota Hai or Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, ‘Ae Dil Hai Mushkil’ will haunt us for years to come!

‘Bulleya’ begins like ‘Haan Tu Hai’ from Jannat. It takes a couple of listens for the audience to appreciate the sincerity of this composition – it’s like slow poison.

Having recently crooned dance songs like ‘Manma Emotion Jaage’ and ‘Sau Tarah Ke,’ Amit Mishra does a great job at the male vocals in this Sufi-Rock track. However, ‘Bulleya’ accentuates with Shilpa Rao’s vocals. 

From her first classical notes of “Ranjhanaa Ve,” the listener is enticed with her soothing voice. Both artists have done a tremendous job!

Once again, it’s Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics which strike:

“Meri rooh ka parinda pharpharaye. Lekin sukoon ka jazeera mil na paaye.” This demonstrates how only divine love gives solace to the soul. 

“Accha chalta hoon, duaon mein yaad rakhna.” From these initial lyrics, the listener becomes teary-eyed when hearing ‘Channa Mereya’.

This Kabira-esque song encapsulates the Shaadi atmosphere with continuous sounds of the dholaks and shehnai. 

‘Channa Mereya’ is the type of song which also emphasises unrequited love. Not only because of Ranbir Kapoor’s expressions in the video but also via the riveting words:

“Andhera tera, maine le liya. Mera ujla sitaara tere naam kar diya.” 

This conveys how Ranbir has devoted all his happiness to Anushka Sharma in the film.

As such, Arijit’s high notes towards the end gives us goosebumps. This is one of Arijit’s finest tracks. A tissue might come handy for this!

Listen to the soundtrack of Ae Dil Hai Mushkil in our playlist here:

Ae Dil Hai Mushkil - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil02:59

Bulleya – Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Channa Mereya - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

The Breakup Song - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Cutiepie - Ae Dil Hai Mushkil

Enough of emotional attyachar. It’s time to boogie with the peppy track – ‘The Breakup Song’. Stop sobbing, because this one is for you to dance the pain away!

There was a time when a guy would ask: “Bol Radha Bol, tune yeh kya kiya?” the girl replies: “Apne Kishan ko Dil de Diya.”

In the next track of the album, it’s the complete opposite situation. Here, the girl says: “Mere saiyaan ji se aaj maine break-up kar liya.” Welcome to the Modern zamaana of love!

The initial rhythm reminds one of Major Lazer’s ‘Light it up’ – but with a Desi Tadka. Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics this time are quite quirky:

“Dil par patthar rakh ke maine make-up kar liya… College ki saheliyon se catch-up kar liya… Arre college ki saheliyon se catch-up kar liya. Jinko mill na paayi unko whatsapp kar diya.”

In addition to the idiosyncratic lyrics, Pritam’s modern rendition of a 70s style of the song works very well.

Jonita Gandhi does well as the female singer. Her energetic vocals blend well with the upbeat tone of the song. 

Now, what more can we say about Arijit Singh? His vocals on this song remind one of ‘Sooraj Dooba Hai Yaaron’ and his charisma never fails to shine through the microphone. After the sensational ‘Kala Chashma’ Badshah’s rapping lives up to our expectations. 

Thought you could just groove to ‘The Break-Up Song’? The next track ‘Cutiepie’ isn’t your quintessential wedding number.

Here’s why: “Phone pe baatein kare apne left hand se, right hand pe mehndi lagaye” – depicting the modern Desi bride.

This track shifts into the ‘Kukkad’ meets ‘Banno’ mode and is definitely catchy! Main male vocalists are Pradeep Singh Sran and Nakash Aziz. They are full of Desi swag!

‘Alizeh’ has a trance-setting, where Ranbir might ask Anushka: “Kahaan hai tu? Mere dil mein hai na?”

The song has the ‘Saaware’ feeling from Phantom. However, it seems like the tone is that of ‘Ilahi’ and ‘SubhanAllah’ from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

What works is the male vocals consisting of Shashwat Singh, Arijit Singh and Ash King. One must applaud Pritam for his choice of singers. They blend well with each other. Whilst the rapping towards the end appears to be slightly out-of-place, there is a strange liking to that.

This is one of the best tracks of the album. Plus, the catchy chorus line sticks in your mind!

Overall, Ae Dil Hai Mushkil soundtrack is enriched with foot-tapping tracks and profound lyrics. This could actually prove to be the most memorable album for a Karan Johar film. Undoubtedly, a sure-shot winner!