The 'Hum aapke hain koun' of Hindi film music. Review on Aashiqui Songs

Recently when Mahesh Bhatt was interviewed about the films he directed in his career, he described the music of his film Aashiqui as being the 'Hum aapke hain koun' of Hindi film music. I personally agree with him.

It took sheer guts to release such an album at a time when ridiculous lyrics were being forced into Hindi music, as well as loud western-influenced orchestration. Aashiqui came as a breath of fresh air due to its romantic, melodious, ever-lasting masterpieces. Not a single song can be said to be below standard. Every track had its own charm, and who better to release such an album than the King of melody, Gulshan Kumar.

All the tracks have had an impact on me, but my favourites are 'Jaane jigar jaaneman', 'Nazar ke saame', 'Bas ek sanam chahiye' and 'Tu meri zindagi hai'. Anuradha Paudwal excels in all of the songs like always. Her soulful humming at the start of 'Bas ek sanam' can easily bring goosebumps to the listener. Additionally, her entry in the song 'Tu meri zindagi' is absolutely mesmerising. She doesn't have much to sing in the song but leaves a mark. The song was picturised on a little girl, and Anuradhaji sang like a child beautifully whilst keeping the maturity in her voice intact.

Kumar Sanu is also featured in almost all of the songs like Anuradhaji. He sings with emotion and enthusiasm even though he sounds a little like the late Kishore Kumar. Unfortunately Udit Narayan makes only a small appearance in the album with the song 'Mera dil tere liye'. However his effort is noted and he sings the track brilliantly.

A true Hindi music fan's collection would not be complete without this gem of an album. If an album is so strong that it can make a film into a hit, there's no reason why it shouldn't be bought. The music spiralled Anuradha Paudwal, Kumar Sanu, lyricist Sameer, music directors Nadeem-Shravan, producer Gulshan Kumar, director Mahesh Bhatt, music company T-Series and actors Rahul Roy and Anu Agarwal into big-time fame.

The album was also the first in the history of Indian cinema to win all three musical categories at the 1990 Filmfare Awards. I.e. it won best male and female playback singer, best lyricist and best music director awards. This achievement has not as yet been witnessed again. Such is the unparalleled magic of Aashiqui.