For those who are suffering from amnesia or do not live in India, this review features everybody's favourite (er ...) Shah Rukh Khan as a contestant on 'Kaun Banega Crorepati' (KBC), which is a show hosted by Amitabh Bachchan, on the lines of 'Who Wants To Be A Millionaire?'
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''Deviyon sajjanon, aapke break ke baad swaagat hai. As you all know, today in this celebrity special of Kaun Banega Crorepati, we have amongst us Mr. Shah Rukh Khan.''
''Shah Rukh, you are on the verge of creating history. You have won Rs. 50 lakh and still have two lifelines remaining ...''
''Hehehehehehe, I am the best!''
''We'll soon find out. Aakhri sawaal ek karod ke liye, yeh raha ...''
Q. Yeh kya ho raha hai?
A. KBC. B. K-KBC. C. K-K-KBC. D. K-K-K-KBC.
Shah Rukh winced. He curled one eyebrow and then curled the other. ''Amitji, I want to phone a friend - Karan Johar.''
''Computerji, please call up Karan Johar - Shah Rukh's gir, er, Shah Rukh's friend.''
''Karan, mein Amitabh Bachchan bol raha hoon. I am playing Kaun Banega Crorepati with Shah Rukh Khan and he has already won Rs. 50 lakh. How do you feel on hearing that?''
''I am feeling gay, er, happy ...''
''Shah Rukh, you have only 30 seconds and your time starts now.''
''Heyheyheyhey, K-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-k-Karan, heyheyhey yeh k-k-k-k-k-kya ho raha hai haan?''
(beep beep)
''Alas, Shah Rukh, your stuttering took up the entire duration of 30 seconds. What will you do now?''
''Amitji, I want to use Karan Johar's sexuality. I mean, I want to use 50-50.''
''The computer has removed two of the wrong options. The remaining options, Shah Rukh, are A. KBC and D. K-K-K-KBC.''
Shah Rukh started laughing like a maniac as if he had seen Juhi Chawla. ''Hahahahahahahhahahahahahaha, your c-c-c-c-c-c-c-computer has given wrong options.''
Amitabh got a little flustered. ''May I ask why you feel so? What should be the correct answer? Yeh kya ho raha hai, Shah Rukh?''
''Kuch kuch ho raha hai, Amitji. Aap nahin samjhoge ...''
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My first reaction on learning that 'Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai!' was a remake of American Pie was ''Yeh kya ho raha hai? A remake of American Pie without Shannon Elizabeth?!''
The movie, sadly, was the perfect example of an apt title. Nobody, including the director, had an inkling to what was happening. Yet, one thing which sadly went unnoticed, owing to the lacklustre movie, was its music.
After the incredibly fresh and vibrant Dil Chahta Hai, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy tuned a rather pale Abhay, which incidently was Kamal Hassan's attempt at reproducing Cartoon Network on the big screen. After Abhay, came this film, where the only people who knew what they were doing were the music directors.
Reminiscent of Dil Chahta Hai, the songs are still amazing, in their own right. A mix of electronic sounds and rarely used instruments makes Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai an amazing score.
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Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? features quite a few singers, though Shankar dominates the proceedings. The song features a blend of a number of instruments including the trumpets and the guitar and it's got an amazing beat to it. Javed Akhtar's lyrics are fine.
Rating: 8/10.
Ooh Yeah! reminds you of a hyperactive Shah Rukh Khan in Duplicate (as Babloo) swinging his closed fists towards his body in joy and exclaiming ''Ooh yeah!'' The Duplicate connection notwithstanding, the song is a pleasant listen, with a nice chorus and good use of the piano. Lyrics from Akhtar are beautifully written, once again. I somehow don't like KK's vocals in this one, but Mahalaxmi's voice is pure magic!
Rating: 9/10.
Yeh Sama is pur bliss. A beginning which is reminiscent of 'Kaise he yeh rut', Shaan's magical voice, some great instrumentations and fabulous lyrics from Javed saab make this song a winner. Added to Shaan's magical voice, Mahalaxmi too waves her wand and sings beautifully. I love the use of the flute in the interludes. Although Saathiya and Devdas bagged most of the music awards in 2K+2, I believe that this song, in particular, should have got its due.
Rating: 10/10.
Kuch Hum Bhi Paagal Hain is the only track in the album which does not strike a chord. The all-female singing cast seem too intent on shrieking and the song somehow reminds me of Viva, a band who thought that they were goddesses, but were instead, shrieking and squealing goddesses.
Rating: 4/10.
Ooh Yeah! is featured again, this time in an instrumental. The chorus is retained and S-E-L show their obsession of usage of different instruments. A pleasant listen, this one.
Rating: 7.5/10.
Aarzoo is another pleasant listen. Some good guitar work and good singing by Shankar Mahadevan, along with fine lyrics, make this song a good one.
Rating: 7.5/10.
Yaar Apne Ghar Jaao is more in the rock and roll mould and although it tends to get loud at times, is a good number. A jiggy beat, added with some great vocals from Shaan are the high points of the song. However, the theme of the song notwithstanding, I expect better lyrics from Javed Akhtar.
Rating: 7.5/10.
All in all, Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai is a highly underrated album, which went unnoticed due to the film being a no-show at the box office. A highly recommended album which has an amazing track and four good ones.
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Yeh kya ho raha hai? Reading and not commenting is not allowed! Whoever does that will be forced to call up Karan Johar!
