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Monday morning I started boot camp at the gym, I cant believe I am actually able to roll out of bed before 6 am and get my butt to the gym. Luckily Im a morning person and the hardest part about boot camp for me is getting out the door. After finishing an hour of boot camp torture (in a good for me kind of way) I cant wait to eat! I am always looking for a grab and go breakfast I can eat on my way to work and the dozen bananas I had in the freezer were begging to be used. The eggless banana bread I posted a couple weeks ago was delicious but I couldnt resist making these banana muffins to have for a quick breakfast. But while I was scooping the mixture into the muffin tins I realized that these needed something extra. And thats when the crunchy, sweet, buttery topping came in. This topping reminds me of the pecan pralines you can buy or sample at those candy stores on Market St. in Charleston, SC. These banana muffins arent necessarily as healthy as I first intended but they do have lots of banana in them. Make these muffins with or without the topping but if you make them with it, you wont regret it! 
As a music lover, it is always exciting when YRF announces a new project. They have a keen sense of music, and most of their soundtracks always end up ruling the musical charts. We had Sultan this year whose nearly every songs were chartbusters. Even that one song of FAN (Jabra Fan) was an instant hit. And when the master, Aditya Chopra, is directing a movie, don’t blame us for having our expectations reach heavens. From Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge to his last movie, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, all the three movies that he has directed have some really good songs. So will his latest movie, Befikre starring Ranveer Singh and Vaani Kapoor, follow suit? This is the first time Aditya Chopra is working with composers Vishal-Shekhar for a movie, though they have given score for several of his productions. Jaideep Sahni pens the lyrics.
Here’s our review for Befikre album…
Nashe Si Chadh Gayi
Seriously, is there any album in Bollywood that doesn’t have Arijit Singh as a singer? He is in every soundtrack that comes out every week, unless that movie stars Salman Khan, of course. Nashi Si Chadh Gayi is Arijit Singh’s contribution to Befikre, and it is another song that will endear him to his fans. Nashe Si… is not a song that will test his strength as a singer, but it is easy on the ears and gets your music senses synced to the song easily. The Middle eastern influences are very catchy, but the chipmunk-sounding interlude is a tad annoying, though.
Ude Dil Befikre
The title track arrives, and it is sung with aplomb by Benny Dayal, who is tailor-made for such songs. Ude Dil Befikre continues the Middle Eastern tunes from Nashe Si Chadh Gayi, and that works well for the song to connect with you and turn out to be an instant chartbuster. However, don’t expect the song to break any new grounds, and you won’t get disappointed with the result.
Je T’aime
Let’s start off this song’s review with a French lesson- Je T’aime means ‘I Love You’ in French. After two songs, that were entirely male-dominated, you get the first duet of the album, that’s sung by Vishal Dadlani and Sunidhi Chauhan. Both singers are known for their kadak songs that are more restricted to the dance floors, so this romantic song is one of the few times they have gone beyond their strengths, and they have a done a good job at that. However, Je T’Aime, despite the easy-on-the ears European influence, fails to deliver a memorable tune and hence, turns out to be a passable number.
You and Me
We now get the second duet of the album, this time sung by Nikhil D’Souza and Rachel Varghese. It’s another cheerful song, that will look really good on screen, however doesn’t have the potential to be on your playlist for long. There are also similarities to Saif Ali Khan’s Happy Ending song Haseena Tu Kameena Main, as someone close to me pointed out.
Labon Ka Karobar
After two middling songs, Papon enters the soundtrack to give that much needed energizer to Befikre with Labon Ka Karobar. Influenced by the 1974 hit song El Bimbo with its salsa-style beats, Papon’s soulful singing gives the song a desi zing. After the previous cheery songs, Labon Ka…’s heavy feel also makes for a refreshing change. Even the lyrics worked for me. Could be the best song of the album.
Khulke Dhulke
What’s YRF album without a proper Punjabi track? Or for the matter, what’s a Bollywood album with a funky Punjabi song? So to fill that quotient, we have the very peppy Khulke Dhulke, that’s sung with enough zest with singer/actor Gippy Grewal and Harshdeep Kaur. Though I am not an enthusiast of Punjabi tracks, thanks to the overuse of these songs in nearly every album, Khulke Dhulke has the potential to be a chartbusting wedding party number, that will rise up the charts.
Love is a Dare
This is an instrumental melange of mostly all the songs in the album.
Our verdict
Befikre has some very peppy songs that are aimed at young-at-hearts, a viewer demographic that the movie and its 28 kisses are aimed at. Is it the best Vishal-Shekhar has delivered in their career? Well no, for we have heard better soundtracks from them. But the title track, Nashe Si Chadh Gayi and Labon Ka Karobar make sure that you are not disappointed with them either.
Our picks
Ude Dil Befikre, Nashe Si Chadh Gayi and Labon Ka Karobar
Reviewed by Sreeju Sudhakaran
* Poor
** Average
*** Good
**** Very good
***** Excellent