Aah, now this one is a huge film. For a 10 year old who may still be wondering what's the fuss about the coming together of Shah Rukh Khan and Aditya Chopra, a trip to Maratha Mandir, Mumbai, is mandatory to check out Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge which is still running there for 13 uninterrupted years. And for the grown-ups, Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi hardly needs an introduction. Of course, the music of any Yash Raj Film is special because regardless the fate of some of their recent films, music continues to be highpoint of the production house, Tashan and Bachna Ae Haseeno being the case in point.

Talking about the music of RNBJD, one looks forward to what composer duo of Salim-Sulaiman and lyricist Jaideep Sahni have come up with, considering this is easily their BIGGEST project ever. Also, they would be expected to fill the shoes of Jatin-Lalit who made the score of DDLJ and Mohabbatein, the two projects directed by Aditya Chopra, ever-so-memorable.

a) So, does the music eventually go on to meet the sky high expectations?
b) Has Aditya Chopra indeed reserved the best songs for his third directorial outing?
c) Will Shah Rukh Khan have yet another blockbuster score a la Om Shanti Om to his credit?
d) Does Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi turn out to be the kind which would be played at least 3-4 years from now, if not a decade?

So how does one sum up the music of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi? Well, it is not bad but then it is primarily situational; the kind that gets enhanced by picturisation and choreography.

The sound of 'santoor' at the very beginning of 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' attracts one's attention right away since you immediately get the feel of a Veer Zaara outing. A simple outing that has an out and out Indian feel to it; 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' starts off well but just doesn't pick up enough, courtesy the choice of singer. Seriously, instead of Roop Kumar Rathod being entrusted with the responsibility of a track which is the flagship number of RNBDJ, if a singer like Udit Narayan or Sonu Niigaam or K.K. would have been the chosen one, the song could well have gone to a different level altogether.

In the end, it turns out to be a more than decent number which certainly could have been much better. Also, it doesn't quite turn out to be the kind which deserves to appear at the very beginning of the album. Female version of the song, a much slower one, comes towards the album's end and has Shreya Ghoshal at the helm. A 100 second piece, it is a slower version and a sad one at that. Purely situational.

A slightly better number comes in the form of 'Haule Haule', a number which carries the flavor of Aaja Nachle soundtrack both in terms of middle-class setting and the overall simplicity of sound design. Rendered by Sukhwinder Singh who is subdued rather than being typically full throated, 'Haule Haule' is a situational track which is already on air and is being noticed for the way the bespectacled Shah Rukh Khan brings in all his experience while comfortably dancing around in his middle class clothing. The number has melody as its driving force.

Would 'Dance Pe Chance' turn out to be that number which would make RNBDJ soundtrack special? This is what one wonders when this track sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and Labh Janjua arrives next. However, to one's disappointment, 'Dance Pe Chance' has an ordinary orchestra and arrangements that pull the song back. Preset keyboard sound seems to be driving this 'dance number' that is mainly a Sunidhi Chauhan track with an element of Punjabi being thrown in, courtesy Labh Janjua.

A song where a plain and simple Shah Rukh Khan seems to be going through dance classes, 'Dance Pe Chance' is a number where Salim-Sulaiman haven't done anything special and just followed the sound they have already brought to the audience in films like Neal N Nikki. A four minute remix version 'Dancing Jodi' marks an end to the album and is marginally better due to all the pep and rhythm thrown in. Also, it includes references to 'Tujh Mein Rab Dikhta Hai' and 'Haule Haule'.

'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' is a kind of number which (on screen) could turn out to be good on screen, purely on the basis of how Aditya Chopra gets some fun rolling on the screen. This one is clearly an experiment in the making since it amalgamates numerous lyrics and tunes from the yesteryear and mixes them together to create a 'bhelpuri' of sorts. So whether it is 'Jab Pyaar Kisi Se Hota Hai', 'Pal Bhar Ke Liye Koyi Hamein Pyaar Kar Le' or 'Hum Hai Rahi Pyaar Ke' or 'O Haseena Zulfon Waali' or 'Jai Jai Shiv Shankar' - the number includes them all and many more with Sonu Nigam singing as if he is a part of a concert where he has to pay a homage to all the greats from the past. As a standalone number, 'Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte' just doesn't stand a chance and certainly not the kind which would be solely responsible for the sales of the album.

There were four questions that were raised at the beginning of the review. This is what one has to say after hearing the entire album:

a) The music is decent but not huge enough to befit a project which marks the return of Aditya Chopra as a director
b) Aditya Chopra has been responsible for far better romantic outings, most recently being Bachna Ae Haseeno
c) The music will sell well but touching the numbers of Om Shanti Om would be feasible only if the movie turns out to be an excellent fare with a sustained presence at the box office
d) It seems highly improbable that the songs would remain rooted for years at stretch in the hearts of music buffs who expect nothing but the best from a project as huge and important as RNBDJ.

However, what needs to be remembered is that Aditya Chopra has been one of the pioneers when it comes to song picturisation. How can one forget songs like 'Ho Gaya Hai Tujhko To Pyaar Sajna'/'Mere Khwabon Mein Jo Aaye' [DDLJ] or 'Chalte Chalte'/'Soni Soni' [Mohabbatein] which were not the flagship numbers of the respective films ('Tujhe Dekha' and 'Humko Humi Se Churalo' were) but still turned out to be widely popular. The same can be ultimately expected from RNBJD, if response to just-on-air 'Haule Haule' is any indication.

RAB NE BANA DI JODI First teaser on Sunday.
December 12 will see the release of perhaps the most awaited film of the year, the Aditya Chopra directed Shah Rukh Khan starrer, RAB NE BANA DI JODI (RNBDJ). It will be the first Shah Rukh Khan film (as a lead actor) releasing this year after a gap of almost a year and the audience will get a chance to see their favourite hero (that too in a double role!) after the all time blockbuster, OM SHANTI OM.

The film becomes even more special as it ends an eight year sabbatical for Aditya Chopra, director of the trendsetting DILWALE DULHANIA LE JAYENGE (1995) and the iconic, MOHABBATEIN (2000), both starring Shah Rukh Khan.

The initial plans of unleashing the first promo of RNBDJ with Yash Raj's ROADSIDE ROMEO were aborted for reasons best known to the makers themselves. However the eager fans of King Khan and Aditya Chopra will be happy to know that the coming Sunday (November 2nd) will see the first song promo/teaser being unleashed, on SRK's birthday!

The much anticipated music album of the film is expected to release on the 7th of November. And before we leave, here is something interesting. There is a buzz that both SRK and debutant Anushka Sharma have lent their voices to two separate tracks of the audio album.

SHAH Rukh Khan made his acting debut in 1988 in a TV series called Fauji in which he played an army commando.

For his first feature film, Deewana (1992), he won a Filmfare award - the Bollywood equivalent of an Oscar - and the first of 13 in his career.

Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge (1995), starring Khan and actress Kajol, is Indian cinema’s longest running film. It has been on at Mumbai’s Maratha Mandir cinema since its release.

Om Shanti Om (2007), made by Khan’s production house Red Chillies Entertainment, was the highest-grossing Hindi film last year. It earned US$45mil (RM153mil) worldwide.

Khan is currently shooting Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi in which his co-star is 19-year-old model Anushka Sharma.

Next year, he teams up with actress Kajol again in Karan Johar’s movie, My Name is Khan.

He formed the production company Dreamz Unlimited in 1999, but its first films, Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani (2000) and Asoka (2001), tanked. The next film, Chalte Chalte (2003), was a hit.

He returned to the small screen last year to host India’s version of Who Wants to Be a Millionaire?. This April, he began hosting India’s version of Are You Smarter Than a 5th Grader?.

There is a life-size wax statue of Khan at the Madame Tussauds wax museum in London. It was installed in April last year.

In 2004, he was named one of Time magazine’s 20 Asian Heroes Under 40.

Just two days in Amritsar and King Khan is in love. As all must have already guessed, we are talking about Shahrukh Khan, who is in Amritsar for the past few days, shooting for Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi. Since it's a Yash Raj project, there is a lot of secrecy concerning the story of unquestionably the most awaited movie of the year. And why not? After all, it brings back the director-actor 'jodi' of the iconic Dilwale Dulhania Le Jaayenge (still running in its 672nd week in Bombay) and Mohabbatein. Naturally, the moment the unit arrived in Amritsar, there was (and still is), a frenzy, both amongst the media as well as the fans of superstar, Shahrukh Khan, in order to catch a glimpse or have a word with Bollywood's global superstar.

After the initial shooting stint at the famous Golden Temple earlier this week (as has been widely reported in the media), the venue has now shifted. Wednesday saw a traditional Punjabi marriage ceremony (some are saying that it was a 'mehndi' ceremony) taking place at the posh Queen's Road, and the venue was Kapoor Guest House. The whole unit as well as the director, Aditya Chopra and Yash Chopra were present for the shooting. The atmosphere was seeped in Punjabi culture (seen in countless Yash Raj super-hits!), complete with girls dancing 'gidda' and boys swinging to 'bhangra', dressed in traditional Punjabi finery and clothing. Once the 'mehndi' ceremony was complete, there was the marriage ceremony. Shahrukh was dressed in traditional Punjabi clothing and accompanying him were the relatives who arrived at the Kapoor Guest House and headed for the place where the marriage ceremony was taking place.

A member of the crew tells us that it is at this ceremony that the 'younger' Shahrukh Khan falls in love with his 'mutiyar' (beautiful, young Punjabi girl), played by model-turned-actress, Anushka Sharma.

As we file this report, the shooting venue has shifted to the famous Khalsa College, but more about that later!