London Paris New York Soundtrack Review

In Bollywood, actors have often contributed their vocals to a song. But it is rare for a singer and composer to act in a film. However, this is what Ali Zafar has done in London Paris New York. Not only does he play the lead role, but he has composed the soundtrack and sung in it as well.

As the title suggests London Paris New York is set in three cities. The songs are supposed to reflect each of the three cities, but it is not always clear which song reflects which city. In all the songs there is a distinct lack of lyrics. There are a lot of “do dos” , “na nas”, “ooh oohs” and “pa pas” throughout the album which makes the songs catchy and easy to sing along to. It also means that the tunes have international appeal as “do do do” is the same in most languages.

The title track is a pop song. A mix of Hindi and English lyrics with a few “do dos” thrown in, this song is catchy enough to get into your head but not good enough to stay in for long. There is a sunny feel to the song. Sunidhi Chauhan’s vocals go well with Ail Zafar's. This song feels short, but any longer and I think it would start to get annoying.

The Paris track is defiantly Ooo Lala. The track opens with some French lyrics which are hard to hear against the techno. They end with “Tu me manques” (You miss me) and Hadiqa Kiyan’s brilliant vocals kick in. This is an edgy electronic track and will probably sound better when pictured on someone.




Ting Ring is an electro bhangra track. This track is well put together and sounds good. But it lacks something that would make it a big hit. I’m not sure if Ali Zafar’s vocals were strong enough for this song as they don’t have quite enough power to them that bhangra songs need.

Thehree Si Zindagi is a slower song which is a little bland. Aaja starts slower but halfway turns into an edgy fast paced rock song halfway through. If the slow part had been left out and the song had been a bit longer this would have been a great track. It is certainly one of the best songs on the album as it is in a style not usually found on a Bollywood soundtrack. It is a shame that it is so short.

Voh Dekhnay Main features twice on the soundtrack. There is a female version, sung by Ali Zafar’s co-star Aditi Rao Hydari, and a male version. Both have a sweet whimsical feel. The male version is jazzy with a nice piano accompaniment. The female version is accompanied by an accoustic guitar and makes a good contrast to the other song. Aditi Rao Hydari’s vocals are nice in the female version and I would have liked to hear her sing other songs in the film.

Verdict: This album has a few good tracks on it, but none that will turn into massive hits. The songs have a fresh and easy going feel with an electro edge. This is a soundtrack that will probably sound better once you have seen the film.