Music Review: Jab Tak Hai Jaan

Sung by Rabbi Shergill, Challa very much resembles Bulla Ki Jaana, but comes together quite well in its breezy guitary arrangements. Saans treads back to the familiar Yash Raj territory, and once again it's the gorgeous strings-laden orchestration that makes the song all the more engaging, with pitch-perfect vocal support from Mohit Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal. Also present is a sad and slower Reprise version with Shreya on the mic that is not much different from the original. Heer, quite literally a gem of a melody, and Harshdeep Kaur pulls off the serene tune beautifully.

Raghav Mathur and Shilpa Rao are superb in Ishq Shava, a catchy dance number that sounds a lot like Anbil Avan (Vinnaithaandi Varuvaayaa), while the title song begins on an promising note only to switch gears midway in the name of fusion, which doesn't work as expected. Javed Ali and debutante Shakthisree Gopalan are effective though. The instrumental Ishq Dance and Jab Tak Hai Jaan (Poem) make their presence felt with their enticing arrangements, and in Jiya Re, Rahman concocts a rhythmic strings heavy melody exuberantly sung by newcomer Neeti Mohan. Jab Tak Hai Jaan, on the whole, has its moments (Heer and Jiya Re) no doubt, yet it never feels more than the sum of its parts.