Music of Mission Istanbul

The need for a Turkish/Middle-Eastern influence in the instrumentation and percussion of MI is utterly understandable, but why did Apoorva Lakhia require four different music directors to churn out the soundtrack? With the exception of Mika Singh, who tuned the ode-to-the-bartender "Ganpat" on Lakhia's last venture, "Shootout at Lokhandwala", the 3 other MDs don't really bring much uniqueness to the pitch.

First to the field, Mika elicits a more sober rendition with "Apun Ke Saath", while still maintaining trademark tapori undertones. The song has a distinct groove, delving into the genre of melodic rap, with Mika penning the agreeably rhythmic lyrics as well.

Next to bat, comes relative newbie Chirantan Bhatt. His Indi-pop claims-to-fame so far have been Sanober Kabir's "Soniye Dil Nahin Lagda" and Ishq Bector's "Aye Hip-Hopper", with the former lifted from Aman Hayer's original composition.

Needless to say, our expectations at this point are non-existent. When it comes to the title track, the jarring and repetitive "Mee-shan Mee-shan" sound begins to grate your nerves after the first few iterations, and the rest of the song is gladly forgettable. "Nobody Like You" is slightly catchy but overall unimpressive, with predictable vocals by Neeraj "Viking" Sridhar.

Padded and poised, an enthusiastic Shamir Tandon emerges next. Backed by an array of forgettable soundtracks like "Superstar", "Corporate" and "Traffic Signal", Shamir strikes out steadfastly with "World Hold On". The Kunal Ganjawala-rendered track has a bothersome preachiness to its lyrics, which do not blend with the techno background, filled with unnecessary electronic flurries and a very annoying bass riff which sounds discordant at times.

And who do we have emerging from the pavilion next? None other than veteran Anu Malik, who has had quite a rough streak over the past year.

Fortunately, the pitch is well tempered by the extreme mediocrity that preceded him. "Jo Gumshuda" is a great mélange of an Arabic hook chorus and an "old-school" Anu Malik melody. Shaan and Mahalaxmi deliver a sweet melody, reminiscent of the "Akele Hum Akele Tum" glory days of Malik, and the Arabic influences accentuate the song's flow, well.

He closes the innings with the "sorrow/longing" number, "Yaar Mera Dildara", vocalised by Javed Ali who carries the simple yet haunting melody, effectively.

Balance sheet: Anu Malik and Mika save the day with a remarkable partnership, making up for the dismal show from Shamir and Chirantan. Directors like Apoorva Lakhia should think twice before posting a cricket team-sized group of MDs for a soundtrack, and should realise that the flow and homogeny of sound in an album is about as important as diversity and mixture. As it is searching for good-quality music albums amongst the herd of Bollywood releases has become a mission:impossible. Drinks break!