By Raunaq Kotecha

Vashu Bhagnani and Khalid Mohammed - the two men who had had a very promising start as producer and as a director respectively. However, both have not been even half as lucky with their preceding projects. Where Vashu Bhagnani has given duds like "Out of Control" and "Vaada", Khalid Mohammed is back after a long hiatus post a movie called "Tehzeeb" that was a record-breaking failure. With an array of not-so-happening actors of today, Silsiilay is one project hope for both.

The only star of the movie Tabu, has also been quite unfortunate post "Chandni Bar" and then there are others like Bhumika Chawla, Celina Jaitley, Rahul Bose, Riya Sen, Divya Dutta, Natassha, KK, Jimmy Shergill and Ashmit Patel who are either one film wonders or even less than that. The music of the movie is composed by the kings of commercial tunes and lyrics Himesh Reshammiya and Sameer correspondingly

"Ban Jaiye" is the quintessential melody for a Vashu Bhagnani movie. Alka Yagnik congenially conveys the emotions and very aptly though, one can notice the tampering variations made to her voice, as an otherwise thick voice of Alka sounds svelte and finely honed, but what matters is that it sounds good on ears and it really does. Kunal Ganjawala sounds good as well, but on second thoughts, he may not really be the best choice for such average melody tracks, as somewhere down the line he does sound out of place. In totality, the track is just good enough for a few weeks play.

"Meri Chandi Tu" is a total party track with all the required beats and sounds that can catch somebody's fancy and then suddenly become a nationwide rage like "Woh Lamhe" from "Zeher". Well, the track has Sunidhi's spell bounding voice, racing beats and instruments and a Kailash Kher doing the mandatory "Mast Kalandar" to give the additional punch and all this does work toward the betterment of the track.

The fleeting pace of the album once again comes to a screeching halt with "Meri Jaan". A very 80's styled number, the track has vocals of Sadhana Sargam and Kunal Ganjawala. While Sadhana Sargam does the majority of singing, Kunal Ganjawala is reduced to mere high pitches in the chorus. From singing to orchestration and from lyrics to the pace, the track has absolutely no novelty and as such fails to impress.

Now comes the heartthrob - Sonu Nigam with "Jab Jab Dil Mile" and when it is Sonu, you can rest assured that the track will be at least listenable and this one is no exception. The track might not reach dizzying heights at the very beginning, but might leave a lasting impression toward the end and subsequently grow on - the reasons being a better tune, Sonu's youthful singing and an upbeat orchestration and lyrics.

Come Side B and comes Sonu Nigam again this time in a graceful idealistic duet called "Ahista Ahista" with Shreya Ghoshal. Jayesh Gandhi has little to do in the milieu - does it well and has been accredited for it on the cover. The song is basically Sonu's domain and Shreya only lends good support, but having said all of that, the track is just plain average in every respect.