Music and Youth
The year’s first quarter ain’t even done and Love Aaj Kal’s music has already won
More often than not, in Bollywood, a soundtrack is tied to a film's fortunes at the box-office. Very rarely does an OST make its mark independently and shine brightly nevertheless. And that's what makes Love Aaj Kal's music, released through Sony Music India, an exception in a sea of norm.
Here's why this is significant. In the era of multi-composer OSTs, this soundtrack by Pritam and Irshad Kamil is a first full-length album packed with great songs. Much has changed on the Bollywood soundscape in the interim. Shorter albums have become a mainstay with promotional schedules for songs getting tighter and tighter. Releasing albums with longer run-times are widely considered a risk few will take. And yet, LAK boasts of a 11-track album that has found favour with audiences and industry experts as well (more on that in a bit). It’s a celebration of melodies.
Right from the release of the first single Shayad to Haan Main Galat to the third, Mehrama — LAK's musical run has been exceptional. This much is evident in the fact that Shayad, Haan Main Galat and Mehrama feature in Top 20 lists across audio streaming platforms — Spotify, Apple, JioSaavn, Wynk Music — consistently since its release.
The picture is no different on national television, radio and on Shazam, where the film's songs feature in the Top 10 lists. Haan Main Galat is sitting pretty at the #1spot across national television channels with Shayad and Mehrama following close at a tied #3. Haan Main Galat is ranked #2 and Shayad is ranked #5 on radio (Source?). The all-India chart of music search and discovery platform shows that Shayad is the 10th most searched song in India. The film’s music has crossed 300 mn+ streams across major audio and video streaming platforms and is the most streamed album of recent times.
And it isn't just the figures doing the talking. The music has been loved by audiences as can be gauged by the comments below the song videos. But let's not be as surface-scratching as that. The Indian national daily, The Hindu went as far as noting that "Love Aaj Kal's songs belong to a blockbuster".
Writer Vipin Nair observed, “The soundtrack by Pritam is even better than that of Imtiaz Ali's 2009 original (which was also composed by Pritam, with lyrics by Irshad Kamil).
Acknowledging that the OST features 'repeats from the earlier soundtrack' — KK and Mohit Chauhan return for vocal duty on Aur Tanha and Yeh Dooriyaan respectively — Nair notes that Yeh Dooriyaan and 'Twist' redux Haan Main Galat are two aptly contemporised "throwbacks" evoke "welcome memories".
In fact, Nair went on to add that while the 2009 Love Aaj Kal soundtrack has "aged wonderfully and will always be counted among Pritam-Irshad Kamil's best works", "for sheer number of quality songs (and fewer Punjabi influences) in this [2020] album, I'd rate the new soundtrack higher".
Case in point: Love Aaj Kal (the 2020 version), as Nair concludes, joins a rare league of films by visionary directors, "whose movies get looked forward to purely for their music."
MUMBAI: Mumbai is about to witness something it has never seen before. The Global Youth Festival arrives on 6-7 December at Jio World Garden with 15,000 attendees and 60-plus experiences sprawled across six sprawling arenas. On its sixth edition, this is no ordinary jamboree—it is a carefully orchestrated collision of wellness, adventure, arts, music, yoga and social change.
Chief Minister of Maharashtra Devendra Fadnavis will throw open the proceedings with a landmark ceremony, signalling the state’s backing for a movement that has already mobilised youth across 20-plus countries and 170-plus cities. The sheer scale is staggering: 500-plus volunteers powering the machine, 600,000-plus volunteer hours logged across previous editions, and millions of lives touched annually.
The speaker roster is formidable. Diipa Büller-Khosla and Dipali Goenka, chief executive of Welspun India, will share the stage with Malaika Arora in conversations spanning leadership, creativity and culture. Union Minister for Sports and Youth Affairs Mansukhbhai Mandaviya will also attend, reinforcing GYF’s reach into the corridors of power.
But this is not mere talk. The Solaris Mainstage promises concerts from renowned Indian artists. Innerverse delivers a 360-degree LED spectacle of art, technology and sound. The Love and Care Arena houses hands-on projects spanning women’s empowerment, child education, rural upliftment and animal welfare. India’s largest outdoor sound-healing experience awaits. An inflatable obstacle course, neon drifter karts and open-sky bouldering cater to thrill-seekers.
Some have branded GYF the “Coachella of Consciousness.” Others call it “India’s Largest Sober Festival.” Spiritual visionary Pujya Gurudevshri Rakeshji, who inspired the festival, will deliver the Wisdom Masterclass. Every rupee goes to charity.
After Mumbai comes Kolkata on 14 December. New York looms next year. For one weekend in December, Mumbai becomes the epicentre of youth-driven change—and nothing will be quite the same after.
Tickets available on BookMyShow. Visit youthfestival.srmd.org or follow @globalyouthfestival on Instagram.
