Sukanya Verma

Unconventional. That's the music of Gadar - Ek Prem Katha. But then again, the film isn't your regular 'commercial' fare in the first place.

A love story during the Partition, Gadar (mutiny), stars Sunny Deol and Amisha Patel. True to its setting, Punjab, much emphasis has been given to the Punjabi flavour. And Uttam Singh (Dil Toh Pagal Hai and Dushman) delivers, delightfully.

Gadar has nine tracks with stirring lyrics by Anand Bakshi.

The opening number, Udja kale kawan, has four versions. The basic folk number with minimal acoustics. The marriage one has some romance in it. The search version (as the cover says) is about lost love and misery. The fourth and the last interpretation is Victory.

Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Nihar S lend their voices perfectly, with just the right nuances for each mood.

Musafir jaane wale is another heart-warming track in the voices of Udit Narayan and Uttam Singh's talented daughter Preeti Uttam.

Remember Dharmendra prancing around fields singing Main jat yamla pagla deewana in Pratigya? Three- and-a-half decades later, eldest son Sunny laments, Main nikla gadi leke in similar vein. Nostalgia is the only noteworthy factor in this otherwise average track.

Hum judaa ho gaye is beset with melancholy. A rather half-baked track in the voices of Udit Narayan, Preeti and Rakesh Pandit.

Aan milo sajna is a classic. Ajoy Chakrabarty joins famous singer Parveen Sultana.

Those familiar with traditional Punjabi music are no strangers to tappas, which are basically wedding songs teasing the bride and the groom. There is one such enjoyable unnamed number by Preeti Uttam. (Rather similar to Yeh ladki hai ya shola from Silsila.)

All in all, if you're of the hip crowd, you might not hop for Gadar.