While there isn’t anything particularly jarring about Javed Bashir’s full throated rendition of Yeh Tune Kya Kiya, the quasi-qawalli for ‘Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbaai Dobaara’, it definitely wants to recreate the effect of Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein from the first instalment of the film. Now add to that, Pritam dobaara, and its safe to regurgitate one’s own tunes. Had this come before Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein, it would set a standard. A case of which came first, Once Upon A Time….or Once Upon A Time…when its time has come.

Purana chawal tum, nayi biryani hum…excuse moi, yeh kya hua? Have lyrics become this pedestrian? When Tayyab Ali is such a ‘rice plate’ (invert to that Mithun song, Salaam seth, salaam seth…aap toh khaye murg musallam, apni toh bas rice plate) how else will Aslam (Imran Khan) coax the willing bride’s father if not by asking the old man to taste some of his new age basmati biryani-ness? Back to when Rishi Kapoor was Tayyab Ali (‘Amar Akbar Anthony’). What did he sing? He had a eunuch chorus exclaiming ‘hai hai’ after every stanza. This reprise Javed Ali song has a chorus line of men spelling after him, ‘n o w – b o w’. Elementary stuff, no match to the original’s tongue-in-cheekiness.

Sunidhi Chauhan’s Tu Hi Khwaish has the same template used in the item numbers of ‘The Dirty Picture’ – Honeymoon Ki Raat and ‘Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai’ – Parda Hai Parda both owing to the director’s demand from Sunidhi – the ‘item number’ singer of some repute. Each one of them is underwhelming.

Javed Ali gets Chugliyaan to prove his mettle ‘once again’ and this is a better sound, but can it alone earn the film’s soundtrack a repeat loop? Ek baar ho gaya na!