It’s common knowledge that Madhur Bhandarkar’s films expose the dark sides of various professions. After exploring the gloomy world of journalism (Page 3), blue-collar jobs (Corporate) and modelling (Fashion), Bhandarkar pulls the mask off the film industry in his latest flick Heroine. The soundtrack, composed by Salim and Sulaiman, comprises five original songs featuring a host of lyricists.

The opening track is the hugely hyped item number Halkat jawani, a catchy hodgepodge of several other songs of this nature. Niranjan Iyengar’s lyrics are cheesy (Item banake rakhle, chakhna banake chakhle) but fit the brief. Sunidhi Chauhan brings solid energy to this chartbuster with her uninhibited rendition. The song is the kind that will have the masses throwing coins at the screen!

Saaiyaan is tailor-made for Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. He’s one of the few singers who can perfectly convey the passion in these pathos-laden songs. It’s a good track, no doubt, but we’ve heard Khan doing the ‘soulful-heart broken’ routine several times before. And fatigue has set in. Main heroine hoon (Aditi Singh Sharma) is the title song inspired by opening-credit tracks in Bond flicks. Sharma’s vocals are sexy and stylish and the composers do a neat job with the techno fusion. But the lyrics by Chhel are cringe-worthy.

Shreya Ghoshal conveys the bitter sweet pain of romance fabulously in Khwahishein, a melancholic number styled similar to the pop songs by international girl bands.

Tujhe pe fida (Benny Dayal, Shradha Pandit) is an upbeat dance number that’s a strict one-time listen.

The music in Bhandarkar’s films, with the exception of Fashion, has been unexciting. The soundtrack of Heroine is definitely not dull, but is no great shakes either.

Verdict: Typical