Hrithik Roshan and Katrina Kaif come together on celluloid for the first time in Zindagi Na Mile Dobara (ZNMD). And that’s just one of the many reasons for the excitement surrounding this Zoya Akhtar flick. The multi-starrer, scheduled for release next month, comes from the house of Excel Entertainment, a banner that has pushed the envelope when it comes to cinema portraying urban coolth. Excel favorites Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy have composed the tunes for this film too.

Dil dhadakne do (Shankar Mahadevan, Suraj Jagan, Joi Barua) is a feel-good number about living free-spirited. The track is enjoyable but it feels like SEL picked up one of their leftover tracks from the soundtrack of Rock On. Ik junoon – paint it red (Shankar Mahadevan, Vishal Dadlani, Gulraj & Alyssa Mendonsa) is a lively, fun number. SEL use a bed of electronic music, throw in some English lyrics and mix it with a catchy hook to create a vibrant dance track. The subtle vocals are in perfect sync with the tempo of the melody. This is familiar territory for SEL and they ace it.

Though Mohit Chauhan makes a brief appearance in Khaabon ke parinday, it’s Alyssa Mendonsa who charms with her gentle vocals and brilliant rendition of this dreamy-paced melody. The use of the accordion is a lovely surprise. One wonders about the fate of Senorita (Hrithik Roshan, Abhay Deol, Farhan Akhtar, Maria), had popular male singers play-backed for it. It had the potential to be a cracker of a song. The actors are clearly restricted when it comes to their singing prowess but they still manage to fare reasonably.

Der lagi lekin (Shankar Mahadevan) is the quintessential SEL sombre take on the philosophy of life – nothing new from this one. And Sooraj ki baahon mein (Loy, Dominique Cerejo, Clinton Cerejo) fails to offer anything new. Increasingly, one feels a sense of déjà vu when listening to SEL’s compositions. Guess it’s time they did something about it.

Verdict: Strictly average.