Rating – 8
Music Director – A.R. Rahman
Lyrics – Javed Akhtar
Film Director – Priyadarshan
Film Release – 17 April 1997
A. R. Rahman’s Kabhi Na Kabhi (1997) stands as a quintessentially eclectic, criminally underrated gem of 1990s Bollywood music. Intended to be Rahman’s grand Hindi debut before production delays pushed its release behind Rangeela, the soundtrack is a brilliant playground where the maestro blended synths, heavy strings, and western electronic beats with traditional Indian instrumentation. Backed by Javed Akhtar’s poetic lyrics, the album famously features “Tu Hi Tu,” a track that boldly experimented with electronic dance music (EDM) elements years before the genre took over the global mainstream. The record is also historically notable for “Mil Gayi Mil Gayi,” a reworked version of Rahman’s iconic Tamil track “Anjali Anjali” which marks the only time legendary playback singer Kumar Sanu recorded a track for A.R. Rahman. While the movie itself faded into obscurity, reviewers like Scroll.in and Screen India rightly celebrate the score as “vintage Rahman”—a fizzy, frothy, and fiercely stubborn work that remains an absolute joy for audiophiles.
| Song | Singers | Music Director | Lyricist | Rating |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Mere Dil Ka Wo Shehzaada | Asha Bhosle | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 8 |
| Mere Yaara Dildara | S.P. Balasubramaniam, Hariharan, K.S. Chithra | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 7 |
| Mil Gayee Mil Gayee | Kumar Sanu, Alka Yagnik | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 9 |
| Shukriya Tera Shukriya | S.P. Balasubramaniam, Anuradha Sriram | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 8 |
| Tu Hi Tu | M. G. Sreekumar, K.S. Chithra, A.R. Rahman | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 8 |
| Tum Ho Meri Nigahon Mein | Hariharan, Sujatha Mohan | A.R. Rahman | Javed Akhtar | 8 |
