Hope Aur Hum has a quaint, simple look that promises to be an interesting story. With a cast of Naseeruddin Shah, Sonali Kulkarni, Naveen Kasturia and Aamir Bashir, the film has a storyline that revolves around an old man's obsession with his even older copying machine, and how it affects his small family.
Despite its emotional tale, the title track was a happy, optimistic version of its theme. However, the second song 'Acche Bacche Rote Nahi' hits a more sombre, bluesy note. Sung by Sonu Nigam, the song captures the struggle and frustration involved in a child's constant attempt to grow up.
The song is picturised around the child, Anurag (Kabir Sajid) growing up at the centre of a dysfunctional family. While the adults are struggling with their own quirks and problems, the child is left to deal with his troubles by himself. The song plays on the struggle of the little boy trying to overcome his fears, but failing. Yet, he is expected not to cry, 'like a good boy' as the song goes. It is this contradiction that portrays the vulnerability of Anurag, who is representative of the adults who are hiding their own problems as well.
The song's lyrics, written by Saurabh Dikshit, are simple but fail to add anything inspiring to the concept of growing up. The composition is a different matter. The bluesy riff, and a wonderful vocalisation by Nigam lift it up. Rupert Fernandes adds a jazzy blues style to make this composition fairly memorable. While Nigam goes off on his own style with experimental vocals, it sometimes comes off as a little too stylised. Nevertheless, it is a pleasant surprise to hear a mainstream singer try something different.
Hope Aur Hum is directed by Sudip Bandopadhyay, and will be released on 11 May.
Watch the track below: