Actors Arjun Kapoor and Parineeti Chopra return to the mischievous, flirtatious romance of their Ishaqzaade (2012) days with the first song from their upcoming film, Namaste England. Composed by Mannan Shah, the song is sung by Atif Aslam and Akanksha Bhandari.
While the title of the film is Namaste England, the song is set in a completely Punjabi atmosphere. From the mustard fields to the traditional costumes, Kapoor and Chopra enjoy the early romance in the film in India.
The song tells the story of their first meeting to the slow simmering development of their relationship. While Chopra looks to be the more mischievous, fliratious member of the couple; Kapoor plays the shy, reserved but fun hero of the story.
The lyrics by Javed Akhtar add to the experience of the song, and the exuberant confession of love by Kapoor's character. Sung by Atif Aslam, the song has enough emotional verve to move you and stays in your memory after it has ended. Akanksha Bhandari brings a nice change of voice, and adds a little dulcet to the entire composition.
While Mannan Shah's composition is enjoyable, it fails to rise beyond Aslam's vocal abilities. The slow beginning, and eventual segue into rhythmic beats is a familiar theme, but still makes an impact worth listening to.
An interesting observation is that unlike most love stories that seem to falter at the marriage part, both Kapoor and Chopra's characters are shown getting married in the video. It is possible that Vipul Shah's story then focusses on how their paths separate later in life. But that is conjecture.
Namastey England will be released on 19 October.