Musicalized

I Hate Love Stories: Music Review

2010-05-24T02:56:00.000-07:00

Vishal-Shekhar's I Hate Love Stories had been a long expected album, at least for me. And I guess they have done it. Bin tere, I hate Love stories, and Sadka kiya, I'm loving it.

The album starts with Jab Mila tu, which is quite like Dostana's Jaane Kyun. That way, the song cannot be called very fresh but sounds fine, and will be stuck to our tongues the way Jaane kyun did. I think.

The second song of the album is one of the best, or probably the best, Bin Tere (how many songs are called Bin tere, any idea?). Well, the song, sung by Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan and Sunidhi Chauhan is a wonderful piece of music and definitely worth a listen. Go for it.

The third song of the album is a peppy title song, bas pyaar ka naam na lena, I hate love stories, sung by Vishal Dadlani. Very, very tongue sticking,though I don't think it's one for longer times.

Bahara is the next song of the album. The song came as a surprise to me as I had not expected Sona Mahapatra in a Vishal-Shekhar album. I wonder if she has ever worked with the duo. Well, Sona is not the only singer in the song, in fact she is more in the background while the song is actually sung by Shreya Ghoshal. A medium-fast-paced song with a touch of folk. Definitely a good one again.

They had one king of rock with them. But they brought in another one. Yes, Vishal Shekhar call in Suraj Jagan for their next number Sadka Kiya. Frankly, Sadka is probably the song I have loved the most till date and the more I am listening to it, the more I am falling into the song. A song that keeps itself light, has beats something like Falak tak (Tashan), with Suraj going high in places, in a way that you would love. The best part, on top of the wonderful music and singing, there are those great lyrics, sadka kiya yoon ishq ka, ke sar jhuka jahan, deedar hua. M lovin'it.

If this was not enough, here is more in remixes, no, reprises and mixes and remixes. The first to come up is Shekhar with a reprise of Bin Tere. Now there's only a guitar (I hope I didn't miss anything) and Shekhar's voice. A real reprise, with hardly any background music. One of the toughest and the best things Shekhar has done. Kudos boy.

Now, a chill mix, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan singing what Shreya and Sona sang earlier. Definitely good work by Rahat and worth listening to song, but I think I have fallen for the original version already.

At the end there is a remix version of Bin Tere, which doesn't sound bad.

Overall, I Hate Luv Storys seems to be a soundtrack which is better than plain good. A few songs may remind you of things here and there, but overall, almost every song of the album is good, which is a big deal. Well done Vishal-Shekhar.

Original Post at Happysing.

Kurbaan Hua (Vishal Dadlani/Salim Sulaiman)

2009-10-13T21:33:00.000-07:00

Today I saw a review by my twit-buddy dunkdaft saying Kurbaan Hua sounds just like Nazara hai of Tasveer 8x10 and is the only 'glitch' in the album. Well, my first reaction was of shock. But then I tried to compare the songs and found that the words Nazara hai and Kurbaan hua had quite some similarity even though the words Kurbaan hua lasted longer unlike Nazara hai. So I started searching why Kurbaan hua sounded better than Nazara hai. Here are the reasons I found.

First, Kurbaan hua is not Nazara hai. Even though we have same composers and singers, the composition is more mature and low-pitched notes have a better balance here. Second thing, that was completely missing in Nazara hai is lyrics. Kurbaan hua boasts of some meaningful lyrics while lyrics of Nazara hai hardly have one.

And finally, the best part of Kurbaan hua is its end. From the point Vishal starts rendering marne ka sabab slowly, the song reaches a peak very few songs are able to find. That is the part of the song I wait for every time listen to it. Those are the lines on which.. Kurbaan hua..

Lyrics:

Kurbaan hua teri dushmani mein yun kurbaan hua
Teri aashiqui mein yun
Bekhudi mein, bekali mein, bekasi mein hua
Tujhko har dua di Har daga di Aur fanaa hua
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua
Adaa pe, wafaa pe, jafaa pe
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua

Rubaru tu magar Tanah hai ye jahan hoo vo
Chal uthe meri khufar se
Saanson ka ye sama hoo vo
Kya hua pal mein jaane kho gaya kyun
Tu mila aur judai maa hua yun
Bekhudi mein, bekali mein, bekafi mein hua
Tujhko har dua di Har daga di Aur fanaa hua
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua
Adaa pe, wafaa pe, jafaa pe
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua

Marne ka sabab maangta raha dar badar
Mitne ko to dil pal mein raazi huaaaa...
..Poori hui har aarzoo har dastan meri
Ke tum shuru hue jahan main khatam hua
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua
Adaa pe, wafaa pe, jafaa pe
Kurbaan hua .. Kurbaan hua

Kurbaan Music Review (Salim Sulaiman)

2009-10-12T08:37:00.000-07:00

It was something I was waiting for a long time now. And now that it has reached me, I think it should reach you too. So here we go, with my review of Kurbaan's music, that happens to be the third release of Salim Sulaiman in this year.

Shukran Allah: You hear the chorus, you love the music. You hear Sonu, you love the song. A wonderful love song by Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal with a beautiful chorus and Salim Merchant for backing vocals. Listen to this and you'll be found trying to sing the words Shukran Allah Walahamidulillah soon.

Dua: In dua, Salim-Sulaiman bring the Fatak combination, Sukhwinder Singh and Kailash Kher along with Marianne DCruz Aiman for background vocals. Dua hai dua hai is again a good song with music lying somewhere between a spiritual song and a dance number. In fact the same can be said about the song's lyrics too.

Ali Maula: In the third song, Ali Maula, that happens to be the only song in the album with a remix, Salim Merchant has done almost a Maula mere le le meri jaan again. Though, this time he doesn't have a Krishna with him and he has sung the song alone. The lyrics of the song are a bit more Urdu-ish than Maula mere. But the song goes deep and will turn out to be one with longer shelf life. Good again.

Rasiya: Background music is important. Not just in movies but in songs too. Yes, the specialists of background music have almost added background music to a semi-classical song sung by Shruti Pathak. The song will be liked in its own time and not everyone is going to like this part-classical thing. But I'd have to say, Salim-Sulaiman are great.

Kurbaan Hua: Even if it's not rock, it's rocking. Vishal Dadlani sings this rock-like-Bollywood-song for Salim-Sulaiman this time and I can tell you, not after listening to the song but after seeing the trailer itself that the song is going to be a hit.

Ali Maula Remix: I generally don't write about remixes nowadays but since Kurbaan has just one remix and fashion had some good remixes, I was tempted to write this one. Well, the remix starts bad, but as it nears the mid of the seek bar, it goes a bit better, and then starts going bad again and experiments done don't save the remix. In short, the remix by Abhijit Vaghani was not much was required, not at least with the song. They could have better done it with Shukran Allah but they probably wouldn't have not tried to take that risk with the superb song.

Overall, with just five songs, Kurbaan is a wonderful album which has not just good songs but quite a variety available. Where Shukran Allah is a love song as good as Jatin-Lalit used to make, Ali Maula gives the album a serious tone and Rasiya gives the album a light classical touch. And finally it all completes with a rocking song by Vishal. Ten on Ten. Can say that.

Music Review: Ajab Prem ki Gazab Kahani (Pritam)

2009-10-09T04:29:00.000-07:00

Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani (APKGK) is dangerous. You get afraid you first get to see there are 14 songs in the album. Then it comes back that half of them must be remixes. And I won't write about them.

OK. This review starts from the second song, Tu Jaane Na, the one sung by Atif Aslam. Hmmm. Here is something new from Atif. Atif this time doesn't sing in Atifish style but the song is more like a song of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Interesting thing is that you love the song you hear it the first time and you know it will last long at the same time. In short, it's superb, go for it.

The next song Oh By God starts with Aamir Khan's preview given before Bam Bam Bole. OK. It's not by Aamir and it's not the same. But it's just like that. And then, there is the song by Sunidhi and Mika, who, for once, doesn't take over the whole song and gets to sing a proper duet. Dance mode, not too fast, good one this too.

Next is the song everybody was waiting for. Tera hone laga hoon is what it promised to be. A typical Atif with Alisha Chinoy sounds good. No big words. It is what you knew it would be. Listen to it. The only thing I'm wondering about is the singer of background vocals.

Prem ki Naiyya by Neeraj Shridhar for once stumped me when I heard Neeraj Shridhar singing something other than he's supposed to sing. But then he came back to his style. Once again, Neeraj Shridhar needs more freshness. The song is fine again. Will do.

Javed Ali and Jojo. That's a combination that is enough to create something in my mind. The song, Aa Jao Meri Tamanna, opens beautifully but goes a step down when Javed's voice goes below other things. But then, the guy comes bak and then fades again. Jojo gives beautiful effects in the three words 'Aise mujhmein samao'. A 'wow' love song. Go for this one. Recommended.

The next song on the list is Follow me, by Hard Kaur. Typical Hard Kaur, nothing much to tell about her rap. OK. Don't think anything huge there.

Okay. Now that original songs are over, I'm back to the first song. The song starts with Hard Kaur's voice and the same rap that the last song in my list was. And then, KK and Sunidhi Chauhan join in to sing Mujhe Pyaar Nazar nahi aata, the song you first saw in the promos. In fact if you hear the songs in the same order as written here, the song will be a good surprise to you. You can try that. ;)

Fine, songs are over, but then Pritam knows there was a really good song in the album called Tu Jaane na. And here we get a reprise version of the song. The best part is that this one, sung by Soham, Rana Mazumdar and Ashish pandit, also sounds good.

No, it's not over. Pritam knows the song is good and it's working still. So, at the end of the album, there is another, huge surprise. Kailash Kher, Paresh and Naresh, that is entire Kailasa, sing the song again in an unplugged version. I know, the song is good, and it works, but I'm wondering when Pritam will know who is the best singer for which song and give him that instead of giving three versions of same song everytime.

Oops, forgot to summarize. Good album. Buy it if you're not a Pritam-hater. You won't regret. Atif won't let you.

Music Review: Fitoor (Mohit Chauhan)

2009-10-08T05:20:00.000-07:00

Fitoor is not Mohit Chauhan the superhit singer who gives a hit everytime he sings. It's Mohit Chauhan the artist who wants to share the art he knows. One who sings for himself. If you like him in this way, it's good. If you do not, almost every movie has a Mohit Chauhan song, the hit one, anyway.

One thing worth noticing about the album is that Mohit has not only sung the songs but he has even composed and written all the songs of the album. Now that is a one man show for which he must be applauded. Brave guy Mohit.

Fitoor: The opening song. Opens well but gets lost somewhere in between and the song remains just OK. Mohit has tried to keep the song off the typical Mukhda-antara way and tried some changes. But the result doesn't give something exceptional. Still, feels worth listening after listening a few times.

Challeya: Challeya is a good composition and a good song overall. The song is well written and well sung. The good quality of sound mixing is also visible in the song. Go for this one.

Sajna: Sajna is an offbeat song with hints of typical Mohit Chauhan at the beginning and end of the song. You may like it after listening to the song for a few times. Good one.

Musafir: Musafir is a love song which sounds somewhat like a song of 90's with Mohit Chauhan's voice added. Likeable. Even lovable.

Uff ye Nazara: Uff ye nazara is another love song that is just ok. Nothing big in this one.

Meri Tarah: Reminds you of Silk Route's Boondein just with the music and even the instruments used. A slow, deeply poetic, somewhat nostalgic number that you might like to sit down and listen to, while free. Good one again.

Mai ni meriye: Mai ni meriye is a song that is not typical Khadi-boli hindi but has a Pahadi touch to it. The soft, slow song is based on the places of the hill areas of Uttarakhand. Must hear if you have a connection with the area. Anyways a good song, though language may prove a barrier for some.

Jeene De: Some fast, some slow, some high and some low. They can make a superb song, but in Jeene de, the mix does not sound right and probably that is the reason the song is just ok. Also, the song becomes a bit preachy at times.

Main hoon badal: The name sounds good, and so does the song. Though tere liye jaan de dunga is not a line that sounds very poetic, the song is well composed and sounds ok the way Mohit has sung it. In fact it's better than ok. Worth listening, or trying at least. Just give the song its time.

Babaji: The last song of the album, Babaji, is a different, experimented, and I'd say contemporary song. For the first time it sounds a bit strange, but later on when you're a bit used to the tone, you might like the song. Good one according to me.

One thing that becomes clear almost from the start of the album is that Fitoor is not a thing many people might look for. But it's something that will be liked by people who like to go a bit deeper. so beware if you are just thinking of buying the album keeping in mind the superhits of Mohit Chauhan. You may be disappointed, even shocked.

On the whole, the album is good though. It may be like the albums of Lucky Ali with a separate fan base. In fact the album is closest to those of Lucky Ali if anyone. But then, Mohit Chauhan is no way a Lucky Ali. My say is, if you like to experiment with your choices, go for it. It may be something good for your collection. Whatever the album be, it's not a use and throw thing. But a horse for longer races.

Kurbaan: Preview

2009-10-06T00:43:00.000-07:00

Do not kill me for this because I'm obsessed with music composers. But that has been my way of selecting music ever since the age of cassettes. The age when I was a class 8th student and was allowed to buy just 1-2 cassettes every month. And interestingly, this has always paid. And still does, so my obsession never goes.

Well, it was A R Rahman and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Vishal-Shekhar for me. But now, it's Salim-Sulaiman and Vishal-Shekhar, and yes, Amit Trivedi. I still wait for Rahman albums but do not get much disappointed if I don't get big stuff there. I know Salim-Sulaiman, Amit, V-S, and even Mithoon must be making some great things somewhere. (By the way, did you know Salim Merchant too sang a song in wake Up Sid, of the ones not in the album, composed by Amit Trivedi?)

OK. So I was waiting for this movie called Kurbaan starring Saif and Kareena, since the day I saw its Wiki page. Because it was composed for by Salim Sulaiman. And suddenly, during the intermission in Wake Up Sid, I got a chance to hear to Sonu Nigam and Vishal Dadlani singing for the movie.

And seriously, I loved it.

Salim-Sulaiman and Sonu Nigam makes a deadly combination, as it made in phir milenge chalte chalte of Rab ne bana di jodi. And this time, the song they have come up with touches right from the point when background chorus starts singing Shukran Allah. And then Sonu Nigam following with

Aisi apni mohabbat aisi rooh-e-ibadat
hum pe meherbaan do jahaan...

makes me want to listen more and more.

The next one that I could get was a complete rock, which is sung by Vishal Dadlani (who else better for rock) and goes like:

Poori hui har aarzoo
har daastaan meri..
ki tum shuru hue jahaan
main khatam hua,
kurbaan hua...

Another song that sounds good. The movie has overall five songs and a remix, with Sukhwinder Singh, Salim Merchant, and Shruti Pathak (Mar jaawan, Payaliya/Dev D, Jee le/Luck) each getting one song. I'm really waiting for the album now.

Besides songs, the movie looks good too. Om Puri's voice is enough to make you watch for the next move even in the trailer. And the name of Rensil D'Silva is doesn't make things any less interesting if you know he's the guy who wrote the dialogues and screenplay of Rang De Basanti. And even though I can get some idea of the movie, I do not want to try a spoiler here. I just hope the movie turns as good as I'm expecting it to be now. Amen.

Movie Review: Wake Up Sid

2009-10-04T23:44:00.000-07:00

Amit Trivedi.

Wake Up Sid is good. And almost everything about the movie is fine. And so, I didn't know where to start. So I would start with the point, the person who impressed me the most in the entire movie. Amit Trivedi.

Though Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have taken the credit for the music composition of the movie and Amit Trivedi's name doesn't even show up on most posters, the trio's songs finish much before the end of the movie, from where, Amit Trivedi, the composer for Iktara and background score (as per initial credits) takes on and adds some 4-5 mini songs, or even full fledged songs to the 'background score', which are of course not there in the album soundtrack.

Coming back to the movie, it starts normally, with Ranbeer Kapoor acting a cool guy in college who screws up his final year exams and fails even when his dad tries to bring him to office. Ultimately the unavoidable happens and after a clash, Sid Mehra leaves home, to stay with his friend, new-girl-in-the-city, Konkona Sen Sharma.

Wake Up Sid, as expected, is the story of a rich-dad's-spoiled-son who becomes independent and successful once out in the world, while supported by a girl he falls in love with. But still, the story goes in such a way that you rarely get bored.

Coming to acting, Ranbeer Kapoor is good. But either the director didn't try to take him out of Hritik from Lakshya's first half, or Ranbeer could not do it. Whatever happened, the result is that Ranbeer many times sounds completely like Karan of Lakshya. Konkona Sen Sharma is a natural and so is Anupam Kher. Rahul Khanna hasn't got much to do in his special appearance. I think he's doing only special appearances nowadays. Supriya Pathak aka Hansa Bhabhi of Khichdi has acted her part well as the uneducated, never-say-die-English-speaking-mother of the spoiled son.

The pace of movie is a bit slow at times, but it comes back generally by the time you start realizing it. Also, the movie looks somewhat childish in the start, but as it progresses, the movie seems to be maturing with Sid. The movie reaches its peak probably at the point Ranbeer is leaving Konkona's house, and after that the movie drags a bit to an end we all know it has to reach. In short, while the monsoon makes all things good, the movie gets a bit muddy too. Rest, I can say is good and worth watching once for sure.

At the end, the same words to be repeated. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy fare well in the title song, Kya Karoon, and Aaj Kal Zindagi, but if they limit themselves there, Amit Trivedi and likes are there to cover. And then, the market of S-E-L may go down. Wake Up S-E-L.

And you, watch the movie. Watch it once. If you like, you can always see again.

You may be/ You're the one (Aladin: Vishal-Shekhar)

2009-09-29T07:59:00.000-07:00

First words: Listen to it. Now we can start. A song that is probably the best song by Vishal-Shekhar, equivalent to Tu Ashiqui hai according to me, with Khuda Jaane somewhere close. But doubtlessly, Vishal and Shekhar bring to you one of their best songs ever, in their own voices. Yes, this is the first song Vishal and Shekhar have sung together with nobody else there. While the entire song is beautiful, the second part of the song is sung with absolute finesse and the way they pair up the voices towards the end is just wonderful. Here are the lyrics of the song, with some repetitions removed.

Lyrics:

You are the one you are the one
baby you are the one
you are the one you are the one
baby you are the one
You may be, just a little bit deewani
Thodi thodi si crazy
But baby you are the one
Tum Jaisi, hai na koi yun deewani
Thodi thodi si crazy
But baby you are the one
Ab aur kisse na chahta hoon aur kisse na chahunga
Tu jo taare maang le to woh bhi tod laaunga
Kehke to dekho na karta rahunga main pyaar

You may be just a little bit deewani
Thodi thodi si crazy
But baby you are the one

Haule haule hamse ye hawayein jaane kya keh rahi hai
Kehte kehte phir zara laja ke dekho chup reh rahi hai
Baat hai to wohi Dil mein thehre kahin
Sapno ko mere hain bas ik tera intzaar

You may be, just a little bit deewani
Thodi thodi si crazy
But baby you are the one

you are the one you are the one
baby you are the one
you are the one you are the one
baby you are the one

Khuley khuley teri aankhon mein hai mere armaan saare
Khile khile aise hai ke pheeke pheeke hain sab nazare
Hai naya ye jahaan ke hua la yahaan
Itna kabhi bhi kisi ko kisi se hai pyaar
You may be, just a little just a little bit deewani..
Thodi thodi si crazy Tuhi to meri baby

you are the one you are the one

Ab aur kisse na chahta hoon aur kisse na chahunga
Tu jo taare mang le to woh bhi tod laaunga
Kehke to dekhona karta rahunga main pyaar
Tum jaisi tum jaisi hai na koi yun deewani
Thodi thodi si crazy
But baby you are the one

you are the one you are the one
baby you are the one
you are the one you are the one
baby you are the one....

Music Review: Aladin (Vishal-Shekhar)

2009-09-29T05:47:00.000-07:00

A R Rahman looks out of form and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are lost somewhere. Amit Trivedi is giving music for a song or two right now and Mithoon is out of scene. Himesh is not composing for movies that don't take him as hero and even Pritam is composing lesser nowadays, that is, not counting the likes of All The Best. So who is there to rely upon? Salim-Sulaiman.. and maybe Vishal-Shekhar.

Oh yes, the 'we-don't-want-to-give-just-hits' duo is there with Aladin. And look what they have brought. No, it's not another Mohit Chauhan song. They still don't need an Atif Aslam or a Neeraj Shridhar. Not even a Sonu and KK this time. They were asked to compose for a children's flick, and they have done EXACTLY that.

Aladin is an album that contains some freshness, and people like Amitabh Bachchan, Sudesh Bhosle, and Shankar Mahadevan behind the microphones. And when they had to come up with a love song, Vishal and Shekhar took the task in their hand and together they sang the song I've listened to at least 30 times in past 24 hours.

Genie Rap/Make a Wish: Amitabh Bachchan is certainly one person who moves with time. The album opens with a song that is sung by Amitabh Bachchan and Anushka Manchanda. Now that's a combination. Well, After rapping up with Abhishek for Bluffmaster, Vishal-Shekhar rap it up with the Big B and the result is certainly good. Catch it on TV if you haven't yet.

Tak Dhina Dhin: The song takes me right back to the days of Kishore Kumar when he used to sing happier-than-thou songs for Amitabh. The song is certainly a good one for a children's movie and must be liked in the movie. Shankar Mahadevan gets full marks for his singing while Shaan is OK.

O re Sawariya: If you thought there could not be a 'Rang Barse bheege chunarwali' again, you were right. But Vishal-Shekhar do their best to prove you wrong. Sudesh Bhosle, the voice of Amitabh in many songs joins Big B himself for the song and almost take you to that age. O re sawariya is a track full of Masti that you would like probably in the first listening. Check it out.

You may be: OK. First words: Listen to it. Now we can start. A friend on Twitter said it was the best song ever by Vishal-Shekhar. My say was that the song was equivalent to Tu Ashiqui hai and Khuda Jaane was also somewhere close. But doubtlessly, Vishal and Shekhar bring to you one of their best songs ever, in their own voices. Yes, this is the first song Vishal and Shekhar have sung together with nobody else there. While the entire song is beautiful, the second part of the song is sung with absolute finesse. My last words here about the song again are, 'Go, listen to it.'

Bachke O Bachke: A bit repetitive, but likeable. Another song that is something like Tak Dhina Dhin, or a mark below that. Should go well with the movie. But one thing is sure, Vishal-Shekhar are making better songs for Shankar Mahadevan than Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy right now.

Giri giri: One song that is below the mark. The song is sung by Sanjay Dutt and is not very good. In fact on audio alone, the song is barely passable. I hope the song has some interesting sequence attached to it so that it is worth watching in the movie.

The album has two remixes, the genie rap and O re Sawariya. Both the remixes are OK. In fact the original Genie Rap is quite like some remix of an old song and remixed, it doesn't sound much new. O re sawariya, though, had scope for remix which is used fine.

Overall, Aladin is an album that targets its audience, something that is not much seen nowadays. The thing becomes even more difficult when the target audience of the movie happen to be children. And Vishal-Shekhar have performed their task quite efficiently. Other than that, there is one song, you may be, that is better than any song released in the past some time. So I would rate the album as a good. A 4 on 5. Especially for being good where it needed to be.

My picks: You May Be, Genie Rap, Tak Dhina Dhin.

Ten reasons NOT to watch What's Your Rashee (IF u need)

2009-09-26T14:30:00.000-07:00

1. Do not watch the movie if u listen to ur elders. All critics said NO.
2. Don't watch it if u r a true Gandhian and do not want to see bad, hear bad and speak bad too. Once u watch the movie, all three are bound to happen. U'll see and hear bad, and ultimately speak bad about the movie.
3. Because your family needs that money more than Gowariker. He has earned a lot from his good ones.
4. Because your friends always want a treat. At least wasting money on treat will make u good for sometime.
5. Do NOT watch the movie if you're a Hritik fan and cannot see anybody copying him badly.
6. Because it's the Docomo age. Every second is worth something. 3 hrs and 17 minutes certainly are.
7. If you are a die hard Ashutosh Gowariker fan. And want to stay that way.
8. Because there is still hope. Hope that Wake Up Sid, coming next week, will be better than this. Amen.
9. Because we do not want Ashutosh to think that he again made a blockbuster and fight everyone. Every ticket contributes towards making a film blockbuster.
10. So that you remain sane and healthy, and your family happy.

I hope this post doesn't reach Ashutosh Gowariker. Don't want the big man's fury.

Ten reasons to watch What's Your Rashee

2009-09-26T08:08:00.000-07:00

If you are thinking of watching the big movie, (ya it's big. three hours and 17 minutes, with 13 songs in there) and are still not able to find your reasons, try finding some here.

1. Watch it if you do not remember what the twelve Rashees are. This will be easier than reading Linda Goodman.
2. Watch it if you want to see 12 completely different hair styles on the same girl and save money from 11 other movies.
3. Watch it if you were planning to do a research on Gujjus of Mumbai.
4. Watch it if you still think Ashutosh Gowariker cannot make a bad movie and all critics are idiots. U must be punished then.
5. Watch it to sleep without pills. Right before the movie starts is the best time. Anytime, though, is good enough.
5. Watch it if your girlfriend is bugging you for a movie. You can have some time out of theatres after this.
6. Watch it for the 12 times Priyanka comes on screen to show the name of the next zodiac.
7. Watch it if you're a Hritik fan so bad that you can watch even his duplicate playing the hero.
8. Watch it for "Hamari koi Shakha nahi hai."
9. Watch it if you're still thinking of watching the movie.
10. Watch it because... if... for... Can't get more. Exhausted.

The Failed Challenge: What's Your Rashee

2009-09-25T12:01:00.000-07:00

Ashutosh Gowariker has been a man of challenges. The big guy who made a movie on Cricket in India and still made it work has been on a mission challenge ever since his first biggie Lagaan as a director. And Challenge after challenge he even proved himself. But finally, finally, here comes something that fails. At least fails to reach the standards Ashutosh Gowariker has set for himself.

His first movie as a director, Lagaan was a hit. A huge one. Which was a big deal considering movies on Cricket hardly work, be it a recent Hadippa, Stumped, Victory or Hat Trick. But since Aamir Khan's presence didn't let Ashutosh take all the credit and Aamir got more that equitable share.

Then Ashutosh went for another challenge, that of making with both Shahrukh Khan and a good story, something that rarely happens and probably has been done by only Shimit Amin better than Gowariker, with Chak De India.

Winner of the challenge, Ashutosh put himself to an even bigger challenge. Of making a period film. If I had doubted the success of Swades, I was sure of Jodhaa Akbar's flop fate. But Ashutosh proved me wrong when he dragged Indians into cinema halls for a three-hour-plus movie on Akbar and Jodha Bai.

And then, he announced a comedy.

The guy who could not bear with Sajid Khan on an award show stage, had decided to make a comedy. The guy who was so serious with his movies that he could not keep himself shut and blurted out how some other actress could win an award against his movie's actress, was going to make a comedy. I had to declare another flop, irrespective of the number of challenges Ashutosh had won for himself. And he did it. He finally lost a challenge. Even from the most optimistic angle, What's your raashee is not a movie that matches the standard of Ashutosh's last three movies.

Although, in parts I like the movie and Priyanka Chopra has been simply fabulous in many roles, say most roles, there is not much in the movie other than that. Harman Baweja could have lived a much better life had he entered the film industry 7-8 years before he did. I see Hritik Roshan in almost every action of Harman. Just like Sehwag.

Also, Darshan Zariwala is great. Anjan Srivastava doesn't get much to do in the movie, and Gujju acts of the movie are well-performed. Music is mostly okay to good and goes divine in Bikhri-Bikhri si zulfein hain kyun. Well done Sohail Sen for that.

Now, we hope that the big guy with an academy nomination learns something from this experience too and gets us something new and good again. So What's Your Next Challenge, Mr Gowariker?

Some More Female Voices, Please!

2009-09-23T03:05:00.000-07:00

It's a male dominated world. And since the film Industry is a part of this very world, the industry is, fortunately or unfortunately, male dominated too. And recently, I have noticed a newly developing aspect of the fact. We have less and less female singers behind the microphones now.

Did you notice neither Tum Mile nor London Dreams has a single female singer in their credits. The concern goes worse when one says both the movies are musicals, Tum Mile, with Pritam trying to give his best compositions/collections, and London Dreams, based on singers' lives itself. Still, there is not a single song in either of the movies where you get to hear a female voice.

While in Indian film industry the fairer sex rarely gets a fair share in anything, getting no share at all in a field like singing is new and strange. Previously we have seen many examples of movies with female voices appearing in just one or two songs. Also, there have been movies based on certain subjects where we have less songs or songs based on certain characters, be it Dosti of Laxmikant Pyarelal, or Taare Zameen Par.

Going by music composers, A R Rahman, Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, Vishal-Shekhar, Salim-Sulaiman and Pritam can be considered as major music composers. While A R Rahman quite regularly gives some songs to Madhushree for a long time now, Shreya Ghoshal is a main league singer who has found place in Rahman's choices.

Vishal and Shekhar also seem to have a few songs for Sunidhi Chauhan and Shreya Ghoshal in their albums. In fact they have admitted that at times, they compose certain songs with these singers in mind. Salim Sulaiman don't use the voices of Sunidhi and Shreya regularly but they seem to experiment with newer or lesser known voices like Shruti Pathak, Neha Bhasin and Hema Sardesai.

Pritam is generally found using a voice or two for his dance numbers while he relies more on band singers like Neeraj Shridhar, Mohit Chauhan and even Atif if available. Last time when he tried to put all these singers in duets, in Kismat Konnection, the results were not very good and probably that's the reason he is coming up with less and less female voices, finally to give an all-male Tum Mile.

As far as Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are concerned, they tend to take lesser known or no female voices for their albums. While their London Dreams has no female voices, Wake Up Sid's only song with a female voice is the one composed by Amit Trivedi. Their Heyy Babyy had just one song sung by Shreya and Taare Zameen Par had no female singers except in backgrounds.

So, what is the reason we have lesser and lesser female singers now? Are various reality shows any measure? Because almost all of them seem to have a male winner except a few Saurabhis and Sanchitas. well, I do not think that it's men who sing all the good songs. And variety is something we will anyways, always need. I hope we not only have more singers like Mohit Chauhan and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan but also like Sunidhi, Shilpa, Anushka and Sona. Are the composers (all males) listening?

Jashn hai Jeet ka (London Dreams: Abhijeet Ghoshal)

2009-09-20T05:04:00.000-07:00

Jashn hai jeet ka is a song I've fallen in love with. First thing, I love the lyrics of the song. It reminds me of Shakespearean classics, especially Julius Caesar as the singer claims himself to be the King of the world saying aasma mera ab aasma mera. He even says that he doesn't believe his old friends (Et tu, brute) while he renders majhi pe mujhko nahi ab thoda sa bhi aitbaar, and celebrates his victory like anything. Also, the song has some fierce music and Abhijeet Ghoshal has sung the song in its spirit. Here are the lyrics penned by Prasoon Joshi.

Lyrics:

Sun le khuda gaur se zara
aasma mera ab aasma mera

(neend tod ke khwaab ud gaye
aasma mera ab aasma mera
badal bheench ke honth tar kiya
aasma mera ab aasma mera
main to akele chal diya haathon mein le ke patwar
majhi pe mujhko nahi, ab thoda sa bhi aitbaar
jashn hai jeet ka jeet ka jeet ka
jashn hai jeet ka jeet ka jeet ka)-2

chhale kai talwon mein chubhe kahin bhale kai
jalti hui kahin thi zameen
taale kai dard ya ki sambhale kai
hauslon mein rahi thi kami
hum abhi ad gaye
aandhiyon se lad gaye
maine dhakel ke unhe chheen ke le li roshni
mere hisse ke ve savere, mere hisse ki zindagi
jashn hai jeet ka jeet ka jeet ka
jashn hai jeet ka jeet ka jeet ka..

Yaari Bina Hai Besuri (London Dreams: Roop Kumar Rathod, Milind)

2009-09-20T04:39:00.000-07:00

Yaari Bina is probably the best song of London Dreams. Roop Kumar Rathod and Milind make a hit right from the start of the song when they render Duniya bhaad mein jaaye. The song is slow, fast, medium, classical, Punjabi style, and so much more. In fact Roop Kumar Rathod reminds me of Machis in the song. I would say that the song is a complete classic and should last even after the other songs of the movie are forgotten. Whatever the future of the song is, Roop Kumar Rathod, Milind, Composers Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, and Prasoon Joshi definitely deserve an applause for the song. Here are the lyrics of the song.

Lyrics:

Yeh duniya Jab leke Tarazu
Tera tol ke bhav bataye

Yaar kahe Aa seene se lag ja
Duniya Bhad mein Jaaye

---

Do kahan hain, Ek hi hai
Yaari mein do hote hi nahi
Usko kaato Dard isko
Yaari mein do hote hi nahi
O Kache gud si yaari, Yaari
O meethe paan se pyaari

To aaja jash mana le, yaara ve
Yaar ko laga le
Dil ke andhero ko woh tatole
Man ko bilo de, Matka le khole

Yaara Yari bina hai besuri meri zindagi
Yaara Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi

Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi

(aalap)

Yaara Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi
Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi

Meri Hichkiyon mein hai woh shamil
Mere Khawabon mein
Meri mausamo mein titliyon ko chhode woh

O Mere aasunon ko Motiyon si shan bakhshe woh
Meri bansuri mein aake saaasein jode woh

O Kache gud si yaari Yaari
O meethe paan se pyaari

To aaja jash mana le yaara ve
Yaar botle laga le
Dil ke andhero ko woh tatole
Man ko bilo de Matka le khole

Yaara Yari bina hai besuri meri zindagi
Yaara Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi

Yari bina hai besuri hai besuri
besuri zindagi..

Music Review: London Dreams (Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy)

2009-09-19T22:19:00.000-07:00

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have always been my favorites. But they disappointed me badly with Wake Up Sid when I found that the only song I liked in the album was composed by Amit Trivedi, coming in as guest composer. But with London Dreams, they are back. At least from the level they had gone to with Wake Up Sid.

The most troubling part of the album, though, is that after Tum Mile, even London Dreams doesn't have a female voice in the eight songs. Pritam could do this, but Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy going for only male voices may be a cause of concern. Here is the song by song review.

Barso Yaaron: The album starts with Barso Yaaron that is sung by Vishal Dadlani and Roop Kumar Rathod. Well, No doubt the combination is a strange one, and the fact that Roop Kumar Rathod's voice is shown as part of a Rock Concert is even more interesting. But then, Rathod is one person who does everything to perfection and he is great here too. A good song, where you get to hear the fastest-ever Hanuman Chalisa too. Something that reminds you the composer was the guy behind (and in front of) Breathless.

Man ko Ati Bhavey: The second song of the album, Man ko ati bhavey saiyyan is an interesting one again. The song, sung by Shankar Manadevan, is majorly in rich Hindi words and is supported by eunuch like voices. The song has some interesting lyrics by Prasoon Joshi which are almost perfectly in Hindi except certain places like 'Utsav manata hai saara chaman' where he doesn't get a Hindi word and is tempted to use an Urdu one. In short, lyrics, Shankar, and supporting voices make the fast paced song interesting.

Tapkey Masti: The third song of the album is Tapkey Masti sung by newcomer Feroz Khan. The song is high pitched and has a slight Punjabi flavor that reminds me of 'Mast Kalandar' of Heyy Babyy. Still, the song sounds ok and the new guy Feroz Khan passes the test.

Khanabadosh: The fourth song of the album, Khanabadosh, that can be counted as the title song too, is an okay one. The song has some good lyrics and the music is catchy sort, but one cannot expect the song to long last. The song has many supporting singers, the cover credits only one, Mohan.

Khwaab Jo: The fifth song finally gives one some break and one gets to hear a singing-and-not-running Shankar, along with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. The song has some fine music and wonderful lyrics with two genius guys singing together and they make up for everything that is missing in the song. Listen to Rahat and Shankar singing together and no big deal if you get stuck here only.

Yaari Bina: If there's one song in the album I would recommend with Khwaab jo, probably better than Khwaab jo, it's here. Roop Kumar Rathod and Milind make a hit right from the start of the song when they render Duniya bhaad mein jaaye. The song is slow, fast, medium, classical, Punjabi style, and so much more. Oh, Roop Kumar Rathod reminds me of Machis this time. A complete classic. Go for it.

Jashn hai Jeet Ka: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy bring in another lesser known guy for a beautiful song. Not a huge hit, but the song is definitely one I'd recommend if you're a sucker for a bit deep songs. First thing, I love the lyrics of the song. It reminds me of Shakespearean classics as the singer claims himself to be the King of the world, says he doesn't believe his old friends, and is celebrating his victory. Well done Mr Joshi.

Shola Shola: Eighth song of the album starts with a well known voice of Zubeen Garg, the Ya Ali guy in case you don't remember. The song is an anybody-can-make-it type just fine composition that is good for running in the background. Zubeen has sung the song in his typical way and there is hardly anything new about that. Still, the song has potential of running in a relay race and if other songs go fine, the song won't disappoint and will go with the other songs.

Overall, London Dreams is an average album but Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy have shown their work in some places like Khwaab jo and Yaari Bina. The album has some masti type songs too and has its share of rock also.

I'd suggest listening to Khwaab Jo, Yaari Bina, Barson Yaaron. If you're one for masti, add Man ko ati bhaave, and if you want deeper things, add Jashn hai jeet ka to your list. Find your picks and album will be good for you.

Dil Ibadat (lyrics)

2009-09-16T02:49:00.000-07:00

Ok. I cannot not write the lyrics of this beautiful song. Pritam and KK, superb work. And lyricists, Sayeed Quadri and Kumaar. Good job.

Lyrics:

Dil Ibadat Kar Raha Hai
Dhadkane Meri Sun,
Tujhko Main Kar Loon Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun.
Zindgi Ki Shakh Se Loon Kuchh Hasin Pal main Chun
Tujhko Main Kar Loo Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun

Dil Ibadat Kar Raha Hai
Dhadkane Meri Sun
Tujhko Main Kar Loon Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun
Zindgi Ki Shakh Se Loon Kuchh Hasin Pal main Chun
Tujhko Main Kar Loo Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun

Jo Bhi Jitne Pal Jiyoon
Unhe Tere Sang Jiyoon
Jo Bhi Kal Ho Ab Mera Use Tere Sang Jiyoon
Jo Bhi Saanse Main Bharoon Unhe Tere Sang Bharoon
Chahe Jo Ho Raasta Use Tere Sang Chaloon

Dil Ibadat Kar Raha Hai
Dhadkane Meri Sun
Tujhko Main Kar Loon Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun

Mujhko De Tu Mit Jaane
Ab Khudse Dil Mil Jaane
Kyun Hai Yeh Itna Fasla..
Lamhe Ye Phir Naa Aane
Inko Tu Naa de Jaane
Tu Mujh Pe Khudko De Luta.....
Tujhe Tujhse Tod Loon Kahin Khudse Jod Loon
Mere Jism O Jaan Mein Aa Teri Khushboo Odh Loon

Jo Bhi Saanse Main Bharoon Unhe Tere Sang Bharoon
Chahe Jo Ho Raasta Use Tere Sang Chaloon

Dil Ibadat Kar Raha Hai
Dhadkane Meri Sun
Tujhko Main Kar Loon Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun

Bahon Main De Bas Jaane
Seene Main De Chhup Jaane
Tujh Bin Main Jaaun to Kahaan
Tujhse Hain Mujhe Ko Paane Yaado Ke Wo Nazrane
Ek Jinpe Haq Ho Bas Mera

Teri Yaado Main Rahoon
Tere Khwabo Main Jagoon
Mujhe Doondhe Jab Koi
Teri Aankho Main Miloon

Jo Bhi Saanse Main Bharoon
Unhe Tere Sang Bharoon
Chahe Jo ho Raasta Use Tere Sang Chaloon

Dil Ibadat Kar Raha Hai
Dhadkane Meri Sun
Tujhko Main Kar Loon Hasil Lagi Hai Yahi Dhun...

Music Review: Tum Mile (Pritam)

2009-09-14T13:18:00.000-07:00

Tracks: 9
Songs: 5
Versions: 8
Instrumentals: 1
Composer: Pritam
Singers: Javed Ali, KK, Mohit Chauhan, Neeraj Shridhar, Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan
Best ones: Dil Ibadat, Tu hi Haqeeqat, Tum Mile Love Reprise
Verdict: Good

Tum Mile: One song. Three versions. Probably Pritam could not decide how will the song look best and put three versions of the song in the album. The album opens with this song in Neeraj Shridhar's voice. With Neeraj the song sounds like a typcial song of his and becomes a foot-tapping number that will rule the charts for a few months and then forgot.

But then, the same song is given to Javed Ali and you get 'Love Reprise'. This time, the song almost completely changes even though you know it's the same. This version is lighter, definitely better and relatively long lasting.

And then you have Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan singing a rock version for the song. For once you may not find much in this version after listening to the first two. But separated from the other two, the rock version also scores. My pick, though, is Javed Ali's Love Reprise version.

Dil Ibadat: A lovable track sung by KK. The song also has a Rock Version that is again sung by him. The compostion is good and lyrics, though usual, at some points are superb. Overall the song is a good one, of must listen category. Go for it, select which version you like better. Normal one for me.

Is Jahan mein: Mohit Chauhan is not made for 'fast' songs. Not that he can't sing them well or something, but he's so good with slow-soft-romantic numbers (and even not so romantic ones, remember Khoon Chala) that giving him a fast one is not generally a very good use of the depth in his voice. Iss Jahan mein has something like that only. Is jahan mein is a good song but if you start listening after seeing Mohit Chauhan's name, you may be disappointed. Okay song.

Tu Hi Haqeeqat: Khwaab tu, dariya tu hi, pyaas tu, tu hi dil ki beqarari, tu sukoon, tu sukoon... With good lyrics like these and slow, beautiful music, the USP of tu hi haqeeqat is Javed Ali. Javed Ali has sung the song in such a soulful voice that makes it worth listening. Tu Humsafar, Tu humkadam, Tu humnava mera.. Listen to this one just for Javed Ali.

O Meri Jaan: Yet another song by KK. This one is a sad number, though not a typical sad song we're familiar with, but a rock kind of song that one is expected to like in a long time, and then, the song stays. A good song, but only for those who have the patience as you will probably not like the song instantly. Try it anyway.

Overall, tum mile is a good album and in times when A R Rahman's Blue has not been able to deliver much, Pritam gives some songs somewhat beyond expectation. Credit to Pritam, but more credit to KK and Javed Ali.

Fiqrana (Blue: Vijay Prakash, Shreya Ghoshal)

2009-09-10T08:30:00.001-07:00

Vijay Prakash is a name that is taken with respect now, and everytime A R Rahman gets a song for this guy, we get a superb number, whatever type it is. Be it yuvvraaj's Manmohini, or Slumdog's Jai Ho, or Swades's pal pal hai bhari, he does a good job for every song. And this time Vijay Prakash is in a different mode. Fiqrana is a song full of 'Josh', just the way RDB's Pathshala rebel was, or Dhakka-laga-buka/jana-gana-mana of yuva.

And he does it again. Listen to the song. It's one of the few really good numbers of Blue.

Lyrics:

Fiqrana ho ke ham jiye
Khamakhaa ham jiye na kyun
Beparwaah ho ke ham jiye
Khamakhaa ham jiye naa kyun

Jeete hain ad-ad-ad ke ham
Phirte hain fur-fur-fur se ham
Milte hain rom-rom-rom se ham
Chalte hain dam-dam-dam se ham

Mahakte gulzaaro mein ham
Chamakte sitaaron mein ham
Dahakte angaaron mein ham
Lahakte hawaaon mein ham
Ye Fiqrana-4

Hai qatil apni rangat
Hai shatir apni sangat
Thode se ham hain diwaane
Yahi hai apni daulat
main poori kar loon hasrat
main man ki saari mannat
Mujhe koi rok nahin, tok nahin
Main man maana hoon
Junoon, sukoon, main sharara
main maza saza mein mara
naye khawaab hain, main hoon ishq ka maara

Hone de ye mulaaqaatein
thode din thodi si raatein
sochenge phir ye ham
chahenge ya na chahenge ham

Hai qatil apni rangat
Hai shatir apni sangat
Thode se ham hain diwaane
Yahi hai apni daulat
To kar lein sab se khilaafat
Tu ban ja meri mohabbat
Jahaan se lad jaaoonga, mar jaaoonga, main mastaana

shuru karoon ishq badhana
Tu jo kahe wo lage rab ko paana
Chal chalein wo chalein apna hai zamana

Honge sang hamaare
aasmaan ke ye taare
milenge tab tum ham
haan kar denge, na na karenge ham...

Yaar mila tha saiyyan (Blue: Udit Narayan, Madhushree)

2009-09-10T05:45:00.000-07:00

So the long-awaited music of Blue is out and though we can see Kylie Minogue singing and dancing, Farhan Akhtar hasn't sung for the album and the music of Rahman is not as good as I had expected to say the least.

Still, there are some good things in the album, one of them a beautiful, romantic and a quite dramatic song by Udit Narayan, Madhushree, and Ujjayinee Roy, Yaar Mila tha Saiyyan. A R Rahman hasn't used Udit a lot, but whenever he does it, the result is good. The song has a village background and you can hear a Lagaan in the song until you see the video. Madhushree is good as always and the song is worth listening to.

Lyrics:

yaar mila tha saiyyan
ik din yaar mila tha saiyyan
aankhon mein sapne, dil mein leke
pyaar mila tha saiyyan
kya main karti saiyyan baiyyan
kya main karti saiyyan
teri yaad mein kitni sadiyaan aah bharti saiyyan

are kuch to sharam kar leti ab kya kahegi duniya
tu uske sang ho lee us peepal ki chhaiyyan

socha nikal loon, par pallu, wo kheencha zor se,
bola sandesa, wo laya, hai teri or se

haye dil ghayal, zakhmi jiya,
kaise jiye ab tera piya,
maar diya dulhaniya tune maar diya dulhaniya
jeete jee apne saiyyan ko maar diya dulhaniya

yaar mila tha saiyyan
ik din yaar mila tha saiyyan

hai kusoor kya mera bata na yoon sata main-
teri raah takti thi

raah takti thi to khafa
ho gayi thi tu ya bewafa
ki panghat pe, ghoonghat ke bina
ja baithi kaise tu, wo bhi mere bina
usi panghat pe jahan jhat se
pehli baar thaami thi maine teri kalayee
harjaayee
jahan dhoop se hum bache the jahan nache the
apne kadam
aur besharam
wo kalaai tu thama ke aayi hathon mein na jaane

kis khote ke, kis pote ke,
mere hote se, par sote se,

par tune hi to use bheja na
ki mera pyaar piya ko de ja na

yaar bulaya saiyyan maine yaar bulaya saiyyan
bhooli saari duniya jab ek baar bulaya saiyyan

to aa gale dulhaniya lag ja aa gale dulhaniya
dekh ke apni yaari duniya laakh jale dulhaniya

yaar bulaya saiyyan--lag ja aa gale dulhaniya
bhooli saari duniya--duniya laakh jale dulhaniya

are teri wafa ke kisse ab ga rahi hai duniya
har maa kahe bete se, la aisi dulhaniya
haaye dil ghayal, zakhmi jiya
jiye bas jiye ab, mera piya..

Farhan didn't sing for Rahman?

2009-09-03T23:41:00.000-07:00

Finally the much awaited music of Akshay Kumar, Sanjay Dutt, Zayed Khan starrer Blue is set to release. The movie came into limelight when A R Rahman decided to make Farhan sing for the movie. Then there was news that Farhan had a sore throat and that made Rahman wait. And now the music is going to release in the second week of September but it's not clear if Farhan is going to sing for the movie.

If we listen to Wikipedia (as on today, September 4th, 2009), Farhan is going to sing the song Bhoola Tujhe along with Rashid Ali. But then, the official site of A R Rahman says something else. The site doesn't mention Farhan's name in singers and says that the song will be sung by Rashid Ali alone.

So most probably Farhan Akhtar is not singing for A R Rahman and we'll have to miss the opportunity to listen to the Farhan Akhtar's voice once again, that too in an A R Rahman composition.

The soundtrack of Blue will have seven tracks for which Rahman has roped in Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder Singh, Rashid Ali, Neeraj Shridhar, Vijay Prakash, Udit Narayan, Madhushree and Suzanne D'Mello. Besides, Rahman's blue theme reportedly has six more singers including Blaaze.

Apparently, the song that Farhan Akhtar has missed is going to be a good number as the song not only has Rashid Ali singing but also has backing vocals from singers as good as Benny Dayal. The opening song of the album, Aaj Dil has Sukhwinder Singh and Shreya Ghoshal and should be worth listening. Chiggy Wiggy by Kylie Minogue and Sonu Nigam is already out. The song has a 'masti' feeling to it and the video makes it all the more clear.

While with Sonu Nigam and Shreya Ghoshal, rehnuma can be a beautiful love song, Vijay Prakash and Shreya's Fiqrana must be a good song as Vijay Prakash has been getting good songs for quite some time and his last with Rahman in Yuvvraaj was especially good.

With Udit Narayan and Madhushree, the last song of the album, Yaar Mila Tha is going to be a typical romantic song. In fact nowadays Udit Narayan and Madhushree is becoming a new pair of singers as even Sohail Sen has used them both together in What's your raashee.

For now all we can do is guess. So let's wait and watch when the music of Blue comes.

Hope.

Lyrics: Rafa Dafa Kiya Nahi Jaaye (Radio - Love on Air)

2009-08-31T02:54:00.000-07:00

A little, lovely song from Himesh Reshammiya's Radio - Love on Air, which reminds me of 90's songs with Nadeem Shravan's music and Vinod Rathod's voice. Set in a light mood, the song has depth too, and Himesh's voice, for the first time, sounds innocent to me. Check out for the song. Here are the lyrics.

tere gham se bari ho jana behtar hi tha..
tere gham se bari ho jana behtar hi tha,
par khud hi badla hai maine irada rihai ka

mila mila sa juda juda sa main haara haara sa
khila khila sa khafa khafa sa main maara maara sa
rafa dafa kiya nahi jaaye,
tujhe jiya bhi nahi jaaye,
tujhe bhulaya nahi jaaye ho..

mila mila sa juda juda sa main haara haara sa
khila khila sa khafa khafa sa main maara maara sa
tere gham se bari ho jana behtar hi tha..

hoti jahan bhi hai, dil ko teri khushi,
dard wahin tere khil jaate hain,
tere bin tujhse hi, mujhko to aise bhi,
mere dono jahan mil jaate hain..

tere gham se bari ho jana behtar hi tha,
par khud hi badla hai maine irada rihai ka
mila mila sa juda juda sa main haara haara sa
khila khila sa khafa khafa sa main maara maara sa

rafa dafa kiya nahi jaaye,
tujhe jiya bhi nahi jaaye,
tujhe bhulaya nahi jaaye ho..

Music Review: Radio (Himesh Reshammiya)

2009-08-30T10:59:00.001-07:00

Himesh Reshammiya is here again. With his new movie: Radio - Love on Air. In a new voice. Yes, the CD cover claims 'New Voice' above the song list.

Well, the album has 12 songs out of which (only) 3 are remixes. Even though Himesh has sung all the songs himself, in his 'new' voice, he has kept himself in control on many things, remixes one of them.

Mann ka Radio: The album starts with Mann ka Radio which is a song that you'll probably end up loving if you don't decide NOT to listen to Himesh at any cost. Because this catchy but not-that-Himesh-ish song is going to be a hit on FM and television. Himesh has sung the song with nasal effects though there is some hint of that in higher notes. Listen to it for a few times and you'll be humming the song.

Zindagi Jaise Ek Radio: This one is something Bhangda-like, while Himesh has tried a Rajasthani/Hariyanvi touch. The lyrics of the song have words from the vocabulary of today's youth. Not one for long run, but the song is catchy again and should work in short term.

Janeman: OK. Himesh said new voice. But this song is more. The song sounds different right from the first word Himesh croons. The song might have been a blockbuster had Sonu Nigam sung it but then, a non-nasal Himesh doesn't sound THAT bad and the quality of music makes the song worth listening. On a serious note, Janeman is a good, soft, romantic number that one would like. Shreya Ghoshal is the female voice in the song and that gives a freshness to the album. Listen to the song when you're free and can lend your ears to some melody.

Piya Jaise Laddu Motichoor Wale: Well, I saw the name of Rekha Bharadwaj and I knew that the song was good. The song is a slow, soft, subtly romantic song where Himesh has given space to Rekha and she does take the song ahead on her own. You may need to hear the song five times to love it but the song is definitely one for long race. Special addition: Shehnai in the start.

Go for the song. Recommended.

Koi na Koi Chahe: Another romantic, slow, but relatively higher notes' song. Himesh has sung the song mainly himself in the beginning and Shreya has not been given very much to sing in the song, but later on she gets a fair share of things. One good thing good about the song is that it uses very less instruments in the background and you actually get to listen to the song more than instruments.

Teri Meri Dosti Ka Aasmaan: Well, this is one DUET where you have one Shreya Ghoshal and one Himesh Reshammiya. While Shreya starts the song with her soft, soothing voice, Himesh comes up in between and sings some high notes. This keeps on going alternately for some time and then the period of both singers increases. The whole setting looks good and I like the song. Had Shreya not been there and if Himesh got the entire song for himself, probably this one would be something like his earlier songs but Himesh has used Shreya's voice well to create a good, balanced song.

Damadji Angana hain Padhare: One might be surprised reading Kailash Kher's name in credits but when one reads the title of the song, it suddenly looks easier to understand. The song is sung by both Kailash and Himesh and sounds like a mixing of two completely different songs. While Kailash's part is completely traditional, with Dhols and all, Himesh in his part sounds something like he did in Dhoom Tere Ishq ki (Karzzz). A good experiment. Try the song, you might like it.

Shaam Ho Chali Hai: Okay. This album is for soft, romantic songs with Shreya Ghoshal. One problem with Himesh Reshammiya's songs earlier used to be that they all sound same, even if they're not the same. I guess the problem may surface again as all songs sound soft and romantic this time. Anyway, coming back to the songs, this one also sounds good though Jaaneman looks better in a cursory glance.

Rafa Dafa Kiya Nahi Jaaye: Rafa Dafa is the last original song of the album and lasts less than three minutes. The song sounds like it's being played on an orchestra we once used to see in North Indian weddings, largely because of the drums being played in the background. The beats even remind me of Nadeem Shravan's early days. Interestingly, Himesh's voice in this song, to me, felt like... Innocent. Strange song, feels like a 90's number to me. I'm falling in love with this one. The only trouble with the song is that it ends abruptly.

The three remixes in the album are that of the bhangda song - Zindagi Jaise Ek Radio, the first track - Mann ka Radio, and Rekha's Piya Jaise Laddu Motichoor Wale. Zindagi Jaise Ek Radio is a Bhangda-type song and it's remix had to be there. Mann ka Radio remix has been added with various effects and sounds OK too. About Piya Jaise Laadoo, all I can say is that a good song, if not tempered with badly, gives an OK remix and the same happens with the song. Basically, once again remixes have been added for the addition but unlike before, this time we have only three of them.

Overall, the album does bring a new Himesh Rehsammiya, and it does sound good and refreshing. But I doubt if this Himesh Reshammiya could ever be as popular as the Aashiq Banaya Aapne Himesh once was. Still, the good thing is that he is here and minus the uber-repetition he had created earlier. Listen to him if you're a Himesh fan and give it a try if you're not. At least it is worth that. Mann ka Radio bajne de zaraa...

Music Review: Baabarr (Anand Raj Anand)

2009-08-29T05:15:00.000-07:00

Anand Raj Anand can once in a while compose good and now that he has been out of the seen for quite some time, he has given some good music for Baabarr. Interestingly, Baabarr is an album that almost completely belongs to Anand as he has not only composed all the songs, he has even sung one wonderful song and written all the songs for the movie.

Baabarr has just four songs and one remix, along with one Baabarr theme, and has almost every song above a certain level.

Maula Ye Bata: The first song of the album, Maula Ye Bata, is a good song and since it is on TV for some time now, it's already gaining popularity. The song reminds me of Kabhi Aayaton mein Padha tujhe from Dus Kahaniyaan, probably because the song is of similar style and Anand has sung both the songs himself. The lyrics of the song are good. Also, at the end, the song is given a deep Sufi touch that makes the song all the more interesting and beautiful. Full marks to Anand Raj Anand for this one.

Baabarr: The next song, the title Baabarr, is sung by Sukhwinder Singh. The song is one that praises the hero of the movie, Baabarr, something like Omkara title song (Sukhwinder again). The song initially looks like a mediocre number but after listening to it once or twice, it sounds good on high volume. Sukhwinder of course has his effect on the song. Not bad.

Baje Raat ke Baarah: As is probably clear with the name, Baje Raat ke Baarah is a dance song in Desi style. The song is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan and some all-of-them-are-same lyrics but the song sounds good as the music as well as singing is done pretty well.

Pagal Manva: The fourth and the final song, Pagal Manva is sung by classical singer Raka Mukherjee. The song, which has a classical touch, is a beautiful composition with good lyrics and Raka has sung it really well. Also, Anand has used more instruments at times than one would use in a normal classical song. A full marks song again.

After the four songs, there is a two minutes and thirteen seconds long Baabarr theme, which has nothing much to tell about. The album ends with an unplugged version of Maula ye Bata which sounds more like a musical concert in front of your eyes than a song. Anand Raj Anand undoubtedly deserves praise for this composition.

Overall, with Maula Ye Bata and Pagal Manva, Anand Raj Anand has made a sound base for the album and the other two songs make the album good enough to listen the entire album in one go. A good piece of work. Go for it.

Tanha (The Unforgettable)

2009-08-27T12:11:00.000-07:00

It seems while making Devdas Ismail Darbar had a beautiful song that he did not or could not adjust in the album and now the song is here in some barely known movie called The Unforgettable.

Well, not caring about the movie or its cast, the one thing that is to be remembered is that the song in the movie, Tanha, is a gem that must be listened to. Straight from the genre of Devdas something near Silsila Ye Chahat ka, Tanha rouches you deep in the first time itself. The song is sing by Sunidhi Chauhan and she has proved yet again she has it in her to sing anything.

The only thing I can say about the song is - Go for it.

Lyrics:

Tanha...
Tanha...
Tanha na kategi raat aisi hai,
Tanha na kategi raat aisi hai,
Janmon se pyaasi hoon
Janmon se pyaasi hoon..
Ye pyaas kaisi hai...
Tanha na kategi raat aisi hai..

Tan ko jala ragi hai saanson ki garmiyaan.. garmiyaan
Tan ko jala ragi hai saanson ki garmiyaan.. garmiyaan
Koi samet le mujhe baahon ke drmiyaan
Baahon ke darmiyaan
Seene mein sholon ki..
Seene mein sholon ki...
Ik lahar jaisi hai..
Tanha na kategi raat aisi hai...

Khushbhoo ka koi jhonka chhookar guzar gaya guzar gaya
Khushbhoo ka koi jhonka chhookar guzar gaya guzar gaya
Chupke se koi mere dil mein utar gaya
dil mein utar gaya..

Saanson mein sulagti hai, ye aag...
Kaisi hai....
Tanhaa na kategi raat aisi hai...

Vaada Raha... I Promise (Toshi-Sharib, Babu Mann, Monty Sharma)

2009-08-26T08:58:00.000-07:00

First thing, do nto ask me who is the composer for this album. Two songs by Rahul Seth and Sandy, one by Toshi and Sharib Sabri, one by Monty Sharma, one by Babu Mann and Gourov Dasgupta, and three themes by Sanjay Chowdhary. If you're not lost after this much, I am.

Okay, coming to the point now, there must be something in the album due to which I'm taking the pains to write about such a complex album. Yes, there is. A song by Toshi Sabri, A song sung by Parhiv Gohil and Shail Hada (composed by Monty of course) and a beautiful number by Babu Mann. These are three things for which I'm writing. If you do not want to read ahead, simply go and find the three songs by these guys and enjoy, but if you still want more, go ahead, read the whole thing.

Vaada Raha: The first song of the album is the title song Vaada Raha.. I promise. Composed by new Sabri Brothers Toshi-Sharib and sung by Toshi alone, the song is worth a listening for sure and good chances you will like the song the very first time you hear it. The song is a typical Toshi-Sabri and might remind you of Toshi-Sabri's previous creation for Raaz sequel. The instrument selection and Toshi's voice with the words Vaada Raha may even remind you of Khakee soundtrack but don't worry, the song will pass these all and at the end, you will like the song. Go for it.

Rab na Kare: First of all I'd like to congratulate Babu Mann for one of my friends said that his voice in the song sounds like Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan could have been in his younger days. Not a lot, but somewhere in some corner, I felt it was not completely wrong.

Anyway, leaving aside the too-big-compliment, the song is a wonderful composition by Mann and Gourov Dasgupta and Babu Mann has lived up to his reputation in singing this beautiful song. The song has a Sufi touch with lots of newer-age instruments. Listen to the song, I hope you'll like it.

Kubul: The third song of the album is Kubool, sung by Parthiv Gohil, Sharmishtha Chatterjee, and Shail Hada. The song is a composition of Monty Sharma and Monty lives up to expectations in the song as Shail sings the song pretty well. I'm still wondering why is Shail singing for Monty alone, even after Saanwariya. Kubool is again a wonderful song with high notes and almost the end of good things in the album.

Aaj Aasman: The fourth song Aaj Aasman sung by Shaan and Shweta Pandit is a mediocre love song composed by Rahul Seth and Sandy. The lyrics are also given by same people and they also give nothing worth listening.

Rab na Kare (Slow Version): The fifth song is a two minutes long slow version of Babu Mann's Rab Na Kare which is probably used in Background. Good Voice of Mann again. Pass.

Achal Hain Mere Hausle: The sixth song is again a composition by Rahul and Sandy and this one is worse than the Shaan one. The song is barely passable, at least when you listen to it for the first time. The song, which is supposed to be a motivating one, as is clear by its name, Achal hain mere hausle, does not have music that can motivate one at all. Selection of instruments makes things worse. Even Kunal's rarely failing voice doesn't give much positive result. Skipping the song is recommendable.

After that, there are three themes composed by Sanjay Chowdhary. Nothing much worth mentioning there.

Summary: Overall, the album Vaada Raha... I Promise, is an average album with three good songs, two passable numbers and a few themes. Best way is to pick the first three songs and listen to them. Aaj Aasman can be tried too. I do not think the future of movie would be very great with Bobby Deol as the hero, so try to listen to the few songs it has to offer and move ahead.

Music Review: Wake Up Sid (S-E-L, Amit Trivedi)

2009-08-22T23:10:00.000-07:00

If you're not yet listening to the title song of Wake up Sid, you need not worry. Not that the song is bad from any angle, just that the song is a typical Shankar Mahadevan song and if you're not a Shankar n S-E-L fan (which I guess everyone is) you're not missing much.

That about the wake up song, I mean the first song of the album. The lyrics of Javed Akhtar are fine though there is no Sapnon se bhare Naina this time. Lines like Ro pado, ya hanso, zindagi mein koi na koi to rang bharo make the song worth listening to.

The second song of the album Kya karoon, sung by Clinton Cerejo doesn't sound very promising in the first few times but should be liked in longer term. The song is soft and the Clinton has sung the beautiful lyrics in a touching voice.

The next song, Aaj Kal Zindagi has Shankar Mahadevan behind the microphone once again. This one is even more beautiful, more Shankar-like and sounds not just high but soothing too. The lyrics are good and Shankar reaches the peak with Tere liye nayi hai zameen naya aasmaan, likh de hawaon pe koi nayi daastaan. Lovable song.

And now comes the surprise of the album. The best song of the album Iktara comes up and this one is NOT a composition of Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy, but of Amit Trivedi, the big guy who gave the best of this year (at least according to me) Dev D. The song has the beautiful soul touching voice of Kavita Seth who happens to be one of the composers for the movie Yeh Mera India. With Kavita, the supporting voice is of Amitabh Bhattacharya who penned the lyrics for Dev D (and did not sing a single song then). Go for this wonderful song, Goonja sa hai koi iktara iktara.

After one song, the album comes back to Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and 'Life is Crazy', another Shankarish song comes up which is sung by Uday Benegal and Shankar himself. The song is good but with all songs of more or less similar kind, the soundtrack looks repetitive.

The last song of the album is a 3 minute 41 seconds long Wake Up Sid Club mix which is not much different from the original number but gives a good listening experience. The fast paced song sounds good with more instruments and faster beats also and one likes the club mix better than an average remixed song.

Overall, the album is good but Shankar Ehsaan Loy have disappointed. At least for their lack of variety in songs if not other reasons. Shankar Mahadevan singing three out of four S-E-L compositions also gives a hint how desperate piece of work the album is. The album maybe liked but Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy need to work harder and smarter to maintain their standards. And yes, Well Done Amit Trivedi, again!

What's Your Rashee: Music Review

2009-08-21T01:53:00.000-07:00

13 songs. Zero remixes/repeats. One new composer. 14 singers. 9 songs sung by the composer himself.

Let's see the album one by one. The first song of the album, Pal Pal, or actually the title track, is a boring song. Start with the second one. **

Here comes the first good song of the album. Jao na is not something superb level, but the song is good and Sohail Sen, the composer and the singer of the song, sounds fresh. ***

The next number, Aaja Lehrate, is an okay dance number sung by Shaan and Bhavya Pandit which is foot tapping and Harman, with his dancing abilities, can make the song go. **1/2

The fourth track of the album finally tells you why Ashutosh Gowarikar chose such a new composer after working with Rahman continuously. The song is almost a Jashn-e-Bahara stuff. One of the best songs of the album. Must listen. ****

With Manunga Manunga, the next number, Actor turned director Ashutosh Gowariker turns into a singer also. The song is average with less than average music in the background. Ashutosh's heavy voice sounds good and the song may be liked for some time. ***

The next song, Sau Janam is a typical traditional slow soft romantic number sung by Madhushree, Sohail Sen, and Udit Narayan. Likable again. ***

Aa le Chal, the seventh song, is a not-too-noticeable song sung by Aslesha Gowariker with Harman Baweja's voice as dialogs in between. **

And here comes the big one. Pyaari Pyaari, the eighth and the best song of the album is such a beautiful romantic number that by the time Sohail Sen starts rendering the third line of the song, one starts humming Pyaari Pyaari too. Alka Yagnik is the female singer for the song and gives a traditional touch to the song. Basically this is the song where one loves Sohail in his composition as well as his voice. Must listen. ****1/2

Number nine, Suu Chhe is kind of a surprise. As must be clear with the title of the song, it has Gujarati words. Not much new about the song but the sounds interesting. **1/2

The next song Salone Kya is a song that has many Hindi words. Well, Hindi here means pure, literal Hindi which is far from our daily language and is found in textbooks and literature. The song is made to sound funny and to some extent it does that. Average again. ***

Dhadkan Dhadkan, sung by Tarannum Malik and Sohail again starts well with Tarannum's voice given some chorus effect. The music is good and even lyrics are fine. Worth listening to. ***

Koi Jaane na is a song with a classical touch. The song is sung by Rajab Ali Bharti and SaReGaMa winner Bela Shende. The song has beautiful lyrics and is well sung. Listen to it if you like songs in classical mode. And yes, for the lyrics. ****

The last song, Chehre jo dekhe hain, is taken up by Sohail again. Though the song is average, since it's the other song that can claim to be the title song of the movie, the song can get publicity and so, be liked too. ***

Overall, What's Your Rashee is an average album with some foot-tapping numbers and a few beautiful pieces of work while most of the songs are average or above average. Still, go for certain songs, like Pyari Pyari, Bikhri Bikhri, and Koi Jaane na.

Meri Khamoshi (Toss)

2009-08-13T11:47:00.000-07:00

Ho bahana koi dooriyaan na rahen,
Door tum na raho, door hum na rahen..

The lyrics might not read as good but when you hear the song, everything, music, singer, and lyrics sound wonderful. Sandesh Shandilya gives music for this lesser known movie called Toss. And Vijay Prakash, the guy who sang Manmohini in Yuvvraaj, gets a song composed by Shandilya. The lyrics of the song are by Irshaad Kaamil, the guy who gave lyrics for Love Aaj Kal, and I put the song on.

Since then, it's in repeat mode.

Well, first thing, Meri Khamoshi is not a usual song. The song has poetry spoken in between in the way where the lines of song are suddenly spoken instead of being sung. The song is also not a sad/slow song as the title might suggest. Instead, it's a Sandesh Shandilya signature song, just the way you might have heard in Socha na tha. Vijay Prakash sings the song well. The dialog-poetry voice is given by Sandesh himself. Vijay's voice has wonderful modulation in the song and he is quite like Kunal while singing on higher notes.

In short, if you like slightly 'different' type of songs, go for this Khamoshi.

Kaminey: Music Review

2009-07-07T10:06:00.000-07:00

Vishal Bharadwaj. Gulzar. And a lot of Sukhwinder Singh. The compound product looks like the best in the world, and if Kaminey is not that, you will find some things at least near that. Some things for which we love Gulzar.

The album has total eight songs of which two are remixes and one theme piece. Two songs (and a remix) have Sukhwinder Singh in their credits. All the songs are written by Gulzar, and there is a lot worth the attention, in a good way as well as bad.

The first song, Dhan te nan, which is already quite popular, is probably the best song of the album, or at least you will feel so when you listen to the album for the first time. The song is catchy, sounding something like the old espionage tunes and with quite desi lyrics. Not one for long term, but the voices of Sukhinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani will surely give you have some good time. And yes, the song makes a good ringtone too.

As the trend is going, one song is sung by Mohit Chauhan and here the song happens to be Pehli baar Mohabbat ki hai. The song has some slow, soft music and Mohit renders Gulzar's words perfectly. Vishal's tune is good and sounds better on higher volumes as Mohit goes from low to high notes.

Rekha Bharadaj is back. And this time it's with Sunidhi Chauhan, Suresh Wadkar and even Kunal Ganjawala. And together make a wonderful song called Raat ke Dhai Baje. The song is somewhat like Genda Phool, but there is not much similar except the experimental nature of the song. Don't compare the two and you will like the song. Sunidhi singing with Rekha is good to listen and you need to identify their voices with every changing line. Suresh Wadkar and party sing some deeply beautiful lyrics as he croons Ek hi lat suljhane mein saari raat guzari hai. Seriously, it's Gulzar at his romantic best again.

The next song, Fatak, is sung by Kaikash Kher and Sukhwinder Singh. When I heard them singing I realized I had never heard them sing together. This comes out of the fact that Kailash Kher sounds a bit rough while singing with Sukhwinder. The song is OK and maybe liked in some time. Though the song can be categorixed as OK, you cannot take it as a normal song as the lyrics as well as the music is quite 'hatke'.

The fifth and last song is the one that is my favorite. The Kaminey Title track, sung by the soft-husky voiced composer Vishal Bharadwaj, is a treat except that the lyrics will sound a bit strange to your ears in the beginning. But as one graduates through the song, one falls in love with the song, the singer, composer, and lyricist too. At least I did.

Go Charlie Go, the theme piece is good and will work well in the background.

Overall, the music of Kaminey is good and probably so because of some different elements in it. All the songs of the album are good, at least beyond a certain minimum level, and at various points of time, many people will be loving them. So just go for it and take your pick. Until you decide, keep on listening to Dhan Te Nan!

Chor Bazari (Love Aaj Kal)

2009-06-30T07:43:00.000-07:00

Rarely does it happen that a song gets popular due to its lyrics, but in the past some time it's happening more often. And most of the times when the lyrics are something 'different'. The same 'different' comes when you listen to Chor Bazari of Love Aaj Kal.

Chor Bazari is sung by Neeraj Sridhar and Sunidhi Chauhan. The song has the same freshness that you see in the trailer of the movie and expect from the movie. The lyrics of the song are interesting, realistic, lovable, and above all, mast. The music is good and foot-tapping, and the lyrics will probably help the song long last.

Lyrics:

Chor Bazari do naino ki
Pehle thi aadat jo hat gayi

Pyaar ki jo teri meri
Umr aai thi woh ghat gayi

Duniya ki to fikar kahan thi
Teri bhi ab chinta ghat gayi

Chanda rre
Tu bhi tu hai
Mein bhi mein hoon
Duniya saari dekh ulat gayi
Tu na jaane mein na jaanu
Kaise saaari baat palat gayi

Ghatni hi thi yeh bhi ghatna
Ghat-te ghat-te lo yeh ghat gayi

Chor Bazari do naino ki
Pehle thi aadat jo hat gayi

Tareef teri karna
Tujhe Khone se darna
Haan bhool gaya ab tujhpe din mein char dafa marna

Tareef teri karna
Tujhe Khone se darna
Haan bhool gaya ab tujhpe din mein char dafa marna

Pyaar khumari utari saari
Baaton ki badli bhi chhat gayi

Hum se main pe aaye aise
Mujhko to mein hi mein kat gayi

EK hue the do se dono
Dono ki abb raahein kat gayi

Ab koi fikr nahi
Gham ka bhi zikr nahi
Haan hota hoon main jis raste pe
Aaye khushi wahin

Aazad hoon main tujhse
Aazad hai tu mujhse
Haan jo jee chahe
Jaise chahe karle raaj yahin

Laaj sharm ki chhoti moti jo thi dori
Woh bhi kat gayi
Chauk chaubare gali mohalle
Khol ke main saare ghoonghat gayi

Tu na badli mein na badla
Dilli sari dekh badal gayi

Ek minute mein duniya dari ki
saari samajh nikal gayi

Haan Rang biranga pani pi ke
Seedhi saadhi kudi begad gayi

Dekh ke mujhko hasta gaata
Sad gai yeh duniya sad gayi

Khudaya ve (Salim Merchant: Luck)

2009-06-27T22:55:00.000-07:00

If you listen to the soundtrack of Luck, there is only one song that attracts attention. And you almost fall in love with the song. The song is slow, soft, a bit sad and very much lovable in the very first listening. The lyrics are good and so is singing.

Listen to the first line, and if you haven't read the credits, for once you're going to think if it's Mohit Chauhan behind the microphone. But then, it's not. And it's not some new singer either. Khudaya ve, the best song of Luck, is sung by Salim Merchant, the guy who has given his voice mostly as background or in a group of singers. So after Wajid, count Salim in too. In fact I hope he may sing more songs in future, especially after the success of Marjawa (Fashion) and Khudaya ve, it looks almost certain.

Lyrics:

[ Khudaya Ve... haye
Ishq Hai Kaisa Yeh Ajeeb Re ] - 2
Dil Ke Qareeb Laya
Dil Ka Naseeb Re...
Dil Ke Qareeb Laya
Dil Ka Naseeb Re
[ Khudaya Ve... haye
Ishq Hai Kaisa Yeh Ajeeb Re ] – 2

[ Ankhon Se Khwaab Roothe
Apnon Ke Sath Chhoote
Tapti Hui Raahon Mein
Pairon Ke Chhale Phoote ] - 2
Pyase Tadap Rahe Hain
Sahil Qareeb Re
Pyase Tadap Rahe Hain
Sahil Qareeb Re
[ Khudaya Ve... haye
Ishq Hai Kaisa Yeh Ajeeb Re ] - 2

[ Aansoo Namak Se Lage
Rishte Hain Kachche Dhaage
Ret Pe Apne Saaye
Khud Se Kyun Door Se Bhaage ] - 2
Kheench Ke Hum Ko Laya
Kahaan Pe Raqeeb Re
Kheench Ke Hum Ko Laya
Kahaan Pe Raqeeb Re
[ Khudaya Ve... haye
Ishq Hai Kaisa Ye Ajeeb Re ] - 2

Luck: Music Review (3/5)

2009-06-27T02:02:00.000-07:00

Salim Sulaiman is a pair of composers who possess the power of giving any type of music, from the best, most addictive songs to the worst, utterly waste songs. And here in Luck, they have shown this immense power on both sides of scale.

For a nine track album with five original songs, Salim Sulaiman have roped in NINE singers in all. And still, the best song is sung by Salim Merchant alone. Ironic, but true.

Well, to start with the first song, we can be sure of one thing. Sukhwinder Singh is a wonderful singer, but you cannot give him just anything and expect the song to be great by itself. Aazma Luck Aazma, the first song of the song by Sukhwinder Singh and Satya Hinduja is just a mediocre song which may sound good for a time on high volume but it's neither catching enough to be loved the first time you listen to it, nor good enough to last long.

The second song, Khudaya ve is something that gives hope but later you come to know that it's the only song of that level in the entire album. The song is sung by Salim Merchant himself and he dons the singer's hat also with something near perfection. In fact, at times Salim may remind you of Mohit Chauhan too. Believe me, singing is no more a stable career now, if it ever was. The lyrics of Shabbir Ahmed are good and the song is something sounds something like a 90's melody with a deep influence from Fashion. Slow, soft, romantic, bit sad, and pretty much lovable.

The third song, Jee le, is one of the very few songs Shruti Pathak has sung. Shruti has Payaliya (Dev D) and Marjaava to her credits and sings this song pretty well too. The other singer, Naresh is just OK. Overall, the song has some beautiful beats and the voice of Shruti Pathak that make it worth listening.

After Shruti Pathak, the next song is sung by actress, model, singer Kamal Hassan's daughter Shruti Hassan. It's interesting how I could identify the voice only after listening to a song or two of her on her website. Shruti definitely has a good voice and can go a long way, though same is not sure about the song. The song, though in Hindi, sounds more like English numbers (and in between, IS in English) so cannot say how many people would like the song. Try this one for yourself. I hope you won't be disappointed.

The last song, Lagaa le by Anushka Manchanda looks like quite useless. No idea why the song is put in, except that it might be used in the background.

Overall, album looks just average with One good song and two average song. Not much to look for, but Khudaya ve is a must listen. Go for the song.

Love Aaj Kal: Music Review (3.5/5)

2009-06-24T01:58:00.000-07:00

It's simple. Love Aaj Kal looks like it's going to be a hit. And so does the music of the movie. On the very first listening, you get to know that you're going to love the songs and they're gonna be all over the FM. Well, why waste time then, start with the review. Shall we?

Love Aaj Kal, composed by Pritam, is an album where Pritam has left almost no stone unturned (except Atif) and half the album goes to Neeraj Sridhar. But, the results are not as could as one might have expected. Still, the album is worth listening to.

The album has seven tracks and three of them are remixed, to give a total of ten songs. Out of seven, Neeraj Sridhar gets to sing 3 songs and Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, KK and Mohit Chauhan get one song each. Sunidhi gets one solo number while sings one with Neeraj. And Jazzy B is there in one song with Neeraj.

The first song opens up with Jazzy B singing in a style that is less like himself and more like some 90's singer. Soon, when Neeraj comes in, you feel that Jazzy B takes in some freshness and the song probably wouldn't be as good if it had been Neeraj alone. In fact, I get a feeling like Neeraj is being used too much and if he keeps on singing the same type of songs, people may get bored of him soon.

The second song, Ajj Din Chadheya is some typical Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, with some new touches, that resemble more 'Teri ore' than his old numbers. The song, slow, and with not much experiments, is quite soothing. The lyrics of Irshad Kamil are good. No doubt, the song is one of the best in the album.

Chor Bazari is again sung by Neeraj Sridhar, and Sunidhi Chauhan. The song has the same freshness that you see in the trailer of the movie and expect from the movie. The lyrics of the song are interesting, realistic, lovable, and above all, mast. The music is good and foot-tapping, and the lyrics will probably help the song long last. Go for this one.

KK is one of the singers who must be looked out for in an album. Here too, with just one song, KK again makes his presence felt as he sings 'main wo hoon jo chahun wo paaun'. The song sounds like a stage performance and is one of the best songs of the album, beating most except one by Rahat.

The next number, the only 'female only' song, is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, and is mixed with folk music, with chorus sounding like from a 'mahila sangeet' of North India. As always, Sunidhi has sung the song well and though I don't know how Imtiyaz and Saif plan to promote the song, I hope it can go well if promoted well.

The next on the soundtrack is what you have been listening during the theatrical trailer of the movie. Twist, the song that starts with the ever-so-popular 'Nagin' tune, almost runs on the same tune half the way and the tune keeps coming back. The song is sung mainly by Neeraj Sridhar and he's the only person with the credits but it seems Saif also has done his share of singing and the female voie is uncredited too. The song is not big for separate listening but it'll be great for backgrounds. And surely for baraats.

The last song, Ye Dooriyaan sung by Mohit Chauhan, is a good number too, but at some points it seems like Pritam is trying to make another Tum se hi rather than a new song, especially in the start. The song is slow and Mohit Chauhan, like always, sings it well. And the song should gain popularity, though not as much as Tum se hi.

Overall, the album is good and some of the songs can be expected to top the charts soon. Go for it.

No new releases! What to listen?

2009-05-14T07:23:00.000-07:00

It's been more than a month that there are no new Hindi movies releasing. And since there are no movies releasing, there are no new songs either. So, what should one listen to? Here are some good options.

Oldies: The best time to listen to oldies. Not that there is a bad time for that, but now there is no new, Old is certainly gold. Put on your favorite Kishore Kumar and Mukesh and Rafi and Lata songs and have a wonderful time.

That 90's Magic again: Remember that Chhupana bhi nahi aata of Vinod Rathod? Remember the great music of Saajan and Aashiqui? Pardes and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai? Sandese aate hain and Are re are? There is a whole decade to relive in those 90's songs.

Deewana, Jaan, Yaad: This one is for die hard Sonu Nigam fans. But I know that this huge community can never be fed up of these three albums. Play these 30 something songs in album order or random, and press the repeat button of your player.

Pop: From Alisha's Made in India to Amanat Ali's Kohram, there is a lot, lot to be heard which is sung by Indian as well as Pakistani singers/bands. In these private albums, not only there are hundreds of popular songs but also as many unknown songs which couldn't even reach general public.

Here are a few recommendations. Mostly for songs which have gone unheard by most. Try to find these songs and listen to them. I hope you will like them.

Door Kahin (Nine): Pankaj Awasthi
Khaireyaan de naal (Tabeer): Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan
Tauba Tauba (Iss dil se): Sukhwinder Singh
Rain bhai kaari/Maajhi (Humsafar): KK
Kaise Jiye Hain Hum & Nostalgia Mix (Maheru): Jojo
Jugnuon se bhar le (Huqa Pani): Ali Zafar
Har Jagah mein (Tu hi mere rab ki tarah hai): Mithoon
Aise Jaagi Re (Sona): Sona

Besides these songs, Shafqat Amanat Ali's Tabeer is an album which may be new for many people. And since the songs are really good, if you haven't heard, go for Tabeer. Also, Amanat's Kohram has some good songs. I hope you'd like them too.

For more, keep visiting. You may also contact me at musicalized [at] gmail [dot] com.

Quiz! Who composed that tune?

2009-04-30T02:04:00.000-07:00

Quiz: Who sang that Hindi Song?

2009-04-29T01:52:00.000-07:00

Quizzes by Quibblo.com

Kohram (Amanat Ali): Instant Review

2009-04-21T02:58:00.000-07:00

Here is the instant review of Saregamapa finalist Amanat Ali's debut album Kohram. Here you will find only keywords about a song. This is before I write the detailed review. Check out this raw review.

Kohram: ***
Can say, an Item number. Fast of course. Some drama included. Catchy.

Teriyaan: ****
Good. Punjabi. Sad. Nostalgic.

Tanhai: ***
Fast. Full of Beats. Good in the antara part. Normal Mukhda.

Raha Jaye na: ****
Love song. Well sung. Voice based. Good music. Good lyrics. Overall good.

Thumri: ****
Singing comes clear. Well sung with Aalaps and all. Ends almost in rock.

Berangi: ***1/2
Good one again. Music is good. Something like Deewana of Sonu Nigam though entirely new. Of course not a Sonu Nigam though.

Any More: **
Fast. Punjabi. Music not new.

Halka Halka: ***1/2
Slow Love song. Good lyrics. Rock instruments in filler. Seems a bit strange. voice less on the softer side, more on sufi side. Overall a good song.

Ye Mera Dil: ****
Normal. Still good. Slow, sad, love song. Well sung. Goes high on notes.

Vari Vari: ****
Fast. Beat based. Catchy.

Tum se hi: ****
Beat based. Runs at a medium pace. Good number again.

Tujhse Naraaz Nahi Zindagi: *****
Only not-new song. Best of the album. Superb. Comparable to original. Almost untouched. And touching.

Overall: Wonderful album. At least does not disappoint like Albums of Amit Sana, or Karunya, and many others. Worth a listening.

*****: Excellent
**** : Very Good
*** : Good
** : OK
* : Didn't show up here. ;)

Ummeed (Firaaq)

2009-03-25T15:00:00.000-07:00

I wasn't really expecting any songs from Firaaq. But the deep rooted movie has some deep music too. Ummeed, a ghazal sung by Rekha Bharadwaj is a superb piece of work and music lovers, precisely those of poetry, will love it.

There is no need to tell how good Rekha has been on the slow paced ghazal composed by Rajat Dholakia/Piyush Kanojia. All I can help with is the lyrics, that is by putting the ghazal here. The only doubt I had with the lyrics was that the second line it should probably have been 'Jalne ke baad shama aur bolti nahi' but I felt it was shama aur bolti rahi. In the end, it reverts to bolti nahi again which created further confusion.

Though, in either case, the ghazal is a must listen from me.

Ummeed ab kahin koi dar kholti nahi,
Jalne ke baad shamma aur bolti rahi..

Jo saans le rahi hai har taraf wo maut hai,
Jo chal rahi hai seene mein wo zindagi nahi..

Har ek cheez jal rahi hai sheher mein magar
Andhera badh raha hai kahin raushni nahi..

Jalne ke baad shamma aur bolti nahi
Ummeed ab kahin koi dar kholti nahi..

8x10 Tasveer: Music Review

2009-03-24T08:51:00.001-07:00

Salim Sulaiman have always been Nagesh Kukunoor's favorite, be it Iqbal, dor, or a suspending Aashayein. At the same time, Salim Sulaiman have also been good with horror/thriller movies, especially because of their expertise with background scores. Now that Tasveer, or 8x10 Tasveer, as it's said now, had to have Salim Sulaiman as its main composers whereas Neeraj Sridhar (known mostly as a singer after his entry into Bollywood) and Bohemia also compose one song each.

The music of Tasveer is good as Salim Sulaiman still seem to be in quite the same touch as in Fashion. Neeraj Sridhar also gives a wonderful number, but overall, the music is not as good as one could expect after the pains of roping in three separate music composers.

The movie has five songs, based on four compositions, as two songs are same composition sung twice with entirely different lyrics. Along with that, there are five remixes too, which do not have much to offer like most remixes.

Nazaara Hai

Nazaara hai is the thriller song of the movie. The song has some good music and a lot of energy. Composers bring in Vishal Dadlani to sing the song and Vishal rocks here too. The composition is mostly rock oriented and gives Vishal quite a lot of scope to use his vocal chords. Background vocals have been used quite well for a thriller effect, something at which Salim-Sulaiman have been good from the time of their background score days. Lyrics are average, and the song may be liked a lot, particularly after the movie is out.

Hafiz Khuda

With Hafiz Khuda, it goes like this. Salim Sulaiman compose, Mohit Chauhan sings, and one feels that the soundtrack of Fashion is still in continuation. Mohit takes all the time in the world lingering at almost every word of this ever so slow romantic number and he's probably the best person to do that. The lyrics are just fine enough to do justice to the wonderful music and singing of Mohit. The female voice, Tulsi Kumar, is fine too but with Mohit singing in a super serene mode, Tulsi can be clearly seen two steps behind. Overall a good, slow romantic number, and one more gem by Mohit Chauhan.

Aaja Mahi

This one is by Neeraj Sridhar. Neeraj not only sings but for once, even composes the song too, and is clearly good at both. This time too Tulsi comes in, but feels far better than in the previous song. Aaja Mahi is a not a very typical song and probably cannot be exactly explained. But one can expect all those characteristics of a typical Neeraj Sridhar song here too, and more, except that this one is not as much a dance number as his other songs but more of a romantic or love song.

Still, this problem is tried and solved in the remix version as the remix version of the song can work as a dance number as well. The only other problem that I felt was that the end of the song is a bit abrupt. Otherwise the song is good and a must listen.

I Got The Picture

Remember the rap song of Chandni Chowk to China where Akshay Kumar started singing with Kithe Chali hai gobhi ka phool banke? It's a similar one where Bohemia keeps on repeating Aadmi Khilona duniya ke khel mein. Not really a good song but it'll probably be popularized by Akshay Kumar's videos.

Kuchh is Tarah

This is strange. After you listen to Hafiz Khuda, it seems like you are listening to the same song again. It's the same composition, interestingly, sung by the same singer in the same style. Just that the lyrics are different. And when you listen carefully, very carefully, you can find this one better.

Mohit Chauhan and Tulsi sing the song note after note like Hafiz Khuda, fitting different words in this. In fact it's interesting to see when one realizes that there are two different songs while listening to Hafiz Khuda and Kuchh is Tarah. Still, the song is good on quality and one can listen to it intently even though everything seems repeated.

Remix versions of all the songs are fine, though there is hardly much worth mentioning. Nazaara hai is one remix that goes actually slower than the original version, and makes a good listening. Neeraj Sridhar goes good on Aaja Mahi remix as usual. Bohemia's rap is one song which I found certainly better as remixed. Kuchh is Tarah is a great song remixed into an OKAY number.

Overall, Tasveer is not a hot-shot album, but has its own share of good songs. Kuchh is Tarah (or Khuda Haafiz) is worth listening for sure. And so is Aaja Mahi. And if you like the Bohemia rap, you can very well like the album. For me it's a 3/5 as Bohemia doesn't add to stars for me.

Tere Bina (Kal Kissne Dekha)

2009-03-16T23:12:00.000-07:00

Finally, there is one more composer announcing his arrival in the field of singing. Though Wajid has given his voice for almost ten songs by now, with Tere Bina he gets into the full fledged singing mode just like he did while singing Bang Bang in Hello. This is the second time I loved his singing. And the first time when I did not need to see the credits to find who is behind the microphone.

When Wajid starts singing Tere Bina, it feels quite like a Himesh Reshammiya song, but the absence of nasal effect tells one that it's not Himesh. The song is a romantic number that has a sad touch to it. The song has a lot of surround sound effect and quite a number of instruments in background. Also, the voice is processed, but the result is fine.

Music of the song is undoubtedly good and a bit on the catchy side. Lyrics of Sameer are normal and there is not a lot to watch for in lyrics, especially in a time when Javed Akhtar is writing Sapnon se Bhare Naina and Piyush Mishra is disturbing people with his Gulaal.

Still, overall the song seems pretty good, mainly on account of its music. Not a classy song, but one may like it well enough to have some good time.

Aalam Guzarne Ko (Kal Kissne Dekha)

2009-03-10T21:30:00.000-07:00

Sajid Wajid are generally ordinary affair. Most of the times, there is not much new in their music and the quality rarely reaches across a certain level. But even with that, Sajid Wajid and Sonu Nigam is something different. And this difference is clear in Aalam Guzarne ko, right from the first line of the song.

Aalam Guzarne ko, or Tere bina raazi nahi as I'd prefer to call it as, is a beautiful melody from Jackky Bhagnani's debut Kal Kissne Dekha, sung by Sonu Nigam, with the soul of Deewana in it. (I hope no introductions required) The song is actually behind its time, but since it has the quality that made songs long lasting in that time, my guess is that many people will like the song as I did.

The good thing about the song is that Sajid Wajid haven't tried to do many experiments with the song and have thus kept it as melodius as they could. The lyrics of the song, written by Sameer, are of course all romantic, non-exceptional, and good. The song does remind one of the albums of Sonu Nigam, and since Sonu is singing this type of melody, that is, one from the generation of his albums after a long time, his fans would surely love the song.

Overall, the song is a soothing experience for the ears and if you are a Sonu Nigam fan and crave for the melodies of 90's, especially those of his album, just go for it.

Duniya (Gulaal)

2009-03-03T19:44:00.000-08:00

If you are one of the die-hard lovers of older Hindi music, it's one of the best times to listen to contemporary music. Because today, while composers are trying new things everyday, many are scaling themselves to the tunes of older times and trying to find the music of those times. And fortunately, some of them are getting quite some success too.

Piyush Mishra's Duniya is one such attempt which is based on one of the best lines of one of the most revered movies, 'Ye Duniya Agar Mil Bhi Jaye To Kya Hai' from Pyaasa. Piyush has sung the song himself and so he is the composer, lyricist and singer at the same time, making Duniya completely his own song.

The song opens up with the words O ri duniya and it starts looking promising by the time he renders these words the third time as Piyush gets into rhyme and jumps right into the song with just a little supporting music and takes the song and music solely on his voice for the first two long lines. Even while going further, the song doesn't have many instruments in the background as Piyush clearly isn't interested in adding any hindrances or distractions from the thoughtful lyrics.

The song is almost the same in its implications as was Gurudutt's version of Ye Duniya while being less harsh but trying to be more subtle. There is hardly a need to say that the song is completely lyrics based and Piyush tries to be as simple in everything else as possible. If you are into serious lyrics or poetry, Duniya is a must check. You'd definitely love it.

Lyrics:

O ri Duniya
Surmayi aankhon ke pyaalon ki duniya o duniya
Satrangi rangon gulaalon ki duniya o duniya
Alsaayi sejon ke phoolon ki duniya o duniya re
Angdaai tode kabootar ki duniya o duniya re
Karwat le soyi haqueeqat ki duniya o duniya
Deewaani hoti tabeeyat ki duniya o duniya
Khwahish mein lipti zaroorat ki duniya o duniya re
Insaan ke sapno ki neeyat ki duniya o Duniya
O ri Duniya

Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaaye to kya hai
Mamta ki bikhri kahaani ki duniya o duniya
Behno ki siski jawaani ki duniya o duniya
Aadam ke Hawwaa se rishte ki duniya o duniya re
Shaayar ke pheeke lafzon ki duniya o duniya
o o oo....... o o oo......
Ghalib ke Momin ke khwaabon ki duniya
Majaazon ke un inqalaabon ki duniya
Faiz Firaaq aur Saahir o Makhdoom
Mir ki Zauk ki Daagh ki duniya
Ye duniya agar mil bhi jaye to kya hai

Pal chhin mein baatein chali jaati hain hain
Pal chhin mein raatein chali jaati hain hain
Reh jaata hai jo savera wo dhoondhe
Jalte makaan mein basera wo dhoondhe
Jaisi bachi hai waisi ki waisi bachaa lo ye duniya
Apna samajhke apno ke jaisi uthaalo ye duniya
Chhit put si baaton mein jalne lagegi sambhaalo ye duniya…
Kat pit ke raaton mein palne lagegi sambhaalo ye duniya..
O ri Duniya..

Wo kahein hain ki duniya ye itni nahi hai
Sitaaron se aage jahaan aur bhi hain
Ye hum hi nahi hain wahaan aur bhi hain
Hamaari har ek baat hoti wahin hai
Hamein aitraaz nahi hai kahin bhi
Wo aalim hain faazil hain honge sahi hi
Magar falsafaa ye bigad jaata hai
Jo wo kehte hain
Aalim ye kehta wahan Eeshwar hai
Faazil ye kehta wahan Allah hai
Qaabil ye kehta wahan Isa hai
Manzil ye kegti tab insaan se ki
Tumhari hai tum hi sambhalon ye duniya
Ye bujhte huye chand baasi charaaghon ki
Tumhaare ye kaale iraadon ki duniya…

Dhoop Ke Sikke (Sikandar)

2009-03-02T13:11:00.000-08:00

Sometimes it happens that you try to something great, and while you don't really make a great thing, you end up making something good anyway. I think that is the case with Dhoop Ke Sikke.

This part experimental, part traditional, part good, part OKAY, part beat, part off-beat song has been sung by Shankar Mahadevan along with Anusha Mani who starts the song in quite a new way, with her vocals going Tee-ri-ree-ree-ri-ree and her voice later suppressed and mixed.

But with all these music touch-ups, the song is actually a lyrics based number and Shankar's music reminds me of Phir Milenge songs where they had special stress on lyrics. The problem, though, is that the good lyrics which are probably trying to show a bigger picture, are not clear and hence fail in their bigger picture task.

Similarly, I did have some problem with lyrics-music compatibility too. At certain points, music doesn't seem to be going with the lyrics, or maybe the singing, but there seems to be some flaw.

Baarood jab bachcha tha wo titli pakadta tha
Wo ambiya bhi churata tha, patango par jhagadta tha
Agar tum uska maanjha loot-te wo kuch nahi kehta
Thoda naaraz to hota magar phir bhi wo khush rehta

The very next lines go as

Magar dhokhe se tumne uska bachpan bhi to loota hai
Zara dekho to uski aankh mein wo kabse rootha hai
Jugnuon ki roshni mein dil lagane do use

Here Shankar sings the 'Dhokhe se..' line with the same calmness with which he sings the previous four lines, something that probably doesn't justify the deep lyrics.

Neelesh Misra has been trying to create good lyrics throughout the song as he starts the next para with the following lines.

Bahut jaldi dupatte odhna sikhla rahe hain hum
Kyun zindagi ko raat se milwa rahe hain hum
Wo pallu se chipak kar chalti thi to achchi thi
Akela chhod kar usko kya kehna chah rahe hain hum..

Which is a good effort in my opinion.

Overall, as I said, I didn't think the song is great, or to put it more clearly, not as great as the makers of the song might be feeling, but the song is good and with some good lyrics, light music and some little experiments, it is worth listening.

Aarambh (Gulaal)

2009-03-02T10:23:00.000-08:00

First things first. Aarambh is a superb song. But I don't know how many people will even be able to understand the song. Still, one thing that is sure is that people are going to like the effect that the song is going to generate in the movie. In fact I had noticed the song in the trailer itself when it appeared during the intermission in Dev D.

Aarambh, mainly a lyrics based song, is more like a well-recited, provoking battlefield poem. The song has a revolutionary mood and the words show their effect, even if someone doesn't understand the lyrics completely. The music is good, fast paced and the singing is just flawless, which is a big deal for the song. Hats off to Rahul Ram and Piyush Mishra.

From my perspective, Aarambh is one of the best, or probably THE best song of the high-on-variety Gulaal. Give it one listening even if you don't completely understand the words.

Lyrics:

Aarambh hai prachand
Bolein mastakon ke jhund
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhaar do

Aarambh hai prachand
Bolein mastakon ke jhund
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhaar do
Aan baan shaan
Ya ki jaan ka ho daan
Aaj ek dhanush ke baan pe utaar do

Aarambh hai prachand...

Man kare so pran de
Jo man kare so pran le
Wahi to ek sarv shaktimaan hai
Krishna ki pukaar hai ye
Bhaagwat ka saar hai
Ki yuddh hi to veer ka pramaan hai

Kaurawon ki bheed ho
Ya paandavon ka need ho
Jo lad sakaa hai wohi to mahaan hai

Jeet ki hawas nahi
Kisi pe koi vash nahi
Kya zindagi hai thokaron pe maar do
Maut ant hai nahi
To maut se bhi kyun darein
Ye jaake aasmaan mein dahaad do

Aarambh hai prachand
Bolein mastakon ke jhund
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhaar do
Aan baan shaan
Ya ki jaan ka ho daan
Aaj ek dhanush ke baan pe utaar do

Aarambh hai prachand...

Wo dayaa ka bhaav ya ki
Shaurya ka chunaav ya ki
Haar ka wo ghaav tum ye soch lo
Ya ki bhoore bhaal par
Jalaa rahe vijay ka laal
Laal ye gulaal tum ye soch lo
Rang kesari ho ya mridang kesari ho
Ya ki kesari ho taal tum ye soch lo

Jis kavi ki kalpana mein
Zindagi ho prem geet
Us kavi ko aaj tum nakaar do
Bheegti maso mein aaj
Phoolti ragon mein aaj
Aag ki lapat ka tum bhaghaar do

Aarambh hai prachand
Bolein mastakon ke jhund
Aaj jung ki ghadi ki tum guhaar do
Aan baan shaan
Ya ki jaan ka ho daan
Aaj ek dhanush ke baan pe utaar do

Aarambh hai prachand... x 3

International Attyachar: Ranaji (Gulaal)

2009-03-01T20:39:00.001-08:00

Hail Anurag Kashyap.

Ranaji mhare gusse mein aaye
aiso bal khaye
agiya barsaye
ghabraye mharo chain
Jaise door des ke taawar mein ghus Jaaye re aeroplane

If Dev D had the emosanal attyachar, Ranaji is doubtlessly the internasnal attyachar. Love it or hate it, you can't ignore it.

Ranaji, probably the next big thing, is a song in complete folk style, that too in the voice of Rekha Bharadwaj. But the (international) lyrics of the song bear references to 9/11, Iraq invasion, and Afghanistan attacks.

The USP of the song is not it's lyrics alone, but also the way those lyrics have been sung. Rekha has been indubitably wonderful. And so has been Piyush Mishra, as the composer, and as the lyricist.

While the international references attract attention, larger than life (read 'village life in Rajasthan') picturization of subtle differences between town and country lives is simply superb and is probably the best part of the song.

See an example.

Sajni ko dear bole,
Tharre ko beer bole,
Maange hai English boli,
Maange hai English choli,
Maange hai English Jaipur English Bikaner,
Jaise Bisleri ki botal pee ke ban gaye Englishman.

(Actually Inglis and Inglisman rather than English)

The song goes on in the same way, or even better when Rekha discreetly tells about Ranaji bringing home another girl.

Ranaji mhari sautan ko ghar le aaye
Pooche to bole friend hamari hai haaye

Interestingly, Piyush Mishra looks more from the advertising world than Prasoon Joshi as he puts in 'Thanda maane Coca Cola' and 'Ye dil maange more', without being partial to any side, of course. ;)

Overall, the song is an extreme thing, and you'd probably give it either one star or five. For me, it's Five.

Beedo (Gulal)

2009-03-01T00:39:00.000-08:00

Anurag Kashyap surely knows well what he wants as music in his movies. And he knows who can create it for him. And so, after a Dev D full of variety, he comes up with Piyush Mishra composing for his next, Gulal.

The soundtrack of Gulal starts with Beedo, a beautiful song sung by Rekha Bharadwaj, in her well known style and proves once again that she IS an underused talent, even though with Rahman calling her for Delhi 6 and now Piyush Mishra bringing her up for some wonderful tracks.

Taking of the song, the song reminds me of Namak of Omkara as Rekha sings the song with the similar ups and downs, almost a trademark now, while the song belongs to the same genre. The lyrics are interesting and the Chakmak Chakmak is simply lovable.

Once again, there is not a lot I would like to say about this song. Just that it's a must check out. Go for Beedo.

Ab To Har Roz (Mithoon)

2009-02-25T03:39:00.000-08:00

There is one thing quite interesting about Mithoon. He gave music for some hugely popular songs of Atif. And then, he started singing the same type of songs. In almost the same voice. Ab to Har roz is one more such song which features in his album, Tu hi Mere Rab ki Tarah hai.

Ab to har roz reminds me of Kuch is Tarah from Atif's Doorie. For those who don't know, Kuch is Tarah was the only song of Doorie composed by Mithoon. And now when I listen to Ab to har roz, I can find the touch of that music in this album too.

Ab to har roz is a very slow, romantic and touching song, though not as much as Kuch is Tarah was, only because the lyrics, though very good, fail to reach that level. Mithoon starts rendering the song in an ever slow tune just like Atif (talking of kuch is tarah again) or to be more precise, slower than that. The other difference between the two songs is that Atifism - by which I mean the high pitch that comes in 'Jo bhi gham hain ye tere, unhe tu mera pata de' and 'Sun meri Guzarish inhe chehre se hata de' in Kuch is Tarah - is absent here. Mithoon sings the entire song at a lower note and doesn't go for very high ones, not as high as those taken by Atif at least.

Overall, the song is good but it takes a lot of time to register the song with the ever slow music. Still, the lyrics are good and if you have patience and time, there are good chances that you love the song.

Lyrics:

ab to har roz yahi soch ke hum uthte hain
tera chehra kahin ik baar nazar aa jaye
aur har shab hum yahi soch ke ab sote hain
tu dabe paon khwab mein kahin chala aaye

jis ghadi tujhse pehli baar aankh takrayi aisa laga mujhme zindagi aayi
hath phir zehen mein hathon se tere takraye
der tak ab jism se mere teri khushboo aayi
dil ne yoon tujhse mulaqat ke saare lamhe
tujhko maaloom hi nahi...
kitni baar dohraye

ishq ne tere hame jeene ka dhang sikhlaya
ik naye andaz mein khud humse humko milwaya
in dino jab bhi kabhi maine aaina dekha
apne chehre pe kahin kuch noor sa paya
ab to maalik se ye din raat dua kare
noor chehre pe ye saari umr ko bas theher jaaye

ab to har roz yahi soch ke hum uthte hain
tera chehra kahin ik baar nazar aa jaye
aur har shab hum yahi soch ke ab sote hain
tu dabe paon khwab mein kahin chala aaye

Tu hi Tu Har Jagah (Mithoon)

2009-02-19T05:18:00.000-08:00

Mithoon is a composer who has been in the limelight ever since he composed his very first song for a movie. His first movie as a composer ruled the charts, and finally he's here with his first album. And he proves that the limelight he has been receiving is falling in the right place.

If the first song of his album, Tu hi mere rab ki Tarah hai was good, Tu hi Tu, the second of the album, is great.

Tu hi Tu, or Har Jagah mein tu samaya, as the song has been listed in the album, is a song that once again makes it clear that Mithoon is a composer of high stature, quite near A R Rahman in his approach to certain qualities of music and his singing makes the comparison all the more inevitable as he sings on higher notes with a voice that sounds quite like that of Rahman.

For now, I don't have much to say about the song, except that it's a must listen song for every Hindi music lover.

Here are the lyrics.

Har Jagah Mein, Tu Samaya Hai
Har Disha Mein, Tu Numaya Hai
Har Jagah Mein, Tu Samaya Hai
Har Disha Mein, Tu Numaya Hai

Subaha Mein Meri Shaam Mein Tera Zikr Hai, Tera Saya Hai
Mera Haath Jo Tu Thaam Le, Phir Jahan Ka Karna Hai Kya
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah, Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah, Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah

Meri Subaha Mein Meri Shaam Mein Tera Zikr hai Tera Saya Hai Mera Haath Jo Tu Thaam Le Phir Jahan Ka Karna Hai Kya
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah
Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah
Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah

Tu Roshani
Tu Hi Chandani
Tu Hi Ped Hai
Tu Hi Chhaaon Bhi
Tu Hi Raasta Tu Hi Hai Safar Jahan Pahuchna Hai Woh Gaon Bhi Mera Haath Jo Tu Tham Le Phir Jahan Ka Karna Hai Kya
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah
Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah
Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah

Yaar Tera Saath Jis pal Pa Liya Jisne
Usko to Phoolon Ki Tarah Raahon Ke Khar mile
Oo Subah Mein Meri Shaam mein Tera Zikra Hai Tera Saya Hai
Mera Haath Jo Tu Thaam Le Phir Jahan Ka Karna Hai Kya

Har Jagah Mein, Tu Samaya Hai
Har Disha Mein, Tu Numaya Hai
Main Tere Nashe Mein Hoon Choor Sa

Teri Justazoo Mein Hai Zindagi
Mera Haath Jo tu Thaam Le Phir Jahan Ka Karna Hai Kya
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah, Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah
Tu Hi Tu Har Jagah, Tu Hi Tu Jeene Ki Wajah

Mohabbat Aapse (Aa Dekhen Zara)

2009-02-18T23:42:00.000-08:00

Aakriti Kakkar has not been very famous for singing typical, slow, soft, romantic songs. But after listening to Mohabbat Aapse of Aa dekhen zara, I feel there might be a change of opinions, that is, if the song gets popular.

In Aa Dekhen Zara, the next flick of Neil Nitin Mukesh, where he has also sung the title song, Aakriti Kakkar gets what is probably the best song of the album, a song that is slow, soft, romantic, that one would have thought of giving to Alka Yagnik or Shreya Ghoshal, but Aakriti Kakkar, the singer of generally fast and furious type of songs and a favorite of Himesh Reshammiya, gets this one, and sings the song with the same beauty with which Shreya or Alka might have sung. Maybe even better.

The song, Mohabbat aapse, gives a feel of older times, that is the '90s, but a setting of the 2000s is enough to tell that the song actually belong to this century even with a composition simulating those of the '90s. In fact the song reminds me of Akele Tanha of Darling, a song with a '90s touch I'd quite liked.

Besides being good, Mohabbat Aapse is the only typical new song of the album Aa Dekhen Zara, in which one song is derived from the original Aa Dekhen Zara, the other - Let's rock the party - is almost a copy of Let's party from God Tussi Great Ho, and Paisa hai Power is the 'different' song of the album, a good number, though the composer couldn't find much 'different' in the 'different' song.

Coming back, Mohabbat Aapse is a song based on good music and beautiful, soft singing. The lyrics are all sweet-syrupy and there is not a lot to be expected on that front. But overall, the song is likeable and those fans of the '90s songs would probably love the song. Try it, and I hope you wouldn't be disappointed.

Aasma Odh kar (13B)

2009-02-10T03:59:00.000-08:00

Shankar Ehsaan Loy as composers. And Shankar himself singing with Chitra. What can one expect from such a combination except a beautiful melody. And Aasma odhkar is just the same, with a lot of instruments playing in the background though.

I can't exactly find the genre of the song, but it's something like Tere Naina which is fast and still melodius. Also, the music reminds me somehow of Roja, probably because of the jingling instruments used, as there is nothing to suggest that any music or style is copied.

I don't remember Shankar singing along with Chitra for a Hindi movie before this. The experience is surely great as both the singers are almost at their best which is something not very common, especially nowadays.

Lyrics of Neelesh Misra are good. If you get past the skies, stars and clouds, you even find the meaning and it sounds pretty romantic. Though the song is so fast that in the first time, you won't find time to search for the meaning.

Technically speaking, there was one thing I found wrong with the song. Instead of Orh kar, both Shankar and Chitra pronounce the word as Odh kar, that is, if you can understand, as it's not possible to clear this in Roman script. In fact, once or twice Chitra sounds almost a foreigner for a moment as she makes 'Audh kar' of the Orh kar or odh kar.

Overall, the song is almost back to '90s for a lot of it. And that too the way A R Rahman used to compose in those days. Still, those songs are loved by all even now, and I guess this one will be liked, too.

Sufi Tere Pyar Mein (Jai Veeru)

2009-02-08T23:04:00.000-08:00

Well, if you have heard the song or going to listen soon, it's my job to tell you that this song is not composed by some Pakistani guy or band, or even Mithoon. Sufi tere pyaar mein is a composition of Bappa Lahiri, the already known son of Bappa Lahiri.

The song is a good composition but is clearly influenced by Pakistani composers. The start of the song goes exactly like Tera Mera Rishta Purana, from Awarapan. The singer, Saim, has sung the song almost like Atif, or in better words, almost like a Pakistani singer and I guess that would have been the demand of the director and composer.

The song, though a duet, is almost a solo song by Saim, just the way Atif had Bakhuda Tumhi Ho. In the start, Tulsi gets to sing even less as she doesn't get past two lines at a time but in the last one and half minutes she gets a major share of the song before Saim gets to finish the song.

As far as lyrics are concerned, the song is not exceptionally good, but Sameer goes a step better than his usual with the mukhda that is Sufi tere pyaar mein ban hi gaya and stays just a step behind Sayeed Quadri, as comparison becomes obvious.

Overall, Sufi tere pyar mein is a song which doesn't have much new to it but the composition is good and the so is the singing, and hence the song can be well accepted by the audiences, depending on the promotion.

Dev D: movie review

2009-02-08T10:03:00.001-08:00

There are two types of reactions to masterpieces. Either you absolutely love them, or you absolutely hate them. So before you go for the movie, see the promos and decide which side you are on.

It was really confusing when i saw one star to dev d by Taran Adarsh and five stars by Nikhat Kazmi of ToI. But when i saw the movie, i found both the reviews were correct from different points of view depending on the viewer, though it was unpleasantly surprising that Taran opined quite like a person without pragmatism, something i don't expect from a reviewer of his stature.

Anyway, i was almost sure on which side i would be and it turned the same. I just loved the movie in all senses of word. New story, new style of telling, natural acting (at least by abhay deol and maahi gill), beautiful cinematography, and a wonderful soundtrack which has one background for everything happening in the foreground. And still it works almost perfectly. Hats off to Amit Trivedi.

Besides Amit, people who have done some wonderful work are, Amitabh Bhattacharya for lyrics varying from emosanal attyachar to saali khushi, abhay deol for being a natural again, rajeev rai for a superb choreography, and of course Anurag Kashyap for not just making the movie but for daring to make it and put his heart and soul and mind in it.

Finally, the result is the same as i told in the first line. Dev.D is almost a masterpiece which you can love or hate. If you feel it's your type, just go for it, and if you don't have that feeling, there is very little chance you'll like the movie.

Dev D: Reviewing the Reviews

2009-02-06T04:03:00.000-08:00

I haven't yet seen Dev.D. But still, there was an urge to see the reviews and so I started with my favorite, Taran Adarsh from IndiaFM, or BollywoodHungama now. It was disheartening to see there was just one star and Taran described the movie as No Smoking II.

Well, that was something I cannot agree with. After a disaster, it's rarely possible to make another disaster, until you are Ram Gopal Varma. And my guess is that there is only one Ram Gopal Varma on the earth. Until I see Dev.D, I won't believe it's No Smoking II, or that there are two Ram Gopal Varmas.

Anyway, done with Taran, I decided to go for the reviewer I almost despise. That is Nikhat Kazmi, the reviewer for the Times of India who said Dhoom 2 was a great movie, and compared it to Hollywood flicks. The interesting thing is that Nikhat Kazmi gives the movie a five star rating and calls it Critic's rating.

Well, to be true, I have never seen such extreme reviews of any movie till date. So I went for more and saw the review on Passion For Cinema. Here, Pragya Tiwari writes 'Dev D is a lot of fun'. Whereas Nikhat Kazmi calls Dev.D a 'brilliant breakthrough for Bollywood'.

At the end, the only thing I can say is that Anurag Kashyap is surely a man of extremities. His Paanch didn't come out due to extreme violence, his Black Friday was an extremely wonderful film, so much that I felt it was too good for Indian audiences many of which won't understand the movie anyway. His No Smoking was an extreme disaster, and Dev.D is something touching the extremes from the very day when Emosanal Attyachar was out. And now, these extreme reviews of the movie. I don't really know many people who are so much to the extremes.

And as a final sentence, I'm waiting for the Sunday when I'll have three hours to watch the movie. Till then, confused between the extremes. :)

Lottery laga de maula (Lottery)

2009-02-02T23:32:00.001-08:00

Our film industry is strange. Here anybody becomes anybody. Actor becomes director, director becomes singer, and singer becomes actor. After Aamir Khan and Farhan Akhtar's change of field, it's Aapka Abhijeet Sawant, India's first 'Idol' who is turning a hero from a singer.

But that's not all that's strange. Here comes more to that. Abhijeet, being a singer does sing songs for his own movie, but what comes as interesting to me is that it's Sukhwinder Singh who sings the title song of Abhijeet's acting debut, Lottery.

The song, lottery laga de maula is a song that has Sukhwinder Singh as it's OSP, that is, it's only selling point. It's a mediocre song with a limited life which would find it difficult to survive had Sukhwinder not been the singer. Now that he is there and that he has sung the whatever-it-is with quite an energy, i'm getting a feeling that the song might click. Basically, the main tune of the song is a bit catchy, and Sukhwinder's voice may help the cause of the song. Lyrics, however, are quite hopeless and there is hardly anything worth thinking about. Still, somehow i think that the song might find it's share popularity due to the singer of Golden Globe winner, Oscar nominated song. Fancy words for Sukhwinder Singh and Jai ho. :)

Tu hi mere rab ki tarah hai (Mithoon)

2009-01-31T22:07:00.001-08:00

When I went to my college last week, I noticed that everybody was seeing Rab somewhere or the other and Rab was pretty popular. Probably that's the reason Mithoon named his album on a song's second line.

But that's the only thing that is not classy about the album. Or at least the title song. Rest of the song is as good as Mithoon always gives.

Tu hi mere rab ki tarah hai is a typical song of Mithoon, a bit slow, with lots of background and surround music and the same touch as found in 'The Train' songs.

The first song, tu hi mere rab ki tarah hai, or tu hi mera sara jahan hai, as the first line goes, starts with Shilpa Rao (my guess) rendering the first two lines on a high note, with Mithoon mouthing 'Tu hi mera' twice in a surround sound mode just after that and then following up with his typical soothing, Rahman-sort-of voice.

Mithoon's music is great as always. Though he doesn't sing in some new type or genre, the song is as good as it could be, being in the same genre. In the mid of the song, the main musical instrument becomes Tabla and toward the end, the song gets into a completely different mode with the instruments changing to give a lounge feeling.

Mithoon's singing of his genre hardly needs a discussion. It's the same soothing voice zindagi ne zindagi bhar gham diye and sounds quite like that of Rahman when the latter sings his slow songs.

Lyrics of the song are, if not exceptional, not bad from any angle. Though the words tu hi mere rab ki tarah hai feel like cashing the popularity of 'Rab', there is nothing to suggest that the song is low quality or something. If you are a mithoon fan, go for the song. If not, try it at least.

Mann chandre (Connections)

2009-01-28T02:14:00.001-08:00

First things first. Mann chandre is one the very best songs of Rahman. Or at least that is what I personally felt.

I don't understand Punjabi very thoroughly but courtesy Yash Chopra, i know quite a few words of the language and that helped me a lot in understanding the song, as it's completely in Punjabi, which is probably the only limiting factor of the song.

The song starts in a female voice, my guess being chinmayee, rendering the Punjabi lines in between slow, soulful music. And then suddenly when the song reaches it's peak, Sukhwinder Singh comes in and goes ahead with the song, in the high and low renditions. Later in the song, a soothing voice of chorus comes in to sing the same lines, but this time, the feeling is all the more strong with the chorus singing. In fact for the past sometime, i don't remember such an effective voice from a chorus. Of course in between, Sukhwinder gets a line or two and then takes the song back from the chorus, the background music lighter this time. The most interesting thing I found is that there are only a few lines in the song, which are repeated again and again, but still the music and the effects put in don't let the listener feel that anything is being repeated.

Here are the lines which form the entire lyrics as they are repeated.

Mann chandre nu raas na aave, Na aave dharwaas
Jigar da sauda kyon kar baitha, mukadi jaandi aas
Je lut janda te lut janda dil, hauke kha ke chhup jaanda

Beparwah da ki kehna, Na aave dharwaas..
Jigar da sauda kyon kar baitha, mukadi jaandi aas..
Dard sataunda bedardaan nu, bedardaan da ki jaanda..
Dard sataunda bedardaan nu, bedardaan da ki jaanda..

The English translation of the lines goes as follows:

Crazy heart neither gets satisfaction nor can afford..
Why it did the deal of heart, now even the hopes are dying..
Once heart is gone, its gone! It hides after crying..

What to say about heartless people, there is no relief..
Why it did the deal of heart, now even the hopes are dying..
Pain hurts and heartless have no regret about it..
Pain hurts and heartless have no regret about it..

Here is the SOURCE of the English Translation.

Rahman at Oscar: Appreciation or Ignorance?

2009-01-22T09:06:00.001-08:00

Our very dear, very own, A R Rahman gets three Oscar nominations in two categories. One of the nominations is for the same song for which Rahman got a Golden Globe, the golden song - Jai Ho. The thing i'm happy about is that this time Gulzar also got nominated for the song along with Rahman.

The other song in the same category of original song is o saya, which is a fine song, though not upto the level of Jai ho, or even other creations of Rahman while one counts the best of him. Still, a nomination is acceptable.

But the nomination that came more as a shock to me rather than surprise was for a category called Original Score. For slumdog millionaire, of course. This was something i did not understand. I feel that if a movie gets an award (or a nomination) for an original score, it has to have more than a few good songs. And as far as Slumdog Millionaire is concerned, i beg to differ. Slumdog is hardly one of the best original scores Rahman has produced, even with a good song like Jai ho, for which i would like to give credit to Gulzar and Sukhwinder Singh along with Rahman.

If one has a doubt about the mediocrity of the score of Slumdog, one just needs to listen to Ringa Ringa, the song which is almost a choli ke peeche, I need not write, from Khalnayak. (probably more because of the notoriousness of the song, rather than popularity)

Though, i was told by somebody that Rahman and the Slumdog team wanted to give a 90's touch to the music. But then, i suppose if it's that much inspired or has a 'touch', it can't be Original.

On the whole, the thing that troubles me the most is that Rahman has made far better songs than the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire, but owing to the ignorance of the 'big' people, the ones giving out all those Golden Globes and Oscars, and who never came to know about all that great music of Rahman, all awards are being given to a mediocre creation of Rahman, and I feel it's unfair to all of us Indians who know what actual Rahman is. And still, we're so happy to get all these awards. But I don't feel like celebrating the ignorance of these big people myself.

Anyway, for now I wish all the best to Rahman, because he has given us lots of lots of great music for which he deserves a lot more.

Jiya Se Jiya (Connections)

2009-01-20T12:55:00.000-08:00

First of all, two words about Connections. It's music.

Pure, straight from the soul, true work of a genius we call A R Rahman, Connections, an album launched on the Nokia Xpressmusic phones (5220, 5320, 5800 as far as I know) is something which is not exactly commercial music, even though it comes straight from the business community rather than the aesthetic movie people.

The first song I heard from the album was Jiya se Jiya, the one featured in the advertisement of the Xpressmusic phones. The song Jiya se Jiya is credited to Karthik who has been Rahman's favorite for quite some time now and sang Behka in Ghajini, one of the most popular as well as critically acclaimed song. (Yes, now even songs are critically acclaimed)

The song starts with some typical Indian music that is just like what you listen at a big Indian festival like Durga Pooja in Bengal or Ganesh Utsav in Maharashtra. Big music with lots of traditional instruments and big sounds of Dhol and nagada and even claps.

And then, the song starts.

Ude re umang, bina dor ke patang, ek doosre ke sang, jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya,
koi gaaye dhun koi naache jhun jhun koi kahe sun sun jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya,
ambar se surtaal barse gulbar se gulhaar barse,
ambar se surtaal barse gulbar se gulhaar barse jud gaya re jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya..

Raat hai aaj gulabi raat gulabi
Naach rahi murgabi haan murgabi
Jud gaya re jud jud gaya re jud jud gaya re jud gaya jiya se jiya
jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya,

Ude re umang, bina dor ke patang, ek doosre ke sang, jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya,
koi gaaye dhun koi naache jhun jhun koi kahe sun sun jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya,
ambar se surtaal barse gulbar se gulhaar barse,
ambar se surtaal barse gulbar se gulhaar barse jud gaya re jud gaya jiya se jiya,
jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya, jiya se jiya,
Jiya se jiya!

Oops! I wrote the entire song. Well, actually I was just planning to write a line or two to give readers a feel of the lyrics but when I started I felt like going on and on and so I did write it. The song actually has a lot of Indian feel attached to it. Rather I should say that the entire album has a different Indianness attached to it and quite touches the soul of an average Indian, though I doubt how many will get to listen to the album due to the limited release.

On that note, I'd like to mention that you can download this song from youtube or songs dot pk or maybe some other places too. I'm not a supporter of piracy but I guess buying a phone for the songs will be a bit too much. So, just doenload this one.

Another interesting thing is that probably because the song is made for a phone release, it generally sounds better on headphones than on speakers as you can feel more surround sound like things there.

A full marks song. Listen to it. I very much hope you'll like it.

Dil Gira Dafatan (Delhi 6)

2009-01-18T01:50:00.000-08:00

King is King.

Well, Dil Gira Dafatan proves that only. While AR Rahman gets his due credit for this beautiful composition, the British-born Singer Ash King is the one who deserves probably more for adding life to Rahman's composition with his beautiful voice as he sings Dil Gira Kahin Par Dafatan.

Ash King has sung Dil Gira Dafatan really wonderfully. So much so that right from the start of the song, when Ash starts crooning Dil mera, dil mera.. one starts wondering who is the singer.

What all Rahman has used for the music, I can't tell. There is so, so much. All I can say about the genre is that it's a 'Different' song. The song is a slow number, a rendition by a youthful voice who is singing completely from the heart.

The singer seems to be sitting near some sea, on a rock, and the song reminds me somewhat of Dooba-dooba, not because of the song but the instruments, though the sounds of wind in the background are quite desert-like.

Another question which is there on my mind is about the video of the song. The voice of Ash King, our heroic singer is so much heartfelt that I'm thinking how they can let Abhishek perform the hero with that. My say is that if he does it, and does it properly, it'll be a big deal.

Chinmayee, an all time favorite of Rahman, is the supporting voice and she does her job pretty well. And not to forget, Prasoon Joshi does a real good job again. Ghazalon ki sohbat mein geet bhi behek rahe hain... Excellent!

But still, at the end, it's Ash King who is the King of the song. Or in my words, King is King.

Lyrics:

Dil mera Dil mera
Dil Meraaa

Dil Meraaa......
aaa......

Dil Mera Dil Mera
o..o...ou.... aee...

Dil, Gira kahin par.. daffatan
Dil, Gira kahin par.. daffatan
Jaane.. Magar Yeh nayan
Teri Khamosh zulfon ki.. gehraiyaan
Hai jahan dil meraa uljha hua hai wahin kho gaya
Tu magar hai bekhabar, hai bekhabar

Dil, Gira Kahin par daffatan
Kyon goonj rahi hai dhadkan...
Jaane magar ye nayan

Seepiyon, ke honth se moti chhalak rahe hain
Ghazlon ki sohbat mein geet bhi behek rahe hain
Samandar lehron ki lehron ki chaadar odh ke so raha hai
Par mein jaagoon ek khumari ek nasha sa, ek nasha sa ho raha hai
Tu magar, hai bekhabar.. hai bekhabar..

Dil, Gira Kahin par daffatan

Kyon goonj rahi hai dhadkan...
Jaane magar ye nayan
Khushbuon mein lipte mausam...
Teri Khamosh zulfon ki gehraiyaan
Hai jahan dil meraa...
Uljha hua hai wahin kho gaya
Tu magar, hai bekhabar.. hai bekhabar..

Dil! Gira Kahin par daffatan!

Rehna Tu (Delhi 6)

2009-01-16T15:26:00.001-08:00

Strange how one can see certain patterns in the songs A R Rehman sings himself. The soft, philosophical ones (Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na-Tu bole, Ada - Meherbaan), his typical high pitched ones, mostly patriotic (Swades - Ye jo des hai tera, Bose - Jaage hain, Vande Mataram - Vande Mataram), his multi-singer ones (Yuva - Dhakka laga Buka, Yuvvraaj - Dil ka Rishta, RDB - Khalbali), and his praising-the-lord ones (Fiza - Piya Haji Ali, Jodhaa Akbar - Khwaja mere khwaja) cover most of the songs sung by him as he doesn't sing 'normal' songs.

This time Rehman doesn't sing the 'praising Him' song himself but instead goes for the philosophical one. The song is a slow number and will take its time before you like it. If you don't have the patience, you lose it. The song feels quite like the Title track sung by Rehman in Jaane tu ya jaane na as both have a certain amount of philosophy attached to them along with romanticism.

Rehna tu is a song in which the guy asks his lover to remain the same and to not change, praising his lover in the course. The lyrics of the song are good and Rehman sings the song ever so softly. Quite typical of him. Towards the end of the song Rehman also uses some wind instrument which runs for almost a minute.

Overall, the song is good. The only thing that I felt is a bit out of place are the few lines that say it cannot be both right hands when you walk holding hands. In those lines Prasoon Joshi suddenly seems to be going philosophical from romantic. The lines remind me of 'Tu bole glass adha khali, main bolun adha bhara', but in that case it was all part of the song.

Still, Rehman's music and singing fill all the gaps and the song goes smoothly. In fact, high chances are that a listener won't even notice the lyrics I feel out of place. So listen to the song when you are free. Once, twice, see the movie, and you'll be humming it someday.

Lyrics:

Rehna tu
Hai Jaisa tu
Thoda sa dard tu
Thoda Sukoon

Rehna Tu
Hai Jaisa TU
Dheema Dheema jhonka
Ya phir junoon
Thoda sa resham
Tu humdam
Thoda sa khurdura
Kabhi tu ad jaye
Ya lad jaye
Ya khushboo se bhara

Tujhe badalna na chahoon
Ratti bhar bhi sanam
Bina sajawat milawat
Na zyaada na hi kaam

Tuhje chaahoon, jaisa hai tu
Mujhe teri barish mein bheegna hai ghul jana hai
Tujhe chaahoon jaisa hai tu
Mujhe tere lapat mein jalna rakh ho jana hai

Tu zakhm de gar
Marham bhi aake tu lagaaye

Zakhm pe bhi mujhko pyaar aaye

Dariya
o... dariya
Doobne de mujhe dariya
Doobne de mujhe dariya

Rehna tu
Hai Jaisa tu
Thoda sa dard tu
Thoda Sukun

Rehna tu
Hai Jaisa tu
Dheema Dheema jhonka
Ya phir junoon

Haath tham chalna ho
To dono ke daayen haath sang kaise
Haath tham chalna ho
To dono ke daayen haath sang kaise

Ek daayan hoga ek baayan hoga
Tham le haath yeh thaam le
Chalna hai sang thaam le

Rehna tu
Hai Jaisa tu
Thoda sa dard tu
Thoda Sukun

Rehna tu.......
Hai Jaisa tu
Dheema Dheema jhonka
Ya phir junoon

Thoda sa resham
Tu humdam
Thoda sa khurdura
Kabhi tu ad jaye
Ya lad jaye
Ya khushboo se bhara

Tujhe badalna na chahoon
Ratti bhar bhi sanam
Bina sajawat milawat
Na zyaada na hi kaam

Tuhje chaahoon jaisa hai tu
Mujhe teri barish mein bheegna hai ghul jana hai
Tujhe chaahoon jaisa hai tu
Mujhe teri lapat mein jalna rakh ho jana hai..

Arziyaan / Maula Maula (Delhi 6)

2009-01-16T06:28:00.000-08:00

A R Rehman suddenly gets all divine whenever there is a song in the service of God. Same is the case of Arziyaan in Delhi 6. Now that the song is not sung by Rehman himself and this time it's Javed Ali and Kailash Kher singing the song, the song is not as divine as Khwaja mere Khwaja, but very close, or still closer to Piya Haji Ali. Though in a few places Rehman gets slightly experimental, the song is basically one from his old styles.

Javed Ali, probably for the first time, is not feeling anything like Sonu Nigam but more like Kailash Kher himself as he croons Sufi music. His voice in fact sounds a bit husky and a bit different from his previous songs, but most of the times easily identifiable.

Kailash Kher does his job with perfection, as usual, and his bonding with maula-bande gets stronger with the song.

Arziyaan is a qawwali/sufi song with a huge length of more than eight and a half minutes. And Rehman must be applauded for the fact that even that length doesn't bore the listener. In fact in the first few hours of getting the song, I listened to it a number of times.

Lyrics of Prasoon Joshi are quite upto the mark and he has written some very good lines too. But for me, one word that didn't fit the song for some time is 'Marammat' as it suddenly takes me to mechanical engineering from the Sufi song (actually, first thing that comes to my mind is a plumber doing the 'marammat' of water tap n all). But then, in the beauty of the song, it's lost and I got used to it.

I don't think I've more to say about the song. I'd just advice to go for it.

Lyrics:

Arziyaan saari main chehre pe likh ke laaya hoon
Tumse kya maangoon main tum khud hi samajh lo.... maula
Maula maula mere maula

Maula maula mere maula
(Maula maula mere maula)
Maula maula maula maula
(Maula maula maula maula)
Daraarein daraarein hain maathe pe maula
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula
Mere maula..

Tere dar pe jhuka hoon mita hoon bana hoon
Tere dar pe jhuka hoon mita hoon bana hoon
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula..

Jo bhi tere dar aaya
Jhukne jo sar aaya
Mastiyaan piye sabko
Jhoomta nazar aaya
Pyaas leke aaya tha dariya wo bhar laaya
Noor ki baarish mein bheegta sa tar aaya
Noor ki baarish mein.. o... noor ki baarsih mein bheegta sa tar aaya
Maula maula....

Daraarein daraarein hain maathe pe maula
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula
mere maula..

Jo bhi tere dar aaya
Jhukne jo sar aaya
Mastiyaan piye sabko
Jhoomta nazar aaya

ho..
Ek khushboo aati thi
Main bhatakta jaata tha
Reshmi si maaya thi
Aur main takta jaata tha
Jab teri gali aaya
Sach tabhi nazar aaya

Mujh mein hi wo khushboo thi
Jisse tune milwaaya...
Maula maula...

Daraarein daraarein hain maathe pe maula
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula
mere maula..

Toot ke bikharna mujhko zaroor aata hai
Par na ibaadat waala shahoor aata hai
Sajde mein rehne do, ab kahin na jaaoonga..
Sajde mein rehne do, ab kahin na jaaoonga,
Ab jo tumne thukraaya to sanwar na paaoonga
Maula maula....
Daraarein daraarein hain maathe pe maula
Marammat muqaddar ki kardo maula
Mere maula..

Sar uthaake maine to kitni khwaahishein ki thiN
Kitne khwaab dekhe the kitni koshishein ki thiN
Jab tu rubaroo aaya nazarein na mila paaya
Sar jhukaake ek pal mein..
Sar jhukaake ek pal mein maine kya nahi paaya

Mora piya ghar aaya
Mora piya ghar aaya....

Song by Song: Genda Phool (Delhi 6)

2009-01-15T22:05:00.002-08:00

When I listened to Genda Phool, the first question in my mind was: Is it written by Prasoon Joshi? If it's a folk, or written by his grandmother, maybe it's easier to understand. But if it's written by Prasoon Joshi, he deserves praise once again.

Rekha Bharadwaj comes like a guest singer in Delhi 6 and she's been treated the same way. She sings a wonderfully beautiful song which is completely offbeat with all those beats of Rehman.

Well, enough of circular talks. ;) Genda Phool is a song that is a complete folk and has even typical instruments (if you count Ghunghroos as instruments) along with lots of beats that are not at all folk. Be it Rehman's music (leaving those beats), Prasoon's lyrics, or Rekha's voice, everything is perfect for a standard folk song. Now adding these extra beats and extra music makes the song a 'Rehman-Made-Folk-Remix'.

I think I've tried my best to explain what the song is like but if you still don't get the idea, Rehman is the one responsible.

One thing I would like to suggest still is that you get hold of this song and give it a proper listening. I hope you'll like the song. I won't say much about the song as this genre is rarely seen in contemporary movies. But I just loved this song. One wonderful piece of music from A R Rehman. Go for it.

Lyrics:

(Hoye Hoye Hoye)-8

Saiyyan Chhed Deve,
Nanad chutki leve,
Sasural genda phool..

Saas gaari deve,
Devar samjha leve,
Sasural genda phool..

Chhoda baabul ka angna bhaave dera piya ka ho..

(Saas gaari deve, devarji samjha leve, sasural genda phool..)

Saiyyan hain vyapari,
chale hain pardes,
sooratiya niharoon,
Jiyaara bhaari hove,
Sasural genda phool..

(hmmm hmm hmm hmmm hmm hmm hmmm..)

Saas gaari deve,
Devarji samjha leve,
Sasural genda phool..

(hmmm hmm hmm hmmm hmm hmm hmmm..)

Saiyyan Chhed Deve,
Nanad chutki leve,
Sasural genda phool..

Chhoda baabul ka angna bhaave dera piya ka ho...

Bush-shirt pahine,
Khai ke beeda paan,
Poore raipur se alag hai saiyyan ji ki shaan,
Sasural genda phool..

(Saiyyan Chhed Deve,
Nanad chutki leve,
Sasural genda phool,

Saas gaari deve,
Devarji samjha leve,
Sasural genda phool..

hoye hoye hoye
hoye hoye hoye

Chhoda baabul ka angna bhaave dera piya ka ho..)

(hoye hoye hoye)-8

Song by Song: Masakkali (Delhi 6)

2009-01-15T19:49:00.001-08:00

Mohit Chauhan must have thanked Pritam a hundred times for throwing his career to such heights with tumse hi. Now it's time to thank A R Rehman. For the image makeover.

Mohit had become a singer of soft romantic songs only, after tum se hi. And he got really good songs in that genre. Or maybe he made them good. But finally the under-rated talent goes with Rehman, and the guy sings a song totally different from his usual genre, and sings it really beautifully. And that's how we know this talent was under-rated.

Masakkali is a song about a dove, that u must have seen by now on tv. But being a song about dove doesn't make the song all good. It's the music that matters. And the beautiful singing of mohit chauhan. The song starts with mohit's vocals in an open voice, something like kunal ganjawala. And then, once he starts, there is no stopping him.

Masakkali is a song full of masti, and the lyrics, music, and singer all three make the song completely enjoyable. Rehman also gets into his experimental moods at some points and does some 'manmaani' with the song.

In short, masakkali is a song you'd like to listen to. Just get it and start flying.

Lyrics:

re re re re re re
ra ra ra ra

Hey hey hey hyyy
ho ho hoo hoo

Aye Masakkali Masakkali
Ud Matakkali Matakkali

Aye Masakkali Masakkali
Ud Matakkali Matakkali

Aye Masakkali Masa Masakali
Ud Matakkali Matakkali

Masakkali Masakkali
Ud Matakkali Matakkali

Zara Pankh jhatak, Gai Dhool Atak
Aur Lachak Machak Ke Door Bhatak
Ud dagar dagar kasbe kooche nukkad basti mein yeah e yeah e

Itdi se Mud Ada Ud
Kar Le Poori Dil ki Tammanna
Hawa se Jud Ada Se Ud
Purr Phuur Phuurrr
Tu hai Heera Panna Ree

Masakkali MasakKali
Ud Matak Kali Matak Kali

Masakkali Masakkali
Ud Matakkali Matakkali

Ghar tera saloni
Baadal ki colony
Dikhlade thenga in sabko jo udna na jane

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmani manmaani manmani
Badhiyo naa mudiyo kar nadani

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmani manmaani manmani
Badhiyo naa mudiyo kar naadani

Kad taan le muskaan le
Keh sana nana nana hawa

Bas Thaan le tu jaan le
Keh sana nana na na na hawa

Aye Masakkali MasakKali
UD MataaKali MataaKali

Aye Masakkali Masa MasaKali
Masak kali Masak kali
UD MataK matak.....

re re re re re re
ra ra ra ra

Hey hey hey hey
ho ho hoo hoo

Tujhe kya gham tera ristha
Gagan ki baansuri se hai
Pawan ki guftagu se hai
Sooraj ki roshani se hai

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmani manmaani manmani
Badhiyo naa mudiyo kar naadani

Udiyo na dariyo
Kar manmani manmaani manmani
Badhiyo naa mudiyo kar naadani

Kad taan le muskaan le
Keh sana nana nana hawa

Bas Thaan le tu jaan le
Keh sana nana na na na hawa

MasakKali MasakKali
UD MataK MataK MataakKali
Masakkali Masa Masakali
MataK matak

re re re re re re
ra ra ra ra

Hey hey hey heyyy
ho ho hoo hoo

re re re re re re
ra ra ra ra

Hey hey hey heyyy
ho ho hoo hoo

Musical notes: Delhi 6

2009-01-15T15:46:00.001-08:00

It's never been easy to review a Rehman album. And that was the reason i started the concept of reviewing one song at a time. Really, behka and kaise mujhe tum mil gayi were worth it when i heard ghajini. And this time rehman comes up with Delhi 6. Something that again proves that Rehman is not a believer of instant music. Give music your time, and you'll love it.

It's been just two days to the release of Delhi 6 and after hearing to the tracks for hardly twice, i don't think i can do much justice to Rehman's soundtrack. Still, here are a few musical notes on the album.

Ten songs and twenty-two singers. This was the first thing i had noticed on the album's cover. It was good to know that after a long time Rehman comes with a long soundtrack of ten songs, that too with no instrumentals (and of course no remixes). The second thing worth a notice was the range of singers. First of all, i searched for Rehman's own name which i found at the end of the soundtrack. Phew! This is what i always look forward to. One song sung by Rehman himself. The most disappointing part of Ghajini soundtrack for me was that there was no Rehman in singers. Besides, Rehman brings in people like Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan, probably for the first time in the industry, at least since the time i've been watching it. Big deal, of course. Mohit chauhan's presence was already known but i was looking forward to a complete masakalli. The wait is finally over. But the most interesting thing of all was the name of Rekha Bharadwaj, that too on two songs. Rekha, the wife of Vishal Bharadwaj, sings really well (i still remember sunidhi craving for lakkad from omkara) but she sings so few songs that i never thought she'd be singing for anybody other than Vishal. But here, Rekha gets a fair deal with Rehman as she gets definitely one of the best songs of the album as 'Genda phool'. Another thing in the album very much worth looking for is Arziyaan by Javed Ali (Rehman's favorite now) and Kailash Kher.

Rest will be following soon but one thing i can assure u of is that u can buy this album without thinking twice. You won't be disappointed.

Ek Hulchul si (Dev D)

2009-01-13T12:20:00.000-08:00

Ek Hulchul si is not exactly rock. But it does rock. It reminds me somewhat of Phas Gaya of aamir but it's quite different. Still, Ek hulchul si somehow defines a new brand of Amit Trivedi. Though something close to this has been tried by Shankar Ehsaan Loy in Johnny Gaddar n all, Amit Trivedi goes deep down and puts his experiments out to the world. And the results are things like Emosanal Attyachar and Ek halchal si.

As Joi Barua starts singing amid the all new music, the song sounds good to ears and the voice soothing, which later on goes to higher notes equally well. In short, the new voice of Joi Barua is wonderful.

I undoubtedly loved the music, but interestingly I'm quite fascinated by the lyrics too, which are quite simple, but different.

Dhadkan maheen dil mein jagati, ek hulchul si-2
Kohra hata ke sooraj jalati, ek hulchul si-2
(ek hulchul si)-6
Zinda hai ek hulchul si.

Had nazar ki, jahan talak hai
Ek bharam hai, wo jo dhanak hai
sach hai sach hai sach hai...

ku koo koo koo
ku koo koo koo

Jeene ki ek talab phir jagaye, (ek hulchul si)-2
Bujhti si saanso ko kash banaye, (ek hulchul si)-2
(ek hulchul si)-6
Zinda hai ek hulchul si..
Mehsoos kar le, ya dil ye pal.
Saanso se chhoo le, lamha ye bekal,
Bekal Bekal Bekal..

o ho ho ho ho ho
a ha ha ha ha ha

Kar le kar le ab kuch aisa kar le, kar le, kar le
Tu aaj an-gin roshan kirano se tan man, bhar le, bhar le
Macha le, jala le, dil mein...

o ho ho ho ho ho
a ha ha ha ha ha

Had nazar ki, jahan talak hai
Ek bharam hai, wo jo dhanak hai
sach hai sach hai sach hai!

If you're a kadardaan of non-traditional music, I hope you'll love the song.

Jai Ho

2009-01-12T07:51:00.000-08:00

I actually didn't know that the Golden Globe Award A R Rehman won was not for the entire movie but one specific song until I decided to read full story as I wanted to write something like 'Slumdog Millionaire isn't the best creation of Rehman and only a few songs could be described as great, Jai ho probably the best of them' but before I would do the mistake, I fortunately got the detail.

Jai Ho is actually one of the best creations of Rehman, even though one surely cannot say that it's better than all other songs created by him. The song is sung by Sukhwinder Singh and is full of energy like all songs of Sukhwinder, something that Golden Globe people won't know, so A Big Thanks to You Sukhwinder, for a voice so strong that almost never fails to penetrate through the walls of our hearts. Chak De!

Besides the energy packed music and lyrics, the song also has some 'background' music, a typical of A R Rehman. The background vocals, including numerous 'Jai ho' sounds are mainly sung by Rehman himself. The main female voice in the song is Mahalaxmi Iyer. Besides Hindi, the song has lyrics in Spanish too, sung beautifully (being a love language, Spanish has to be sung beautifully) by Tanvi Shah, of course an Indian, and a resident of Chennai. :)

Gulzar's lyrics are wonderful, (not as always now, as now he sometimes writes things purely with market on his mind) though I don't know who has written the Spanish part, because as far as I know Gulzar doesn't write Spanish. :)

For lyrics, you can go to inkspillz, where I got the Spanish lyrics for myself. Don't read the English translation there, as it might make you realize that Gulzar won't get a Golden Globe ever, poetry cannot be translated.

Song by Song: Kise Awaz Doon (Jugaad)

2009-01-10T10:27:00.001-08:00

He's a singer from Pakistan. He sounds like Atif. And he sings beautifully. Finally, after his album Koi Chehra, Adeel gets to sing in Bollywood with Jugaad.

Kise Awaz doon comes up as a bonus track or a collaboration between Sachin Gupta, the composer for Jugaad and Adeel, as it's a good thing for both, the singer and the movie. Sachin Gupta had composed this fairly good song for Adeel's album Koi Chehra but the song and even the album were hardly noticed. So now the song has been put in the movie so that the movie gets a good song added to its soundtrack and the singer gets himself noticed.

Kise Awaz doon is a light song which starts well and Adeel's voice seems noticeable from the very first line. Though the singer sounds a bit Atif-ish and one may expect the song to go high in the same way as Atif's songs go, the song goes on low notes only and still sounds quite good. Another positive point of the song is lyrics, which are written by Adeel himself and the make the song worth listening.

Overall, the song is an above average one and one may like it well while in a light mood.

Song by Song: Tu Hai Rab Mera (Jugaad)

2009-01-08T14:52:00.000-08:00

When I read the title Tu hai Rab Mera, my first thought was of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi, but as soon as I listened to the song, I was sure that this was not any cheap attempt to cash the popularity of the movie but a genuinely good song.

With the music of Jugaad, young composer Sachin Gupta proves that he has something in him as he comes up with quite good music soon after his Bollywood debut, Dil Kabaddi.

The song Tu hai rab mera is a Sufi style song sung by Krishna with mostly Punjabi lyrics and English background vocals. Krishna has recently started singing quite a number of songs solo and he's doing simply great. 'Tu hi Rab Mera' is one more in the list.

The music of the song has been experimented with in many areas, especially background vocals as they range from English ones in female voice to male-voiced dhoom-dana-dere-dana types to slow alaaps and more. One interesting thing with the song is the Dhoom-dana-dere-dana vocals of background which sound a lot like those in 'Yeh Hausla' from Dor.

Lyrics of Rohit Sharma are good. A small piece of the lyrics is here.

Tu hai rab mera rab jaanda hai
Mainu kaafir keh ke na sattaya kar
Mainu mod de paanve lakh vari
Mere ishq ka maan ta rakhya kar..

In short, the song is good and at least worth a try if you like Sufi style Bollywood singing. I hope you like it.

Song by Song: You get me rocking & reeling (Billu Barber)

2009-01-07T03:00:00.001-08:00

Pritam and Neeraj Shridhar is a combination that almost never fails. And this time, as Sayeed Quadri writes lyrics for this always hit combination in You get me rocking and reeling, the result is a soothing-slow-romantic-foot-tapping dance number that one would love almost instantly, especially after seeing Shahrukh Khan dancing to the tune with Priyanka Chopra.

The song is a quite typical Neeraj Shridhar song with rap 'n' all but has more to it this time. Not only the level of lyrics has gone one step higher, Neeraj gets Urdu words like khudaya khair, not quite typical of him.

The song has two remix versions. One is a normal remix where just the speed of the song is increased and the song ends in 4 minutes and 5 seconds instead of 4 minutes and 49 seconds and some extra instruments are added. In fact, original song sounds much better than this one even though fast speed also suits this song.

The other one is a video edit for which Dominique is also credited along with Neeraj as she sings a few lines in the video edit. The original version doesn't bear her name as she gives only vocals there along with rap. This version is almost the same as the original except for Dominique's lines.

To sum up, You get me rocking and reeling is a beautiful song. Listen to it to love it. Or still better, see it if you are an SRK fan. (-:-)

Musical Notes: Billu Barber

2009-01-06T14:10:00.000-08:00

Composer: Pritam.

Lyricist: Gulzar, Sayeed Quadri, Ashiesh Pandit, Neeraj Shridhar.

Singers: Abhijeet, Ajay Jhingran, Akruti Kakkar, Dominique, Kalpana, KK, Monali, Neeraj Shridhar, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, Rana Mazumder, Soham Chakrabarthy, Sukhwinder Singh, Sunidhi Chauhan, Suraj, Tulsi Kumar.

Any one remaining will be taken in Pritam's next movie.

Well, jokes apart, for seven songs and their eight remixes, fifteen singers are roped in. (Yes, one remix also has separate credits) And thus, zero scope has been left to remixing DJs. Though it's a different thing that they will still remix the songs, because hits are going to be there. Sure.

The first song, Marjaani, sung by Sukhwinder and Sunidhi, is made to be a hit, or an instant hit according to me. Though I feel KK must have been Pritam's first choice for the song as a remix of the song is sung by him.

The second song, Love mera hit hit, sung by Neeraj Shridhar and Tulsi Kumar, is a good song, though not as great as Neeraj's previous hits with Pritam which used to be the best numbers in the album. Sukhwinder overshadows Neeraj and Tulsi hardly does something exceptional.

Third song, You get me rocking and reeling, is again sung by Neeraj Shridhar. This time Neeraj gets a better deal and he sings the song absolutely wonderfully. Rocking and Reeling is a comparatively slow romantic-dance-song and sounds quite good with rap. Sayeed Quadri's lyrics are good.

Rana Mazumder and KK come together for the next song, Ae Aa O, and I had hoped there will be some blast but the song, though not bad, is nothing that big. Rana Mazumder is the guy who had sung Door Na Ja in Jannat.

Now there is one song in the movie which has not been remixed. This honor is given to Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. Rahat sings Jaoon Kahan which is quite fast a song if compared to the songs he is singing for past some time. The song is no doubt good, as Rahat's all songs are, but the typical Rahat Fateh Ali Khan feeling is somewhat missing.

Another slow song is Khudaya Khair, which is sung by Soham Chakrabarthy and supported by Akruti Kakkar and Monali. The song sounds very fresh, even though one can find a slight touch of Pehli Nazar Mein in the starting of the song. The song is sung by Abhijeet also and the Abhijeet version is equally good, or probably better.

Billu Bhayankar is a non-song among all these songs and I don't think you'll find time to listen to the bhayankar thing a lot. Let's keep this one for the movie.

In short, music of Billu Barber is quite good and has a number of hits in the making. I you buy a CD, you won't be disappointed.

Song by Song: Marjaani (Billu Barber)

2009-01-06T13:12:00.000-08:00

Pritam is Back. It was the first song of Billu Barber and I was listening to it for the very first time and still I could visualize the song being played on a DJ and people dancing to the tunes of Pritam once again.

Probably it's for the first time that Sukhwinder Singh is singing a Pritam's composition and the result is undoubtedly an INSTANT HIT. While Sukhwinder Singh singing for Shahrukh Khan has become a very common thing, Sukhwinder-Pritam and Shahrukh-Pritam are both quite rare combinations. In fact it's for the first time that Shahrukh Khan will be seen dancing on a song composed by Pritam and surely Pritam has given one of his best dance tracks here.

As it must have been clear by now, the song I'm talking about, 'MarJaani' is a fast dance track which comes with Pritam's trademark. The song has a few Punjabi words and some very desi lyrics like 'sochta rehta haiga' and 'sab kehte hainge'. The female voice is Sunidhi Chauhan's and she has once again been wonderful.

The song has two remix versions. One is an electro mix for which there was not a lot of scope but still there is some good mixing and the result is not bad.

The other, Kilogram Balkan mix is not actually a remix but the song sung again completely, this time by KK and Akruti Kakkar. My guess is that this song indicates Pritam's original choice of singers while Sukhwinder could have been brought in because of Shahrukh Khan as he has sung quite a number of songs in past some time, most of them hit.

This version, though sounding very good, doesn't challenge the original version of Sukhwinder/Sunidhi and will probably not be heard as much.

In any case, Marjaani is all set to blaze the dance floors. Listen, and start dancing.

Song by Song: Man Baawra (Aasma)

2009-01-05T04:42:00.000-08:00

During the past few days, I saw the trailers of a movie called 'Aasma' with the second 'a' hanging upside down. I found the promo track OKAY, so I decided to listen to the soundtrack, and here comes the surprise! The movie has a great track sung by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, called 'Man Baawra Tujhe Dhoondhta'.

Even with all new music directors and a lyricist whose name I saw for the first time, the track is worth listening and I loved it right from the first line. Probably that is the magic of Rahat, but the composer, Afsar/Sajid and lyricist, Shaab Allahabadi, both deserve their credit for the surprisingly good song.

The sogn starts with light background Alaaps while Rahat joins in the alaap and the background voices fade, only to come to his typical style of singing. 'Man baawra' is a song with comparatively lighter music and belongs more to the genre of 'Mann ki Lagan' or 'Main Jahan Rahoon' than that of 'Teri Ore'.

The song has a Lounge version also but it has hardly anything to the version except for experimenting, most of which fails and adds nothing to the original song to say the least.

Still, the original song is an original work and worth a praise. Listen to the track, hope you will like it too. Highly recommended one. (-:-)

It's Different: Emosanal Attyachar (Dev D)

2009-01-01T16:08:00.000-08:00

I don't know how much Attyachar did Amit Trivedi bear before he came up with this song, but it's something. IT IS SOMETHING.

Tauba Tera Jalwa, Tauba Tera Pyaar,
Tera Emosanal Attyachar.

I won't like to disclose more than these lines from the song as I think it'd be the best if you listen to the song by yourself without me spoiling your entertainment. Yet, keeping everything to myself is difficult, so here is some detail.

As you must have seen by now in the promos (if you have a TV around, I don't, but I did catch them), there are two guys called Patna ke Presley in a song of the movie. When I listened to the track, I was instantly sure that it was the song of the 'Patna ke Presleys'. Reason: The Brass Band.

Yes, The Brass Band used in Indian marriages, is the USP of Emosanal Attyachar. The song has very beautifully mixed Hindi-English lyrics written by Amitabh. (Kudos!) But then, it's The Brass Band that is the Jaan of the song. Even Vishal had written Hindi-English mixed lyrics for Dil Dance Maare in Tashan, and the song became pretty popular too, but that was nowhere near Emosanal Attyachar I feel. The difference is The Brass Band.

I think I've written quite a lot about the Attyachar. Listen to it, hope you like it.

Song by Song: O Raahi Re (Luck By Chance)

2009-01-01T15:55:00.000-08:00

Jaag Uthe hain Raaste, O Rahi tere waste
Teri zindagi, tujhse har ghadi, aur har kadam hai ye poochti,
Raahi dekh raha hai tu kya,
Har har disha hai raasta,
Bol tera hai kaunsa rasta..

I don't know whether Shankar Mahadevan keeps the best songs for himself or the songs he sings become the best because of him. I think though the reason cannot be entirely latter, based on lyrics, Shankar surely makes a song worth listening.

And so is 'O Raahi re'.

O raahi re is a slow, soft, touching, philosophical song with some nice lyrics from Javed Akhtar and some soothing music by the Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy trio. And though it's difficult to search for one best part in such a complete song, I'd say it's the lyrics of the song and Javed Akhtar deserves accolades for that once again.

The song starts well as Shankar starts rendering slowly without any instruments in the background. After one line, light music starts pouring in, coming to a full-fledged soft beat song by the end of the first para and proceeds almost with the same down-up movements.

The only disapointing thing in the song is the length of the song which is a bit too short for such a soft and slow number. The barely four and half minute song could be easily extended to six minute one without making it too lengthy.

Still, the song is a really good number and surely worth listening. Make sure you listen to it if you haven't already.

Song by Song: Dhol Yara Dhol (Dev D)

2009-01-01T14:43:00.001-08:00

Remember the old 'mhare ghar angna' Amul ad featuring Smita Patil and Girish Karnad? Dhol Yara Dhol reminds me of that same song.

Shilpa Rao and Kshitij Tarey are surely big people now. The 'critically acclaimed' singers. And in Dhol Yaara Dhol, they once again get a good song. Dhol Yaara Dhol is mainly a female song and Shilpa is the lead singer where Kshitij is mostly the supporting singer.

The music of the song is completely Rajasthani folk style and so are all the instruments used. Shilpa is impressive, all the more because her voice suits the song, probably a lot more than it suited Wo Ajnabi, her most popular song yet, though her best remains Javeda Zindagi.

Lyrics of the song are fine if not impressive. While with the music Amit Trivedi proves that he can deliver variety. Though it has always been an offbeat thing with him, it is almost certain Amit will go a long way in Bollywood.

On the whole, the song is as offbeat as the movie is, so if you are into different type of music, listen to Dhol Yara Dhol.

Song by Song: Sapnon se Bhare Naina (Luck By Chance)

2008-12-29T14:44:00.000-08:00

Bagiya bagiya baalak bhaage
Titli phir bhi haath na laage
Iss pagle ko kaun bataye
Dhoond raha hai jo tu jag mein
Koi jo paaye to mann mein hi paaye...

With the very opening lines, Sapnon se Bhare Naina makes it clear that it's going to be a wonderful experience to listen to the song. Shankar Mahadevan sings this song beautifully, as he always does, but my Kudos to Javed Akhtar first for writing a song with great depths.

Sapnon se Bhare Naina starts slow but keeps on changing its pace to faster modes and overall, doesn't sound like a slow song at all. Shankar sings in slow voices, fast speeds, high pitches, alaaps, almost every way that could be accommodated well in the song and makes it very lively.

As far as lyrics are concerned, it's one of the best songs I've heard in past sometime. The song tells how one who is ambitious cannot become content. And though, it might sound a bit out of place in today's fast moving world, the song bears a lot of truth according to me. As mod to aaye, chhaanv na aaye shows the truth of many lives today.

The lines I liked the best in the song are the ones where the song says that getting desired comforts and being content are two different things, though the difference is generally ignored. The lines go as follows.

Jaise ki din se rain alag hain
Sukh hain alag aur chain alag hain
Par jo ye dekhen wo nain alag hain
Chain to hai apna, sukh hain paraye..

In short, I loved the song. Just get it and try to appreciate the song. I guess you would love it too.

Musical notes: Luck By Chance

2008-12-29T08:27:00.000-08:00

Farhan Akhtar surely has a huge fan following just after one movie. So was the case after his directorial debut, Dil Chahta hai, too. Good news for Farhan's fans was that his next movie Luck by Chace. Now, the bad one is that the guy doesn't get to sing a single song in the movie. :(

Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy are the experimenting guys again as they have always been. And though, the results of CC2C music are still awaited (not up to the S-E-L standards I guess), their next, Luck By Chance generates new hopes with the credits of singers itself.

There is Shankar Mahadevan singing a lot. Two songs, Sapnon se bhare naina, and O rahi re are sung by Shankar alone. And there is a lot more new. The album has 6 songs and a remix. Out of six, three songs bear Shankar's name. Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy also give a chance to the Indian Idol runner-up Amit Paul who has sung a song Pyaar ki Daastan with Mahalaxmi Iyer.

And then, another surprise is that for the first time, two songs bear the name of Loy Mendonsa as he does a song 'Baawre' with Shankar and another, 'Yeh Zindagi Bhi' with Shekhar. Yes, Shekhar, who hardly ever gave more than background vocals until Bachna ae Haseeno, has been called up by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy to sing a song, taking the collaboration between the composer duo and trio (Vishal-Shekhar and Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy) a step further.

One song, Yeh aaj kya ho gaya is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan as a solo which is a small number of almost 3 and half minutes.

In short, Luck By Chance looks like a promising album, and I hope we'll find some long lasting songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy and Javed Akhtar.

Song by Song: Bandaa Re (Raaz - The Mystery Continues)

2008-12-26T11:25:00.000-08:00

Will 'Raaz - The mystery continues', that is, Raaz 2 in short, be a hit as the original one or not is yet to be seen. But there is one important area where Raaz 2 scores almost as much as Raaz did. And that is it's music. Raaz 2 has total eight tracks with five original songs and three remixes. Maahi, Soniyo, Kaisa ye raaz hai and O jaana, which I've already reviewed, make a great album but now comes the song that makes it different from other albums, that is, the mystery/thriller element of the album, Bandaa re.

Original Raaz had a great soundtrack but the 'different' element, Yahan pe sab shanti shanti hai, wasn't something very good. Here, Bandaa re scores much above Shanti-Shanti and actually gives some feeling of a thriller.

Bandaa re is Gaurav Dasgupta's only composition for the movie and is sung by Krishna. The song is basically a typical horror/thriller background song, something like the saam-daam-dand-bhed of Sarkaar which runs in background when Abhishek takes his revenge, but this one has been made well enough to be listened in general too.

The song starts with the 'sambhavami yuge yuge' shloka from Mahabharata in some distant sounding voices, something that makes up a favorable ambience for the song. The lyrics of the song are quite good from the start itself. In the song, God is supposed to be talking to a devotee saying He stays with the devotee only and he need not search for Him anywhere outside himself. See the starting lines of the song.

Moko kahan dhoondhe re bande, main to tere pass mein,
Na teerath mein, na moorat mein, na ekaant nivaas mein,
Na mandir mein na masjid mein, na kaabe kailash mein,
Main to tere paas mein bande, main to tere paas mein..

Though the song is neither expected to be a hit, nor has some superb music, yet I quite liked the song just for the lyrics.

Song by Song: Chhayi Madhoshiyaan (Jumbo)

2008-12-25T22:41:00.000-08:00

Ram Sampath is back. With animation flick Jumbo, he's again there and you realize it as soon as you listen to Chhayi Madhoshiyaan. Sung by Sonu Nigam and Ram's wife Sona, Chhayi Madhoshiyaan instantly reminds one of Waada Raha and Yoonhi hum tumse pyaar karte rahe, the two melodies from Khakee, from the very initial music.

Sonu Nigam is once again in his old soft romantic mood as he sings 'Chhayi Madhoshiyaan, dil dhadakne laga hai, pyaar ka silsila ye kahan le chala hai, lagti hai pyaari, kyon bekarari, jaanun na'. As far as Sona is concerned, soft romantic is not the best thing she does as her voice is more suited to ballads and high pitched songs, still she sounds fine and makes me wonder again why she doesn't sing more.

Ram Sampath has once again used flute to start the song. In fact the entire music of the song somewhat gives the feeling of Waada Raha but the song still sounds quite good and fresh. Lyrics of Israr Ansari are usual. In the end, composer has even tried a higher pitch for vocals and music.

Overall, the song is a good soft romantic number that one might like. No guarantee though.

Song by Song: O Jaana (Raaz - The mystery continues)

2008-12-25T07:30:00.000-08:00

He sings. You see the song on TV. You think it's OK. You listen to it again. You find it good. You listen to it again. You love it. You listen to it, and keep on listening.

It's the same process that takes place with every song sung by KK, picturised on Emraan Hashmi, be it Gangster, Jannat, or the new Raaz.

O jaana is a song of the same category. You'll find it good when you listen to it for the first time. And as you listen to it again and again, you'll be liking the song more and more. O jaana, a composition of Raju Singh, belongs to the same genre as Mere Falak ka Tu Hi Sitara (Showbiz). The music is absolutely wonderful and KK is again in his typical style. The song is basically a love song but the music of the song dominates the lyrics.

There is also a remix of the song with some added vocals which don't add up much to the song. Probably because there is not much scope of additions to the original version. Just that the speed increases, but then, this version might be popular on dance floors.

In short, O jaana is a lovable, fast song which is almost all set to be a hit. Just grab it.

Song by Song: Chak Lein De (CC2C)

2008-12-24T05:13:00.000-08:00

Kailash Kher is not a singer of just slow or Sufi songs. He can do much more when given a chance. In Chak Lein De, Kailash goes fast this time as he sings his own composition.

Chak Lein De is a typical 'Veer Ras' song that goes all the way saying 'hai nahi teer-talwaar, nahi goli, tu khud hai teri fauj tu hi toli', 'teri gurrahat singh ki dahar hai' and 'dikha jalwa' mode. The song has quite fast music right from the start and goes all the way through the song with the same speed, so being a bit monotonous too.

Towards the end of the song there are just the one line 'aaj phatte chak lein de' repeated again and again which makes quite sure that the song is going to be played in the background with some action scene or something like that. Though it was already quite clear with the lyrics of the song.

Overall, Chak lein de is a good song and most probably will be liked by people in short term though I doubt if it will work in the long term even with Kailash Kher. Hip hop lovers may like the song, but the real outcome will be seen once the video/movie is out.

Pop Up: Rain bhai Kaari (Humsafar)

2008-12-23T10:21:00.000-08:00

KK proved himself with his debut album Pal. He has also been consistently getting good songs since then, and has a huge number of hits to his credit now. In such a scenario, the guy can surely do some experimenting with his private album. So he does it, and some results, though not popular, are very good.

Rain Bhai Kaari Kaari, Din Ujiyaara,
Naiyya to dekhe nadiya ki dhaara,
Haath tore maajhi, zindagi ki nayya...

These lines don't match very much, not at least with the hits of KK like Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai, tu hi meri shab hai, or Zara sa, but then, KK is well known for his versatality.

Rain Bhai Kaari Kaari starts with KK rendering the above lines slowly, without music, slowly catching speed in further lines. And then, chorus and more music follow as the song turns into something rock-ish, only to come back to slow-motion for two lines and go high again. This keeps on going, making a great song (at least I felt so) and proving yet another aspect of KK, as a music composer.

Towards the end, KK again finds himself ending in a rock-ish mode and then comes back to the first lines and the same slow mode.

Overall, the songs has a lot of fluctuations between super-slows and highs which was quite unique in itself. I have always liked the song and if you like experiments with music, I guess you may also like it.

Song by Song: Jalte Hain (Sorry Bhai!)

2008-12-22T12:32:00.000-08:00

Onir's movies might find viewers or not. They may be loved by critics or disappoint them. But whatever the case, music is something which is consistently good in his movies. Sorry Bhai is no exception, even though it's once again by a new composer, Gaurav Dayal.

The song Jalte hain comes in two versions and a remix. The two non-remixed versions are sung by Abhishek Nailwal and KK and both are absolutely superb.

Jalte hain is a slow song with constant beats providing light music for the song. The first version, sung by Abhishek Nailwal completely focuses on his voice and the guy has sung it really well. The mood of the song is sad but not mournful.

The second version, sung by KK, of course sounds more familiar from the very start as KK comes behind the microphone. And though both versions are good in their own place, KK version scores higher in first look. Though, KK version having slightly more instruments, chorus and all can make you turn to simpler first version in the long run.

But above all, Jalte hain is a good composition with a soothing touch to its music. Whichever version you listen to, you will find that soothing touch present there. So, if you are in search of some slow, soft, soothing, there are good chances you like Jalte hain. Otherwise too, just try it. A good composition is always a treat.

Song by Song: Muskura (Dasvidaniyaan)

2008-12-22T11:53:00.000-08:00

After staying distant from playback singing for quite sometime, Sonu Nigam is back. And with a bang. No, not a bang exactly, as he's not singing those bang-bang type of songs now. But it's much more substantial. Muskura, or Awara Raahi Gumshuda, of Dasvidaniyaan is one such song.

The song is a slow number with music of old times. And even instruments. And it's Sonu Nigam who can sing in any style, so with the background music of Raj Kapoor style, and even lyrics of that mood, the song is completely out of it's time. Which is the USP of the song.

Sonu Nigam is the second most important part of the song, after its style and music. He sings the song really wonderfully. Also, after a long time he seems to be in a 'mood'. Not that other songs he sang recently were bad or something, but this time Sonu has left his signature in the song while singing. Kailash Kher as a composer has probably given full liberty to Sonu and the result is, no doubt, great.

Last, but not the least at all, credit goes to the lyricist (who happens to be Kailash Kher again) for writing such beautiful, and more than that, true lines.

Aawara raahi gumshuda,
Ban ke kyun ghoome laapata,
muskura, mere dil,
Le zindagi ka mazaa..

Listen to this one if you don't hate old songs.

Song by song: kaisa ye raaz hai (raaz - the mystery continues)

2008-12-21T11:30:00.001-08:00

KK is undoubtedly the king of soft rock today. And when it comes to emraan hashmi movies, it goes without saying that a KK song is made to be a hit. Now that the song is the title of raaz-the mystery continues, i only can tell u what type the song is. More than that is hardly required. And so, here is my little review of the song.

Well, kaisa ye raaz hai is a typical soft rock that is generally found in Emraan hashmi movies. The song has music composed by a newcomer pranay and the singing job is well done by KK. Kaisa ye raaz is a slow song and hence may take a few listenings before you get addicted to the song. But there is no doubt that today or after one month, you'll be loving this song and probably humming it somewhere. Though, one question which still remains is how KK and Emraan hashmi always give us such great songs.

Kaisa ye raaz hai..
Jo ki khulta nahi..

Song by Song: Soniyo (Raaz, the mystery continues)

2008-12-19T21:39:00.000-08:00

Emraan Hashmi's movies are known for their great music; generally, typically, fast music for quite some time. But this time there are a few variations probably because we do not have Pritam composing, unlike previous movies.

Maahi, the super song of the movie is of course an instant hit and I don't think I need to write anything about that. The next is Soniyo, composed by Raju Singh and sung by Sonu Nigam with Shreya and Neeraj Shridhar in one version and sung by Krishna alone in the other version.

As far as music is concerned, there is not much new or experimental to the song which, in itself, is a new thing since everyone is trying something new. It's a simple song with most part sung by Sonu Nigam and a para sung by Shreya Ghoshal. The added English lyrics sung by Neeraj Shridhar are fine, though I don't think they add much to the song.

Sonu Nigam has sung the song quite beautifully, as usual. Shreya is good as always with her few lines. Overall, the lack of newness is not felt much and after listening to the song for a few times, probably on the TV, one is very likely to love the song.

The other version of the song, called 'from the heart', is sung by Krishna, the guy who has been known for singing Main Jahan Rahoon with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan along with many other songs. Krishna also gives a special touch to the song which is found in Rahat's songs. There are no English lyrics, and even no female voices, but you get to listen Aalaps in Krishna's own voice in the background in some places, making the song a good feeling, and a completely different one from the one sung by Sonu. In fact, I even feel that in the long run, Krishna version might surpass Sonu version on the grounds of the simplicity of the former.

In any case, Soniyo is a good, simple song which suits the high reputation of Emraan Hashmi, that is, in terms of his films' music. :)

Song by Song: Chandni Chowk to China (CC2C)

2008-12-19T09:50:00.000-08:00

Somebody has rightly said, one should never judge a song by it's promo. Because there can be a Jhol inside that which you won't get in the song. Well, if you're not getting anything, don't get confused because it's almost the same when you listen to 'Chandni Chowk to China' title song for the first time.

The title song of CC2C, sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Shankar Mahadevan and Anushka Manchanda is, to say the least, an interesting song. The song has a some good music, some strange and beautiful voices, and some tongue-twisting lyrics, though not much like Chandu ke Chacha and all.

If you want to know what type the song is, we can say that it's somewhat like 'Ticket to Hollywood' in terms of music and ambiance. The song is not a typical Mukhda-Antara song and you may have a tough time finding where is Mukhda and where are the antaras.

Another interesting part of the song are the lyrics. I was back in school days when I found the subtle elements of poetry in the song. For example 'jaane kaun hoon samajh mein aai-na' and 'dekha kabhi hai tune aaina' have two different meanings of aai-na. Also, lines like 'Chhori ne jo chheda hai chhora' and 'jhol hai saara jhol hai ye pyaare' make overall lyrics interesting.

As far as singing is concerned, Shankar is an old gem and Neeraj too has always been good. Anushka has sung quite well.

Thus, the overall song has become worth listening. But the most interesting part of the song is probably its video which adds to the taste. In fact, it's a song which you'll most probably like only after seeing it.

Song by song: Tere naina (CC2C)

2008-12-16T20:32:00.001-08:00

Shankar-ehsaan-loy. When they give music to jhoom barabar jhoom, u dance on their tunes, when it's rock on, u bang ur heads on their music, and now when it's Chandni chowk to China, the music is at least as chinese as noodles.

Though shankar himself doesn't sound anything like chinese or something, the part sung by shreya ghoshal gives an altogether new feeling that seems to be quite chinese. She's sung her lines in an amazing fast mode that gets all the chinese feeling. For which, both, composers and singers deserve appreciation.

Leaving aside the chinese feeling of the song too, tere naina is a really good song with some great music which is a mixture of slow and fast. In fact, it's quite an interesting song as it has slow and fast pace, indian as well as chinese flavor, and traditionalism along with newness. And though it's a bit difficult to predict, i feel that the song will turn a good one in the long run also.

For now, listen to it and enjoy the noodles.

Song by song: SIDHU (CC2C)

2008-12-16T18:23:00.001-08:00

Kailash kher comes in a new flavor this time. You've heard him in a lot of sufi songs and a few love songs. But this time mr kher is singing a song that can be described almost as a comedy song.

The interesting thing is that Kailash sings the song with his usual style and his seriousness gives the song a completely different touch of comedy.

The song is a slightly kavvali style one, to be more precise something like billo rani. That is, in terms of the style of music. The song basically introduces akshay kumar, sidhu of chandni chowk, in a manner that u might find somewhat similar to Happy Singh of Singh is Kinng, though it's not all that way as sidhu also gets praise later in the song.

The music of the song, given most probably by kailash kher himself is great. Use of traditional Indian instruments like dholak, and once again, harmonium is wonderful.

Overall, the song is quite lovable and hopefully going to be a hit.

Pop-Up: Door Kahin (Nine)

2008-12-13T12:43:00.000-08:00

Hi. This is my first Pop-Up. Here I'll try to tell you about pop songs which are generally lost in the crowd of big names, trying to get you the songs you might have missed. Just try them.

The song I'm going to talk about today is 'Door Kahin..' from Pankaj Awasthi's album 'Nine'. Pankaj Awasthi, though unknown to most, is a good singer and composer. Pankaj gave the music for the movie Anwar with Mithoon and is now composing for Tera Kya Hoga Johnny. He even sings for other composers sometimes.

The song 'Door kahin..' starts with some street sounds and from within the voices, Pankaj starts rendering slowly, 'Door kahin le chalo tum mujhko, nahin chahiye ye duniya, sath le chalo unko haan unko, wo jo samjhen dooriyaan haan dooriyaan', and while starting on a low note, he enters quite high pitch in the first few lines itself.

Though the music of the song is simple and without much humdrum, the singing has done it's work really well and you can feel the song deep inside. The song is a bit experimental, especially with a few lines changing their places in paragraphs, but I still suppose that most listeners of not-so-experimental music will also like it.

In short, if you crave for more music, it's a must try song and if you like this one, keep seeing this space.

Song by Song: Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gayi (Ghajini)

2008-12-13T01:02:00.000-08:00

Of all the songs of Ghajini, Kaise Mujhe Tum Mil Gayi is the slowest. In fact for the first time when you listen to the song, even if you like it, the song may test your patience. But with the time, and with the video, the song does leave a solid impact on a listener.

Kaise mujhe tum mil gayi is sung by Benny Dayal, the guy who recently sang 'Tu hi tu meri dost hai', the most popular song of Yuvvraaj, along with Shreya Ghoshal. Benny once again comes up wonderfully and sings the song to perfection.

The song is a romantic number which is probably there after the death of Kalpana in the movie. The song reminds me of Tanhaai, especially after seeing Aamir in the mourning mode.

The song starting with low beats and oo.. oo... vocals of Benny Dayal goes pretty high on notes (something that will make it singers' favorite, a tough number). Especially in the lines, 'main to ye sochta tha ke aajkal ooparwale ko fursat nahi..', he goes really high in certain words and then comes back, giving the song a really different feel. Shreya has mostly sung in the slow, soft parts of the song and is good as ever.

Lyrics of the song are quite good, making everything about the song good. I hope that the song will take time to get its space, but will prove a great number in long run.

Song by Song: Aye Bachchu (Ghajini)

2008-12-12T11:13:00.000-08:00

AR Rehman is not good just because he makes great music. He is great because he knows the who-why-how and everything of the music he makes. That's the reason you find so many new singers singing songs which feel like made for them. Aye Bachchu is one such song.

Aye Bachchu, a playful western style song that is picturised the only way it could be, as a solo dance (with background people dancing of course) is something you might love very soon. The song is quite fast paced and has numerous intruments backing the voice of Suzanne D'Mello, better known as Suzie Q.

The song's main feature is not just the music of Rehman but also the voice of Suzanne, who has sung the song really well as her voice modulates freely between the lower and higher notes of the song. Also, there are some variations added in the same lines when they come in the start and the end which add to variety in the song. Lines 'Mastiyon ki Kashti Kholo, Kinaron ko Bye Bye bolo, aao na hawaon sang dolo..' are well-written (courtesy Prasoon Joshi) and well-sung pieces which surely attract the listener's attention.

Rehman has tried to give a lot in the less than 4 minutes' song and I hope it will not only be liked by the people but also give a better identity to Suzanne D'Mello who has been mostly singing song with others yet.

Song by Song: music review, Behka (Ghajini)

2008-11-27T23:26:00.001-08:00

If you think Udit Narayan is the best suited voice for Aamir Khan, think again. After listening to Behka of Ghajini. Karthik sounds almost Aamir Khan in the song and if you don't know who is the singer, you can for once think it's Aamir himself.

As far as type of the song is concerned, it's difficult to put the song in a category other than only-Rehman-can-do-it songs. Though the song reminds me of Rangeela, especially Yaaron sun lo zara, but still, it's exactly not a 'tapori' song but to some extent a love song, at least on the basis of lyrics.

Karthik does complete justice to Rehman's music and chorus adds a lot to the song. The song has its high notes and in the second half, Karthik does a mini-breathless too, but the song still seems to be going at a fixed speed as it remains at the same level most of the time.

In short, I feel the song is a bit experimental, a lot new, quite good and may even be a hit. Try to get 'Behka'. Hope you like it too.

Song by Song: music review, Lattu (Ghajini)

2008-11-23T20:45:00.000-08:00

May be Aamir Khan's greatness is proved once again by his Ghajini, but AR Rehman's greatness is already proven again. After Jodhaa Akbar, Jaane tu ya jaane na, Ada and Yuvvraaj, he is out there once again with Ghajini. While, in the meantime he created music for SlumDog Millionaire too, a movie mentioned in two articles of 23rd November's ToI edit page. And still, quantity hasn't affected quality of Rehman's music.

I have already written about Guzarish from Ghajini and now it's Lattu that is on a roll. With Lattu, Shreya Ghoshal seems to excel in a completely different area of music than she is a master of. Truly speaking, I didn't think it could be Shreya and kept wondering who-is-the-singer until I came to know who it was.

Lattu is a dance number, almost yet another Pappu, even though it's completely a new song. The song starts with some strange voices and then Shreya gets into a fast tune almost with the first note. The song has typical background sounds and vocals as Rehman puts in every dance number. Just like dirigidi-dada da-da-daa of Pappu, some 'maza hi maza re maza hi maza re simba ve' is the Rehman's signature here.

Prasoon Joshi has tried to make the normal lyrics interesting with his PJ's (PJ = Prasoon Joshi). Remember Zinda-bad-Zinda-good in Be-a-Rebel? It's almost the same feeling when one listens to 'masti mein bee - wo hai, Jeene mein Jee/G - wo hai, Seene mein See/C - wo hai, dhak dhak dhak dhak har dhadkan mein wo'. Though it doesn't add much to the song, it generates interest in the lyrics as the listener tries to understand the unusual lyrics.

Whatever, one thing that is sure is that the song is really 'catchy' and is going to rule music charts very soon, especially the FM listeners will feel the presence of the song very soon. Get ready to go lattu.

Song by Song: music review, Guzarish (Ghajini)

2008-11-12T20:55:00.000-08:00

Last two months of this year are certainly going to be interesting. Salman Khan's Yuvvraaj, Shahrukh Khan's Rab ne Bana di Jodi, and now Aamir Khan's Ghajini. It's just absolutely wonderful. Especially in terms of music.

It rarely happens with AR Rehman that two movies with his music are being promoted at the same time. This time it's not just happening, but it's happening on big scale. Songs from Salman Khan's Yuvvraaj have not even passed their peak and you can listen to Ghajini.

Well, here I'm going to give you a review of the only song I have got from Ghajini. The song is called 'Guzarish' and is sung by no-Sonu-Nigam and Sonu Nigam. I mean, it's Javed Ali and Sonu Nigam together. The problem with Javed Ali is that you think it's Sonu Nigam and then you think it's not. It's the most effective way to identify him. But confusion comes in when Sonu Nigam is also there as he was in Nagada (Jab We Met).

Anyways, the song has some wonderfully simple and simply wonderful music by Rehman and I very much hope you'll be humming the track after listening to it once or twice itself. The song is the sweet romantic type quite like O ri Chhori of Lagaan, though the lyrics are not that good as of the latter. Actually the lyrics aren't bad but the name of Prasoon Joshi gives your expectations quite a rise which isn't completely matched with this song.

At the same time, one quality of the lyrics is their simplicity. 'Tu Meri adhuri pyaas pyaas, tu aa gayi man ko raas raas, ab to tu aaja paas paas' are really simple and you can remember the song even when yo listen to it for the first time. In short, the song is quite addictive as Rehman grips us all once again.

Hope we see more magic from Rehman and Prasoon in further songs of the movie.

Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi Music Review

2008-11-07T00:44:00.000-08:00

Finally, the wait is over. Aditya Chopra's next movie is all set for a release and the music is out there. Though the small number of songs, a total six, that is, with an instrumental and a slow version included, might be a bit disappointing, I hope you wouldn't be disappointed when you listen to the songs.

It might be a bit surprising for some people that the music for the film is not composed by the top three composer/duo/trio of India. (namely AR Rehman, Vishal-Shekhar / Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy for me) But if you see the track record of Yashraj's past few movies, you will find that Chopras have been trusting Salim-Suleman for some of their largest projects.

And once again they prove they deserve it.

Well, the album has four songs with no remixes, a relief I guess, a small slow version (remember Chalte-chalte of Mohabbatein?), and a medley. Out of the four songs, two are typical Aditya Chopra songs, meant to be hit and preserved in your collections, one is a not-that-long-lasting hip-hop and one is too good that you will surely enjoy, a lot if you're well familiar with old Hindi songs.

Starting with the songs individually, the first song Tujh mein rab dikhta hai is a wonderful song sung by Roop Kumar Rathod that anybody will like while listening for the first time itself.

One interesting thing i found with the song that when the song starts it reminds me of Veer Zaara, with the very first note played, and then it takes a turn to a complete new song. Roop's voice also generates a sense of Veer-Zaara as you see him singing for SRK yet again.

The second song, Haule Haule is already a hit I guess. The song comes with the power of Sukhwinder Singh and is a bit faster than the first one. The song has a bit of hip-hop flavor attached to it but all of that is prepared in typical Indian instruments. This song goes high in some places and Sukhwinder Singh sounds absolutely fantastic in those places.

Also, the lyrics of the song are quite lovable and you might like some lines a lot.

Third song Dance pe Chance maar le is a Sunidhi Chauhan song which is a complete hip-hop, a typical Sunidhi number. The song doesn't sound very good in the first listening, but history proves that Sunidhi's songs rarely fail. I guess this one is not going to be an exception and somehow, people will love this one too. Also, the voice of Labh Janjua is used for the song which might help in making the song more popular.

The fourth and last original song of the movie is Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte. (I don't know why I wrote Original) This song is some wonder by Salim Suleman and in fact Sonu Nigam as well. The song goes something like this, it opens with the background music of Awara Hoon, and mentions almost all Raj Kapoor hits in one para. Then we have Dil ka bhanwar kare pukar, jiya o jiya kuch bol do, pal bhar ke liye koi humein pyar kar le in second para, Yahoo and others of Shammi in next, then Rajesh Khanna, Dard-e-dil and some more for Rishi Kapoor. The mukhda of the song goes as 'Hum Hain Raahi Pyaar ke, Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte', which if you see a bit closely, are movies of Aamir Khan, Salman Khan, and Shah Rukh Khan respectively.

But I guess that is not all about the song. You need to listen to it yourself to enjoy the magic of the composers and Sonu. Special credit to Jaideep Sahni for the wonder-wonder lyrics.

The fifth song, a female version of Tujh mein rab dikhta hai is sung by Shreya Ghoshal and she has finely rendered the few lines given to her even though there is not much in store for her here.

The album ends with a medley which is not very good and feels like an extra addition. Or maybe it's here just as per the tradition. Whatever the reason be, overall Rab ne Bana di Jodi is a good album. So better buy it and put to your collection.

Haule Haule, Rab ne Bana di Jodi

2008-11-05T07:51:00.000-08:00

Aditya Chopra’s next movie Rab ne Bana di Jodi is all set for a huge release on 12th December and the music has already hit various FM channels. Well, it’s not all the music but just one song that is playing right now. But that gives some idea of the movie’s music, in fact about the movie too.

The one song that is on air, ‘Haule Haule’ is a beautiful track sung by Sukhwinder Singh that brings out the best of Salim-Sulaiman once again. Salim-Sulaiman have already given some wonderful music for Yashraj productions’ movies, Chak De India and Aaja Nachle. And this first song from Rab ne Bana di Jodi has the soul of O re Piya and power of Chak De, latter probably because of Sukhwinder’s voice.

Whatever the reason be, when you listen to Haule Haule being rendered by Sukhwinder, (Yes! Rendered, Sukhwinder has sung this song quite haule-haule) you just love it. When I listened to the song for the first time, I knew it was going to be a hit. I hope you love it too.

So find the song somewhere as soon as possible. And if you have already heard it somwhere, maybe these lines help you hum the song again.

Haule Haule se hawa lagti hai,
Haule Haule se dawa lagti hai,
Haule Haule se dua lagti hai,
haan..

Haule Haule chanda badhta hai,
Haule Haule ghoonghat uthta hai,
Haule Haule se nasha chadhta hai,
haan..

Tu sabr to kar mere yaar,
Zara saans to le dildaar,
Chal fikr nu goli maar yaar hain din zindagi de chaar,
Haule Haule ho jayega pyaar chaliye haule haule ho jayega pyaar...
Haule Haule ho jayega pyaar chaliye haule haule ho jayega pyaar...

Rehman Again: Yuvvraaj, music review

2008-10-21T23:23:00.000-07:00

Composing music is surely not an easy task. But when it comes to AR Rehman's music, even reviewing becomes difficult. After the amount of effort put in by Rehman, even a listener has to put in some effort and time to get the real taste of music. And now that I feel I have got some idea of Yuvvraaj's music, here is my review.

The album starts with 'Tu meri dost hai'. Yet another song on friendship of a guy and a girl, surely reminds one of Kabhi Kabhi Aditi of Jaane tu ya jaane na. But the song is quite different and goes higher in notes and deeper in meaning as the words come from Gulzar's pen.

The song has voices of Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal, while Rehman also comes in between for a few lines sung very smoothly with Shreya.

The second song, Shano Shano can again remind you of Pappu can't dance for a few seconds in the start, but the two songs don't have much in common except that both are foot tapping dance numbers by Rehman. An interesting thing is that even after being a dance number, Shano Shano is a slow song as far as pace is concerned, but one is sure to enjoy it after a little time.

I guess the music of Shano Shano is going to be liked people a lot in sometime as I myself didn't like for the first time but it's something that gets into one's mind slowly. The music of the song is experimental as usual. Especially the music of lines 'Ud ke to dekho, oonchi udari, mit jayegi hasraten saari saari saari' brings in some wonderful heights in notes. Check it out when you listen to the song.

The third song 'Muskura Muskura' by Alka is a not-so-Rehman-specific song but may remind one of Tu bin bataye of Rang de Basanti. Still, the song is more like a normal love song of Jatin-Lalit and Nadeem-Shravan genre. The music of the song is fine and music of tu meri dost hai playing in the background gives added effects. A negative point of the song is 'mooskura' of Alka which becomes very clear as she speaks 'mooskura' once and 'muskura' the other time in adjacent lines. Benny's high pitched entries in between are additives for the song. Overall, a not-so-special song which should just work fine.

Now get ready for a Rehman treat, presented by Sonu Nigam and more. My advice, do not try to get into the meaning of the song for the first time, just enjoy the voices, the sounds, the music. This song comes straight out of Rehman's song factory where he makes things nobody else makes. I don't know what you might think of while listening to this song, but whatever you think of, it's a song which can be felt. Sonu Nigam also deserves credit for giving his wonderful voice in his old uninhibited style.

The next song is going to remind you of Hariharan. 'Zindagi Zindagi' is a typical slow song that just goes with Subhash Ghai's movies, and reminds one of Yaadein and Taal. Actually the song is sung by Srinivas, a person with the same voice as Hariharan. (remember the kaisi hai ye rut song from Dil Chahta Hai? It's the same guy)

The next song, a seven and half minute long Dil ka Rishta, is hardly a song. At least don't expect some song that you can be singing after listening twice. To be true, it's more of pure music, probably running in the background in the movie. But it's again something that can be felt. At the same time, if you go deep into the song and listen to the lyrics, the song has got some wonderful lines from Sampoorna Singh Gulzar.

AR Rehman surely is a person who keeps on doing different things. Manmohani morey is yet another example. Vijay Prakash this absolutely wonderful thing that runs only for 3 minutes and 12 seconds. (WHY?) To me, it seems to be a classical song put on a fast track or with added music in the background. But whatever it is, the song is a feast in itself even though it has few lines and a small running length.

The album ends with a remix of Shano Shano. It's a small remix that is just two and half minutes long. Actually I couldn't find many changes in the remix version of the song and it ended before I could find something substantial.

And then, the first song starts again. :)

Well, jokes apart, Yuvvraaj is an album where we can find the old Rehman in a number of songs. Talking numerically, at least three songs are going to be wonderful, namely Tu meri dost hai, Manmohani, and Zindagi Zindagi. But I guess most of the songs have good potential in them and I feel ALL the songs of the movie are going to be hit in their own time. From me, it's a must buy album as in long term its surely not going to disappoint you.

Dostana (music review)

2008-10-04T22:01:00.000-07:00

There are a few things I am feeling since I got the music of Dostana in my hand.

1. Vishal Shekhar rock. If they have someone ahead of them, it's only Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy.
2. Association of good people always brings great result. Be it Vishal Dadlani singing for Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy or Shankar singing for Vishal-Shekhar.

In short, Dostana is a quite good album. Almost all the songs of the movie are at least so good that you can find yourself humming them in a week or two. Though, a few aren't going to take that long.

The first song Jaane Kyun, which has nothing to do with the 'Jaane Kyun' of Dil Chahta Hai or even its type, the soft romantic, is just a fine song with okay lyrics and good music. Though I feel the song should have been named as 'I'll be all right'.

The next song 'My desi girl' starts with a bang, and is also a surprise as the voice that we listen is unmistakably that of Shankar Mahadevan. It seems like Shankar returns a favor after Jhoom Barabar Jhoom where he got a song sung by Vishal. The song, as it's clear by the very first lines, is going to be a hit. The song is almost the same type as 'pretty woman'. In the mid of song, Sunidhi also joins the song, and gives a fine rendition to her lines maintaining the pace.

The next song is a complete shock-and-awe for the first time as we listen to our own, Indian crazy frog singing 'Munda saada Doli Chadh Gaya Band Baj Gaya'. The song is a punjabi song with a lot of masti attached to it. The first line 'Maa da Laadla Bigad Gaya' itself explains the mood of the song. The crazy frog keeps on coming in for his lines at times, adding more to the song. Yet another hit, not so much for Saleem's voice, but for the frog's.

The third song, Shut up and bounce is a song that will take some time to get to your tounge, but is sure to reach there in some time. There are very less chances you'll like it in the first time, but Karan Johar will make you listen. And probably in months, if not weeks, you can find yourself dance to the song in some party. That's from my experience with 'It's the time to disco' and after listening to Dostana for three-four days.

Now some serious business. Amanat Ali is finally here. Actually I once took a wild guess and thought it could be him. Because this wonderful voice was sure to reach bollywood. It belongs there. Fifth track 'Khabar Nahi' is absolutely wonderful. You may like it in first listening or love it after some listenings, but the song is sure to touch you. Vishal's rendering of 'Mere Maula Maula' in the song is wonderful too.

The last song is 'Kuch Kam' sung by Shaan. A soft romantic love song with touching lyrics and slow music. In short a typical Shaan song. :)

The lyrics of song are quite good and lovers of slow-soft touchy-feely songs will love the song instantly. Though the lyrics are a bit on the sad side, it's not very clear until you listen to it carefully.

In short, Dostana is quite good an album and if you are out of Rock On!! and want something different now, just go for it. Look for Desi Girl, Maa da Laadla, Khabar Nahi and Kuch Kam. With four good songs in the album, I hope you won't be at least disappointed.