Exclusive: Ishmeet in Pics

Here are a few pics taken from Ishmeet's Album.

The voice of India

Ishmeet with his favorite Daler Mehndi

With Diya Mirza

With Hard Kaur

Singing with Kavita Krishnamurti

In a jolly mood, singing Mauja hi Mauja with Shahid


Ishmeet with Malaika Arora

With Lata ji, the godess, in Ishmeet's words

Singh was King

I was a fan of Ishmeet Singh the day I saw him on the TV for the first time. In fact I saw the first episode of Voice of India because of him.

I was surfing channels when I passed a Sardarji singing a beautiful Tune Mujhe Pehchana Nahi on Star Plus. It was one of the initial stages of VoI and I loved that performance so much that I thought he should reach somewhere in the final stages. By the time I didn't even know he would reach the mega finals where there will be two people on the stage and then win the title.

Even when the final results were about to come, I was supporting Ishmeet against a person who had the same name as mine. I even wrote a post on my blog, 'Will my candidate win this time'.

But today, he is no more. I don't know how it happened exactly, but it was a painful incident.

May Ishmeet Rest in Peace.

Hijack

After a long time, there is something worth talking about. Though music of C Kkompany is Okay, there has hardly been any movie worth a description after Rock On.

But now, there is Hijack.

Hijack's teaser and first song are out and I believe that this song will be a hit too, irrespective of absence of Pritam. I think Justin-Uday, the new composers, and Kumar, the lyricist have done well.

Wait for a review. Hope there is another Jannat on its way.

Rock On!!

Dil kya kehta hai mera kya main bataun
Tum ye samjhoge shayad main pagal hai
Dil kya kehta hai mera kya main bataun
Tum ye samjhoge shayad main pagal hai
Dil karta hai TV tower pe main chadh jaaun
Chilla chilla ke main ye sab se keh doon
Rock on, hai ye waqt ka ishara
Rock on, har lamha pukara
Rock on, yunhi dekhta hai kya tu
Rock on, zindagi milegi na dobaraa...

Dil karta hai sadkon par zor se gaaun
Sab apne apne ghar ki khidki kholen
Phir main aise joshile geet sunaun
Mere Geeton ko sun ke sab ye bolen
Rock on, hai ye waqt ka ishara
Rock on, har lamha pukara
Rock on, yunhi dekhta hai kya tu
Rock on, zindagi milegi na dobaraa...

Jaise jeene ko dil chaahe jee waise tu
Meri to hai bas ye raay ki
Apne jitne bhi armaan hain poore kar le tu..

Rock on, hai ye waqt ka ishara
Rock on, har lamha pukara
Rock on, yunhi dekhta hai kya tu
Rock on, zindagi milegi na dobara..

Rock on, hai ye waqt ka ishara
Rock on, har lamha pukara
Rock on, yunhi dekhta hai kya tu
Rock on, zindagi milegi na dobaraaa.....

singer: Farhan Akhtar (bold letters: chorus)
music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
lyrics: Javed Akhtar
album: Rock On!!

Pichle Saat dinon mein maine khoya (Rock On!!)

meri laundry ka ek bill
ik aadhi padhi novel
ek ladki ka phone number
mere kaam ka ek paper
mere, taash se heart ka king
mera, ik chaandi ka ring
pichhle saat dinon mein maine khoya
kabhi khud pe hansa main,
aur
kabhi khud pe roya

present mili ek ghadi
pyaari thi mujhe badi
meri jeb ka ek packet
meri denim ki jacket
do one-day match ke passes
mere naye naye sunglasses
pichhle saat dinon mein maine khoya
kabhi khud pe hansa main,
aur
kabhi khud pe roya

kaise, bhoolun, saatva jo din aaya
kisi ne, tumse, ik party mein milwaaya
kaisa, pal tha, jis pal maine tumko pehli baar dekha tha
hum jo mile pehli baar
maine jaanaa kya hai pyaar
maine hosh bhi khoya dil bhi khoya
kabhi khud pe hansa main,
aur
kabhi khud pe roya
maine pichhle saat dino mein
ye sab hai, khoya..

singer: Farhan Akhtar
music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
lyrics: Javed Akhtar
album: Rock On!!

Socha hai (Rock On!!)

aasma hai neela kyun
paani geela geela kyun
gol kyun hai zamee
silk mein hai narmi kyun
aag mein hai garmi kyun
do aur do paanch kyun nahi

ped ho gaye kam kyun
teen hain ye mausam kyun
chaand do kyun nahi
duniya mein hai jung kyun
behta laal rang kyun
sarhaden hain kyun har kahin
socha hai... ye tumne kya kabhi
socha hai... ki hain ye kya sabhi
socha nahi to socho abhi

behti kyun hai har nadi
hoti kya hai roshni
barf girti hai kyun
dost kyun hain roothte
taare kyun hain toot-te
baadlon mein bijli hai kyun
socha hai... ye tumne kya kabhi
socha hai... ki hain ye kya sabhi
socha nahi to socho abhi

sannata sunai nahi deta
aur hawayen dikhayi nahi deti
scha hai kya kabhi
hota hai ye kyun............

aasma hai neela kyun
paani geela geela kyun
gol kyu hai zamee
silk mein hai narmi kyun
aag mein hai garmi kyun
do aur do paanch kyun nahi

ped ho gaye kam kyun
teen hain ye mausam kyun
chaand do kyun nahi
duniya mein hai jung kyun
behta laal rang kyun
sarhaden hain kyun har kahin
socha hai... ye tumne kya kabhi
socha hai... ki hain ye kya sabhi
socha nahi to socho abhi......

singer: Farhan Akhtar
music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy
lyrics: Javed Akhtar
album: Rock On!!

Bachna ae Haseeno: music review

Bollywood didn't see much good happening during the first half of this year. But the second half seems to be bringing a lot many promising things right from the first Saturday of July. After Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, Kismat Konnection and Singh is Kinng, it's Siddharth Anand's Bachna Ae Haseeno starring Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Bipasha Basu and Minissha Lamba from which bollywood is expecting a lot.



Interestingly, there is a lot of variety in the music of these movies too. Where Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na primarily had romantic music with an AR Rehman touch, Kismat Konnection has mostly dance numbers in hip-hop style. Singh is Kinng has a lot of Punjabi flavor attached to it, and now Vishal Shekhar has brought Bachna ae Haseeno that has a number of flavors in it.

The album has 7 songs, one of them being Bachna ae Hasino from Hum Kisi Se Kam Nahin, the Rishi Kapoor flick. Except that there are 5 songs and one remix.

The album starts with a romantic number Khuda Jaane that has started showing on TV channels already. The song starts off on slow notes with KK and Shilpa Rao both taking turns until KK picks up a beautiful higher note with Khuda Jaane ke.. The song is a bit too slow but KK keeps the momentum and the song gives a good feel. The lyrics are good too but Shilpa Rao's voice doesn't fit very well with Deepika Padukone.

The second song 'lucky boy' starts with voice of Raja Hasan giving a desi feeling to the song. But then with Sunidhi Chauhan coming in, the entire feel of the song changes into a slow dance number with beats that suit high volume. The song goes on pretty regularly with Raja Hassan coming in at times and with not many surprises.

'Ahista Ahista', the third song starts with a music that make you expect a good song, somewhat of the sort that Pritam is making in plenty. After almost a minute, Shreya starts singing a not-so-typical-of-her song which, although it doesn't go very high, is not of the type of songs we generally hear her sing. Lucky Ali certainly gives the song his flavor and his alaaps of o..o.. in the duet may remind you of Khuda Hafiz from Yuva.

The fourth song 'Jogi mahi' gives you a surprise with its first line itself when you listen to Shekhar singing the beautiful lines 'Suno ik thi Kaanch ki Gudiya, Suno ik thi pyaar ki pudiya' and then really sings a significant portion of a song probably for the first time. Later Sukhwinder Singh sings along but Shekhar doesn't leave the song unlike his earlier songs and his presence is felt through the song. Voice of Himani Kapoor, who is found towards the end of the song, is good too. Shekhar and Sukhwinder singing together give the song a good end.

If Shekhar Ravjiani singing was a surprise, get ready for a bigger one this time. Shankar Mahadevan, who is a full time composer now, sings to the tunes of Vishal and Shekhar for the next song 'small town girl', and the song is a small pretty woman and also has lyrics in Hindi, English and some Punjabi too. The song has the potential to make people dance to it but will take some time. Hope Ranbir gives a good show of dance in the video, which can make the song a chartbuster.

The originals end here and the sixth and seventh songs of the album are a remix and a mix respectively. Number six is a remix of Khuda Jaane which goes pretty fast compared to the original version. Vishal Shekhar have performed a few good experiments on the song too and the results are good too.

The final song of the album is 'Bachna ae Haseeno' of Hum Kisise Kam Nahin in a version mixed by Vishal Shekhar, resulting in a song that bears the credits 'Kishore Kumar, Sumit Kumar, and Vishal Dadlani', something like Deepika Padukone dancing with Sunil Dutt in Om Shanti Om. This is important to say here that the song has been mixed well and the beauty of old voice remains as in original song. Sumit Kumar has filled in for his father's voice well in places.

To summarize, Bachna ae Haseeno has a good soundtrack which will be getting pace slowly, as opposed to those of Pritam that are getting instant success. Keep listening to the songs on TV and other media and by the release you'll be humming them. That's Vishal-Shekhar for you.

(Download Bachna ae Haseeno mp3 songs)
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Singh is Kinng: Music Review

In one word, Singh is Kinng rocks. But there is a lot more that needs to be said about the rocking music, so read on.

Singh is Kinng is surely one of the most awaited movies of the year and the same can be said about the soundtrack of the movie. It's the fourth movie of the year for Pritam after Race, Jannat and Kismat Konnection, all of them chartbusters. And no doubt now Singh is Kinng is going to add to the list of these hits.

Though, there is one song that does not belong to Pritam. And Singh is Kinng starts with that one song only - The Snoop Dogg Version of Singh is Kinng. This one is a Rhythm-Dhol-Bass track composed by Calvin Broadus with Surjeet Singh, Manjeet Ral and Kuljeet Ral. The song is supported by Akshay Kumar himself along with Snoop Dogg and RDB.

The song, already heard by many during the IIFA 2008 presentation, is a good number and is interestingly as Punjabi as English. The song is a good listening, especially in the last minute of the five minute length where there is much more Punjabi. Akshay Kumar's part in the song is interesting too.

The second song 'Jee Karda' sung by Labh Janjua and supported by Labh Janjua is a comparatively slower song which is mainly based on the beats in the background. The renditions of Suzi Q add to the so called X-factor of the song. Still, the song is a well composed punjabi song that is going to run well with the other songs of the movie.

The remix version of 'Jee Karda' doesn't have much new to it when compared to the original number and seems to be remixed for the sake of it as there is not much difference visible between the two tracks, not counting a few added effects at points.

And then comes the 'Bas ek King' sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Mika, Ashish Pandit and Hardkaur, which you must have seen on TV by now. The song is a made-for-high-volume song and is going to be a hit in its original and many remix versions which are sure to come out very soon. Though the song doesn't have very much left after the promos as you don't see Akshay Kumar while listening to the song on your music, it is clear that the song will be getting another boost after the release of the music as the full video will be lovable.

The song 'Bas Ek King' has been remixed into a Dhol style version too, named Tiger style remix, as obviously because Dhol is the main instrument in Punjabi music. The remix is made well and of course, a good dhol remix of a good punjabi song can work wonders.

Period.

Get ready for a whole new Daler Mehndi who starts shouting 'Aaj khushi ka din hai aaya..' before he starts singing for a Baaraat in his usual high-high-high style. Yes, 'Bhootni ke' is going to hit Indian marriages more than anything with its completely Made-in-India tag.

'Bhootni ke' has lyrics that resemble the soul of Punjab where love is expressed entirely in its own manner. 'Bhootni ke' is probably the best song of the movie and it seems Pritam agrees with me as we see three different versions of the song including one normal remix and another tiger style version in Mika Singh's voice.

The first remix of the song is as good as the original one, as it runs on a higher speed which will make it more compatible for dancing. The Mika version is the same song in a new packing, and it is difficult to say which one will be more popular. Still, one thing that can be said about the songs is that Daler's version has more Punjabi and authentic feel to it whereas Mika gives a more casual feel to the song and if asked, I would prefer the former.

The next number, Teri Ore by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal, changes the mood for a song and Punjabi dance numbers leave some space for a romantic song, typical of Rahat for past some time, be it O re Piya of Aaja Nachle, Bol na Halke Halke of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, or Falak Tak of Tashan. Typically again, Rahat is a singer who has never failed a song and this one is no exception. Shreya starts off the song with Rahat having an entry through his alaps after a minute and half.

A new experiment in the song is where Shreya and Rahat both sing lines together but Rahat's voice seems to be in backdrop with Shreya singing in front. A chorus that goes uncredited has also given its taste to the song, though I could not understand the language which is probably Rajasthani or some similar dialect.

And then there is a Lounge mix to this too!

Believe it or not (you will when you listen to it), Pritam has made almost an entire new song in the name of lounge mix as the flavor of the song seems to have changed. The song uses some traditional instruments too but they have been given limited access here so they don't affect the song in a bad way. And hence, this lounge version of Clinton and Eric Pillai also turns out to be a song worth listening.

But fact told, 'original is original' is what comes to my mind when I go back to the original version. A wonderful song, in an album that lies in a completely different territory than the song belongs to.

Back to Punjab, Singhs and Dance numbers. 'Talli Hua' is Neeraj Shridhar in a slightly newer territory and he has done his job well. 'Talli Hua' is a song that is Hindi-Punjabi whereas Neeraj is primarily known for English-Hindi numbers. The song is well supported by Labh Janjua as one doesn't easily understand where the two singers exchange voices.

The remix version that adds rap and Style Bhai adds to tempo of the song too and the version comes out well. Neeraj may once again have a hit to his name though it is not expected to catch up with the heights of Hare Krishna Hare Raam or even Kismat Konnection as those are the in the comfort zone of the Bombay Vikings leader.

To summarize, Singh is Kinng is yet another feather in Pritam's cap, especially as he gets into full-fledged Punjabi flavor in some places, which I expect would be required by the movie too.

As an album, Singh is Kinng is a Must Buy if you like Punjabi hip hop music. The only negative point of the music is that in some places it gets too Punjabi which may not be understood by entire Hindi audiences, especially those in southern parts of India. Else, the bottomline is that Singh is Kinng rocks.

And the Winner is...

It's not the results of filmfare or national awards, or any other awards for that matter. The question was, who will be the winner of this July 4th. And the results are out now. Well, almost.

The reviews of the two movies, Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na and Love Story 2050 are not much surprising. Not for me at least. The bottom line goes as, Jaane Tu.. is worth a watch but Love Story 2050 goes only on the shoulders of VFX n all. Though, expectably again, Harman Baweja is considered to be a lambi-race-ka-ghoda by most.

The result of the two movies' battle can be well understood by seeing the verdicts given by the front running reviewers. For example, Taran Adarsh has called Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na a breezy entertainer which will be loved by its target audience, whereas Love Story 2050 review ends with 'Disappointing!' as he finds the movie 'rests on a thin plot'.

Indiatimes says that 'JTYJN definitely deserves a watch... and not just for Imran' whereas it claims Harman would certainly need some luck.

Also, the reviewers have once again made it clear that AR Rehman's music in Jaane Tu.. has given it a certain edge over its rival which seems to have relied too much over technology.

Now, the final verdict will be given by the public. Let's see what the public says. Because 'Public sab jaanti hai.'

Is Pal Mein Hai Mujhko Jeena

Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein, which stars John Abraham and newcomer Sonal Sehgal is getting late again and again. The movie was slated for release on May 9th earlier from where it was shifted to the fourth week of July. And now, hopefully, the movie will release on September 12th.



But seems it's all for a reason. The bits and pieces of movie which were captured look pretty promising. Here is a video and lyrics of Zubeen Garg's song 'is pal mein hai mujhko jeena' which I liked a lot. Hope you will like it too. Music is composed by Salim-Sulemaan.



Lyrics:



ab hai ujala

ab hai savera

ab in hawaon

pe kar loon basera

ab main zamaane ko humraaz kar loon

ab aasmaanon pe parwaaz kar loon

is pal mein hai mujhko jeena

ab mujhko jeena



anjaana kal na maanu main

ye pal hai apna jaanu main

yahan chaaro taraf pyaar ke silsile

dekho veeraniyon mein bhi dil hain mile

apni manzil ki mujhko khabar hai

is pal mein hai mujhko jeena

ab mujhko jeena

ab mujhko jeena..

Bachchan for Bachchas

Big B is doing it all for smalls. After his Bhootnath, Amitabh Bachchan is appearing in Aladin and the Mystery of the Lamp which is to release in November. And now, the news is that Amitabh is getting a new look for Vidhu Vinod Chopra's 'Talisman', a fantasy flick directed by Ram Madhvani.

The movie was declared by Vidhu Vinod Chopra last year after he finished with Eklavya, but wasn't seen for a long time. Now it seems that the movie is back in action and here is the look of Amitabh Bachchan that we found.

Only Singh can be the King

Salman Khan can be a Hunk. Hritik can have a body that changes the image of Indian heroes, Shahrukh Khan can have a six pack and Harman Baweja can be another Hritik dancing his way to glory. But when it comes to the real thing, it is Singh who is the King.

Yes. It is only Akshay Kumar who can perform those deadly stunts for real. At the IIFA awards 2008 he proved once again that he is the person who dares to do it not just on the big screen but even off the screen, in front of crowd of thousands. It is Akshay Kumar who can reach the stage from the other end of the auditorium hanging on a rope and then perform, that is, sing and dance together. And then, even run into the crowds and stand on the chairs in between while performing.

Akshay, who managed to give four hits last year, is all set to hit the big screens with his next movie 'Singh is Kinng' in August. And though there hasn't been much aired on music channels except for one promo yet, Akshay's performance on 'hun te to mera door jaan nu jee nai karda ni' has made it clear that Pritam is once again going to rock with his music in the movie.

Besides his new movie 'Singh is Kinng', Akshay is also ready to hit small screens with his big thing 'Khatron Ke Khiladi', which is the Indian version of Fear Factor, and will be aired on a new channel called Colors. In the show Akshay will be seen performing stunts and helping contestants perform them.