Ummeed (Firaaq)

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

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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)

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.