Ajab Prem ki Ghazab Kahani --- MusicReview

Unlike Vishal-Shekhar and SEL who almost do the entire album themselves , singing,composing and even writing (in case of vishal-shekhar for Aladin) , Pritam has kept himself to composing only and he still believes in bringing in some of the best singers to do their job and he needs to complemented for that . It brings a variety to the album and doesn't keep it monotonous .Vishal has given some horrible lyrics for Aladin and he should seriously think about writing . As far as I can remember most writers had some hair on their head :) , just kiddin , no offence to bald people . He did a great job for "Aankhon Mein Teri" in OSO but doing an entire album is just too much too soon .

Coming to "Ajab Prem Ki Ghazab Kahani" , its a fun-filled album and it is pretty clear about that . It has 8 originals and 5 remix versions and an unplugged one . Since the film is a crazy love story some of the songs have that crazy element while the others are pure romantic ones . The lyrics are by Irshad Kamil who finally has worked with someone other than Imtiaz Ali . Pritam and Irshad together have already given a hit album this year which results in expectation from this one too .

The first track on the album is very rightly a fun track , "Mein Tera Dhadkan Teri" , which establishes the mood for the entire soundtrack right away . This one has some fun lyrics which are not senseless by the way and the music also has that fun element in it . Its a light track to begin with but has a nice combination of both lyrics and music . I've taken for granted that if its Pritam's album it has to be inspired from some place and I've not spent any time figuring out from where . This track also has some RAP bit by Hard Kaur which is good and adds to the track . Sunidhi and KK have done a good job as usual providing vocals for this track . The lyrics are also a bit catchy in nature but not like "Om Mangalam" of Kambakht Ishq . In all , its a good fun track to begin the album .

Then comes probably the best track on the soundtrack , "Tu Jane Na", by Atif Aslam and not Mohit Chauhan who has sung songs like these for Irshad and Pritam . Atif as usual does a fabulous job with his style of singing . Pritam has also kept the composition simple yet beautiful and given it a bit of classical touch . The chorus (which is a rarity these days) sounds so good and makes the track even more beautiful . The track starts off in an unusual way like it has been continued from some part before . The chorus goes somethig like this ...

kaise bataye kyu tujhko chahe , yaara bata na paye ,

batein dilo ki dekho jo baaki , aankhen tujhe samjhaye , tu jaane na ...

In all , its a great track that has to work for sure and with Ranbir-Katrina chemistry that is evident in trailers , am sure it would look even better on-screen . Great job by both Pritam and Irshad .

The album switches back to fun mode and we get "Oh by God" . Who said that "Shehnai" is just for sad moods only , Pritam has just proved otherwise and used it in a comic way over here . It has that famous "Wedding Shehnai" . Since its a fun track the lyrics are not meant to be taken seriously but still they are much better than "Bhangra Bistar Beer Bater" . Sunidhi-Mika sing it as usual . This track is also more film oriented and though its a fun track , it would make more sense along with a comic situation in the film .

It switches back again to Romantic mood and thus comes "Tera Hone Laga Hoon" which has Lyrics by Ashish Pandit . This one also has Atif and giving him melodius complany is Alisha Chinoy . This one is also a great track and I think it is equally good as "Tu Jane Na" . It starts off with Neeraj singing some nice english lyrics which add to the beauty of the song throughout . The composition of this one is on the lines of "Is This Love" from Kismat Konnection . Ashish has also done a good job with lyrics and even the three singers have done a great job together . Though Atif is a good singer but I think it is his voice quality which is not something very exceptional and quite normal that makes him so much more popular , it makes you sing the song along with him .

Again a sudden jump to fun mode and we have "Prem Ki Naiyya" ; this one being my favourite amongst the fun tracks . Its got Neeraj singing in a bit of UP style accent and its nice to see him attempt at least some thing different if not completely . Though its basically a Neeraj kinda track only and fast-paced with all the groovy music in it . Since Ranbir's name in the film is "Prem" the song has lyrics something like "Prem ki Naiyya hai Ram ke Bharose..." . The song also has Suzanne D'Mello for small bits in between and this time she does the job of singing some weird english lyrics instead of Neeraj . The lyrics are also fine and the music by Pritam is also good in this one .

The long list of the singers gets even longer with Javed Ali and Jojo singing the next romantic track on the album "Aa Jao Meri Tammana" . This one clearly feels like some Emraan Hashmi track that I heard sometime back (so many of them ) . It would have been much better if Emraan would have made a guest appearance for this song . But then he would have demanded to kiss Katrina and if denied would have accused of a biased behaviour against him :) . I just hope Ranbir doesn't lip-sync to this song in the film because the voice just won't suit his boyish charm . This one is not a bad track but i didn't quite find it interesting either . The lyrics and tune both felt like something that we have heard before . Javed's fan would love the track .

The last original on the album is a RAP track by Hard Kaur . She is of the better rappers in India and she does a good job mixing hindi,punjabi and english together in this track . I am not a hard-core rap follower so I cannot comment on whether its inspired from some track or not . But personally I liked the track and its worth listening , much better than that "Genie Rap" from Aladin . Since a part of this tack was also a part of the first track on the album , the music of this one has shades of the first track . A short and sweet track which has not been made unnecessarily long . The lyrics by Hard Kaur are also good and much better than many other rappers in India .

Then follows a long list of remixes,reprise editions and unplugged versions which is a thing to expect in most Pritam's albums . He liked his own work so much that he does it all over again to complement himself . All of them are like usual remixes only so nothing to waste time on . Leave these tracks for DJs only .

I think Pritam wanted to make some record of sorts with this album so he brings on Kailash Kher and his group to sing an unplugged version of "Tu Jaane Na" . Since this one is my favourite track on the album and Kailash is also one of my favourite singers , I liked this one too . Kailash sings it in his own style and in his earthly voice . A nice little treat for Kailash kher fans to end the album .

With so many singers , the album does provide a nice variety of tracks and it doesn't feel monotonous . The album is so much better than the long list of below average soundtracks that are out there in the market right now (All the best,London Dreams,Main aur Mrs.Khanna,Aladin,Jail and even Radio :) ) . The soundtrack has a nice mix of romantic and fun tracks which also have a good bit of lyrics and not some average commercial crap . Both Irshad and Pritam have done a good job together again .The film would definately benifit from it . I am now looking forward to the film and since it is not an out and out comedy like Andaaz Apna Apna , I would try to keep that film out of my mind while watching this one . I hope Rajkumar Santoshi hits back . Bohot din ho gaye koi achchi comedy film dekhe hue .

Album Rating : Three and Half out of Five .

Wake Up S!d --- Movie Review

Coming of Age : definition source:Wikipedia

Coming of age is a young person's transition from childhood to adulthood. The age at which this transition takes place varies in society, as does the nature of the transition.

So , as the definition says it is an age that varies according to cultures and society and in India , where kids live under the shadow of their parents for a long time , I think it comes quite late than other western countries . And again according to the definition , the nature of transition also varies . But i think this variation of "nature of transition" can be so different even within a single society for different kind of people . And I am not talking of the huge section of our country which is so poor that for them there is no such thing as 'coming of age' . For them everything is just a "matter of survival" . I am talking of the huge middle class and the small rich class of our country where the variation of this transition can be felt very easily .

Wake Up Sid is about the transition of a 'child' from the rich class into his adulthood . And Before you get a wrong impression that I've got something against the rich class let me clarify , there's no such thing like that . The reason I said everything above is just to make a point that this transition can be different for different people but what remains same are the feelings . Wake Up Sid is a simple story of a guy who knows what he doesn't want in life but has little idea about what he wants . And his only motto in life is to enjoy it full on with his credit card bills been taken care of . He is completely dependent on his father and is like Rachel from Friends :) . One day life happens , and he realises that he has to break off and find his own way in life . Helping him grow up into a Man from just a boy is a fearless & responsible girl who has a definite path to follow in life and knows exactly how to achieve her goals . The story revolves around how these two help each other to attain their respective goals , learn to enjoy the journey with each other and ultimately fall in love .

Just like the music from it , the film is also chilled out and feel good kind of cinema which also addresses some issues concerning the young . The scenes from the film seem to be scenes from our own life and the film is quite real and this is the most real that Dharma Productions has got till date . For me personally , realism has more to do with feelings rather than other physical things and in that respect the film is quite real . Some of the scenes from the film are very well written and performed too , in a subtle way which leave their impact . Especially the scene where Ranbir leaves his home . Some of the other scenes like the one where Ranbir and his friend laugh off the fact that his girlfriend ditches him and also the scene where Ranbeer's colleague who has a crush on him realises that he loves Konkana, just looks at him and says nothing , are very simple and downplayed yet quite good and leave an impression . Then there is also a scene where Ranbeer takes photographs of his neighbour and her son and also realising how much he loves his mom . There is nothing very brilliant and outstanding about these scenes but still they manage to touch the hearts of the viewers and that's what makes them great . Simple yet fabulous and as they say its difficult being simple too .

The strongest technical aspect of the film in my opinion is its Cinematography and Anil Mehta has really done a fabulous job . Dharma this time chose Bombay(oops I meant Mumbai) instead of Miami or New York for this one and Anil has managed to show the city as beautiful as the other two . I almost felt like running off to Mumbai to watch it and feel it , especially in the monsoons . The still photographs that have been used in the film are also great and they also add to the beauty of the film . The art direction was also great and the dialogues were also not heavy duty and more on the daily conversation side .

One of the other major contributor to film is its music and it completely matches the tone of the film and adds to it in a major way . Without the music the film might have seemed a bit on the slower side . There are no "rocking" numbers in this one unlike usual Karan's films which have to have a party or disco number in it for sure . The best track is no doubt "Ik tara" and I loved the male version of it also which is in the film only . The background score in the film has been kept minimal and wherever it is there , it has been done in a nice way .

Coming to acting performances , Ranbir has done his best till date in this one . The character suited him and his actual natural personality , just like Imran's character did to him in Jaane Tu.. . So I wont say that he has acted fabulously because it wasn't a tough role for him but still he did a good job and looked quite natural . His character is similar to Hrithik's in Lakshya to an extent but not exactly like it . Konkana is a great actor and this one would have been a piece of cake for her and she as usual did fine . Her paring with Ranbir also looked great and there was nothing odd about it . Rest of the supporting cast was also perfect with each one of them doing their part well .

One of the things that I liked in the film is that Ayaan has focused on every character and given it a chance to express his/her feelings . So we see problems of almost all the characters in the film regardless of the length of its role . Whether it is Ranbir's obese friend , his lonely neighbour or his best friend who is a romantic , every one of them gets a chance , even his servant "chchotu" who has very small role makes his presence felt .

Supriya Pathak who has played the part of a typical Indian housewife/mom , has done a brilliant job in the film and Ayan again needs to be commended for writing such a nice character for her and also casting her in the film .She has not played an over the top Kirron Kher kinda mother but a simpler and more real one who strives to speak English in order to befriend her son . Anupam Kher has played a rich dad many times and he knows how to do that .

And lastly , speaking of the Direction , Ayan Mukherjee has done a great job for a first timer and he has picked up the right story according to his age and done full justice to it . Since its his script I am sure he would have put in some personal experiences in it which gave the film a very fresh feel to it . It is certainly much better than Tarun Mansukhani's first attempt and I want to congratulate Karan for making this film with Ayan . Though its a fresh film which is very young at heart it still looks like a work of a mature person who knows what he is doing .

In all , I was really happy to watch this film and it did touch me in some way , maybe because I am also coming of age right now and I am also hoping that things turn out to be good for me .

Movie Rating : 3.75 out of 5 :)

Wake Up S!d --- Music review

Recently John Hughes passed away who has made some of the finest coming of age films of all time like "16 Candles" , "The Breakfast Club" and "Ferris Beuller's Day Off". He portrayed the young teenagers in a very real and comic way . His films are still relevant as they were 25 years ago and are also some of my favourites . Now we have Ayan Mukerji from Dharma Productions who is also trying his hand on the same genre . What was remarkable in Hughes' films was that they were very simple and portrayed whatever that they wanted in a very simple manner . The same simplicity is what I got to observe in this album too . The music here is by Shankar Ehsaan Loy (K Jo's favourite) and lyrics are also by Javed Akhtar (another favourite) . In past the trio and the lyrical genius have done wonders and the same is expected from them every time they come together . I am very very happy to see a change in Dharma Productions who is now focusing on making a bit different films than usual lavish films that they are associated with .

The first song on the album is the title track which has vocals by Shankar himself . The track has some nice guitar pieces in it which is a feature that has been maintained throughout the album .
I love the way song goes from a soft slow mode to a rock mode and that too in a nice way and not an abrupt way . The music on the entire album for that matter seems to be an extension to Rock On!! Album but in my view it is not . This one has more of a soft rock feel in most of the songs on the album . Well , the lyrics on this one are also nice and Javed sir has done a good job as usual . The song introduces Sid and his character in the film in a nice way . The film seems to be a bit similar to Lakshya , the music and lyrics of which were by the same team . Though the songs here are very different and even lyrics are different . The backing vocals in this song by Loy Mendonsa are also nice . Overall , its a good track to begin the album with and has also done full justice to the title of the film .

Next comes , Kya Karoon? , by Clinton Cerejo which has a nice fresh feel . I always like the sound of harmonica because it very well captures the "easy going happy go lucky " feel and it has been used in this track very nicely . A nice slow track which has good lyrics and "kya karu" seems to be catchy. NICE is a word that I'll be using very much throughout the review because it is a word that very well summarizes the album . And Nice doesn't mean that it is not very good . It is great but in a very subtle way that will probably make you happy . Clinton has provided the song that fresh young feel that was required through his vocals and he is nicely supported by Dominique and Loy . In all its a nice :) song that would look great along with the story in the film . It is almost like those songs that one usually hears in background in many Hollywood films . The lyrics capture the feelings of youth in a nice way throughout the album and also in this song .

"Aaj Kal Zindagi" comes next which reminded me a bit of "Kaisi Hai Ye Rut" from Dil Chahta Hai . The beats in this one are similar to that one . That one was a beautiful track sung by Srinivas who did a great job . This one has vocals by Shankar himself who also as usual has done a great job . This one is somewhat of a feel good inspirational song which has a good melody and lyrics . One nice thing that I observed is that most of the tracks on the album are short and only around 4 minutes long . This in my view is ideal length for any song and songs like these don't even hinder the pace of the film and keep it going . I hope the film is also short and concise like the songs with no unnecessary elongation .

Then comes probably the best track on the album but there is a catch , this one has been composed by Amit Trivedi .Though this song is by a different composer it still doesn't stand out and has maintained the spirit of the album and is of the same league as others and Amit needs to be complimented for that . It is different than others but has the same quality of simplicity in it too . Lyrics wise also this song is the best on the entire album and Jaaved sir has done a fabulous job on this track . The only song which has female vocals and Kavita Seth has done a great job here . She has given it a nice classical feel along with Amitabh Bhattacharya . Both of them have a nice fresh voice quality which goes along with the theme of the soundtrack . Amit Trivedi is definately a find and he is proving that with his work . He has already proved himself in Aamir and Dev-D but here he has stood along with an already established trio of music directors and shown that he is no less and done a good job . Though the music is good and soulful but the strongest point of the song are its lyrics and singing . Full marks to Kavita for her nice Classical Sufiana singing . I would love to hear a bit more of her . Javed sir has also very nicely used the word "iktara".... I am a bit crazy i guess but i would have loved to see this picturised in a bit of rain and also a bit dark , in monsoons, as if time has stopped .

Then at last comes "Life is Crazy", again by Shankar who has been supported by Uday Benegal .All of the songs on the album talk about life in general and its surprising but there is no love song on the entire album . This one is also talks about life and its different elements of happiness . It also calls it crazy and both the singers do that in a stylish way . This song also has a soft rock kinda feel and has a nice pacy rhythm .

One complaint that I have against Shankar is that he is now singing just too many songs on his albums . This one has 4 songs by them(SEL) out of which shankar features on 3 of them . No doubt he is a fabulous singer but he should rather sing a few songs else the audience would get a bit bored with him and all the songs on his album would sound the same .

Lastly comes a remix version of the title track which is also nice and would work more than the original one among the masses . This one has been titled as "Club Mix" and it would work in clubs and discs for sure . The sound of ticking clock in the bgining sounds good , even in the original one . This one is a more faster version and sounds like those songs by teenage bands in the west .

Overall , its a very NICE and different soundtrack and its strength lies in its simplicity .There are no unnecessary remix versions and most songs are of appropriate length .SEL and Javed Sir have done a good job once again . I am looking forward to this film now even more than before I was . Lets hope the film also has something good in store . Its good that UTV has this film with them , they'll do a good job with publicity . One thing UTV is doing great is that it is bringing the commercial and off beat film makers in the same domain and a bit closer than before .

Album Rating : Four out of Five ; Pretty fresh and definately worth listening .

Bachna Ae Haseeno --- Movie Review

One thing is for sure now that after giving hit films like Hum Tum , Salaam Namaste , Dhoom , Bunty and Bubly , Chak De etc. , Yashraj have either sold their common sense and logic along with their films or maybe all these films were made without any interference by Aditya Chopra . SCRIPT is one word that Aditya needs to Meditate while breathing and even all his associates who are emptying the fortunes of Yashraj every month or so . I don't know why actors keep doing Yashraj's film and expecting a wonder out of them . Off lately all my posts which have the Word YASHRAJ in it sound like I am protesting against them and booing them down . But the truth is that apart from Chak De nothing has excited me that came from their house . I am a huge fan of Films like Hum Tum and Salaam Namaste which were commercial success only because they had a good script . Two years before I thought Yashraj will rule not only the Box Office but also people's heart but now I think the opposite . Well , enough of Anti-Yashraj Rant lets talk of the film that has released last week , Bachna Ae Hasino , starring Ranbir and three other girls .

The film as you know is about a Boy and Three Girls who fall in love with him . Sounds a little like Dil Mange More starring Shahid and Directed by Anant Mahadevan but take my word guys it just sounds like that . That film was an underrated and box office dud . In fact it was a far better product than this one and the actors in it were also much better . Well this one has three girls , three weak stories and three kisses so I am also devoting three paragraphs to each of them .

The first story is set up in 1996 where Raj Sharma (Ranbir) and his group are on a holiday in Europe and they meet girls just like SRK and group did in DDLJ . This whole part is kind of a spoof on DDLJ since the heroine of the story Maahi (Minissha) is a huge fan of the film . She comes to Europe to find her Raj and meets Ranbir who sets her up so that she falls in love with him to get a little physical with her . So this is when the first question arises . Can Ranbir who has a mushy mushy and a sweet guy image play such a wicked guy's role ? The answer is a straight no . I'll talk a little later about this . This story ends for a while when Minissha realizes that Ranbir was lying and that he doesn't love her . Talking of errors and stupidity in this one , the story is set in 1996 but music of Dhoom is played while the group walks over to girls . Apart from this , the movie starts with the Title track and the starting piece of that song has been used often in the film . It is so often that after each dialogue Ranbir says there is the music of title track in Background . You would like it the first time its played , you would like it even more when used second time but then on it just becomes an overdose of such a fantastic piece of Music . Instead of using it wisely they have bought the rights and abused it . Talking a little about acting , Ranbir though is the lead actor of the film but still he was not able to stand out among the group of four friends . He looked just like all other guys who were as pathetic as he was . Minissha though is a fabulous actor did a lot of overacting in this one and it never appeared that she was in love with Ranbir . It was more like she was in love with the film's Raj , I mean the chemistry was no where . The kiss was looking passionless and emotionless .

Next comes the story (set up in 2002) of Bipasha Basu who is a struggling model and a cool girl who has a live in relationship with Ranbir . She also falls in love with Ranbir but without his knowledge . Ranbir gets a job in Australia and he decides to leave her but she asks him to marry her as she thinks that Ranbir completely loves her . Ranbir tries all the tricks in the book so that Bipasha breaks off with him but he fails since she loves him so much . So at last he ditches her on the day of the marriage and runs away to Australia . Talking of errors again , Ranbir talks of Australia to his friend in the accent that became popular after Jaaved Jaffrey did Salaam Namaste which got released in 2005 . Maybe Yashraj did a special screening for Raj(Ranbir) of the film in 2002 . Then there is a scene where Strippers dance in his apartment along with him on the song Jhoom Barabar Jhoom . Just Imagine strippers dancing to the music from Jhoom Barabar Jhoom which again released just last year . There was one kiss in this one also which in my opinion was the best among all the three . Bipasha looked comfortable while kissing Ranbir and hence it looked better than the other two .

Then starts the third story in 2007 in Australia where Ranbir works happily and Deepika does all kinds of Day and Night Jobs to support her studies .She is a Taxi driver and Ranbir falls for her . She doesn't believe in Marriage at all and breaks Ranbir's heart just as he does with two other girls . Then as usual Ranbir realises his mistake and decides to repent for it . So he flies back to India and then to Germany to say sorry to Minissha and Bipasha respectively . The whole saying sorry sequence has been dragged for last one hour or so and when Ranbir comes back to Australia , Deepika is waiting for her Kiss , I mean she also realises that she loves him and decides to settle down with him . The ending sequence had to be in a Taxi since she is a cab driver . The End .

Talking of Acting Bipasha was the best among all and only she acted professionally . All other actors looked like that they didn't knew what they were doing . Rest of the cast is quite young and they were all probably excited since this was their first film with Yashraj . They enjoyed the foreign locations and comforts . Ranbir , for most of the part played the role of a Wicked guy which not at all suits his personality and he more looked like a Puzzled Guy than a Handsome Hunk . His acting didn't impress me at all and it appeared that he has style without enough substance to back it up . Bips was the best and she tried her best to play Miranda Priestly(Devil Wears Prada) for some part of the film . Ranbir still tries to imitate his father's and grandfather's in his acting but lacks a little bit of Charisma (not Karisma) . And Deepika looks boring on screen but she is so beautiful and has those killer smile and dimples that you can forgive everything else wrong about her . Not much of a role for her and a little disappointment after OSO .

The film as you can see has no script again and even a lay man can guess the whole plot beforehand . There are a lot of Mistakes throughout the film with one of the most loose background score that I have ever heard . Two fantastic pieces of Music from DDLJ and Karz wasted like some ordinary background score . The Director had nothing to do since the script itself was so weak . The Music of the film is also weak and only Khuda Jaane is soulful . If we compare this one to Dil Mange More of Shahid then its a perfect example of how a bad film can earn more than a much better one just because of the Publicity and the names attached to it . I cannot believe the same Director has directed a film like Salaam Namaste and then this one . He has used pieces of Shehnai and the very old Thunder Sounds in background when there is a sad sequence or shock sequence in the film . Where is Yashraj going , now maybe only a Widow breaking her Bangles is left for them I suppose to show on screen .

Bachna Ae Hasino is much better than Tashan is the best compliment that this film can get from my side . Ranbir is OK and Bips is good . The film might entertain you but won't satisfy you . Nothing new in it apart from the actors . The same old formula and same old scenes with almost zero chemistry among the leads . I don't know what I would get to see in Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi , Yashraj's last hope for the year . SRK would never work with Yashraj again if the film turn outs to be a failure . Lets not hope so and SRK being my favourite I have to hope for the best . I hope SRK interferes in the film if Aditya gets Logic less while directing the film .

Movie Rating : Two out of Five Stars , Another dud from Yashraj .

Bachna Ae Hasino --- Music Review

The next movie from Yashraj after the disastrous movie Tashan,Bachna Ae Hasino, is all set for release and the Music is out now . The rushes of the film are getting positive feedback and it is visible that Yashraj have again spend a good sum of money for this one . But one thing that Yashraj always forget is to put some efforts on script . The director of this one is Siddharth Anand who gave films like Salaam Namaste and Ta Ra Rum Pum , both of which did quite well at the box office and were also appreciated by the critics . Interestingly music of both these films also got more popular as compared to other films from Yashraj . So we can atleast expect and hope for a nice film if not an exceptional one . This film is also very important for Ranbeer since very few saw him acting in Saawariya . This one would be seen by all and then he would be rated by people at large , as an actor .

The first track on the album is a romantic Track "Khuda Jaane" which is a nice track and quite melodious . The song is sung by KK who has a speciality in singing love ballads , his last one being "Ankhon mein Teri" from OSO . The song is at a higher pitch and we get to hear a different KK from that in OSO . He has the company of Shilpa Rao who also sings quite well . Shilpa got popular from the song in Salaam-e-Ishq - Saiyan Chod Ke na ja . This one has been sung in completely different style by her . She sounds quite soulful in this one . Overall the song has a nice blend of both good lyrics and Melody . The lyrics are by Anvita Dutt who does a decent job .

The next track on the album is Lucky Boy by Sunidhi and Hard Kaur . This one is from the league of Tashan , melody less and lyrics that are so so . Commercial track and might look good in the movie . These type of songs look good in the movie but not meant for Listening purpose only . The tune and lyrics aren't that catchy and overall the song is meant for listening once only . Hard Kaur is a regulation these days and she does her job well as usual . Sunidhi is good but nothing unique . Just regulation stuff .

The third track on the album is Ahista Ahista by Lucky Ali and Shreya Ghoshal . When was the last time that Lucky Ali had sung a song ? And he chooses to come back with this song which is so not at all Lucky Ali style . He usually sings slow and soulful songs with great lyrics . But this track is just a regular track with excessive use of Bass which gives it more of a Club feel . Both Shreya and Lucky are known to sing Great Tracks only but out of the blue they sing this so normal track . Vishal-Shekhar have done almost nothing for this track apart from the starting music piece. This song could have been composed by any DJ in this way . The lyrics are good but get wasted due to lack of melody . The song might work in the movie .

Then comes Jogi Mahi by Sukhwinder, Shekhar Ravjiani and Himani Kapoor . The song has a quite old tune of Dhol and it is suppose to be a Punjabi track . Punjabi Tracks are usually fun filled but this one has a different feel to it . It has been tried to incorporate a sad song into a commercial tune . The attempt has failed to a large extent and the blend has not worked . The song again is like a commercial type of track of the 90's . There is no newness to it and neither the lyrics are that good . The song would definitely slow down the pace of the movie and it would remind you of the movies of 90's . I don't know why Yashraj is doing this Hybrid thing of Mixing the Old with the new . There movies now look like the typical commercial movies that people saw for quite long in the 80's and 90's . They have no new story at all . Though this film has three heroines and one hero which gives it a look of a modern film yet it might end up like a typical commercial movie .

Coming back to Music , the next track is Small Town Girl , one more hybrid track with pathetic lyrics . This one is sung by Shankar Mahadevan who himself is music director and this one sounds a little similar to Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom Title Track and is of the same league . Yet Jhoom Barabar Jhoom had catchy lyrics and tune and this one has none . Those who like just plain noise with no rhythm and lyrics might like this track . One more useless track of Tashan genre with no meaning and feel to it .

Then comes another REMIX version of version of Khuda Jaane which has been done in a nice way and is a faster and has more club feel to it . The original itself is such a good track that even this one rocks . The track has been remixed in a nice way by Abhijit Nalani and has a newness to it . It is not a typical remix and it would definitely work . Abhijit has put some effects which have added some more beauty to the track .

Then comes the title track which is just a remixed version of the older song with some extra lyrics . The Rap in it by Vishal is quite good and he deserves credit for it . Apart from that the entire rhythm and Lyrics are from original which are already a big hit . This song belongs to R.D. Burman and Majrooh Sultanpuri completely so Vishal-Shekhar don't get any credit for this one .

In all , the album is just a regular soundtrack that would just come and go and won't leave its mark . Apart from Khuda Jaane there is no original track that is worth listening twice or more . Vishal-Shekhar have a very limited talent and they are getting repetitive . They should take a break and Yashraj should look for some new talent to bring to their Production house .

Album Rating : One and Half out of Five stars ; one for Khuda Jaane and Half for not including unnecessary Remix tracks on the album .

A look at The Year Ahead

Yash Raj Films (YRF) are no doubt the biggest studio based producers in India and they have all the big guns with them and also have the biggest releases of the year . Last year was quite unfortunate for them with all of their movies failing , apart from Chak-De India . Last year they had films like Jhoom Barabar Jhoom (worst film in which all the big stars acted for no good reason) which had no script and films like Aaja Nachle and Laga Chunari .. which had the actors but didn't had that great piece of writing . A year before last , YRF had a decent year and that probably made them overconfident and all the directors and even the producers went at anything without any caution . The actors also thought that Adi and YRF can pull off anything . But welcome to today's world !!! You just can't pull off a blunder just because it had the bigshot directors and actors .

This year's YRF line up looks quite interesting from last year and I hope that Aditya doesn't act as a ghost Director because two opinions on set are not going to do any good to the movie . Aditya needs to be congratulated for the fact that he is not making repetitive cinema (though he follows a formula) . This year would be Different than last as this year the owner himself has put a gun on his neck in the form of "Rab Ne bana di Jodi " . The movie would need no publicity since it has SRK in it so Adi please save some money and efforts there and put them in the Script . Honestly speaking Adi's only "good" work was in DDLJ . After that nothing good has come out of him . Lets hope for the best . DDLJ is a classic , hope this movie at least goes half the way .

Well , the YRF calendar will start with Tashan releasing on 25th April . Probably , YRF's first attempt on Film Noire . The film has a power packed cast of Akki,Bebo,Saif and Anil Kapoor , the bad guy . The film had given a whole new look to all the actors like YRF always does . We have seen uber cool HR (Hrithik Roshan not Himesh Resh.) and hot Ash in D2 . Both had looked quite hot n sexy in that movie . In Tashan also Kareena is going to wear a bikini and Saif would gawk at it . Akshay would be back to basics i.e. Action and Anil as usual would abuse verbally on-screen flawlessly .
YRF has the money to work on sets and costumes and look of the movie but they don't have the patience to work on the script . I am quite sure they will get lost somewhere in this movie between western and eastern cinema . I just hope this movie doesn't do what JBJ did last year . All the glitz no substance .

The next on list is an untitled film from Kunal Kohli of Hum Tum fame who gave an average film in form of Fanaa last time he went behind camera . He is back to his original favourite cast of Saif and Rani . Rani plays an Angel in the movie if the reports are to be believed . It is also said to be roughly inspired by Mary Poppins stories. This movie too seems to have a different look . The movie is targeted at Kids similarly to Tara rum pum and has four spoilt brats in it along with Saif .

This one will for sure have some fantastic special effects in it to attract the kids this monsoons . The movie releases 27th June . Rani would also do something she has done very less that is make people laugh . A romantic comedy angle would be there for sure in it since it worked for kunal first time . The movie also has Amisha in an important role . Saif would create some comedy handling the spoilt brats and may be learn a lesson or two to handle his own son . The kids would no doubt be the USP of film . I again hope it has more of story than special effects and sets .


Next on list is Bachna Ae Haseeno having Ranbir romancing with three different ladies Deepika , Minissha and Bipasha . The very much hyped pair of Ranbir and Deepika would finally hit screens on Independence Day (like Chak De did last time ) . The movie seems quite interesting and this is the movie that will decide Ranbir's future because it is in this movie when he will create or expand his fan-base since nobody saw Saawariya . All the ladies in this movie also are looking quite stunning with Bipasha looking really coool in the stills .

Minissha Lamba has also shown her mettle in past and she is also looking gorgeous in the movie . Bipasha would be something to look forward to since she is quite elder to Ranbir and it would be interesting to see their chemistry on screen . She was made just a show-piece in Dhoom2 . I hope Yash Raj doesn't do the same to her in this film .

Then comes Roadside Romeo which will release around 24th October which will be first full fledged animated feature by Yash Raj in collaboration with Disney . This movie is again targeted at kids just like the Kunal Kohli's film . There are also voice overs of Saif , Kareena and Jaaved jaaferi . Here I put my entire money on Jaaved who would come out as a star since he has a mastery in voice overs . The film is about Dogs so I am hundred percent sure that Jaaved willl play as a Rich and Healthy Breed who would act as Villian for "sadak-chaap" Saif . To give competition to Yash Raj's Roadside Romeo there is a movie by Karan Johar called as "Kuchi Kuchi Hota Hai " which would have voice-overs of all the original cast of Kuch Kuch hota hai . There is no competition between Jugal Hansraj (Director , Roadside Romeo) and Karan Johar . But since Karan is a good friend of Adi no doubt his movie would release after an interval giving no direct competiton to Roadside Romeo .

One thing that would be quite interesting to see would be the level of graphics since Roadside would be done by Disney professionals and Kuchi Kuchi ... would be probably done by SRK's Red Chillies VFX .

Last but not least by any means is the SRK's Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi which will release on 12th December . The movie is an unusual love story of a 40 year Old and a 16 year old . Earlier RGV made Nishabd with a ratio of 16-60 which didn't work . I hope this one does . This one is much light hearted and has the King himself who would come back with Aditya Chopra after a span of eight long years . The 16 year old lucky girl would be played by Sonam Kapoor who would be on top of this world with a chance to work with SRK in her second film itself . The shooting would start soon .

So this year looks quite interesting and I hope , what everybody expects of Yash Raj i.e. an interesting film . I hope they don't waste out our hard earned bucks that we spend on them . One thing I would like to see in Yash Raj's calendar next year is a movie with smaller stars but bigger actors , somebody like Abhay Deol or Neil Nitin Mukesh paired with a new girl . Yash Raj needs to at least make one Experimental cinema a year with a creative director something they did in Kabul Express with Kabir Khan . They should have newer directors who have ideas but no budget . My heart goes out to films like Manorama Six Feet Under which was ten times better than any of Yash Raj's movie last year apart from Chak-De but it failed because it had no publicity .

But still Yash Raj gives the biggest films of the year so here's wishing a good year ahead for them and I hope people like me get entertained throughout the year .

Are Ranbeer-Sonam a repeat telecast ?

Just watched the new song "Maasha Alla " of saawariya and one thing that struck me was acting of new guy on the block Ranbir Kapoor .

His acting looks quite similar to apne SALLU Bhai , looks like Sanjay Sir has not yet forgotten his first love Salman & Ash . The new girl , Sonam Kapoor , is also shown very quite in the rushes but I am sure there would be some childish naughtiness in her character in the movie also similar to what there was in Aishwarya Rai in HDDCS . Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam is my all time favourite love story and I have watched it many times . But Looking at the rushes of the movie I am getting a feeling that there will be many similarities in the acting of Ranbeer & Sonam with Salman - Ash .

Since both of them had completly submitted themselves in Sanjay Sir's hand , a lot of past will be seen in them . Same Innocense & Naughtiness of Salman-Ash will be seen in them . Lets see ahead , everyone knows what happened to Salman & Ash , so Ranbir plz be careful at least I don't want the History to repeat itself .

SAAWARIYA --- Trailer review

The trailer of much awaited film of the year , Saawariya, is out now and it looks like another Bhansali Masterpiece is on the cards . The movie is first Indian Production of Columbia Films (SONY International) and looks like a huge sum of money is spent by them on this one. I've read that they are releasing this trailer in over 1450 screens worldwide which itself is some kinda Record for any Indian Film. It is also the first Indian film to be made entirely in $ and not Rs.

Well talking about the film , the story is inspired by a short story "White Nights" by some European writer I believe(not sure though). From the promo it looks it is another Musical Extravaganza which has been shot very beautifully. The Promo does not give out any details about the plot of the movie but certainly creates an impression on the viewer's mind. The promo starts showing a girl lying on a boat floating in some lake . Then the hero is shown playing a guitar , which makes sure that he is a musician. The film is artistically shot and looks like entire movie is shot on Beautiful Sets and is more Shakespearean in Nature. The story, as far as I could guess from the rushes, is also Shakespeare types.

Now for the people who don't know the Movie stars Ranbir Kapoor(son of Rishi Kapoor) and Sonam Kapoor(daughter of Anil Kapoor) as the Leads . And the film also has Salman and Rani in it(who are not shown in the promo) . The movie has a lot of European look since SLB (sanjay leela bhansali ) is inspired by European cinema a lot. Anyways , looks like the Star-kids have got a great Platform in the form of this Movie for their Launch. The Rushes are very exciting and it is a potential BIGGIE.

Considering the Teaser of Om Shanti Om (SRK's Next) not up to the mark (which might clash with it) , the movie is going to make wonders.

One thing is for sure this DIWALI when both the movies will release a lot of Fireworks will be seen On-Screen. Two Thumbs-up for Saawariya's Trailer and only half thumb up for Om Shanti Om (Farah Khan) which does not excite as much as this one.