Dil Bole Hadippa --- Music Review

Rani Mukerji's come back film Dil Bole Hadippa is all set to release and the music of the film is out now . The title track is already on-air and strangely even its remix version has also been released on television which is usually kept for publicity at the last stages . Since Shahid-Priyanka are the flavour of the season, I guess the producers of both Whats Your Rashee and Dil Bole Hadippa are cashing in on the hype generated by Kaminey and hence released there promos much before the scheduled time . Rani would be a bit disappointed since she was suppose to be the USP of the film not Shahid . And maybe this could also be the reason why the remix video has been released in a haste , just to show the new avatar of Rani Mukerji . Anyways, this is a music review and I should talk about the music . Well , its got Pritam (once again) and Jaideep Sahni as the Lyricist . Pritam has had a decent year with New York and Love Aaj Kal doing well on the music charts so same is expected from this album .

This one is a completely different soundtrack in the sense that it is a complete Punjabi soundtrack with very less scope for Hindi . This is probably the first time something like this has been attempted in a commercial Hindi film soundtrack . First comes the title track on the soundtrack , Hadippa , which is a nice Punjabi track with a decent bit of lyrics . The song is already on air in the promos of the film and is getting quite popular . Love Aaj Kal lacked a kick-ass Punjabi song and also Mika . That deficiency has been removed by Pritam here with this track . Pritam and Jaideep have together done a good job on this track and have given the soundtrack a good start with this song . It is the best track on the entire album .

Next comes , Discowale Khisko , which disappoints right away and spoils the mood set up by the first track . This one is so below average in terms of both music and lyrics . The lyrics are awful and so commercial that they remind of the songs from Tashan . In terms of Music Pritam has almost done nothing because the music is so like any typical Punjabi track . This shitty track has vocals by some good singers like KK and Sunidhi .

"Ishq hi Rab Hai" comes next which is the only soft romantic track in the album . Sonu and Shreya Ghoshal together have together sung some of the finest tracks and have never done an average track like this one . So it was a bit surprising to see them on such an average track . The lyrics are also so so and even the music is like that . A still better track as compared to other tracks on the album .

Then come "Bhangra Bistar" and at last there is "Gym Shim" both of which are pretty below ordinary kinda tracks and have nothing to offer . Both lyrics and music is so below average on both these tracks . Bhangra Bistar has some typical Sunidhi , a bit of Alisha Chinoy and also Hard Kaur with some bad lyrics and average music . "Gym Shim" was short of lyrics so they put in some 1234 .... up to 19 like a bad nursery rhyme .

Then come two remix tracks of "Discowale Khisko" and "Hadippa" one of which is already on air .
The remix of Hadippa and the original track are the only two tracks that I've liked on the entire album and apart from them the entire soundtrack can be avoided . I don't know what would Yashraj now use for the publicity of the film which still has about a month to release . They've already shown the two good tracks from the album and this is probably what they will have to repeat for a month or so .

Overall , the album is below average and Pritam has failed on this one . Jaideep also should avoid writing songs like these which are pretty commercial and have no value . He has also done a below average job . When the first song of this film was released I thought that this film would make a good sum of money even only if its songs are as good as this one . But now after listening to the entire album I can say that a lot would depend on the film now since the music is not a blockbuster one .

Album Rating : Two out of Five ; an average commercial film soundtrack .

Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna --- Movie Review

I've finally watched Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna almost two years after its release and the first thing I thought was that why didn't I watch it earlier . Strangely this is a film that I always wanted to watch but somehow I just couldn't but I think things happen for good . The film is definitely for a mature audience and I can say that though I would have liked it if I had seen it back then but probably I liked it even more today since I am a bit more mature than what I was two years ago . And I am sure as I would grow old this film might come even more close to my heart . I know there are very few people who would actually agree with me and going by the IMDB ratings of just 5 out of 10 based on some 3000 odd user votes , I am sure I am on the wrong side or probably the right one .

When it comes to relationships there is probably no one better than KJo who shows them on screen and though his films are always type-casted as "Candy-Floss Entertainment" and several other such Media terms but the truth is that his films have always had a good story to tell . So what if his style of story-telling is a bit larger than life .KANK in my opinion is not at all larger than life . What I mean to say is that the basic story of the film is not at all larger than life . It can happen anywhere in this whole world . A "Sexy Sam" might be a bit larger than life but an emotional father who pretends to be happy and live life to the max is not at all larger than life . In similar manner all other characters are very much real and its just that their packaging is a bit glossy which probably makes it feel a bit unreal . But I won't blame Karan for this , I mean despite the characters being "interesting" the audience didn't like them . Imagine what would have happened if they would have been very simple and quite boring .

Talking of film , the first half of the film is quite entertaining and is nicely paced . It introduces the characters and their lives in an entertaining way and also shows the nature of the relationships between them .This film is very different from Karan's prior work and there are no Emotional Dialogues and Melodrama for majority of the film's part . One thing that struck me in a pleasant way were the dialogues which were quite ordinary and there was no use of a very heavy Vocabulary . I almost felt like I've heard such dialogues in daily life . The verbal arguments amongst both the couples were kept pretty short and mature and there was no excessive screaming and "Rona-Dhona" . The film was kept as less dramatised as possible . The first half has some nice comic sequences which provide some nice light hearted entertainment along with some beautiful and rocking numbers . The film strangely comes from Karan who is still a bachelor and he for sure has seen some similar relationships in real life and probably very closely . The way he handled the entire Infidelity issue in a mature way shows that he has got a very close view to similar relations .

The film has almost a perfect cast with every actor very well suiting his/her character . SRK's portrayal of a frustrated and a bit crazy "Dev" is really worth praising . His craziness though looks a bit nasty but has an element of Honesty all through out which makes it something special .SRK very well enacts a guy who is frustrated because both his Dreams and Relationships are shattered and weak . SRK very well understood the mood of the character and portrayed it in a great way . All other actors were perfect in their roles and even the small kid of SRK and Preity was cute and acted well .

The final part of the film which didn't quite went down well amongst the majority of audience , in my opinion , is quite apt and is again a mature one . The audience just needs to understand the point of view of Karan on the whole issue of relationships and if one can understand that , I am sure he/she would like the film . This film though got famous because it talked of Infidelity but I think that more than infidelity the film talks more about relationships and how they should be .One can learn so much about relationships from this film .It is quite a modern take on institution of Marraige and Karan puts forth his point very well with no sugarcoating . Strangely when commercial actors do a slightly different and an honest film like this one it is not appreciated at all . Again , Karan was criticised that he always makes family films then why did he make such a film . If you ask me it is still a family film for any family living in a metro . The adult humour is not at all vulgar and if you have a modern family you can certainly watch it together .

The cinematography of the film is also good and New York Life has been shown in a beautiful way . The music of the film adds so much to the film and it is one of the albums that impresses me all throughout . The Dialogues by Niranjan Iyenger as I said earlier were very daily conversation types and that also added to the beauty of the film . The film has a gloomy and depressive feel all throughout in its underbelly and ironically it represents all those relations which look all happy and perfect from outside but have a lot going on beneath the surface . Karan has written a fine story and along with Shibani Bhatija he has done a good job on screenplay too . The film talks about relationship issues which we Indians mostly prefer to discuss only in hush tones . Karan knows how to direct and there is no question about that . His style is a bit different and I think he should not be undermined by classifying him and his films into various various categories .

Overall , its a real nice film and probably Karan's best work till date . The film needs to be appreciated for its honesty and maturity . I hope Karan feels the same way for his next film as he did for this one and that one is also as honest as this one . The stars also need to be appreciated for standing by Karan to make such a film and they should do more such films .

Film Rating : Four out of Five ; for its honesty and good story .

Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic --- Music Review

The team that gave us the Brilliant music with Taaren Zameen Par is back with its latest offering in the form of TPTM (tHODA pYAR tHODA mAGIC ) . Well , after Tashan which is a disaster this one comes as a total different album from Yashraj Music . Though it is different from Tashan but still I think it lacks some luster and has not much to offer . Shankar-ehsan-loy and Prasoon Joshi together made a very classic album in form of Taare Zammen Par , so expectations automatically rise but they have not delivered as per the expectations . The album has Five originals and Two Remixes .

The first song on the soundtrack is Pyaar Ke Liye by Shankar Mahdevan which is probably the most balanced track on the album , considering it has a nice mix of both lyrics and music . The music , in general , is very western influenced throughout the album and same is the case with this song . The melody is very western and might sound like you've heard it before yet it will be liked by you . The music is very much influenced by the locations and situations of a movie and may be it has some situations that are usually seen in western light hearted flicks . The song is very well sung by Shankar and has some good chorus in it . It is a soft track and might go very well when it has good situation attached to it .

The second song on the track is Nihal Ho gayi which is again sung by Shankar and is a much more faster song than the first one and has some bhangra beats in it . The song has good lyrical content but lacks the newness in melody . This song sounds typical Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy track and has no new melody in it thats why it doesn't score in my books . It is an usual track for me even though it has good lyrics . Here SEL have failed to an extent .

The third track is by Sunidhi Chauhan and Shankar Mahadevan which is a kiddy track and meant only for kids. Recently , SEL and Prasoon made a kids track in Taare Zameen Par i.e. Bam Bam Bhole which was a great success . This is nowhere close to it and is completely different in nature . This sounds more like an english rhyme that we used to sing when we were kids . Sunidhi has sung it in her very own style and the song is OK but might not get as poular as Bam Bam Bhole did because it might not connect with adult listeners like Bam Bam Bhole did , even though it was a kiddie song .

Then comes Lazy Lamhe which is sung by Anusha Mani which is very fresh to hear since it has been sung very well by Anusha but again the music , though good , sounds very much inspired . The song has some strange lyrics and is kinda fusion track but the style with which Anusha has sung has stood out . It is a more sensual track and might feature the leading actors of the movie . Overall , the track is good but nothing that special , though it might get popular .

Beetay Kal Se is the last original track on the Album and is again meant for kids and has Teaching mode type of Lyrics with Vocals by Rani Mukerjee in between . Shreya has done her usual stuff . Again , nothing in it to become popular but might look good in the movie and may be teach a thing or two to the kids audience . Its nice to see that Directors are thinking of Indian Kids and making films for them .

Then it has two remixes , both by DJ Aqeel , of Nihaal Ho Gayi and Lazy Lamhe . The remix has been done quite well and infact the remix of Lazy Lamhe sounds better than the original and may be it would work in the public even more than the original . Good track for Discs and Pubs . DJ Aqeel though has used his tune from the "Waada Karo" remix which came last year which was quite good .

In all , the soundtrack is great as compared to yashraj's last offering Tashan . But in general it is not as good as it should be and might not be a superhit . The tracks are average and can be heard once and might even look good in the movie but nothing in it to become excessively popular . The two Tracks I liked on the album are "Pyaar Ke Liye " and The DJ Aqeel remix of Lazy Lamhe .

Music Rating : Two and half stars out of Five . Pretty normal stuff .

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 .

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.