Blue --- Music Review

"Blue" is the first soundtrack from the Double Academy Award winner Rahman Sir after his famous win and his second for this year after "Delhi 6" which got both public and critics appreciation . Though his genius needs no approval but Delhi 6 just show-cased it once more to the whole world why Rahman deserves the Academy more than anyone else . For Fans like me expectations are always high from his every album but after such a win the spotlight on him has just got much more brighter . Now Rahman itself is an international name but with names like Kylie Minogue associated with the album , it would certainly have a much more international focus and speculation too which would be a new experience for him too .

Coming to the first track on the album "Chiggy Wiggy" by Kylie Minogue . Though the track is not bad but its neither brilliant and what disappointed me was that Rahman Sir took a very safe approach and didn't try to experiment which is not a typical feature of him . Pressure?? Can't Say but certainly not his best . Kylie sings it effortlessly in her style and there's something about her voice that always manages to please me . The song also features Sonu Nigam towards the end who sings the Punjabi part with Urdu lyrics , sounds strange , but that's the case . Nothing much for Sonu in the song but I guess it had to be done by one of the best Singers from the country considering it was Kylie . Sonu would be more than happy . Lets be frank , he would not have even be approached for such a small part if it wasn't for singing along with her . But one thing I loved was the way Sonu pronounced "Chiggy Wiggy" in the song in true Indian style and has not given it a western feel even though he could have easily . Lyricist Abbas Tyrewala hasn't done a great job either and has just managed to get a decent song . Listen how cleverly he plugs in the word "Khiladi" in the song for obvious reasons . In all , as I said, its not a bad track and would work to an extent for sure . Though I expect much more from each one of them .

Then comes "Aaj Dil Gustakh Hai" which is a nice fast paced song with a bit of Jazz feel in it to add that sensual feel to it . The video of the song is already on air and Lara is looking hot (and also beautiful) but a bit odd with Sanjay Dutt . Though the music here is interesting but the lyrics didn't quite work for me . Shreya Ghoshal has done a good job singing it and she is good at singing songs with a bit of sensual feel in it . It has worked for her in the past but in those songs the lyrics were also good . Here the lyrics are not that good to match up to her singing . Mayur Puri who last worked on "Love Mera Hit Hit" and got popular with "Singh is Kinng" has done a so-so job and I guess writing sensual lyrics is not that easy and that too if you have to write it for a girl . Sukhwinder Singh is also there and he as usual has done a good job . Overall , its a disappointment according to Rahman standards and might just work in the film only .

"Fiqrana" comes next which again is a very basic track and didn't quite impress me . The vocals are by Vijay Prakash who sings it in Rahman style of singing and supporting him is Shreya Ghoshal . The lyrics by Abbas are not good here too . They have nothing to offer as such and they just go along with the music with nothing standing out . The whole song actually goes about in a very average way with nothing standing out in it .

Then comes "Bhula Tujhe" by Rashid Ali who became famous with "Kahin To Hogi Wo" of Jaane Tu.. That track became popular at a much later stage after the film got released and lets hope the same happens with this track . A slow symphonic track and Rahman sir has done a good job here . This track is a bit better than the previous tracks but still falls a bit short . Rashid has done a good job and even Abbas has done a decent job with lyrics .

The theme track of the film comes next which I think would feature Katrina Kaif in it . It is more of a song though and cannot be called a Theme Song and has some bits of lyrics in it by Raqeeb Alam . It is more on a slower side and a much faster version of the track was featured in the theatrical trailer . This one is also not that bad and would look good in the film . There are many singers on this one and they have done a good job together . Don't pay any attention to the lyrics here .

The sixth track on the album is Rehnuma which again has a bit of Jazz , Club kinda feel and seems to be a lot inspired from the James Bond soundtracks . With rumours of Danny Boyle making the next bond film doing the rounds , I guess Rahman sir has started warming up for it . It seriously sounds like a track from an espionage thriller and that too a Bond only . Nice song though , I liked it , has a signature Rahman style music in some places . A lot depends on how it is used . Sonu and Shreya have done a good job as usual, especially Shreya .

The Last track on the album "Yaar Mila" by Udit Narayan and Madhusree gives a disappointing end to the album . The lyrics have been weak throughout the album and here they are no different . The music is also pretty average and nothing good about it .

Overall , it is a pretty average soundtrack and a lot more is expected from an A.R. Rahman album . Director , Anthony D'souza , lost a great opportunity and couldn't quite get what other Directors manage to get from Rahman sir . Usually when I dont like a Rahman album and i write about it , most people comment and say that Rahman's music grows with time . I just hope that happens this time and I start liking the songs after some time . I wasn't impressed with Jaane Tu.. also in the beginning but afterwards it caught on me too , especially after the film . The lyrics are the weakest part of this soundtrack in my opinion and it falls well short of expectations .

Album Rating : Three out of Five ; a bit disappointing .

The Good ol' Music Videos

First Published on Passion4Cinema

There was a flurry of pop songs and music videos during the 90's and some of them were really great . The thing that surprised me was the production standards that were maintained in those videos which were much higher than the movies of those times . Some of them had a nice story to tell and it worked fine with the music . There was no lack of creativity and they could be considered as nice short films . So I went down my memory lane and tried to recall some of those music videos that were both creative and visually interesting . Here's a list of them (in no specific order) ...

Vande Matram (A.R. Rehman) : This video produced by Bharatbala productions celebrating the 50th anniversary of Indian Independence did more for Rehman than what his film scores before together could do . This video gained him immense popularity and he became a known face from Music Industry which was a rarity in those days . I remember vividly that Sony Entertainment Television (SET) was the only channel where you could catch it initially and they ran it at full length several times a day . The song was great anyways but what added to its phenomenon was the video directed by Ganpathy Bharat (AKA Bharat Bala) who showed the spirit of India in a splendid way . Rajasthan never looked so beautiful as it did in this video and production standards were way high than the movies of those days . The huge Tricolor in the video made us feel more proud of the nation we live in . I was personally fascinated with the Helicopter shot of the flag and people running towards the flag . This video left everybody saying "Maa Tujhe Salaam" .

O sanam (Lucky Ali): This was the first of many Lucky Ali videos that feature on this list . Probably the first video ever to be shot in the exotic locales of Egypt around the Pyramids . I have no idea who directed lucky ali's videos but all of them had a great concept that very well matched with the songs and Lucky Ali's persona . This video also had Lucky's first wife in it who looked very beautiful . The video had an element of mystery and probably Egypt was the best location for this . This video became immensely popular and ran on MTV's charts for 60 weeks .
Lucky Ali also got popular and his different style of singing and video became an instant hit .

Dekha Hai Aise Bhi (Lucky Ali): If O Sanam captured the mystique of Egypt , the video of Dekha Hai Aise Bhi captured the life of America in it . Lucky Ali is a wanderer by nature and this was quite evident in this video . The concept in this one again was a bit different and had a nice little story in it . The video tried to show the two different shades of women in it . Lucky always featured himself in his videos and in my opinion nobody else could have done justice to the videos apart from him . There is always an element of sadness and loneliness in his videos which makes them very different from usual stuff and also leaves a lasting impression .

Aur Ahista kije Baatein (Pankaj Udhas): A very beautiful song and had nice simple video which added to the beauty of the song . The video was based on the famous short story of O. Henry , "The Gift of Magi" , that we all have read in our school days . It featured Sameera Reddy and a foreigner along with her . The video was pretty simple but what worked was the chemistry between Sameera and that guy and made this romantic song even more romantic . Sameera looked really beautiful and got a lot of attention . The beauty of the video lies in its simplicity and its story which very well matched with the song .

Aankhon Mein Tera hi Chehra (Aryans) : This video captured the innocence of first crush really well . This one released alongside my first crush so came very close to my heart in those days . Hrishita became my dream girl and her smile killed me . The whole concept here was also beautiful and Shahid very well enacted it . Shahid looked good as a nervous young kid who falls for the girl next door . And Hrishita was the perfect girl next door . The whole sequence where he buys a nighty for her from the lingerie section was very funny and also cute in a way . The video not only reminds us of first crush but also of first heart break very well . Aryans got lost somewhere but their video is an all time classic .

Duba Duba Rehta Hun (Silk Route) : This is probably the only music video to be shot entirely under water . I couldn't quite figure out the concept but still loved its novelty . The video was shot really beautifully and the images of the car under water are still strong in my head . The silk route also got drowned after this hit song and never came back with a hit . Overall , the video was more beautiful than the song and had a very different concept . Whoever the Director was needed to be applauded for daring to go under water with this crazy concept .

Made in India (Alisha Chinoy) : Well this is the reason why music videos came into existence in India and I had to mention it . For the first time , India got a Sexy and beautiful female singer who also sung very well . If she proved an eye candy for the guys , the video also had Milind Soman flaunting his body for the girls . The video released when "Made In India" tag was considered to be a substandard . Alisha's dream of becoming an Indian Madonna got some ground through this video and she became quite popular . Most of her other videos were good but none became as popular as this one .

Maaeri (Euphoria) : This song from the second album of Euphoria is one my favourites and it also has one of the best videos . I am not sure but I think Pradeep Sarkar (of Parineeta) directed this video and he did a fine job with it . Pradeep has a thing for trains and this video very beautifully captured the spirit of Indian Railways . The Railway Journey is one of the most beautiful ways to experience the real India and Railway stations always provide with some beautiful scenes from life . The video also had a nice story to tell with Palash and Rimi Sen in the lead . This was probably the first break for Rimi Sen and she looked good along with Palash . There's a girl towards the end of this video , Sonal Sehgal , who I really adore and soon she would also be seen on screen along with John Abraham in Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashaiyen . Overall , both the song and the video are great and one of my all time favourites .

Ghar Aaja Soniya (Shazia Manzoor) : I am not sure how many of you remember this one but this was a beautiful song in my opinion and had a really sentimental video . The whole story of the video was fabulous and touches your heart . Our heart goes out for the beautiful girl in this video who is dumb and deaf and loves her husband very much . Shrabani Mukherji who is also cousin of Rani Mukherjee played the girl and she did a great job . Sameer Soni was her husband in the video and he also acted well . The music of this song had a haunting feel to it and Shurobi Saigal who directed the video captured that feel well in the video . This video , though a sad one , still is one of the all time best . Strangely, despite such a beautiful song neither of the associated people made it big in the glamour world .

Dil Kya Kare (Instant Karma): Though this was a remixed version of old hit song but still it is not of the "Kaanta Laga" league and had some standard . This one sung by Shaan had a beautifully shot video which made a nice use of still photography too . The video was one of its kind and the level of production was again quite high . The cinematography of this video was a real visual treat and it became an instant hit . Both the models in this video were great looking and added to the beauty of the video . The music was by Shankar Ehsaan Loy and they really did a fabulous job in remixing yet preserving the originality of the song .

Ir Bir Fatte (Amitabh Bachchan) : The song didn't make much of a sense but as a young kid I loved the song and so did my fellow friends . I remember trying to memorise the song because of its fun lyrics . Though it was a disaster , the video still was interesting enough to be mentioned here . Amitabh tried to show some of his moves in this video along with the kids . Shot mostly in Black and White it still looked good and was a fun video for me as a kid . I tried to find this video on internet but couldn't get it .

Anjani Rahon Mein (Luck Ali) : Another of Lucky Ali's great videos , this one captures his journey back home and shows the beauty of India . This video is like "Mini Swades" and tries to show the real India and how people of India value love more than anything . The whole concept here also was great but the cinematography wasn't as good as it was in his previous videos . The Director should have shown India in a more beautiful way . Still , what mattered was the concept and that part was good . The video aimed at projecting the love for our nation and that came across quite well . I miss Lucky Ali and his videos , don't know when he plans to make another one of these .

These are some of the videos that I could recall and there were several others by Raageshwari , Asha Bhosle , Jagjit Singh and Sonu Nigam etc. which were also good . I really miss these videos and now the whole Pop scene is empty . We now only get to see and hear film music . These videos were nice little stories and also gave singer a chance to show what he/she feels . The music companies are not interested in dong this any more when they are making such huge profits with film music . I can say that I was lucky to grow in a period when pop music was at its high and got to see such beautiful videos while growing .

There's a good chance that I might have missed some in this list so do tell me ...

Slumdog Millionaire --- Movie Review

The film that is probably the strongest contender for this year's Academy Award , Slumdog Millionaire , has finally released in India and now we get to know what is the hype all about . The fact that it is a great film is already proved and it has already got a nod of approval in the form of the Golden Globes . So in this review my stress would be more on the point that why do we , the people of India, need a film like Slumdog Millionaire . A film like SM is obviously not made for the sole cause of entertainment and most of the things that are depicted in the film are known to an average educated person in India . So then why do we need such a film ? The answer to that question , in my opinion, is because we who are fortunate enough and educated take these things for granted and are comfortably passive about it . We just ignore the so called truth of our society and live in our own world . And a film like SM reminds us that though we are part of the Developed sections of our nation , still there are some sections which are completely ignored and practically impossible to live in .

Slumdog Millionare is probably just like a normal film for people living outside our country but it is a Mirror for people of India . It reminds us of the problems and sections that we still need to work upon and sections that cannot be left ignored if we want to develop completely . We should not take for granted the life that we lead and care for the unprivileged people too is what the film talks of . Though it is basically a Masala story of a Boy's journey from Rags to Riches with a love angle but what lies in the underbelly of the film is more interesting . The film depicts the life of Slums in the truest possible manner and there is at no point any kind of exaggeration . This happens and we just don't know because we are comfortable in ignoring it . Even if we do know then nobody cares to even talk about it .

It addresses a range of problems that India faces like Communalism , Illiteracy and Population . And it is the poor people , the people who dwell in slums that get affected the most from the above mentioned problems and they are the ones that pay the maximum price . They have to get into things like prostitution , Beggary , Drugs , Stealing and also Killing just for the sake of survival . These are all the things that the lead characters of the film , Salim , Jamal and Latika get into to survive there way through the tough life of a slumdog .

I won't reveal much of the plot so that you can enjoy the film if you haven't seen it yet . The plot anyways revolves around all these problems with a backdrop of a quiz show , "Who wants to be a Millionare" or the KBC . The film stars some of the good actors of our country like Irrfan Khan , Saurabh Shukla , Mahesh Manjrekar , Anil Kapoor and the brilliant kid Tanay Chedda . I've mentioned these names before Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto because it is probably these guys who could relate maximum to the story and understand it at much better level than the two main leads . These guys have seen a part of this reality and are well aware of it . There couldn't have been better people than these that could have played the parts better . So Lavleen Tandon who is also the co-director does her job of Casting very well . Her casting plays a big role in the film and probably she deserves a much more praise than what she is getting . I mean Danny Boyle couldn't have possibly managed to cast such fine group of actors since he doesn't know most of them . Apart from these , the lead actors , Dev Patel and Frieda Pinto , also acted very well and it was very refreshing to see good actors on screen instead of Sons/Daughters of already established actors playing the part . Dev does a fabulous job and the innocence of his personality suited very much to the character of Jamal . Frieda's part was small but a well acted one . The entire cast on a whole was perfect one and everyone did their respective parts well .

The two things apart from Casting and Direction that played a huge role in the film were the Screenplay and the cinematography . Simon Beaufoy does a great job on the screenplay and has kept it as tight as possible . The cinematographer Anthony Dod Mantle did a fine job capturing the Mumbai slums even though he is not an Indian . The fifth important thing was obviously the Music by the maestro himself , A.R. Rahman , who kept it pretty simple and right on the money . He added a lot to the thrilling portions of the film through his music and I must say Danny Boyle very wisely used his music . This is not though his best and still he is winning all the awards . Now that he is a well known name internationally I am sure the World will now see what a gem we had all these years . He for sure would get nominated and probably even win more Oscars in future . He does a good job with the tracks O Saaya , Jai Ho and Liquid Dance .

And last but certainly not the least , Danny Boyle , the captain of the ship , who carried the project on his shoulder . He has done what sadly no Indian producer or Director dared to do in past . Still , I wont take anything away from Directors like Anurag Kashyap , Rajkumar Gupta and several others like them who have earlier tried to show this in parts . But it is Danny Boyle who treated the subject with utmost sincerity and honesty . He has made a fine film and there is no doubt about it . Danny Boyle has made sure that though film talks about serious issues like poverty etc. still it has enough entertainment to increase the reach of his film . He has made a film something like Rang De Basanti of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra which had clear message wrapped in all the masala of an entertaining film . Calling it a masala film would not be right since it doesn't have all that stereotypical elements . But it is certainly entertaining emotional story filled with emotions that a typical masala film has like romance,revenge,sibling rivalry and love, a villainous character like that of Anil Kapoor and lots of Thrills and action sequences .

Danny and the whole team of the film have managed to create an entertaining cum awakening film that deserves every bit of success that it is receiving . Yes it shows the poverty of India and whats wrong in that ? If we very proudly boast about our growing economic status in the world and the "Feel Good Factor" , then we should also be ashamed of the other side of our nation . There is no doubt that poverty exists every where in the world and it is not only in India but why should we care about the rest of the world anyways . We have a responsibility towards our nation and its a little sad that a guy like Danny has to come and show it to the whole world including us .

Film Rating : Four and Half out of Five Stars ; fantastic entertaining film which is a must watch for all the people of our country .

Delhi 6 --- Music Review

The new year has begun and the person for whom the year has brought a lot in its beginning only is A.R. Rahman . Riding high on his Golden Globe Success his new album , Delhi 6 , is all set to win hearts of the people all over again . As a true Rahman fan I am very happy on his golden globe success and I am sure he is all set for an academy award and following that would be even more success and who knows Speilberg who now has a contract with the Ambani's Big Pictures would opt to work with him instead of his all time favourite John Williams for a change . I am not in any ways comparing the two legends , John is John and Rahman is Rahman .

Off late , I was a little disappointed with Rahman's recent work i.e. Ghajini and Yuvvraaj . Though they got popular but were not complete albums in my view and I was beginning to believe that maybe Rahman is losing his touch a bit due to the overwork that he has done last year with 5 albums releasing in a year and 1 film score that won him the Golden Globe . But thank God , He is back with this album and beginning the year literally on a high Note .

Delhi 6 has been Directed by the Rang De Basanti fame Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra and the lyrics on this one are also by the lyricist Prasoon Joshi . Prasoon didn't do a good job in Ghajini apart from few songs . Talking of this album , I would like to make it pretty much clear that it is more of a "film" soundtrack and would look fabulous in the film along with the story . When I rated Yuvvraj a little less people argued with me saying that it is very different and deserves to be rated higher . For me Different is not always necessarily a Good Different . Why I say so ? Because on the contrary Delhi 6 it is not only different but also great being different .

This soundtrack is very unusual in the sense that it has been entirely made keeping the film in mind and hasn't paid any attention to commercial success . And usually when this is done the album not only succeeds but also becomes a very integral part of the film . Listening to the songs from the album I could almost imagine the film in my mind and though I first listened to the songs at 1 o clock in night so I wont say that the songs made my day , I would rather say the Songs made my night . One thing I promise to you guys the film is going to be very different as it is the case with Rakeysh's film and maybe this time also you would walk back home with a nice entertaining lesson like you might have in Rang De Basanti .

Enough about the film , lets talk about the songs . The soundtrack opens with the song that is catching popularity like fire , Masakalli . The song who don't know is based on the white Kabutar (Dove sounds so boring) that you see in the promos . Masakalli is the name of Kabutar and after more than a decade we have a song on Kabutar , last one being Kabutar Ja Ja in Maine Pyaar Kiya . The song has been sung by Mohit Chauhan of Jab We Met fame who is definately a find and he has to go a long way . The music and lyrics are great but it is the style of singing that stands out . What fun did Mohit have while singing the song and the fun kinda comes on to the listener . The song is a real treat and has Rahman in his Genius impeccable style . Prasoon also does a great job and I am sure it won't have been an easy task writing a song on a Kabootar . Overall , its a great teamwork on this one and the track that would win hearts every where . Sonam is also looking like a 'dove' only in the song in her white Punjabi dress . And like me lot of guys would have already fallen in love with her . She better get ready to handle a huge fan following once the film releases .

Next comes "Arziyan" by Jaaved Ali and Kailash Kher . This one is a devotional track of the league of "Khwaja Mere Khwaja" and is a really nice composition . The lyrics and music both are really good on this one and Prasoon and Rahman together have done a great job . This time the vocals are by Jaaved Ali and Kailash Kher and they do a great job together . "Allah Ka Banda"-Kailash Kher does a great job along with Jaaved Ali . This song is the perfect one for portraying the Jaama Masjid on-screen . A long one but certainly among the best on the album .

The title track "Delhi 6" is more of a RAP song by Blaaze, Benny Dayal, Vivinenne, Tanvi and Claire . Together they do a great job and give it a very different feel . This one sounds a little like "Cypress Hill" songs and would sound really good in the film . For a change we have song based on "Delhi" and not on Mumbai . Strangely there have been so many great artists in Bollywood that are from Delhi still very few have tried to capture the city in the film . People have also got a little bored with Mumbai so this film would be a nice welcoming change and I being neither a mumbaikar or delhiwaala can get a taste of the cities in films only . The song talks about the city and its people .

Then comes "Rehna Tu" which is a nice song that has a western feel to it . It has been sung in the style of an English song by Rahman himself . This track is very different and Rahman has dealt with it in a very nice manner . But I felt that the track was a little weak in some parts in between and it felt a little inspired from Rahman's own work in past . Still , it is very much a different track and the lyrics are also good by Prasoon . The track would work in the film and probably among the listeners too . This one is a nice long soft romantic track which has really nice music towards the end .

"Hey Kaala Bandar" which comes next is a little commercial in nature . This one has some weird English and Hindi lyrics mixed together that remind us of the "Paathshala" from Rang De Basanti . Paathshala was a huge hit and it did have much more entertaining lyrics than this one . This one has nice music but the lyrics are not as catchy and entertaining as they were in "Masti Ki Pathshala" . Though it is not as good as that one but it is certainly better than "Shano Shano" of Yuvvraj . But I felt it had some of the shades of the music from Yuvvraj in some parts . If you also felt the same then please leave a comment .Under the whacky lyrics lies a social comment that you would have to decipher .

Next comes a very very different track "Dil Gira Daftan" by Ash King . This song has some really nice music and Rahman has done a great job . The music on this one could very well be used in the background score . I would love to have the original track of the song without the Vocals . The vocals on this one are by Ash King and he does a fine job and has been backed up really well by Chinmayee . The lyrics are great and quite different . Prasoon Joshi does a good job on this one also . He has very nicely used the word "Daffatan" and for urdu impaired people like me it is an Urdu word for "Suddenly" . Rahman is again in his truest element and does a great job again . Musicwise it is one of Rahman's best in recent past .

After these , the soundtrack takes a turn towards completely Indian Tracks , the first being "Genda Phool" which is a folk track but Rahman has given it an all new dimension with his music . His new age music matches well with the folk track and makes it much more entertaining . Its a folk track with some authentic folk lyrics and is not a Bollywood version of folk song . Rekha Bharadwaj does a great job on this one and she has that Desi Indian voice that makes the song sound great . Remember Rekha or not , she sung that song "Namak isk ka " in Omkara . She has been given nice company in chorus by Shraddha and Sujata .

Then comes a completely classical rendition in the form of "Bhor Bhayi" . The song is entirely a classical rendition and quite refreshing , taking us back to our roots . This is what Indian classical music is all about and if you like classical music then only this song is for you . For a music lover like me anything classical like this is always a treat . And among the female singers in the industry who is better than Shreya for classical songs . A very pleasing song and would again look fabulous in the film . The track begins with Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan singing in his impeccable style and later Shreya joins him .Based on a morning Raag, Gujri Todi , music wise a really nice Indian classical rendition with the use of Tabla and Harmonium .

Last song on the album is an Aarti - "Tumre Bhavan Mein" which is a nice devotional track . Such tracks are a rarity in a bollywood soundtrack and after the "Mann Mohana" of Jodha Akbar this is another devotional track in the same league . Its nice to see Rekha Bharadwaj on a soundtrack other than his Husband's and she has been given great company by Kishori Gowariker and Shraddha Pandit . Together they sing it in a nice folksy way and don't sing it like professional singers giving it a more authentic feel .

The soundtrack ends with a small couplet ,Noor, which has been given vocals by the baritone king Amitabh Bachchan himself and he like always makes sure that when he speaks you better listen to it . The couplet or nazm is a really nice one and probably carries the central message of the film of communal harmony so listen to it carefully .

Overall , its a great soundtrack and has many different genres of music in it . Ten completely original songs with no remixes is one more pleasant thing in the album . Rahman starts the year with a bang and is back in his true element . Rakeysh also needs to be applauded for this album since he brought out the best from both Rahman and Prasoon . It has everything from an Arti to a Sufiana track and from a nazm to a RAP track . It has completely Indian classical "Bhor Bhayi" on one hand and it also has a "Kaala Kaala Bandar" on the other . "Genda Phool " gives it a folk touch whereas "Dil Gira Daffatan" gives it a western feel . And the icing on the cake is "Masakalli" which does not belong to any genre and is still a brilliant track .This soundtrack , unlike the past few ones of Rahman would Grow on you even more after repeated listenings . And as SRK said at the golden globes , I would also say "Way to go Rahman" and I would like to add to it "Way to go Prasoon and Way to go Rakeysh " .

Album Rating : Four and Half out of Five Stars ; for the variety offered . Great start to 2009 .

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Ghajini --- Music Review

The last one out of the five albums of ARR this year , Ghajini, is out now and the stakes are even higher since it is one of the most anticipated film of the year starring Mr. Perfectionist Aamir himself . The last album Yuvvraaj of ARR didn't impress me that much and neither did the film impress the audience . This one is an adaptation of South film by the same name hence there would be southern influences not only in the film but also in the music . Last time ARR worked for a Hindi album with a southern director except Mani Ratnam was in Nayak when he worked with Shankar who directed the film . And clearly in some of the songs we could observe the southern influence . 

In the similar fashion the music of Ghajini also has some amount of southern influence . First let me clear my feelings as a writer which are not excited and amused as they should be . So I might sound a little mechanical since the music of the film didn't excite me that much apart from of course Guzarish which is a brilliant track . One thing that struck me clearly is the amount of work ARR has done this year . He has released five albums this year none of which is a complete album as compared to the one album released in 2007 (Guru) and the one in 2006 (Rang De Basanti) . What is the need to do a leap from one album a year to five albums a year ? Quality as a result has suffered to some extent . 

Talking of this one , it opens up with Guzarish which is the best track on the album and also the only one to look forward to . The lyrics in this song in specific are great and this is probably one of the best track out of all the five albums that ARR has released this year . Complementing the great piece of writing is the beautiful piece of music by ARR with a nice slow beat that he often uses . Some fine use of Mandolin in it by Seenu makes it even more beautiful . The vocals by Jaaved and Sonu are also impeccable . Jaaved sings the song in his own style and the small humming pieces by Sonu are just great . Since I am a hardcore fan of Sonu , I found the humming and small pieces that Sonu sung much better than the whole song that Jaaved sung . Though Jaaved does deliver his best , I would have loved an another full version of the song sung by Sonu alone . ARR and Prasoon , the lyricist , show their brilliance in this track . Overall , it is a treat for music lovers and a great start to the album . 

Sadly the good start gets a hit by the second track itself , Aye Bachchu , by Suzanne . Talking of the music of the song first , it sounds pretty much usual and the tune doesn't sound very new and probably you would feel that the tune is inspired in bits and pieces from here and there . Can't talk of lyrics because in any case they are in a scarcity in this track and also something that don't make much sense . Overall , its quite a commercial track that anyone like a Pritam or a Vishal-Shekhar could have composed effortlessly . And the singer Suzanne who got popular with Mahiyaa of Aawarapan sings in a good way but the track is not as good as the previous one .

The third track , Kaise mujhe , by Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal is a nice slow track that frankly speaking didn't impress me as much as it could have. I know a lot of you would disagree with me on this one . Though I liked the tune but still I felt that Rehman didn't do full justice to the nice lyrics by Prasoon . I am sure this track would make even more sense and gain more popularity after the film releases just like "Kahin To Hogi woh" did after Jaane Tu .. . But still I felt that something was lacking in the song and probably it won't work that much . The singing by Benny Dayal is almost like that ARR does himself and sometimes it is difficult to differentiate . Shreya has been singing such songs since the starting of her career so she won't get any praise for this one in specific . In all , it is a nice track that could have been much better .

Next comes , Behka , by Karthik whose voice sounds very novel and his singing is the only thing that impresses . It has some fine use of Saxophone by Martin which sounds very nice . The song has some Jazz in it in ARR's style . The song in totality has nothing much to offer though some of the pieces in between are great . The lyrics are also quite average and overall the track doesn't impress that much and it is only the singing of Karthik that stands out .

Then comes yet another commercial track , Latoo by Shreya Ghoshal who at least for a change sings a club number and something that is not classical . The track though is not a good one and has neither good lyrics nor a good tune . So Shreya gets stuck with an average track that could have sung by any singer round the corner who is probably waiting for her big break .  

At last comes an instrumental version of Kaise Mujhe which has some fine guitaring by Neil Mukherjee and some nice use of flute by Kiran . This one makes you realise that the tune is a good one but it is probably the lyrics that don't match with this tune . Overall , some nice piece of music that you might love to listen at a lower volume . 

The album in whole is not that good and only Guzarish and Kaise Mujhe are worth listening . After watching the first trailer and now after listening to the music , my feeling that this film might be a commercial film at its core wrapped around with a different kind of story , has got much more stronger .  

Album Rating : Two and Half out of Five Stars ; only Guzarish being the track that can be listened to again and again . 

Yuvvraaj --- Music Review

One of the most awaited release of the year , Yuvvraaj , is all set to release and the music is out now . The album for me is of more interest since it is probably for the first time that we might get to listen to pure western classical compositions with an ARR (A. R. Rehman) touch and without any Indian elements . ARR's last album Jaane Tu.. was an instant hit among the youth and had nothing classical in it . This album's value increases more since ARR is teaming up with Gulzar again and the duo have done nothing less than wonders in the past . The album has a total of Nine songs with 8 originals and 1 remix which is a rarity these days . We often get more remixes than the originals . Sometimes we also get 3-4 version of the same track on the same album .This album at least breaks that trend and the originals outnumber the remixes by a huge difference .

The first track on the album is an Introduction track for the lead character "Yuvvraaj" in the film . It just has Salman Khan giving an intro along with Beethoven's Fifth Symphony . Salman's dialogue delivery isn't that good and his monotonous voice mismatches completely with the Beethoven Symphony . The symphony is full of dramatics and Salman's dialogues sound like he is talking to someone on a telephone , quite casual . He has not at all modulated his voice because he can't . The music no where matches his voice . This one is a track that would be combined along with the next track on the album which makes it sound even more out of the place . The singer on the next track doesn't sound like Salman at all . This thing that I am talking about would be more clear to you when you would listen to the two tracks one after the other .

The second track on the album "Tu Meri Dost hai" is a fabulous track and is already on air . Just listen to starting violin piece in the song and it shows us the brilliance of ARR. I could just listen to the starting piece for the whole day . It has been very well sung by all the singers and especially Benny Dayal who does a fine job . He sings very well but I think his voice won't suit Salman that much . This one is a musical love story and we have seen in the west how actors themselves first learn singing and sing their songs themselves in a musical . This makes it much more entertaining and they act even through their singing . Indian musicals make very less sense as we know throughout the film that he is a singer in the film but it is actually someone else who is singing which makes it a little less believable . In any case this track is a nice one which starts off in a magnificent way .What I didn't like was that it doesn't manage to maintain the quality with which it starts . It raises the bar in the starting and then lowers it a little by the end . Shreya and Rehman also do a great job as singers .

Next one is a Disco Track and after giving a super duper hit "Pappu Can't Dance" ARR doesn't manage to repeat the magic . This one neither has those catchy lyrics nor it has the groovy tune . I don't blame Gulzaar Sir for the lyrics since it is a little out of his style . Still , he had done a fabulous job in "Fana" of Yuva . I got seriously disappointed with ARR after listening to this track . This track feels completely out of the place .

The fourth song on the album "Tu Muskura" brings back the classical mood and is also on the slower and romantic side . This track also has inputs from "Tu meri Dost hain" in between . It would be picturized on Katrina since she is the only female lead in the film . It is a nice romantic song and has a nice tune . The tune is not as great as it was in "Tu meri dost" but still is good enough to hold the song . Alka Yagnik does a good job in singing and has been very well supported by Jaaved Ali . This one interestingly has Indian classical singing inputs in between by Jaaved which sound good .

The fifth track on the album is "Mastam Mastam" which sounds more like an African composition in the starting and reminded me of the songs from Walt Disney's - Lion King . A very new sounding song that would be interesting to watch in the film . It has a good tune backing all the wild music . The song has been very well sung by Sonu as usual and he is just fabulous in whatever he sings . The track abruptly changes its tune in the middle part which in a way surprised me but not in a positive way . The lyrics have nothing much to offer . Just listen to the singing style of the various singers and how much they enjoy the song while singing . It is more of a Singer's song and Sonu , Alka , Benny and Naresh all do a great job . Without their singing the song wouldn't have came out this good . It is a nice experimental track that I am sure would be visually much more exciting than audio wise . If you have seen Disney's "Enchanted" then I am sure you remember the musical song where everybody starts singing along with the lead couple and slowly slowly a large crowd starts singing and dancing with them . I am sure they would also try to attempt something like that in this song . In all , a song that would look great in the film if shot in the right way .

The next track on the album is "zindagi" which is a slow sad song and we have seen Hariharan sing such songs in ARR's previous albums . This one though has been sung by Srinivas and he also does a good job . The whole lyrics and tune are good but nothing extraordinary and not as good as "Tu Hi Re" of Bombay .A good track but such a track is not expected from ARR since he has given much better in the past .

The Seventh track on the album "Dil Ka Rishta" is something that Subhash Ghai has tried to repeat from Taal . This one might be climax song and would feature near to the end of the film . If you remember in Taal also the second symphonic version of "Ishq Bina" was used towards the end of the film during which the story kept moving . In a similar fashion even this song would have the story moving in the background along with all the emotions of a Love Story flowing in excess . This song is very long (7:39) and is also not that good to hold the audience for its entire length . On the contrary the second symphonic version on "Ishq Bina" in Taal was not only long but also had the potential to keep the audience entertained for its length . The singers do an average job and the music is also good in bits and pieces . Some of the pieces of music are so good that they could very well be used in background for the movie .
Overall , the song is a bit long and not entertaining enough .

The last original track on the album, "Manmohini" , is a modern version of Indian Classical Songs . The song has been very well sung by Vijay Prakash who has that Classical voice and the song completely suits him . This song is not as good as "Albela Sajan" of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam but isn't that bad also . A very short length track that has just some Classical renditions in it . A track that is a little different from the entire album .

Then in the end comes a remix of "Shano" which has been remixed well by Krishna Chetan but the English lyrics in it have nothing new in it and are the same old ones . This one is much smaller than the original which is nice thing since I found the original one much longer and repetitive .

Overall ,as a die hard Rehman fan this one disappointed a lot and is below the expectations . Only one track "Tu meri Dost hai" impresses and all other tracks are an average affair and are expected as it is an ARR album . Much below by the ARR standards and I expected a lot from this one since it had ARR and Gulzar both along with Subhash Ghai . It looks like history didn't repeat itself after Taal and this album stands no where as compared to that one . The whole western classical that I was expecting was also given in small doses that also adulterated with other kinds of music .The lyrics by Gulzar Sir were also not that good as compared to his other works . You can buy the album and listen it once but don't expect a "Taal" or something like that out of it .

Album Rating : Three out of Five Stars ; "Tu Meri.." and "Mastam" being good and rest being quite average stuff according to Rehman's standards.

Yuvraaj ---Trailer Review

One of the big releases of the year , the much awaited Subhash Ghai's Yuvraaj , is all set to release and the first promos have hit the cinema halls . The film as we know starrs Salman Khan and Katrina together after a long time . In "Partner" they were not opposite each other . Apart from them the film also has Subhash's favourite Anil Kapoor and Zaayed Khan . The music is by the maestro himself , A. R. Rehman and the Lyrics are by the wordsmith Gulzaar sahaab . The duo together have given musical masterpieces like Dil Se , Yuva and Guru , all being with Mani Ratnam . This time they team up with Subhash Ghai who has also given musical hit like Taal . Yuvraaj is also a film in the Taal category i.e. a Musical Love Story . Taal is one of ARR's best works and the movie is also one of the best from Subhash Ghai . Lets hope they are able to create the same magic once again after almost Ten Years .

The magic that I am expecting gives a glimpse of itself in the promos of the film . The first trailer starts off with some musical notations being shown in the light of some candles . After that starts a beautiful orchestration in the background and we see a glimpse of all the lead actors of the film one by one . First we see a little younger looking Salman and then the eternal beauty Katrina playing a Cello . After her we see Anil Kapoor with a bouquet of flowers giving his innocent smile even at this age . Then at last we see Zaayed Khan walking on the streets . Then starts a series of some very short scenes all showing the Musical environment in which all the leads are living . The huge concert halls and musical notes etc. all giving you a glimpse of the scale of the movie and its background . Then at the end a line comes which is probably the tag line of the film "Music Binds Love " . Then at the very end we see an even younger looking Salman peeping from behind a pillar into the camera .

The trailer in all gives out very few details about the story and just gives an intro of the leads . The music in the background also gives us a hint of whats in the store . The music is just fabulous as expected from ARR and this is probably the first time he will get to use the western orchestrations in a full fledged way since this film seems to be set in London which is home to the symphonies and orchestras . The music in Taal was more Indian and had a mix of Indian and Western . But in Yuvraaj we might get to see just western classical instead of Indian classical . I am more interested in the album than the film for the meantime .

The looks of the actors are also one thing to watch out in the trailer . Katrina looks like a hollywood heroine from the 50's and looks like an exotic beauty . She is the only female lead and hence the second thing that the movie will be focussing on apart from Music would be of course her . The lead actors of the film would probably fight it out for the God's Best creations , Music and Love . Then we also get to see the "Bhola" avatar of Anil Kapoor that he dawned in his first few films . Salman also looks quite younger and he might look good with Katrina in this one .

Overall , I am looking forward to both the Album and the film which will release soon .Subhash Ghai is also looking for a hit since a long time and I hope he gets that in this film and viewers get to see a complete film . The year in any case has been very bad with most of the films leaving disappointed. I also hope that my favourite Katrina acts this time which she can and not just dances to songs . Check out he trailer :

Jodhaa Akbar --- Music Review

The Music of Jodha Akbar is out now after a very long wait and I am little disappointed . I am myself one of the biggest fans of A. R. Rehman and everyone knows his musical genius and henceforth expects a lot from his album . Due to these expectations I was disappointed a bit because I couldn't find anything new in this album from him . He has mixed his past music and put a little new things into it . Since he is such a Master of Music the songs are bound to sound well and work among the listeners . What I didn't like that nothing was new and it was as though he listened back his two earlier period albums Lagaan & Zubeida and put in a little bit more to get Jodha Akbar . The album sounds new just due to the plain fact that the lyrics are new and different with a lot of Urdu inputs .

The music is made so that it would look good during the movie but may not work without it . The music should have been pure Indian Classical since its a movie on Indian History but I think he is so influenced by the western music and symphonies that they fall into every album of his . Just by using Indian instruments like Tabla and Flute doesn't make the music Indian . The songs are good but sound just like his past work .

Well talking of the album the first song is Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah by Mohd. Aslam and Bonny Chakravarti . This song has been made to introduce the great king Akbar and goes well about it . The song sounds good and Akbar himself would have got happy if he would have listened to this one . Here also it sounds like some western symphony of Beethoven being played with Indian instruments . Well if we don't go technical then it is a good song and perfect for movie's fast paced war sequences . This one would sound even better in a multiplex where the sound systems are really top class.

Second song is "In Lahmon Ke Daaman " by Sonu Nigam and Madhushree. This one is a little soft and melodious than the first one and has the vocals by two brilliant singers . Though the lyrics are completely in Urdu so they would have had a little problem but still sing it perfectly . After the first stanza there is a classical vocal piece which sounds a bit south-Indian classical . This one is regulation stuff from Rehman . Not impressive yet good .

The third song is the Romantic pick - Jashn-e-Bahara which is also so-so . It sounds really melodious in starting with amazing singing by Javed Ali but then it looses track somewhere in between . The Urdu lyrics sound good but would not make any sense to general Indian Audience . I know working on such a project is like walking on dual edged sword , if you make it really authentic then it doesn't work and if you don't then people say that it should have been more authentic . Overall the song is slow paced and just like "Aye Hairate"of Guru . The success of song now depends on the on-screen chemistry between Hrithik-Ash . There is also one Instrumental version of the song with distinctive use of Flute .

After this comes the qawalli by Rehman himself "Khwaja mere Khwaja" which is also very authentic . Though Rehman sings it quite well but I think it would have sounded even better if someone like Rahat Ali Khan would have sung it . Rehman always sings one song in his Album and probably this one would be quite close to his heart . But it does not have the element to work like Haaji Ali of Fiza had or for that matter in Himesh's qawalli in Ahista-Ahista . This one is more of a prayer as compared to other two .

The last song is " Mann Mohna " and is the only Hindi track on the Album and also has a sound that of a Bhajan . It has a distinct use of pure Hindi like any other Bhajan has . The Vocals are by Bela Shende sound really good . The song is like a bhajan of Meerabai with a few western inputs in between .

Overall the Album is good but not great as expected . The Lyrics are very pure whether they are Urdu or Hindi but the music by Rehman is not pure to that extent . Hence it is not a very good combination . The Director could have settled for some easier and understandable lyrics so that the songs work among the audience . Or even better he should not have included songs at all because these songs might hinder to the movie's success and might make the movie more lengthy and slow paced . He needs to cut the length of movie as far as possible or else it will fail on the Box-office . The culture of today won't be able to digest a long slow movie with such music. Rehman has not given his best into this one and is quite a disappointment .

Rehman has given great music to period films like Lagaan and Zubeida but he fails to an extent in this one . Both Movies had a British era element and this one doesn't . Overall only two songs Azeem-O-Shah and Jashn-e-bahaara are good and rest is very regular and mediocre stuff .