I think something has happened to me today.
I am total mast and bindaas. (bindhast in Marathi).

Photograph Copyright : Cuckoo 

I have been listening and humming the songs which I generally don’t; not in this order and definitely not in one single playlist !! I am playing them in loop; loud on my speakers and folks at home are as clueless as I.

To give you a glimpse, here’s my list. Now, don’t laugh. Believe me; they’ll take anyone on top of this world.

Aaj main jawan ho gayi huN, Gul se gulistan ho gayi huN – Do you remember that Mithu Mian? Read the rest of this entry »

Kaminey (Mean or Wretched)

Kaminey, the most loved used word in Hindi vocabulary after ‘Saale’.

And off late I have started liking it. Not the word but songs of Kaminey. I particularly liked the ‘Kaminey’ song. I have utterly fallen for it.

Gulzar never ceases to amaze me. You got to have special sensory organs to fully cherish his words. His each song is so close to simpler things in life which we tend to ignore most of the time.
I feel Vishal Bhardwaj & Gulzar’s combination is Read the rest of this entry »

Anyone who says sunshine brings happiness has never danced in the rain.
Whoever has said that, said it rightly.

Monsoon has arrived and I am waiting to get drenched at Marine Drive.
Right now it’s difficult to take one full day out of my schedule just to enjoy the rains the way I want to.

This monsoon should bring some changes, some more trips to green Sahyadris and amidst hot Read the rest of this entry »

Dev D review ?? Not really but hmmm… what a difference !

Note:- Beware; this post contains some spoilers in the form of dialogues. Now that, it’s become quite old, I don’t mind doing it. The spoilers will only stir you to watch it.

Initially when the movie was talked about I didn’t want to watch it. At first, music looked so unmelodious compared to Dilli 6. But slowly my mood swung and then came a stage I impatiently waited to watch it irrespective of its music. I realized music isn’t that bad and is very apt to the film.

It’s a dark movie.
Dark and serious.
More than half of it is shot in dark. The music is dark, quirky and hard hitting.

It’s a remake of Devdas but with a difference.. .. The director Anurag Kashyap has set it free to come out of its confined existence and constraints to match up with today’s time.

The end is different and it took Read the rest of this entry »

Dilli 6 has been seen and done with. It was more than 2 weeks back and I was politely reminded to write a review before the movie is shown on TV’s national channel. Such are my well-wishers.
So, here I am.

Well, the movie can not be called a classic one, does not even come near to Rakyesh Omprakash Mehra’s RDB. I think he tried to make a mix of RDB and ‘Swades’.  But yes, the movie does convey a strong message to all of us.
From almost the first scene, the story revolves around a kala Bandar (black monkey) in the form of narration which takes a couple of scenes to get used to.

Being a Delhite it is always nice to see an ode to Delhi, this time Read the rest of this entry »

Ok, I tried to find out the origin and meaning of this beautiful song. And it is the same what I already knew.  :(  बस थोड़ा और पता चला |

You can also read other posts related to it here and here.

This is a Chhattisgarhi traditional song, originally written by Gangaram Shivarey & composed by Bhulwaram Yadav. Later, Bhulwaram Yadav taught this song to 3 Joshi sisters (Ramadutt, Rekha & Prabhadutt) who sang this song for first time in 1972 in Raipur. This song is a well known Chhattisgarhi folk song, performed in almost all Chhattisgrahi marriages. The pains of a newly wed daughter-in-law is being depicted through this song.

When A R Rahman heard this song for first time, he instantly selected this for improvisation & Prasoon Joshi edited the lyrics for better understanding of masses. Rajat Dholkia co-composed it. Rekha Bharadwaj, the specialist in rustic rendition took the lead in singing. And here is the result. An exceptionally beautiful song. What a fusion ! How well it is mixed. The chorus notes are notably expressive and the poised fusion gives the slow number a hip-hop groovy effect and yet so traditional.

The only sad part is that none of the original creators received any credits, which is entirely unfair.

ससुराल गेंदा फूल - इस लोकगीत को सबसे पहले 1972 में Read the rest of this entry »

An Update:- According to Abhishek, this song is co-composed by Rajat Dholakia, so we must give credit to him as well. I have not watched videos of any songs, neither have read/heard any review of this movie. I have managed this till now. Will have first hand experience and then will let you all know. 

I just love this song from Dilli 6. For the simplicity, rawness and the witty teasing it has.
Very simple lyrics (did you notice the word bush-shirt ?) and excellent music. A R Rehman and this kind of music ? Incredible !!

Enough of mechanized five star wedding parties and receptions where we all play robots with plasticized smiles on our faces. I want to now enjoy a real live wedding, not in a metro but somewhere in the heart of our country. I want to dance on the tunes of “Mere haathoN mein nau-2 choodiyaN hain“, play the dhol and, and.. .. ok, no more day  dreamings.

Read the rest of this entry »

Have you heard this song from Mehdi Hassan ?  Mehdi Hassan is one of those singers who can make you cry with his renditions. He has so much pain in his voice that it feels as if he himself is going through the torments.

Happy song or sad, I like the singers who sing from their hearts and make us feel the same. They don’t need any background music or videos to support their voices.

Have been listening to this Read the rest of this entry »

Listening to this lovely ghazal by Mehdi Hassan. I don’t listen to all of his ghazals.. just a few select ones and this is one of them. There is some strange kind of pain in his voice. More than the lyrics, it is his voice which is creating magic… the soulful rendition of a lover.

मुझे तुम नज़र से गिरा तो रहे हो
मुझे तुम कभी भी भुला ना सकोगे |
ना जाने मुझे क्यों यकीं  हो चला है
मेरे प्यार को तुम मिटा ना सकोगे |

मेरी याद होगी जिधर जाओगे तुम
कभी नग़मा  बनके, कभी बनके आँसू |
तड़पता मुझे हर तरफ़ पाओगे तुम
शमा जो जलाई है मेरी वफ़ा ने
बुझाना भी चाहो बुझा ना सकोगे..
मुझे तुम नज़र से.. ..

कभी नाम बातों में आया जो मेरा
तो बेचैन हो हो के दिल थाम लोगे |
निगाहों में छायेगा ग़म का अँधेरा
किसी ने जो पूछा सबब आंसुओं का
बताना भी चाहो बता ना सकोगे..
मुझे तुम नज़र से.. ..

Enjoy the song !!

Current Song:- Mujhe tum nazar se gira to rahe ho - Mehdi Hassan
Technorati tags:- Mehdi Hassan ghazal

I Rocked !! All Alone !

It just happened that it coincided with the movie ‘Rock On‘.

No, this is not a movie review that I saw today and liked. It is about the moments of rocking.. my moments. The movie inspired me a lot.

I watched it all alone. It might not be anything for others but it was first time for me. First time in life, I went for a movie without telling anyone. I just had to do it. And what an inspiring movie it was ! It worked like a cheerer for me. I enjoyed, jumped and sang. I liked being myself.

Somewhere I felt connected to it.

The story is about four friends who, for some reason, could not follow their hearts and now after 10 years, lead mechanized lives. They don’t even realize that their partners are also suffering with them, because of them. There was a dialogue something like “You two share same postal address but not the lives, you both (husband & wife) live like strangers”.

The movie tells us that life is not worth living if it is just about making money or executing the responsibilities you are tied to; it has to be about your passion and fulfilling your aspirations. How true it is. How many of us are able to realize our dreams or achieve what we really want to ?? Most of us are just entangled by webs of pre-defined responsibilities.

The movie also has emotional side to it, for both friendship and relationships. Not to mention the movie is also about music.

Actingwise all performed well as per whatever role they had, with Farhan taking the lead. The three women were also good though Koel Purie had smallest role of them all.
In some scenes Farhan Akhtar looked very romantic. He also truly looked a singer and his veins could be seen while singing. For a change I liked his voice.

There is lot more I can write but then it’ll become a review.

The important part is that the movie is worth watching and has served its purpose.

Yes, that’s right, I rocked.

P.S.- Alok, you must go & watch it with fresh approach leaving aside your apprehensions and views.

Current Song:- Rock On ! Hai ye Waqt ka Ishara, har Lamha Pukara – Rock On
Technorati Tags:-Rock on Movie