Tuesday, April 17, 2007
A new series
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Somewhere on the sidebar of this blog lies a listing of categories. In a rare moment of lucidity, one grandly named it Method in Madness. And somewhere in it lies a dedicated category called Music. You see, once upon a time, I imagined I’d be doing a whole lot of music writing on this blog. No, not in a ‘Yay! I shall give Altaf Raja some competition!’ sort of way. (Although those who have heard the seventeen of us sing a harmonized chorus version of yaaron maine panga le liya will vouch for it being a perfectly viable career option for us.) But writing about music.
But alas, it did not happen. The silliness took precedence, the lunacy invaded the blog, and the poor music got pushed aside. It still sits at the top of the list though, looking imposing and all-important. Saala main to saahab ban gaya it sings, thinking of itself as a Dilip Kumar in Sagina (1974). But it is more like Dilip Kumar in Devdas (1955) — all talk and no action. Its only purpose is to taunt me from time to time — Music is your passion, you claim? How many posts? Thirteen? Pfffft. Passion, it seems. Snigger.
So one has decided that enough is enough. (Why do we always say that, by the way? Why can’t someone else be enough? Why should only enough be enough? I think everyone should be given a chance to be enough. Ladies and gentlemen, meet Mr Mukkavalli Sambasiva Rao. He will be enough from today on. Thank you.) So where was I? Ah yes. One has decided to start a new series.
What is it going to be about, you ask? I will pick a movie, any movie, and write about it. The focus will primarily be its music, but the movie will also get spoken about. I will not limit myself by composer, director, era or genre. Obscure movies, obscurer music, everything is welcome. Connoisseurs will find a Bandini (1963) and lovers of cheese will find a Dance Dance (1987). Or a Meera Ka Mohan (1992) even.
Oh and yes! I want you to recommend movies to write about. I hope that this series will help me (and you) discover music that we had forgotten about or never heard. Or never wanted to. Songs that fill you with déjà vu. Or soundtracks that we love to hate. But I also hope, that this series will result in discussion. Who is better? Kishore or Rafi? Should Lata stop singing? Is there a difference between inspiration and plagiarism? Is Pritam a suspect composer but an excellent arranger? In sansanikhez aur hairat-angez sawaalon ka answer, coming soon to a commentspace near you. And I’m counting on you all to make it happen. Yes, you. So stop lurking and start writing!
Finally, I will say this. Music, for me, is a matter of the heart. As it must be for a lot of you, I am sure. So while I will try to be unbiased and analytical, what I write will be subjective. It will be my opinion at the time of writing the post. It may change the next day, or it may not, but it is still just an opinion and not the gospel truth. So, if I step on your toes sometimes, it might be because you were trying to waltz while I was attempting to dhinkichiki. But it doesn’t mean that either of us doesn’t know how to dance.
Speaking of déjà vu, a little nonsense before I go —
Q: What do you call a feeling of déjà vu that also makes you very happy?
A: Déjà-woo-hoo!
Okie, now let’s talk music.
I’d be curious to hear what you have to say about the music of Omkara and about the movie itself :)
–altoid
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 4:11 PM
Awesome! Great idea!
Looking forward to discovering new ways to enjoy the music I am familar with, uncover gems I missed and appreciate the talent of all the people involved :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 4:22 PM
If I were to pick one movie, what better movie to start with than Chaalbaaz? But then this is about music, so Omkara would be my pick to start with too. To me that was the album of the year and while I did not hear about the RMIM do, until it was too late, I think you judges had it spot on!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 4:36 PM
Or just pick one of IR’s gems and introduce it to the neophytes among us!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 4:39 PM
What do you call a déjà vu that also makes you sad?
Déjà-boo-hoo :(
Yay!!
What a wonderful idea!! A forum to discuss movies, music and moods … good great greatest :)
Pardner, I am in !!!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 5:19 PM
déjà *main* vu. mark idhar hai.
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 6:11 PM
Songs from your MegaStar movie - Kondaveeti Donga
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 9:17 PM
[Altoid] Yay! You delurked! And yes, promptly added Omkara to the list. It is, in my opinion, the best soundtrack to come out in 2006 and I can’t wait to talk about it some more. Perfect :)
[deitaDi] Me too! :)
[anantha] Now why am I not surprised that you thought it was the perfect movie for me to start with? You who recites the Ye Megha hai, crack hai line ad infinitum? :) And I know I’ve spoken about Chaalbaaz tons of times in my commentspace, but given a chance I’ll babble about it all over again, so will absolutely put it on the list! *rubs hands in glee* And IR movies. Gawd! Soooo many movies, so little time! Glad you agree with the RMIM jury’s handiwork :)
[Mythili] Yay! Berry berry berry good! (Also the name of our favorite flavor of ice-cream at Coldstone Creamery. Not that you needed to know that.)
[viktor] Your eggs are something else.
[Bhanu] Didn’t think there would be too many takers for Kondaveeti Donga besides me :)
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 10:58 PM
Chhoti si baat … please!
Tuesday, April 17, 2007 @ 11:57 PM
>>lovers of cheese will find a Dance Dance (1987)
lol!
I would like to read about Madhumati (1958) and Chori Chori (1957) and ‘Maine Pyar Kiya’ and ‘Hum Aapke Hai Kaun’ would be in the love to hate category for me.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 12:49 AM
*Rubs hands in anticipation*
Interesting questions indeed. In my opinion, Kishore and Rafi are both incredibly talented, but the fact that the former displayed his versatility by not typecasting himself, gives him a few points over Rafi. And should Lata stop singing? That’s an invalid question. She already stopped singing, several years ago, in fact. The question ought to be: should Lata stop wailing like a banshee, imagining that she’s singing? Seriously, compared to her older records, what she’s doing now really does seem like ghostly wailing. I wonder, does she never listen to her early songs? How can she not shudder and cringe at the deterioration, and not have retired gracefully, leaving only wonderful memories? Yeah yeah, I know, considering her age, blah blah, she’s incredible, blah blah. But that’s the point: who listens to music thinking, ‘considering the singer’s age, it’s great’? I’m sure there’s plenty of young talent out there that can do a far better job than she’s doing now.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 1:03 AM
Oh and the deja woo gag was painful. The first such painful gag from you. Tsk tsk.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 1:04 AM
Hmmm.. So it’s Music with Megha now after Mutter with Megha.. Anticipating some good discussions on great music.. BTW please add RDB too to your list..
Did i tell you that you outdo yourself with every new post of yours? in madness that is.. The enough is enough and deja woo hoo had me ROTFL.. Wait.. I am still on the floor.. Ohh God.. The perils of being overweight and reading your posts… ;)
Regards,
Ganga
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 1:57 AM
pj of the century…
how do you make a flying snake land?
just say “nagaland”!!!!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 6:45 AM
I second Anantha! Would love to read your take on IR’s music. :-)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 8:47 AM
Nice idea!!! Why not start with real sidey movies like Mithunda movies or Govinda movies. You know, “Tuzko mirchi lagi to mai kya karu” and all that…
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 9:01 AM
Loads of people have done re-vus on the really good ones. I think you need to adopt the orphaned little souls. Think of 80s Gulshan Kumar movies, Anu Mallik music and Paudwal didi’s nasal twangs. And then, the Govinda/Karishma Hinglish songs like what is your mobile number, etc? Sigh! Those were the days!
Bongs would never be happy with deja-vu-hoos!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 10:54 AM
Back here after a looong time, and so worth it. You’re still as good as it gets :)
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 11:01 AM
This is quite a nice idea. I shudder to think what all we are going to dig up during this process. It will be Doorsdarshan all over again. I think we will have quite a list of people to bash up (inspi”rat”ional Annu Malik , Baaprebaap Lahari , lucha-lafangaa Raj Kapoor, can’t-help-my-face Rajendra kumar, badi-ass-leke-ane-wali Asha Parekh eggsetra.. eggsetra) and whole load of the worst and the best, hopefully the worst. That’s usally where the fun is. This is going to be some ride!
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 3:55 PM
[Ojas] Ooh, the list grows! Okie :)
[meetu] Madhumati! Absolutely! In fact, now that I have Bandini and Madhumati on my mind, the thought of a Bimal Roy series is very tempting. And Chori Chori. Hmm. I can do justice to the music only if I blot out the visual of Raj Kapoor on screen. Will have to give it a shot, as an exercise in self-restraint, if nothing else. And I agree with you about about HAHK completely, although I can’t bring myself to loathe MPK in quite the same way :)
[witnwisdumb]
You insult me greatly. There are, at the very least, four hundred and thirty one such painful gags on this blog, if not more. These non-engineers, I tell ya. One can never count on them, seeing as they don’t know how to count. Tch tch. And as for the questions - I was listing potential questions that could show up in future commentspaces. Didn’t really expect a public brawl rightaway :) But on the topic of whether Lata should stop singing - I have a fair bit to say, so shall save it for a post instead :)
[Gangadhar] Wait. R D Burman or Rang De Basanti? And thankoo thankoo. Suggestions of increased madness are considered ultimate compliments in our world. So lots of brownie points to you. As for you being on the floor, the dialogue from Jaane Bhi Do Yaaro comes to mind -
Sorry. We are a seeker of cheap thrills, wottodo.
[psg] Sigh. Groan.
[Krishna] Okie. There’s a lot more of IR out there than I am familiar with, but still, will attempt to talk about the little that I do know :)
[Fleiger] As I said, no bhed-bhaav will be done towards bad music. But one song doesn’t make a movie. You see, consistency is what it’s all about. Find me a soundtrack replete with tujhko mirchi lagis and I’ll review it for you :)
[munimma] Ooh yes yes! Why do you think Meera Ka Mohan (1992) featured so prominently in the post? An ode to a childhood full of Gullu Kumars, Anu Paudwals and Avi Wadhawans, is what it is. Sigh.
[Gabby] Yay! Happy to see you after ages! Hey, isn’t the Maharaja about to turn one, sometime around now? Happy Birthday! :)
[gvenum] Well, to be honest, this isn’t a series designed only to mock the I-wish-I-could-forget parts of Hindi films and their music. (Although given a chance to mock, I always will. But you didn’t need me to tell you that.) It is more about highlighting good music. Music that we take for granted, by virtue of it having been around since forever. Music that has ceased to be music for us, seeing as it has become a way to preserve memories. Bad music that has turned good, because good things happened while listening to it. Music that we associate with teaching us about life because we coincidentally learnt life’s lessons while listening to it. And of course, lest you think that’s all too poetic and mushy, music that reminds you of Salma Agha in silver tights and Rajesh Khanna in gold-rimmed sunglasses, so you know what NOT to wear on your next hot date. All of this and more. So beware.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 7:45 PM
khatarnaak khayaal-la tarvaata ee tOka avsaramA, asal avsaramA ani adugutunna..
translation - You had to mention this, didnt you, after such beautiful thoughts..
Groan.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 8:09 PM
[deitaDi] Of course I had to mention it. What? You don’t think they are important life’s lessons to learn? Or is it that you just spent all your savings on gold-rimmed rhinestone-studded sunglasses and I came along and ruined your sparkling Page 3 moment?
Aww. Beautiful thoughts he says, and yet I am so mean to him. Tsk.
Wednesday, April 18, 2007 @ 10:46 PM
[Megha] You are welcome!!
I was thinking of Rang De Basanti when I mentioned RDB.. But a R.D.Burman series would be awesome too. Pliss do that also.
And ya, Thankoo for the brownie points (Quick question 1-Can I convert these points to frequent flyer points or credit card bonus points?)
agar aaj hum gire hue hai toh uski wajah aapki yeh vichaar hi hai.. i can stay “gire hue” till i get my dose of madness from here.. addictive it is.. ;)
Regards,
Ganga
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 3:38 AM
>> only if I blot out the visual of Raj Kapoor on screen
blot out because you cannot imagine the song without his handsome face and thus cannot be unbiased to the music/lyrics/singers? or blot out because it is too painful to think about the songs because they have him…sorry, couldn’t resist!!
>> I can’t bring myself to loathe MPK in quite the same way
Ouch another one of those :-(
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 4:31 AM
If you have heard the music of this movie,puhleez to review. I can then claim that the number of people who have watched the movie number more than 3 (me and the two people on imdb.)
Though we would surely appreciate if super philosophical stuff in albums like “Duniya Badi Kharab Hai Sabse Bhali Sharaab Hai” by Jaswant Singh were also reviewed.
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 6:42 AM
Can I hope that a bit of English music might make it’s way into one of these posts?
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 6:55 AM
Hey YumnYum,
How about a review of Bewafa Sanam which has one of the classics ‘Acha Sila Diya tune…’ :o)
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 8:57 AM
Hi!
nice idea. I love the old, old Hollywood movies from 30s and 40s. So how about a movie from that period? Or you can write a comparison between It Happened One Night, Chori Chori and Dil Hai Ki Manta Nahin . Both the hindi movies were “inspired” by the Hollywood one. I have always loved the Hollywood one and prefer the Mahesh Bhatt remake to the one by Anant Thakur. There are others like Meet John Doe which was made into an awful hindi movie, starring Amitabh Bacchan(don’t remember the name). I am a sucker for Frank Capra Movies. Also there are some by Billy Wilder like Irma la Douce, Ninotchka, Some Like It Hot, The Seven Year Itch and Sabrina. It would be fun to see if any of those were adopted into hindi.
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 11:40 AM
Very exciting! It’s a wonderful idea. I can’t think of a better place in the blogosphere for music to be discussed than in your commentspace, or a better way for those discussions to be set up than with your words on the topic.
Looking forward to several interesting discussions, from which I hope to learn quite a bit as well.
Oh, and I realize there’s lots of very good requests being made and so you may not get to this, but a movie I’d love to see you write about is Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi.
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 4:58 PM
How about some of Hridaynath Mangeshkar’s hindi compositions like Lekin, Mashal, Maya Memsaab etc ?
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 6:04 PM
Megha…since quite a few of us ask for IR…just wanted to point to two interesting write ups on IR.
http://www.idlebrain.com/celeb/realstars/ilayaraja4.html
http://www.idlebrain.com/ilayaraja/index.html
Thursday, April 19, 2007 @ 7:42 PM
You have to write about Dance Dance first! Aa gaya aa gaya, halwawala aa gaya needs to be showcased along with other gems of Hindi cinema!
And you will give jokes at the end of each post, too? Oh goody!
Friday, April 20, 2007 @ 3:18 AM
Why did everyone forget Himesh Reshammaiya? I want reviews of the movies that have him singing pls !
Friday, April 20, 2007 @ 4:50 AM
I’ll tackle the Pritam question: yes.
I sometimes hate the fact that I like Pritam’s versions of songs better than the original. But I do. He is an amazing arranger/composer (I will give him that, even…) and obviously an excellent motivator, seeing the emotion he brings out of his vocalists. Gangster … everyone was absolutely at the top of their game.
I have said this before - even at lunch today - the hip hop scene has the concept of ’sampling’ songs - both taking clips from the original recordings, or taking lines from previously -written songs as ‘tribute’ to the original artist. The samples are always cleared, or given permission to be used. Why doesn’t the Hindi film industry do the same thing - clear their samples or inspirations? They do some incredible things - look at what “Sajna” from Waisa Bhi Hota Hai part 2 did to Thomas Dolby’s “I Love You Goodbye” … omgtablaincajunsongwowowow…or cajunsongwithtabla? :) And the CLEARED “Bheegi Bheegi” in Gangster, taking from a Bangla song called “Prithibi” … good stuff happens. It just needs to be legit.
Friday, April 20, 2007 @ 8:21 AM
Oooh! Oooh! Can I also have CKNG, please? I take back all cOnfUCiuS-bLogdiVA (translation: Confucius- Blogdiva) comments, won’t make anymore. Pinky promise and all.
Friday, April 20, 2007 @ 10:49 AM
How about a list of top 5/10 movies/songs by a composer. I know its a total injustice to a brilliant composer like RD where compiling a list of top 100 itself is so hard (lets try when he turns on to other side in his grave where he cannot notice us making this list). Incase you wonder why is he even turning in his grave , you can always blame it on some of the ridiculous remixes of his songs these days.
Friday, April 20, 2007 @ 1:35 PM
Warning: Looong comment response. Keep alcohol or aspirin handy before proceeding.
[Gangadhar] Okay, time to clarify. Brownie points awarded on this blog can be redeemed on this blog and this blog alone. They cannot be converted to cash, bribes, pure-ghee sweets, frequent flyer miles, credit card bonuses or car-rental discounts in Sprinfield, Illinois. In addition, brownie points cannot be used to pay off hafta to any bhai you owe large sums of money to. Attempting to do so will not only disqualify you from future brownie points, it very likely will result in bodily harm in the hands of the bhai’s heavies. You have been warned.
So what was I saying? Ah yes. R D Burman series, I most certainly will do. If anything I need to be careful to not overdo RD’s music. And as for being responsible for you being gira hua - I am gulti as charged! Glad you enjoy the madness and keep coming back for more! :) (Even though I refuse to let you redeem your brownie points for anything worthwhile.)
[meetu]
Of course it is because of the handsome face. Have I ever led anyone to believe otherwise? This is Raj Kapoor we are talking about here, after all. Virile stud. Sex symbol of the 50s. God’s gift to women. Can’t look past his six-pack eyes and piercing abs. Um .. well .. something like that.
[nightwatchmen] Bazaar? Bazaar?! You wonder if I have heard the music of Bazaar!?! (Okay I can try out more permutations and combinations of question marks and exclamation marks, but you get the basic indignation by now, I think.) Yes, one has heard, knows, loves and adores the music of Bazaar. Music and lyrics both. Lines like -
never fail to bring a sigh. And the movie is also a favorite, albeit a terribly depressing one. And if it makes you feel any better, there are at least three other people that I know of here (commentspace), who will also swear by the music of Bazaar. And who be Jaswant Singh? Seems like an interesting chap. Why haven’t I made acquaintance of him yet? Oh and welcome back. Long time, no see and all that!
[Princess Stefania] Well, I envisioned (boy, I’ve always wanted to use that word and sound fancy) this series to be more of a Hindi film thingy, but shoor, we can talk any music you want :) We mostly make up the rules as we go anyway. And sorry we didn’t respond to your comment on the earlier post, but our blog feels most senti and mental about being the recipient of thy love. Sniffle.
[Jammy] What is this? Why the unflinching confidence that I must have seen Bewafa Sanam? Why the assumption that if there is a Kishen Kumar movie out there, that I must have been jobless enough to see it? My love for Gullu Kumar is sometimes a curse, I tell you. Sigh.
[amol] Of the Billy Wilder movies that you mention, Irma La Douce, (a very underrated Wilder film, I think) with the always lovable Jack Lemmon, got remade into Manoranjan (1974), which also happens to be Shammi Kapoor’s directorial debut. Had music by his good friend R D Burman. Sanjeev Kumar essayed Lemmon’s role and Zeenat Aman was the carefree hooker, played in the original by the deliciously feisty Shirley MacLaine. Has that mostest awesome Kishore-Asha duet aaya hoon main tujhko le jaaoonga apne saath tera haath thaam ke.
And of course Sabrina (Sigh. Bogey!) got remade into that Kajol - Akshay Kumar - Saif starrer Yeh Dillagi (1994) most famously known for that miscreation jab bhi koi ladki dekhoon mera dil deewana bole .. ole ole ole ole ole ole.
[Sudo Nimus] Thankoo thankoo. And ooh! CKNG is an excellent excellent suggestion! The movie itself, Kishore, his antics, Ashok, Anup, the music, Madhubala, rain songs, garages .. so many things to talk about! Will do :)
[bloghopper] Yes, I would love to write more about Hridayanath Mangeshkar! And let me add Dhanwaan (1980) to your list. Remember the Lata-Suresh Wadkar duet ye aankhein dekh kar hum saari duniya bhool jaatein hain? Lovely, it is.
[Bhanu] Thank you for the links! Have only glanced at them so far, but they promise to be interesting so will give them a detailed reading over the weekend.
[Dipta] Yes yes, Dance Dance is an absolute must, and not just for aa gaya aa gaya halwawala aa gaya. My other favorite is from there too - mere dil gaye ja zoobie zoobie zoobie. And Mandy-kins. And Shakti Kapoor, the drummer. Sigh. Where do I begin? And one tries her best to behave, but one doesn’t always succeed. Hence the jokes. But sometimes they will be in the beginning :)
[Poppins] Uh oh. I was hoping nobody would notice that I did not mention him. But now that the deed has been done, maybe I can review Humraaz (2002), a movie that came out many years before Himesh discovered he could sing and the world was a far happier place?
[andrea] I completely agree. I don’t think inspirations are a bad thing, seeing as they bridge musical distances in some ways. They bring music that you are unlikely to hear, in a form that is more accessible, I think. But credit can be given where credit is due without losing an audience and it baffles me when it is not done. I listen to tak bisakah by Peterpan and like what Pritam did with it to turn it into kya mujhe pyaar hai from Woh Lamhe. Or that Oliver Shanti instrumental number that became tu hi meri shab hai from Gangster. (Of course, the fact that both are sung by the unbelievably talented and supersonic KK, also helps their ratings in my books. But I digress.) And I find myself wishing that if only Pritam admitted his sources, I could laud him for his brilliant arrangements rather than diss him for copying and hiding his sources.
Sajna is an awesome awesome song. Did not know it was inspired or that it was a credited inspiration. My respect for it and for Shibani Kashyap grows. And great to see you comment!
[Revealed] As requested, CKNG has been added to the list. And thankoo :)
[gvenum] That sounds like a nice idea, except that I’d prefer to focus on making it a one *movie* per post thingy, rather than one composer/singer per post thingy. But yes, if I run into an artist who doesn’t have any one notable soundtrack to talk about, I could do a selection of best songs from different movies of theirs. So will keep idea in mind. Thankoo!
Saturday, April 21, 2007 @ 12:23 AM
Baazaar! One of those rare hindi movies based in Hyderabad! Love the movie not just for the haunting melodies/unbelievable lyrics, but also for the authentic dialect in the dialog.
Saturday, April 21, 2007 @ 1:20 AM
i so agree with the
stuff …
if you get a chance check out a movie called ‘Tous Les Matins du Monde… its soundtrack a piece of music thats close to my heart …
Sunday, April 22, 2007 @ 1:00 AM
Hey!
Good idea..so hopefully we can get more posts..and much more fun in comment space.
You spend too much time on comments. Not that I don’t enjoy it, but its all scattered in comments…
But anyways you have the best comment-space in the entire blogosphere. [:)] I am not telling this just so that you dont scold me for saying what I did!
Sunday, April 22, 2007 @ 4:55 AM
[Megha] I was asking about the brownie points just like that.. Your posts are more worthy than any “cash, bribes, pure-ghee sweets, frequent flyer miles, credit card bonuses or car-rental discounts in Sprinfield, Illinois and hafta money for bhais”. Pliss to note that many bad hair days of mine have been lightened and made more enjoyable due to the ‘madness’ here.. Thankoo for that.. :)
And you didn’t tell whether you added Rang De Basanti to the list..
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 4:06 AM
[deitaDi] Heh! I knew it! I knew you’d say something about the Hyderabadi dialect! :)
[bare rock lover] Glad you agree. Saw the link though I haven’t seen the movie. I love the sound of the viola (the cello, which I think is a cousin, is one of my favorite instruments) and was wondering if you knew of a place that I could sample the soundtrack online? I hunted, but couldn’t find.
[Rk]
Oh goodie, then I can scold you unhesitatingly :) What is this? On one side you are looking forward to more fun in the commentspace and then you complain that I spend too much time on comments? Tsk! How do you think the commentspace became so much fun? It woke up one morning, grew a big red honking nose, put on a clown suit and became fun all by itself? The time we all spend on it means nothing? Huh huh? <end of scolding>
[Gangadhar] Ayyo, yes yes, I know. I was telling about brownie points also just like that only. Please don’t clarify and make me feel even more guilty now :) Am glad my posts make only your bad hair days lighter and not your hair itself. And Rang De Basanti. Hmm .. I must admit I’m not a huge fan of the soundtrack, even though I don’t hate it. Roo ba roo and masti ki paathshaala are my favorites, but some of the other songs don’t impress me quite as much. But okie, shall add it to the list, but push it down a little, so I don’t get to it too soon :D
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 3:40 PM
*yay* me also delurking..!
only because, there seemed to be a consensus tat omkara is the best soundtrack of 2006.. i jus could not believe wat i was reading.. honest.. i thought, in my opinion (and i m sure millions of others too) RDB was the best soundtrack of 2006..
ever.. so diverse, and yet each one was a masterpiece in its own genre.. in fact, i think ‘khalbali’ must have created a different genre.. Of course, I will admit, tat A.R.Rahman is like the divine to me. But, tat does not mean i do not appreciate music composed by other music directors.. i felt (i m sure, none of the millions with me this time, but a few thousands maybe…) tat the ‘beedi’ song was awesome.. and that was about it.. but, other than that, i m sorry…And if u r thinkin abt writin abt music, then maybe u can start with IlayaRaja.. who better than the original maestro (i ll proclaim here also that he doesnt come close to A.R. Rahman in terms of diversity).. But that does not diminish his genius nor his works… And if Megha is so much as struck by the MegaStar, then she can write abt “Jagadeka Veerudu…” (both IR and Chiru…) oh please, kondaveeti donga brings to my mind the voluptuous radha and the equally dumbo vijayashanthi.. pliss no.. :) we will get to A.R. Rahman next and then may be I write a piece (I promise no idolising) and you can feel free to post it here. Do not worry I would not charge you for that…
P.S. : oh, ya dont mistake me for yet another deranged fan trying to intrude into other blogs and comment only rubbish…
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 4:47 PM
Talking of Manoranjan, the delectable asha solo “chori chori solah singaar” comes to mind. Oh, what a melody
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 4:47 PM
hey
try typing Marais Marin or Jordi Savall in the youtube search there are a few clips of music by Marin and a few small clips of the soundtrack. You could probably find the movie in a school library or public library. Maybe Blockbuster but i doubt. Enjoy!!
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 8:09 PM
[bhuvan] The recently conducted RMIM Puraskaar awards, which are public-opinion awards, picked Omkara as the soundtrack of the year and beedi jalaile as the song of the year. So clearly there are people other than the folks in this commentspace who love Omkara. However the same RMIM awards picked roo ba roo as the best composed song. So does that indicate that the public is a fool for picking Omkara or that it is smart for picking Rang De Basanti?
Personally, I loved Omkara. Of the seven songs, there are four that I love and three that I really like, so the soundtrack is a winner for me. (Will gush about it in more detail when I do a review post on it.) Rang De Basanti on the other hand is a soundtrack that I like but don’t love. Roo ba roo and masti ki paathshala are clear winners for me, and khoon chala and tu bin bataye are also lovely. But that is where it ends. In terms of completeness, Omkara wins over Rang De Basanti. And I am glad you specifically mentioned khalbali. The song never quite worked for me. It tries to be too many different things, but doesn’t succeed at any of them. But clearly you see merit in it, while I don’t. You describe the song as ‘creating a different genre’. Can you elaborate more on what genre it succeeds in creating, so I can enjoy it too, perhaps?
Also, I must say this. All the opinions that we share here are just that - opinions. I don’t think any one of us is more credible by claiming the support of the intangible ‘millions’ and ‘thousands’. I think every single voice is equally valuable, regardless of the backing of numbers. And I am glad that the difference in opinion brought you out of lurking mode and I hope to see you here more often!
[bloghopper] So SO glad you mentioned chori chori solah singaar karoongi! I cannot believe I brought up Manoranjan and did not talk about this. The song has such an exquisite and delicate melody .. and Asha’s almost whisper-soft voice in the mukhda .. that peaks in volume in the antaras only to suddenly drop when she does the haan ji haan line .. So playful and sensual! I particularly like the lyrics of one of the lines of the antaras -
Very reminiscent of Pancham in baahon mein chale aao. In mood, not in melody, I mean.
[bare rock lover] Oh duh me, I’m a dummy. Didn’t think of Youtube. Will look now. And yeah, will try to find the movie or CD in the library, perhaps. Thankoo!
Monday, April 23, 2007 @ 11:33 PM
[Megha] Totally agree with your measure of both Omkara and RDB. Being a hardcore ARR fan, I am still gung-ho about RDB, but right now, a year or so after the release, the only RDB numbers on my playlist are Roobaroo and Lukka Chuppi! But even to my uneducated ears, Omkara sounds like it is the richer album. RMIM’s award is perhaps the best feather that could sit on Omkara’s cap!
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 @ 1:03 AM
[Megha] Ok ok.. No more hair lightening and brownie point conversioning making you feel guilty-ing comments..
Coming back to RDB, i mentioned it because of ARR primarily and the different moods he has re-created in every song of the album. Be it the romantic “Tu bin bataaye“, the melancholic “Lukka Chuppi“, the carefree “Masti ki paathshaala“, the trendy “Khalbali“, or the inspirational “Roobaroo“, each song evokes a different feeling.. I, for one, felt the album complete and would place it at par with Omkara, if not above…
On Omkara, I would appreciate the mellow “O saathi re” or even the soft “Jag jaa re gudiya” more than “Beedi Jalaile“. What worked for Beedi was some awesome vocals from both the lead artists and rustic UP style lyrics, which got repeated in “Namak Ishq ka” too.. But in terms of completeness, both RDB and Omkara rank at the same position for me.. Again, as you said perceptions differ and everyone is entitled to an opinion. Though, you are free to give an opinion on my opinion (making it equal to 1).. :D
*Thats more lines than the total lines of code i typed at office today.. I just hope my manager doesn’t read this blog (which, given the amount of madness on this blog, looks highly improbable). :) *
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 @ 2:02 AM
Loved both RDB and Omkara but “Naina thag lenge” makes Omkara speshal for me.
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 @ 11:47 AM
Your response to Bhuvan are exactly my thoughts on Omkara vs RDB. I couldn’t have put it any better. I felt RDB music was a bit all over the place, too loud dominating the voices and the lyrics except for a song or two. The music sounded fairly appropriate while watching the movie though. No mistake, they are good songs but not the kind of songs that I would remember or cherish for a long time. This is also one of my main criteria when comparing between IR and ARR ,criteria I call the “green” factor. Most IR songs still carry the freshness even now where as it fades for ARR in the long run except for few (like Taal) . A good song ,IMHO, is a balance of good music, singing and lyrics. Somehow I feel the music and instrumentation dominates the rest in ARR case. But when ever he tried melody which has more importance for voices and lyrics they have all come out very good. But this is just my opinion and as they say opinions are neither correct nor wrong. They are just opinions.
[Bhuvan] Can you elaborate on the diversity part as well? Do you mean diverse in attracting all generations or diverse in using classical and western music or diverse in using different raagas?
Tuesday, April 24, 2007 @ 10:38 PM
Sorry for being a lurker for few days…
BTW, I want some nominations for “Mighty Sword” and “Ink Pen” awards. Please see my blog for details
I will be back to normal mode soon.
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 @ 10:30 AM
i dont see movies..
déjà bhoo bhooo !! :(
Wednesday, April 25, 2007 @ 12:13 PM
Rise, dear girl. You have the Royal Pardon.
;)
Thursday, April 26, 2007 @ 7:40 AM
Megha
oops..! I never meant to insult the public. Also, I promise not to invoke ‘the millions’ line hereafter. Now, when I read that, it sucks. Big time.. I agree that every single opinion is as valuable as the consensus itself.
Well, as I said before, except for the ‘beedi’ song from omkara, none of it ‘worked for me’. You can also consider me to be one of the ignorant lot, since I had no idea there was a RMIM award, nor they even voted omkara higher than RDB. What I am trying to convey here is not whether the public is a fool or smart. It does not actually matter if you got hooked by the songs.
Personally, I LOVE RDB.. As a hard-core A.R.Rahman fan, I will even admit that I am favorably disposed towards him. But, after ManiRatnam-A.R.Rahman and A.R.Rahman-Ashutosh Gowariker combos, I felt RDB was right up there. Each song felt so good to listen. Time and again. Especially, Khalbali. I guess, the exact reason why you did not like it, was the reason I fell for. It does not conform to any genre. You cannot just slot Khalbali into a specific genre. When I said it created a different genre, I meant this. Khalbali is a genre of its own. I did not for a moment feel that it was trying to be so many things and could not achieve anything. I used to got crazy (and still do) everytime the “…zindeeeee..” part used to come on. I actually have no knowledge of either hindi or music in particular. I have no idea what the lyrics mean in any of the song. So, for any hindi song the music occupies the priority for me. Also, I have no freakin’ clue about the raagas or swaras involved. So, if you are asking me about ‘Khalbali’s genre, I have no clue. But, it sounds so f**kin good. I had no idea that some of the people (for instance, you) cannot accept Khalbali just because you felt it was more of a mixmash than an original masterpiece. So, I guess thats about it.
Also, I have no clue whatsoever about your latest post. I have never even heard about the ‘technicians’ you mentioned. I am a born tamil and can speak telugu fairly well (that explains about Chiru and the latest Mahesh Babu :) ) But cannot understand hindi for nuts. So, I am not exactly eligible to comment on that. But I do hope, that you notice that I am almost publishing a blogpost here. And then comment on whether my opinion here conveys why I felt RDB was better than Omkara in 2006.
gvenum
When I said about being diverse, I meant the different kinds of genres in a single soundtrack (and of course, which also tells us about the different instruments and the orchestration he has achieved.) The carefree, yet energetic ‘Paathshaala’ ( the singing is carefree, but the music which accompanies the singing is energetic and makes you get onto the dance floor) or the romantic ‘Tu bin…’ or the soul-stirring ‘Lukka Chuppi’ (only a few days back one of my friends explained to me what exactly each line of the lyrics in this song meant, and needless to say, I was floored..) Or Khalbali (Oh my god, I cannot even imagine how he thought of and composed this. Just brilliant, if you ask me..) the peppy ‘Rang de Basanti’ (I just love it, when the sweet voice of Chitra finds its way into our hearts..) Each song is as diverse as it can get,(you can at the most club ‘tu bin..’ and ‘lukka chuppi..’ together) and yet, was just awesome.. And I cannot understand hindi. Not yet…
Also, when when you said IR has got this ‘green’ factor, I can agree with that. But, it doesn’t mean that A.R.Rahman was not able to achieve that. IR was (and is) more famous for the melodies that he created than for the ‘peppy’ (or whatever we can call them) songs he composed. Also, films at that time were not open to this kind of ‘experimentation’ and so we can say IR never had the chance to try his hand at different genres. But, it will be fair to say, that given the state of technological advances we have now and compared to IR’s time, I doubt if he could have made it. Even now, he composes with his ‘harmonium’ and later tries to do the arranging and mixing. Whenever we has tried to be compose songs or fuse different genres, he has not been able to make it. So, IR’s songs are considered to have that ‘green’ factor are those melodies only. And he did lots of them because they were needed. If you consider the melodies A.R.Rahman has composed, you would find they were no less. Infact, some of them like “Yenna Solla Pogirai” from ‘Kandukondain Kandukondain’ (a Tamil film and Shankar Mahathevan sang that song and received a national award for that..) were just out of this world. So, it is really unfair to say A.R.Rahman’s songs does not have that ‘green’ factor. It does.
But, in the case of A.R.Rahman, if he was different from IlayaRaaja, then it must be said that he dared to be different. (It must be acknowledged that he had a fantastic director like ManiRatnam to mentor him and back him) But, A.R.Rahman’s music has, more often than not, been about the layers. I mean, other composers can virtually lift one of the sounds on a loop in a background and use ‘that’ tune for themselves. I am not sure I am able to explain this as well as I would have liked. But, let me give an example to help you understand what I am trying to convey. Now, I have been listening to “Dil Se re…” from ‘Dil Se’ for years. Only about a month back that there is a sort of a ‘bell’ like sound twinkling in that. This can be attributed to my poor observation all these years, but nevertheless, I got freaked out. How come did this guy manage to do this and even think of that. The word mind-blowing felt very apt at that time. Simply brilliant. Of course, the presence of a bell does not mean anything, but when you listen to it, maybe you can understand.
So, it really is unfair to say A.R.Rahman’s songs does not possess the same ‘green’ factor. It does. And how….
Thursday, April 26, 2007 @ 10:30 PM
Since I came upon this only now, am commenting only now! Excellent idea….but may I make a suggestion? If you’re going to do one movie at a time, we’re all gonna be here until kingdom come. How about working with composers/time periods/lyricists (etc.) and examining the collective body of work? I know that for someone like RD or Gulzar or Asha or Kishore or Rafi, this is pretty much an impossibility, where does one start and where does it end? But surely, you should be in a position to think of further sub-categories to work with (happy v sad, earlier work v later, solos v duets, unappreciated gems which never made it big, etc). For others yet, it should be possible to do this in 1 or maybe 2 posts - Suresh Wadkar, Pankaj/Manhar Udhas, etc (they’ve done some brilliant songs, but not too much movie-based work that I know off).
But, of course, your blog and your call…:) And if you would prefer to continue the movie-based thing, the requests are Ghar, Masoom, Ijaazat, Sagar, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi, Disco Dancer [NOT Dance Dance!:-)], Swades, 1942-A Love Story, I could keep going on and on…..:)
One final request, could you do a post on the one-song wonder movies, you know, movies where the rest of the music was only average, but one song was brilliant! Jeevan ke Din from Bade Dilwala or Tu Is Tarah Se from Aap To Aise Na The spring to mind….:)
Wednesday, May 2, 2007 @ 10:29 AM
how about compiling a list of nasal and throaty Bolly/Kolly/Tollywood singers and songs and ranking them on a scale of nasal allergy/tonsilitis? I am guessing Kumar Sanu, Himesh, Sonu Nigam and Unnikrishnan make the nasal list automatically - while the lead singers who sang “pyaar to hona hi thaa” probably win the tonsilitis category hands down.
Sunday, May 13, 2007 @ 2:42 AM
I can’t believe you want to add Sonu Nigam to a list of the most nasal singers! He is pretty amazing, and definitely does NOT sing nasally. As for Himesh, that’s wholly different - he’s an impossibly nasal singer, true.
Sunday, May 13, 2007 @ 9:06 AM
Ohh.. sorry I didn’t mean to offend a SonuFan..
but I beg to differ on the nasal part ..
I too feel he is a good singer..
a good nasal singer (an example of how to use the nose to good effect, I guess..)
Wednesday, May 16, 2007 @ 1:04 AM
How about ‘reviewing’ BAHAAR AANE TAK - the nineties film with a hero having nostrils the size of canon-barrel with a wooden-faced Moon Moon Sen (though a fine wood to look at, must admit)…remember, ‘Kaali teri choti te paranda tera laal ni’ on Sumeet Saigal and Rupa Ganguli (in pink(?) dress). And then there was Anuradha Paudwal who sang ‘Mohabbat inayat karam dekhte hain’ as if she wanted to fight a serious bout of constipation (hear the way she sings the word ‘kasam’).
And more ‘gems’ like LAL DUPATTA MAL MAL KA, or its sequel PHIR LEHRAYA LAL DUPATTA, or that splendid ’social’ drama GAJAB TAMASHA, where Rahul Roy and Anu Aggarwal played ‘jamadaars’! Or even better, another Rahul Roy flick, the ‘ghost’ly PYAAR KA SAAYA (with ’sensational’ Sheeba:P)!
It’d be fun reading about them…
Else, I don’t think our tastes can ever match in music - I can’t ever bring myself to love any OP Nayyar number, nor can I ever ‘hate’ Lata Mangeshkar’s voice - her voice even in recent years, is the most beautiful music to my ears, and I crave for her latest releases like a junkie does for his next shot!
Saturday, May 26, 2007 @ 11:01 PM
And, oh, while on Rahul Roy, how about reviewing a film called *wink wink* MEGHA?! :P (Pls. dont butcher the songs too much, I quite loved the title number)
Sunday, May 27, 2007 @ 12:21 AM
To discerning music listeners, Rafi was and is the best ever playback singer to come out of the sub-continent. Just sample their entire bodies of works, and you will realize that comparing Kishore to him is a mere joke. Still, Kishore was good in his own right and also a very popular singer, but almost a non-entity as a singer when you compare him to Rafi.
Saturday, July 7, 2007 @ 8:44 PM