MUSIC REVIEW : STUDENT OF THE YEAR

Vishal shekhar have had a phenomenal year so far. Kahaani and shanghai both boasted of a mind blowing soundtrack. It was a pity that most of the songs were not included in the movies. One looks forward to see what the duo compose for karan johar’s movie. With three totally new actors and a “typical karan johar first trailer”, it remains to be seen what the music will be like.

“DISCO DEEWANE” or “THE DISCO SONG” : Vishal shekhar take up the very famous song of the yesteryears and make it into a new song, adding a newer tune, some beats and retaining the “disco deewane” loop. To be frank, when I first heard it, I didn’t like it at all. Compared to the original one by nazia hassan, this one fell flat. But after repeated hearings, I feel it is not that bad. The violin portions in between are simply awesome. That signature tune is seriously nice. Benny dayal and sunidhi chauhan do a decent job. An average song.

“RADHA” is sung by 4 singers. Shreya ghoshal starts the song beautifully with a classical tune. Just when you feel this is going to be a full on classical radha – Krishna song, the raag, the classical-ness vanish to be replaced by groovy beats. Yet, the song is good overall. Shreya ghoshal’s singing is superb. She is ably assisted by vishal and shekhar as they make this song an energetic one. The rap portions however are bad. And what’s with this word “sexy”? Every single movie of karan johar has this word somewhere – either in the dialogues or in the songs. Come off it KJo. You have kajol. Kindly don’t resort to such stupid lucky charms.

And you rope in a great and versatile playback singer like udit narayan who is senior to all of you to sing 30 seconds? That is seriously not done.

“RATTA MAAR”: Really? What the hell was that? You expect us to believe that students actually STUDY in this “gym” college of karan johar? BAH. Don’t joke with us. Well actually that is the only reason why they would have to rattofy.
Coming back to the song, an average tune with some good singing by vishal and shefali alvaris. We’ve heard a similar song with similar lyrics in agnee’s “Aalaap” earlier this year. However the anthemish tune stays with you.

As I said, the lyrics would have suited a movie like “3 idiots” perhaps, but for this movie, the song seems out of place. Hummable.

“ISHQ WALA LOVE” comes as a respite. Shekhar and salim merchant together is a dream pair. I had always wanted to listen them sing together. Together they make this song a serene and beautiful listen. The guitars and the tabla used are superb. Aasma girl neeti mohan does her part well. Overall this the best song of the album. Simple, melodious and well sung.

“KUKKAD” is another ordinary song. a typical Punjabi tune sung in a typical Punjabi voice by shahid mallya, this song describes the HERO (don’t ask me which one.)

A song that would perhaps make an interesting background or introduction song, it is avoidable as a lone audio track.

“VELE” is very addictive stuff, definitely. Shekhar’s singing makes all the difference. Another club number, it is different from the usual disco stuff, and is an enjoyable listen. I loved this one.

“MASHUP OF THE YEAR” is done by that mashup man kiran kamath who keeps on releasing various mashups every now and then. Something different for all those who have got bored by remixes, this one is a remix featuring all 6 songs. A song made for the DJ’s, it is okay. When only three out of six tracks work for you, it is obvious the mashup wont work either.

OVERALL, after kahaani and shanghai, this one is a bit low compared to their standards. There are places where vishal shekhar go the salim sulaiman way, that is they rehash some of their own tunes. It has potential in the form of Radha, Ishq wala love and vele, plus it has disco deewane which despite being okay-ish will do well. An album which works in bits and pieces, I expected a lot more from the duo.

MY PICKS – ISHQ WALA LOVE, VELE, RADHA

MY RATINGS – 7 / 10

TANU WEDS MANU RETURNS : MY THOUGHTS

THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS. IT IS TO BE READ ONLY IF YOU HAVE WATCHED THE MOVIE. IT IS NOT EXACTLY A REVIEW. IT CONTAINS THOUGHTS ABOUT HOW I LIKED THE MOVIE. IT IS LONG AND CONTAINS QUITE SOME IMAGES. Few facts we learnt from Tanu Weds Manu Returns – 1. Southhall mein logon ke ghar ke baahar kacchhe sookhte hain. 2. Tharki logon ki pasandeeda kitaab hain “LOLITA” 3. “TILANDI” means “VANISHED” 4. Tanu saves her husband Manu’s number in her phone under the contact name “HUSBAND” 5. Delhi ka aadha pollution aashiqon ki wajah se hain. 6. “JHAND” means “DESTROYED” 7. “PEEPNI” means … “Bachpan mein buddha hota than a neeli aankhon waala, jisse pichkaao toh aawaaz aati thi PEE PEE” 8. Pappi ki colony ki do nikkar wali ladkiyon ne use propose kiya tha. 9. Masoor ki dal mein ajinomoto nahin padta. 10. Tanu and Manu last had sex in 2013, bhaiyya dooj ke din. 11. Jab kahin jaana hi nahin, toh bus ke dha

MY TEN FAVORITE SHAHRUKH KHAN MOVIES

There are people who hate him. There are people who love him. And there are people who are crazy after him. My affection for him has always been variegating. While I have loved some of his performances, I don’t like certain avatars of him. One big problem I have had with Shahrukh khan’s acting is the times he hams on screen – you know when he is crying and gives that typical facial expression – which is totally a turn off. Whenever he has steered clear from doing that on screen, he has given some brilliant performances. He is a fantastic actor, no doubt, and over the years, I have fallen in love with some of the characters he has played. Below is a list of my ten favorite Shahrukh films – DISCLAIMER – Kuch kuch hota hai, Kabhi khushi kabhi gham, Devdas, Main hoon Na have not been included. Now you may read further. SWADES This is undoubtedly Shahrukh’s finest performance ever. With a wardrobe of only five to six simple smart shirts in the entire mov

MUSIC REVIEW : MTV UNPLUGGED (A.R RAHMAN)

Rahman begins the episode with “YE JO DES HAI TERA”. That was a smart move to ensure the audience get goosebumps right from the moment the shehnais start. the way ranjit barot changes the song (Deconstructs and reconstructs it, in Rahman’s words) is awesome. The “mitti ki hai jo khushboo” chorus is out of this world. Rahman’s rendition is near perfect. He sings the song with aplomb. The chorus before the second antara again gives you goosebumps. And Rahman escalates the song with his PERFECT tamil rendition. Although I didn’t understand a word of it, it is obvious that Rahman is much more at ease singing tamil lyrics compared to hindi ones. Overall, this was 5 minutes and 14 seconds of pure hair – raising stuff. Special credit to the shehnai players – Omkar dhumal, Raju dhumal, Sunil dhumal, Sanjeev shankar and Ashwani shankar. “REHNA TU” starts off with an addictive piano loop, the one which was heard even in the behind the scenes video released prior to the episode.

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