Digi's Blog

Amidst the sudden deluge of trashy and totally unnecessary remakes and recreations, there were some really good original songs this year. Though not extraordinary, this year was pretty good as far as the music is concerned. While the dependable composers like Pritam and Sachin – Jigar continued churning quality stuff, this year also saw some fresh talent. The best among these were Composer duo Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur (Sachet – Parampara) and composer Vishal Mishra who belted out some really excellent songs. Here is my list of my favorite 30 songs of 2019, in no particular order – 1. BEKHAYALI (KABIR SINGH) Music – Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur Lyrics – Irshad Kamil Singer – Sachet Tandon This was undoubtedly my favorite song this year with some brilliant singing by Sachet. The Arijit Singh version couldn’t match upto this one, to be honest. 2. LAILA (NOTEBOOK) Music – Vishal Mishra Lyrics – Abhendra Upadhyay, Vishal Mishra Singer – D...

MTV Unplugged is a mixed bag of sorts. It always has been like that. While some episodes and artists stand out among the rest, some are plain mediocre, largely owing to the extra modifications made in the songs. Song selection is the most important aspect here – one should know which songs will sound good on a live platform. Secondly, one should know how much to modify and where to stop. I agree it is a platform where musicians have full freedom to experiment, but one has to be sure of the fact that the vocal and visual output of their experiments should go well with the audience. I usually don’t review episodes. I have reviewed an episode of “Unplugged” only once, and that was when A.R Rahman performed the first time. However, I simply couldn’t resist doing a detailed review of this outstanding episode. I am a devoted fan of Sachin and Jigar. For me, it is more of a trio rather than a duo, with Priya Saraiya forming the essential 3 rd member. As far as I re...

It has been almost one and a half years now. I still remember the date. It was Valentine’s Day. After trying to contact them for several months, they had finally agreed. As I make way towards my destination, I get goosebumps. And then I finally reach their studio. The first thing I do when I reach their studio is ask them, “Can I put my phone in charging please?” They smile and say yes. It is not every day that you get to meet one of your favorite composers, singers, lyricists. But that day was very special. Jigar Saraiya and Priya Saraiya make such a cute couple. We talk about their upbringing, how they came into the music industry. They ask me how come a doctor like me is so much into music and movies. Then they show me their recording room, and I was like “WOW”. I still remember that big Apple monitor. So this is where all the beautiful music comes from. 18 months later, as I listen to “Wrong Side Raju”, I again remember that room and wonder, “So this i...

“Change” is a word that carries a lot of weight. It is a movement which takes a lot of time. 5 years ago, Cineman productions brought one such change in the Gujarati film industry. Actually, they rediscovered the film industry.  First came the witty “Kevi Rite Jaish” and then came the blockbuster “Bey Yaar”. And all of a sudden, as if all the doors of a dam were opened, there arrived a flood of films – ranging from downright horrible to just about average. Every film would proclaim itself to be “An Urban Gujarati film” and would ultimately be filled with mediocrity. “Wrong Side Raju” brings an end to this mediocrity. As I walk down the steps of the theatre after watching the movie, I am filled with satisfaction and pride that we are slowly but surely getting there. PLOT The film has a strong storyline, loosely based on the infamous hit and run case of Ahmedabad of 2013. Raju Bambani is a driver cum bootlegger who unfortunately gets involved in a hit an...

Looking at their current form, Sachin and Jigar are one of the most successful composers in the last year. After the immensely well made “Happy Ending” and “Badlapur” and a top notch Gujarati album “Bey Yaar”, they gave us a brilliant episode of MTV unplugged and then finally Coke Studio and LAADKI. It remains to be seen how they fare with ABCD 2 as they team up the third time with Remo D’souza. The first movie had a highly successful run at the music charts. Let us see how the sequel fares. “BEZUBAAN PHIR SE” is aptly titled. The composers re utilize their most successful song from ABCD. This time however, the honey voiced Mohit Chauhan is replaced by a full throttled Vishal Dadlani. And he completely owns the song. The rap portions as well as the other parts are sung brilliantly by him. Joining him is Madhav Krishna who floors you with his rendition of the title loop. The contrast between Vishal and Madhav’s voices is superb. Then there is Anushka Manchanda who is as us...

So after an unpardonable delay, here I am with my list of favorite songs of 2014. Thank god I put it up on my blog before 2015 ended. If we look at entire albums, here are my favorite albums. These are albums whose all songs I love – 1.        Highway – This is vintage Rahman. Plus there is Imtiaz Ali to give you breathtaking Himachal along with the songs. 2.        Happy ending – Raj and Dk always manage to extract the best out of Sachin – Jigar. There is an unusual addictiveness in this album which makes it un-put-downable. Very versatile album. 3.        Queen – This is Amit Trivedi at his very best. Once again a very creative and lovely album. The best part of the album was it complemented the film very well. The songs fitted well in the film, never seeming forced or unnecessary. As far as individual songs are concerned, here are my top 50 songs. The songs from 50 to 11 are in no...