Digi's Blog

Aamir Khan and Pritam’s last collaboration was not exactly a masterpiece. But with what looks like a winner from the “Chillar Party” director, let us see what Pritam has in store for us this time. “ HAANIKAARAK BAPU ” is a lyrical as well musical gem which oozes with creativity. Everything about this song seems apt. Firstly, Pritam dishes out a very catchy Rajasthani folk tune topping it with a rock feel. The tune itself along with the arrangements is a winner. Secondly, the two singers – Sarwar Khan & Sartaz Khan Barna are fabulous. Be it their perfectly-in-tune rendition or their prose portions, they are terrific. The chorus portions are very good too. But the real winner of the song is Amitabh Bhattacharya. Listen to every single word of the song carefully and you will realize what potential he has. His lyrics are awesome. They are highly humorous and very innovative. You can’t help but marvel at his witty words. They make you smile at times, laugh out loud a...

Few years ago, one man wrote a book on three IIT college students and their misadventures. Little did he know that his book would become an overnight rage, attain cult status in the coming years and initiate hundreds of mediocre so called writers to publish their own novel along with their banking / engineering / IT profession? And so in the last few years, we have been tortured with numerous novels which describe college life, love stories during college life, stories about friends and how they encounter troubles. Most of the so called authors failed miserably in coming up with good novels. Infact many of them were downright horrible. THANKFULLY, Manav Vigg presents to us a novel which breaks free of all the above said clichés. “CONFUSED BASTARDS” is indeed a unique title. My wife saw the novel and remarked, “What sorts of books are you reading?” However after I finished reading the book, I felt the title was pretty apt. PLOT Confused bastards starts from wh...

DISCLAIMER - THIS POST CONTAINS SPOILERS AND IS LONG, THOUGH NOT AS LONG AS ASHUTOSH GOWARIKAR'S FILMS.  1. A drunk conversation between friends is on its way. Kaira suddenly announces, “I like people who smell nice.” To which her friend Jackie reacts, “I hate smelly people.” 2. As she comes to terms with her so called breakup, we see Kaira stuffing noodles at a roadside joint called “Taj Chinese” and then offering the rest of it to a small boy. But in the background, the director subtly places Eros cinema and a poster of “Ki & Ka”, directed by her better half. 3. During a conversation in the midst of the therapy session, Dr Jehangir Khan casually mentions the phrase “English Vinglish”, the director’s debut film. 4. For the first time, something which was an integral part of everyone’s childhood is given importance – I am talking about Tinkle and Suppandi. 5. Kaira’s friends love her, but that doesn’t stop them from teasing her by calling her short story as ...

“English Vinglish” was a lovely film. Infact, it was one of the finest films to have come out in recent years from Bollywood. Debutantè director Gauri Shinde managed to tug all the right emotional chords with a gem of a movie. So in a way it is not incorrect to have huge expectations from her second directorial outing, especially with a stellar leading cast. Also, since the different “TAKES” of the movie have started coming out, there is a lot of freshness and positive vibe in all of them. Be it the camaraderie between Alia Bhatt and SRK or the lovely music, everything about this movie seems right. Let us have a look at the soundtrack of the film.    “ LOVE YOU ZINDAGI ” is vintage Amit Trivedi. Right from the moment the opening music plays, you know that this song will put you at ease. To add to the innocence, we have Jasleen Kaur Royal doing the vocals with her trademark cute voice. She is so apt for the song, the setting as well as Alia’s character. The ...

The history of the Mughals and the Marathas has always been a subject of personal fascination for me. Right from the time our school teachers taught us about Akbar, Chhatrapati Shivaji, I knew that there would be many other less known heroes during these dynasties. And then came Sanjay Leela Bhansali who wished to make a film on Bajirao Mastani. For a decade, the idea remained just an idea, before finally being converted into a beautiful celluloid experience in 2015. The best part about “THE PESHWA” is that debutante author Ram Sivasankaran gives you an indepth glimpse into what happened before Mastani appeared. Infact, the book ends with Mastani’s appearance. I had always wondered about how Bajirao Bhat became “THE PESHWA BAJIRAO”, and Ram does a perfect job in responding to my doubts. PLOT Set in the 18 th century, the novel describes the rivalry between the powerful Mughal empire and the headstrong Maratha empire. Things are set into motion when the Nizam ...

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...