Digi's Blog

Over these years, if there is one composer team for which my respect has increased manifold, it is the trio of "Shankar – Ehsaan – Loy". They have continuously catered to the tastes of all kinds of people of all age groups. I doubt if there is any genre which they haven't explored, and they have excelled in every one of them – be it romantic, dance tracks or classical. Below is a list of my favorite SEL songs. It is a mix of few expected ones and few unusual ones. And yes, there is not a single song of "Mirzya" on this list. For reasons unknown, that soundtrack never fascinated me beyond a certain point. Not that it was bad, but it doesn't feature in my list. Also, I have restricted this list to hindi songs and thus not included "Katyar Kaljyat Ghusali" which in its entirety was a masterpiece. (IN NO PARTICULAR ORDER) 1. KITNI BAATEIN (LAKSHYA) Sung by Hariharan and Sadhana Sargam, this gem took time to grow, but it remains my...

It has been a while since Rahman has had two consecutive hindi releases - the first being "99 Songs" which was a beautiful album and which improved my lockdown because there was an album which was released entirely unlike the trend of releasing singles these days. "Dil Bechara" is a special film mainly because we will be seeing Late Sushant Singh Rajput for the last time in a new film. On paper, this movie has a lot of scope for music. However it remains to be seen how well does debut director & well known casting director Mukesh Chhabra picturise and place the songs. The TITLE SONG immediately transported me back to 2007 when "Jaane tu ya jaane na" released. That film's jazzy title song was similar in a way. The song is instantly catchy and ARR sings this one in his typical style. He is excellent in the antara. Backing him up with hinglish lyrics is Amitabh Bhattacharya who writes some cheesy lyrics but they are in sync with the colle...

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...

Writing a psychological thriller is a tricky genre. There are hundred different things you have to take care of to make sure you serve the right mix of elements to the readers. Juggi Bhasin’s latest novel “FEAR IS THE KEY” claims to be one such novel. But does it succeed in keeping the readers hooked till the end? Well, almost… PLOT “Yummimages” is a digital platform run by three people – Rahul, Suhel and Simone. Rahul and Suhel are thick friends since college days and their friendship is one of those unbreakable ones. Then comes Simone who instantly entices Rahul but on the other hand, develops a slow but sure enmity with Suhel. To sort out things between the two, Rahul hosts a party at his house during which Simone mysteriously disappears. Even after the police thoroughly investigate, they are unable to solve the mysterious disappearance of Simone. Finally, Rahul decides to solve the mystery himself. As he goes further, he realizes he has to battle his inner demons ...

Murder suspenses are always a tricky genre. The writer has to have the ability to hold the readers till the end and then pull an ace up his sleeve in the form of a shocking suspense revelation. Sourabh Mukherjee’s latest novel “The Colours of Passion” is one such novel which just about manages to tick all these boxes. PLOT Hiya Sen was the current heart throb of the Tollywood film industry until one day when she was physically assaulted and then murdered, just few days after her marriage. As ACP Agni Mitra starts investigating, we are taken into the lives of the usual suspects – Hiya’s husband Manav, Manav’s ex – fiancée, an ageing and fading actress, etc. WRITING I have previously read Mukherjee’s small book titled “Romance Shorts” and I had pretty much liked it. So naturally I was looking forward to this book. The novel starts of in kickass thriller style. The way the story progresses is perfect material for an unputdownable book. It had me hooked in...

PLOT The story begins on a night in the year 2050 in New York city where we are introduced to the central character of our story Ismael. Ismael is a Pakistani who was brought up in a rather rigid and conservative family and told stories about paradise (Jannat) and hell (Jahannum) during his childhood by his father. He soon realizes that his father is so religiously blind that he will go to any limits to safeguard it. He thus runs away from home at the age of 18 and goes to New York. In 2050, Ismael is 30 years old and he is currently writing his thesis on the topic of paradise and hell and he vehemently believes that whatever idea of paradise and hell was given to him by his father in his childhood is a farce, and that no such things exist. On one night, Ismael meets Petra at a bar with whom he shares his thesis topic. Petra urges him to try a psychedelic drug called which transports a person to the spiritual world of the past as well as the future. In this trance – l...

Novels involving courtroom sequences need to be taut and gripping to create an impact. That is precisely why very few authors have succeeded in writing tense thrillers involving the court. That is precisely why John Grisham is so popular and that is also precisely why Vish Dhamija’s author note calls him the John Grisham of India. After reading his latest novel “Unlawful Justice”, I can only say that calling him that isn’t a mistake. PLOT Vansh Diwan is a successful top notch lawyer who has a lovely family in the form of his lawyer wife who gave up her career for him, and their daughter. Things take a drastic turn when Baby, the teenage minor daughter of Diwans’ household maid gets brutally raped and assaulted. As the mother of Baby and the ladies of the Diwan family vow revenge and justice respectively, Vansh finds himself sandwiched between a powerful client and justice for Baby. However, just when things were beginning to settle down, this case gets converted int...