Allah Rakha Rahman

One more milestone for maestro , one of many many more to come. I get a feeling it means a world to him to be able to represent India and our rich musical heritage in the western world. 

I still remember the day when I first heard Roja songs. Chinna Chinna Asai was an instant addiction. Refreshing melody , great picturisation added to the beauty of the song. I had been a big fan of Ilayaraaja , but Roja's sounds were new and fresh. It took a bit of time to figure out the music director for the movie. I have this habit of finding to all possible details about a music score , starting with Music director, singers etc .. so it didnt take long to get the people behind the music score. Added to that this was my favourite director's movie , so I had to know everything about it.

Anyways, with a great beginning came great expectations. People wanted to write him off. Rahman refused to be bogged down either by praise or criticism. Music scores that followed proved everyone wrong, be it for huge hits like Kaadalan , Kaadal Desam , Gentleman or lesser fortunate ones like Kizahkku Cheemayile or Pavithra. Rahman's music was just getting better and bigger and versatile with every movie.  Songs like Urvashi or Chikku buku railey from Kaadalan or Mustafa Mustafa from Kaadal Desam were anthems during my Uni days. His romantic numbers were fodder for all the budding romances in College .. Ennavale or Anbe were just the right kind of songs to fall in love with.

And then Rangeela happened , that catapulted him to the larger audience. Who can forget Rangeela Re or Kya Kare kya na kare. There were also beautiful songs with not so beautiful lyrics from dubbed movies like Hum Se Hai Mukabla ( Kaadalan ) etc. Again people were wanting to write him off saying he will not make it big in Hindi and meet the same fate as other artists from down south like Ilayaraaja , SPB , Kamal Hassan. 

Trust Rahman to prove all his detractors wrong. Soundtracks to come out were again melodious and long lasting with Dil Se , Pukar , Taal just to name a few. Then came a slew of patriotic movie scores with The Legend of Bhagat Singh , Swades , Mangal Pandey and Bose The Forgotten Hero topping the list. I personally feel Rahman is the best when it comes to rousing patriotic feelings to the level of turning one into a jingoistic person. I get goose bumps when I listen to Desh Mere , Swades or Desh ki mitti. 

Chartbusting VandeMaataram , I believe is another milestone for the maestro. VandeMaataram, clarion call of our freedom fighters , got a re-birth because of Rahman. 

I am sure maestro is far from finished. 2008 was a fantabulous year that showcased the true talent with unmatchable variety that only Rahman can compose. 2009 has started with a bang with Delhi 6. 

Jai Ho!

Rahmaniac

I bumped into this term when scouting for release dates of Dilli 6 soundtrack. I must admit , it aptly describes my adulation for A R Rahman. 

It has been a slow transition from Rahman fan to a Rahmaniac. I must admit , I got hooked onto his music the day I heard Roja songs. The songs came like a breath of fresh air , complemented by Maniratnam's picturisation of the songs. From that day onwards , I am constantly on the lookout for new releases , reviews, award citations, rare interviews .. anything and everything to do with Rahman in a nutshell.

2008 has been a stupendous year for the Maestro ( Mozart from Madras ). With diverse tracks like Jodha Akbar , Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na , Yuvraaj , Ghajini to name a few. To cap it all Golden Globe for Slumdog Millionaire , could not have been more appropriate. He is going to be musical force for a long time to come not just in India anymore. My best wishes to this humble, shy genius :) ( You should see his acceptance speech in Golden Globe )

Coming to Dilli 6, what a soundtrack. He has got every genre possible into one soundtrack.. with pure classical Hindustani to Rap, lounge, kawwali thrown in as well. Just cant stop listening to the songs since friday. 

My favorite at the moment is "Arziyaan", a kawwali number. Its so addictive that I am running it in a loop since morning today. A uplifting number with meaningful lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. Superb!.

Next up is " Rehna Tu " , by Maestro himself. Tough song and takes time to grow .. but once in you are hooked on. Guitar strings in the interlude takes you to a different world altogether. Way to go Rahman, Way to go.

Then comes " Dil Gira Dafatan ".. highly romantic song sung by Brit Asian singer Ash King. Pukka romantic number , completely western.. good singing and subtle music with you blink she's gone presence from Chinmayee. A perfect song for a romantic soul.

"Masakalli " by Mohit Chouhan is another song that is catchy , with fab lyrics. Song is on air and already topping the charts.

With Rakeysh Om Prakash at the helm , I am sure most of the songs are going to be in the background. Hope couple of them do get to grace big screen with some stunning Delhi backdrop and some in NY. 

Go grab the CD now. Best way to start 2009 and You cant get a soundtrack that is so diverse and fantastic , for some time to come.

Thanks Rahman. Proud to be a Rahmaniac.

Oye Lucky and raise of independent cinema in Bollywood

By now lot of film critics have written a lot of stuff praising "Oye Lucky Lucky Oye". Its the latest offering by Dibakar Banerjee , maker of Khosal Ka Ghosla. A brilliant cinema , funny , dark and a great watch. All the actors are top notch, very natural. Its 

Last 2 years has seen a spate of such movies , brilliant ones , portraying the true India. A lot of them are equally entertaining as well, proving that entertainment and meaning can go hand in hand. It is very heartning that such movies are finding backers both in terms of producers and audiences , as more and more cinemagoers are dissulusioned with the escapist kind of movies. I am not saying we should not be making big budget , blockbusters , but just that we should equally support independent cinema. I am a firm believer that Cinema is a powerful medium and it should not just be used to show us unreal , escapist stuff .. but also true india in its raw form.

Also these cinemas bring to light so much of talent that is out there, as most of the the actors are from theatre background and very natural. We get to watch Deebak Dhobriyal in Omkaara, Abhay Deol in Manorama Six Feet Under , Rajeev Khadelwal in Aamir to name a few. Even technicians have been introduced in abundance. One name that comes to my mind is Aamir's music director Amit Trivedi. All in all , these cinema's are what is keeping legacy of Satyajit ray, Hrishikesh Mukherjee alive.

My list so far includes 

•  Oye Lucky Lucky Oye
  
•  Black Friday
  
•  Omkaara
  
•  Khosla Ka Ghosla
  
•  Manorama Six Feet Under
  
•  Aamir
  
•  A Wednesday
  
•  Ek chalis ki Last Local
  
•  Bheja Fry
  
•  Blue Umbrella
  
•  Yun Hota to Kya Hota
  
•  Evano Oruvan (Tamil) ( Dombivili Fast in Marathi )
  

On my to do list I have

 

•   Maqbool
  
•   Dasvidaniya
  
•   Tahaan
  
•   Mumbai Meri Jaan
  

  Thanks to Vishal ( bharadwaj ) , Dibakar, Navdeep , Anurag Kashyap , Nishikanth Kamath's of hindi cinema .. that we can keep our head high when people complain about Bollywood movies being just escapist and not good.

Another Day Another Tag!

1. When you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing you thought?

    Need a shave

2. How much cash do you have on you? £20

3. What’s a word that rhymes with DOOR? SOAR

4. Favorite planet? Earth ( janani janma"bhoomi"scha swargadapi gariyasi )

5. Who is the 4th person on your missed call list on your cell? PA

6. What is your favorite ring tone on your phone? Airtel tune ( composed by Rahman )

7. What color shirt are you wearing? Light green

8. Bright or Dark Room? not too bright not too dark 

10. What does your watch look like? Rectangle dial

11. What were you doing at midnight last night? working :(

12. What did your last text message you received on your cell say? You have a missed call blah blah..

13. What's a word that you say a lot? alrite

14. Who told you he/she loved you last?  my son

15. Your worst enemy?  comfort zone

16. What is your current desktop picture? ruins of badami ( karnataka, india )

17. What was the last thing you said to someone? see you tomorrow

18. Do you like someone? yes

19. Would you move for the person you loved? yes

20. Name three things that you have on you at all times? wallet , mobile , wristwatch

21. What’s your favourite town/city? Bangalore

22. Do you have friends at work? yes

23. Apple or Potato Chips?  both

24. Favorite part of the day? Evening , so I can get out of work and go home

25. You tag? Krupa

Angry,Sad,Helpless

These were some of the emotions going through my mind since the tragic, fateful seige of Mumbai came to end.

My anger is mostly towards the politicians who put up hoardings advertising their parties commitment towards honoring heroes, as if they own them.. who have the take their sons and film directors to the aftermath site and defending it as if the whole thing is a movie tamasha. If not for the high profile nature of the places that were attacked , I am sure even this attack would have got a coverage of week or couple and then easily forgotten by all of us. An ger towards the media who cover the incident as if it were a scene from a bollywood masala movie.. eagerness to get first word from the terrorist himself !

I am Sad to see the kind of horrific torture my country and its common men/women/children are put through time and again, without having any hope of justice.

I am frustrated at the helplessness that most of feel against the perpretrators, and become mute spectators of the political tamasha such attacks end up being.

Atleast this time , the anger is palpable among the residents and wider public in the country. I can only hope this does not turn into a political mud slinging tool for the personal gains of the netas and their parties. Hope the costly price paid in terms of lives lost does not go waste this time.

I also think we as indians take these kind of situations for granted. It will be there in news for sometime and then "resilient" , "never say die" indian mentality takes over and we forget all that happened. I believe that its good to be resilient and all.. but it is highly important to keep the scars alive. This helps to bind us together during grief and make us more resilient. We seem to have lost a sense of pride towards our country and there is too much importance given to individual achievement and personal development.  

I am signing off with a thought provoking poem written by lyricist Prasoon Joshi ( RDB, TZP ..) on the tragedy. 

Is baar nahin

Is baar jab woh choti si bachchi mere paas apni kharonch le kar aayegi
Main usey phoo phoo kar nahin behlaoonga
Panapney doonga uski tees ko
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab main chehron par dard likha dekhoonga
Nahin gaoonga geet peeda bhula dene wale
Dard ko risney doonga,utarney doonga andar gehrey
Is baar nahin

Is baar main na marham lagaoonga
Na hi uthaoonga rui ke phahey
Aur na hi kahoonga ki tum aankein band karlo,gardan udhar kar lo main dawa lagata hoon
Dekhney doonga sabko hum sabko khuley nangey ghaav
Is baar nahin

Is baar jab uljhaney dekhoonga,chatpatahat dekhoonga
Nahin daudoonga uljhee door lapetney
Uljhaney doonga jab tak ulajh sake
Is baar nahin

Is baar karm ka hawala de kar nahin uthaoonga auzaar
Nahin karoonga phir se ek nayee shuruaat
Nahin banoonga misaal ek karmyogi ki
Nahin aaney doonga zindagi ko aasani se patri par
Utarney doonga usey keechad main,tedhey medhey raston pe
Nahin sookhney doonga deewaron par laga khoon
Halka nahin padney doonga uska rang
Is baar nahin banney doonga usey itna laachaar
Ki paan ki peek aur khoon ka fark hi khatm ho jaye
Is baar nahin

Is baar ghawon ko dekhna hai
Gaur se
Thoda  lambe  wakt  tak
Kuch  faisley
Aur uskey baad hausley
Kahin toh shuruat karni hi hogi
Is baar yahi tay kiya hai 

Chandrayaan

The aptly named project by ISRO has completed yesterday. The sattelite has reached its final orbit and soon a probe will land on moon. The most important thing on the probe ( for me atleast ) is the tricolor.

Just yesterday I was showing the moon to my son. I remember the mesmerising effect it had on me during my childhood , especially those clear blue skies on full moon night. That spectacular sight has never left me since. Even today I look up the sky and try to spot the moon and feel rejuvenated by its serene light. Somehow it takes me back to my hometown and my home garden.

To build a indigenous sattelite and launch it using indigenously built launch vehicle is a great achievement. Kudos to everybody involved in the conception and development of the project. Personally I would like to convey my gratitude to Abdul Kalam. He has been a symbol of all the great virtues of India.

Jai Hind

Yuvvraaj - Music Review

Hope I got the name right.. all this numerolgy thing is driving Bollywood directors crazy I think. How else do you explain the spelling of new Subhash Ghai movie "Yuvvraaj" !!!

Anyways, getting to the point.. Music for the movie is given by my favourite A R Rahman.

I have always been wondering how on earth music directors keep coming up with tunes and compositions, none better than maestro Rahman himself. This is his 4th album of the year and he keeps bettering himself and re-inventing himself all the time.

As I write, I am listening to the songs and as is the usual case some of the songs registered immediately and some are growing on me gradually. My favourite at this moment is "Zindagi". Melodious track with a melliflous voice of Srinivas. Lyrics is topnotch ,cant expect anything else from Gulzaar though.

Next on my list is "Dil Ka Rishta". A difficult structure to the composition , that makes it hard to take instant liking to this song. But repeated listening makes you come back to it again and again. Will have to wait and watch the picturisation of the song.

Another surprise is "Manmohini Morey". A semi classical song with strong vocals from Vijay Prakash. Since the time I watche a youtube clip of him singing in sa re ga ma , I have always been on the lookout for songs by him. So moment I saw his name against this song , couldnt resist listening to it straight away. He does not dissappoint.

To hear Alka Yagnik was a pleasant surprise. I have not been a big fan of hers, but do like some songs of her. She has done a good job , but I think her days in the industry are numbered.

All in all, worth a hear .. rather repeated hear.

Long live Maestro , Long live Music.