I Love NY (New Year) : Music Review

Welcome our guest blogger @Rohwit (of Almost a review) who is here with his take on music of I Love NY (New Year). Yes, yes, he did write this review exclusively for this blog. Lets read, what he has to tell about this 'Pritam' (!) & Falak Shabir's soundtrack.


Aaja meri jaan - Mauli dave starts this rehash of a once popular (only on radio) song. Treated with a foxtrot-ish setting and a lovely accordion in between, the song, dare I say is much better than the original one from which it drives inspiration (Nautanki sala makers, please note). Not just the opening, but the entire song is quite a good listen. Never trying too hard to sound sexy, yet doing it in style! Excellent new lyrics by Mayur puri, totally deserve a mention (and a clap). Excellent start! 

Gud naal ishq mitha - Hard kaur starts the song with the typical Hard kaur-ish ‘O Yo’ and some such. Sukhwinder then leads the vocals and gives us a very bass heavy version of this song that was an anthem in parties, not so long ago. This version falls flat in comparison to the ‘original’ one because the composers haven’t given the ‘stop and resume’ feel in the song. It is not a song that is to be treated with a constant tempo. Passable. 

Gud Naal Ishq mitha (2) - Starting similarly like the previous one, Tochi gets a shot at the microphone and even though the treatment is fairly similar, Tochi does a tad better job with the song than Sukhwinder, however that is not saying much overall.

Halki Halki - Shaan starts the song and you feel you have heard this tune may be somewhere in 2000s. Don’t strain yourself too much that’s his typical way of start. The song however is plain ordinary with Tulsi Kumar doing up the female lead vocals. Back up singers part celebrating with ‘hai hai hai’ and the rest singing Hindi and the remaining doing up English words. A tune that is good but only till the time singers start singing, beyond that? Plain ordinary.

Jaane na kyu - Sonu nigam uff Sonu nigam! A seemingly 90's treatment with double track sound (or whatever it is called), Sonu nigam clearly dominates the song that leaves you wishing for more. Tulsi kumar partners with Sonu and sounds pretty much the same like she does in every song of hers. Not hummable, still deserves a listen.

Judaai - starts with Sarangi and then the arrangement follows. You can’t help but feel that there are too many arrangements that interfere with the singer. Falak has a voice that needs a good playground to be thrown at. Intense lyrics are just an icing on the top. Excellent feel! I wish there was an unplugged version of this song. Oh Wait! there is one. Lets listen to that. (The fantastic sarangi play is a treat, really)

Judaai - Unplugged - Flute and piano and a voice that pierces the soul. This is more like it! A perennial negativity of emotions..sure to be a hit with ‘failed lovers’ and not so failed ones, easily the song of the album is here! Falak shabir is a find no doubt and I am happy that an unplugged version is included in the album. Does justice to his voice and gives him the right stage to own it up and he does it!

A mix match of an album that relies partly on remixing and re-presenting (a new trend) songs which we have heard long ago. Not a bad album, but certainly not a superlative album by any means.

My picks : Aaja meri jaan, Judaai (unplugged) and Gud naal ishq mitha (Tochi)
Tags : Bally sagoo, R D Burman, Pancham, pritam, mauli dave, music review i love ny, new year, sunny deol, kangna ranaut

Aatma : Movie Review

Starting off on a very positive note, Aatma promises a goose-bumpy ride ahead. But soon, you realize that there is hardly anything there in the script to keep you hooked to. That intense feeling, is missing. The moments that shocks you to the toe, are few are far between. Director Suparn Verma's first horror outing, is sleek though. There are no hiccups on technical side, neither on deja vu. Everything seems pretty 'in the place' with no typical make-ups or characters. And, phew, no songs, apart from a brilliant lullaby as opening credits.

Performances are definitely a plus point. After all, you have an experienced 'horror' star - Bipasha ;) and Nawaz on board. But the supporting cast leaves no mark despite of having Shernaz Patel, Darshan Jariwala and Jaideep Ahlawat on board. The girl, Doyel Dhawan looks pretty and acts her part as she should. (except the giggles which, towards the end of the movie, starts to annoy you).

Thankfully, the apart from few goosebump moments, the best part of Aatma is its length. At 95 minutes flat, it doesn't harm you while watching it (if you are watching the discounted morning shows). Being a fan of the genre, this pretty disappointed me (no Chudail, no Aghori baba, no back story that dates to 50yrs back) sigh. On a serious note, Aatma has that potential to make a decent (!) horror flick, but lack of tension in script kills it. Can definitely bet on Suparn's next one, if he is making. Surely look forward to his another horror outing. 

My rating : 2.5 / 5

Tags : Bipasha Basu another horror film, nawazuddin siddiqui, jaideep ahlawat, suparn verma, 2013 horror films, bollywood, movie review, aatma

Chilli, Chicks and Heart Attacks : Book Review

At first, when I read summary of this book, written by Sanjaya Senanayake (phew... such a difficult spelling I tell you), I was confused whether to read it or not. May be that's because of its name (that sounded like a 'chick book') or the backdrop of the story - Medical, or even the rather confusing name of the writer (don't mind). But still, I decided to read because of the much needed change (from mythological epics and thriller **wink wink**). So there, I got the book in my hand (thanks to Blogadda).

The very first surprise for me was - Dr Manjula (as written on cover) was not a lady !! Yes, the story is about a 'guy' whose name was Manjula. (Because his roots are in Sri Lanka, hence). Leaving that PJ of mine apart, the style of writing quickly pushes you inside the world of a guy, afresh from medical school, going to be an intern at one of Australia's top public hospital. As desperate to get laid (just like you and me) as desperate to be a successful intern (just like you and me), -mis-adventures of Dr Manju Mendis, seems roller-coaster ride from the very first chapter. (Don't look back in anger...la la la)

Though the set-up was new to me, it easily grown onto me that I could almost smell those disinfectant in the air while reading about medical procedures. Ah well.. All the characters are interestingly written. You have Guitar loving rockstar Dr Alternaria, full of life Peter from Russia, mysterious girl Lucky King, beautiful Delilah and our hero Manju. Together they enjoy, learn, plan and execute the most interesting things a hospital can ever get. Oh, and the celebrity doctor - Dr Spyder ! (this part is the one I enjoyed the most. All things that happen in 'Celebrity ward' of the hospital).

More over, you get to see some utterly hilarious while some absorbing cases in the hospital that adds more 'chilli' spice in the tale. Some of them, which led to heart attacks (to whom, read the book). Writer Sanjaya is skilled enough to develop a rosey romance around otherwise iodine/dettol filled life of interns. Description of the lady, Sundari makes you want to see her too. Witty encounters between the two are fun to read. Even, the hangout places (and some characters too) are named so, that is enough to make you chuckle. Fabulus Hipz, host of The Morning Show ! Or The Nuclear Cafe that serves Mushroom Cloud and Nuclear Fallout Soup !!! Oh, and did I forget those fab songs sung by Alternaria?

There is no single dull moment throughout 320 pages. Sanjaya makes sure you enjoy reading diary of Dr Manju. Despite being predictable at places (that, oh, he is 'hero' of the book, everything will be fair with him in the end - but hey - its a fiction !) - you still enjoy it. Chilli, Chicks & Heart Attacks - is one book that guarantees you have a great time reading it on a weekend.

p.s. : Contains talks about sex, and a very interestingly described sex scene. Avoid if you are offended


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