Matru Ki Bijlee Ka Mandola : Music Review

Prelude of the title song almost reminds you of Beedi. Soon, Sukhi takes the center stage, promising an absolutely engaging feast backed by Ranjit Barot and Umoja. The 'train-like' beats keeps the track going on at superb pace. Talking about Khamakha - the only thing I disliked about it is the 'sha la la' kind of phirangi sound. I think it was unnecessary in this pristine GulzarVishal track. Endearing voice of Vishal fueled by Gulzarness is absorbing, and oh, that out-of-the-world conclusion by Prem Dehati, sigh.... 

You can't resist, but to 'lagaao do thumka' to the next track - Oye Boy Charlie. (If not, try it right now). Shankar alongwith Mohit and Rekha Bhardwaj, having all fun with desi tadka. Aur lyrics toh kya baat hai - Tu Munna toh main Moni :-D.  And then, we get the taste of reality. Lootnewale and Sha-ra-ra, former is high on percussion while later is totally desi - brass band thing. Situational, absolutely. Shall work with the film. Again, the dreamy sound comes back in Badal Uthiya. Rekha ji doing what she's best at. The Hariyanvi folk repeats, with Prem Dehati, it sounds even better. While Pankaj Kapur sings - yes- next tracks. Char Dina Ki and Chor Police. Both tracks give out the premises of the film, again situational - short tracks. Last one, Nomvula is a zulu track (African sound, to put in simple words) by the group Umoja. Initially it sounds alien to our ears but works as it progresses. 

Vishal Bhardwaj, for his mad mad project, this time gives a heavily situational soundtrack, with all the experiments he is famous for. But still, giving his trademark tracks as well. MKBKM soundtrack serves it purpose perfectly - making us curious about the film. 

My Picks : Oye Boy Charlie, Khamakha, Badal. 

Tags : Vishal Bhardwaj, MKBKM story, matru ki bijli ka mandola review, songs review, movie download, pankaj kapur sings, imran khan sing, anushka sharma hot pictures wallpapers, music review matru, rekha bhardwaj, prem dehati, badal uthiya meaning lyrics

7 Khoon Maaf : Music Review

Thousands of praises are already all over the web-space. As always, Vishal teams up with Gulzaar saab, and the result is as expected, awesome [such an understatement for both of them, no?]. 

While the addictive 'Darrrling' is already darling of all, it has two versions ['Doosri Darling' !] that are yet not enough for music lovers. Usha Uthup-after a long time- takes us on fun ride along with Rekha Bhardwaj. Gulzar again mixes up casual words with pure Urdu, and the result is outstanding. Next track is the best from the album. Why not? Its credited to Vishal himself as a singer. Starting smoothly, 'Bekaraan' [means restless] reaches its [almost lyrically orgasmic] peak in the last para. How we are indebted to Gulzar saab for keeping such poetry alive ! 

'O Mama' travels different genre after the first two. KK in a rock track is a sure shot. Surprised Gulzar's words can be used in such song too !! Acoustic version of the song is as interesting as this one. Next up, dark 'Aawara' sets perfect mood for the dark movie, sung by Master Saleem -the thumping beats makes an interesting listen.

Raajneeti : Music Review

Looking at past few movies, I wasn't looking forward at Prakash Jha's Rajneeti, in terms of good music. Cause he always emphasize on drama part more, than songs. But here, with as little as only four tracks, Rajneeti is an interesting album. With each song composed/written by different artists.

Album opens with a typical Pritam/Irshad Kamiil number sung by Mohit Chauhan & Antara Mitra [the Indian Idol girl??]. 'Bheegi si Bhaagi si' reminds of Pritam's earlier work like 'Khuda ya khair' and 'chalu mein'[de dana dan]. My first reaction was not so good for this track, but its Mohit who made me listen to it again, and now I'm liking it.

Next up is most famous track of the album. 'Mora Piya'. Both Aadesh Shrivastava and Sameer surprise a big time. Never have we heard such fantastic track from both. Aadesh impressed earlier in 'Kasak [Chhodo Naa Yaar]. But with this track he scores higher. Lovely rendition by him and backing up by Shashi & Rosalie Nicholson. While in another version [say remix!] Kavita Seth is wasted in fast beats.

Little bit disappointment there for me in third track. Looking at its creators Shantanu Moitra and Swanand Kirkire, something extraordinary is always expected. But 'Ishq Barse' is not their regular kind of work. Its a North Indian mujra+club song which is regular in Prakash's movies. No doubt demand of the story must be there for such track, but personally I did not like it much. Though experiments with words is quite interesting with 'atkan chatkan...' the childhood rhyme. And the line 'bole man ta ra ra ra' gets easily stuck in head.

But soon I got overwhelmed listening to 'Dhan Dhan Dharti' [Call of the soil] sung by none other than Shankar Mahadevan, penned by Gulzar saab. Surprisingly, closing my eyes, i thought this must be composed by Shankar-Ehsan-Loy. But no, its Wayne Sharpe ! The guy who won Best Background score for Gangaajal. Absolutely outstanding composition he has got for this one.

The song starts with tune exactly similar to 'Vande Mataram'. [not the Rahman one, yaar]. Brilliant use of our National song. And soon it picks up with wonderful words flowing through superb music arrangement. Got goosebumps all over by the vocals, words and sound. Fantastic !!!! Biggest highlight for the album. The song repeat as a Reprise sung by Sonu Nigam, but it fades against prowess singing of Shankar.


My Picks : Dhan Dhan Dharti, Mora Piya

Raavan : Music Review

From the very first 30 seconds promo, 'Beera' has become an instant hit. No doubt it has written 'hit' all over the pacey composition mainly lead by drums. Starting with Tribal voices 'Beera Beera' sung by Vijay Prakash, Aslam Mustafa & Keerthi Sargathia - the track is sure shot.

Like it always happens-only Mani Ratnam gives such liberty to Rahman, that he brings out his 'experimental' yet 'best' tracks.

Next track in sparkling example of veteran Gulzar saab. 'Behne De' is a lyrical feast. Sung by Karthik - he leaves you amazed with his flawless rendition. Backed by Mohammad Irfan's vocals - the dark song is surely a treat.

Rahman's favorite is up next with 'Thok de Killi'. With sounds of bagpipes and more chorus singing, the song is uplifting. Drums and bugles sounds make it seem more of a 'war' song. After 'Rasiya' in Mangal Pandey, Rahman is here again with song of same genre. 'Ranjha Ranjha' sung by Rekha Bhardwaj, Anuradha Sriram & Javed Ali has mix sounds of Punjabi folk and remixed beats. Javed Ali sounds so different in this one.

With all these earthy sounds, I was keen on something magical like Guru's Aye Hairathein Aashiqui. And then 'Khili re Khili re..' - having sweeeet voice of Reena Bhardwaj - yes the same lady who sang fabulous Yeh Rishta from Meenaxi. Dreamy sound of the track made me fall in love instantly. Tablas are a highlight of this song. Love Love it.

Last track 'Kata Kata' sounds like 'Rukmani Rukmani-Part 2'. It has same feel, but this time its not an 'after wedding' song but a before wedding song. Say Bachelor party. The rhyming lyrics of Gulzar saab makes this sound fun. And Ila Arun's Rajasthani lines in this southie song by Sapna Awasthi & Kunal Ganjawala- makes it more interesting.

A notable similarity I found in all songs that Gulzar saab has created interesting link of words. Most of them are rhyming, or repeating a single word. See.. Beera Beera, Behne De Behne De, Thok de Killi-baagad Billi, Khili re khili re and Kata Kata. Same thing we recently saw in - Paa. Most of the song had repeated words. So is this going to be the next trend ?

All in all, huge expectations from Rahman's Raavan are fulfilled, but somewhere I am not 'that' satisfied with this. I know that story's demand is for more 'Earthy' sounds, but I love rich compositions, and more songs sung by Rahman himself. :( He doesn't have even a single line in this album. Why ?

My Picks : Behne De, Khili Re and Beera Beera.

Behne De [Raavan] : Lyrics

Scintillating composition of Rahman, striking vocal performance of Karthik and mind blowing lyrics of Gulzar saab - mix them all and you get this track from movie Raavan. An outstanding composition created in form of the track 'Behne De' a dark song with unstoppable rendition by Karthik is a gem from the album. No doubt its gonna be played on my playlist for long.

Here are the lyrics -

Arre aankh se boond gira koi
Chingari ka tukda jala koi
Umeed ko aag laga zara
Sehra ki pyaas bujha zara..

Umeed ko aag laga zara
Sehra ki pyaas bujha zara..
Ghan itna baras ke galne lagoon
Main paani ke upar tarne lagoon...

Behne de mujhe behne de mujhe behne de
Behne de ghanghor ghata behne de paani ki tarah
Saagar mein jaa girna hai behne de nadiyaa ki tarah
Shart lagi hai mar jaane ki jeena hai toh pyaar mein...

Deh kahi bhi ho mera, jaan rakhi hai yaar mein,
Beh jaa beh jaa, hai saagar ka kehna,
Beh jaa beh jaa, hai nadiyaa ko behna,

Patte se tapakti boond ki aawaz sunai di thi
Nadiyaan mein tapk aur gum ho jaa, beh gaya beh gaya.
Jo rah gaya rah gaya.

Behne de mujhe behne de..

Mera pal pal ang ang bhar diya,
Tune jaan pe junoon sa kar diya,
Mera hai kya jo main haar doon,
Jaan teri hai tujh pe vaar doon.

Doob gaye jo suna hai saare
Tere dere aate hai,
Dil ke chullu mein bechare,
Doobkiya gote khaate hai,

Beh jaa, beh jaa, Chal tod kinaare ko,
Beh jaa, beh jaa, dhar le majdhaare ko,
Chingaari uda ke raakh se, ek boond gira ke aankh se,
Chalne ka ishara kar gaya
Kar gaya kar gaya
Sab bhar gaya bhar gaya...

Beera Beera [Raavan] : Lyrics

Image Courtesy : http://www.raavan-thefilm.com

....and it's here. Most anticipated music score of the year- by none other than- God - A R Rahman.

So far the first promo itself gave a hint that music of Raavan has earthy touch to it. And by listening to all song previews-its sure that its the same.

'Beera Beera' the very first song itself is so catchy that it can't get out of my mind. Here are the lyrics  [by Gulzar saab] of the same. Sung by Vijay Prakash, Mustafa Kutoane and Keerthi Sargathia [Yay !! Gujju !!] the song has 'LARGE CANVAS' feel to it. Well, with Mani Sir, that's assured always.

Beera....
Beera beera beera beera
Beera beera beera beera


Beera ke das maathe, beera ke sau naam
Chhede jo beera ko...
Dhana dhan dham dham...


Beera beera beera beera


Arre Beera uthti aandhi,
Beera ek toofan
Saans mein ugle agni
Beera jalti jaan jalti jaan jalti jaan


Janm na poocho jaat na pucho
Pucho jo pehchaan
Beera ka abhimaan hai abhimaan hai... Beera.


Beera beera beera
dhana dhan dham dham...

Valentine's Day Playlist : Vishal Bhardwaj

Last year I did a post about Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's romantic songs. And yes they are the best always in this genre. But here comes another post, this time with Vishal Bhardwaj. Who has this rock solid support of Gulzar saab. If SEL has Javed ji, Vishal has Gulzar on his side. And both of them together, has created some fantastic creations. So here are my picks of songs composed by Vishal Bhardwaj. In a way I can call this list as Gulzar's songs too. Cause most of the songs are penned by Gulzar. But if we make a list of songs written by him, the list will go endless.

Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Jee (Ishqiya) :
The current chartbuster. There is no age limit for heart. Not even for love. So pardon this little 'dil' if it does any mistake cause its sweet little child. Who else but Gulzar saab, only, can write such words. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sings in style apart from what he does usually. The way Vishal has composed the tune, tempo is low yet engaging. Vocals rule the song. Fab.

Chhai chhappa chhai (Hu Tu Tu) :
Take a walk on a beach, and if you do not recall this song, #fail. An absolutely charming song featuring equally charming Tabu. And oh, not forgetting legend, Lata ji. Gulzar saab at it again - Paanio pe chheente udati hui ladki !!

Tu mere paas bhi hai (Satya) :
Soothing beat. A perfect song with dash of Strings. Urmila in saree, lip syncing lines of Gulzar sung by Lata ji. Hariharan's soft vocals add extra points to the song.

Baadlon se kaat kaat ke (Satya) :
Bhupinder ji sings this fantastically penned song. The haunting voice creates lovley effect about imagination of being in love for the first time.

Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki hai (Kaminey) :
Here Vishal does wonders. He takes a same line of lyrics about first love, and creates two absolutely different songs. One is the smooth Mohit Chauhan version and another is 'fataak' version sung for the Baaraat dancing. In later version we are surprised by Suresh wadkar, how he takes the song to another level by 'Raat kuchh aisa hua..'

Love ke liye saala (Love ke liye kuchh bhi karega) :
So unpredictable the composer is. A mainstream comedy movie, so here he teams up with Abbas Tyrewala and creates a peppy romantic song. Where the couple is boasting about themselves that I can do anything for love. Really fun song with lines like 'Baap se ladega....ghar chhod dega..

U Me Aur Hum (U Me aur Hum) :
A personal favorite. Two different versions, one by Shreya Ghoshal and for another Vishal himself comes behind mic. So beautiful both the songs are. Written by Munna Dhiman, Vishal's version is really absorbing.

O Saathi Re.. (Omkara):
Perhaps the finest song composed by Vishal, ever. sung by Shreya and Vishal, this is a duet to die for. A perfect song again by Gulzar. Indeed its the gem of a song.

And for those, who are heartbroken, or whose love is not around, Vishal has songs for them. too. Here are some.. :)

Ek woh din bhi the (Chachi 420):
Sung by his wife, Rekha Bhardwaj, this haunting song is perfect for a gloomy evening. Convincing heart that -this too will pass.

Rozana Jiye (Nishabd) :
Another song, this time sung by Mr Bachchan, a guitar heavy theme and longing for beloved. Perfecto.

Aur phir yun hua (Striker) :
My current favorite. Though I can not classify it yet, which genre to put it in. But Vishal's rendition makes me hit the repeat button again and again.

Yeh nam aankhein (HuTuTu):
Lata ji again. And who can go wrong with Vishal+Gulzar+Lata Mangeshkar ?!!! Must listen.

_______________________________________________________________
Also Read : Valentine's day : Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy

Ishqiya : Movie Review

Was watching TV after returning from Ishqiya. The First look of Shyam Benegal's 'Well Done Abba' came up. To my [rather shocking] surprise, the promo itself had 'beeps'. The foul language. May I ask why?? Why a maker like Benegal would like to sell his product on such lines?? Similar compalint is here with Vishal Bhardwaj too. When he knows that his product is outstanding-as always, why does the foul publicity takes place? Aren't they losing audience by doing so?? Believe it or not [if you haven't seen the movie] - there are hardly five 'gaalis' in Ishqiya. [so people who are expecting a 'gaali'pedia, shall avoid the movie]. But the way the promos were designed, a nice share of audience is lost.

Putting that aside, Ishqiya is such a fabulous example of movie making. Vishal has a franchise for Dark characters, Dark movies. And this is also travelling the same genre. Directed by Abhishek Chaubhey, Ishqiya is charming and at the same time a shocking movie. Charming in the way the love triangle is shown. The first half is so light hearted. And very well engaging. But as the layers of the story opens up one by one, viewers get shock after shock in terms of the story. Pretty neat narration indeed. Though the movie gets flawed during middle point of second half. Also the way the movie was set up, climax looks a 'bit' downer, but yet quite good.

When the movie comes from Vishal's production, there is no two way about the technical superiority. Absolutely superb cinematography of North India. Even the small details are taken care of. Has anyone heard of 'Gogo ice cream'? well, Mohana Krishna-the cinematographer somehow manage to capture that small thing too. Or, the smoke of fired bullet-not from the gun but from the place where it has been shot. Perfect!! and not to forget the base-the dialogues written by Vishal himself. Are to die for. The lines are life of the movie. Witty and corny humor at its best.

The music complements the mood of the movie completely. What you bring with yourself at home is lovely 'dil to bachcha hai jee' and haunting 'ab mujhe koi'. Close your eyes and you can see Vidya Balan. Such a powerful act of hers overhere. She is so confortable playing seductress who smoothly plans all acts. While one can never go wrong with Naseeruding Shah. He has the most adorable performance in the movie. Whenever he is on screen, we can't help but smile. Arshad Warsi is being repetative. But still he manages to get some highlights.

All in all, Ishqiya is a movie that surely will engage you throughout its runing time. Forget some flaws given Abhishek is a first timer; a really nice effort. A must watch, and great start to the year 2010 if you haven't seen any movie in this new year.

My Rating : 3.5 / 5

Historical Masala Mess : Veer

-''Sal is the man" - as fellow Twitterer @sakshijuneja puts it. Yes, he is the man. The He-Man of bollywood. Which he proved in Wanted. Continuing the reign, he promised same in Veer. Actually, I was anxiously waiting for the movie. Anxious-cause I know what Anil Sharma can deliver. I am not a fan of movie making at all. Gadar - to me was a well resourced movie but technical disaster. Somehow I can't connect all the 'loud' ness Anil Sharma has in his movies. But thank God, in Veer, there is some-i repeat 'some' relief. There is no Hindustan-Pakistan shouts. And to top it all-No Sunny Deol.

This role could have easily gone to Sunny for sure if it did not have love story. But that's Sallu's genre for sure. That he can easily manage both-love and fight. He can look and act casanova and at the same time, he also can kick butts of baddies.

The first half though, is watchable, Just because of Salman. He is perfect for his part. Pardon his 'specific' style of lip synching, its a treat to watch him even in anger...All scenes shot at London are enjoyable. So easily he walks on fine line of romantic and funny. ok enough of Salman [:)] The newbie-Zarin Khan is quite average. All she has to do is smile throughout the movie. She looks real bad clone of Katrina. During each scene, I wished if that was Katrina walking in such gorgeous wardrobe. Zarine looks too baby faced. Correction-farex baby face. Mithun is okay but Neena Gupta is bad. character is written so badly that such nice actress is wasted on suggestive movement dancing. On the other hand, Suhail Khan was quite good. In a role of goofy brother of Veer, he did good. Jackie Shroff is out of form. He should retire now.

Veer is set in 19th century. But no - the movie holds no historic references. Its just a pure fiction based in times of English Raaj. Going by accuracy of portrayal of that era - Anil loses it all. But never mind if we don't expect that-cause after all , this is fiction, not a documentary. But due to shoddy editing, you start to yell at how the story develops. After Gadar, Anil has found new love of his life - Train. So somehow he tries to sprinkle scenes of steam engine chase. Which is badly choreographed. But on the other hand, cinematography by Gopal Shah saves us from sinking. But again, badly executed action scenes - especially bad wire jumps makes me shout.

Okay, now take this- two warriors are named - Magan and Chaman. what can you expect more from the writing department? No doubt Salman shines in acting department. But story is not his thing. May be that can be a fault of screenplay and dialogue writers. The movie had all the resources, talents and budget but everything is wasted by writing department. Such long boring sequences about following the oaths taken, not to deviate from 'Vachan' are stretched to death. **spoiler** in climax a 'bore to death' scene shamelessly ripped off from Troy. Where father-son go sword fight in front of fort. **spoiler** We can see that Anil is sleep directing the movie. While having DVDs of LOTR, Troy, Titanic, Gladiator and the Mummy. But yes, I won't forget to mention beautiful art direction. From costumes to palaces, everything was so much gorgeous.

My concerns for bad execution is with second half. Cause given my love to Masala movieness and music, I loved First half despite of little flaws. The lovestory is charming. And songs are icing on it. But in second half, especially last 20 minutes - it really put me off. I was litterally shouting 'troy' troy' troy... But soon, Salman comes to rescue me and screen goes live again. [talking about songs- I HATED editor for insulting the 'Kanha' song by putting only tit bits of it here and there in the movie]

So I would suggest you, if you are a fan of Salman AND masala movies - this movie is for you. But yes, for timepass. Don't expect "Movie Magic" or some serious lessons of History.

My Rating : 2 / 5
Fav Scenes : Beautiful Rajasthan captured, the climax shots of Jodhpur Fort. Surili Ankhiyon waale ..


oh,,,, and this is my 200th post !!! :-D

Kaminey : Movie Review ... [No Spoilers !!]

Pulsating thunders run down your veins, whenever the sound comes 'Dhen te nan'. And that too comes so often and every time you go 'Yay!!'. You laugh with it, you get shaken, you get shocked - That's Kaminey. A pulp fiction movie one of its kind in Bollywood.

Take a bow Vishal Bhardwaj, first of all. For making such a fantastic film. Vishal takes seat in various dept. From Story to Screenplay, from Dialogue to Music, from singing to Directing he excels in everything overhere. Yes, not to forget AWEFOME background score, which makes you seat on the edge. Which makes to say GO CHARLIE GO ! Talking about music, just wait for a 'BLASTING' track which is not there in album. I am sure it will BLOW UP your mind. Vishal has served such excellence that you can't minus the effect of everything.

Overall hold of the movie is really comendable. Audience is left for thinking what has just happened. Its like, if you miss a thing or two, it will take really long time to understand whats going on!! Thats where the movie wins. Cause whenever a movie makes ppl think / involve in the story, movie gets connected like nothing else can do. First half is full of such moment, where for me too-it took little time to understand some scenes. And Vishal did this without any worries that people would understand this or not. From the very first frame, first scene, sequences change at lightning speed, twists come at dizzy pace and unexpected shocks do come suddenly. Now thats what i call Bang On!!!

Mumbai has never wore such grungy look in just any movie. Cinematographer Tassaduq Hussain uses finer details of Old Ruined structures of Mumbai. So you can see an abandoned train coach as Charlie's house. You can see old godowns and narrow chawls of Mumbai. Rain, which comes without warning. Local trains and scene involving it. In short, Mumbai looks so much Kamina and I loved it. During my last visit, I got to see some 'real' mumbai. As shown in this movie, the abandoned places, godowns, chawls everything. I enjoyed going such places, and thought how about some arty thing happen around here? Vishal must've heard that. Also the brilliant camera work helps a lot. All frames are shot like it is shot with hand held camera.with extraneous movement, which makes movie look so stylish.

As told earlier, the film moves so fast, that you have to get glued, not even take your popcorn. Action is mind blowing-literally. Especially the Finale blew up my mind completely. Shyam Kaushal has done entirely great work to make the action sequences look so real. And the fast pace is also dedicated to super sharp editing of Megna Manchanda Sen !! Bravo Girl, Go!

As far as music goes, its alreay hit with all. And its really good OST too. The songs are integrated well to move the story forward. None of the tracks used in whole, but the bits and pieces of music serves perfectly.

Performances.....what can I say? This movie shall be a textbook. Textbook for all to learn how to perform your character so seamlessly. Starting from supporting cast-Mikhail [Chandan Roy Sanyal] catches instant attention. As a buddy of Charlie [Shahid] he has got such a meaty role. He is mad mad guy. scenes of him are highlight of the movie. And by that I come to Bhope Bhau [Amol Gupte]. Surprised I am. Just can't believe this is the same guy who wrote TZP. He's funny as well as kewl as a wannabe Netaji.

Turning to main leads, Priyanka is revelation. She is getting awesome movie by movie, and here she broke all records. As a Marathi Mulgi 'Sweety' she's such an amazing performer throughout the movie. Outspoken, Marathi speaking girl who can do things so fast that poor Guddu [Shahid] just can't digest so easily. And she shoots [literally] her gun so proficiently, making even Bhope Bhau think twice before taking panga with her. Love love Loved this role. Rocking !! She makes one really go ROFL at many points with her true Marathi accent and 'raw'ness in dialogue delivery. Also she's got some funky lines that surely goes well with audience.

And Shahid..O Shahid!! This is your dream role.Tussi chhaa gaye ho bhai!! Take Shahid out of the movie, and nothing is left. With so much ease he performs Good and Evil. Guddu and Charlie. Brothers who hasn't even seen each other since 3 years. And when they meet......:) Just watch out for that scene..... Both Sweety and Guddu shares great chemistry together. Loved their smooooooch. [yeah]. And their cute fights. While I felt pity for Charlie, who does not have girl to fool around :P. Finally Shahid looks 'mature' in a movie. And I can easily say he would rock in Action movies, given such direction.

Lastly, the movie has one of the BEST climax I have ever seen in recent times. Till now it is echoing in my mind. But yes, you can enjoy this only on BIG screen otherwise it won't look that good in LCD/Plasma tv, or whatever. ;-)

My Rating : 4.5 / 5

Fav Scenes : PC+SK at camp, Charlie+Guddu, Bope+Tope, Climax, Flashbacks

Gonna Rewatch?? : Yef. Yef. Abfolutely.

---

Related Posts : Another masterpiece by Vishal Bhardwaj - The Blue Umbrella

The Blue Umbrella (2007)

Once read this somewhere : 'Nothing can make you smile like a fable'. True, absolutely. There is a child in all of us. And we need to pamper it. Pamper to be calm from inside. Pamper to be calm from inside. Pamper to know and to teach that child, difference between right and wrong. And all these sweet little fables prove such a perfect medium to convey these things. I always wish to get more time to read [in that case, I envy Librarian's job :P yes, Beth]. Sigh..cause I can manage a little time for it.

And with that little time, one can always rely on great stories turned into movie adaptations by none other than Vishal Bhardwaj. He has always been such a great story teller. Be it on TV earlier or his debut movie 'Makdee'; he has always perfect art of story telling like our very own Grannies do. And again, his great music sense meeting gems of Gulzar saab, there is no room for sorrowfulness.

Adapted from Rusking Bond's short novel, of same title, The Blue Umbrella tells story of little girl Biniya, played by Shreya Sharma. A cute little  girl living in beautiful village surrounded by ice clad mountains. She is of 'Papa Ki Pari'; and beloved of the village. Except the shop keeper Nandu Khatri [Pankaj Kapur]- who runs a small Tea and Snacks stall. Nandu is greedy, mean and attention seeker but also child at heart. He lives alone and gets help for shop from Rajaram. The loneliness has made him more rustic.

On one beautiful day, Biniya accidently finds an umbrella and instantly falls in love with irresistible Aasmani Chhatri.  Coming to know it belongs to tourists, she barters her Bear Claw locket with the umbrella. And now it becomes life for her. Everywhere she carries it. Plays and sleeps with it.

On the other side, Nandu is getting envious of her, getting all the attention.

Meanwhile on one dark day, Biniya finds out that her beloved umbrella is missing. and goes into deep trauma. Blaming on Nandu, that he has robbed it, police checks but nothing is found. After a few days, Nandu gets a parcel of similar designed Red Umbrella all the way from Delhi. Now Nandu goes high on it, and becomes center of attraction of the village. All admiration comes his way, while Biniya can not forget her loss, and Nandu's new found admiration-she can't come out of sadness.

Does she get her beloved blue umbrella back? Who is thief ? and how interestingly Biniya bonds a relationship with loner Nandu Khatri..that's more to find out on the movie.

Charm of the movie lies in sheer beauty of it. The location is stunning. And equally beautifully designed Umbrella-the central character. [Designer: Sariska Rai] Hills of Himachal Pradesh looks oh so lovely on screen. Cinematographer Sachin Krishn is hero of the movie, indeed. Each frame is a portrait.

While Vishal had the story ready in the books, his characterization and direction is just so perfect. The execution is just so intriguing we feel like living inside the movie. Being one of the character.

Shreya Sharma does perfect job in her debut film. She's clever yet cute little girl. And shows affection to rather lifeless umbrella very effortlessly. Also she doesn't look overgrown as many of bolly kids are. As the movie progresses you can note how multi shade her role is. In a certain scene, I was impressed by her act, that at one moment she's jumping with joy and very next moment she's hiding her tears.

Pankaj Kapur-man of all seasons. One can never go wrong when expecting things from him. His character who is both mean and childish at times. One can see that inquisitiveness in his eyes. He perfects each and every moment he is on screen. Final 20 minutes of the movie, simply breaks your heart by his splendid performance. What a great actor !!

Music is as always-fantastic. What more can you expect from the duo Vishal-Gulzar!! First song 'Mera Tesoo' is a fun kid song. It reminds me of my childhood when I used to play on Diwali. Where we light a torch [with oiled cloth tied on a stick] and visit door to door to collect money to keep the light burning whole night. :)

Or was it Desi Halloween?

Another beautiful track is 'Neeli Aasmani Chhatri'. Visual delight. Watch it below. Such a beautiful picturisation and similarly great lyrics. Love it . Third song 'Burfan Burfan' has sad feeling and sung by Sukhwinder Singh.is another lyrical bliss.

And at last, this movie had Aamir Khan !! Cant believe? see following pic closely :D,

and another pic, showing the Best slogan-must for all shops, below.

Overall, its one fantastic movie which is wrongly categorized as 'Children's Film' [even awarded at National Awards]. Come on, we all are children at inside. The sweet little child, who fears from darkness, feels insecure when alone, needs caring hugs and always having questions in those inquisitive eyes.....aren't we??

---

My Rating : 5 / 5
Running Time : 90 Minutes
The movie is available online at Rajshri.com. Watch it !!

Kaminey : Music Review

Scintillating !! Mind Blasting !! Soothing !! Foot Tapping !! Touching !!

Whoa !! All feelings in one album !! Yes, Yes, who else, but Vishal Bhardwaj can do it better then this? As most recently, Omkara and No Smoking did raise the standards to a great high for this versatile Music Director-Writer-Director-Singer; He keeps coming with such great great soundtracks one by one. In one of the most anticipated soundtrack + movie of 2009; Vishal outscored once again this time. Soundtrack of his latest Kaminey, is just so awesome no doubt its an instant chart topping.

---Listen to the Album Here---

Dhen Te Nan.....is a rage nowadays. And why not? Its such an addictive tune. Many times the phrase is used in normal talks. Like to surprise someone. And Gulzar saab surprised all, with Vishal, in this striking track. Ok, Many accuse Vishal for ripping off Pulp Fiction, and many other claims are out there. But its not. The track is so genuinely original, and innovative. Which drags you to hit the floor right then. Vishal Dadlani and Sukhvindar Singh does 'Dhen Te Nan' job of singing. Wah !! Dhen Te Nan ! There goes my Ringtone now :-)

Achanak hi...all of a sudden a so subtle smooth sound comes out. Its a piano piece and OMG....There's Mohit Chauhan. Man, Man, I just can't get enough of your voice. Here comes 'Pehli Baar Mohabbat Ki Hai' a soft rock-ish love song, in Mohit's own style. Add dash of Gulzar saab's 'as always' out of the world words, And sprinkle a super fine Orchestration of Vishal. Man ..I could go on and on listening to it. What words, Gulzar saab comes up every time...Oh..sample this :

"Yaad Hai, peepal ke jiske Ghane saaye main,
Hum ne Gilhari ke joothe matar khaye the"

Then comes the song Raat Ke Dhai Baje. I was surprised by a voice in the track, instantly checked and found credits including Suresh Wadkar !! Its been a long time really. His 'Jaag Ja Ri' was unforgetable in Omkara. Other singers are Kunal Ganjawala, Sunidhi Chauhan, Rekha Bhardwaj & Earl. Also the track has the 'desi' feel. Like 'Dhen te nan' here also 'dhaun taun' kinda words. Making it more fun. Two phrases are taken from earlier song, 'pehli baar mohabbat ki hai, aakhiri baar mohabbat ki hai'. Innovation is thy name, Vishal !! Kunal sounds like his 'bheege honth' hangover is over :) Rekha and Sunidhi recreates Omkara magic. And tracks slows down at end with male domination, Suresh Wadkar touches you. But still, somewhere I feel this could be a little better [selfish, I am, after Omkara's item bombs].

And yes, then comes a track which is publicized as 'safe sex' song !! Yep, it has even 'AIDS' word into it !! Kudos Gulzar !! I bow to thee :D. 'Fatak' is definitely a weird name of a song. but only Vishal+Gulzar can justify that. And man, the way they does. 'Fatak' means a sound of whip. With a folk'ish' start, track goes fusion and goes a little sufi too. Why not? There is Kailash Kher and Sukhwinder Singh. The track reminds me of 'Kash Lagaa' from No Smoking, especially in antaras.

More More More.......i wanted more fabulous tracks..and there came, a scintillating soothing track soaked in symphony orchestration. the title track 'Kaminey' blows you out insanely. What more can you expect when Vishal himself is singing it?
[I have noted this, that every musician turns 'selfish' when it comes to singing own compostions, and they choose the best among the album; thats fantastic for listeners though :)]

Meri Aarzoo Kaminee...Mere Khwaab Bhi Kaminey....
Ek dil se dosti thi....Yeh Huzur bhi Kaminey.....

Words, Words !! Kaminey, no more remains a 'curse word' and it becomes a so intriguing in this track. Again Gulzar uses his favorite phrase 'Lal Ten laake, Aasman pe taango'. Wah Gulzar Saab Wah !! One of the best track of the year, easily. The track goes EXTRA HIGH just before second paragraph and get you flying high in musical sky !!!

Then we have Go Charlie Go - A extended theme of Dhen te Nan. Which again, is so addictive and doesn't let you down. Similarly remix version of Dhen Te Nan and Raat ke Dhai Baje are also keep you going.

[Oh..No..only six original tracks ??? Why not 10 songs like Omkara? :( I wanted more more.]

Enough said, this is one of the best of 2009, easily. So don't wait, just Go and Get It folks !! Till then.......Dhen Te Nannnnnnnnnnnnnnn.....Tena ten.....

My Rating : 4.5 / 5 stars !!!
My Picks : Kaminey, Pehli Baar, Fatak, Dhen Te Nan

---

Some fabulous wallpapers of Kaminey. I just loved the look of the movie. So couldn't help. :-D