Music: Aloo Chaat, Kal Kissne Dekha & Sikandar
Dev D, Delhi-6, Rahman’s Connections, Sivamani’s Maahaleela, Gulaal, 13B (I CANNOT get over Aasmaan Odh Kar!!!)…we’ve had a couple of very nice OSTs and private albums come out over the last few months. Time to add Aloo Chaat, Sikandar and Kal Kissne Dekhaa to that list! No, no—these three OSTs are not necessarily music-revolution-instigating. However, all three of these OSTs do have some very enjoyable tracks worth checking out. Maybe you won’t want to listen to them months down the road. Or, maybe you will. Who knows? Kal kissne dekhaa (pun intended!). So, let’s have fun with these OSTs for the moment :-)
Disclaimer: This is one l-o-n-g post (nahin ji, I’m not gonna use the term “music review” this time. Heck, I won’t even use the term “analysis.” Jis ko jo jo bhi naam denaa hai iss post ko de do. After all, Shakespeare ji ne hi kahaa hai, “What’s in a name?”).
SIKANDAR
Anusha Mani’s upbeat tee-ree-ree-ree-ree-ree-tee-ree-ree-ree-ree is a really cool beginning for Dhoop Ke Sikke (6.08). The sound of fingers snapping, the guitar, cymbals, Anusha and Shankar Mahadevan’s deep voices is a great combination. And, of course, Prasoon Joshi has packed this Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy composition with meaningful messages–
Dhoop ke sikke uthaa kar gungunaane do use
Baingani kanche hatheli par sajaane do use
Bholi bhaali bholi bhaali rehne do
Zindagi ko, zindagi ko behne do…behne do…
Barood jab bachaa thaa woh titli pakadtaa thaa
Woh ambiyaa bhi churaataa thaa, patango par jhagadtaa thaa
Agar tum uskaa maanjhaa lootte woh kuch nahi kehtaa
Thodaa naaraaz toh hotaa, magar phir bhi woh khush rehtaa
Magar dhoke se tumne uskaa bachpan bhi toh loota hai
Zaraa dekho toh uski aankh mein woh kabse roothaa hai
Jugnuon ki roshni mein dil lagaane do use….Dil lagaa ne do use…
Dhoop ke sikke uthaa kar gunguna de use
Baingani kachche hatheli par sajaane do use
Bholi bhaali bholi bhaali rehne do
Zindagi ko zindagi ko behne do… Behne do…
Bahut jaldi dupatte odhnaa sikhlaa rahey hai hum
Kyon zindagi ko raat se milvaa rahey hai hum?
Woh paloo se chipak kar maa ki chalti thi toh achi thi
Akelaa chodkar usko kyaa kehnaa chaah rahey hai hum?
Ek gehri neend se hum ko jagaane do use…Jagaa ne do use..
Dhoop ke sikke uthaa kar gungunaane do use
Baingani kanche hatheli par sajaane do use…
Bholi bhaali bholi bhaali rehne do
Zindagi ko zindagi ko behne do…
There are two versions of Gulon Mein. One is the Upbeat Version (5.17), rendered by Kay Kay and composed by Sandesh Shandilya. Even though this is supposed to be the “upbeat” version, K.K. doesn’t sound too joyful. I guess it has something to do with the timbre of his voice. Don’t get me wrong—I really do like Kay Kay’s voice. However, it just seems to be filled with pathos most of the time. Oh, and the other version of Gulon Mein is the Serene Version (4.57), composed by Justin-Uday, and Mohit Chauhan is the perfect singer for this composition—the sound of his soft, soothing voice just calms you down and transports you to a beautiful world…a khwaabon ki duniyaa…Such lovely lyrics by Neelesh Mishra (who was inspired by Faiz Ahmad Faiz’s Gulon Mein)–
Gulon mein rang bhare baad-e-nau bahar chale
Chale bhi aao ke gulshan kaa kaarobaar chale
Khwaabon kaa din hai, dekho hawaein sunaa rahi hai khushiyon ki daastaan
Main choom loongaa baahein uthaa kar khwaahisho kaa neelaa neelaa aasmaan
Jaane kaahaan yeh baadal chale hai…Kis aur boondon ki mehfilein hai?
Bheegi hai rooh meri…kaisaa yeh khumaar chale?
Chale bhi aao ke gulshan kaa kaarobaar chale…
Gulon mein rang bhare baad-e-nau bahar chale
Chale bhi aao ke gulshan kaa kaarobaar chale
Hum ne sunaa hai chote se haathon mein, chaahe toh samaaye saaraa jahaan
Hatheleeyon mein thaame hai humaare buzurgo ki nayi duaa
Hum hai sikandar, hum sehzaade
Chote kadam hai, bade hain iraade
Buri nazar se kaho, hum nazar utaar chale!
Chale bhi aao ke gulshan kaa kaarobaar chale
Gulon mein rang bhare baad-e-nau bahar chale
Chale bhi aao ke gulshan kaa kaarobaar chale
Arzoo (Naat) (1.59) is sung so, so, so beautifully by Mehrajuddin. It’s just awe-inspiring…the passion, the conviction with which Mehrajuddin sings this Naat. Wow. There is a faint sound of perhaps a string instrument vibration…but the main emphasis is on the singer’s strong voice.
Aarzoo hai mere aarzoo ko,
Dast rehmat se kalimaa padaa do, dast rehmat se kalimaa padaa do
Maut aaye madine mei mujh ko,
Jaan nikkle dar-e-mustafaa par, Jaan nikkle dar-e-mustafaa par
Main naa chodoongi daaman nabi kaa,
Behayaayi se kitni sazaa do, behayaayi se kitni sazaa do!
Leke talwaar farod ghar se, Katal karne chale the nabi ko
Paas pahunche mere arzoo ko, Mere mehboob kalimaa padaa do
Also composed by Justin-Uday, Allah Hoo (4.56) is sung extremely soulfully by Yash Narvekar and Hrishikesh Kamerkar. This song has some really touching lyrics by Kumaar. The lyrics reminded me of a Christian poem I read many, many years ago…in the poem, a person asks God that even though they saw two sets of footprints in the sand for most of their life, during the saddest times, why they only saw one set of footprints…why did God abandon them in the most crucial moments…and God answers that the time when the person saw just one set of footprints was the time when God was carrying them…You can read variations of this poem here (due to copyright issues I have not copy + pasted it in this posting).
Kumaar’s adaptation of this poem is quite inspiring—
Allah Hoo, Allah hoo, Allah hoo, Allah Allah…
Allah hoo Allah, Allah Hoo, Pooch rahi hai meri rooh
Allah hoo Allah, Allah Hoo, Pooch rahi hai meri rooh
Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah
Do tere do mere nishaa tey, ab tak meri raaho mei
Lekin ab tere kadmo ki saaye nahin hai nigaaho mei
Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah Allah
Beech safar mei saath kyun chodaa?
Tune mujhe ko diyaa bichodaa
Kyun nahi rakkhaa panaaho mei?!
Allah (love the way the singer stretches the word Allah…such anguish is conveyed in his voice)
Jo tune dekhe woh mere nishaa the
Thaa meri baaho mein, Tu thaa mere baaho mei
Allah hoo Allah, Allah Hoo…Pooch rahi hai meri rooh…
Teri lagan mei bilakh rahaa hoon…Kaise tujh ko paoon main?
Do raahein hai mere saamne…Kis pe chal kar aaoon mai?
Allah…
Ek rastaa hai kaajal jaisaa,
Ek subhaa ke aanchal jaisaa…
Kis pe kadam badhaaon main?
Allah…
Kanto pe chal ke mil jaayegaa
Meri in raaho se tu, meri hi raaho se
Allah hoo Allah, Allah Hoo…Pooch rahi hai meri rooh…
Drums, Shehnaai, Guitar, Middle-eastern influences…Manzaraat (3.32) is one upbeat, danceable number with shaadi/nikkah-related lyrics by Kumaar. Shilpa Rao has a really unique and beautiful voice. However, she does seem to slightly struggle with the higher notes…
O Manzaraat…O manzaraat ghar aayi, hatheliyon pe rang paayi, laali
O chandaa jaise mukhde pe, sharmaayi laali
O manzaraat ghar aayi, hatheliyon pe rang paayi, laali
Kaisi uljhan? Tooti dhadkan. Hansi mei maine dard chhupaaye
Raahon mein sabhi, lamhein ajnabee…Jaane kahaan safar le jaaye?
Bechaini ne toofaano se, bechaini ne toofaano se saansein bhar daali
Manzaraat…manzaraat ghar aayi, hatheliyon pe rang paayi, laali
Bole yeh kangnaa, baabul kaa angnaa, hai saare hi jahaan se pyaaraa
Janm-o-janam mujhe, baabul yehi mile, naa rishtaa kabhi toote humaaraa
Haan paale har ek gul ko, haan paale har ek gul ko, naaazon se maani
O Manzaraat…O manzaraat ghar aayi, hatheliyon pe rang paayi, laali
O chandaa jaise mukhde pe, sharmaayi laali
O manzaraat ghar aayi, hatheliyon pe rang paayi, laali
Chaal Apni (3.28) is a duet which brings together Kamerkar and Hamsika Iyer who was also heard in Chandaa Re in Eklavya. A soft composition by Justin-Uday, Chaal Apni has lyrics by Kumaar which has references to nature…aasmaan…jharno…mausam…baarishein…
Chaal apni baadalon ki chaal hai
Taal apni jharno ki taal hai
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Chaal apni baadalon ki chaal hai
Taal apni jharno ki taal hai
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Ho, pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Haath se thaam le baarishein lehero ko hum
Rango ki dor se baandh le saare mausam
Raaste bhi gaa rahein hain ansuni koi sargam
Raaste bhi gaa rahein hain ansuni koi sargam
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Haan, pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Chaal apni baadalon ki chaal hai
Taal apni jharno ki taal hai
Ho, aaj ke baad ho usko chaalon ki baatein
Din kabhi naa dhale surajee ho sab raatein
Naa miley hum aasuon se, ho khushi se mulakaatein
Naa miley hum aasuon se, ho khushi se mulakaatein
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Haan, pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?
Chaal apni baadalon ki chaal hai
Taal apni jharno ki taal hai
Pairon ko udaan lagi, choone aasmaan lagi, kahaan le chali hai hawaa?…Chaal apni…
KAL KISSNE DEKHA
I recently read that Vashu Bhagnani won’t be promoting his son’s debut film, Kal Kissne Dekha, at all. Yikes! Looks like Box-Office waalaas will be asking, “Movie Kissne Dekha?” lol. Okay, okay, here is a more relevant question—“Music Kissne Sunaa?” I did :-) And, Kal Kissne Dekhaa really does feature some really awesome music compositions by the Sajid-Wajid duo. Lyrics by Sameer are rather average and clich'©d, which makes me feel sad because the compositions are so melodious that if the lyrics were also more meaningful, Kal Kissne Dekha would have been a gem of an OST!
We hear Sonu Nigam much less these days compared to the past few years, so I was delighted to hear his voice in Aalam Guzrne Ko (4.40). The use of the piano, guitar, harmonica and string instruments and backing vocals by Suzy Q is nice. The tune of the song is quite catchy…the sort of tune you can catch yourself humming suddenly. Lyrics by Sameer are kind of average–
Aalam guzarne ko, mausam badalne ko, yeh dil sambhalne ko,
Tere bina raazi nahin, tere binaa raazi nahin…
Aisi vaisi baato se, roothaa nahin karte.
Dil jab judte hai, tootaa nahin karte.
Chodke yeh daaman, raaho mei chalne ko, yeh dil sambhalne ko…
Tere binaa raazi nahin…
Din toh guzartaa hai, raat naa guzarti,
Teri meethi -meethi baato ki baat naa guzarti…
Teri kasam dilbar, dhadkan dhadakne ko, yeh dil sambhalne ko,
Tere binaa raazi nahin…
Sonu sounds so different in the Punjabi themed song, Soniye Billori (5.15). He actually kinda sounds like Mika. The song reminds me of “Ek Look” from Aaryan. Suzy Q seems to be stuck with songs that have English lyrics :( Oh well. It is a song one could dance to, but the lyrics are really off-putting, like “Hun naa kar inkaar…teri meri gal ban gayi…Husnaa di sarkaar, teri meri gal bangayi…” “Crazy about ya baby…You’re my pretty lady.”
I really enjoyed listening to Shaan and Shreya Ghoshal in Aasman Jhuk Gaya (4.33). Reminded me of music from the 90s. The tune, arrangements of instruments, vocals, everything is so fabulous…everything except the lyrics…at one point there is a line, “mod muddne lagaa”…Oh ya? How profound?
Wow Alisha Chinai is back with Jashn Hai Josh Hai (4.43) and is joined by Neeraj Shridhar and Wajid. Alisha sounds great as usual, and this is a fun song to dance to. It sometimes reminds me of a HR composition, Jab Se Ankh Ladi Tere Naal. But, once again the lyrics are making me feel grumpy– “floor hai, dance hai, kyaa haseen chance hai” grrr!
I just can’t stop listening to Tere Bina Lagta Nahin Jiya (4.41). Wajid sounds amazing. The way he sings this song reminds me of Anand Raj Anand’s rendition of Dil De Diya Hai from Masti. Tere Bin Lagta Nahin Jiya is a really romantic song, and the echoes of Wajid singing “tere binaa…tere binaa” is really neat! Even the lyrics aren’t too bad–
Tere binaa, tere binaa, lagataa nahin meraa jiyaa,
Ab tere siwaa chale meri saansein naa re naa
Mere humsafar phiroon dar-badar,
Shaam-o-seher dhoonde tujh ko nazar
Tere binaa, tere binaa, lagataa nahin meraa jiyaa,
Ab tere siwaa chale meri saansein naa re naa
Ek pal ki bhi judaayi ab sahi jaati nahin,
Marnaa jo chaahoon agar, toh maut bhi aati nahin
Har duaa meri lagti beasar
Shaam-o-seher dhoonde tujh ko nazar
Tere binaa, tere binaa, lagataa nahin meraa jiyaa,
Ab tere siwaa chale meri saansein naa re naa
Naa tamannaa mujh ko teri, naa tere sansaar ki,
Ai khudaa dikhlaade mujh ko ek jhalak mere yaar ki
Iss zameen par, aasmaan par
Shaam-o-seher dhoonde tujh ko nazar
Tere binaa, tere binaa, lagataa nahin meraa jiyaa,
Ab tere siwaa chale meri saansein naa re naa
My absolute favorite composition from the entire KKD OST has got to be Bin Tere Mar Javan Mein (1.25). This 85 second song is just breath-taking ji! I must have listened to it over 50 times in just 2 days 
The tabla arrangements are wicked, and the song does remind me of Albelaa Sajan from HDDCS. The fusion of Shreya’s alaap and her singing “sa sa ni sa sa sa sa re re sa ni” is really catchy. Shreya sings this song with such longing and emotion in her voice. You’ve gotta listen to this song. For real!
Bin tere marr jaavaan main, jaavaa kithe kithe javaan main?
Kinne dard bataavaa main…javaan kithe kithe main?
Soneyaa, soneyaa ankh thak thak jaaye,
Tu naa daras dikhaaye, aajaa aajaa…
Soneyaa ankh thak thak jaaye,
Tu naa daras dikhaaye aajaa aajaa,
Aajaa…
I found Kal Kissne Dekha (4.58) to be terrible. Shaan sounds enthusiastic…but unfortunately, I’m not too enthusiastic about listening to this song again. The static sounds at the beginning are unnecessary, the song reminds me of the “Teraa Jaado Chal Gayaa” song, and the lyrics are utterly pathetic—
“Tu meri zindagi hai, jeene ki har khushi hai…tu meri aashiqui hai, dil ki deewanagi hai…”
“Main aahein bhartaa hoon, jeetaa hoon marrtaa hoon…Teri nigaahon kaa nishaanaa hoon…Teraa hi honaa hai, tujh mei hi khonaa hai…Teri adaao kaa deewaanaa hoon”
There OST also features a Club Mix of Soniye Billori (5.29) and of Kal Ki ssne Dekha (4.58). Mujhe toh remixes bekaar hi lagi, but maybe I’m just biased.
Wajid takes the mic again for the really short Kal Kissne Dekha [Romantic Version] (1.46). Although he just repeats the lines, “Yeh dooriyaan mit jaayengi…Kal kissne dekhaa hai,” I’m still really impressed with his vocal skills. Kal Kissne Dekha’s “Romantic Version” follows the tune of Aasman Jhuk Gaya and features the guitar, piano and percussion instruments. Somehow, it reminds me of the Baazigar days. lol, I can almost imagine someone galloping on a horse! Ya, ya, wild imagination I’ve got :-)
ALOO CHAAT
Punjabi-flavored music seems to be quite popular these days. And, I’m enjoying it :-) Aloo Chaat offers a nice, masaaledaar variety of chat-pataa songs–
One of the most cool dance numbers of 2009 (in my humble opinion) is Aloo Chaat Title Track (4.37). RDB composes and comes up with the lyrics and also sings along with Nindy Kaur (she’s got a really unique voice) and Smooth. Love the use of the ek-taara and the shouting (in sur) throughout the song. You won’t be able to resist dancing away to this song.
Ab milke saare aish kare. Yeh pyaar ki daulat cash kare.
Mann mei jo aaye, wo hi paaye, iss dil ki sunte hum!
Jeeye apni marzi se, peeye jaam khushi waale
O kal ki koi baat nahin, aaj hi khushi manaale,
Naa isski baat, naa usski baat, naa iski baat, naa usski baat,
Bas dil ki sunte hum!
Iss dil kaa kyaa pataa, kab kiss pe aa jaaye?
Iss mausam ki taraah, kab badle chaa jaaye?
Naa tere paas, naa mere paas, naa tere paas, naa mere paas,
Naa khushi rahey naa gum.
Jo likhaa kudrat kaa, usse kaun mitaayegaa?
Dil chaahe jogi ko, usse khudaa milaayegaa!
Naa isski baat, naa husky baat, naa isski baat, naa usski baat,
Bas dil ki sunte hum!
Aankhein jo dekhe woh, ek sapnaa hotaa hai,
Koi hanstaa duniyaa mei, koi har dum rotaa hai,
Naa tere paas, naa mere paas, naa tere paas, naa mere paas,
Naa khushi rahey naa gum.
Dhadke Jiya (4.40) is a wonderful romantic song. Xulfi composes, pens down the lyrics and also sings, and he does an outstanding job in all three departments! Xulfi has such a lovely voice…the use of the guitar and string instruments is nice, and the lyrics are really touching. I really found the use of the question, “hai naa” again and again to be very cute and innocent…
Dekho zaraa, kitnaa haseen hai phir yeh samaa, hai naa?
Jee le zaraa ek pal milaa jo, tanhaai kaa, hai naa?
Wo hi hansnaa-hansaanaa, kuch keh ke yun sharmaanaa,
Kuch baatein yun hi aankhon se hi kar jaanaa.
Achaa lagtaa hai yeh chehraa takte jaanaa.
Ab aa jo gaye ho to naa phir jaanaa!
Yehi duaa yunhi sadaa, tere liye dhadke jiyaa, dhadke jiyaa.
Yeh raasta gum hogaa, yeh darr tumhe hai naa?
Main aas-paas hi kahin hoon, itnaa yakeen toh hai naa?
Teri har aahat kaa chup chup ke peeche peeche aanaa,
Mujhe tanhaai mein teraa ek lamhaa de jaanaa,
Shayad yeh lamhaa bhi phir khudaa ne tere mere milney kaa sochaa hai bahaanaa. (oye hoye!!!)
Yehi duaa yunhi sadaa, tere liye dhadke jiyaa, dhadke jiyaa.
Palke yun jhuki toh kuch huaa thaa,
Yeh pal jaise ruk saa gayaa tha.
Mere sapno mein bhi har baar tu aanaa,
Ab aa jo gaye ho toh naa phir jaanaa.
Yehi duaa yunhi sadaa, tere liye dhadke jiyaa, dhadke jiyaa, dhadke
jiyaa, dhadke jiyaa.
I found Vipin Mishra’s composition Aloo Chaat (3.29) to be average. His lyrics are slightly funny, especially the dialogues “Oye khoteyaa, O kithey veyaa naa karvaa ke aa jaayi. Gori meim kar leke aayengaa te sanu chittar pavaayengaa!” The robotic repetition of “aloo, aloo, aloo, aloo, aloo, aloo, aloo chaat” is interesting, and Kailash Kher’s rustic vocals are good. But, still, this isn’t a song I feel like listening to that much…
Chamak ke chandu chandaa chaachaa chakaa chaundh kar jaayegaa
Tim taaraa tim taaraa taaron si kismat chamki chamkaayegaa
Bas khel sapaataa hai sab baaki teekhi meethi chaat hai
Khit-pit khit-pit karte phir chutki mein ghul mil jaaye re
Ticket kataa kar dekh tamaashaa, Ishq daa rang jado chaayegaa
Seedhe baide aade tedhe raste haige pyaar de
Itthe otthe kitho jaanaa khap gaye assi pyaar mein
Ho gori chitti mem pakar, hun chatak chatak chit kaare le
Nikal padi jo kashti saadi jo honaa ho jaan de
Ticket kataa kar dekh tamaashaa ishq daa rang jado chaayegaa
Chaasni naal jaan chidhakh phikkaa bataashaa nahin chaahidaa
Mirch masaalaa pade oye berang tamaashaa nahin chaahidaa
Ticket kaataa kar dekh tamaashaa ishq daa rang jado chaayegaa
Mehfuz Maruf’s Life Is A Sizzling Aloo Chaat (4.06) is just plain BORING. Kunal Ganjawala starts off singing, “Just hear me out…” I’m sorry, I can’t! Syed Gulrez’s lyrics are so pathetic–“love story lafde vich peh gayi. My life is just like an aloo chaat…whatever.” That’s right—whatever! I’m sorry, but I refuse to write any more about this particular song. You can call me a bad music reviewer—main yeh baat sun loongi, par yeh gaanaa main nahin sun sakti!!!
There are two remixes–Dhadke Jiya (Remix) (3.24) (why did they have to turn a beautiful, romantic number to dance number?), and Aloo Chaat (Remix) (3.16) (this one has a faster-pace/beat and is better to dance to compared to the original).
There are two Boliyaan/Giddha numbers, also. The 2nd version of Boliyaan Giddha (3.34) starts off with an older woman beginning to sing “Kaalaa doriyaa kunde naal areyaa oye” but then she gets emotional and starts crying…no, no, don’t worry, the song quickly picks up pace and we get to hear the dhols, tablas and the works.
I prefer the original Boliyaan Giddha (4.27), though, because it is more up-beat. RDB composes, sings and packs this number with a bunch of Punjabi marriage boliyaan’s. Nindy Kaur sounds awesome. Love the variety of boliyaan in the song—it features:
“Kaalaa doriyaa kunde naal areyaa oye, chote devaraa bhaabi nal lareyaa oye, naa lar devaraa teri door bhalaayi re, naa lar soneyaa teri ek parjaayi ve”
“Phullan di bahar raati aayo naa, shaavaa raati aayo naa”
“Kore kore kujje vich dahi main jamauni haan”
“Bari barsi khatan gayaa si, khat ke leyaande phaliyaan…Ve kuddiyaan Punjaab diyaa, dudh makkhanna naal paliyaan, kuddiyaan Punjaab diyaa…Baari barsi khatan gayaa si, khat ke leaandi kadiyaan…Ve airi gairi naal veyaa nahin karde! Haan, ve enj ethe veyaa nahin karde, Veyaa ke leyaunde pariyaan, munde Punjaab de”
“Goriyaan bahaan de vich chankkan chuddiyaan…”
Love how the song ends with these words of wisdom—
Eh jaane duniyaa saari, pyaar vich rab vasdaa…Eh jaane duniyaa saari, pyaar vich rab vasdaa…
Tags: Alisha Chinai, Aloo Chaat, Anusha Mani, Hamsika Iyer, Hrishikesh Kamerkar, Justin-Uday, kailash kher, Kal Kissne Dekha, Kumaar, Kunal Ganjawala, Mehfuz Maruf, Mehrajuddin, Mohit Chauhan, Neelesh Mishra, Neeraj Shridhar, Nindy Kaur, Prasoon Joshi, rdb, Sajid-Wajid, sameer, Sandesh Shandilya, shaan, Shankar Ehsaan Loy, Shilpa Rao, Shreya Ghoshal, Sikandar, Sonu Nigam, Suzy Q, Syed Gulrez, Vipin Mishra, Xulfi, Yash Narvekar
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
Shashank Ghosh
Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
phew… really long post :-) for me only tere bina… i dunno y i still think it has been sung by mohit chauhan!
@Magik: lol ya, tried to fit 3 music reviews into 1 post
did u listen to any of the other songs besides tere bina? nahin, nahin, it is not by mohit. although now u have me wondering how the song would sound if it was sung by mohit.
Oh, i prefer K.K’s version to Mohit’s.
The arrangements are nicer and have kewl echo effect going on.
And that damn ‘REE REE REE’ from ‘Sikander’ is GRATING, Amanda ji!
I do like ‘Allah hoo’ though :-)
Dhadke Jiya? Wah!
It’s the only track which stood out for me in M.D.S Chaat Masala!
@Steve: Arrey, Dhoop Ke Sikke wasn’t that buraa! lol. Yes, Allah Hoo is quite inspiring! And, Dhadke Jiyaa is AWESOME. Kyaa lyrics hai, kyaa vocals hai! Waah! Also really liked Xulfi’s Laaree Chootee (ECKLL) & Yeh Pal (Aasmaa). BTW, did you listen to Bin Tere Mar Jaavaan from KKD? It’s quite nice!
Sikander-Doop Ke Sikke-irritating Tee Ree Ree..pretty mediocre tune..SEL tries hard to uplift using some guitar music but falls flat..
Gulon Mein-seems like a left over tune by RD Burman..has a certain likeability but fails to rise above an average status..
Allah Hoo-average..nothing in it worth mentioning
Arzoo-poor singing..irritating voice..
Chaal Apni-Simple tune..just about average..
Mazaarat-there is some merit in this song..just about able to rise above average status..
Ek-Power of one- Tum saath Ho by abhijeet is a good song
@Amanda – you are making so hell bent on ging to the nearest CD place and buying Sikandar and KKD, but to tell you, I have always quite liked the Sajid Wajid stuff..they are melodious guys!
@Sharath: Will definitely check out Ek now that you’ve recommended it.
@Indraneel: Ya, Sajid-Wajid have come out with some cool music…Tum Ko Bhool Naa Paayenge, Hum Tumhaare Hain Sanam, Hello, etc. Even Sonu’s album Deewaana was cool.
hmmm…it ws a long post but dats only bcoz u hav included lyrics of so many songs….well i do hav similar liking….
I lik almost all d songs of Sikandar….Dhoop ke sikke is awesome…i wonder y people find ‘tee ree ree’ irritating…it sounds sweet to me….it has lyrics focussed on two children…dats d reason behind it featurin in d song….love d antra lyrics “bahut jaldi dupatta odhna sikhla rahe hain hum….”.
Initially, I did like KK’s “Gulon mein” more than Mohit Chauhan’s but after 2 or 3 hearings….i hav just been addicted to the serene version….d lyrics n d singing is jus so perfect…hats off to Neelesh Mehra…n d one by Faiz Ahmed Faiz is sung by Ghulam Ali i guess in one of his compositions…
Aarzoo is awesome…i am seeing a Naat in any Hindi Film Soundtrack for d first time….n yea it is brilliantly sung by Mehrajuddin…no wonder they hav to get him all d way from J&K….
Among the other albums…i loved Dhadke Jiya….Xulfi is gettin sum really nice compositions these days…Laree Chotee,Yeh Pal n now this….n boy wat a talent he is….I feel he is d best overall package in times of recession…lol….do chk out his another track from his(Call’s) album Dhoom…”Ho jaane do”….I’m pretty sure u wud lik it…
Title track by RDB is gud…but after sum hearings i felt dat it ws too loud….
n from Kal Kisne Dekha….”tere bina” is awesome…Wajid’s vocals are exceptional….i wonder y he didnt try his hands on singin before…guess he needed sum inspiration from Vishal,Loy n Sulaiman….
Shreya’s “bin tere” is short but sweet….
@Shoaib: Thanks for sharing your thoughts about the songs!
Ya naa, Aarzoo is so powerful!
lol, so I'm not the only one who enjoyed Dhoop Ke Sikke
Cool! Will definitely check out Call's album Dhoom. Thanks for the recommendation!
Haan, the RDB track is loud, but it is a dance number so I don't mind it being loud at all
I hope we get to hear Wajid sing more often. Achi aawaaz hai usski. And ya, Bin Tere is superb!
Thanks for bringing these albums to the fore. Everyone hears a Rahman but good music or even decent attempts at one should be given a chance too. I discovered Neelesh Mishra with this post. Still tripping on his blog page.
As of the 3 albums, I keep going back to Sikandar. What a high quality product! Baring 2 tracks(Allah Hoo & Arzoo), all 5 tracks are quality material. Some thoughts..
Dhoop ke sikke
Everything going for it. Tee ree ree'–.then quite an odd pick up of vocals, you almost know something is gonna surprise you. Baingani kanchey'–wow'–.i caught it in like the 10th replay. With Shankar's entry the song goes from good to great. It's a full-out guitar and vocals trip, behne do and all'–
Awesome lyrics, that strike you and yet do not distract from the song's main hook and mood, reminiscent of this team in TZP. Jugnuon ki roshni mein dil lagaane do usey reminded me of TZP(the structure and the irony- jaise bin matlab ka pyaara rishta ho koi).
Barood jab bachcha tha'–
And just when the song begins to settles down, Shankar's magical aalaap interludes elevate it to yet another level. Ek gaane mein poori jaan daal di hai!
Bahut jaldi duppatte odhna'–.
Awesome.
Manzaarat
Pure groove in the folk. Reminded me of Bhumbhro. Very nice sound quality and vocals. Not a dull moment. The stanza and overall structure interestingly is quite retro L-P if you remove the sounds.
Chaal Apni
Another song which delightfully mixes a pop duet with typical Kashmir elements '± the male vocals, pairo ko udaan lagi chhoone aasmaan lagi'–.
Gulon Mein
I actually quite liked KK in this one. The overt smiling mood spoils the song sometimes(mostly many Shaan numbers).
As for the lyrics, awesome work, this song will go beyond the film, and the mukhda as per my understanding is..
gulon mein rang bhare
baa-din-au-bahaar chale
(as in let the spring never end'–)
Gulshan ka karobar chale along with karobar chale is a masterstroke.
Gulon Mein '± Serene
Now this is the find of the album, should be in my Top 10 of the year. Enough said. :-)
Mohit's voice has become certified warmth now.
Alu Chaat – I love Dhadke Jiya & dig the title tracks too.
KKD – average album. Bin tere mar javaan and Tere bina song are the two saviors.
@Tushar: It is always wonderful to hear your views on music (and films, too). When a reviewer spends so much time in trying to write an in-depth post, it really makes the reviewer happy when a reader is thoughtful enough to also take time out to share their views. Thank you for taking time out to check out the music and to share your reactions to the music.
Enjoy Neelesh's blog. It has some interesting stuff.
Yup, out of the 3 OSTs, Sikandar is my favorite. Pataa nahin yaar, my initial guess was also that the lyrics are '¬Baa din au bahaar chale'® but I Googled it and it turned out to be '¬baad-e-nau bahar chale'® lol.
Ek-power of one-only the song by abhijit is listenable..Rest is not up to mark..
13B-Aasman Odhkar-It starts on a promising note but loses momentum at”phir se hamara naam pukara” song which had great potential but ends up on average status
Rest of the songs do not have anything worth mentioning..substandard stuff
Stoneman Murders-Sooni Raah Pe- a superb rock song
@Sharath: I dunno…For me the entire Aasmaan Odh Kar song worked really nicely. Enjoyed both Shankar and Chitra’s vocals very much. The lyrics were beautiful too. Especially loved the stanza, “teri meri ulfat jaise hai sharaab puraani koi muddaton mein aur bhi ishq hua namkeen. Logon, meri dulhan haseen aaj bhi hai nayi naveli tu jo meri dost hai meri saheli.”
Ok. Went back to ‘Sikander’ and I really struggle with TEE REE REE!
It’s just??!
Pah!
However, ‘Allah Hoo’ is really very nice and i’ve played it so many times that my family think i’ve converted to Islam!
‘Bin tere marjavan’? Not managed to hear that track or the album yet, but will try to do so…
‘Dhadke Jiya’ really has been wasted in ‘Aloo Gobi Chaat’!
@Steve: Achaa baba, DON’T listen to the tee ree ree! Haan naa, Allah Hoo is lovely. Oh ho, nahin sunaa “Bin Tere Mar Jaavaan?” It’s the best track in KKD. Ya, it’s sad when really nice songs are totally wasted in films :-(
hey amanda….i am unable to figure out the meaning of “baigani kanche hatheli par sajane do” in ‘dhoop ke sikke’, will you please explain me wat it means!!!
sum trivia about this song – heard dat prasoon joshi was called for d special screening of this movie…and after seein it..he was so touched dat he didnt charge a single penny for this song…
Hats off to you, Sir.
@ Aloo Chaat. It is not “ChoTe devara” but “ChoTa devara”. Moreover it is a relatively new, semi-urban popular song (won’t be normally heard in a village wedding situation) catering to largely Arora-Khatri caste groups. It is neither ‘boliyan’ nor ‘giddha’. If your appreciation of Aloo Chaat is provenly so suspect, your appreciation of Gulaal is unlikely to be any better.
@Shoaib: Prasoon kindly explained that “baigani kanche is an image from childhood. As a kid you greatly value the marbles you win esp the rare dark blue blackish (baigani) ones. And that feeling of holding them in the palm of your hand – and seeing the light shine through is perhaps insignificant but nevertheless – amazing feeling.”
@Mohan: Yes, usually it is “chotaa devaraa,” but I’m not sure if you actually listened to the song–Nindy Kaur says “chote” not “chotaa.”
“If your appreciation of Aloo Chaat is provenly so suspect, your appreciation of Gulaal is unlikely to be any better.” You are free to jump to any conclusions regarding my appreciation for music. I am not answerable to you.
‘Provenly’ suspect. LOL! Nice hierarchy of evaluation here.
Baingani kanche’s explanation rings a nostalgic bell. Never thought of it before…baingani kanche…now I can totally relive that moment…
@Amanda – precisely my point “ChoTe Devara” is horrible Punjabi – no reason for you, therefore, to go ‘ga ga’ over this Nindy Kaur.
If you can’t call the Aloo Chaat bluff and be instead swept off your feet by their spurious ‘boliyaan and giddha’, there is something seriously the matter with your music reviews.
“no reason for you, therefore, to go ‘ga ga’ over this Nindy Kaur”…and there is no reason for you to offer me any instructions regarding which songs i should appreciate. “there is something seriously the matter with your music reviews.” then please don’t read my music reviews in the future. it’ll save you from a lot of unnecessary grief.
Don’t come in the public sphere if you are so touchy. Your music reviews, by and large, are horrible.
Mohan Awara, have you ever heard of the phrase, ”Different strokes for different folks”???
Look it up…
Mohan Awara, ”Horrible” would be the way in which you have tried to put your point across.
Sure, you may not agree with Amanda’s musical taste, but why be so disrespectful??
No need for that…
-Editor’s Comment-
@Mohan Awara, we are not here to judge anyone’s ‘Raison d’etre’ here. No one claims to be a ‘cultural-critic’ in here as you have much easily deducted. You are free to send in your articles through Project i-view if you feel you surpass everyone’s knowledge or reviewing skills.
-end of editor’s comment-
It is not a question of not ‘agreeing with’ but putting the very basis of her knowledge – her very raison d’etre as a music and cultural critic – into question.
Amanda is supposed to know that what is being bandied as ‘boliyan’ and ‘giddha’ is anything but ‘boliyan’ and ‘
giddha’.
Amanda is also supposed to know that ‘ChoTe devara’ is such travesty of the Punjabi language. What if we were to write ‘O ro Bismil’ instead of ‘O re Bismil’ in Piyush’s Gulal song?
And One doesn’t become a music-cum-literary critic by merely reproducing the text of the songs as both Amanda and Tushar have so painstakingly done.
Thanks dude. Inspiration is relative.
“Your music reviews, by and large, are horrible.” Why thank you for spending so much time reading and scrutinizing “horrible” music reviews! Your comments, by and large, are rather profound.
“It is not a question of not ‘agreeing with’ but putting the very basis of her knowledge – her very raison d’etre as a music and cultural critic – into question.” Arrey waah! Aap ne toh meri aankhein khol di!
“Amanda is also supposed to know that ‘ChoTe devara’ is such travesty of the Punjabi language.” So ignorant of me, no?
Why did Xulfi vanish after ‘laari chhooti’?
He’s very good.
Unless he had some secret album release in between?
Does anyone know why the name is spelt as Xulfi and not Zulfi?
Btw, is it just me, or does the cd cover of ‘Sikandar’ have a Slumdog Dev Patel look-a-like on it?!
@Steve:
Well Xulfi didnt vanish after Laree Chotee…he ws busy wid his own band “Call”, which is quite a rage in Pakistan….their new album Dhoom’s one song is out – “Ho Jaane Do….”
I have no clue why Zulfi is spelt as Xulfi…!!Guess its jus an attempt to giv sum Anglo touch to it… :D. Btw, his full name is Zulfiqar Jabbar Khan.
About d Cd cover….i think u r referring to d child artist Parzan Dastur (of Parzania fame) as a look alike of Dev Patel….apart from him I could find only Sanjay Suri, Madhavan and another child actor Ayesha Kapoor (of Black) on d CD cover….
Shoaib, thanks for all that info!
And about time Ayesha Kapoor was in a film!
She was fantastic in ‘Black’.
@Steve:
Yes, indeed Ayesha Kapoor was brilliant in Black…n so was Parzan Dastur in Parzania…i hope both of them shine in this one….heard sum really gud thngs abt this movie…hope it turns out well….for the time being…I’m just enjoying the beautiful music….
Oh I wish PFC didn’t have this ‘upgrade’!
Since the changes have taken place, my internet browser has become confuzzled to the max!
It says 43 comments (has done for 13hrs) lekin mujhe kuch nahin dikhta!
Grrrrrr!
Shoaib, I haven’t seen ‘Parzania’ yet.
But yup, ‘Sikandar’s Allah hoo is really becoming a current fave!
I really wanna check out Xulfi’s album now!
Amanda ji, u listening?? :-)
@Steve “It says 43 comments (has done for 13hrs) lekin mujhe kuch nahin dikhta!”
When you get this, please move your cursor above the mentioned “xyz responses” and you would be able to see the comments.
Delete Cache, close your browser and re-open it..it should work
Hey thanks Om, I should’ve mentioned that my ‘internet browser’ is my chhotta sa, nanha sa, pyaara sa mobile fone :-)
I’ve still taken ur advice and cleared the cache though.
At times it seems to be ok.
And at others, it hides comments that I could see 5mins ago.
Irritating!
But thankyou :-)
OMG!!!How could i forget to thank Amanda for her explanation of “baigani kachhe”….bahut bahut shukriya Amanda ji for the lovely explanation….yes, indeed it is very nostalgic….reminds me of my childhood days which i had spent in India playing marbles n ‘gilli danda’… awww…those were the days…
Just heard ‘Tere Bina’ from KKD!
And… i love it!!!!
YOu were right, Sodhi memsaab
@Steve: lol, teraa chotaa saa, nanhaa saa, pyaaraa saa mobile phone confuse ho rahaa hai? and, yes, i AM listening
yeh le: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nKfvAV_KIAw now u can listen to the song from call shoaib is recommending. i’m happy you finally checked out the “tere bina” song. ab tu jaldi se “Bin Tere” bhi sun le!!!
@Shoaib: you’re very welcome
lol, i still have this collection of marbles at home (just for decoration). kyaa boloon? i’m still a kid at heart! lol.
@Shoaib: btw, thanks for recommending “Ho Jaane De.” i REALLY enjoyed the song very much!
@Amanda: hmmm glad dat u liked Ho Jaane Do….n i’m more glad dat u chkd out d video of it…coz i jus loved it…more so bcoz of d female in it.. ;)
among d new songs did u chk out tasveer’s nazara hai n haafiz khuda??they’re pretty gud….
n yea i guess evry1s a kid at heart, we just pretend to be mature u c… :D
@shoaib: yes, i enjoyed ‘haafiz khudaa’ A LOT. mohit is awesome! didn’t really enjoy ‘nazara hai’ that much. but i did like ‘tenu le’ and ’sufi’ from jai veeru
Hi Amanda,
Just jumped on here to say that i totally agree with what you say about Arzoo from Sikandar.
It is a song sung so beautifully that you just have to close your eyes and let it sink in.
I have to admit when i first heard the song it just got on my nerves and It seemed too loud … but it left a weird feeling behind and i had to rewind and hear it again.
The voice, the lyrics and the whole treatment of the song are just brilliant.
But even apart from that Your Review of Arzoo was the only positive one i could find where ever i looked, everybody else dismissed it as a an atypical vocal piece which doesn’t deserve much attention.
IMHO, Arzoo, is the masterpiece of the album.
Bhowmik
Hi Bhowmik,
Thanks for sharing your thoughts about Aarzoo from Sikandar.