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That’s what my mother asked me over phone few days back which made me realize that it was almost 5 months into 2008 and I was still playing songs from No Smoking, TZP, Life in a Metro etc. along with the regular old classics. The only song from 2008 in my playlist was ‘khwaja mere khwaja’ from JA.

So I decided to update myself and now that I look around everyone is talking about music here. Aamir, Jaane tu Ya Jaane Na and a lot of other albums released recently.
Some thoughts on the first two before I go on to discuss the only neglected album here.

Haara and Mehfooz from Aamir are excellent tracks. Ek lau didn’t really click for me but then I have only heard it once and I don’t want to pass the judgement as yet. I also liked the ‘climax theme’. I always liked the idea of including the theme music in the album. Remember Bombay theme or Spirit of Rangeela? No this one is nowhere close but it’s fine.
Something tells me that Aamir will be the most underrated album of the year. I hope I am wrong.

Coming to the Jaane tu ya Jaane Na, I am totally hooked to the ‘aditi’ song. As far as current crop of albums are considered, JTYJN stands apart because it has variety and a freshness in music. ARR is back!
Much has been said about how mediocre the lyrics is, but is it really that bad? I don’t think people want to hear college students singing Gulzarish poetry. I mean what is wrong with this:

tu khush hai to lage ke jahan mein chhayi hai khushi
suraj nikale baadalon se aur baante zindagi
sun to zara madhosh hawa tujhse kehne lagi
ke aditi wo jo bichhadte hain ek na ek din phir mil jate hain
aditi, jaane tu ya jaane na phool phir khil jaate hain

Sweet and simple. Good thing is that first line relates to the next. It has a mood and it sticks to it. It makes sense. It’s not like most other songs we get these days where words are just put together to rhyme followed by some stupid english lines.

tu bole… is interesting. Would like to see how it is picturized and as much as I hate hinglish lyrics, I cannot stop listening to pappu can’t dance saala.
Sukhwinder’s jaane tu meri kya hai is another track I am addicted to. Switch off the lights, smoke if you do, think of someone special, someone you cannot be with and play this song loud. For some reason it reminds me of dekha nahi hai tujhko kal se… from ‘Duniya Dilwalon Ki’, perhaps because of the lyrics. It does not have great lyrics, in fact the lyrics is very ordinary but ARR’s composition and Sukhwindar’s rendition more or less make up for that. I mean sometimes these things can completely spoil the lyrics, the recent example being:

hum pe hairaan hai teer sikandar ka
hum pe qurbaan hai neel samandar hai
hum jaise kismat ke laakh sawaali hain
apni to baat magar kuchh niraali hai
apne to khoon mein ishq ki laali hai

when it starts, you think this is the kind of song, this is the kind of lyrics that would suit this movie before they start shouting tashan mein tashan mein! and you reach over to click the stop button.
And I am back to talking about lyrics. I can’t help it. For me, it’s a very very important part of a song. So, where is the lyrics that makes you think? Makes you sit up and listen what is he/she is singing? Where are the metaphors? Where is the word-jugglery? Where are songs like Rubaroo and Kash Laga?
I was mourning over the lack of songs with good lyrics when I heard songs of Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic. I wasn’t expecting TPTM to have the kind of songs it has.
The first song, filled with energy and patriotism got me hooked. The lyrics is wondeful. Something that would make you stop doing what you are doing and listen to it. Listen to what they are saying.
I cannot expect anyone else but Prasoon Joshi to write:

chhoo len sitaaron ki nok nok haathon ko kheech ke hum
chaahe to chaand rakh len tifin mein mann mein jo soch len hum
beete kal se humko seekhte jana hai
naye kal ki kal kal pe pal pal sajana hai

It’s one of the rare good patriotic children’s song with a very nice peppy tune. It’s not a routine patriotic song and thank god it doesn’t use the word ‘India’. I don’t have a problem with that, although I do prefer Bharat, ‘India’ has become a little annoying post Chak de… Even in the movie, I didn’t understand why SRK had to say ‘India’ so many times. In a lot of dialogues, it seemed more natural to just say ‘desh ke liye’ instead of ‘India ke liye’. Anyway, back to the matter at hand, I don’t know if the dialogues between the song are also by Prasoon joshi but I am guessing they are. So, when didi (Rani Mukherjee), like many others in India, is talking about our progress and the bright future ahead, the little girl asks the inevitable question “didi sab kehte hain hum aage ja rahe hain magar kya hum sab aage ja rahe hain, ya sirf kuchh log”. The question that is on minds of all intellectuals in India. The question reminded me of Chomsky quoting the following while talking about globalisation:
“Poor complain they always do
but that’s just idle chatter
our system brings rewards to all
at least to all who matter”

No, I am not digressing. I am still talking about a song from TPTM. Actually I am talking about Prasoon Joshi and his poetry and how it made me sit up and listen to what he was saying, to listen intently what his answer was. He doesn’t offer a solution, as of now, nobody can but as one expects he paints a nice and just picture:

gar tum hi muskaao to muskaan nahi hai
sabko pankh na mil paye to udaan nahi hai
bas mere aangan aaye aisi dhoop na chahiye
bas meri chhatri par gaaye aisi baarish na chahiye
jispe sabke rang hon wo tasveer banayenge hum
dekhegi duniya jalwe hamare yun jagmagayenge hum

I hate him for writing this for YRF. Yeah I am prejudiced. Can’t help it. Anyone would be if she grew up reading Agatha Christie and not Mills and Boon but had to watch blockbuster movies like DTPH or KKHH or Mohabbatein.
Shreya Ghoshal is absolutely brilliant especially in the lines above. The only problem is that on the screen it would be Rani Mukherjee singing it. Just before these lines, Rani Mukherjee says “bahut achha sawaal poochha aapne” in her phati hui aawaz and then starts singing in Shreya Ghoshal’s beautiful voice!!!! I am glad I’ll be saved from watching this terrible mis-match. I have seen the first promo and I have seen the stills…and that was more than enough.The movie is already in my ‘avoidable’ list of the year. Good luck to others! Before this becomes a post on how bad this movie will turn out to be, let me move on to another song that I loved. ‘Nihaal ho gayi’ sung by Shankar (He has sung all the male songs in the album). The song starts off like:

seedhi sapaat zindagi bawaal ho gayi
teri ek nazar se zindagi nihaal ho gayi

and then suddenly in the middle changes track to:

jisko main bheed samajhta tha wo log ho gaye
jisko sadak samajhta tha wo raahi ho gayi
chamakti aasman mein gol cheez chaand ho gayi

The lyrics, the feel, the music, the mood of the mukhada and antara are totally different.It starts like a loud and peppy number and becomes soft and sweet in the middle. It’s sinusoidal, and hence a little strange but I love this song.

The best thing about Prasoon Joshi’s poetry is that he uses very easy and commonly used words but still paints a very beautiful picture. Its more about thought or idea behind these simple words than ornamental language.

The problem with the album is that there isn’t much variety. Music, chorus, mood, singing everything in all songs is very similar. The only song that sounds a little different from the rest is ‘pyaar ke liye’. The music and tune gives you the feeling that you have heard it before but it’s still nice. Of course it has some very sweet lyrics:

dil ki shaakhon pe dalte hain kyun jhoole
khushboo kyun kisi ki saanson ko na bhoole
honth thartharaae kyun, ye na batate kyun
unki na-nukur bhi hai pyaar ke liye

The songs totally go with the essence of the film. They are filled with optimism, happiness and energy.
There are two other songs bulbula and lazy lamhe, I didn’t like either of them. The music isn’t bad, it’s just repetitive and doesn’t seem as fresh as JTYJN, but on the whole the songs are fine and the lyrics is beautiful.
How I wish to see Prasoon Joshi and ARR team up again!

Anyway, for the first time this season I feel optimistic. May be the songs are getting to me or may be I think it’s revival time for Indian film music or may be it has nothing to do with the songs and film music, it’s probably just the weather outside or because people all around me are so depressed that I feel the need to be euphoric!…….whichever be the reason, I now have new songs in my playlist.

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