India Special» Entertainment

My Name Is Khan-Big Deal ?!!

Kandamangalam — Sat, 15 Aug 2009 16:58:48 +0000

Shah Rukh Khan, the pseudo demigod of Bollywood, was detained at the Newark Airport. Reason – His name is Khan. Apparently he was questioned for nearly 2 hrs before he was let off, after involvement by the Indian Consulate.

Apparently, several Indian actors in the past have been so called victims of racial profiling including Aamir Khan, Irfan Khan, John Abraham, Neil Nitin Mukesh et al….and more recently our Ex-President, Dr. Abdul Kalam.

While I sympathize with anyone for having to go thru this ordeal, strip search is a common practice here in the US port of entry for anyone who they think is remotely suspicious and I kind of agree. No wonder US did not have another 9/11

A rule is a rule is a rule.

Whether you are a celebrity, or the President, the King or an ordinary man- why should you be given a special status because of what you have achieved. Aren’t the law of the land supposed to be the same for all ? Why blame the security guards or officers ?? They just followed the procedure & protocols. They don’t know their own celebrities, let alone Indians…..and why should they ?

Don’t we say – Equal right to every one, equal opportunity to every one and all that jazz ? Why discriminate when it comes to celebrity ?

What irked me more was the rants from our own Soni Kudi : Tit for Tat, saying ” You’ve done blah blah to our celebrities, so we will do it to yours”…

C’mon lady, don’t you think before you speak out ?…

Give me a break!!! Why don’t you look at improving the security procedures in the backyard before spelling out your vendetta. Why don’t you ask Chidu bhai not to spare anyone who is remotely suspicious. On one hand you keep ranting at every opportunity, at the same time you don’t do enough to tighten your own belt. Look at how your administration allowed a man to breeze thru security with guns. Learn some lessons!!!

Coming to the point – That SRK had to go thru this ordeal was his misfortune, but I guess the rule applies and should apply to everyone. Celebrities are no exception!

For once, I agree with Salman Khan – No big deal!!!Similar Posts:

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Jade Goody-The Death Of Reality?

Kandamangalam — Sun, 22 Mar 2009 09:00:00 +0000

For reasons good or bad, Jade Goody is a celebrated reality star who walked the walk and talked the talk and now she is dying the death. Phew!

Like most of us Indians, I did not know Jade Goody until Shilpa Shetty became as star in UK. Luckily, I was in the UK, when this whole episode of Celebrity Big Brother was being telecasted. Shilpa Shetty, a celebrity in her own right, wasn’t bagging any lucrative projects for her survival in Bollywood when Celebrity Big Brother happened to her. She was one of the wild card entries along with Jermaine Jackson, Jade Goody, Danielle Lloyd, Jack Tweed et al.

In the weeks that followed, Jade and Shilpa were at each other – one showing the nasty side of her character and the other, character of tolerance, patience and humility. The show took a nasty turn when Jade snubbed Shilpa with remarks that were soon made out to be racial. What followed was a spate of controversies with Jade becoming increasingly unpopular amongst British tabloids and the public in general. On the contrary, Shilpa Shetty became more of a household name in the UK.

While Jade Goody lost most of her commercial contracts, Shilpa went on to gather many more. Rubbing salt to the wounds, Shilpa was portrayed as the symbol of resilience, tolerance and mental strength while Jade Goody was set as an example of overdose of fame and familiarity gone awry.

Well, that was my impression until a year ago

Now, with Jade counting her days on this planet and fighting every minute to see more of this world , she has suddenly become an inspiration to many. One who lived life to the fullest extent, in the limited time that she is blessed on this earth. She is hardly 27 years old and in the last five years she probably has lived more than anyone imagine

She has brought a new definition to Reality TV. For all you know, she probably might be called the Queen of Reality too.

Jade Goody who was a dental nurse from Bermondsey in London before the Big Brother craze struck her and she came into the spotlight in the 2002 season of Big Brother. Although she stood at 4th place in that place, Jade went on to become one of the most successful reality TV stars doing several Reality TV shows, shooting many fitness DVDs, launching her own Perfume line called “Sshhhh…Jade”…which was once the third best selling perfume after Kylie Minogue and Victoria Beckham and so on.

Jade Goody has apparently appeared in 4 seasons of Big Brother – Big Brother, Celebrity Big Brother, Big Brother Panto and the very desi version a.k.a Big Boss, albeit for a short period until she flew back to London following the news of her cervical cancer.

With every passing day, she is moving closer to death and even in these hours of extreme difficulty and privacy, she wanted the camera clicking. Her marriage to Jack Tweed post her chemotherapy sessions, will probably be remembered for a long time as one of the most celebrated marriages in recent years. Her final days are being recorded by Living TV which is expected to rake in millions of pounds for telecasting her death, part of which would go to Jade’s two kids. If that’s not all, there is this OK! magazine which ran a Tribute Week in memory of Jade from 1981-2009 even before her death.

All this, apparently, with the permission of Jade who even in her last days wants to be the Queen who lived and breathed Reality TV. Replacing her stature as the undisputed Queen of Reality TV will be a humongous task for the next in line. Sounds like the death of reality, for some time !

What say you ?

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Find Out Why Indian Music Composers Hate YouTube

Madhavan — Wed, 18 Mar 2009 18:27:46 +0000

YouTube has revolutionized the entertainment industry and it is slowly becoming a verb the same way “google” became a verb. Trailers, TV serials and advertisements are created and broadcast exclusively on YouTube. The fundamental success of YouTube lies in the fact that it democratized creativity.

Anyone with a handy cam/movie camera can produce and broadcast his/her creative production and reach so many audiences with minimal cost and time. If the content quality is good, there is definitely going to be an audience.

But if there is one group that must be unhappy with YouTube, it must be the Indian Music composers.

Why?

Because if they compose a song which is plagiarized from some obscure music video from another corner world, and if they think no one is going to find that, they are sadly mistaken. It does not take much time for someone to bring it to the notice of fellow YouTube viewers. It can also work to their advantage. If someone from another part of the world ripped off their songs, they will come to know soon.

In this series, I plan to bring together some of the popular Indian songs and similar songs from across the globe. I do not know which one is the original and which is an imitation (or inspiration, as some of our movie industry pros would like to say).

Here comes the first 3 pair of songs. Come back for more. Enjoy!!

Click “Version” below to reach the YouTube link

1. Song – Ya Ali; Movie – Gangster

Version A - From the film Gangster

Version B – Arabic Version

2. Song- Kaho Na Kaho; Movie – Murder

Version A -From the film Murder

Version B – Arabic Version

3. Song- Dil Samandar; Movie-Garam Masala

Version A – From the film Garam Masala

Version B - Turkish Version

PS: If you come across similar songs, please bring it to our notice. We’ll acknowledge your contribution and publish it, if appropriate.

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Rahman Did It !!!

Bhaarath — Tue, 24 Feb 2009 00:00:00 +0000

That is it and there they are- the two golden men in the hands of A R Rahman. Right from the day the Indian film industry has established its credibility, winning an Oscar has been a dream of everyone who is a part of the industry. Not that the awards in our own country are less reputed, perhaps winning an Oscar would give them an international fame. Every one had put an effort to win one. One movie, by far, has made its way into the nominations in international category and lost.

Rahman luckily landed into this project – Slumdog Millionaire which is supposed to be a Hollywood project based on the story of an Indian. As always, life is not a game of luck. It should be attributed with tremendous hard and smart work which has been exemplified by Rahman.

This hard work landed him into two different nominations and to no everybody’s surprise he managed to win both. Hurray!!! He carried himself in a very good way on an international dais and spoke with pride and thanked all.

Personally, I always thought that it’s only Rahman who could get an Oscar for sure if nominated and he did not prove me wrong. I love him.

I would also want to mention that there is another Indian who has won an Oscar the same night and he was Rasul Pookutty. He won the award in the category for Sound Mixing. I am proud of you too, Rasul.

Indian music has come of ages. Certainly we have landed in the international scene. Kudos to the music whizkids!

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Delhi 6 Or Kala Bandar?

Bhaarath — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 13:00:00 +0000

Rakeysh why didn’t you call it Kala Bandar???

May be the film makers get carried away by the critical acclaims they receive for their work. Movies like Delhi 6 are results of such situations. Movies like these would stops these film makers from getting carried away with their success and bring them back to their senses. This is the only good this movie can do instead of the kind of entertainment and success it is ought to provide and achieve respectively.

Plot – No Spoiler (Frankly there is nothing to spoil)

Delhi 6 is a story which takes place in a locality in Delhi, the capital city of India. The last digit of the postal code of that particular locality ends with 6. Well that is the logic behind the title. Roshan (Abhishek Bachhan) is an NRI “kid” who brings his grand mother (Waheeda Rehman) back to India as she wants to spend the rest of her life in her home country.

Roshan is not used to the typical ways of Indian life style and friendly neighborhood and finds all happenings around rather amusing. To his surprise, there is a rumour going around about a wild animal called KALA BANDAR which keeps attacking the people in that specific region.

Meanwhile, he falls in love with a neighboring girl Bittu (Sonam Kapoor). The story then takes on and portrays how the rumours about Kala Bandar would turn the very friendly people in that region harsh on one another, while addressing strong religious issues.

Performances:

Abishek Bachhan had nothing to offer as the story demand very less from the lead actor. We hardly find Sonam Kapoor and for guys who liked her seeing the promos- a suggestion, stick to promos. Huge ensemble cast with no justification of their roles.

Music:

The only saving grace of the movie. Rahman gave one of his career best scores, alas this turned out to be a damp squib.

Script And Direction:

Rakeysh seems to be a bit too inspired with his own experiences and seem to have lost it totally while scripting this fare.

This movie strives to explore and investigate the greater levels of how stupid few of the Indians could get and exhibit it to people all over the world. And it succeeds… fails… Whatever!

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Delhi 6 Movie Review–Slightly Entertaining, But Does Not Meet Expectations

Sanj — Sun, 22 Feb 2009 01:00:00 +0000

Delhi 6- A weak story line with tit bits of entertainment here and there. I appreciate the effort Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra attempted to deliver a message on harmony in the movie. But there was no punch in the message. Movie definitely does not have fine ending just like Rang De Basanti did not have one. I wish Rakish improves this art of “finishing a movie” in his next venture. Overall nice attempt, and I really hope every individual realizes the harmony shown in the movie between the two communities.

First half of the movie is packed with parallel stories amongst sizeable number of characters. Some are very funny and some are tolerable. If you are eager to watch the movie for the sake of watching songs on the big screen, then it’s bad news for you. It’s disappointing to see 6-7 songs are crammed in the first half of the movie without showing them full. Except for Masakali, it’s a complete injustice to Rehman’s talent by not showing full songs.

Film is a story about an American born Roshan (Abhishek Bachan) coming to India and his experiences in Delhi. It was proved yet another time that its love which binds people in India and makes it special to live. Sonam Kapoor was really good in the movie as middle class girl aspiring to be the next Indian Idol to find her identity and live her dreams. I found that she at least had some role in this movie to show her mettle, in contrast to her role in Saawariya. I could not understand the connection of Ramleela (A Ramayan Play) running parallel in the movie.

For all those fashion buffs this movie has very less for you to look for anything about fashion. Film critics have more subjects to thrive on, in the movie. I am sure all the Delhi-ites will be easily connected to the movie. Some dialogues are very hilarious.

There is a suspicious character Kala Bander (black monkey) in the movie that becomes the base of the story. Sometimes it looked a bit annoying, however it portrayed the Indian superstitious beliefs very well. It was also good to see how these irrational beliefs are being misused by politicians. There are a couple of nice mockery scenes about news channels on how they look for spicy news to increase their TRPs.

First half of the movie is very abrupt with so many parallel characters and second half is packed with emotions. I would say you could probably watch it once for the funny dialogues and for the message that Rakish wanted to deliver on harmony.

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Of Bollywood, Indian Cricket And The Spectators

Kandamangalam — Wed, 18 Feb 2009 16:30:00 +0000

One news that caught my attention a few days back was about Shilpa Shetty.

Shilpa Shetty and her boyfriend Raj Kundra bought a 11% stake in Rajasthan Royals for an estimated sum of Rs.83 crores. Wow! What an astonishing figure to pay for a 12% stake in a Cricket Club!

It is not the amount that is bothering me, what bothers me is the “Me Too” tendency amongst the glamour dolls of Indian Film Industry as if there is no other business in the world.

Look at what happened – When IPL started there were just four or five celebrities raring to take the risk. Shahrukh Khan and Juhi Chawla of Red Chillies Entertainment became the lead promoters in Kolkata Knight Ri ders. Preity Zinta and her boyfriend Ness Wadia bought a significant stake in Kings XI Punjab.

Subsequently Tamil Superstar Vijay and actress Nayantara became the ambassador for Chennai Super Kings while Katrina Kaif and Akshay Kumar became the brand ambassadors of Vijay Mallya’s Royal Challengers and GMR’s Delhi Daredevils respectively. And now we have Shilpa Shetty and her beau.

Not that Indian cricket and Bollywood did not have a connection. They definitely had – Sharmila-Tiger Pataudi, Azhar-Sangeeta Bijlani et al are shining examples. We also had the likes of Sandeep Patil, Mohsin Khan (Pakistan) and in the last few years, speedster Salil Ankola trying their luck at Bollywood and/or Indian Television. This trend seems to be growing north. With the launch of IPL last year, Indian cricket seems to have taken a big leap in bridging the gap.

Is this the right thing to happen to Indian Cricket? I don’t know.

Purists will tell you that the glamour industry could take the steam out of Indian cricketers. What happened with Pataudi, Salil Ankola, Sandip Patil and the dozens who tried their hands at Bollywood or their glamour dolls. Purists will also give you examples of dozens of Premier Leagues in Football, Soccer, Basketball, Tennis etc are not well represented by the glamour industry. Why should Indian cricket be an exception ?

The broadminded ones, like you and me , will tend to believe that glamour and cricket are inseparable, for cricket is a religion in India and Bollywood stars are Gods. Cricket and Bollywood are like husband and wife – one can not live without the other. There can be innumerable analogies that can establish this relationship and as long as we have a thriving population of glamour and cricket fanatics, the euphoria of being in a relationship will continue. It is a never ending debate.

The meat of the matter is that we, Indians, love cricket and we also love Bollywood. And when Bollywood Glamour and Cricket Stars promises to entertain the entire nation together, there is only one person who is the most benefited – The Spectator!

Three cheers for the Indian Spectator.

Ashkalakiri ashkalakiri hooh haah, hooh haah !

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Billu Barber–A Complete Family Entertainment

Sanj — Mon, 16 Feb 2009 16:40:52 +0000

Remaking a movie successfully is not an easy task, but that’s surely Priyadarshan’s cup of tea. Most of the times we have seen that South Indian movies when made in Bollywood bomb at box office. Priyadarshan proves this theory wrong everytime he does it. Billu Barber, in short, is a complete family movie with some nice entertainment.

Story revolves around village environment just like some of other typical old Priyadarshan movies. Billu (Irfan) is an ordinary, simple barber leading his life with wife Bindiya (Lara Dutta) and two kids in BudhBuda village. He struggles to meet two squares of the day but does not like getting into debts. All his attempts to improve situation becomes futile.

Apparently rumour spreads in the village that Billu is friend of an actor. There is a parallel story in the movie about Sahir Khan (Shah Rukh) as a successful hero. Life suddenly changes for Billu after this rumour, and all those who scoffed Billu at his current condition tries to treat him nicely in their own ways. Everyone seeks favours from Billu to meet his actor friend. This episode creates a temporary “happiness bubble” in Billu’s family that they start enjoying it.

You have to watch it to see how life changes for Billu, whether he would meet up with his actor friend or not. Movie has some very nice offbeat locales and those dazzling fashion wear.

Conclusion:

It’s been long time since we had a movie that all generations can sit together and watch. This movie definitely falls into this category. Irfan, as always, was effortless in acting and was at his best. Shah Rukh looked much better in this movie than his recent previous ones. A complete family entertainment with some emotional flavour added in the end. Well that’s anyway expected in Shah Rukh movies. Isn’t it ?

Om Puri (as a money lender) and Rajpal Yadav (as a poet) have some very hilarious dialogues in the movie. Songs with Deepika Padukone, Priyanka Chopra and Kareena Kapoor add extra spice. Lara Datta was a surprise as a rustic girl and she lived upto the expectations.

Overall a sweet and feel good movie that you can watch and enjoy it.

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Shahrukh Khan- A Winning Star ?

Kandamangalam — Fri, 06 Feb 2009 14:51:17 +0000

In the 1990s when Bollywood was ruled by the likes of Govinda, Anil Kapoor, Jackie Shroff and the like, a lesser known star emerged from the theatre circles of Delhi. His dream was to make it big in Bollywood. In his hunt for the glitz and glamour, he took very calculated steps. One of which was a short stint on Television which turned out to be a massive success. While Circus was the launchpad of his career, the serial Fauji was the stepping stone of a long lasting and illustrious career in films. No prizes for guessing, we are talking of the one and only Shahrukh “The King” Khan.

In the next few years what followed was a series of blockbusters in Baazigar, DDLJ, Karan Arjun etc. Shahrukh Khan went onto become the King of Bollywood – a success story that will always be written with golden letters in history books .

Shahrukh, in his true style carried his success story to cricket. An ardent fan of cricket from his childhood days, he could not fulfill his vision of playing cricket at a professional level but he certainly had the wherewithal to be the owner of a popular cricketing franchise, Kolkata Knight Riders (KKR). Incidentally, KKR was one of the two IPL franchise that made profit during the first year of operation. With the IPL second season coming along, Shahrukh Khan taking his franchise to the next level is only anybody’s guess.

There is no doubt that Shahrukh Khan is all about winning, leadership, passion, exuberance and what not. True – he is a hero to many. Amidst all the success attributed to Shahrukh there is also some element of negative shade the man carries – call it the “ego” or the “shades of success” . Of course, one can argue that everyone has some shades of negativity around them and rightfully so. After all, we are mix of the good, the bad and the ugly. Isn’t it ?

Speaking of Shahrukh and his negative shades, he has taken his verbal fight with Aamir a bit too personal. Although I am not privy to what transpired between the two, making it public wasn’t the right way of tackling it even if it meant, a hint. And this is not the first time he did so. Remember his public spat with Amitabh Bachhan a couple of years ago or his tiff last year with his erstwhile pal Salman Khan. Shahrukh Khan seems to be picking on his Bollywood colleagues more often than he should.

As Priyanko said in his article “The Dilemma of Being Sachin Tendulkar”, it is the predicament of the great to forge a path of greatness without harping too much on it. Greatness is not just achieving money and fame, it is also about gaining respect from all quarters – the fans and the critics alike.

Despite all this, Shahrukh Khan continues to be the King of Bollywood. He has shown what can be achieved with the sheer power of will and I hope he continues to be written in golden letters in the history books. I also hope success doesn’t get onto his head, for we like Shahrukh – The Winner.

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Raaz – The Mystery Continues, Does Manage to Scare You

Sanj — Sun, 25 Jan 2009 12:50:32 +0000

First, I thought of Raaz – The Mystery Continues as The Misery (of flops) continues. But I was wrong; it was indeed a nice attempt by Mohit Suri. Second, this is not a sequel to Raaz.

If Ram Gopal Varma had setup new standards for horror movies, I would say Mohit has done an exceptional job, in directing this film.

It was unusual to see Emran Hashmi being kept a couple of feet away from the heroine in this movie. In other words, no intensive romantic encounters in the movie, which he is famous for.

Last time when such thing happened in Awarapan, it bombed at the box office. For a minute I thought that the fate of Raaz is also going to be the same, but I am sure this movie is surely going to be a success.

The movie starts with a horrifying scene of mysterious death in an old dilapidated temple. The story goes on with Nandita (Kangana Ranaut), a fashion model by profession trying to patch up her relationship with her boyfriend Yash (Adhyayan Suman), an upcoming TV actor. Yash is known to make TV soaps on superstitions in India. Their last attempts somehow work and they start a new life.

One fine day Nandita bumps into a stranger Prithvi (Emran Hashmi). You should watch introduction of Prithvi in the movie. It’s really nice. Prithvi, with paintings of Nandita’s face, follows her in dismay. He encounters hallucinations about Nandita and makes paintings out of it. You should watch this bit of story why Prithvi is after Nandita and what he wants from her.

Here starts the horror factor in the movie with Nandita and her histrionics. Yash who does not believe in ghosts and spirits believes that what is happening with Nandita is a medical problem. Until first half of the movie you would be glued to your seat trying to collate bits and pieces on what is happening in the story. Kangana who was seen swearing in the movie, Fashion (remember the B** word) has gone a step ahead with more swearing scenes – this time in Hindi, though.

I wonder how censor let the movie get away with this. The mystery really continues until the end of the movie. There were few horrifying graphical scenes as the mystery starts to unravel.

Conclusion:

Very nice direction. If you want to experience horror in theatrical experience, then this is the movie you will enjoy. You might find the movie a bit longer especially at the end. Couple of bits seemed inspired from Hollywood movies like Ring and Da Vinci Code. Kangana was very good at her histrionics and has done a good job.

Emran has also justified his role, and perhaps this movie might open up new avenues for him. I could not find Adhyayan’s acting to be that strong in the beginning but in the end he made justice to his role.

If this synopsis of the movie raises questions in your mind – why it happens only with Kangana and what is the relation of Emran in this whole episode, and who’s the evil spirit and why it all happened, then go watch this movie.

The background score by Bhatt was also good.

Go for it!Similar Posts:

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Globe is In, Men are Waiting

Sid — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:58:07 +0000

Ok, the Oscar nominations are out and the underdog Slumdog Millionaire is nominated in 10 categories. And after winning the Golden Globe, AR Rahman has three nominations! Yes!

Best Background Score
Best Song 1: O…Saya
Best Song 2: Jai Ho…

While it Oscar is perhaps not a measure for talent of AR Rahman, but I wish he wins it for the sake of it. And makes me wonder if he will bring home not one but two of those men

I definitely feel that AR Rahman has done better work than Slumdog Millionaire, and if he wins this, then he world will sit up and take notice of what talent this man possesses.

Other categories that Slumdog Millionaire has been nominated are:

Cinematography,Directing, Film Editing, Motion Picture of the Year, Sound Editing, Sound Mixing, Screenplay.

I wish there will be a time, when countries all over the world will compare their musician to Rahman and call them something like “Rahman of the West”.

All the best AR Rahman!Similar Posts:

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What prevails? "Illayaraja"yam or "Rahman"ia

Sunder — Tue, 20 Jan 2009 20:45:00 +0000

I was elated to hear that AR Rahman won a Golden globe.

It’s great and in this context let me bring the (fuel the) most debated topic or comparison. Who is the best music composer in India? Rahman or Ilayaraja? (Leaving other options for simple reason that I don’t know much to discuss)

More comparisons are drawn between these two legends because of the fact that they are from same part of the country. So I propose to put forth some of the things I feel are worth considering, which will definitely help you chose your favorite among them.

The most striking similarity between both of them is unmatched genius, which revolutionized the Indian music arena. Both of their works reach one and all without any boundaries, which placed them, much above their contemporaries.

Ilayaraja entered the industry when songs in movies were not of that prominence in the films like when they used to be in the golden era of black and whites. Songs were more like cigarette breaks in the films. Entry of Illayaraja, with melody as his forte, people started loving his songs. He enjoyed a star status in Tamil Nadu with his large cutouts being erected at theatres in that time.

So perfect in his composition, (hear this) Ilayaraja could play the same notes in different ways that we cannot make a difference. He is the one to introduce western instrumentation to south Indian film music using electric and bass guitar extensively (hear this). But he always made sure that the soul of his tune is completely classical though polished by western.

Rahman’s entry was at a time when music had its recognition in the films. He completely changed the face of Indian music with extensive use of technology and impeccable recording quality with the resources available. He got a jumpstart with Roja and never looked back, became a god to music lovers in no time.

Many music directors till date fall flat trying to imitate Rahman. He completely changed the old typical format of “mukhda antara mukhda” in the songs. A lot of experimentation with multiple singers, varied instruments, fusion, and the scale attempting classical, Hindustani, western classical, jazz, rock what not.

Like Melody has been key to Illayaraja’s songs, Harmony plays a key role in Rahman’s songs.

Illayaraja composed songs, which can be remembered even after centuries for their melodious tunes. However, he did not get a chance to work with a variety of directors, except Maniratnam, Bharatiraja, Vamsi, Vishwanath. Music given to each had its own flavour in tune with the director’s taste.

For instance nobody can expect the first and second are from the same composer. His key focus was to never leave the melody in the song, even in if there is no big situation in the movie to inspire him. Watch this song, Malli Malli.

Rahman on the other hand had it ranging from Maniratnam to Shankar to Ashutosh Gowarikar. This helped him to induce a lot of variety from Sivaji to Khwajaji. It’s like he has no boundaries and can attempt anything, which is a rare quality in a composer. But again, he still has signature on the song with his harmony you can say it’s a ‘Rahman song’.

Finally, in my view, Illayaraja can be called as a King of Melody and Rahman, the king of Harmony!

Hail! ARR! Hail! Illayaraja

Image Credit: Wikipedia and Indiaspecial

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Delhi 6 – Rahman, How Could You Do This?

Sid — Mon, 19 Jan 2009 22:44:53 +0000

Rahman, aren’t you satisfied with all the awards that you are winning for your work last year? Isn’t the Golden Globe that you won this year enough? How could you do this? How could you bring up another winning score?

Yes, I am talking about Delhi 6.

Simply put, Delhi 6 is a fantastic start for AR Rahman (ARR) this year. After a year full of hit scores and a Golden Globe on the shelf, ARR has set the standard for himself so high that any less quality would not be accepted.

Released in such a situation Delhi 6 is a complete justice! The variety of music that you will find in this album diverse. You have Hindustani Classical, Rajasthani Folk fusion, R&B, Bhajan, Quawali and a few melodies, in short total value for money.

Let’s start with the songs.

Masakali – Already a hit track, this song is likeable right from the start. Some simple lyrics, coupled with excellent singing and fantastic rhythm. This is my most favourite track in the album.

Delhi 6 – Kick-off with simply vocal suddenly kicks in the heavy electric guitar and continues there on with mix of beats and rap. This will become the anthem for Delhi youth pretty soon! The track is very groovy and will soon be on all DJs disk kits.

Dil Gira Dafatan – Cool, simple instruments and melody is key in this track and vocal take the tune through different chords while the background remains. Some very pleasant guitar and listening to track makes you feel as if you are on a train that is passing through hills.

Bhor Bhaye – Hindustani Classical, perhaps a track used in Background Score. I am not adept at reviewing such tracks.

Aarti Tumhare – Devotional Mata Bhajan, again very good lyrics here by Prasoon Joshi and track manages to infuse devotion. I am not too perfect rating this and I checked with my wife, who is very fond of Mata Bhajans and she rated this 10/10.

Arziyan – Quawali style. This is something that ARR never went wrong with. Piya Haji Ali, Almadat Moulah, Noorunallah, Khwaja Mere Khwaja and now Arziyan. Just with two primary instruments, Harmonium and Tabla this song just takes you in. It is almost 8-minute song, but you won’t realize it is so long as after first few minutes you are into it! Excellent.

Genda Phool – Rajasthani folk fusion. Believe it or not this short song is simply fantastic. It is a Rajasthani folk style song mixed with solid western instrumentation. Fusion at its best, outstanding track!

Rehna Tu – Melody Again – AR Rahman renders it with élan. Simple rhythm and great instrumentation adds life this track. Towards the end of the song, don’t know what instrument it is, sounded like a muffled flute, but adds a classical touch to the song. Very good.

Kala Bandar – R&B. This track is perhaps the grooviest track in the album. Straight away a Club number. Blazee has a gala time with Rap. Couple of bits in the song sounds like Dil Ka Rishta from Yuuvraaj. Some breathless singing, sound like Breathless by Shankar Mahadevan (Raga Kalyan, I am told is the Raga for all breathless songs and that is why they sound similar). With totally western instrumentation and rock solid bass it is a celebration in ears.

Noor – Amitabh ends the album a few lines, passable.

Prasoon Joshi demonstrates variety and his vocabulary with a tough jobs on hand he delivers. One thing that I need to tell you is that this album will rattle the rust from those bass drivers in your speakers/headphone. This one packs a punch.

ARR continues his form and deliver yet another winner and forces me to ask, “Will you do this to your next album, Blue?”

Starring: Abhishek Bacchan, Sonam Kapoor

Produced By: UTV Motion Pictures

Directed By: Rakeysh Om Prakash Mehra

Music By: AR Rahman

Lyrics By: Prasoon Joshi

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Chandini Chowk to China – Why Did I Watch This Cinema??

Sanj — Sun, 18 Jan 2009 20:00:27 +0000

Perhaps a first flop of this year for Akshay. I am yet to figure out the theme of the movie. The story never reaches ground reality, instead runs at 30000 ft above the ground. Literally, go watch it if you don’t believe me but don’t blame me that I have not warned you guys before. Movie seemed cost effective on footwear, as most of the actors do not touch their feet to the ground.

The movie starts with vegetable cutter (Akshay) tries to find short cuts to become big man in his life. Apparently two strange Chinese men find Akshay to be a reincarnation of their old warrior. His rebirth is for a reason to save people of one of the Chinese village from the hands of a villain. I know you guys are thinking it on the lines of Sholay right? Absolutely. Eventually he ends up in China with the help of his cunning guru (Ranvir Shorey), who plans to use Akshay as an instrument to earn money on the pretext of warrior, to save those villagers. There is another parallel story where Deepika Padukone trying to find her sister that got separated in their childhood in China. Amidst lot of emotion from Mithu Chakraborty’s death, Akshay’s uncle, and after some drama Akshay learns Kung Fu and ends the story by killing the villain. There is an utter nuisance bit shown in the movie – Akshay sees died Mithun as Lord Krishna giving him instructions on how to wage war against vice. Of course you need lot of patience to tolerate all this drama though.

If movies like this where Hollywood production companies are involved continue to flop, soon they will not see Bollywood movies any lucrative. You may recall the other flop movie was Saawariya which was co produced by Columbia pictures. And this time it was Warner Brothers’ turn.

Conclusion: A weak story line, unrealistic stunts, unbelievable story linking and on top of it you would be lucky enough to learn some Chinese in the end. It appeared although it’s a “khichdi” (hodgepodge) movie made up of Crouching Tigers Hidden Dragon, Seeta aur Geeta, Sholay and to make it much worst we have some James Bond type fundu equipment used by Deepika Padukone in the movie. Like its not enough, you have lot of emotional trauma in the movie. But one saving grace for the whole movie is Akshay’s comedy bits. His comedy has been serving as saviour for most of his movies of late although they are unrealistic. I would recommend you guys to sit back and relax until this movie is aired on any of the channel instead of wasting energy to go to a movie hall to watch it.

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Is Asin Here To Stay After Ghajini?

Nithu — Fri, 16 Jan 2009 14:53:36 +0000

Much has been talked about her performance opposite Aamir Khan in her latest debutant movie in Bollywood. Asin who made an excellent entry into the Bollywood film industry with her latest film Ghajini has won the hearts of many people.

Though she is a well known star down south, this was her first appearance for the Bollywood film viewers. And she has proved herself as a talented actress by her performance in Ghajini. Not to forget that she has given her own voice in the movie.

She seemed like a breath of fresh air in the Bollywood film industry which has been dominated by Rani, Aishwarya, Preity, Kareena etc.

It has been a while since we got to see good actresses from the south delivering roles of some substance in Bollywood movies. Not many actresses in Bollywood get a chance to work in their first movie opposite the perfectionist Aamir Khan but Asin had already got it.

She has bagged her next role opposite the handsome Salman Khan in her next film "London Dreams". The King of Bollywood Shahrukh Khan is also looking forward to work with her. She has done a commercial opposite Saif Ali Khan.

Well what more can an actress who just entered into Bollywood ask for?

Just one movie old and she has been the talk of the town. She impressed the viewers with her performance as a simple bubbly girl and has won many accolades for her role in the movie.

It is said that she has been giving a tough time to many Bollywood actresses, and has become the reason for their sleepless nights. She has suddenly made a new entry into the league of the top actresses in Bollywood.

There have been many new stars making their entry into Bollywood film industry each year. They have been delivering superlative performances in their movies and the competition between the actors is getting tougher by each day. It’s not an easy task to make an impact and survive in an industry like this, especially for someone from a non Bollywood background.

Asin has risen to fame with her first performance itself, unlike many Bollywood actors and actresses who made their debut as popular star kids and gained enough exposure and popularity.

There have been questions in the media if Asin would follow Sridevi’s footsteps as the next actress from the south who will make it big in Bollywood?

Well only time can answer that. And I hope she does it and looking forward for her next performances. Way to go Asin!!!

Image Credit: Wikipedia

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