Under The Scanner

Well, so far i have just been writing about Music.My first four posts were all about music.But what about Movies? The same movies without which i cannot live.So to write about movies, i am starting a new series ‘Under The Scanner’ in which i will review films Cutting across the boundaries of language,time and genre.

Every movie which i would review here will have the following characteristics-

1] The basic plotline of the film given mostly through pics backed by some writing.The new films that i would review though will not have many pictures in their review as it would not be possible to capture their pics as i do not believe in piracy.

2] Details of cast & crew.

3] A detailed and in-depth critical & commercial analysis.

4] What’s Hot & What’s not

5] Things to remember

6] Trivia & Info On the film

Hope to write well and looking forward to a great time.Well, that’s all for now as i have to prepare for the battle ahead.

Best of luck And Cheers.

My Take: Desi Boyz(music review)

After two soundtracks from V-S,it’s time to review an album from Pritam-my Favorite Music Director of this generation.So,let’s take a look at Desi boyz,which is Pritam’s latest offering.

The title track-Make Some Noise For Desi Boyz-is a typical Pritam punjabi number.A little on the louder side,this one sung by Pritam regular K.K. & Bob is a good listen but Pritam has deliverd much better numbers in this Punglish genre of his.It’s remix offers nothing new and is better skipped.

Next up is Subha Hone Na De and this is as rocking a song as one can hope and get.With overall club ambiance,this one with it’s very catchy tune and super cool orchestration is the dance track of the second half of 2011,just like Chaar baj gaye was the dance track of the first half of the year.Also Sung very well by Mika & Shefali Alvares,Even though a lot of the singing is auto tuned.This number also comes in another version ‘Tu Mera Hero’ and a remix.Both these tracks offer nothing much different from the original one.

Jhak Marke [a kind of a sequel to Zor ka Jhatka] is the next track and has a catchy tune too.Very massy and folksy,complete with funky wedding shehnai, this is another hit track.A truly good track sung by Neeraj Shridhar & Harshdep kaur,this one is the second best track of this album after Subha.Lyrics by Irshad Kamil are funky and deserve a mention.It’s remix is again disappointing.

Allah Maaf Kare sung by Sonu Nigam & Shilpa Rao is quite catchy and has got a nice vibe to it.It starts promisingly but later falls flat as it gets a little louder and the tune gets a little stale.It’s remix also does not impress much.

The last track ‘Let It be’-sung by Shaan has some awesome lyrics by Amitabh Bhattacharya.A soft soothing number,this one is really beautiful and has got some awesome guitar work in the beginning like jhak marke.[i forgot to mention about the beautiful guitar work in Jhak Marke earlier.]This one , thankfully has got no remix and that’s a good thing.

In short,this one’s a true-blue Commercial Masala album and is entertaining from beginning to end and suits the mood of an Akshay Kumar Commercial film perfectly.

Ratings-1] Make some Noise for the Desi Boyz-3/5

2] Subha Hone Na De-5/5

3] Tu mera hero-4/5

4] Jhak Marke-3.5/5

5] Allah Maaf Kare-3/5

6] Let it be-4/5

Album Rating/Marks-22.5/30

Verdict:Total entertainer.Buy this one for sure.

My Picks: Subha Hone Na De , Jhak Marke & Let It be.

My Take:Dirty Picture(music review)

After Ra.One, i am back with another of Vishal-shekhar’s soundtracks-Dirty Picture.Based on Tamil Sex Symbol-Silk Smitha’s life and set in 1980′s,one can expect some corny and disco tracks that were common in that era dominated by Bappi Lahiri songs.

True to belief,the album starts with a song sung by Shreya Ghoshal and of course Bappida-Oh la la,Tu hai meri fantasy.Full of corny lyrics,this one is a total jhakas 80′s song but other than that fact it is just an ordinary number.Far better corny songs were made in the 80′s but this is a good one and will be [is already ] a hit.It’s dhol mix is pretty average and can be skipped.

Up next,Comes Ishq Sufiyana sung by reality show winner Kamaal khan and picturised on Emraan Hashmi,is quite obviously a soft romantic sufi number which is heavily inspired by Ouatim’s cult song ‘Pee Loon’.It’s a good number but stands nowhere close to Pee loon.

This song also comes in a female version-sung by Sunidhi Chauhan.The female version is not as good as the male one as Sunidhi’s voice is not suitable for the sufi genre.

Next Comes Honeymoon ki raat-a bad corny number with disco beats which might look good on screen if picturised well according to the situation.This one has vocals by the Seductive Voice of Sunidhi Chauhan.

The final track is Twinkle Twinkle,sung by Shreya Ghoshal & Rana Mazumder is another typical 80′s song with lyrics like ‘thirsty thirsty ankhen teri,tasty tasty bahein meri’ is better avoidable even though it again pays tribute to Panchamda-this time by Rana Mazumder singing in Panchamda’s iconic style.

The whole album is quite a nice reminder to the music of the 80′s but does not have enough ammunition to better the stuff produced like this in the 80′s.

Ratings-1] Oh la la oh la la-3.5/5

2] Ishq Sufiyana-3/5

3] Ishq Sufiyana[female]-2.5/5

4] Honeymoon ki raat-2/5

5] Twinkle Twinkle-2/5

Album Rating-13/25

Verdict-Pretty Avoidable

Top picks-Oh la la oh la la & Ishq Sufiyana[male version]

My Take:Ra.One (Music Review)

Well,here comes the first music review on this blog.Thought of starting with something big and found Ra.One to be the best fit as it was a highly hyped and anticipated movie starring Bollywood Badshah SRK.It’s also the most expensive bollywood movie ever made.So,naturally its music was also highly anticipated.Listeners were waiting with bated breaths to catch their hands on this album even more so when the news came that Akon has rendered not one, but two songs for this film.So,let’s take a look on how the album actually shaped up in my opinion.

The album’s central song -the one sung by Akon ‘Chhamak Challo’ is truly an international song.A brilliant fusion mixing Western beats with Carnatic music,this one truly rocks’.With Rhythmic and very filmi poetry by Vishal dadlani in the lines like ‘tu meri chhamak challo,teri picture ka mein hero’ ,beautiful Instrumentation especially the bagpiper played in the song,some Tamil lyrics thrown in between sung by Hamsika iyer Gives this song a huge boost which otherwise has a flat tune .But what makes this song truly memorable is the exemplary singing by Akon.His hindi pronunciation is just too good for a non-indian.Infact it’s better than the likes of Katrina kaif , Salman khan and Imran Khan.No doubt that this song is burning the charts and has stayed on no.1 spot on the countdowns for a long time.

Chhamak Challo also comes in four other different versions ,namely-Punjabi mix,Club mix,International mix and JUST PLAIN REMIX.None of these versions are worth listening after you have heard the original except for the International Mix which is as good as the original one.

Dildaara-A sufiyana version Of Ben.E.King’s Stand By Me is a good Adaptation but pales in comparison to the original.Good attempt but not so good execution although it is sung marvelously by Shafqat Ali.

Akon’s second track ‘Criminal’ which also has vocals by Vishal Dadlani & Shruti Pathak has a groovy tune and very catchy beats but somehow falls flat later on with it’s ‘Ishq na kariyo’ refrain.Again,it’s Akon’s vocals that takes the cake in this song.

Bhare naina sung by Nandini is a pretty average Depressing number.Siddharth Coutto sung ‘Right by your side‘ is lively and youthful but lacks punch.Also it falls squarely in ‘heard often enough to not to be enjoyed again’ category.’Jiya mora Ghabraye ’, sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Vishal Dadlani is cacophonous rock going here,there and everywhere.’Raftaarein’ is a not very innovative and good tribute to Panchamda.It’s just seems to be on encashing on Panchamda’s everlasting and popular Grunge style of singing.

Now,comes the theme tracks and there are three of them-IM ON,COMES THE LIGHT & SONG OF THE END.IM ON & COMES THE LIGHT seem to be each other’s brother and evoke feelings of majesty but fail to evoke any genuine feelings of fear which they are supposed to do.Song of the end is quite nice though but again nothing exceptional.

Overall,barring Chhamak Challo, [ Criminal & Dildaara to some extent] this one is a huge disappointment since expectations were huge.VISHAL-SHEKHAR deliver a so-so album with one truly great song in the form of CHHAMAK CHALLO.

Ratings-1] Chhamak challo-4.5/5

2] Dildaara-3/5

3] Criminal-3.5/5

4] Bhare Naina-2/5

5] Raftaarein-2.5/5

6] Right by your side-2/5

7] Jiya Mora Ghabraye-1.5/5

8] Song of the end-3/5

9] Im on-2.5/5

10] Comes the Light-2.5/5

Album rating-27/50

Verdict-Purchasable/Timepass

Picks-Chhamak challo [definately],Dildaara & Criminal.

MY TAKE:ON MUSIC

MUSIC ,it's a word that brings joy and happiness to almost every homo sapien on this planet.Almost everyone listens to music and each one has his/her own take on what is good music.Someone had said famously 'THERE ARE TWO KINDS OF MUSIC-GOOD MUSIC AND THE OTHER KIND.But even then what is good music for one may not be good for the other.In such a situation ,it becomes very difficult to criticize a song which you may not like but is a hot favorite with others or vice-versa.It becomes more difficult for person like me who doesn't believe in lines like 'shit!you have got such a bad taste' or 'are you insane!you like this song'.I thoroughly respect other people choices,views and tastes.

But i also want to express myself freely.So, I am starting a new series called 'MY TAKE' in which i would review movie soundtracks and albums,both old and new ones cutting across various languages.These reviews would give an idea on what constitutes good music for me.Your good comments are welcomed with full love and affection.Honest criticism will also be appreciated but rude and foul language will not be tolerated at all.

The sheer laziness of it all

Well,i had started this blog nearly two years ago to share my views on music,movies and the madness which the almighty one has bestowed upon me in abundance.The idea to start such a blog came to me four years ago but it took me more than two years to actually start it.Now two years down the line ,i only have two posts to my credit.why so?

This is a question that is haunting me for a long time although the answer is a simple one.THE SHEER LAZINESS OF IT ALL.BUT THIS DIWALI,I HAVE VOWED TO CHANGE IT ALL.I have promised to do justice to my blog which was craving for love and attention like an orphaned child.So, from now on , i would be regular in my updates and be an active blogger unlike in the past when i was like a dormant volcano who would erupt once in a while but was like an extinct one for most of the time.Not anymore.I wiil not tolerate so anymore.I AM COMING,YES,I AM COMING.

THE TIMES ARE CHANGING AND SO WILL I.GOODBYE LAZINESS,WELCOME HAPPINESS.

hindi films and their bengali originals.

well, bengali cinema as we know nowadays ,has plummeted to new lows.but once, bengali cinema was the pride of india.after all, the most famous indian film in the whole world is pather panchali, a bengali film directed by the maestro 'SATYAJIT RAY'. THE bengalis not only made great films in their own language,but also made great contributions to bollywood as well.Many bangla films were remade in hindi and tasted huge success,although not many people,including the bangalis know about that.So,here i am giving a list of bollywood films that were remade from bangla films along with their bangla originals.check out-

1] Khamoshi-the waheeda rehman one,not the manisha koirala starrer.-Deep Jele Jai.

2] Safar-Chalachal

3] Mamta-Uttar Falguni

all three were made by Asit sen,who directed the original ones also.

4] Jeevan mrityu-Jiban Mrityu

5] Geet Gaata Chal-Atithi

6] Bawarchi-Galpo Holeo Satyi

7] Chupke Chupke-Chhadmabeshi

8] Bemisal-Ami Seo O sakha

9] Kora Kagaz-Saat Pakhe Badha

10] Tapasya-Baluchari

11] Manzil-BIG B starrer-Akash kusum

12] Saheb-Saheb.

13] Lal Patthar-Lal Pathore

14] Mere Apne-Apanjon

15] Lekin- Khudito Pashan

16] Ijaazat-Jatugriha

17] Arjun Pandit-sanjeev kumar one-Arohi

18] Padosan-Pascher bari

19] Jagriti-Paribartan.Both directed by Satyen bose.

20] Dosti-Lalu Bhulu

21] Mouchak- Damaad

22] Amar Prem-Nishipadma

23] Kabuliwallah-Kabuliwallah

24] Prem Patra-Sagarika

25] Kala Pani-dev anand one-Sabar Upaarey

26] Saheb biwi aur ghulam-saheb bibi o golam

27] Sagina mahato-Sagina.both by Tapan Sinha

28] Zindagi Zindagi-Khanikher atithi-both by Tapan Sinha

29] Bandish-Chheley Kaar

30] Isi Ka Naam Zindagi-a stupid of the brilliant Bancharamer Bagan.

I might be missing a few more. will add as soon a i can recollect or know about them.Also,i did not add the ones like devdas,which have been made or remade countless times. will continue my song post soon.sorry to be back after so long,was very busy.kya karen.