Nikhil Kulkarni

Dooriyan Bhi Hai Zaroori from Break Ke Baad is one of my favourite songs from 2010. It appears like I took the line more seriously than required and that perhaps explains the irregularity in posting on this blog. I definitely wish be more regular in blogging in the coming days. Well, there’s another song for that as well, Ab Mujh Ko Jeena from Aashayein. We’ll make that Ab Mujhko Blogna for our convenience. Very lame, no? Yes, it is. While we are on this self-deprecation trip, I must also add that my music listening, move watching and book reading have been on a low and I need to pick up on these in the coming year.2010 was very good year for Bollywood music with releases having music by all notable music directors – A R Rahman (Raavan, Jhootha Hi Sahi, Robot), Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (Karthik Calling Karthik, My Name Is Khan, Tere Bin Laden), Vishal Bhardwaj (Ishqiya), Pritam (Once Upon A Time In Mumbai, Aakrosh), Shantanu Moitra(Well Done Abba) and Salim-Suleiman(Aashayein, Band Baaja Baaraat). Vishal-Shekhar produced consistently good (though slightly predictable) music they produced in 2010 for Anjaana Anjaani, I Hate Luv Storys and Break Ke Baad. Tees Maar Khan is a totally different category altogether. Mithoon, one of my favourites made a return with Lamhaa and I am glad that he still retains his touch. The best, of course, was Amit Trivedi who raised the bar extremely high with Udaan, followed it up with an excellent score in Aisha and wrapped up the year with another killer album, No One Killed Jessica.

Here are some of my top songs from 2010 and why I like them. I liked some because of my natural bias towards the music directors and singers I like, some because of the way they’ve been shot and even the dance steps and some because they do what good songs are meant to do – touch you really deep inside and bring out new meanings each time you listen to them.

• Dhoop Ke Makaan (Break Ke Baad)

Dhoop Ke Makaan was a surprise discovery. I downloaded the album to listen to Dooriyan Hai Zaroori as I was curious about Monica Dogra‘s performance in Dooriyan Hai Zaroori. Monica is the Shaa’ir of the popular indie duo Shaa’ir + Func and has now made an even stronger entry into Bollywood with Dhobi Ghat in which she plays one of the lead characters. I liked Dooriyan Hai Zaroori and posted on Twitter about it.

Anyway, back to the song in question. Break Ke Baad has lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and there was a natural interest in checking the lyrics of the other songs. I also noticed that the songs has two versions, a regular and an acoustic version. Songs with different versions and remixes always get my attention and moreover, the singer was Shekhar Ravjiani of the Vishal-Shekhar duo. Shekhar has been on a roll as a singer this year with Bin Tere(Reprise) from I Hate Luv Storys, the interlude in Tujhe Bhula Diya, where he sounds scarily similar to Himmesh Reshammiya and Tumse Hi Tumse, both from Anjaana Anjaani. I also noticed a new name, Hitesh Sonik among the artists for the song and it turns out Hitesh is a music programmer with a excellent body of work.

The lyrics were definitely top-class and the song has a very nice and soft feel about it. It is one of those songs you listen to on a long drive looking out of the window. Listen to it a couple of times in a loop and you will come out with a really nice feeling.

• Nain Parindey- Lafangey Parindey

I was actually looking forward to Lafangey Parindey, the movie. I was hoping that change of subject would work for Pradeep Sarkar and honestly, just the title was different enough to look forward to the movie. That I never got around to watch the movie is another story.

I had high expectations from the soundtrack as the were by Swanand Kirkire and the music by R Anandh. It’s the same duo behind the excellent Limca commercial, Fresh Ho Jao. Which one, you ask? This one –

Lafangey Parindey soundtrack is definitely one of the better ones in 2010. But one song, Nain Parindey specially stands out . I absolutely love the way the words in the movie’s title have songs based on them – Mann Lafanga and Nain Parindey. Mann Lafanga is a good song too, with Mohit Chauhan bringing his Masakali-like playfulness and smoothness into the song. But Nain Parindey, with Shilpa Rao’s strong vocals and some really deep lyrics is the top song of the album. Hope we get to hear more of R Anandh song compositions and not just ad jingles.

• Madhno – Lamhaa

Mithoon, one of my favourite composers had a Bollywood release after close to 3 years. His work in Anwar was right up there among the best and his work later in The Train – Some Lines Must Never Be Crossed (yes, that’s the name of the movie) and Aggar, along with his consistent work with Atif Aslam proved his capability beyond doubt. His music has a very different feel to it and he also introduced new voices, Kshtij Tarey, Shilpa Rao and he himself.

His pop debut, Tu Hi Mere Rab Ki Tarah Hai was a bit of a let down and I was eagerly looking forward to what he would come out with in Lamhaa. Unlike that of other typical Bollywood movies, Lamhaa’s storyline offered a large canvas for Mithoon to compose the music. While one gets the feeling that he could have done a lot better, may be due to the high expectations, but Lamhaa is as good as any sound track this year. And it’s heartening to know that he still retains his touch and hope to hear from him soon. Literally!

Madhno has vocals by Kshitij and Chinmayi and is along the lines of Tose Naina Lage from Anwar with some deep lyrics and an expansive range of sound and music running through the song. I must also make a mention about Sajna, with same lyrics except for the Kashmiri part replaced, in which Mika’s raw, yet soft and touching voice make you get completely lost in the song.

Also, making a composition running nearly nine minutes long and yet keeping the listeners’ attention is no mean task and Mithoon comes out a winner on that front.

Long and rough day at work, a late night walk on empty roads with earphones on maximum volume, thinking of your near and dear ones – that’s the best way and the time to listen to this song.

My only grouse, though a minor one, is that the song picturization doesn’t quite do justice to the song. You can never get bored of watchin Nauheed Cyrusi in Maula Mere from Anwar. I can not say the same thing about Bipasha Basu in this song. Kunal Kapur is fine, but Sanjay Dutt? Well, you watch and decide.

• Saude Bazi/Sauda Hai Dil Ka Yeh (by Anupam Amod*) – Aakrosh

I would have most definitely missed this one had Deepti not passed it on. Somehow I was not too excited about Aakrosh. I’ve sat through some terrible movies, but it was a Priyadrashan movie, De Dana Dan that made me walk out of a Bollywood movie for the first time ever in my life. Also, Pritam, except for a couple of songs here and there, hadn’t had a great 2010 by his standards. Hence the lack of interest in Aakrosh, the movie and in its music.

Saude Bazi doesn’t quite strike you when you listen to it for the first few times. A couple of more listens and the song’s signature tune gets stuck in your head and you start following the lyrics a little more closely. I haven’t seen the movie so I am not sure how in what context it has been used, but I imagine it to be like a letter one writes to their loved ones. The most striking part of this song is the simplicity of the lyrics and the tune. Listen to this song for a while and I bet you wouldn’t stop humming Seedhe Saade Saara Saua Seedha Seedha Hona Jee and keep trying to get the line right.

I hadn’t looked up for the video till writing this post, but another good song picturized on Bipasha Basu? I think they should bring back Nauheed Cyrusi just for songs like these. Or the pre-Kidnap version of Minissha Lamba. Wasn’t she wonderful in Naam Ada Likhna in Yahaan?

* There’s also another version of the same song by Javed Ali. No doubt he is an excellent singer himself, but once you listen to Anupam’s rendition, Javed’s version somehow just doesn’t cut it.

• Uff Teri Ada – Karthik Calling Karthik

Yes, there have been dance/party songs and there have been many more dance/party songs. But somehow such songs by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy seem to be the best among the lot. Remember It’s The Time To Disco? Or Where’s The Party Tonight? Or Aaj Ki Raat?

There was much needed follow-up to these and I think Uff Teri Ada definitely fits into that slot. Shankar Mahadevan’s beginning with ‘Jogi Nachle’ and the part in between the song where he gets on a high tone with ‘Dekh Ke Bhi Nahin Ho Yakeen’ add a new flavour to such a fast-paced song. Bollywood also has a new promising singer in Alyssa Mendonsa, who also happens to be Loy’s daughter, but doesn’t want to be known as that.

I also really liked the video, the choreography and the dialogues before the song begins. In fact, most of the dialogues and the scenes in the promos looked quite interesting. But going by the way the movie fared, looked like all the interesting things about the movie were limited to the promos only. Anyway, enjoy the song and the video. Going out for a run or a walk, want to get something started and need to get into a fast-paced mood? This is the song for you.

• O Re Bande – Lahore

I do not remember how I came across O Re Bande, but I do remember that night when I discovered this. I must have listened to the song 6-7 times over, not a small amount of time considering that it is an almost 8 minute long composition. I feel Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sings more Bollywood songs than he should be, but no one could have done justice enough justice to this song than Rahatsaab. And no one could have done enough justice with the lyrics and the music than Piyush Mishra. Shilpa Rao adds just about the right touch. I wonder why Lahore, the movie or its music did not get enough attention, but then that’s the speciality about discovering and enjoying something that a lot of other people do not know about. Here you go, enjoy O Re Bande and do share with other music lovers.

• Dil Toh Bachcha Hai Ji – Ishqiya

Enough has been said, written about this song and the song has been heard innumerable as well. It feels good when someone you spotted earlier goes on to do well. Abhishek Chaubey is a case in point. I had written about him nearly 3 years back and was expecting a lot more than what he delivered in Ishqiya. Can’t blame him either, the expectations were naturally high because of his strong association with Vishal Bharadwaj.

The debate on how good or bad Ishqiya was apart, to me the scene in the bus in the between Naseeruddin Shah and the girl is easily the best piece of cinema I have seen in a long long time. (Yes, I haven’t been watching too many movies of late). Those thirty odd seconds say a whole lot than an entire movie or a book manage to say. There is something totally out of the world about the chemistry between Naseeruddin Shah and the girl. And what more do you want when you have Rahatsaab’s vocals, Gulzarsaab’s lyrics and Vishal Bharadwaj’s music? Close your eyes, listen to the song and let your bachcha dil take over you completely!

• Cham Cham – Striker

I’ve already cursed myself enough for not watching Striker yet and those curses don’t seem to be enough as still haven’t gotten around to watch it. I’ve been a huge fan of Chandan Arora, not only for his movies but also for the music in his movies. Remember Guncha Koi from Main, Meri Patni aur Woh? If you don’t remember or haven’t come across the song at all, take the next 4 minutes out and listen to it. Here –

Coming back to Cham Cham. At first, it comes across as an ordinary song with a straight forward tune. But when you listen to it a few times over, you can’t stop humming ‘Ra Re Ra Re Ra..‘. Since watching Nauheed Cyrusi in Maula Mere Maula from Anwar, I am quite a fan of videos with pretty faces in burqa (oxymoron?)and Cham Cham’s video is one of the better ones of that kind. Also, the music composer

• All Songs from Udaan, Aisha and No One Killed Jessica

Well, not all, but then there is hardly anything to choose between Amit Trivedi’s songs. In fact, when weighed against all the other songs by other music directors, there is definitely a strong tilt towards each one of Amit’s compositions. At least for me, yes. No doubt Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lyrics play a strong role to make his compositions more powerful, but there’s something very unique to Amit’s music that takes you to a totally different world and makes you discover a new thing each time you listen to his songs. For example, his use of different sounds in the singers’ voices. Listen to Sham from Aisha and Bum Bum Bum Para…is forever in your head. Another listen, it is the jagmagaati, jhilmliaati chorus line that you discover. Next listen, you discover the quick khaamosh dono whisper. You thought the song is over and you discover the ha ha ha ha towards the end. Enough of me typing the sounds in the song. Why don’t you Here you go, take a listen –

While we are on sounds in his songs, Aali Re from No One Killed Jessica perhaps make the best use of them. The dhinchak dhinchak…rapa rap…raka chika… in the beginning, the ding dang tik ding dang in the middle and there is a set piece with ows.. and urrs.. towards the end of the songs before the boom boom phataka stanza. Again, typing the sounds doesn’t make any sense. Why don’t you take a listen instead?

With the music of No One Killed Jessica coming out towards the end, 2010 could not have ended on a better note. Dua and Yeh Pal are more poems than they are Bollywood. Really wonder how Amitabh Bhattacharya manages to pack in so much meaning and substance in his lyrics. Simple as the word is, this is for the first time I have heard nirasha being used in a Bollywood song. Joi Barua, Raman Mahadevan & Amitabh Bhattacharya’s chorus and the sab sajde mein refrain are truly heart-touching. Somehow, the best songs from movies Amit’s music seem to be sung by Shilpa Rao. Ranjhana from Dev D was my favourite from that movie and Yeh Pal is my favourite from No One Killed Jessica. The compositionis excellent and Shilpa’s voice as good as ever, but what makes it my favourite is the use of Mrig Trishna in the song lyrics. One thing is for sure, if you are going to be reading this blog in the coming days, you will read a lot about Amitabh Bhattacharya, the lyrics he has written and the songs he has sung. To me, Amitabh Bhattacharya is clearly the music person of 2010. Here are Dua and Yeh Pal.

(Are you still reading this? Please drop a comment and I’ll send across 17 Alpenliebes as a thank you gift)

I’ve already written a post about Udaan, I don’t think I can do enough justice to its music. There are some songs that the truly special, give you hope and inspiration when you are down and out. Aazadiyan, Naav Chadti, Nadi Mein Talab Hai, Geet Mein Dhalte, Kahaani Aankhon Ke – each one is special in its own way and there are separate blog posts to be written on each of them. Instead of the songs, here is the poem from Udaan that was the voice-over in the promos. I had a feeling that Udaan was going to be ‘different’ movie when I saw the promos and I am glad it turned out right.

….bhool gaye hain ke joote kahaan utaare the, par lagta hai ab unki zaroorat nahin…

And now to my favourite song of the year! This choice might appear slightly surprising choice since the song is neither from a hugely popular movie, nor the song itself was popular. But I really immensely enjoyed song, because of the lyrics, the music and the theme. Some of my personal favourites have been songs like Piya Haji Ali, Arziyan, Noor-Ul-Ala-Noor(from Meenaxi) and Maula from Striker is the next in that league. Swanand Kirkire’s simple, yet very meaningful lyrics and his smooth, yet touching singing of the song has left a lasting impression on me. So there you go, my favourite song of 2010 – Maula from Striker.

Honourable Mentions

• Paani Ko Taraste – Well Done Abba
• Rahiman Ishq Ka Dhaaga – Well Done Abba
• Bin Tere (Remix) – I Hate Luv Storys
• Tujhe Bhula Diya (Remix) – Anjaana Anjaani
• Mehangai Daiyan (Remix) – Peepli [Live]
• Maiya Yashoda (Thames Mix) – Jhootha Hi Sahi

So what do you think about this selection? Have I missed out any must-listen songs? I must say I haven’t listened as extensively as I should have, but I hope I have heard enough good music.

And yes, it is past 12 AM and it is Jan 6 today. Here’s wishing A R Rahman a Happy Birthday! Quite an appropriate time to finally post this, no?