Madras Cafe: Music Review

Music Director: Shantanu Moitra

Starring: John Abraham & Nargis Fakri 

Since Madras Cafe is set in the backdrop of the Sri Lankan Civil War of 1990, we expect the music to be serious in nature, but for it to have no heavy romantic element is shocking. The director, Shoojit Sircar, has some real intentions of making this a hard hitting movie, which is why half of  Madras Cafe' songs are instrumentals..

Papon begins Madras Cafe with the mellow number Sun Le Re. His raw vocals are perfect for the soundtrack and subtle enough for the background instrumentals. This song is highly spiritual in nature, and slightly Sufi-like, as Papon reaches out to god to listen to him.  3/5

Ajnabi is sung by Zeb, of Pakistani's famous woman duo Zeb and Haniya. Like the prior song, this one is fresh with fresh emotions, but a tad more mellow, almost like the unplugged version of a song. The flute like instrumentals are a pleasant surprise, along with Zeb's "Da Da Na Na". This song is very unique, and not like any other song made in recent times. Excellent.  5/5

Papon is featured yet again in Madras Cafe in the song Khud Se. With a steady piano menu, Papon's voice reflects off itself like a mirror, similar to a self-duet. Khud Se keeps with the theme of the other songs, but is a little more rich in melody. He hits high notes, as the melody climbs higher and higher. 3.5/5

Sun Le Re (Reprise) is another take on the previous version. The reprise is not at all as subtle as the first time. The instrumentals are hard rock, complete with drums and guitar, exactly the polar opposite of the original. The soundtrack needed something this gritty to bring it back to life. Better than the first version. 3.5/5

After these four, there comes a string of instrumentals. The first one is Madras Cafe Theme. Its a lingering doom instrumental. The sound of ominous danger creeps through at first, but towards the middle it gets a little faster, bringing in angry flute and violin instrumentals.

Conspiracy features the singer Monali Thakur, but she doesn't really sing. Her voice echoes in the background of this song that sounds similar to the theme before it.

Entry to Jafna follows with theme, staying constant with the stringent tones from Madras Cafe's other instrumentals for its minute duration.

The Title Theme, has the to be the best instrumental  in the soundtrack bearing the worst name. This one has the highest quality instrumentals and is actually listenable. Compared to the hostility the other instrumentals have, this one grows more tense as the song goes on, until the instrumentals sound as if they have been broken.

In the end, Madras Cafe is filled with just a little too many instrumental theme music, and doesn't shine enough light on the vocalists. This soundtrack doesn't boast too much, but its good songs are of the highest quality.

My Picks: Ajnabi, Khud Se, Sun Le Re (Reprise)

What do you think?!

BollywoodBegum

Satyagraha: Music Review

Music Composers: Salim-Sulaiman, Aadesh Srivatava, Indian Ocean

Starring: Amitabh Bachchan, Kareena, Kapoor, Ajay Devgan, Arjun Rampal

I honestly had no idea about Satyagraha till its music release. Its a pleasant surprise to see that this movie has such a huge star cast for a movie which such a meaningful .  I'm also pretty excited to know that this is  another creation  from the Salim-Sulaiman duo, as well as the other talented composers. Since this is a modern political thriller, my expectations are low about the quality of the music. Expect many many situtational numbers.

The first song on the soundtrack, is the title track, Satyagraha, a twist on the traditional song, "Raghupati Raghav Rajaram".  We can hear various stylistic approaches. At first we hear rock and then the song simmers down into a mellow melody. In the back is a touch of electronica, over the classical singing. Our artists, Rajiv Sundaersan, Shweta Pandit, and Shivam Pathak sound as if they are singing three different songs. This song is interesting approach to a traditional song , but it seems scattered in its initiation . 3.5/5

It seems these days all music composers are concerned with is producing some kind of techno/electronic music. This second song Aiyo Ji falls into this craze. Sharda Pandit gracefully croons this number all the way through, and Salim Merchant comes in at intervals to say "Aiyo Ji Aiyo Ji".  The beat overpowers this song, as well as Salim Mechant's parts. A calmer beat would have been a better alternative. 3/5

Salim-Sulaiman steps aside for a little bit, and lets composer Aadesh Srivatava take over for Raske Bhare Tore Naina. This song saves the Satyagraha with gifted singers, Shafqat Amanat Ali and Arpita. With the delicate vocals and restrained rhythm this song is exactly the beautiful refinement the other two songs were lacking. Complete with pianos and Indian instrumentals, Shafqat Amanat Ali's voice is truly exceptional.  With gorgeous classical intrusion from Arpita in unison with the instrumentals, this song is just perfect. 5/5

Janta Rocks, let's say unexpected, in Satyagraha. While the other songs are somber and serious in quality, this one is strangely upbeat. The Meet Brothers and Keerthi Sangathia team up for this odd number which stretches for an unbearable seven and half minutes. Weird. 2/5

Composed by Indian Ocean, Hum Bole The, is our rally song in our political thriller. Its hard rock, with one of the most interesting guitar arrangements I have heard this year in Bollywood. The singers Rahul Ram, Amit Kalam, and Himanshu sound justly angry and bitter. This song will go well with the political unrest that will be featured in Satyagraha, but it may tend to annoy the listener if listened without the backdrop of the movie. 3/5

Aiyo Ji (Remix) takes the whole techo beat further, and makes it little better. It doesn't really change the outcome of the mediocre quality of the song. Raske Bhare Tore Naina (House Mix) introduces in a techno element as well, taking away from the restrained quality of the first song. The moaning in the beginning doesn't help the case either. 2/5

In the end Satyagraha doesn't really find its footing off screen The music has the potential to work well along with the film, and it is not definitely up to the Salim-Sulaiman par anyone is used to.  The songs escape into the techno realm too often and don't leave a lasting impression.

My Picks: Rakse Bhare Tore Naina, Satyagraha

Follow me on Twitter @bollybegum for more updates

Sexuality In Bollywood: Evolution of Female Desire- Part Two [The Bhatts]

Sunny Leone and Randeep Hooda in Jism 2

Similar to the directors of The Dirty Picture, filmmakers like Pooja Bhatt, and her father, Mahesh Bhatt, have tackled a dark side of sexual desire, touching on the bodily needs of both hero and the heroine. Pooja and Mahesh Bhatt try to experiment with the heroine’s sexuality in Jism 2 [2012], with the introduction of the Indo-American pornographic star, Sunny Leone. In Jism 2, Leone seduces an assassin to retrieve important information for the police. The assassin and a police officer both play her love interests in this movie. Leone is able to believably express herself as a strong heroine with her own desires onscreen, because of her previous work in pornography.   Jism 2 creates aesthetic view of sexuality when new talent combines with the fresh, natural scenery of Sri Lanka. Stunning cinematography and careful boundaries to prevent intimate scenes from becoming crude set this film apart from other Bollywood movies related to this genre. Leone plays a character that is in complete jurisdiction of her own sexuality and is able to manipulate it in whatever way she wishes.  In Jism 2, Leone is able to illustrate the shift to a more mature sexual identity of Bollywood heroines.
      

Emraan Hashmi and Jacqueline Fernandez
Murder 2

Murder 2 [2011], another Bhatt production, has a more multifaceted view on sexuality. This film not only addresses escalated carnal cravings, but also focuses transvestites, and prostitution.. Even though these different sexual elements are explored in various ways, they end up intertwined with each other in the end. In Murder 2, Emraan Hashmi plays a former cop who is sent to investigate the disappearance of prostitutes in the area. Although Hashmi and his girlfriend, Jacqueline Fernanadez, engage in a few rounds of sexual intercourse in the film, he remains emotionally detached from her due to personal reasons. She, on the other hand, tries desperately to expand their physical bond with concepts of romantic love.  On the opposing side is Prashant Naryanan, a transvestite who brutally murders prostitutes. Driven by his uncontrollable physical desire, he decides to become a eunuch. The manner which Murder 2 presents sexuality on three different platforms is an unusual, but daring feat for a director. There is a thoughtful depiction of human trafficking, and an attempt to realistically portray the emotional and carnal needs of men and women in contemporary relationships. However, the sexuality of the transvestites is not as tastefully explored as others.  Narayanan is portrayed as a psychotic killer who has deviated from accepted social norms. Meanwhile, his transvestite friend’s character is illustrated as crooked and overly dramatic.


Check Out These Articles From Sexuality in Bollywood Series:
Sexuality in Bollywood: Evolution of Female Desire Part 1
Sexuality In Bollywood: Return of the Vamps

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Rabba Main Kya Karoon: Music Review

Music Director: Salim-Sulaiman

Starring: Arshad Warsi and Akash Chopra

Salim-Sulaiman are a fabulous duo, creating many famous soundtracks. Its pleasantly surprising to see them come forward for a seemingly small film like Rabba Main Kya Karoon starring newcomer Akash Sharma and Akash Warsi. We expect to see a lot of exciting songs since it revolves around a Dehli wedding.

Khulla Sand kicks off Rabba Main Kya Karoon  in addictive Punjabi number that morphs into something more techno. Salim Merchant's bubbly vocals enhance this delicious rhythm. The only downside to this song are the brief English interludes. This one could be classified as the just the right Punjabi explosion. 4.5/5

We see Benny Dayal paired with our new popular female vocalist, Monali Thakur in Muh Meetha Kara De. This song is along the lines of Race 2's Lat Lag Gaye, but more so a pop techno hybrid. Thakur barely gets a piece of this song, its Dayal for a majority. Its pretty good, but doesn't have that much of distinguishing factor in the sea of songs. 3.5/5

The third song is the title song Rabba Main Kya Karoon. This song is sung by a trio of Raj Pandit, Vidhi Sharma, and Benny Dayal. Its very soft and rhythmic featuring light guitar and tabla. Its almost qawaaliesque in instrumentals, like the harmonium at pieces, but doesn't break into a full qawaali. Vidhi Sharma's vocals are refreshing and add a nice twist to the song. This song is truly a pleasant surprise for such a commercial looking album. 4/5

Our main star, Akash Chopra, displays his vocals in Dua. This is another good surprise. Its a sad song that materializes into deep rock number. A good effort by Chopra, but his vocals get a little bit too intense at pieces. His raw vocals, however are something to admire. I would really want to see a lot more from this singer in the future. 3.5/5

While they celebrate I'll just be staring 
awkwardly at you, shirtless

What is any soundtrack without of Punjabi Prince, Labh Janjua. Bari Barsi is most definitely our Punjabi wedding song for Rabba Main Kya Karoon. It is pumped with just the right components of thrill and dazzle of any wedding Punjabi song. It is not really anything we haven't seen from Janjua, and almost sounds like a leftover from Band Baaja Baraat. 3/5

Well, a song like Brandy carries some expectations, especially when "shots" are yelled in the beginning. Sung by Satyadev Singh and Akash Chopra, this is Rabba Main Kya Karoon's club number. It sounds really irritatingly mocking at parts. 2/5

Overall, Rabba Main Kya Karoon is a sturdy soundtrack loaded with lots of addictive beats. It has its flaws, and just one below average song.

My Picks: Rabba Main Kya Karoon, Khulla Sand, Muh Meetha Kara De, Dua

What did you think?
BollywoodBegum

Look Out for My Other Reviews:
Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai Dobara: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/once-upon-time-in-mumbai-dobara-music.html
Bajatey Raho: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/bajatey-raho-music-review.html
Luv U Soniyo: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/luv-u-soniyo-music-review.html
Chennai Express:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/chennai-express-music-review.html

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara: Music Review

Music Composer: Pritam

Starring: Akshay Kumar, Imran Khan, Sonakshi Sinha

The first Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai had one of the best soundtracks in recent times. Tracks like, Pee Loon and Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein, are hits in recent memory. With Pritam as the composer and a A-List cast   Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara/Again/2 soundtrack has a lot to live up to. For a soundtrack with only four songs, let's hope every song makes an impression.

The soundtrack begins with Yeh Tune Kya Kaha featuring Pakistani singer, Javed Bashir. His classical, mature vocals are perfect for this type of number. This song sounds like a good leftover for the first OUATIM and boasts a lot of rich traditional sounds like the tabla and harmonium. This qawaali starts slows and escalates and transforms with rich instrumentals. 4
/5

Tayyab Ali is another qawaali number in Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara, this time with Javed Ali. This is a remake of  seventies song Tayyab Ali from Amar Akbar Anthony's which featured Rishi Kapoor. This song recreates it into a very desi, quirky drunken sounding number with some English, like "Tell me why" and "Beautiful Baby Baby". After the minute the song kicks into full gear, but its gets boring quickly. Can't see anything new offering in this qawaali, compared to the original except for the childish spin it takes, and richer beats. They could have deviated from the original song in a better way. 3/5

Tu Hi Toh Khwahish sounds like an item number from the late seventies/early eighties. Its discoesque theme, mixed with the Middle Eastern beats and Sunidhi Chauhan's rough vocals sounds awkward. This song should have been left in the seventies where it belongs. It sounds like Pritam is trying to do something similar to Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai's Parda Parda, but Chauhan's panting and  interludes that sounds like they jumped out a of a crime thriller make the song sound messy. Too much going on here. Not sure what genre to classify this one. 2/5

Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai Dobara ends with another track with Javed Ali, this time singing with Sahir Ali Bagga. Chungliyaan is our Pee Loon like song. Its the only pure romantic number on the soundtrack. This song is pretty, but it doesn't really show us anything drastically new. Shahir Ali Bagga's voice enhances Javed Ali's well. 3.5/5

In the end only two of the four songs really make an impression. Once Upon a Time in Mumbaai Dobara/Again, doesn't live up to its legacy. It actually fails horribly in comparison to the original Once Upon in Mumbaai's greatness, due to limited volume of four songs. Pritam could have give us more songs, or at least better quality ones.

My Picks: Yeh Tune Kya Kiya, Chungliyaan

Check Out My Other Reviews:
Bajatey Raho: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/bajatey-raho-music-review.html
Luv U Soniyo: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/luv-u-soniyo-music-review.html
Chennai Express:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/chennai-express-music-review.html
Nasha: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/nasha-music-review.html

Bollywood Begum

Bajatey Raho: Music Review

Music Director: Jaidev Kumar

Starring: Dolly Alhuwalia, Vinay Pathak, Ranvir Shorey, Tusshar Kapoor

She has a broom and she's not afraid to use it!

For comedy with Vinay Pathak as the main star, we expect mast filled music. Jaidev Kumar, a relatively new music composer to Bollywood has much to prove with this soundtrack, and he achieves it for the most part. He gathers the Punjabi greats, like RDB and Honey Singh for his tracks in an attempt to create a wonderful soundtrack.

Bajatey Raho's soundtrack begins with a fast paced number called Nagin Dance.  This is the first item number of the soundtrack and it's not too bad. Anmol Malik's voice blends sinfully well with the quick tempo. Nagin Dance almost a contemporary tribute of "Main Teri Dushman" from Sridevi's Nagina. This song featured on the British model Scarlett Wilson, popular from Shanghai's Imported Kamariya, and Iranian-Swedish dancer Maryam Zakariya, has not really created a stir in Bollywood. Nevertheless, it is a unique kind of item number. 4/5

Our folksy qawwali-eque song, Khurafati Ankhiyan, sung by Sona Mahapatra has slight retro-seventies undertones with the harmonium. It is quite an interesting composition, but the hook Khurafati Ankhiyan is a bit too cutting for the gentle sounding song. Pretty average, but a good track. 3.5/5

Honey Singh brings in the comedy to Bajatey Raho with Khudi Tu Butter. Our expectations should be high for a song with such an audacious name, but sadly this song doesn't live up to the  hype. This song is Punjabi-electronica synth number. Again, this one is another item number, but its strictly an endless mediocre song. 3/5

I guess the Brits and Swedish also know about the
Nagin Dance. That's why these two are featured
 instead of Indian dancers

So the theme song is Bajatey Raho. From the get go this song is a rap, and that's exactly what you can expect from out Punjabi rappers RDB. Manjeet Ral is also featured in the number. If you have heard any RDB previously, when you hear thing you will know this sounds exactly like their other songs. Further ruining this song is an English rap interlude. 2.5/5

So the remixes and reprises  come in. Our first remade song in Bajatey Raho is, Nagin Dance (Remix). This version just brings in extra beat and dubstep-ish sound in the background. Its a good alternative to the original, and does not upset the composition at all. 4/5

Then comes Khudi Tu Butter (Reprise) by Gajendra Verma. This one sound drastically different from the first song. It has a addictive almost magical, electronic beat which sets it apart from the other tracks on the soundtrack. This version of Khudi Tu Butter is extremely catchy both lyrically and musically when compared with Honey Singh's version. How could you resist the lyrics "Silky, chocolate hai milky"?  A definite winner and probably the best song on the album. 4.5/5

Overall, Bajatey Raho's soundtrack isn't disappointing. The stronger songs compensate for the weaker songs. It's hard to resist a song called Khudi Tu Butter. C'mon and give it a try.

My Picks: Khudi Tu Butter (Reprise), Nagin Dance, Nagin Dance (Remix)

Check Out My Other Reviews!
Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobara: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/once-upon-time-in-mumbai-dobara-music.html
Nasha:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/luv-u-soniyo-music-review.html
Luv U Soniyo:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/nasha-music-review.html
Chennai Express:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/chennai-express-music-review.html
D-Day: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/d-day-music-review.html
Boyss Toh Boyss Hai:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/boyss-toh-boyss-hai-music-review.html


BollywoodBegum

Nasha: Music Review

"Ma, I'm Scared"

Music Directors: Siddarth Haldipur & Sangeet Haldipur

Starring: Poonam Pandey and Shivam

Nasha, though not a widely known movie, has been causing waves throughout India with its scandalous posters. We shouldn't expect any less than scandalous from a movie by the director of erotic thriller Jism. Nasha boasts a story quite similar to Ek Choti Si Love Story, where a younger man, Shivam, falls in love with an older woman, Poonam Pandey. Both the actor and actress in Nasha are newcomers, so a fantastic soundtrack might do some good for the movie. Don't be fooled by the pictures, this soundtrack is very sophisticated. 

The Nasha soundtrack is off to an excellent start with the mellow Tera Nasha crooned by Anirudh. His vocals are are flawless when paired with the light guitar instrumental.  This slow, succulent number stretches beyond six minutes, which makes it seem like its going on forever. Six minutes is a little long, but the song is very good. 4.5/5

The second song on the soundtrack is Laila by Monali Thakur. We have heard many songs titled Laila in the past, but one slightly sets itself apart from the others. This smooth cabaret style number is somewhere along the lines of Raat from Hate Story or Muskaanien Jhooti from Talaash. This song does have a little hook to it and flows seductively from Thakur's mouth. 4/5

From its title Besharam should be a song we should expect from a movie called Nasha. Besharam is a playful  duet with the pairing of Shaan and Anusha Mani. Anusha deeper voice balances out Shaan's smooth vocals. This light-hearted romantic songs is complete with harmonica, piano, and whistling, comparable to Gangster's Lamha Lamha.  4/5

Because small wine glasses aren't cool

The Goti Song is totally out of place. It begins with "This is the Goti Song" and continues along that line. It is as if someone is talking. I have no idea where this would go in a movie like Nasha. Its funny, but irritating. The singers Akshay Deodhar, Prakriti Kakkar, and Sukriti Kakkar stretch their vocals, but that is not enough to save this song. 1/5

Laila (Unplugged) features the male voice of Sangeet-Siddarth, the music directors. With just a simple strumming of the guitar, the music composers create something quite different. It is almost good as the original and sounds drastically different song. 3.5/5

We have Nasha (The Addictive Mix), by Sangeet Halidpur, one of the music directors. It brings a slight techno twist  to the original, and Haldipur's voice careens with the rhythm perfectly. This is a remix of the first song, Tera Nasha. This one also sounds unrecognizable from the original  If you ignore the first couple seconds of the song, this is a great alternative version. 4.5/5

The Nasha songs are really good for a movie starring  newbie actress Poonam Pandey and Shivam. Our Haldipur duo does an excellent job of creating a melodious soundtrack. These songs are a pleasant surprise and also have a value off of the screen. One of the best soundtrack of 2013 so far. Get Intoxicated!

My Picks: Nasha (The Addictive Mix), Tera Nasha, Besharam, Laila, Laila (Unplugged)

What did you think about this soundtrack?

BollywoodBegum

Check Out My Other Reviews:
Once Upon A Time in Mumbai Dobara: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/once-upon-time-in-mumbai-dobara-music.html
Bajatey Raho: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/bajatey-raho-music-review.html
Luv U Soniyo: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/luv-u-soniyo-music-review.html
Chennai Express:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/chennai-express-music-review.html
D-Day: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/d-day-music-review.html
Boyss Toh Boyss Hai:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/07/boyss-toh-boyss-hai-music-review.html