Grand Masti: Music Review

Music Directors: Anand Raj Anand, Sanjeev, Darshan

Starring: Ritesh Deshmukh, Aftab Shivdasani, Vivek Oberoi

The music composers were obviously not serious when they composed songs for Grand Masti. There are only five songs on this comedy's soundtrack, and three of them are barely legitimate songs. For a sequel to such a successful comedy, we certainly expect better. Comedies aren't supposed to have amazingly ethereal soundtracks, but at least something along the lines of Ghanchakkar is expected.

Which gay bar should we hit next?

Grand Masti is off to a shaky start with the title track, Grand Masti featuring and composed by Sanjeev, Darshan. They sing alongside female vocalist, Payal Dev. The song begins with English rap and flows into Hindi. It begins to get irritating when they say "Grand Masti Grand Masti Pa Pa Pa Pa" over and over again, however the background beat is solid. 2/5

Zulmi Zulmi is sung by Mika Singh. This annoying countryish beats are as equally bad as Singh's drunken voice. The lyrics are jarring and the instrumentals are headache inducing. Nothing good here. 2/5

Tu Bhi Mood Hai continues with the same kind of trumpet and flute instrumentals the rest of the Grand Masti has. These songs are hard to tell apart from another. This Anand Raj Anand composition is a duet between Wajid Khan and an unaccredited female singer. 3/5

Classy

Grand Masti (Remix) is takes the irritation of the original to the maximum capacity of horribleness. Its just upsetting and techno. Nothing else to say.  1/5

Grand Masti (Mashup) isn't even a real song. Horrible horrible mix of all the songs together. No. 0/5

In the end, Grand Masti is a grand failure. It's like the composers put no real thought into creating a meaningful soundtrack. All of the songs melt into each other to form a huge pool of disaster. There is next to nothing redeeming about this.

Was this soundtrack as bad as I make it seem?

BollywoodBegum

Zanjeer: Music Review

Music Directors: Chitrantan Bhatt, Anand Raj Anand, Meet Bros Anjan and Ankit

Starring: Priyanka Chopra, Ram Charan, Sanjay Dutt

"Not so most comfortable with this hug"

The Zanjeer remake's marketability is off to a rough start with the introduction of the Telegu actor Ram Charan, however Priyanka Chopra will absolutely be the the saving grace when it comes to bringing in the audiences. The three music composers have a lot on their hands with the Zanjeer soundtrack, as it will be compared to the original. 

Zanjeer begins with Mumbai Ka Hero featuring Mika Singh and Talia Benson. This Chitrantan Bhatt
composition the typical roguish hero song that Mika Singh is popular for with bits and pieces of rap and speaking verses tossed in the middle. Its reminiscent of "Udd Udd Dabangg".  I'm sure that Talia Benson is responsible for the horrible female rap intrusion in the middle. Here's a lyric from it, "Oh my god is that your gun?!! Can I hold it pleeeease???" This song offers nothing new and certainly nothing listenable. 2/5

Pinky: Lesser than Munni
Greater than Sheila

The soundtrack continues with the item number Pinky featuring Mamta Sharma and the Meet Bros. This song falls into the Sheila-Munni item number craze. It lacks anything special and almost sounds like a leftover nineties composition. The lyrics are tasteless. [The song picturized on the left] This Meet Bros Anjan Akit composition is a loser. 2/5

Chitrantan Bhatt composes another song in Zanjeer called Lamha Tera Mera. This romantic song by Wajhi Farooki and Palak Muchhal separates itself from the soundtrack with its lighthearted upbeat flavor. These two are a great duo and work so well together to create a special, uplifting song. 5/5

We have another Ankit Bros composition Kochey Pathan Ki Zubaan (Qawaali). It contains all the necessary elements of a qawaali and even features Sukhwinder Singh along with Shabaab Sabri and the Meet Bros. It sounds very similar to Agneepath remake's qawaali number, Shah Ka Rutba. However, it is a mediocre composition that had the potential to be so much more 3/5

Kaatilana is another item number from Zanjeer, but more retro sounding than the traditional Pinky. Shweta Pandit sings her heart out against the disco beats. This song is situtational could definitely danced at a critical part of the movie and compares to Once Upon A Time in Mumbaai's Parda Hai Parda.  2.5/5

The Proper Way to Catch Criminals
Dance In  High Heeled Boots and Shorts

The third item number is Shakila Banoo exclusively features Shreya Ghoshal. Composer Anand Raj Anand knows how to bring in a unique flavor while blending old school with new school, and urban with rural. Ghoshal's voice is naughty enough to pull off this number. Shakila Banoo is high in spice, bringing in various instruments like the tabla and harmonium  and really distinguishes itself from the other two item numbers in Zanjeer. 4/5

Thankfully, there is only one remix in Zanjeer that is Kaatilana M.B.A Club Mix. The song is definitely better this time around due to the extra beat that the other version was lacking previously. Who knows what M.B.A stands for here? Hopefully not a degree.3/5

In the end, the Zanjeer soundtrack is mediocre. The plethora of item numbers overwhelms the soundtrack and lowers its quality as a whole.  The composers seem as if they weren't trying to produce anything special and they certainly didn't except for the two outliers below.

My Picks: Lamha Tera Mera, Shakila Banoo 

Check out my other reviews!
Shuddh Desi Romance: Music Review
Grand Masti: Music Review
BollywoodBegum

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

BollywoodBegum

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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