Raja Natwarlal: Music Review

 Music Composer: Yuvan Shankar Raja

Starring: Emraan Hashmi & Humaima Malik

The music of Raja Natwarlal has high expectations from the beginning. The Hindi music album not only has Emraan Hashmi's name behind it, but also South Indian music director, Yuvan Shankar Raja's. To raise the bar even higher the film's namesake the critically acclaimed, Mr.Natwarlal, which had a weighty music score with, Pardesia. Raja Natwarlal, starring Emraan Hashmi and Pakistani actress, Humaima Malik, is a romantic comedy, so expect a fusion of fun and passion. 

Raja Natwarlal's soundtrack begins with Bollywood's favorite singer, Arjit Singh, singing Tere Hoke Rehengay. This song starts slowly at first with a slow piano and slowly melts into slow electronic beats. Our music director sticks with the usual Hashmi style of his former K.K songs, with the "Ooo ooo" that we saw in "Zara Sa" from Jannat 2 and "Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai" from Gangster. This songs toggles between dramatized keyboard, electronic beats, and guitar, and evolves into a Western classical song as the percussion picks up. There is quite a variety of instrumentals in this songs that are brilliantly swirled together with Singh's strong vocals, leaving nothing wanted. A truly unique song. 4.5/5

Yuvan Shankar Raja really brings in the South Indian flavor into Dukki Tikki. This fun dance number is exactly something you would expect to see in a comedy. Expect an interesting video paired with this one. Complete with whistling and horns, this song is one of the more pleasant different sounding songs that Mika Singh has done before. 5/5

The unconventional qawwaliesque number Kabhi Ruhani Kabhi Rumani is by far the best song on the Raja Natwarlal soundtrack. Intricate classical instrumentals pair beautifully Benny Dayal's voice to breathe life into the song. Just like Tere Hoke Rehengay it transforms dramatically, but in a more refined elegance. The slow tabla playing in the back with skillful chimes and piano sets this song apart from the typical qawwali number. 5/5

We have found Raja Natwarlal's item number in Namak Pare. Our music director is again able to offer something new to the table, utilizing popular singers Mamta Sharma and Anupama Amod in a different way. This song fuses Western instrumentals, classical Indian instrumentals, and the classic South Indian song. Anupama's voice works well to complement Mamta Sharma's voice, although he doesn't get much in. From the beginning this song is able to hook the listener. 5/5

The songs of Raja Natwarlal takes an unusual turn with Flip Your Collar Back. It is very catchy, and offers variety like its predecessors, but the hook of the song doesn't seem to work exactly. Perhaps because it gets really gritty and annoying with the "Flip your collar back off to the sides". This song seems like it could potentially turn into a popular dance craze, like Dhinka Chika, but it does not play too lightly on the ears. 2/5

Tere Hoka Rehengay (reprise) is sung by Shweta Pandit. This song tends very acoustic, and the softer beats allow Pandit's voice to shine brighter through. This song is refreshingly a lighter take on the original song, and besides the lyrics is not very similar from the original. As good as, if not better than the original song, this song truly shines as one of the masterpieces of the soundtrack. 5/5

Raja Natwarlal's soundtrack is by far one of the best of this year.The precision of the soundtrack surpasses all of Emraan Hashmi's previous soundtrack With almost every song having the potential to become a hit, this movie should propel further in cinema. Yuvan Shankar Raja does an amazing job of pulling all different types of genres and musical elements together to create a skillfully produced album. 

My Picks:  Kabhi Ruhani Kabhi Rumani, Tere Hoke Rehengay (reprise), Dukki Tikki, Namak Pare, Tere Hoke Rehengay 

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Hate Story 2

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Hate Story 2: Music Review

Starring Surveen Chawla & Jay Bhanushali

Music Directors: Mithoon, Meet Bros Anjjan, Arko Pravo Mukherjee, Rashid Khan

Hate Story 2 is another Bhatt sequel that is trying to stay afloat in Bollywood. As with Murder and Raaz  the Bhatt's achieve at selling their films with superb music and sexuality. What separates the Hate Story series from the other Bhatt movies is that the firstHate Story did not have a good soundtrack and the film did not offer even one well known actor or actress. Starring in this movie is Punjabi/Tamil/Telegu Surveen Chawla and Jay Bhanushali, relatively unknown to Hindi cinema. However, the music of Hate Story 2 has been sending waves across India before its release. Boasting multiple music directors, like the famous Mithoon and Meet Bros Anjjan, Hate Story 2's album stands among the hit Bhatt soundtracks.

Hate Story 2's soundtrack starts of strongly Aaj Phir Tumpe Pyaar Aaya Hai. If you are young enough to remember the 1988 film, Dayavan, starring Madhuri Dixit and Vinod Khan, this song should register with you immediately, as it is a remake. This remake of Laximikant-Pyarelal's song featuring Pankaj Udhas and Anuradha Paduwal has been replaced and refined by Arjit Singh and Samira Koppikar. This Arko Pravo Mukerjee composition refines, slows and increases the sensuality of the original. Overall an improvement over the original, but nevertheless a remake. 4/5

The Aaj Phir Tumpe Pyaar Aaye Hai (Remix) like all remixes has unnecessary techno and English like "if the shoe fits can you be my Cinderella" or "damn shawty that's very depressing". The remix detracts from the overall tone of the song and makes it into something unnecessary. 2.5/5

The next song Pink Lips is definitely the item number of the soundtrack. The club number composed by the Meet Bros Anjjan and sung by Khushboo Grewal definitely separates itself from the item numbers of these days. They have even roped in ex-pornography star Sunny Leone as the featured dancer for this song. Immediately catchy this song should be something memorable both off screen and on screen. Pink Lips the special Meet Bros Anjjan mark on it. 4.5/5

The Pink Lips (Remix) unlike the Aaj Phir Tumpe Remix this remix does take the song to different levels. Since it is an item club number the extra layer of added beats without the involvement of English lyrics puts the remix above the level of the original song. This is the club version of the more tame original. 5/5

Hate Story 2 gives us Kabhi Aayine Pe sung the famous K.K who gave the Bhatt's some of their their early hits, like for Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai. We see composer Rashid Khan put  K.K back in his comfort zone with Kabhi Aaiyne Pe, but this song does nothing to really change the pace of his usual songs. This slow ballad is, of course. beautiful, but so common with K.K that its not very special. 3.5/5

Hate Story 2 is full of remixes. Actually for every song there is a remix. We are given Kabhi Aaiyne Pe (remix).  This remix takes away from the romantic, ballad feel of the song. Nothing special, but a faster more techno version of the original. 3/5

Hai Dil Ye Mera brings in composer, Mithoon's and his new favorite singer Arjit Singh. This is by far the most romantic song in Hate Story 2. We can see this one perfectly blending in with the Ek Villain or Aashiqui 2. This soft, mellow song brings the pain through Singh's voice. Though it is a very pleasant listen, we don't see Mithoon leave his comfort zone either. He is playing safe with piano and Arjit Singh. 4/5

Hai Dil Ye Mera (remix) offers nothing pleasant, like most of Hate Story 2 remixes. This is probably more of the more useless remixes on the album. Unnecessary once again. 3/5

In the end, the Hate Story 2 soundtrack is very enjoyable. Being a collaboration of many accomplished music directors and singers, the songs of Hate Story 2 come across as melodious and varied. This is the standard Bhatt soundtrack and will definitely attract Bhatt fans. Besides the one good remix, the fact that half the soundtrack was remixes is highly unnecessary.

My Picks: Pink Lips (remix), Aaj Phir Tumpe Pyar Aya Hai, Hai Dil Mera

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CityLights: Music Review

Starring: Raj Kumar Yadav, Patralekha

Music Composer: Jeet Ganguli

Any Bhatt involvement in any Bollywood film usually indicates a fantastic musical score, and such is the case for CityLights. Produced by Mukesh Bhatt, under the Vishesh banner this film carries serious weight in the industry when it comes to musical content and film content. Bengali music producer, Jeet Ganguli reemerges from the woodwork as he toggles between Bengali and Hindi Cinema. His last two Hindi cinema ventures, Raaz 3 and Youngistan, were widely popular. Boasting experienced singers like Ustad Rashid Khan and Usha Utup with younger newcomers like Arjit Singh and Neeti Mohan, this CityLights fuses both of the best worlds.

CityLights begins with Muskurane by Arjit Singh.  This song captures the romantic yearning reminiscent of Raaz 3.  Lyrically and musically, this song follows the somber trepidation of most Bhatt film music, but is different from its predecessors with the special Ganguli touch.The angst of Singh's vocals are smoothed elegantly with a touch of piano and guitar 5/5.

Later in the album, we have a second rendition, Muskurane (unplugged) by Mohammad Irfan. Mohammad Irfan is a rising star in Bollywood, he was seen most recently singing for the Bollywood film Ek Villain, which I address in my music review. This slows the tempo down more than Arjit Sigh's version, bearing a lighter piano sound mixed with violins. Even though slightly different, this song is better than Singh's version. 4/5

The most comfortable way to sit

Darbadar by Neeti Mohan is a haunting song obviously set in the cityscape that  manages to keep the somber trend of the album. Mohan's voice has the tone to masterfully capture a feeling of wandering and loneliness that is expressed throughout CityLights. Again, a rich piano sound and deep emotions adds to the quality of the song. 5/5

Arjit Singh returns once again to CityLights with Ek Charraiya, and this is not the last we see of him. Hitting higher notes than he did with Muskurane, this song is a little more folksy than the first two on the album. Ganguli, I'm sure, has made sure that this captures the essence of Bengali folk songs with the slow beat. This is definitely one of the more optimistic songs on this album, however refined the happiness is kept. Despite the differentiation with Bengali folk, this song doesn't really offer too much. Decent. 3.5/5

Unsurprisingly, Ek Charraiya (unplugged) follows with Ganguli himself behind the microphone. This song is nearly identical to the first version and is not really as unplugged as it says it is.It depends on personal preference, which singer you choose, Jeet Ganguli or Arjit Singh. Ganguli's voice seems to be more suited, this time, to his own composition. 4/5

Arjit Singh has his third win on CityLights with Soney Do. Although this song works to only add to the slow pace the album has set, it intrinsically has its own personal music quality compared to the other. The alaps that Singh does towards the ends of the song add value to this song. Although, it can be more seen as a song to move the film along, it does have its own place, content wise on the album. It has rich instrumentals like the songs before it. 3.5/5

The album ends with an upbeat CityLights(Title Song) that deviates from the rest of the album . Ustad Rashid Khan piece starts beautifully as it is classical against electric guitar. This song gets tarnished quickly, when Usha Utup, who bears a voice bordering on masculine enters the song. Think back to the title song of Hare Rama Hare Krishna in the seventies. She has the hook of the song, unfortunately, and presides over a majority of the song, thus bringing it down with her. Despite all against it, this song is still decent. 3/5

Jeet Ganguli is able to bring the music of CityLights to the heights of Bhatt soundtracks. The music of this film surpasses many of the current albums that are out in Bollywood at the moment with songs that are rich in both musical and lyrical content. Expect this soundtrack to create wave throughout Bollywood.

My Picks: Muskarane, Darbadar, Ek Charraiya 

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Ek Villain: Music Review

Music Directors: Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari 

Starring: Sidarth Malhotra, Shraddha Kapoor & Ritesh Deshmukh 

Mithoon has been composing hit after hit for the Bollywood film industry and he returns once again alongside Akit Tiwari for romantic thriller Ek Villain. The last time Mithoon paired with film director, Mohit Suri, was during the extremely successful album, Aashiqui 2. The music of Ek Villain is packed with just the melody and emotion that you would expect from a Suri film.

The album kicks off with the romantic number, Galliyan, sung solely by Ankit Tiwari, vocalist of the popular Sun Raha Hai from Aashiqui 2. Galliyan starts a little harshly with coarse guitar and then simmers down to a softer tone. Flute instrumentals melt magically with violin. Tiwari's vocals are slow and controlled as usual. 4/5

Galliyan (unplugged) takes a more somber tone. It offers none of the grit Tiwari's Galliyan had and takes a route with just soft guitar and violin. The actress now singer Shraddha Kapoor starts the songs off with hauntingly beautiful vocals, and about three quarters of the way, Ankit Tiwari joins in, keeping on same vocal level as Kapoor. However, the unplugged version of Galliyan really hits its peak when the two sing in unison. Unlike most unplugged version songs, this song offers a totally different experience. 4/5

Mohammad Irfan's solo, Banjaara, takes a slow melodious, Sufi-esque journey. This particular song comes closer to your heart the most it listens to you. There is a subtle loveliness in the instrumentals, and Irfan's voice takes the right path. There is beauty in simplicity in this song, 4.5/5

Pakistani rocker, Mustafa Zahid, joins in the the soundtrack of Ek Villain  with Zaroorat. We hear Zahid in his comfort zone, much like the songs he has given us for Heropanti and Ragini MMS, and for his band Roxen. Unlike it's predecessors, Zaroorat instills more pain and anger. Complex guitar amplifies his voice and takes the song to new heights. Mithoon is able to differentiate this song by complimenting Zahid's voice with unique dramatic instrumentals.  4.5/5

Continuing with Ek Villain's Pakistani music trend is Soch The Band's, Awari. The talent is no less than the usual artists coming in the industry. What separates Soch from the other Pakistani bands is its instrumental versatility. Joining Soch is the the female vocalist, Momina Mustesan. This song begins with staggered piano, which slowly mixes with Mustesan's ghostly vocals. The song dynamically transforms from a somber song into something more powerful with both guitar and sitar and Adnan Dhool of Soch's vocals. This is by far the most unique song on the album. 5/5

"Bugs!"

Arjit Singh offers something special in the emotional, Humdard. This song lyrically reaches into the trenches of romantic pain. Just like Galliyan, this song is controlled and slow, but doesn't offer has much complexity as the songs before it, except for the strange xylophone instruments that falls at intervals in between the vocals. Besides the vocal quality, this song too relaxed, and thus becomes almost boring. 3/5

All in all, Ek Villain delivers exactly what you would expect from a Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari soundtrack. With an array instrumentals and skilled talent from India and Pakistan, these composers were able to create an emotional, high quality musical score. We can only hope to see Mithoon and Ankit Tiwari collaborate with Mohit Suri in the future.


My Picks: Awari, Zaroorat, Banjaara, Galliyan, Galliyan (unplugged)

Chennai Express: Music Review

Music Director: Vishal-Shehkar
Starring: Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone

So, after my Chennai Express: First Look Review I have come back to you with my music critique. Vishal-Shehkar has produced soundtracks for recent popular Shahrukh Khan films, so its  not surprising they would be the composers for Chennai Express. Chennai Express' songs, for the most part, are a ride to South India.

Chennai Express unfortunately begins with One Two Three Four sung by Vishal Dadlani and Hamsika Nayr, This song begins with Tamil verses and flows in to Hinglish for the remainder of the song. This song starts well, and is definitely catchy, but when the English verse "One Two Three Four, Get on the Dance Floor" comes in the song gets very odd. Especially when they say booty shake. These immature lyrics could have easily been done before, but there was a reason why no one else tried this. 2.5/5

Chennai Express redeems itself with Chinmayi Sripad and Gopi Sundar in Titli. This romantic duet song begins beautifully with Tamil verses and continues in Hindi with Tamil slicing through. Its ethereal instrumentals almost give it a magical touch. Chinmayi's and Gopi's smooth voices transition well with each other. Titli is reminiscent of Chandni Chowk to China's Tere Naina. Refined and delicate it is winner all the way. Officially obsessed. 5/5

Four! Booty Shake Booty Shake!

Tera Rastaa Chhodoon Na unites Amitabh Bhattacharya and Anusha Mani for a romantic number. This song plays a little on Titli's beats, but its a little fast paced. Bhattacharya sounds uninterested, while Mani excels. This song is purely situational, so it might go well with the film's narrative, but its not good to listen alone. 3/5

Next is Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari  featuring Sunidhi Chauhan, Arjit Singh, and Neeti Mohan. I'm glad to see Arjit Singh-Sunidhi combo.This song is not bad, but it sounds like it should be in a musical. It's cute, and definitely one of the better tracks of the album. Arjit Singh and Sunidhi's voice coincide with Shahrukh and Deepika's. 4/5

The fourth song is Ready Steady Po, primarily featuring Vishal Dadlani and a handful of singers. This song falls into the obscure desirap/electronica/dubstep category. This song is mostly rapped in English and is at the most mildly desi flavored. Its almost like a unbearable second theme for the movie.What were they thinking here? 2/5

"Our soundtrack is disappointing."
"I know. It's sad, isn't it?

SP Balasubramanyam returns to Bollywood with the song Chennai Express. This song starts off horribly, but when Jonita Gandhi's voice comes in it picks up pace a little. I was astonished that this song also had dubstep and a lot of English verses inside. The only good part is the hook "Chenai-ai-ai-ai", and there is nothing more to say. SP's voice has definitely aged. This is supposed to be the theme for the movie, and it's exactly what it is. 2.5/5

Dubstep comes back once again in Titli (Dubstep Version). This song doesn't compare to the original version of Titli, but can work for dubstep listeners, as it ties the major elements of dubstep together with all the right Bollywood elements. 4/5

Chennai Express Mashup is just a deranged swirl of all the songs in the soundtrack with yet another dubstep twist. There is nothing good about this. At moments it gets loud, unbearable and headache inducing. It will most likely be playing as the ending credits are rolling. 1/5

Chennai Express' soundtrack ultimately fails because of its overwhelming use of dubstep and English verses. The soundtrack could have been better if they stuck more to the Indian roots instead of trying to tackle multiple genres. I expect better from Vishal-Shehkar.

My Picks: Titli & Dubstep Version, Kashmir Tu Kanyakumari

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Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani: Music Review

Music Director: Pritam

Starring: Ranbir Kapoor, Deepika Padukone, Kalki Kochelin, Kunaal Roy Kapur

Pritam is back with a new soundtrack, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. This Ranbir-Deepika comeback rom-com gives leeway for Pritam to experiment. This soundtrack brings the energizing rhythm, while bringing cool, refreshing songs into the mix. Of course, we can always expect a few memorable songs from Pritam album (stolen or not stolen) and here is no different.

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani begins with the dance number Badtameez Dil. I have to admit I was obsessed with the 1 minute and 45 second long trailer until the release of the full length song. The sound of the saxophone and the trumpets add a classy touch to the nonsensical lyrics.Words flow seamlessly into each other like aloo bhatt, puri bhatt, and  bollywood, hollywood, jollygood. There is lots of rhymes and alliteration, so once Benny Dayal's voice pulls you in it never lets you go. However, Shefali Alvaris' voice is not very pleasant when it comes in at the end of the song. It sounds electronic and autotuned, and does not tie into Benny's smooth word flow. To me it should have been Benny solo. Nevertheless, still a good song. 4/5

Next is Balam Pichkari featuring Shalmali Kholgade and Vishal Dhadlani. Shalmali's voice is a bit eccentric, but its just what it takes to kick-start the song, after the traditional beginning. This is fun, quirky Holi song, we have traditional sounds with violin and whistling. The lyrics are as fun as the beat, and Shalmali and Vishal make an amazing pair. This song is a winner all the way through. 5/5

Our Mohit Chauhan track is Illahi. The song begins with chanting and guitar. This is definitely the young man refreshing song of the album. Illahi separates itself from the first two songs. In the interludes, there is a chorus of children chanting "Na Na Na". Because of the chorus wouldn't listen to this song on its own, but I think this works very well in the movie. 3/5

Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani picks up again with Dilliwali Girlfriend featuring Arjit Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan.  This one has small touches of bhangra and has a desi tune with some English thrown in the middle. This sounds like a typical Pritam wedding song, almost like Soniye Ve Dhak Dhak from Kismat Konnection. Pritam seemed to copy his own style this time. Its a good track, but its really nothing new. 3/5

There are two versions of Kabira. Kabira (Original) features Tochi Raina and Rekha Bhardwaj. This song slow rock melody and both artists' voice are raw with pain. The second version, Kabira (Encore) by Hashdeep Kaur and Arjit Singh has much more soul. We have a more traditional song with a lighter melody in this outing. The chorus and Indian instrumental enhances the beauty of this song.  The encore is like a slow, peaceful ride through the countryside. 3/5 & 5/5

Sreeram and Shilpa Rao's Subhanallah is the romantic duet of Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani. Its a light, uplifting song about falling in love that borders on cheesy at
times. To me, it sounds like a re-creation of Shukraan Allah from Kurbaan. Nevertheless, its fresh and exhilerating, with Sreerams squeaky clean vocals. 4/5

Lastly, there is Ghagra our item number staring Madhuri Dixit. So we have a older woman's voice, Rekha Bhardwaj, and a younger man's voice, Vishal Dhadlani. This song begins slow, but picks up pace. However, it lacks the spice and flash that other item numbers have. There are some hooks, but more is needed to make this song a chartbuster. 3.5/5

In the end, Yeh Jawani Hai Deewani has a few fantastic numbers, but most of the songs are lacking elements that will help them stand out from other songs like its kind.

My Picks: Balam Pichkari, Kabira (Encore), Badtameez Dil, Subhanallah

Issaq: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-issaq_21.html

Ghanchakkar: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-reviewsghanchakkar.html

Lootera:http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-review-lootera.html

Raanjhanaa: http://bollywoodbegum.blogspot.com/2013/06/bollywood-music-reviews-raanjhanaa.html

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