Number 2

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Before you start reading this, I want to let you know that I’m very sade.

1. No comments on the previous post?! Don’t Mumbai and books interest you? It’s ok if you have a girlfriend or a boyfriend. But if you don’t have one, why not have Mumbai as your jaan for the time being. For my sake, please!!.

2. These days, I spend a lot of time on Orkut talking politics and books. I found that I don’t have a ‘good’ testimonial written by a female or for that matter any testimonial written by a female!!! I have a huge Malhaar complex now. (No problem, medicines from that complex will cure my inferiority complex!!!)

3. Jita tells me that the movies I’ve made with my new handy cam are ‘chu|iya’. Really sade.

Forget it, sarcasm will be in my children’s blood. Don’t know how it entered my blood. Maybe, the effect of staying for 7 years in hostels. Yes, I’ve got a handy cam and have made some really chu|iya videos. But believe me; they only lack a good platform. Ready to watch them?!

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Chhee, you people are so dirty. Not that number 2. My cousin had suggested a better euphemism- five down!

” Whenever there is strong number 1, there is automatically a space for a strong number 2”- roared the CEO/MD of a leading MBA entrance training institute. His recorded ‘Life Transformation Sessions’ are quite a hit among hundreds of MBA aspirants here in Surat. He is very good and can give Sunil Pal or any of the Laughter Champions a run for their money. I’m not mocking, but it is a whole-hearted appreciation of his oratory skills and more importantly his ability to keep the crowd’s interest for close to three hours. I guess the statement he made is true in the context of Pepsi v/s Coke and few other businesses. But he made the statement as if he were the Pope and was laying down the rules of business (Again, this is an appreciation of his skills!)

This post is not about _ _ it, or business or MBA. It is about music. The rule stated by the ‘Pope’ doesn’t apply here. At least when it comes to Hindi movie/album sound tracks. A particular song overshadows other tracks and we fail to notice its beauty, melody, or tune as the case maybe. Maybe, the producers/promoters feel it is prudent to promote a particular song(s). Maybe other songs aren’t publicized because listeners are satisfied with ‘watching’ the song on the promos. Maybe, they don’t buy the album and don’t listen to all the songs. Maybe the countdown charts are just cursory and the producers of these shows don’t go beyond the normal popular fare. Maybe, the audiences aren’t discerning enough. Maybe, I’m making a grand, baseless accusation. Maybe, it’s time to move on.

1.

Forget Summer of ’69. It’s been used and overused so much that it hardly evokes any feeling of nostalgia now. Forget ‘69, even ‘96 has come and gone and it’s ’06 now. Then we have ‘Purani Jeans’. Great song. Conveys the ‘college days are best’ message perfectly. But then it also has been played so many times. Oohoon, no effect. Then come ‘Woh Lamhe’ and came with it the remix in Zeher. Changed the whole essence of the song. Emraan Kissme, aur kitne gaanon ka ghanti bajaaoge? Woh Lamhe, Aadat.What next?!

But why look that far when we have a gem closer home- ‘Gill ‘Te Guitar’ by Rabbi. The song opens with a superb guitar lick by Rabbi and tells the story of Rabbi, his two friends and his guitar. It took me sometime to understand the lyrics. Since then, it’s made a permanent place on my play list. Bulla ki Jaana was path breaking by all means. It helped Punjabi music shed its stereotype image of fully clothed men (head to toe!) dancing with half-clothed women. It gave a new feel, a new look, a new sound and added a whole new dimension to Punjabi music. It’s video no doubt doubled its popularity and indeed was one of the best videos Indi-pop or sufi-rock(whatever you call it) has seen. But I wonder how much a hit Gill ‘Te Guitar would’ve been, had it been given a little more push and a beautiful video shot on it. The college crowd would’ve lapped it up and it’d have become the new generation ‘Yeh Dosti’. The most beautiful lines from the song roughly translated- ‘he called up and said “days pass by easily, but evenings are difficult to pass”. And I find it difficult to pass time on the computer without this song.

2.
Anu Malik is a shocker. Shocker for his blatant lifting of tunes and shocker for the melodious tunes he comes up with once in a blue film, oops blue moon. No wonder he won the National Award for Refugee. But still my favourite song is
‘Panchhi nadiyan pavan ke jhokein,
Anu Malik ko copy karne se koi na roke’

So much flak this man has to face. Most of his music especially of the 90’s and in early 00’s was downright pathetic. With Rahman’s Hindi films releasing once in three blue moons, void left by Panchamda’s demise, Nadeem- Shravan getting too predictable, one had to bear not only Anu’s music but also his voice. Remember Oonchi hai building and Jaanam Samjha karo ?!

But I’m still willing to pardon Anu Malik for one really beautiful composition of his. I believe one of his better works that went relatively unnoticed was ‘Intezaar’ from Paap I asked a friend about this song and with a glint in his eyes and a naughty smile on his face, he replied- “THAT song?!”. Yes, THAT song. The same one in the promos which showed an underwater Udita Goswami’s bare back with two straps. Sadly, it became that song. And the reason is understandable I guess. It is difficult to compete with heavyweights such as ‘Mann ki Lagan’ by Ustad Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Ali Azmat’s ‘Garaj Baras’ Let’s enjoy this song till we do ‘intezaar’ for Anu Malik to come up with a beautiful, melodious composition, for we know music is timeless and also that this wait of ours can become timeless.

3.

Me:‘Parineeta’ ke gaane sune hai kya?!
Him: Haan

M: Kaun se?
H: Piyu bole aur woh ‘train wallah gaana’

M: Music director kaun hai?
H: Koi naya hai. Utna toh pata hai. Aaj ka koi music director ka aisa ‘feel’ nahin hai.

Poor Shantanu Moitra, he gives them a different ‘feel’ and yet they don’t know him too well. No worries, a few more movies and his name will be on everybody’s lips as will his music. HKA was a fantastic debut and he followed it up with Yahaan and 7 1/2 phere. The icing on the cake was of course Parineeta, for it was more ‘mainstream’ (read publicity and media coverage) than Yahaan. I still believe Yahaan as an album is his best work. His best single composition is my all time favorite- Baanwara Mann. Simplicity and melody are the hallmarks of his music. Also to be noted is how he gets the best out of his singers. Sunidhi Chauhan and ‘Kaisi Paheli Zindagaani’?!. I didn’t believe it at the first instance. Will write more on Shantanu Moitra later.

The song in question here is ‘ Raat hamari toh’ from Parineeta. The tune is simple as are the lyrics. Swananand Kirkire’s opening haunts you forever and Chitra’s light melody will fill one’s soul. This song somehow has a very calming effect. Parineeta is a complete album in the sense that all songs are equally good, and ‘Raat Hamari Toh’s role in making this album a complete is as much as Saif’s train song or Rekha’s item dance.


4.
I still remember that day. That was the day I wanted to commit suicide. My belief that my knowledge of Hindi music is up to date was under serious doubt. Also my claim that I was a Rahman fan was under serious cloud. Only after lot of persuasion by Bharath did I drop the idea of suicide.

Till that day, I had not heard Khaamosh Raat. I was walking by the corridor of another block and heard a song sounding deceptively similar to Led Zep’s ‘Rain Song’ . (Bharath vehemently denies any connection between the two songs, but isn’t ‘Telephone dhun mein hasne waali’ reminiscent of ‘ Just beat it’?!!!). Still, Rahman is Rahman and we’ll let him get away on this one.

Here again, it was overshadowed by ‘Rang de’ and moreover Tabu and her dance. This song spawned many kindergarten, pre-primary, primary, high school, arts, commerce and law Tabus at their gatherings, school days and fests. Engineering Tabus?!! NO COMMENTS.

Infact another song from this movie was hailed in the promos as a ‘Rahman genius’ -Bheegi Bheegi. The box-office remained cold to such promotions and Thakshak was called a thaka thaka movie. The promoters relied more on Rahman’s music than Govind Nihalani’s direction. Atleast, that’s the feeling one got out of watching the promos. Is Rahman > Nihalani? Isn’t it Nihalani + Rahman = Great combo= equally great movie(atleast that was the expectation, isn’t it?!).

Let me be khaamosh now. I know how good my math is!!


Some more number 2s.

5.
Awaarapan (Jism) - Bipasha and her skin killed this song.
6.
Raat ki hatheli par(Refugee)- Abhishek and Kareena’s debut made sure this song got no airtime. It took a full month for their faces to appear in the promos. Till then it was the white sand and Abhishek’s voice. Of course, Kareena’s lower back too!.