Zarah phir se kehna!

So does anyone remember which song the title of this post is taken from?

If you said yes, then congratulations! You truly are a 90s bollywood fan! Did you also mug up lyrics by the dozen, not just the mukda, but the antara(s) even!?

Mugging up the lyrics, was completely necessary, to win the imaginary Close-up Antakshari you would play in your mind, or for the saner ones, to identify the music or/and know the lyrics before any of the Deewanas, Parwanas or Mastanas pressed the buzzer! Lyrics were very important you see, you could lose if you even got 1 word wrong! Annu Kapoor was damn strict that way!

Kidding? Not really. I was, and still, am enamoured by the lyrics. I love exploring the meanings, the composition, the use of certain words and the way it is strung together. Sometimes it becomes more dear or meaningful after watching the movie. Context adds a lot of weight.

Back in my teens, even in my 20s, I used to listen to a lot of songs, mostly Hindi ones, sometimes on loop (from cassettes slowing transitioning to the internet or forwards from friends). Learning the lyrics by heart came naturally. Singing not so much! But still I persisted, even almost winning a Corporate Antakshari once! Our team came a close second and one thing was ticked off my bucket list.

Although, I must admit that am a little rusty now. So it came as a pleasant surprise when this happened today.

I was listening to a 90s playlist from Saavn (I really like the way some of the playlists are compiled), and this 1 song started playing. Back then the general consensus of the audience was that the movie should have been named "Rani". Got the movie yet? Yes, it was "Raja", the Sanjay Kapoor-Madhuri Dixit starrer, that had a pathetic plot (if you would call it a plot, that is), but some good songs. Remember 'Akhiyan milaaon'? It was a popular number back then. But when this song - 'Kisi din banoongi mein Raja ki Rani' started playing, suddenly I could remember everything about it - not just the song, but the costumes, places, hell, even Madhuri's hairstyle and earrings! I was able to lip-sync the mukhda, then the 1st antara, and then even the 2nd one! It felt so familiar, as though I had just listened or watched it yesterday. This was some obscure movie, watched at least 20 years ago, maybe listened or watched the song a few more times after that. It is, indeed, remarkable how the brain stores information and that too, with such clarity!

I was really amazed. So much, that I quickly jumped to this blog and started to write this post! Some of you might think 'how is this a big deal anyway?'
Well, you were probably the ones who said 'No' to my first question anyway!

Katheyondha Helidhe....

The new breed of directors/actors in Kannada movie industry are truly making a mark. Be it Lucia, RangiTaranga, U-Turn or for that matter, a college story like Kirik Party. The freshness and innovation that these guys brought to the table, is what makes them stand apart. There have been other good movies - GBSM, a few arty movies, but since I have not watched them, I am not talking about them.

 I read a review of Kirik Party by Rangan (link) and what he says is true! This movie indeed was a musical! Be it the slow waltz (while the fight happens), or breaking into a song when the guys are suspended. Brilliant take. I did like the background score of Ulidavaru Kandante too, but this movie takes the cake! (hey, I am turning into a rhyming expert!)

The tunes are so infectious (The trumpet in Kaagadada Doniyalli or the chorus in Belageddu, Katheyondha, for eg). Nice work by the music director - Anjaneesh Loknath.
I esp. loved the hat-tip to Ravichandran and Hamsaleka in "Hey, who are you" song! Took me back to the time of Prema-Loka, Ranadheera. :)
The lyrics of the songs are also lovely. The use of some of the bhaava geetes ( Toogu Mancha and Neecha Nalige(?)) is refreshing.
The singers have done a great job, some established and some new names, a good mix altogether.

 Wrt the movie, the last part was a tad long and the plot seemed lost. A tighter second half would have made it even more enjoyable!

Check out the album in Saavn, or better still, watch the movie in the theatre (It has English Subtitles!) and then listen to the songs. They grow on you that way.

Ishq pyar mohabbat etc etc

I wasn't sure why I wanted Aashiqui 2 to work, apart from the lovely songs that is. There was something in it which appealed to me. I think i now know what and why.

http://moifightclub.wordpress.com/2013/04/30/whats-happened-to-love-in-movies-today-or-%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BF%E0%A4%B2-%E0%A4%8F-%E0%A4%A8%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%A6%E0%A4%BE%E0%A4%81-%E0%A4%A4%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%9D%E0%A5%87-%E0%A4%B9%E0%A5%81%E0%A4%86/


p.s: Its a Must-read for all the movie-buffs out there. Brilliant piece of writing.
p.s2: no, haven't watched the Aashiqui 2, found out how the movie ends and do not want to see it, not yet.

All in a day's work

I am not able to express entirely what’s there on my mind for sometime now. But yesterday I could indeed put a few into words and realized a few. And here they are…

- It's not everyday you get emotionally attached to people you work with. But sometimes it does happen. And when different/separate paths loom ahead, the detachment is what is really painful.

- You just cannot bring yourself to speak when there's that feeling of a knot in your throat, and tears threatening to emerge the moment you even think of opening your mouth.

- You can indeed cry your heart out and laugh your guts out – all within a matter of a few hours!!!

In other things,

Aap Ka Suroor [The Moviee-The Real Luv Story] is hilarious. You just can’t stop laughing at the absurdity. The only thing which I was not amused with – Usage of the Gayatri mantra. Nevertheless, go to the movie with a cheerful and fun-loving gang and be entertained!

Bright and Gloomy

Let me come to the gloomy part first. Because this is more recent. There was no cable transmission in our locality yesterday. I missed the 52nd Filmfare Award ceremony!!! :-( For a complete Bollywood freak like me, this loss is, I must say, pretty heavy. Sigh! I missed Hrithik' and sSridevi's performance, which according to my "I-watched-the-filmfare-awards" colleagues (hmph!!) were damn good. Well, have to either wait for the re-telecast or until some kind soul uploads it to youtube.

The Bright part, well...... :-) "Mungaaru MaLe". I don't think I need to explain the "Bright"ness. But nevertheless, will still explain.

A Kannada movie which is a welcome relief among the recent released movies (family dramas with a sister or mother in trouble or the good-boy-turned-goonda kinds)
Cinematography [By Krishna], acting (well...not considering the heroine here), story (clichéd but depicted nicely), screenplay, music, lyrics [anything left?? :-) ] are all very good. Worth mentioning is the excellent acting prowess of Ganesh, the hero (better known as Comedy-time Ganesh).

The lyrics are worth applauding. Not at all offensive or explicit. It does not even have English/Hindi words in between (which seems to be a trend from some time).
It’s been penned by Jayant Kaykani (Anisuthde, KuNidu, AraLuthiru), Shiva (Suvi Suvvali, Ivanu), Kaviraj (Onde Ondu Saari) and Yograj Bhat (the director himself for the title track). Full credit for the whole cast and crew for making a wonderful movie.

However, one thing I did not find convincing is the pronunciation of some words in the songs by Bollywood singers – Sunidhi, Udit, Sonu. It could have been better if they had used singers from our industry only.

I still have another reason to feel bright about.
Don't know if it's appropriate to write about it now. Well, all I can and will say is that I am very happy for you guys [N and S]. :-D