Listening to: Rang De Basanti (2006)

Sometimes a movie makes such an impact that I am reluctant to re-watch it, fearing a loss of that impact. Rang De Basanti is one such film. After six years, as I prepared myself to watch it again, I told myself to be objective as I needed the eyes and ears of a critic. I failed miserably. The movie involved me from the first scene to the last and as I watched the credits with the remnants of tears streaking down my cheeks, I could only think ‘Whence objectivity?’.

The truth is that my emotional involvement started a long while back. I had read of Bhagat Singh and Chandrashekar Azad when I was at school and these boys were my heroes from then. When in 2006 I told the story to my son, he said ‘Oh they were terrorists were they?’. I looked with shocked eyes at him.  I could not bear to have them called that. No, I am not uninvolved.

The first kudos is for the script – Rang De Basanti is beautifully written with main characters painted with a deft but sure brush. Within 20 mins or so, I knew who they were, what made them tick.

A young English woman, Sue, wants to make a film about Bhagat Singh, Azad, Rajguru, Ashfaqulla Khan and Bismil. Her connection? Her grandfather was their jailor and had kept a diary. She comes to India. Her Indian friend Sonia and her mates, DJ, Karan, Aslam and Sukhi are roped in to act for the film. The discordant note is set by the one outside recruit – Laxman, a political activist. Two stories unfold before us then. There is a story of young men who fought against the British on ideology and belief and little else in the late 1920’s, Lilliputian Davids against Goliath. Here in the early 2000’s, the young men have little in common with the parts they play. They are drifters in life with neither nationalism nor ideology. It is as if the worlds of these two sets of men can only meet in the celluloid.

An event changes all this. A friend and Sonia’s fiancé Ajay, an Airforce pilot, is killed in an accident. There is talk of old spare parts from Russia, political corruption, cover-ups. Politicians turn the story on its head, calling the pilot inept. From here things get quickly out of hand.  Are they influenced by the story they just filmed? These two disparate sets of young men separated by decades slowly become superimposed, one on the other. They decide to kill the politician in charge of the corrupt deal. But the media makes him out to be a martyr instead. They have to do what Bhagat, Azad and the other boys did. They have to come out in the open to acknowledge responsibility and state their case. These boys had not been able to identify with the revolutionaries whose parts they played; now their stories become one.

The film has been made perfectly. I have some serious reservations about showing this kind of violent activism on screen but if I keep that aside, I can find nothing to fault. Next to Aamir, I was taken especially by the intensity of Siddharth Nayaran. However, all the actors have done an excellent job. There is no one-upmanship – each part, small or big, contributes equally to the film.

This is a brilliant film.

Lets come to the music. A.R.Rahman has composed music which melds perfectly with the mood of the film. Those who read my posts know that I am a traditionalist. I like songs which have good melodies and lyrics, songs which are voice-centric. This album is not for the traditionalist. However, the songs are a fitting background to the film and add to the drama. The film would be much poorer without them; ARR has to be acknowledged for that. Prasoon Joshi is to be congratulated on his lyrics as well.

• Paathshaala – Aslam, Blaaze, Naresh Iyer. There are two versions of this song, one a dance song and the other a rap mood-setter. Both work well as picturised, defining the carefree and rather daredevil nature of this group. I found myself tapping to the rhythm and swaying to the beat. 
• Ik Onkar – Harshdeep Kaur. Shot in the Golden Temple, it is a serene prayer song. Thankfully ARR has left it with little instrumentation.
• Rang De Basanti – Chitra, Daler Mehendi. I enjoyed this high energy Bhangra title song and its excellent picturisation. Good cinematography keeps the memory of the song alive. The singers do a decent job.
• Khalbali – Aslam, A.R.Rahman, Nacim. Arabic sounds with a good beat, this is another very atmospheric song. Though I will not choose to hear this by itself, I was drawn to it thanks to its setting in the film.
• Tu Bin Bataye – Naresh Iyer, Pandhshree. The only romantic duet in this film, it should have appealed but did not touch any chord.
• Luka Chupi – Lata Mangeshkar, A.R.Rehman. Lata’s voice is not what it used to be, but as it stands in the movie, it does fine as the mental voice of Waheeda. A.R.Rahman for the first time impresses me with his singing. The lyrics are cleverly done, a mother playing hide-and-seek with her child  and worrying about not finding him to match this mother who will never find her son again.

  तेरी राह तके अँखियाँ जाने कैसा कैसा होये जिया
  धीरे धीरे आँगन उतरे अंधेरा मेरा दीप कहाँ
  ढलके सूरज करे इशारा चंदा तू है कहाँ
  लुका छुपी बहुत हुई सामने आजा ना
  कहाँ कहाँ ढूँढा तुझे थक गई है अब तेरी माँ
  आजा साँझ हुई मुझे तेरी फिकर
  धुंधला गई देख मेरी नज़र, आजा ना
  I like this song very much indeed. An emotional and touching song.

• Khoon Chala – Mohit Chauhan. Another background song which adds to the mood of the film. Interesting that such a gentle sounding song works well to rouse the blood!  I am not a Mohit fan however, wish it had been some other singer.
• Lalkar – Aamir Khan. A poetry reading. Beautifully written by Prasoon Joshi.
• Roobaroo – Naresh Iyer, A.R.Rahman. Another atmospheric background song with  lyrics to match the setting. Sets mood well enough but I find the melody to be a bit repetitive.

To listen to the whole album, click here.

My selection for today is Luka Chupi. As the movie does not use the complete song, listen to the audio version for the full song.

And for the sheer colourful joy of it, watch the title song here (sorry, embedding disabled).

Listening to: Ghajini (2008)

There are but few films that I have seen on the big screen in last 25 years, Ghajini is one of those. We happened to be in India en famille when it was released and we went within the first week to see it. We all came out of the theatre very well satisfied with the experience. This is in spite of my not liking violence in films and my children being, at that time, dismissive of Bollywood fare.  After three years, I watched it again today to see why I found the film interesting.

Aamir is without doubt one of the most powerful actors of our times in Bollywood. In this film he flexes his acting muscles with as much ease as he flexes his perfectly built-up physical ones.

A young man of power and success meets an ingenuous young woman who charms him almost without volition. They are from different worlds and he puts his aside when he is with her – is that her charm? He guards his identity; she never knows till the end who he really is. It seems to me that he guards this special place where, for him, only they reside.

Horror strikes. The young woman who always lends a helping hand gets involved in rescuing young girls from girl-traffickers. This leads to her murder and him being horribly hurt. He develops a strange condition which leaves him with only a memory of the last 15 mins of his life. With revenge in his quite limited memory he relentless pursues his enemies. How does he do it? Can he succeed?  If this sounds familiar, perhaps you have seen Memento.

Aamir has a double-role in effect. He is extraordinary in his subtle performance as the quiet man with little to say but whose every expression shows his fascination, his amazement, his delight in this young woman who is so very different from him. And post-memory loss, Aamir becomes another self, one who pursues revenge relentlessly, with robotic precision, reminding us of the Terminator. Aamir’s genius is in totally convincing us that these two personas are one and the same. Hats off!! One of the most poignant moments is when towards the end, right in the middle of a fight, he loses the point and wanders through ill-lit corridors without recognition, lost, just as he is lost in life. A metaphor of the film, perfectly emoted by Aamir.

Asin as his girl and Pradeep Rawat as Ghajini provide able support. I am not sure whether it was Jiah Khan I didn’t like or her character; in either case I did not take to her. Riyaz Khan as the inspector left a poor impression.

I am a fan of Rahman’s old music, not his current generation albums. Yet there are some moments in this album which gives me pause. Lyrics by Prasoon Joshi are very good.

• Aye Bacchoo – Suzanne. It came across as made-for-MTV kind of song. I liked the guitar interlude but otherwise..no.
• Behka – Karthik. Very nice young sound with Aamir sporting an equally young and cool look to match. A heart for Karthik’s smooth singing, good choreography and an amusing picturisation.
• Lattoo – Shreya Ghoshal. I am shocked at myself for liking this song! Quite unlike me to listen to songs of this ilk! I blame it on Shreya for her simply superb voice which coos Yaar Yaar with such perfectness that it beguiles me into listening again!!
• Guzarish – Javed Ali, Sonu Nigam. The song is preceded by some brilliant poetry by lyricist Prasoon Joshi.
  बस एक हाँ के इंतज़ार में रात यूं ही गुज़र जायेगी

  अब तो बस उलझन है सात मेरे नींद कहाँ आयेगी
  सुबह की किरण न जाने कौन सा सन्देश लायेगी
  रिमझिम सी गुनगुनायेगी या प्यास अधूरी रह जायेगी
  Can the uncertainty before a proposal be better expressed? Sonu Nigam’s humming is simply beautiful. I decided after a couple of listens that I didn’t like Javed Ali’s singing here, nor the orchestration. Nice melody and nice lyrics make up somewhat.

• Kaise Mujhe Tum – Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal.  A contemplative and romantic song with a beautiful melody. The gentle touch with the instruments to match the gentleness of the lyrics and melody is well done.
  ज़िन्दगी सितार हो गयी
  रिमझिम मल्हार हो गयी
  मुझे आता नहीं किसमत पे अब यकीन
  कैसे मुझको मिले तुम
  I also loved the moodiness of the picturisation. Benny Dayal is quite good but does he not sound as if he mimics Rahman in the higher reaches? !!! Shreya is fabulous – I am a fan! Kudos to Rahman for a beautiful offering.

To listen to the whole album, click here. My choice for today is Kaise Mujhe Tum.

And for Aamir fans, a bit of fun with Aamir playing dress-up in Behka.

Listening to: Roja (1992)

This film is proof that a decent film can be made with a simple concept. In essence, Roja is a love story painted on a background of terrorism. The first part describes the arranged marriage which brings the protagonists together and the small hiccups before the pair settle down. Then the movie moves on to the young man being abducted while on an assignment in Kashmir and the trauma that both people go through in quite different ways. It ends happily for those who, like me, prefer happy endings.

There are deeper questions which are addressed superficially – individual well-being vs collective interest, nationalism vs zealotry, terrorism and its cost, the ethics of prisoner exchange, child soldiers, collateral damage in war etc. All these are only touched upon with not much commentary; the director keeps his eyes focused on the protagonists. 

The leads Arvind Swamy and Madhoo give good performances. The director, Mani Ratnam, retains a reasonable pace and holds our interest throughout. But for me, the films stands out for two exceptional factors, the cinematography and the music.

One cannot see the film without noticing the extraordinary camera work. The lighting is so perfect! Each shot seems to be lovingly composed. Be it the lovely lush village of the South or the snow peaked wilderness of the North, the camera has captured the beauty of all it has surveyed. I paused often, looking at a frame like I would look at a painting in a museum. Santosh Sivan is not without reason the most awarded Director of Photography in India. He is an artist extraordinaire. I am a fan.

Musically, this film is very important because it is the debut movie score of wunderkind A.R.Rahman. With two Academy Awards, two Grammy Awards, four National Awards and fifteen Filmfare Awards, to name a few, his career has been exemplary. I fell in love with the music of Roja when I first heard it in 1992; nearly 20 years later I still listen to this album with great pleasure. In fact, I believe I like this early phase of Rahman’s music more than his later work.  This score was included in the Time Magazine Top-10 Soundtracks of all time in 2005. Vairamuthu’s lyrics are a good match for the beauty of Rahman’s music. A collector’s album. Note: The songs were translated into Hindi as well but as I listen only to the Tamil version, I cannot comment on them.

• Chinna Chinna Asai – Minmini. A lovely list of wishes, this song reminds me of the sweetness of ‘favourite things’ from Sound of Music.

  சின்ன சின்ன ஆசை சிறகடிக்கும் ஆசை
  முத்து முத்து ஆசை முடிந்து வைத்த ஆசை
  வெண்ணிலவு தொட்டு முத்தமிட ஆசை
  என்னை இந்த பூமி சுற்றிவர ஆசை
  மல்லிகை பூவாய் மாறிவிட ஆசை
  தென்றலை கண்டு மாலை இட ஆசை
  மேகங்களை எல்லாம் தொட்டுவிட ஆசை
  சோகங்களை எல்லாம் விட்டுவிட ஆசை
  Little wishes, winged wishes,
  Pearl like wishes, secreted wishes,
  A wish to touch the moon and kiss it,
  A wish that the world circle around me,
  A wish to change into a Jasmine flower,
  A wish to garland a spring breeze,
  A wish to touch all the clouds,
  A wish to leave all sadness.
  

•  Rukmani – S.P.Balasubramaniam, Chitra. The lyrics make me uncomfortable as they are explicit, on the edge of vulgar, but the melody is very appealing. The rhythm section of Rahman’s ensemble conduct a veritable masterclass! A.R.Rahman’s magic is woven throughout. The choreography is excellent, this song is both worth listening to and worth watching.
• Pudhu Vellai Mazhai – Sujatha, Unni Menon. A slow and gentle song beautifully sung by Sujatha and Unni Menon. I love the instrumental interludes.
• Kadal Rojave – Sujatha, S.P.Balasubramaniam. Simply perfect! Lovely melody and equally beautiful interludes. How romantic are the lyrics! கண்ணுக்குள் நீதான் கண்ணீரில் நீதான் கண்மூடிப் பார்த்தால் நெஞ்சுக்குள் நீதான். ‘Only you in my eyes, only you in my tears, and if I close my eyes and see, only you in my heart.’ Well said!
• Tamizha Tamizha – Hariharan.  A nationalistic song, it starts quietly but rises to this wonderful exuberant crescendo which brings on goosebumps! Great music.

You can listen to the album here.

I have selected two songs for you. Kadal Rojave is my favourite from this album.

And you must watch Rukmani for the dancing and the rhythms :

Listening to: Swadesh (2004)

I remember this ‘uncle’ from my childhood who would always go on and on about how only K.L.Saigal was worthy of being called a singer and how Kishore Kumar and Mohammad Rafi were nothing to him. I also remember thinking what a bore this uncle was! Fearing that I will turn into a similar bore with my liking for old music, I try to keep up with the music of today. Like ‘uncle bore’, I too find much to complain about modern music but thankfully I find nuggets which I enjoy as well. Remembering a lovely melody from Swades, I decided to re-watch it today.

I am mystified as to why I don’t remember this film well from my first viewing. It was engaging and surprisingly sensible at places. Shah Rukh puts in a good performance. Being a NRI, I felt a strong sense of connection with this film.

What I liked about the film :

• From caravan to string bed, from shower to well water, from jeans to Dhoti, from bottled water to not, from a view through a camera to becoming part of the scene, the journey of the protagonist is well depicted.
• Supporting characters were very convincing – the loving nanny, the cook with ambitions of travelling abroad, the stick-in-the-mud traditionalist, the garrulous friendly postman – I recognised all these people. Even the lead was an egg-head like so many fellow NRIs (and no, not the top boss but a cog-in-the-wheel! Even that small point won me over!)
• An excellent discussion in the second half of the film about customs and rituals. I too have heard people who have never set foot outside India tell me ‘We have something others don’t have, our customs and heritage’ as if the customs and heritage of all other people of the world is somehow less important! The protagonist takes the side of the argument  I normally take.
• Touched on some major ills of Indian society without much melodrama. Even knowing it was cinematic manipulation, I was touched.

My complaints :

• अपने ही पानी में पिघलना बर्फ का मुक़द्दर होता है someone says in this film. Is that not quite contrary to the forward thinking views which this film supports? This statement may be used to imply that Indians should stay in India (as in the film) but also to say people should stay within their own castes and limitations. As a lifelong expatriate, I feel that my family has contributed not only to our adopted countries but to our birth country in equal measure. I resent the implication of this statement.
• The leading lady was not likeable. Even her introduction was so…cold. Her perpetually irritated expression was not becoming at all. Even in an important emotional scene later in the movie, I found her very unconvincing.

I’ve talked more about the film than I normally do. Let me get to the music. A.R.Rahman has done a good job and the lyrics by Javed Akhtar are very appropriate at times. The choice of placement of songs is a bit formulaic – it includes a road song, a children’s song, a religious song, a romantic song and a patriotic song!

• Yun Hi Chala Chal – Udit Narayan, Kailash Kher, Hariharan.  I admire Kailash Kher’s sufiana music and he does a good job here. Udit Narayan, I always admire. Good song.
• Ahista Ahista – Udit Narayan, Sadhna Sargam.  Very little instrumentation allows us to enjoy Udit Narayan’s voice to its full extent. Sadhna sounds good too. Like!  
• Yeh Tara Woh Tara – Udit Narayan. Good lyrics, good message and well sung.
• Sanwariya Sanwariya – Alka Yagnik – Lovely melody. Alka normally has a great reach but her voice is strained in the higher octave. Nice instrumental interlude.
• Pal Pal Hai Bhari – Madhushree, Vijay Prakash, Ashotosh Gowrikar. Boring tune. Enjoyed the Ramlila though..
• Dekho Na – Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan.  Soft. Romantic.
• Yeh Jo Des Hai – A.R.Rahman . I can’t say I am a fan of Rahman’s singing but sometimes it works for me. Not this time.

You can listen to the whole album here. But for today, my song choice is purely for its charming melody. Enjoy!

Listening to: Kandukondain Kandukondain (2000)

Successful Tamil films often get re-made into Hindi films. I am not sure why this wasn’t, for this was a superbly made film. But in a way, I am happy as remakes often spoil the flavour of the original. And this flavour should not be spoilt. I would encourage newcomers to the Tamil film world to borrow/buy a copy with subtitles and watch this vastly entertaining film. Based on Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, it has been ‘indianised’ to a degree that it doesn’t feel alien at all. Well done S.Rangarajan – ‘Sujatha’ for the story and Rajiv Menon for the screenplay.

There are many good reviews online for those who are interested. As usual, I’ll just remark on whatever caught my attention..

• Tabu is both beautiful and talented – for me this film showcased her to perfection!
• I have seen Srividya as a leading lady many years ago; she impressed me then with her expressive face and she does so again as an older but still beautiful woman
• I am not a great Aishwarya fan but her beauty is spellbinding in this film. The role suits her well.
• Mamootty has more presence in the nail of his little finger than many ‘heroes’ one is forced to see…what a personality!! I need to get all his older films and give myself a treat..
• Ajith is charming and very good in this film.  I was introduced to him at a restaurant by our host 4-5 years back; he is even better looking in person!
• I took a dislike to Abbas even before the role made him out to be a weakling..wonder why..

But I am here to talk about the music and it is truly wonderful!! This is A.R.Rehman in his melodious years; an album to fall in love with, an album to listen to again and again. The lyrics by Vairamuthu are excellent.

• Konjum Mainakkale – Sadhana Sargam. A very imaginative picturisation with a lovely dance by Aishwarya. I enjoy seeing it. I also love all the instrumental interludes.
• Kannamoochi – Chitra. I can’t see this without remembering my niece who bought the exact same pavadai-thavani, jewellery et al and who looked as pretty as Aishwarya does in it ! Great Bharatanatyam moves integrated into the dance routine, very well choreographed.
• Enna Solla Pogirai – Shankar Mahadevan காதலின் கேள்விக்கு கண்களின் பதில் என்ன மௌனமா ? says the lyricist, how apt! Is the answer to the question posed by my love only silence? And later, the song goes on to say ‘ it takes only a second to say No, but it would take me a another lifetime to bear that’.. A beautifully written and sung song.
•  Enge Enathu Kavithai – Chitra, Sreenivas. I have always loved Chitra’s voice and she sounds divine in a song which seems written for her! A.R.Rehman’s stamp is there with beautiful background chorus and instrumentals. A song which touches one’s heart.
• Smiyai – Clinton Devan, Dominique Cerejo. A good dance number with great beats. Some sixties sound incorporated into a 90’s sound…
• Suttum Vizhi – Hariharan. An absolutely brilliant rendition of Bharathiyar’s classic poetry, I was addicted to this song for a time. My dislike of Abbas is what keeps me from seeing on youtube all the time! Thank you AR Rehman, the classic sounds beautiful in your hands!
• Kandukondain – Hariharan, Mahalaxmi Iyer. Shot in Scotland, the settings are beautiful yet I do not like the picturisation at all! That said, the song is still lovely.

To listen to the whole album, click here.

With three songs I love, and two other colourful dances which will make great viewing, I have to admit I am stumped as to what to present in this blog! I recommend again that you see this film, if only for the music. Well, ok, I’ve made my choices – it is Enna Solla Pogirai for the beauty of the song and Tabbu’s loveliness.

And Kannamoochi for the dancing :

Listening to: Taal (1999)

This album used to be a family favourite once upon a time. But like much of filmi music, it lost favour after a while and then got relegated to history. But it had been played often enough  for the songs to have been etched in memory. So out of curiosity to see what had attracted us to this album, I decided to listen to the music and re-watch the film as well.

The film, though not fascinating, didn’t force me into too many fast-forwards. Some miscellaneous things which caught my attention :

• Akshay Khanna has hair on his head!
• Aishwarya has aged after all! She looks very young and flawless in this film.
• She’s good at Yoga, really flexible.
• The latest digital camera of those times looks like a brick.
• Cliff edges are dangerous places to do yoga..and if you’ve once fallen off a cliff, I would expect you to avoid it at all costs..
• Amrish Puri has a fantastic voice and his diction is SO good.

Except for these very salient observations, I’ll go on to the music as this blog is not about movie reviews. But you must read this very amusing review by Roger Ebert, it left me giggling !

This is thing – the music didn’t grab me. I was surprised, as both music director A.R.Rehman and lyricist Anand Bakshi won Filmfare awards for their efforts. Oh, it was good of course, but didn’t feel great.  Judge for yourself :

• Kariye na – Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh. Very nice folk song.
• Taal se Taal – Alka Yagnik, Udit Narayan. The second version is with Sukhwinder Singh, I like this one better. A good title song, it tends to stick in memory. Excellent choreography and dancing.
• Ishq bina  – Anuradha Sriram, Sujatha, Sonu Nigam, A.R.Rehman. There is a second version by Kavita Krishnamurthy and Sukhwinder Singh. which I liked better. Nice choreography again. 
• Ni main samajh gayee – Sukhwinder Singh, Richa Sharma. Lovely ethnic sounds.
• Kahin Aag Lage – Asha Bhonsle, Aditya Narayan, Richa Sharma. Great choreography but the song I can pass.
• Ramta jogi – Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik. Now this is a fun song, very memorable. Nice choreography again. I remember my daughter wrapping herself in a white sheet and trying to imitate Aishu. It always brings a smile to my lips.
• Nahin Samne – Sukhwinder Singh, Hariharan. A slow and soft song. The picturisation in a windswept street is very nice, poetic almost.

Here’s a link to the album.

And my choice for the day? In memory of my daughter-in-a-sheet, its Aishwarya bending in all ways in Ramta Jogi:

Ramta Jogi–Sukhwinder Singh, Alka Yagnik

A Song for Kajol’s Effervescence

In the Bollywood world, music and films go hand in hand. Songs are very strongly associated with the actors on whom they are picturised. As far as the music is concerned, the actors may only lip-sync and dance to the beat but they can and sometimes do add meaning to the music by the way they emote on screen. Singers like Kishore Kumar would bring aspects of the actor into their music such that it sounds as if the actor is really singing. I don’t believe that is the case in today’s music. However, the bonds between popular music and the actors are still a very strong.

On that theme, I am starting a sequence of posts to present music which best represent the personality of actors or actresses for whom it is written.

Who can see a movie of Kajol and not remark on her effervescent personality? An accomplished and successful actress, she has played part young-and-giddy and part serious roles in films such as Kuch Kuch Hota Hai and Kabhie Khushi Kabhi Gham. In the more recent My Name is Khan, her normally ebullient personality is a bit more subdued but still, one can see her liveliness bubbling under the surface.

Album : Minsara Kanavu (1997)

Music : A.R.Rahman

Lyrics : Vairamuthu

Song : Manna Madurai

Singers : Chitra, Unni Menon, Shreeni

In searching for a song to best represent her, I unerringly descended on this…yes, a Tamil song! Why? Because I have never forgotten this song not only because the music is good, but also because the atmosphere on the screen is joyous.  And because Kajol bubbles like champagne. And because language doesn’t matter if the mood is right.

Mamma madurai–Chitra, Unni Menon, Shreeni

And don’t forget to note Prabhu Deva’s great dancing…oh, how the man can dance!!!

For those who prefer the Hindi versions, you can listen to the whole album here. I must say that I like A.R.Rahman’s older albums much better than the recent ones. This is indeed an excellent album. The Hindi version of this song is called Awara Bhanwre. Enjoy !!