Wednesday January 26, 2011 18:48
If you thought Ye sivagami was from some 90s Liyaqat Ali Khan/RK Selvamani film, featuring a guest dance by Prabhu Deva, you may not be alone. Unmaya naan has 3 departments competing for naivety – lyrics, Maya’s vocals and the tune itself. Tippu’s Kaatrinai is middling – rouses more of expectant nostalgia than anything else. […]
Tuesday January 25, 2011 12:30
Kannitheevu ponna is largely similar to Sundar C Babu’s earlier item numbers for Mysskin – painfully simple, earthy and hummable. Aararo offers a relatively easy tune for the very-nasal Mysskin, who messes up the pronunciation (likewise in Bharathiyar’s Vedham pudhumai sei), but at least gets the melancholic tune right. Raqueeb Alam pens and sings the […]
Saturday January 22, 2011 18:54
If I may be allowed to say this again (beyond my couple of tweets)…yes, I purchased Sona Mohapatra’s Ram Sampath-composed song, ‘Paas Aao na’. For INR 10 (great deal, if you ask me!), on ArtistAloud (has a short sample too!). The website’s payment gateway was a royal pain and for something priced 10 bucks, the […]
Friday January 21, 2011 23:40
The Kalinka-inspired Darling has an underwhelming rhythm…for such a mesmerizing tune! Usha Uthup and Rekha Bharadwaj make an incredible combo, but get their due only in the other version, Doosri Darling – the soundtrack’s magnificent highlight! This one gets an exciting and authentic Russian background, while Rekha’s vocals acquire a naughty edge. Vishal’s own vocals […]
Tuesday January 18, 2011 18:53
Dil dar-ba-dar is a cornucopia of filmy sounds, including the lead hook’s sitar version by Nishat and a bizarre sounding Javed Ali – nothing quite fits. Javed sounds better in Ishq tere – with Shilpa Rao, this is a captivating Pritam’ish tune. Kaise kahen gets even better – a lavishly cinematic ghazal with fantastic violin […]
Tuesday January 18, 2011 09:18
Last evening, I was trying to get my 7 year old son for his evening bath. Like most 7 year olds, his priorities were elsewhere – on his Nerf gun…on the paper planes he has made…basically on everything else besides a bawling dad who wants him for a bath. Most parents have options in such […]
Monday January 17, 2011 16:04
The short, tuneful Netri pottil is a lovely listen, reminiscent of Harris’ work for Jeeva, but the reggae-tinged Amali thumali is terribly dull. Aganaga is shockingly soporific, while Gala gala starts off poorly, but works up some charm as it progresses. Even the Sriram Parthasarathy – Bombay Jayashree combo cannot save Venpaniye – the base […]
Friday January 14, 2011 15:54
The title song is an old worldly, charming listen; Karthik and Shweta Pandit are excellent choice for the vocals. Aye khuda is passably catchy in a Bhatt-and-his-Pakistani-artists-obsession way, while Sonu’s Phir teri and Shweta’s, Titliyon ki phoor have Rahman’ish textures in their melodies and work wonderfully well! Tell me why is straight out of Adnan […]
Wednesday January 12, 2011 21:12
Dum dum is pedestrian; same old latino rhythm and a stale tune. But things perk up with the breezy melody Chirunavve visirave – Vijay Prakash’s vocals are impactful and the catchy backgrounds help. Tolakari chinukai is brilliant – a lovely rain-soaked tune, scintillating vocals by Shreya Ghoshal and Ranjith, and imaginative orchestration! Listen to my […]
Tuesday January 11, 2011 23:11
“The film has a story that can be summed up in one sentence on the back of an envelope.” Next time you see that sentence or its cousins and nephews in a film review, mentally kick the reviewer. The truth is, most films’ stories can indeed be written in a sentence on the back of […]