Bodyguard, Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande - Music Review

Bodyguard (2011)
Music: Himesh Reshammiya, Pritam


1. I Love You (Unplugged) -------------------------------- 7/10
2. I Love You ---------------------------------------------------- 7/10
3. I Love You (Remix) ---------------------------------------- 7/10
The lone and only song by Pritam comes out tops in this large album. This is one of the two romantic tracks of the album. A signature Pritam romantic track, this album saunters along at it's own pace. Just a pleasant and nice love song. Of the two versions, the Unplugged one by Shaan is surely better than Clinton Cerejo's main song. The Remix has been done pretty wisely by adding just the right amount of zest and tempo without selling itself out to the rapid beats.

4. Teri Meri ------------------------------------------------------ 7/10
5. Teri Meri (Reprise) --------------------------------------- 7/10
If you have been missing Rahat Fateh Ali Khan for a while, the wait is over. When him and Shreya Ghoshal are singing, there is hardly that can go wrong. This is the second romantic track of the album, that is not over the top and also does not try hard to be awesome. It exudes an innocent romantic angle. The main and Reprise versions are nearly identical minus the length. The Remix is pretty bad, considering no matter how much this song is peppered with beats, it will still not be fit for a discotheque.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 6/10. Himesh does a decent job of lending music after a gap and refraining from singing any one song. Pritam shines with his sole song reminding us of Dil Toh Bachha Hai Ji. Salman's goofdom can be found in Body Guard title track and Desi Beat. Although only two songs have something in them to woo the fans, these and the rest of the songs do their job to keep the album entertaining.

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Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande (2011)
Music: Suhas-Siddharth, Dhruv Dhalla, Master Mahavir Chopra


In summation, this album is a fail. This is not the perfect way to start a review, and what follows is not a sarcastic review, but an amused and entertainment minded outlook. The album is in no way like the regular albums as it never tries to be sweet or begs to be liked. It is daringly experimental.

Brownie points:

• Desi Jat Posse - A perfect blending of Punjabi/Bollywood music and Rajasthani folklore enough to raise some heads
• Naino Wali Whiskey - A fun and peppy Punjabi party song
• Door Na Jaana - An almost decent romantic track, but nothing new
• Oh Lalaji - Just the fact that a genuine Rajasthani folk song has been included in the album is a commendable fact worth mentioning. Otherwise, it is plain terrible

I Love You (Unplugged) - Bodyguard I Love You - Bodyguard I Love You (Remix) - Bodyguard Teri Meri - Bodyguard Teri Meri (Reprise) - Bodyguard Body Guard - Bodyguard Desi Beat - Bodyguard Desi Jat Posse - Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande Naino Wali Whiskey - Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande Door Na Jaana - Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande Oh Lalaji - Sahi Dhandhe Galat Bande

Yeh Dooriyan, Phhir, Sukhmani - Hope For Life - Music Review

Yeh Dooriyan (2011)
Music: Amjad Nadeem, Anjjan (Meet Bros), Manmeet (Meet Bros), Harmeet (Meet Bros), Raju Singh


1. Baat Jo Thi (Yeh Dooriyan) --------------------------- 7/10
If you are an Atif Aslam fan and like his melancholy tracks, this one is sure to please your senses. However, there is more to it than just the fan-quotient. It is one of the best tracks by Atif who sings to his forte and reminds us all what genre of music owns. Although the mood of the song is slightly repentant, it is melodious. And yes, let's get the credit right: The playback singer of this track is Atif's clone: Omer Nadeem.

2. I Wanna Be Your Lover (Khushnuma) ----------- 7/10
Shaan brings us his peppy number. It has been a bit of a hiatus for Shaan, since he has truly entertained us. Overall, a pretty standard romantic track with a quick tempo, but the magic of joy portrayed in the song is quite contagious. Entertaining.

3. Let's Rock Sarsarahat -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10
Sharp, zesty and a foot tapping rock track. The track fills us with energy and is perfect party starter. The lack of originality factor is what brings it's score down. Enjoyable nevertheless.

Brownie point:

• Ya Maula, Ya Maula (Female) - Another track in the maula series of songs. A track about the predicament of life and a call out for the almighty for help being it's premise, with a hint of Sufi musical style does justice to this genre.

Final verdict: Overall gets a 6/10. Counting all the remixes and alternate versions of the originals, this albums does not come up with any gems, but overall manages to keep the listener interested, and it is quite something for the entire album to achieve. A for effort.

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Phhir (2011)

Music: Toshi Sabri, Sharib Sabri, Raghav Sachar

With Toshi Sabri directing music for the album, it was quite interesting to listen to his album to find out if there were any good blues tracks. The result is, a decent album, but not good enough for any track to be a breakout success.

• Gumsum - Shreya Ghoshal can never get the melodies wrong.
• Love Is All I Got - A decent attempt at a western music styled romantic pop track
• Satrangi Saathiya - A trademark Toshi Sabri track: intense, intriguing, although a little insufficient. Nice attempt though
• Yaadein - Ditto as Satrangi Saathiya. But the more interesting part about the song is it's opening: feels like a rip off of Mahi Ve from Kal Ho Naa Ho and Fanaa from Yuvaa.

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Sukhmani - Hope For Life (2010)

Music: Jaidev Kumar

Unless there is a specific interest in Punjabi music, Punjabi folk music, there is not much hope for regular Bollywood music lovers. It's Punjabi folk music heaven spearheaded by perennial Punjabi singer Gurdaas Mann.

• Despite it's mainstream failings, Rabba Hai Rabba Tu Hatta is pleasant and melodious. It comes as no surprise that the playback singer is Shreya Ghoshal.
• Ramji Mere Ramji Kalyug Vich does justice to it's devotional genre.

Baat Jo Thi (Yeh Dooriyan) - Yeh Dooriyan I Wanna Be Your Lover (Khushnuma) - Yeh Dooriyan Let's Rock Sarsarahat - Yeh Dooriyan Ya Maula - Yeh Dooriyan Ya Maula (Female) - Yeh Dooriyan Gumsum - Phhir Love Is All I Got - Phhir Satrangi Saathiya - Phhir Yaadein - Phhir Rabba Hai Rabba Tu Hatta - Sukhmani - Hope For Life Ramji Mere Ramji Kalyug Vich - Sukhmani - Hope For Life

Are you ready......

Source: techcrunch,com

• Are you out of college?
• Do you have a job?
• Do you own any valuables?

If you answer 'Yes' to 2 out of the 3 questions above, then the next question is: Are you ready?

Huh! Ready for what?

Ready for potential situations whose description begins with 'God forbid.....'. Now, this is just a phrase, but it is ourselves who can thwart many a undesirable situations if we were well-equipped, well-prepared for them. We can only control so much, but despite that, we forget to do tasks, we misplace/lose things and sometimes it's just our bad luck.

Wait. I still don't get it.

Let's back up. Have you ever lost your wallet/purse or had a scare of losing it? The wallet/purse alone is the single most valuable thing we carry with ourselves, but ironically we are the least prepared to deal with it without panicking and going through motions to get things in order. There are numerous other factors beyond the purse/wallet that can go wrong, and hence the point is, are you ready to deal with minor to major disasters and do you have all your important contact numbers at one place for quick access?

Here's a quick list of important contact numbers that you should collate, and keep them readily accessible:

1. Lost/Stolen/Hacked Credit Card - Your card company's loss/theft number
2. Lost/Stolen/Hacked Debit Card - Your bank's loss/theft number
3. Phishing - Bank/Credit card customer service/complaint numbers
4. Lost Phone, Billing Problems - This is ironical, but still, your service provider's customer care number
5. Insurance cards - Medical, dental, vision, life insurance, car insurance etc - Provider contact numbers
6. Car/Motorbike License - Your regional motor vehicle administration office number
7. Passport/Visa - Nearest embassy, consulate of your country, and the foreign country's immigration office (if living outside your country of citizenship)
8. Personal urgencies and work - Boss' number, immediate coworker/s number/s
9. Personal emergencies and personal life - Two to three contact numbers of close ones, relatives, friends 
10. Car/Motorbike breakdown - Roadside assistance number

This is just an outline of situations where you would find yourself calling for help, and it would be immensely helpful if you had this list prepared and backed up elsewhere other than the phone and purse. May be on your computer. Or may be share the list with people you trust for quick access.

Because, unless it is a meteor strike, you can always shield yourself from a lightning when the sky is stormy, by taking the necessary precaution. You cannot avoid the lightning, but at least can deal with it better.

Aarakshan, Khap, Memories In March - Music Review

Aarakshan (2011)
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy


1. Achha Lagta Hai ------------- 6/10
The best song of the album. The best of the mediocre. The track is melodious in parts and has a playful romantic mood to it. The lyrics is what takes out the fun a bit, as the tune is almost like a genuine love track but the lyrics are too trivial. Overall the song is likable, but seems like it will be forgotten just that easily.

2. Kaun Si Dor -------------------- 6/10
3. Saans Albeli ------------------- 6/10
This one is strictly for Indian classical music fans. Although this song won't cater to everyone's taste, it does complete justice to the karun ras of Indian classical music. Both songs are the same, minus Shreya Ghoshal in Saans Albeli. The song is really effective in setting up a deep pathos mood painting the confused, melancholy state of mind. Full marks to the song on achieving it's goal. No sarcasm here.

Final verdict: Gets a 4/10. A pretty dull album considering Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy had a masterful and slick album: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara.  Having a social message genre for a movie never bodes well from a musical perspective, and this probably trips up the album.

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Khap (2011)
Music: Annujj Kappoo


A second rung movie with it's second strung music. Most of the romantic tracks are corny at best. Deewanagi by Shaan is so terrible, it makes you laugh and wonder what the tune of the song really was. Because it keeps on changing within the course of the song. In this train wreck, only the following songs could be given a thought, strictly by ghazal fans:

• Aaina Dekha - For Rahat Fateh Ali Khan fans
• Tumse Bichud Kar - For Jagjit Singh fans

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Memories In March (2011)
Music: Debajyoti Mishra

An artsy film and an artsy album. Unless you are into niche albums that have more folk-like and pseudo classical songs and zero fanfare of the mainstream Bollywood movies; there is not much in here. The songs do not achieve the brilliance quotient in virtually any genre, and overall, a very dull album.

There were no memories this week, nor was there any aarakshan for any song in our hearts.

Achha Lagta Hai - Aarakshan Kaun Si Dor - Aarakshan Saans Albeli - Aarakshan Aaina Dekha - Khap Tum Bichud Kar - Khap