Force, Hum Tum Shabana, Yaara O Dildaara - Music Review

Force (2011)
Music: Harris Jayraj, Lalit Pandit


1. Dil Ki Hai Tamanna ------------ 8/10
One of the most innocent and honest romantic tracks off late, even more so than the 'timeless'-love-story Mausam tracks. A song that exudes nascent love, or crush as it is termed. The song involves Neha Bhasin in a totally different light compared to her tomboyish Dhunki from Mere Brother Ki Dulhan.

2. Main Chali ------------------------ 7/10
A song reminiscent of all the melodies of the late 90s and early 2000s, perfectly blends a hip-hop and energetic male angle and a softer female charm. Repetitiveness makes this romantic song a slight drag. Shreya Ghoshal mesmerizes us, while Naresh Iyer, for a change feels a little more forceful, for the better.

3. Chahoon Bhi ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 7/10
Yet another soft romantic track, that will make you dreamy in romance. Very gentle and nothing really to not like about it. Not a blockbuster, but sweet and simple.

4. Khwabon Khwabon --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10
An entertaining track from KK, reminds us of how much the music industry needs his crisp voice. The Arabic themed opening although unintelligible adds a nice mystical flavor to the song. The song does lose a great amount of steam by the middle, bringing down it's rating.

Brownie point - 

• Dum Hai To Aaja - Yet another Bollywood song getting it's rock basics straightened out. This does not result in an awesome song, but the quality and justice to rock music done by musicians lately has been commendable.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 7/10. A definite entertainer. Although it is a small album with just 5 tracks, the composers and maintained high level of discipline and refrained from an overkill and meaningless remixes.

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Hum Tum Shabana (2011)

Music: Sachin - Jigar

1. Hey Na Na Shabana -------------------------------------- 8/10

A cool and peppy title track with a certain mood-lifting quality to it. It definitely takes a while to blossom and take it's musical twists and turns and by the time the short track comes to an end making us want for more. A happy track nevertheless.

2. Kaari Kaari ------------------------------------------------- 9/10

The song gets a high rating as a tip of the hat for the genre it represents. A perfect song for the DJ, large parties and gatherings to go footloose with a Punjabi twist.

3. Musik Bandh Na Karo ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10

4. Musik Bandh Na Karo (Remix) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 9/10

As the end of the year approaches, it is time for parties. Whether New Year's Eve or anytime discotheque trips, the attitude and the inner rebel the song represents makes it an instant hit of parties. Owing to the low-profile nature of the movie, it might not be such a big hit, but purely from a musical perspective in the league of Koi Kahe Kehta Rahe from Dil Chahta Hai or It's The Time To Disco from Kal Ho Naa Ho.

5. Thank U Mr. DJ -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10

The fourth party song from the album. Although the title of the song indicates, it would be a great generic party song, it is really a track made for grinding. Not many Bollywood songs qualify as such.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 7/10. Extremely youthful. Don't go looking for melodies here, but if you are looking for out-n-out party fun, look no further.

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Yaara O Dildaara (2011)

Music: Jaidev Kumar

The fact that the album belongs to a Hindi/Punjabi insulates it from being panned as any criticism from a non-Punjabi musical perspective is not fair. All songs have a thick Punjabi flavor to it, making it slightly less digestible for the rest. Although Daler Mehndi broke the barrier more than a decade ago, it does not happen often. The songs sound fun and peppy, but it is difficult to connect to the authentic Punjabi musical style.

Dil Ki Hai Tamanna - Force Main Chali - Force Chahoon Bhi - Force Khwabon Khwabon - Force Dum Hai To Aaja - Force Hey Na Na Shabana - Hum Tum Shabana Kaari Kaari - Hum Tum Shabana Musik Bandh Na Karo - Hum Tum Shabana Musik Bandh Na Karo (Remix) - Hum Tum Shabana Thank U Mr. DJ - Hum Tum Shabana

The Darwinian Test

       6 years and counting. 200 years and counting. A fledgling and a bicentenarian. Is it the time for the new to take over the old? Or is it too young and naive to considered a worthy replacement for the veteran? This is the kind of debate that has been raging in the world of cricket over the past couple of years. Should the T20s be the face of the game than Test cricket? The arguments have been reaching fever pitch, to the point where they are only rhetorical. This article, clearly taking a pro-T20 stance, tries to reason the importance and significance of T20s to the future of cricket.

       200 years ago, when the game was new, the society and the technology was very different and only better compared to previous centuries in terms of reliability, but not technique. At this point, someone might say, "Yes, Mr. Obvious, that was a time when even electricity did not exist". And yes, it took us about 100 years to lead to an industrial revolution and another 100 years to lead to an information age. Over 90% of these past years of Test cricket, movement of information was slow; slow compared to that of the present day. The options to entertain the masses were minimal. There was hardly anything like a personal entertainment device like a smartphone or a laptop or a tablet to play around with. It was a time, when, whatever the source of entertainment, it had to be preserved, it had to lengthened as much as it was optimal. Such was the time and circumstances under which Test cricket was born. But the times have changed. Information travels at the speed of light to almost every nook and corner of the Earth (of course not literally). Options for entertainment have gone up exponentially. The attentions spans, as a result have reduced. Is that good or bad? It doesn't matter because the reduction was not desired but acquired naturally owing to the inventions we are surrounded with. Thus, a solution, that is Test cricket, that worked to entertain the masses two centuries ago, does not apply to the current age, and the future. T20 promises to be cricket's Noah's Ark.

       40 years ago, the cricketing world took another turn. It introduced One Day International cricket and from the time, it took only 4 years to host a Cricket World Cup. World Cup. The World. Never before ODI cricket was introduced, was there a concept of a multi-nation, all teams encompassing tournament in cricket, which had stepped beyond 150 years since it's inception. And the teams were playing the 'purest' form of cricket till the time. Limited overs cricket brought about a revolution for the cricket world and cricket fans, where in they started to vaunt for, want for, long for and strive for the one and only way to supremacy. The World Cup. So much for being pure and sacred, Test cricket managed to create no landmarks, no unification of the world under it's umbrella, that limited overs cricket achieved in less than a decade.

       The cricket fans went berserk, the players experienced nirvana, when their team lifted the Wold Cup trophy. They were the champions for the next four years. Such was the revolution ODI cricket was able to bring and change the face of the game. Some might have complained, it was a corruption of the game. Some might have complained, a win in a day is only a matter of luck against a victory that was persevered over 5 days (of course, assuming the result was not a draw). This was the era of the television. Specators were watching the game in theatres, reading it in newspapers, listening to live commentary on the radio, and finally watching it with their friends and family at the leisure of their houses. Sprinkled in were the bonus of action replays and a million other camera angles. ODI cricket helped reinvent cricket as a spectator sport. As Test cricket comes under more scrutiny, more and more of the legendary Test matches have been quoted in articles. Unfortunately as spectators, more than 90% were games, that a majority of the cricket fans have not even heard of, leave aside having actually witnessed it.

       Association football or soccer as it is called, came into world arena some 7 decades after cricket, and hosted it's first World cup 4 decades prior to the first Cricket World Cup. It is being played as a serious sport on a national level in over 200 countries today. Cricket on the other hand, remains a mainstay of about only 10 Test countries, and a game of curiosity for the rest 40-50 countries. Why is the pure and pristine form of game not appealing to the masses? Former cricket giants, West Indies are withering in talent, as basketball and soccer are taking roots there. It appeals more to the spectators and athletes in West Indies, enough to ignore the glory and heydays of their previous generation. So much for purity. Not only Test cricket has been able to shut it's doors to the world, it is estranging the full members. The cricket world is eroding. Test cricket has become the dinosaur of modern sports. ODIs showed us the way towards a shorter format of cricket, and making it a spectator sport for the 21st century. T20s provide us the opportunity to perfect this approach and metamorphose this giant to a smarter creature that can survive.

       Often the Test cricket apologists have been slinging mud at T20, by claiming the lack of grace and technique that made Test cricket pure. This begs a question. What is a technique? A technique is a smart way of applying a solution to achieve success. When the Test and ODI cricket were the only cricket which lasted for 5 days and 1 day respectively, the 'technique' was something that applied to those formats to score runs and save wickets. Come T20s, the manner in which the game is played is THE technique that helps achieve success. So, essentially it is not the solution where in the beauty lies, it is the success. Also, on another note of sanctity and purity, why do these terms apply to only Test cricket which the English invented as opposed to Twenty20 cricket which the English invented?

       The will of cricket fans and the game has come to a crossroads, where we must choose our future carefully. Cricket should not exclude the world, but include it all. Let's acknowledge the T20s and not ignore their meaning for cricket's future. Let our nostalgia not blind our rationale. Let's hope cricket passes it's Darwinian Test.

Mausam, Mummy Punjabi - Music Review

Mausam (2011)
Music: Pritam


1. Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye (Version 2) --- 7/10
2. Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye --------------------- 6/10
A lovely romantic track sticking to the basics: melody, no over the top instrumentals. Version 2 with Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is much better than the main version, underscoring his value.

3. Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi (Mehfil Mix) ---------------------------- 6/10
4. Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi ------------------------------------------------ 6/10
5. Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi (Reprise) --------------------------------- 6/10
An extremely soulful song expressing love in a folk classical style with a dash of Sufi music. It is a confidently patient track and helps relax frayed nerves. All the versions are nearly identical. Mehfil Mix is a bit different having made in a live recording mode.

6. Poore Se Zara Sa Kam Hain ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10
Indian classical music lovers will like this one. A short and melodious track about the longing for love that will touch your heart.

7. Sajh Dhaj Ke ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 5/10
This is a fun-filled wedding song Punjabi folk style, not the Daler Mehndi types.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 5/10. There is a lot of potential in this enormous album, although it does not seem it will last long. Pritam does full justice to lending classical, folk Punjabi and traditional Indian music to this album. Not one song uses western musicals for an exception. This album is totally for those relaxing personal moments and not for a collective experience.

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Mummy Punjabi (2011)
Music: Aadesh Shrivastav

Presenting the sacrificial goat of the week.: Mummy Punjabi. A totally lacklustre album, harking back to the 90s musical style. Not suggesting that Aadesh Shrivastav lacks talent, but his days are long gone and the music reflects his creativity has stopped in it's tracks.

Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye (Version 2) - Mausam Rabba Main Toh Mar Gaya Oye - Mausam Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi (Mehfil Mix) - Mausam Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi - Mausam Ik Tu Hi Tu Hi (Reprise) - Mausam Poore Se Zara Sa Kam Hain - Mausam Sajh Dhaj Ke - Mausam

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan, Chitkabrey - Shades of Grey - Music Review

Mere Brother Ki Dulhan (2011)
Music: Sohail Sen


1. Choomantar ------------------- 7/10
This is the peppiest song of the album. It is adorable in it's style and tempo and never goes over the top. The strategic turntable scratching sounds give it a hip angle. This track makes for a perfect road-trip song. The musical style is trademark Sohail Sen.

2. Dhunki -------------------------- 7/10
Rock music, energy and Bollywood music meet in this album. The kind of genre dominated by men, is executed  beautifully and confidently by the husky voiced Neha Bhasin. Her voice and style has a likeness of Sunidhi Chauhan, but she does add her own flavor to it. Short and energetic, a good song to bump up the volume.

3. Isq Risk ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10
4. Isq Risk (Risky Mix) ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10
Vintage Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. He cannot get any better than this. A lovely qawwali styled song with interesting lyrics with an ambivalent outlook towards love and romance. Repetitiveness or the length of the song takes out some magic from this one. Otherwise, a great song. The Risky Mix is also well done, adding a zesty angle to the track. Good to go for discotheques.

5. Mere Brother Ki Dulhan ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 6/10
A pretty average track, tune and beats wise, but a fun song portraying the aspects of bride search and their impossible to meet requirements.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 6/10. Good on the entertainment quotient, not a chartbuster though. Decent job done by Sohail Sen.

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Chitkabrey - Shades Of Grey (2011)
Music: Akshay Bafila

Terrible little album. Totally smacks of a second tier movie. Very 90s, mellow and boring. It's hilarious to think of the lyrics of Chinese Khushi that talks about love that did not last long, which essentially equates poor quality, short-lived goods to Chinese products. Apart from this desperate attempt to find some humor, the album brings us no joy.

Choomantar - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Dhunki - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Isq Risk - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Isq Risk (Risky Mix) - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Mere Brother Ki Dulhan - Mere Brother Ki Dulhan Chinese Khushi - Chitkabrey - Shades Of Grey