Rowdy Rathore, Rakhtbeej, Yeh Khula Aasmaan - Music Review

Rowdy Rathore (2012)
Music: Sajid-Wajid

1. Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita --------------------- 9/10
What the hell does it mean? Well, if you stop thinking about it for a second and roll in with it's beats and mood, this could easily be the best casually funny song of the year so far. The banjo beats and overly used synthesizer evoke the 90s and it's corniness without turning off. Repetitiveness could be a little bothersome and this song could easily be a passing fancy. But boy, isn't it an enjoyable one!

2. Dhadang Dhang --------------------------------- 8/10
Sajid-Wajid playing their A game in this one. A perfect song for this year's Ganpati festival. Sajid-Wajid use their style of singing incongruouss sounds perfectly blended with traditional dhol beats making it enjoyable in a hilarious way. No one can put up a straight face while shaking a leg to this song, and if someone does, it could just look funnier. And this track being a duet, makes for a great festival party track for the masses.

3. Aa Re Pritam Pyaare ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
As if Chhanno and Anarkali Disco Chali weren't adding to her rising fame in the item song niche, Mamta Sharma teams up with Sajid-Wajid for another carefree and scandalous track. Her trademark raw energy and the kitsch tone make for one fun song, if you prefer to look at it this way. Otherwise, steer clear of this one.

4. Tera Ishq Bada Teekha ---------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 6/10
Yet another track from the album, which although not hilarious this time, reminds highly of the 90s style of music. This romantic duet by Shreya Ghoshal and Javed Ali has good beats, tune and intensity, and if you find the slightly Indian orchestra like style of music interesting, this could be a nice romantic listen.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 8/10. It is a fun album, although not all songs are that great except for the ones mentioned above. Whoever made the call to hire Sajid-Wajid for this album, or it is the genius of Sajid-Wajid or it is the maximum range of their musical style, this duo has worked out brilliantly for yet another over-the-top kitschy film set in a rugged setting. It is hard to miss the striking similarity to the corny musical style of only 2 decades ago. Good, fun album, could be forgotten after it loses the limelight.

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Rakhtbeej (2012)
Music: Satish Tripathi, Ajay Mantwal

A bad, bad album almost unoriginal and trying to ride off the success of popular genres and singers. A song for a drunken night, an Indian classical song, a gangsta song and a Mamta Sharma item number: all badly done point to the lack of thinking shown by the musicians. Better luck next time.

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Yeh Khula Aasmaan (2012)
Music: Anand-Milind

Didn't know these guys still were active in Bollywood. Of course, being a part of a fringe movie doesn't really count. The album tries to maintain a positive outlook in it's meaning, but the mainstream entertainment factor is left out the door. Aari Aari could be a good lullaby. Need baby volunteers for testing.
Forgettable.


Chinta Ta Ta Chita Chita - Rowdy Rathore Dhadang Dhang - Rowdy Rathore Aa Re Pritam Pyaare - Rowdy Rathore Tera Ishq Bada Teekha - Rowdy Rathore

Ísland - An outsider's overview

The Country

A small island country that is isolated geographically from the rest of the world. Culturally a Nordic country and is a part of Europe. Spelt Ísland in Icelandic.

The size of the country with it's maritime border included is smaller than the US state of Virginia. Currency is Icelandic Krona, and the Euro and US Dollar is not accepted as currency. Either use plastic or Icelandic Kronur. Iceland uses a comma for decimal separation and period for thousand separation. So don't be fooled when you read prices as 15.000. It is fifteen thousand kronur and not fifteen.

The population is a mere 300,000 with two-thirds living in greater Reykjavik, the capital area. Even the capital city is not large enough to be called a metropolis. The second biggest town in Iceland after Reykjavik area, is Akureyri in the north of Iceland with a population of 17,000!

History

The establishment of Iceland was on similar principle as United States. The original settlers had fled the tyranny of the monarchy in their homelands. Of course, they had no indigenous people to fight against, nor they had to gain freedom from their colonizers. Instead they were colonized twice by Norway and Denmark until the second World War, when they finally became independent again.

The people

Most people are Scandinavian descendants, and are thus mostly blonde haired and blue eyed. As other immigrant population is few, there are few people of mixed color. The people are very friendly. It is not difficult for them to know you are a tourist, and they will be more than happy to offer you assistance when you ask for some. They tend to talk freely and will try to answer your question as much as they can, as against a cursory treatment given to strangers all across the world. Xenophobia: None. The country seems to be not affected by any violence and mistrust around the world.

Language
Icelandic is the primary language, that covers street names, road signs and all major shops and building names. Although spotting English signs and billboards is not uncommon. English is part of their mandatory curriculum since kindergarten. Hence, even though the accent varies from mild to thick and fluency varying from cautious to super fluent, all Icelanders are extremely comfortable talking to anyone in English. If you happen to talk to someone in Iceland who absolutely struggles to communicate in English, the person is definitely a non-anglophone immigrant there. Icelanders speak three languages: Icelandic, English and Danish.

Food
Sea food is the biggest food category. Go figure! Contrary to outside view, whaling in Iceland is frowned upon but not banned. Icelanders are trying to put an end to it, but mostly hold, curious travelers seeking exotic whale meat, responsible for it's continued presence.
Lamb is the second most common meat.
Interestingly, Iceland has a thriving vegeterian population and even more interestingly not vegan. Local Icelandic vegeterian restaurants offer food which is highly inspired by Indian food.

Economy
Fishing accounts for 40% of the economy. Due to abundance of steam due to geothermal activity, electricity is obtained from it at will. Electricity is thus cheap and from Iceland's point of view: a renewable, non-exhausting source of energy. As a result, they are attracting energy consuming industries to Iceland. Aluminum smelting factories is a success story for Iceland in this regard.
Tourism is surprisingly only picking up. The industry has sprawled around the country, but huge potential is yet to be tapped. The industry is very courteous, hassle-free and trusting of foreigners.

Farming
Why is farming separate from the economy? Iceland has zero, absolutely zero farming as is known traditionally. Due to super short winters, the only thing that grows on their limited layer of topsoil is grass. Horses, cows, sheep, goats and pigs feed on it. Primary output of farming is thus, Icelandic sheep wool, lamb meat, milk and pork. Beef production is nil as it is not viable. Except for some greenhouse produce like tomatoes and cucumbers, everything else is imported.

Landscape
Very rugged terrain. Volcanic rocks make the whole country. Sand and/or soil is very little. There are no sandy beaches. Since there is not enough soil, there are hardly any naturally occurring trees. Even spotting shrubs in the wilderness is difficult. The most abundant vegetation is the moss that grows on rocks. The second most common tree species is the birches. They can grow to a maxim of 10 feet. No trees that soar in the sky. Not even the pine trees or it's like common to arctic regions. Yes, there are those trees in Iceland, but all, all have been planted artificially and they are unable to survive.


Attractions and other specifics........... to be continued.......

Ishaqzaade, Dangerous Ishhq, Department, Fatso! - Music Review

Ishaqzaade (2012)
Music: Amit Trivedi

Amit Trivedi has been coming up with so many good sounding albums that are not chart busters, that it is hard to keep a track now. Probably, Aisha was his last hit album. This album is no exception to his good work thus far which is sure to bite the dust as soon as the spotlight moves on. He deserves some leeway, though, for a fun album.

1. Pareshaan -------------------------------------------------- 7/10
If you loved Lehrein from Aisha, this one belongs to the same category in terms pace and mood. Soft and silent vocals backed by robust male chorus, harmonium and bass guitar. A good blend of soft and hard hitting musical components.

2. Aafaton Ke Parinde -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
A hard hitting song where Suraj Jagan's gritty has been put to good use. A sure mood lifter. A good suck quencher. It's strong opening feels slightly wasted as the song never seems to reach a defining climax until at the absolutely end.

3. Jhalla Wallah -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
The most fun qawwali I have heard in a while. This song has goofy lyrics. Fun and entertaining. The musical genre is pure qawwali, no mixing it with western instrumentals. This is probably what makes the lyrics stand out and evoke maximum laughs. Shreya Ghoshal for the first time gives an unexpected performance for the better, considering her sticking to formulaic romantic tracks.

Final verdict: Overall, gets a 6/10. Decent songs. Not memorable in any way, but once you play them, you might feel to hang on. But, the songs are just not there in the hit-o-sphere.

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Dangerous Ishhq (2012)
Music: Himesh Reshammiya

With this album, HR has been demoted to being Himesh Reshammiya. If only this album had come out 6-7 years ago during the peak of his career would this album had been received positively. Now, however, Himesh's Aap Ka Surroor like heartbroken songs don't make the cut.The song Naina Re would have been one of your best songs of a broken heart. Not anymore.

The entire album, with especially Naina Re (Reprise) and Ishq Mein Ruswaa  would be perfect for the dhabas and trucks.

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Department (2012)
Music: Bappi Lahiri

The genre of the movie is about the lives of Mumbai cops and gangsters. Other than hoping to find another Kallu Mama, not much was expected and the album does not grant us anything much. The songs are peppy and replete with attitude. So they are amusing to listen to, but nothing in it for a Bollywood music fan.





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Fatso! (2012)
Music: Sagar Desai

Yes, turned this stone over and found nothing. A boring album with no purpose. Wonder if this album is more of a distraction even in the movie.
Pareshaan - Ishaqzaade Aafaton Ke Parinde - Ishaqzaade Jhalla Wallah - Ishaqzaade

Jannat 2, Valentine's Night - Music Review

Jannat 2 (2012)
Music: Pritam

1. Jannatein Kahaan (Power Ballad) -------------------------------- 9/10
2. Jannatein Kahaan ----------- 7/10


Four years later Zara Sa from Jannat has not lost it's charm. Jannatein Kahaan (Power Ballad) is a proof of that. The main theme of the song has been retained with some tune tweaking in the prose and it does seam well. Thus, there the feeling that a popular song has been rehashed to milk every last bit of it's popularity quickly vanishes and this song becomes enjoyable. Sure, this one does not have KK entertaining us, but Nikhil D'Souza does his best and his best is good us. In fact, the main version is sung by KK and it is the lesser of the two. KK's version sounds more like a techo rap mix with it's rap and gangsta parts. Nevertheless, passable compared to what we have subjected to in the past couple of weeks.

3. Rab Ka Shukrana  ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10
4. Rab Ka Shukrana (Reprise) ----------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 9/10
Here, Pritam summons his Tum Mile tunes. A superb melody that is purely romantically melodic. Mohit Chauhan absolutely dazzles in this one, which is home turf for him: A slow paced calm melody. Very soothing and romantic. Anupan Amod does an excellent job in the Reprise version, which has a better opening than the main version. Mohit Chauhan's stardom slightly overshadows Anupam's voice. However, it would only be unfair to not rate this gem of a performance at the same level as Mohit's act.

5. Tujhe Sochta Hoon --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
6. Sang Hoon Tere ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
Another melody of a forlorn heart by KK and Nikhil D'Souza is able to get us connected to the emotions of the song. A soft melody of a yearning lover is meant for a romantic mood in a state of separation. Definitely not a generic melody. Both are pretty much the same songs, however, KK trumps Nikhil D'Souza in this tete-a-tete. KK has a firmer voice not making it sound like begging. The middle portion of KK's version has huge likeness to Woh Lamhe from Zeher making one wonder: 'What if Atif had sung this one?'

7. Tera Deedar Hua ------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------ 8/10
8. Tera Deedar Hua (From The Heart) ----------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
One of the best qawwalis we have been treated to since Tum Jo Aaye Zindagi Mein from Once Upon A Time In Mumbaai. Great qawwali and for the lovers of this genre there is almost everything to like including Rahat Fateh Ali Khan. It's only drawbacks if they were to be pointed out, is the repetitive tune throughout and not-so fresh tune. Very fun and upbeat. Tera Deedar Hua (From The Heart) by Javed Ali is equally great, however, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan owns this genre.

9. Tu Hi Mera -------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 7/10
This one is good too. Very simple and unassuming, has a fresh opening and Shafqat Amanat Ali Khan does his best to handle his job. The mood is positive, the fusion of qawwali beats and a regular Bollywood melody turns out good. Not the best of the songs we have ever heard, but nothing really wrong with song.

Final verdict: Overall, as an album whose every song entertains gets a 10/10. The album is not cut out to satisfy the senses for any mood. The album heavily leans towards a strong romantic mood, with a couple of foot-tapping numbers. Don't look for party numbers and you would have set your expectations right with this album. Great album, almost a feature of all Emraan Hashmi movies. Pritam on full throttle.

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Valentine's Night (2012)
Music: Astitva - The Band

A very short album. Not a lot of expectations. And a not a lot to expect, except for a decent classical song. The other songs are not exactly terrible and the band Astitva definitely seem to have potential and they had some fun with this short album. We'll just wait and listen to their future works.

1. Ooo Ree Bawara ------------------------ 8/10
Fans of the classical Indian music have a great song to enjoy in this overly saturated hip-hop and westernizing Bollywood music market. Ustad Ahmad Shakeel Khan justifies his title and presents a pure, classical melody. The start opens a little slow and unimpressive, however, it proceeds into a euphoric crescendo and climax, that it is hard to not like it. Good one.
Jannatein Kahaan (Power Ballad) - Jannat 2 Rab Ka Shukrana - Jannat 2 Tujhe Sochta Hoon - Jannat 2 Tera Deedar Hua - Jannat 2 Tu Hi Mera - Jannat 2 Jannatein Kahaan - Jannat 2 Rab Ka Shukrana (Reprise) - Jannat 2 Sang Hoon Tere - Jannat 2 Tera Deedar Hua (From The Heart) - Jannat 2 Ooo Ree Bawara - Valentine's Night

Tezz, Hate Story - Music Review

Tezz (2012)
Music: Sajid - Wajid

Sajid - Wajid make an appearance this week again with a major release. The music is noticeably better than Zindagi Tere Naam. That said, the album is fairly mediocre nevertheless. It is large album with 11 tracks with only 4 originals. Thus, despite the size, the album as a whole is repetitive and not refreshing.

1. Main Hoon Shab ---------------------- 8/10
This track by Mohit Chauhan stands out in the entire album full of repetitions. And the fun part, is this track does not has not been remixed. This is a signature Mohit Chauhan track, which is a slow and soft romantic. His fans will love it, as it very reminiscent of Tum Se Hi from Jab We Met. This song is also a huge relief from this overly repetitive album, which also happens to be corny.

Brownie point:

• Tere Bina, Tere Bina (Indian) - Die hard Rahat Fateh Ali Khan fans may like this one. Good for dhabas. Very Nadeem-Shravan-esque track. A certain misfit in current musical sensibilities, but deserves a mention for the fans of it.

Bad album. What market forces employs this musical duo for mainstream movies is a conundrum of this past decade.

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Hate Story (2012)
Music: Harshit Saxena

Well, most people might know Harshit Saxena for voicing the chart buster Haal-E-Dil from Murder 2, he is in a different role here. He doesn't impress very much in this avatar of his though. His attempt is decent, leaning towards unimpressive.

Brownie point:

• Dil Kanch Sa - An intense song of a broken heart. The message and emotions are well portrayed in the song's tune and genre which develops as the song progresses. The tune is very commonplace though, and a song that plain causes pain with it's not so great tune is not worth remembering this.
• Mahe Jaan, Mahe Jaan (Rock) - This song performed by Harshit Saxena is ditto in it's performance as Dil Kanch Sa. Develops into a decent song as it progress, does not pass muster with the audience. Harshit Saxena performs well. The Rock version is also well done.
• Raat - A very good opening, which just fizzles out over it's length, which is a tad too much.

Yet another week of bad, bad music.
Tere Bina - Tezz Main Hoon Shab - Tezz Tere Bina (Indian) - Tezz

Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi, Bumboo, Zindagi Tere Naam - Music Review

Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi (2012)
Music: Vinay Jaiswal
1. Deboshree --------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------- 8/10
If you are a fan of jilted lover songs genre with a Pakistani singers like style, this one is for you. Although, there is no Pakistani singer involved here, just Nitin Bali. The emotion is well expressed, the guitar strumming is pleasant and the tempo consistent. The tune elevation towards the end is a little unnecessary, but can be ignored if you like the song overall.

To the music director's credit, he does appear to care about the album with Galiyan and Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi. However, they fall well short of being the songs to remember due to a serious lack of novelty. Pretty bad album overall, except for the one above.

Bumboo (2012)
Music: Faiz Ur Rehman, Santokh Singh
It's contribution to mankind. Probably, Pinky Punjabi, addition to the list of creatively named item numbers. But only probably. This song is upbeat, but lacks the qualities of hit item numbers like racy lyrics and an exotic voice. Hopefully, the video supports the song's purpose in life, otherwise, it's a very run of the mill item song.

Zindagi Tere Naam (2012)
Music: Sajid - Wajid
A super ordinary album from Sajid-Wajid. They seem to have tried to save their face by not creating an absolute debacle. They are not the most looked forward to musical duo, but the secondary treatment given to this album is evident. It's place in sun?

• Kya Khata Ho Gayee - Good for dhabas, rickshaws and buses.
• Tauba Tauba - Sangeet performances in weddings

That caps off a week of fairly bad music.

Deboshree - Life Ki Toh Lag Gayi

Housefull 2, Bittoo Boss, Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein - Music Review

Housefull 2 (2012)
Music: Sajid-Wajid

Brownie points:

• Right Now Now - One of the best grind tracks from Bollywood. Part goofy part seductive, this song gets the relaxed disco floor mood right with it's beats and instrumentals.

• Anarkali Disco Chali - Mamta Sharma has almost cemented her item queen status with her latest offering. The lyrics are fun and the beats foot-tapping enough to lighten up a party. The song offers not much in novelty, and compared to her previous songs: Munni Badnam Hui from Dabangg and Chhanno from Gali Gali Chor Hai, this one is pretty mellow.

Overall: Very mediocre album. Almost as bad as Housefull (1).

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Bittoo Boss (2012)
Music: Raghav Sachar

A predominantly rough cut Punjabi album would be it's best description. We were recently treated by some slick Punjabi themed music in Tutiya Dil, not this one. But since the movie tries to capture the corniness of average people of northern India, the musical genre has been deliberately been given a 70s and 80s as well a folk appeal. The resulting album is very boring for the average Bollywood music lover. Vishal-Shekhar showed us how this is done in The Dirty Picture. The only romantic track Kaun Kenda has a strong semblance to Shukran Allah from Kurbaan, that it loses it's charm right away by it's stale tune. Even Shreya Ghoshal and Sonu Nigam cannot help lift the song's fortune. Such is the fate with this album, that almost every track reminds us of some other track of the near past in a yawning way. A flat album.

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Chhodo Kal Ki Baatein (2012)
Music: Salil Kulkarni

Not sure if the music director of the movie producers were serious about the quality of music. Fairly substandard music and lyrics.
Rum Mein Gum, could only be of some interest due to it's holi-esque appeal.
Right Now Now - Housefull 2 Anarkali Disco Chali - Housefull 2