A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
It’s been nearly a year and a half in Nepal but I haven’t ever had a haircut here. Now, buy more about
don’t be unduly shocked. For those who have seen me recently would vouchsafe that I do not carry kale lambe ghane reshmi tresses on my head – in fact, advice I don’t even flaunt hair long enough to match Hritik’s Mowgli inspired Krishh style (nor do I have the body to go alongwith it, but that’s a different story).
The reason for not trying Nepalese barbers is that, usually, I make once-a-month trip to Delhi, and get the needful done there, in comfortable and familiar surroundings. But during January’s trip I barely stayed home, hence did not get time at all. True, I had few hours in Mumbai, but then, I am confident Priyangini wouldn’t really have relished the idea of having a meet at a barber’s shop!
Thus, by first week February I was looking quite unruly. Also, long hair irritates – whether on my head, or someone else’s. I firmly believe a man looks best with short cropped hair (and inversely, a girl’s beauty is enhanced by her crowning glory). So before the matter got out of hand, I decided to do something about it.
Realisation hit me that I hadn’t seen many barbers here. There was a small cubby hole shop down the lane, which had on display a faded and torn Salman Khan poster from his Saajan days, and had kept on the dull-green mica counter, an archaic glass-and-long-winding-steel-water- spray- an item that even my Delhi’s neighborhood ‘naai’ had upgraded to a more fancy plastic ones; it’s original use is to water plants, I reckon!
No way was I going there, I resolved with a slight shudder.
On his last visit, my boss had pointed out to a corner shop in front of Radisson, asking about haircut rates here; at that time I had no clue. The shop belongs to the hotel, though it is not in the main premises. So, off I went there – twice! Both times it was closed. But today, thankfully the awful shutter was up and in I walked, praying that let it not be exorbitantly expensive. The counter man smiled and refused to take me in saying the shop was closed. At six pm!
My next destination was Hotel Annapurna – they have a shopping arcade adjacent to the main building. I recalled seeing some ‘barber’ signage there. Sure, it was there, and it was open – though the personnel gave same answer – ‘closing time’. I plonked myself on the sofa, gave a sweet smile and requested him to adjust me in today. Thankfully, he agreed.
And there began my perils!
I have nothing against garrulous barbers, but it’s just that I am not given to small talk. But this was something I hadn’t imagined.
He started off pointing at my graying hair. Probably, he would next ask me to dye my hair- a temptation which my Delhi barber still secretly hopes I would succumb to someday. Everytime I visit him, he picks a few hair strands, and drops them in disdain as if they are a filthy rag, and shake his head sorrowfully, “Tch tch tch, Bahut safed ho gaye hainâ€; his tone makes you feel as if it is Earth’s biggest calamity; and then, brightening up, he will go on to inform that current hair colors are even good for the hair. My response, as ever, is a soft smile but a firm no! ‘At least henna?’ he ventures hopefully. ‘We have lots of good herbal hennas.’ Hennas are always herbal, I wish to retort sometimes. But most likely, I slip into the comfortable chair and close off my eyes. That ends the discussion, and the rest goes off peacefully.
Anyways I am digressing. So, this one talked about bad diet, stomach ailment and all. Perplexed, I waited patiently for the catch to be sprung on me, while his hand moved dexterously on my mane. And then it came! The moot point: – there is a lovely organic fruit supplement that can cure anything. He was member of the company’s direct marketing team.
I maintained a stoic smile, but inwardly let out a loud groan. I am very wary of direct marketers – friends, who after the obligatory hellos, start off with virtues of ‘this awesome never-sold, never-found product’ (then why did you find it, my mind would scream); or eager acquaintances who thrust Tupperware catellogues under your nose as you struggle to sip your Coke with a straight face – these are people who I strike off my phone book the first.
I recall I had this friendly client – and during the negotiations his wife nearly kept my purchase of Tupperware as a ransom for the deal to go through. Thankfully, her husband was sensible, and moreover her greed for the new car prevailed over her salesmanship-spirit!
At another time, a friend’s friend had conspiratorially called me for a ‘striking business deal’. I agreed to check it out and ended up at Japan Life’s orientation meet at Kalkaji, Delhi. Japan Life sold (or probably, still sells) a unique magnetic mattress that guaranteed obliteration of any and every disease – and it was for ‘just Rs 70,000’! The deal was you buy that mattress, make three more members and the money shall start rolling in. Cool! After an impressive presentation, there were casual meets between various ‘uplines’ and ‘downlines’ – it all seemed so easy. Just a few more like you and you have cheques coming your way every month. You are your own boss, no office, no fixed routines -they lured.
Two girls, in low-waist jeans, talked excitedly – one piped about the next car she had booked – a grey Santro, the other vetoed it with a long squeaky drawl ‘Chhee, buy a yellow one!’ I nearly fainted but this one went on to mention an upcoming holiday in Mauritius.
With naivety, I heard their conversation; my salivating mind lapped up each word greedily. Yes, this was my calling – this was what I was always meant for. Easy money – luxurious holidays, swanky cars, trendy night-clubs and without any serious work, or best of all: – no slimy idiotic boss to report to! For sure, I was sold on to the idea. The only obstacle – I didn’t have the initial Rs 70,000! And my dad categorically refused to cough up his own for, what he felt, ‘an outrageously stupid idea’!
That was the end of that story.
Reluctantly my mind dissolved to the present. The burden on my head was lesser, but the one on my ear was still the same. It’s not a drug, it’s organic, it doesn’t have side effects, takes care of your liver and kidneys as well etc etc. One bottle was for NPR 1900, but of course there is a ten-percent discount if you buy immediately. There always is!
I looked at my reflection – my smile was still frozen from the time he had started off! I tried to sound interested, letting out a few ‘hmms’ at regular intervals. I always find such situations very sticky where some one is trying to sell an idea/deal/product enthusiastically, and I have the least interest for it!
However, in all this, hiis work was good and I was satisfied with the end-result.
As soon as he was finished, I sprang from the leather chair and paid the money. Till then he had only talked about the goodness of this American-Japanese joint product, reaching Nepal via Malaysia! But as he took the money he finally fired his final salvo, ‘So should I pack one for you?’
I mumbled something about being here only so will pick it up some other day and hurried out of the shop. No more here; I vowed to myself that next time it will be in Delhi only – even if it means getting the hair hennaed! At least it’s better and cheaper than being sold off some horrendously expensive tonic!
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
A writer in hibernation, online I can wake up any day to claim my rightful place in the written word’s cosmos. Till then, abortion I am content with this blog – which is, as the name suggests, a random expressions of what crosses my mind. I call this blog a one-stop shop for entertainment reading in its various dimensions, providing a little relief from your life’s daily rigmarole. The blog has stories, view points, opinions, travel related entries, general posts, reviews and of course, lots on Bollywood music and Lata Mangeshkar (a voice I am passionate about)!
Archives
I hope your experience at RE is fruitful. To access my previous posts, a good place to start is to visit the Comprehensive Archives Page which gives you the list of posts month-wise as well as the break up category-wise. There is a ‘search form’ available to enable you find the exact post you are looking for.
The comments on the posts are enabled, and it will give me a pleasure to know your views.
Contact
You can contact Random Expressions by using the contact form here
Announcements
You can join the announcement list (as given on the right hand side bar). Rest assured your email will remain confidential and will not be used other than sending out announcements from time to time. I hate spam more than any one could (esp. since I struggle quite a lot with it, both on this site and on my mails)
Donate
If you find the site useful and entertaining, please do make a nominal donation to help up-keep the site in its full beauty and form. You can help by clicking here.
Disclaimer
Comments are unmoderated and hence open to everyone. I take no risk or responsibility for them.
If you find some comment offensive or in bad taste then you may write to me. I will try to remove the same if I have time or feel they are really in bad taste. There is no guarantee for this.
So sit back, relax and enjoy! Happy Reading!
Deepak Jeswal
Music Review
It’s after listening to the film’s music I realised how much I missed Jatin-Lalit’s music. Sadly, look
this will be their swan song as a team, with both partners splitting up officially – quite a first in music industry; even though Shankar and Jaikishan were composing and interacting with producers separately some five-six years prior to Jaikishan’s untimely death, still they held to “S-J brand” very closely, so much so that Shankar did not allow the hyphen to go even when he was left alone by destiny’s chilling hand!
In mid-nineties JL were there right at the top – with two back-to-back musical bumper hits (DDLJ and Kuch Kuch Hota Hai) and several other hits (Pyar To Hona Hi Tha, Jab Pyar Kisise Hota Hai etc), they were sitting primly at the peak – till differences arose. Their last notable release was Hum Tum, from the same team as Fanaa.
Fanaa is a good farewell gift from the duo.
The most interesting point is to see Sunidhi Chauhan shedding off her ‘item girl’ image, an avatar she
momentarily slipped out of in Sur, but didn’t do much to later follow it up. In Fanaa, she gets to croon two soft numbers, of which ‘Tere haath mein mera haath ho’ is heart-meltingly effusive. To Sunidhi’s credit, she jumps at the opportunity with élan. The song embellished with some Kashmiri music has snippets of verses spoken by lead pair Aamir and Kajol, and Sonu Nigam gives pleasant company.
Her other duet (again with Sonu) Yeh saazish hai boondon ki (Dekho Na) is charming, sculpted with care and romance just like Hum Tum’s much appreciated title song.
It was ‘Chanda chamke’ that made me miss JL the most! The song is so typically JL that I really wish they would bury their differences and come together again. This song is based on alliterative tongue-twisters we all loved during our childhood. Singers are Babul Supriyo, Mahalaxmi and Master Akhay, with Aamir and Kajol again doing honors with a few words in between. Excellent interludes make it a lovable song.
Mahalaxmi’s solo ‘Des Rangila’, a patriotic song, is probably the only weakest link, yet in the reflective luminesce of other songs it shines.
My most favorite and undoubtedly the album’s best track is Shaan-Kailash Kher’s Chaand sifarish karta jo hamari. It’s a unique composition – the introduction is sort of ‘Balle balle on a Sunday’ riff(Bunty Aur Bubli) meets AR Rahman’s qawaali beats from Bombay (Kahne hi kya), to which is snitched just a sliver of Junoon’s electric guitar signature rhythm, and yet the song doesn’t look like some tattered hand-me down; primarily due to the excellent whistling theme music that takes over, and a tune which takes off on a wonderfully lip-friendly plane. The rhythm is awesome; and Shaan is perfectly in sync with the romantic mood! Even if you don’t plan to buy the album, don’t ever miss this song any which way! For this song itself, I would have given the below mentioned rating, but then the score has enough merit to claim its rightful share in music lover’s mind.
You can listen to songs online here.
Overall: A Good Buy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
It’s been nearly a year and a half in Nepal but I haven’t ever had a haircut here. Now, buy more about
don’t be unduly shocked. For those who have seen me recently would vouchsafe that I do not carry kale lambe ghane reshmi tresses on my head – in fact, advice I don’t even flaunt hair long enough to match Hritik’s Mowgli inspired Krishh style (nor do I have the body to go alongwith it, but that’s a different story).
The reason for not trying Nepalese barbers is that, usually, I make once-a-month trip to Delhi, and get the needful done there, in comfortable and familiar surroundings. But during January’s trip I barely stayed home, hence did not get time at all. True, I had few hours in Mumbai, but then, I am confident Priyangini wouldn’t really have relished the idea of having a meet at a barber’s shop!
Thus, by first week February I was looking quite unruly. Also, long hair irritates – whether on my head, or someone else’s. I firmly believe a man looks best with short cropped hair (and inversely, a girl’s beauty is enhanced by her crowning glory). So before the matter got out of hand, I decided to do something about it.
Realisation hit me that I hadn’t seen many barbers here. There was a small cubby hole shop down the lane, which had on display a faded and torn Salman Khan poster from his Saajan days, and had kept on the dull-green mica counter, an archaic glass-and-long-winding-steel-water- spray- an item that even my Delhi’s neighborhood ‘naai’ had upgraded to a more fancy plastic ones; it’s original use is to water plants, I reckon!
No way was I going there, I resolved with a slight shudder.
On his last visit, my boss had pointed out to a corner shop in front of Radisson, asking about haircut rates here; at that time I had no clue. The shop belongs to the hotel, though it is not in the main premises. So, off I went there – twice! Both times it was closed. But today, thankfully the awful shutter was up and in I walked, praying that let it not be exorbitantly expensive. The counter man smiled and refused to take me in saying the shop was closed. At six pm!
My next destination was Hotel Annapurna – they have a shopping arcade adjacent to the main building. I recalled seeing some ‘barber’ signage there. Sure, it was there, and it was open – though the personnel gave same answer – ‘closing time’. I plonked myself on the sofa, gave a sweet smile and requested him to adjust me in today. Thankfully, he agreed.
And there began my perils!
I have nothing against garrulous barbers, but it’s just that I am not given to small talk. But this was something I hadn’t imagined.
He started off pointing at my graying hair. Probably, he would next ask me to dye my hair- a temptation which my Delhi barber still secretly hopes I would succumb to someday. Everytime I visit him, he picks a few hair strands, and drops them in disdain as if they are a filthy rag, and shake his head sorrowfully, “Tch tch tch, Bahut safed ho gaye hainâ€; his tone makes you feel as if it is Earth’s biggest calamity; and then, brightening up, he will go on to inform that current hair colors are even good for the hair. My response, as ever, is a soft smile but a firm no! ‘At least henna?’ he ventures hopefully. ‘We have lots of good herbal hennas.’ Hennas are always herbal, I wish to retort sometimes. But most likely, I slip into the comfortable chair and close off my eyes. That ends the discussion, and the rest goes off peacefully.
Anyways I am digressing. So, this one talked about bad diet, stomach ailment and all. Perplexed, I waited patiently for the catch to be sprung on me, while his hand moved dexterously on my mane. And then it came! The moot point: – there is a lovely organic fruit supplement that can cure anything. He was member of the company’s direct marketing team.
I maintained a stoic smile, but inwardly let out a loud groan. I am very wary of direct marketers – friends, who after the obligatory hellos, start off with virtues of ‘this awesome never-sold, never-found product’ (then why did you find it, my mind would scream); or eager acquaintances who thrust Tupperware catellogues under your nose as you struggle to sip your Coke with a straight face – these are people who I strike off my phone book the first.
I recall I had this friendly client – and during the negotiations his wife nearly kept my purchase of Tupperware as a ransom for the deal to go through. Thankfully, her husband was sensible, and moreover her greed for the new car prevailed over her salesmanship-spirit!
At another time, a friend’s friend had conspiratorially called me for a ‘striking business deal’. I agreed to check it out and ended up at Japan Life’s orientation meet at Kalkaji, Delhi. Japan Life sold (or probably, still sells) a unique magnetic mattress that guaranteed obliteration of any and every disease – and it was for ‘just Rs 70,000’! The deal was you buy that mattress, make three more members and the money shall start rolling in. Cool! After an impressive presentation, there were casual meets between various ‘uplines’ and ‘downlines’ – it all seemed so easy. Just a few more like you and you have cheques coming your way every month. You are your own boss, no office, no fixed routines -they lured.
Two girls, in low-waist jeans, talked excitedly – one piped about the next car she had booked – a grey Santro, the other vetoed it with a long squeaky drawl ‘Chhee, buy a yellow one!’ I nearly fainted but this one went on to mention an upcoming holiday in Mauritius.
With naivety, I heard their conversation; my salivating mind lapped up each word greedily. Yes, this was my calling – this was what I was always meant for. Easy money – luxurious holidays, swanky cars, trendy night-clubs and without any serious work, or best of all: – no slimy idiotic boss to report to! For sure, I was sold on to the idea. The only obstacle – I didn’t have the initial Rs 70,000! And my dad categorically refused to cough up his own for, what he felt, ‘an outrageously stupid idea’!
That was the end of that story.
Reluctantly my mind dissolved to the present. The burden on my head was lesser, but the one on my ear was still the same. It’s not a drug, it’s organic, it doesn’t have side effects, takes care of your liver and kidneys as well etc etc. One bottle was for NPR 1900, but of course there is a ten-percent discount if you buy immediately. There always is!
I looked at my reflection – my smile was still frozen from the time he had started off! I tried to sound interested, letting out a few ‘hmms’ at regular intervals. I always find such situations very sticky where some one is trying to sell an idea/deal/product enthusiastically, and I have the least interest for it!
However, in all this, hiis work was good and I was satisfied with the end-result.
As soon as he was finished, I sprang from the leather chair and paid the money. Till then he had only talked about the goodness of this American-Japanese joint product, reaching Nepal via Malaysia! But as he took the money he finally fired his final salvo, ‘So should I pack one for you?’
I mumbled something about being here only so will pick it up some other day and hurried out of the shop. No more here; I vowed to myself that next time it will be in Delhi only – even if it means getting the hair hennaed! At least it’s better and cheaper than being sold off some horrendously expensive tonic!
I haven’t really written much poetry. But in the following pages, healing you can find some Hindi stuff; would classify them more as ‘songs’ than poems!
Enjoy!
Bahut bechain, eczema
bahut betaab hai hum;
Bahut bekaraar, surgeon
bahut talabgaar hai hum
Aaj ki raat neend nahi aayegi
Aaj ki raat karwaton mein guzar jaayegi,
Silwaton mein subah gin lenge murjhaaye hue khwaab,
Aaj ki raat to masalne mein guzar jaayegi
Hamari tishnagi ka koie dariya nahi
Hamari mushqilon ka koie zaria nahi
Subah roshni ki barsaat hogi magar,
Aaj ki raat to kale sehre mein jaayegi
Kyun bechain kyun betaab hai hum
Kyun bekaraar kyun talabgaar hai hum
Ik hasrat hai dil mein
Ik chaah zahan ki
Paak ke jaise ho duaayen
Khaalikh par usme gunaahon si
Dil ke daayaron ko baandh diya
Armaanon ki rawaani ko rok diya
Khwashiyon ko humne dafn kiya
Bas jee rah ik zindagi si
Bejaan ruh ki dhadkan si
Is liye bechain, is liye betaab hai hum
Is liye talabgaar, is liye bekaraar hai hum
Haan karliya, order
jee karliya humne jurm-e-ulfat
Aankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi, par hans gayi kismat
Kal talak mai bhi mehfilon mein gaata tha
Phoolon se gulshan mera bhi saja karta tha
Aaj veeran ho gayi meri chaahat
Aankh roti rahi , haai roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Aaj koi sapna aankhon mein sajta nahi
Koie bhi rang dil ko bhaata nahi
Na jaan paya taqdeer ki taaqat
Aaankh roti rahi, haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Kal ho na ho iska nahi aitbaar
Kal ka ab mujhe nahi intezaar
Kahi se mil jaaye mujhko bhi raahat
Aaankh roti rahi , haa roti rahi par hans gayi kismat
Do kadam chalo to zara
Thaam ke haath mera
Bas yehi ab hai dua
Raho sang mere sada
Apni tanhaiyaiyon se
Apni hi parchchayon se, medical
Darta mai kitna raha
Chup main bahut raha
Mere geeton mein de diye, decease
Naye bol bas tumne,
Phir se mai jee utha
Phir se mai gaane laga
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
Kitni masoom hai
Kitni gumsum hai
Teri ankhon mein
Itne kyun gam hai
Baant lun kuch mai bhi
Halka ho man tera bhi
Yeh dosti yaar nibhana
Ruswa ise na karna
Bas yehi hai ab dua
Raho sang mere sada
It’s been nearly a year and a half in Nepal but I haven’t ever had a haircut here. Now, buy more about
don’t be unduly shocked. For those who have seen me recently would vouchsafe that I do not carry kale lambe ghane reshmi tresses on my head – in fact, advice I don’t even flaunt hair long enough to match Hritik’s Mowgli inspired Krishh style (nor do I have the body to go alongwith it, but that’s a different story).
The reason for not trying Nepalese barbers is that, usually, I make once-a-month trip to Delhi, and get the needful done there, in comfortable and familiar surroundings. But during January’s trip I barely stayed home, hence did not get time at all. True, I had few hours in Mumbai, but then, I am confident Priyangini wouldn’t really have relished the idea of having a meet at a barber’s shop!
Thus, by first week February I was looking quite unruly. Also, long hair irritates – whether on my head, or someone else’s. I firmly believe a man looks best with short cropped hair (and inversely, a girl’s beauty is enhanced by her crowning glory). So before the matter got out of hand, I decided to do something about it.
Realisation hit me that I hadn’t seen many barbers here. There was a small cubby hole shop down the lane, which had on display a faded and torn Salman Khan poster from his Saajan days, and had kept on the dull-green mica counter, an archaic glass-and-long-winding-steel-water- spray- an item that even my Delhi’s neighborhood ‘naai’ had upgraded to a more fancy plastic ones; it’s original use is to water plants, I reckon!
No way was I going there, I resolved with a slight shudder.
On his last visit, my boss had pointed out to a corner shop in front of Radisson, asking about haircut rates here; at that time I had no clue. The shop belongs to the hotel, though it is not in the main premises. So, off I went there – twice! Both times it was closed. But today, thankfully the awful shutter was up and in I walked, praying that let it not be exorbitantly expensive. The counter man smiled and refused to take me in saying the shop was closed. At six pm!
My next destination was Hotel Annapurna – they have a shopping arcade adjacent to the main building. I recalled seeing some ‘barber’ signage there. Sure, it was there, and it was open – though the personnel gave same answer – ‘closing time’. I plonked myself on the sofa, gave a sweet smile and requested him to adjust me in today. Thankfully, he agreed.
And there began my perils!
I have nothing against garrulous barbers, but it’s just that I am not given to small talk. But this was something I hadn’t imagined.
He started off pointing at my graying hair. Probably, he would next ask me to dye my hair- a temptation which my Delhi barber still secretly hopes I would succumb to someday. Everytime I visit him, he picks a few hair strands, and drops them in disdain as if they are a filthy rag, and shake his head sorrowfully, “Tch tch tch, Bahut safed ho gaye hainâ€; his tone makes you feel as if it is Earth’s biggest calamity; and then, brightening up, he will go on to inform that current hair colors are even good for the hair. My response, as ever, is a soft smile but a firm no! ‘At least henna?’ he ventures hopefully. ‘We have lots of good herbal hennas.’ Hennas are always herbal, I wish to retort sometimes. But most likely, I slip into the comfortable chair and close off my eyes. That ends the discussion, and the rest goes off peacefully.
Anyways I am digressing. So, this one talked about bad diet, stomach ailment and all. Perplexed, I waited patiently for the catch to be sprung on me, while his hand moved dexterously on my mane. And then it came! The moot point: – there is a lovely organic fruit supplement that can cure anything. He was member of the company’s direct marketing team.
I maintained a stoic smile, but inwardly let out a loud groan. I am very wary of direct marketers – friends, who after the obligatory hellos, start off with virtues of ‘this awesome never-sold, never-found product’ (then why did you find it, my mind would scream); or eager acquaintances who thrust Tupperware catellogues under your nose as you struggle to sip your Coke with a straight face – these are people who I strike off my phone book the first.
I recall I had this friendly client – and during the negotiations his wife nearly kept my purchase of Tupperware as a ransom for the deal to go through. Thankfully, her husband was sensible, and moreover her greed for the new car prevailed over her salesmanship-spirit!
At another time, a friend’s friend had conspiratorially called me for a ‘striking business deal’. I agreed to check it out and ended up at Japan Life’s orientation meet at Kalkaji, Delhi. Japan Life sold (or probably, still sells) a unique magnetic mattress that guaranteed obliteration of any and every disease – and it was for ‘just Rs 70,000’! The deal was you buy that mattress, make three more members and the money shall start rolling in. Cool! After an impressive presentation, there were casual meets between various ‘uplines’ and ‘downlines’ – it all seemed so easy. Just a few more like you and you have cheques coming your way every month. You are your own boss, no office, no fixed routines -they lured.
Two girls, in low-waist jeans, talked excitedly – one piped about the next car she had booked – a grey Santro, the other vetoed it with a long squeaky drawl ‘Chhee, buy a yellow one!’ I nearly fainted but this one went on to mention an upcoming holiday in Mauritius.
With naivety, I heard their conversation; my salivating mind lapped up each word greedily. Yes, this was my calling – this was what I was always meant for. Easy money – luxurious holidays, swanky cars, trendy night-clubs and without any serious work, or best of all: – no slimy idiotic boss to report to! For sure, I was sold on to the idea. The only obstacle – I didn’t have the initial Rs 70,000! And my dad categorically refused to cough up his own for, what he felt, ‘an outrageously stupid idea’!
That was the end of that story.
Reluctantly my mind dissolved to the present. The burden on my head was lesser, but the one on my ear was still the same. It’s not a drug, it’s organic, it doesn’t have side effects, takes care of your liver and kidneys as well etc etc. One bottle was for NPR 1900, but of course there is a ten-percent discount if you buy immediately. There always is!
I looked at my reflection – my smile was still frozen from the time he had started off! I tried to sound interested, letting out a few ‘hmms’ at regular intervals. I always find such situations very sticky where some one is trying to sell an idea/deal/product enthusiastically, and I have the least interest for it!
However, in all this, hiis work was good and I was satisfied with the end-result.
As soon as he was finished, I sprang from the leather chair and paid the money. Till then he had only talked about the goodness of this American-Japanese joint product, reaching Nepal via Malaysia! But as he took the money he finally fired his final salvo, ‘So should I pack one for you?’
I mumbled something about being here only so will pick it up some other day and hurried out of the shop. No more here; I vowed to myself that next time it will be in Delhi only – even if it means getting the hair hennaed! At least it’s better and cheaper than being sold off some horrendously expensive tonic!
Kisse Karen shikayet
Kisse Karen shikwa
Duniya mein kaun hai apna
Hai raaste to kitne
Par manzil ek nahin
Jahan dam toote wo manzil hai kahan
Kisse kare shikayat……
Kaanto ki dukano par
Bikte nahi phool, story
Par chukane hai karz phoolon ke yahan
Kisse kare shikayat…..
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
I admit I am not too well versed in Kalpana Lajmi’s cinema, this web
and haven’t watched any of her films barring the refreshingly honest Ek Pal. My association with her is restricted to Lata Mangeshkar’s extremely eloquent ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali. Hence, sick
I approached Chingaari with an open mind, and to say it left me cold is a major understatement.
Chingaari is one of those B-and-C-grade films masquerading as an art film. It is a puerile and pathetic piece of cinema that has neither the content nor flow to captivate audiences. It seems Lajmi’s intention was to shock and sensationalise the audience without any care for aesthetics or form.
The story is set in a typical North Indian village, Rangpur which has a designated red light area called Lal Batti (how unimaginative!). The gullible villagers are firmly held in tight clutches of the evil head-priest Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty), who abuses his authority for own selfish motives. He keeps them involved in meaningless religious mumbo-jumbos instigating fear in their heart to retain his superiority over them. He uses illogical rites like making a naked virgin girl sit on his lap, while he places himself over a corpse, in order to exorcise the dead man’s evil spirit! Even though he berates prostitutes, resorting to physical and verbal abuse even if they so much as touch the Goddess’ idol inadvertently, still he has no qualms in spending the nights at their place – practicing wild, kinky and sadist sex!
One such prostitute is Basanti (Sushmita Sen), who lives with her daughter Titli, and ekes out her living in that deplorable condition.
In this murky environment enters the fresh, educated and young postman Chandan Mishra (Anuj Sawhney). Like any villager postman, he not only delivers letters, but reads them out and writes for them, and in a sense he becomes a confidante, friend and mentor to them. An unstated, muted and sublime love develops between Chadan and Basanti, cemented by his affection for the latter’s fatherless daughter! He also instigates revolt against Bhuvan Panda.
No doubt the love story between the postman and the prostitute (incidentally, the film’s original title as well) is good, and could have been a classy saga of romance, sacrifice and valor. Unfortunately, Lajmi seems to have seen too many Neha Dhupia flicks of late, hence it ends up being a loud, crass and disgusting melodrama.
The narrative moves in jerks and fits, and the screenplay is shoddy. There is no continuum in the movement, and several unwanted scenes are repetitive or too lengthy for comfort; the running time is also inordinately long; looks as if the editor just did not know his job. Sequences where the prostitutes are interacting are gross. Sushmita’s introduction scene where she instigates two colleagues fighting over a customer and urges them to use words like ‘randi’ and ‘chinaal’ is horrible.
The dialogues are crappy, peppered liberally with obscenities and profanities and are written only to evoke shock value. The climax is hilarious – Sushmita goes to the village temple with her hair flying wild, drums beating and picks up a trishul and kills Bhuvan Panda – it’s straight from those forgettable mid-eighties dacoit/revenge dramas that had infested Bollywood that time!
Production value is shoddy and camera work is tacky. The music (by Adesh Srivastava) is nothing to write home (or anywhere) about.
Sushmita Sen gives a relatively good performance, though she appears too urban to pass off as a rustic prostitute convincingly. Anuj Sawhney is adequate. But Mithun Chakraborty is too tired and haggard! Ila Arun, as the red light area’s head-madame, is ok.
The film does nothing to sensitize against the prostitute’s plight; nor does it help to lay spotlight on interior
India’s woeful condition. In the end, it’s not even good cinema. This chingaari fizzles out without lighting any fire. I hope Lajmi drops the ‘neice of Guru Dutt’ tag for the time being till she returns with a more meaningful and involving film!
Overall: Avoid
Side Notes
While on prostitutes, I read the following somewhere: during the shoot of Kalyug abroad, Deepal Shaw was mistaken for a whore by another one from the tribe there! Despite liking Shaw in that film, my overall impression of her is that – to put it very bluntly – she looks like a slut! Her music videos are largely responsible for giving that image. In the write-up that I read, Shaw narrated this incident with obvious glee. I don’t know about her, but if I were in her place, I would have taken serious offence and not publicize this fact and, more importantly, do some serious introspection!
Secondly, who is that goddamn singer who has screeched ‘Aa darr ke marr’ from Darna Zaroori Hai! It’s the most irritating, grating and awful voice I have heard in recent times. If the brief given to her was to sound sexy and scary at the same time, she has got it widely wrong! Why does Ram Gopal Verma waste money and time in recording songs which no one is going to buy? Stardust (April 2006) carries a piece on Verma’s deteriorating position in the industry. Though Stardust in itself is a gossip magazine, but still some facts are true and cannot be ignored – his films (except Sarkar) have all flopped, his proteges are deserting him and his financers are distancing themselves.
Hope Darna Zaroori Hai bails him out. I liked the first part (Darna Marna Hai) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one now!
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
I admit I am not too well versed in Kalpana Lajmi’s cinema, this web
and haven’t watched any of her films barring the refreshingly honest Ek Pal. My association with her is restricted to Lata Mangeshkar’s extremely eloquent ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali. Hence, sick
I approached Chingaari with an open mind, and to say it left me cold is a major understatement.
Chingaari is one of those B-and-C-grade films masquerading as an art film. It is a puerile and pathetic piece of cinema that has neither the content nor flow to captivate audiences. It seems Lajmi’s intention was to shock and sensationalise the audience without any care for aesthetics or form.
The story is set in a typical North Indian village, Rangpur which has a designated red light area called Lal Batti (how unimaginative!). The gullible villagers are firmly held in tight clutches of the evil head-priest Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty), who abuses his authority for own selfish motives. He keeps them involved in meaningless religious mumbo-jumbos instigating fear in their heart to retain his superiority over them. He uses illogical rites like making a naked virgin girl sit on his lap, while he places himself over a corpse, in order to exorcise the dead man’s evil spirit! Even though he berates prostitutes, resorting to physical and verbal abuse even if they so much as touch the Goddess’ idol inadvertently, still he has no qualms in spending the nights at their place – practicing wild, kinky and sadist sex!
One such prostitute is Basanti (Sushmita Sen), who lives with her daughter Titli, and ekes out her living in that deplorable condition.
In this murky environment enters the fresh, educated and young postman Chandan Mishra (Anuj Sawhney). Like any villager postman, he not only delivers letters, but reads them out and writes for them, and in a sense he becomes a confidante, friend and mentor to them. An unstated, muted and sublime love develops between Chadan and Basanti, cemented by his affection for the latter’s fatherless daughter! He also instigates revolt against Bhuvan Panda.
No doubt the love story between the postman and the prostitute (incidentally, the film’s original title as well) is good, and could have been a classy saga of romance, sacrifice and valor. Unfortunately, Lajmi seems to have seen too many Neha Dhupia flicks of late, hence it ends up being a loud, crass and disgusting melodrama.
The narrative moves in jerks and fits, and the screenplay is shoddy. There is no continuum in the movement, and several unwanted scenes are repetitive or too lengthy for comfort; the running time is also inordinately long; looks as if the editor just did not know his job. Sequences where the prostitutes are interacting are gross. Sushmita’s introduction scene where she instigates two colleagues fighting over a customer and urges them to use words like ‘randi’ and ‘chinaal’ is horrible.
The dialogues are crappy, peppered liberally with obscenities and profanities and are written only to evoke shock value. The climax is hilarious – Sushmita goes to the village temple with her hair flying wild, drums beating and picks up a trishul and kills Bhuvan Panda – it’s straight from those forgettable mid-eighties dacoit/revenge dramas that had infested Bollywood that time!
Production value is shoddy and camera work is tacky. The music (by Adesh Srivastava) is nothing to write home (or anywhere) about.
Sushmita Sen gives a relatively good performance, though she appears too urban to pass off as a rustic prostitute convincingly. Anuj Sawhney is adequate. But Mithun Chakraborty is too tired and haggard! Ila Arun, as the red light area’s head-madame, is ok.
The film does nothing to sensitize against the prostitute’s plight; nor does it help to lay spotlight on interior
India’s woeful condition. In the end, it’s not even good cinema. This chingaari fizzles out without lighting any fire. I hope Lajmi drops the ‘neice of Guru Dutt’ tag for the time being till she returns with a more meaningful and involving film!
Overall: Avoid
Side Notes
While on prostitutes, I read the following somewhere: during the shoot of Kalyug abroad, Deepal Shaw was mistaken for a whore by another one from the tribe there! Despite liking Shaw in that film, my overall impression of her is that – to put it very bluntly – she looks like a slut! Her music videos are largely responsible for giving that image. In the write-up that I read, Shaw narrated this incident with obvious glee. I don’t know about her, but if I were in her place, I would have taken serious offence and not publicize this fact and, more importantly, do some serious introspection!
Secondly, who is that goddamn singer who has screeched ‘Aa darr ke marr’ from Darna Zaroori Hai! It’s the most irritating, grating and awful voice I have heard in recent times. If the brief given to her was to sound sexy and scary at the same time, she has got it widely wrong! Why does Ram Gopal Verma waste money and time in recording songs which no one is going to buy? Stardust (April 2006) carries a piece on Verma’s deteriorating position in the industry. Though Stardust in itself is a gossip magazine, but still some facts are true and cannot be ignored – his films (except Sarkar) have all flopped, his proteges are deserting him and his financers are distancing themselves.
Hope Darna Zaroori Hai bails him out. I liked the first part (Darna Marna Hai) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one now!
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
Powered by Zoundry
I admit I am not too well versed in Kalpana Lajmi’s cinema, this web
and haven’t watched any of her films barring the refreshingly honest Ek Pal. My association with her is restricted to Lata Mangeshkar’s extremely eloquent ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali. Hence, sick
I approached Chingaari with an open mind, and to say it left me cold is a major understatement.
Chingaari is one of those B-and-C-grade films masquerading as an art film. It is a puerile and pathetic piece of cinema that has neither the content nor flow to captivate audiences. It seems Lajmi’s intention was to shock and sensationalise the audience without any care for aesthetics or form.
The story is set in a typical North Indian village, Rangpur which has a designated red light area called Lal Batti (how unimaginative!). The gullible villagers are firmly held in tight clutches of the evil head-priest Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty), who abuses his authority for own selfish motives. He keeps them involved in meaningless religious mumbo-jumbos instigating fear in their heart to retain his superiority over them. He uses illogical rites like making a naked virgin girl sit on his lap, while he places himself over a corpse, in order to exorcise the dead man’s evil spirit! Even though he berates prostitutes, resorting to physical and verbal abuse even if they so much as touch the Goddess’ idol inadvertently, still he has no qualms in spending the nights at their place – practicing wild, kinky and sadist sex!
One such prostitute is Basanti (Sushmita Sen), who lives with her daughter Titli, and ekes out her living in that deplorable condition.
In this murky environment enters the fresh, educated and young postman Chandan Mishra (Anuj Sawhney). Like any villager postman, he not only delivers letters, but reads them out and writes for them, and in a sense he becomes a confidante, friend and mentor to them. An unstated, muted and sublime love develops between Chadan and Basanti, cemented by his affection for the latter’s fatherless daughter! He also instigates revolt against Bhuvan Panda.
No doubt the love story between the postman and the prostitute (incidentally, the film’s original title as well) is good, and could have been a classy saga of romance, sacrifice and valor. Unfortunately, Lajmi seems to have seen too many Neha Dhupia flicks of late, hence it ends up being a loud, crass and disgusting melodrama.
The narrative moves in jerks and fits, and the screenplay is shoddy. There is no continuum in the movement, and several unwanted scenes are repetitive or too lengthy for comfort; the running time is also inordinately long; looks as if the editor just did not know his job. Sequences where the prostitutes are interacting are gross. Sushmita’s introduction scene where she instigates two colleagues fighting over a customer and urges them to use words like ‘randi’ and ‘chinaal’ is horrible.
The dialogues are crappy, peppered liberally with obscenities and profanities and are written only to evoke shock value. The climax is hilarious – Sushmita goes to the village temple with her hair flying wild, drums beating and picks up a trishul and kills Bhuvan Panda – it’s straight from those forgettable mid-eighties dacoit/revenge dramas that had infested Bollywood that time!
Production value is shoddy and camera work is tacky. The music (by Adesh Srivastava) is nothing to write home (or anywhere) about.
Sushmita Sen gives a relatively good performance, though she appears too urban to pass off as a rustic prostitute convincingly. Anuj Sawhney is adequate. But Mithun Chakraborty is too tired and haggard! Ila Arun, as the red light area’s head-madame, is ok.
The film does nothing to sensitize against the prostitute’s plight; nor does it help to lay spotlight on interior
India’s woeful condition. In the end, it’s not even good cinema. This chingaari fizzles out without lighting any fire. I hope Lajmi drops the ‘neice of Guru Dutt’ tag for the time being till she returns with a more meaningful and involving film!
Overall: Avoid
Side Notes
While on prostitutes, I read the following somewhere: during the shoot of Kalyug abroad, Deepal Shaw was mistaken for a whore by another one from the tribe there! Despite liking Shaw in that film, my overall impression of her is that – to put it very bluntly – she looks like a slut! Her music videos are largely responsible for giving that image. In the write-up that I read, Shaw narrated this incident with obvious glee. I don’t know about her, but if I were in her place, I would have taken serious offence and not publicize this fact and, more importantly, do some serious introspection!
Secondly, who is that goddamn singer who has screeched ‘Aa darr ke marr’ from Darna Zaroori Hai! It’s the most irritating, grating and awful voice I have heard in recent times. If the brief given to her was to sound sexy and scary at the same time, she has got it widely wrong! Why does Ram Gopal Verma waste money and time in recording songs which no one is going to buy? Stardust (April 2006) carries a piece on Verma’s deteriorating position in the industry. Though Stardust in itself is a gossip magazine, but still some facts are true and cannot be ignored – his films (except Sarkar) have all flopped, his proteges are deserting him and his financers are distancing themselves.
Hope Darna Zaroori Hai bails him out. I liked the first part (Darna Marna Hai) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one now!
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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Music That Entices!
While the nation looses control over Rahman’s frothy Rang De Basanti score, sickness
his quiet and serene Water languishes away in oblivion. I am not a Rahman fan, overweight
but his few scores have really made an impact with me. Dil Se, buy more about
Zubeidaa, Pukar, One Two Ka Four, Bombay and Lagaan are my favorites. A point to note – all the above are prior to his current phase where the stress seems to be more on beats, rhythms and sounds than tunes. So, listening to Water came as a very pleasant surprise; till the time I read somewhere that Rahman’s music for Water was scored way back in 2000.
Anyways, whenever Rahman recorded these songs, they are beautiful!
The music is very delicate, like a dew drop; as if touching it would soil its purity. At other times, it’s like a soft drizzle which sends a thrilling shiver down the spine. Instruments are used minimally. You can switch off the light, put on Water’s music, and soak yourself in sheer melodies – extremely relaxing, that’s what Water is!
My favorite number – and I heard it five times on repeat mode after the first hearing – is ‘Piya Ho’ sung by Sadhna Sargam and Sukhwinder. There is this subtle rhythm which keeps flowing in the background, and a tune which cascades in its own curves in an unhurried pace; and over this Rahman places some riveting flute pieces so softly as if he is placing an expensive crystal over rich velvet – but then, that’s what this song is – bright as a crystal, soft as velvet! And it’s the tune which holds attention and not just sounds; a strong harkback to the old era of music. Oh yes, I have to mention the chorus which trails after the mukhda; it’s like a soft breeze which ripples over the tranquil river waters! If I am allowed to make one wish on this score, I would have loved to hear Lata Mangeshkar in this number!
Continuing the same mode, but switching theme to Meera’s unfulfilled love, is ‘Naina Neer Bahaye Mujh Birhan Ka Dil Saajan Sang Jhoom Jhoom Gaaye’ – quite similar to ‘Piya Ho’ but has a distinct rhythm and melody. Once again the able Sadhna Sargam at the mic, but this time she is solo. ‘Prem toh hai gangaajal jisme vish amrit bann jaaye’ writes new lyricist Raqeeb Alam. The song encapstulates unadulterated love, alongwith it’s underlying pathos.
Sukhwinder returns, but with a trifle increased tempo in ‘Aayo re sajan sakhi’ – earlier I felt it resembled Sukhwinder’s own Kisna title song. But as the song progresses the difference is stark. In this number Sadhna Sargam joins Sukhwinder from mid-way. A lovely use of Indian instruments like santoor embellishes the song . The song is like the royal sea's tide washing over an expansive beach.
With these three songs itself, the album can be called a dizzying exponent of high-quality sweet music. But there are three more tracks remaining – like the silver vark on tasteful barfi!
This album is definitely Sukhwinder’s crowning glory. Listen to him in yet another Lord Krishna-theme-based semi-classical song Bangri marori saiyan ne meri. I love the way the tune takes a sharp upward curve at the line ‘Radha ke gal-dori’
The next exquisite track is ‘MoheShaam rang de’ – a Holi number. This is a full-fledged masti song and the heart dances as the singers throw up a vocal flourish with ‘bajale zaraa dhol zor se’. The rang-bhang ka mausam is right at our doorstep now, and this number should be right up there – and it is such a relief after Rahman’s own horrible Holi number in Mangal Pande. This time the singers are Richa Sharma, Naqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya – and they create an ocean of riotous merry making with their voices.
The last track is the famous Gandhian bhajan- Vaishnav Jan To sung by Kaushaki Chakraborty. This is a bhajan immortalized by Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition in the bumper hit album Ram Rattan Dhan Paayo. Rahman moves away a bit from the basic framework, and manages quite well overall. My bias will remain for Lataji’s version!
Yes, this is not the score that will be played at parties and discos. But the difference lies exactly there – it does not set your foot tapping, but your head swaying in its lyrical rhythm. And it makes a place permanently in the heart. This is A R Rahman’s very best in recent times.
Do grab it as soon as possible – and while you go to buy it, I will return to have another hear of ‘Piya ho’!
Overall: Not to be missed; A Must Buy
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
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That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
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I admit I am not too well versed in Kalpana Lajmi’s cinema, this web
and haven’t watched any of her films barring the refreshingly honest Ek Pal. My association with her is restricted to Lata Mangeshkar’s extremely eloquent ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali. Hence, sick
I approached Chingaari with an open mind, and to say it left me cold is a major understatement.
Chingaari is one of those B-and-C-grade films masquerading as an art film. It is a puerile and pathetic piece of cinema that has neither the content nor flow to captivate audiences. It seems Lajmi’s intention was to shock and sensationalise the audience without any care for aesthetics or form.
The story is set in a typical North Indian village, Rangpur which has a designated red light area called Lal Batti (how unimaginative!). The gullible villagers are firmly held in tight clutches of the evil head-priest Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty), who abuses his authority for own selfish motives. He keeps them involved in meaningless religious mumbo-jumbos instigating fear in their heart to retain his superiority over them. He uses illogical rites like making a naked virgin girl sit on his lap, while he places himself over a corpse, in order to exorcise the dead man’s evil spirit! Even though he berates prostitutes, resorting to physical and verbal abuse even if they so much as touch the Goddess’ idol inadvertently, still he has no qualms in spending the nights at their place – practicing wild, kinky and sadist sex!
One such prostitute is Basanti (Sushmita Sen), who lives with her daughter Titli, and ekes out her living in that deplorable condition.
In this murky environment enters the fresh, educated and young postman Chandan Mishra (Anuj Sawhney). Like any villager postman, he not only delivers letters, but reads them out and writes for them, and in a sense he becomes a confidante, friend and mentor to them. An unstated, muted and sublime love develops between Chadan and Basanti, cemented by his affection for the latter’s fatherless daughter! He also instigates revolt against Bhuvan Panda.
No doubt the love story between the postman and the prostitute (incidentally, the film’s original title as well) is good, and could have been a classy saga of romance, sacrifice and valor. Unfortunately, Lajmi seems to have seen too many Neha Dhupia flicks of late, hence it ends up being a loud, crass and disgusting melodrama.
The narrative moves in jerks and fits, and the screenplay is shoddy. There is no continuum in the movement, and several unwanted scenes are repetitive or too lengthy for comfort; the running time is also inordinately long; looks as if the editor just did not know his job. Sequences where the prostitutes are interacting are gross. Sushmita’s introduction scene where she instigates two colleagues fighting over a customer and urges them to use words like ‘randi’ and ‘chinaal’ is horrible.
The dialogues are crappy, peppered liberally with obscenities and profanities and are written only to evoke shock value. The climax is hilarious – Sushmita goes to the village temple with her hair flying wild, drums beating and picks up a trishul and kills Bhuvan Panda – it’s straight from those forgettable mid-eighties dacoit/revenge dramas that had infested Bollywood that time!
Production value is shoddy and camera work is tacky. The music (by Adesh Srivastava) is nothing to write home (or anywhere) about.
Sushmita Sen gives a relatively good performance, though she appears too urban to pass off as a rustic prostitute convincingly. Anuj Sawhney is adequate. But Mithun Chakraborty is too tired and haggard! Ila Arun, as the red light area’s head-madame, is ok.
The film does nothing to sensitize against the prostitute’s plight; nor does it help to lay spotlight on interior
India’s woeful condition. In the end, it’s not even good cinema. This chingaari fizzles out without lighting any fire. I hope Lajmi drops the ‘neice of Guru Dutt’ tag for the time being till she returns with a more meaningful and involving film!
Overall: Avoid
Side Notes
While on prostitutes, I read the following somewhere: during the shoot of Kalyug abroad, Deepal Shaw was mistaken for a whore by another one from the tribe there! Despite liking Shaw in that film, my overall impression of her is that – to put it very bluntly – she looks like a slut! Her music videos are largely responsible for giving that image. In the write-up that I read, Shaw narrated this incident with obvious glee. I don’t know about her, but if I were in her place, I would have taken serious offence and not publicize this fact and, more importantly, do some serious introspection!
Secondly, who is that goddamn singer who has screeched ‘Aa darr ke marr’ from Darna Zaroori Hai! It’s the most irritating, grating and awful voice I have heard in recent times. If the brief given to her was to sound sexy and scary at the same time, she has got it widely wrong! Why does Ram Gopal Verma waste money and time in recording songs which no one is going to buy? Stardust (April 2006) carries a piece on Verma’s deteriorating position in the industry. Though Stardust in itself is a gossip magazine, but still some facts are true and cannot be ignored – his films (except Sarkar) have all flopped, his proteges are deserting him and his financers are distancing themselves.
Hope Darna Zaroori Hai bails him out. I liked the first part (Darna Marna Hai) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one now!
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
Powered by Zoundry
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
Powered by Zoundry
Music That Entices!
While the nation looses control over Rahman’s frothy Rang De Basanti score, sickness
his quiet and serene Water languishes away in oblivion. I am not a Rahman fan, overweight
but his few scores have really made an impact with me. Dil Se, buy more about
Zubeidaa, Pukar, One Two Ka Four, Bombay and Lagaan are my favorites. A point to note – all the above are prior to his current phase where the stress seems to be more on beats, rhythms and sounds than tunes. So, listening to Water came as a very pleasant surprise; till the time I read somewhere that Rahman’s music for Water was scored way back in 2000.
Anyways, whenever Rahman recorded these songs, they are beautiful!
The music is very delicate, like a dew drop; as if touching it would soil its purity. At other times, it’s like a soft drizzle which sends a thrilling shiver down the spine. Instruments are used minimally. You can switch off the light, put on Water’s music, and soak yourself in sheer melodies – extremely relaxing, that’s what Water is!
My favorite number – and I heard it five times on repeat mode after the first hearing – is ‘Piya Ho’ sung by Sadhna Sargam and Sukhwinder. There is this subtle rhythm which keeps flowing in the background, and a tune which cascades in its own curves in an unhurried pace; and over this Rahman places some riveting flute pieces so softly as if he is placing an expensive crystal over rich velvet – but then, that’s what this song is – bright as a crystal, soft as velvet! And it’s the tune which holds attention and not just sounds; a strong harkback to the old era of music. Oh yes, I have to mention the chorus which trails after the mukhda; it’s like a soft breeze which ripples over the tranquil river waters! If I am allowed to make one wish on this score, I would have loved to hear Lata Mangeshkar in this number!
Continuing the same mode, but switching theme to Meera’s unfulfilled love, is ‘Naina Neer Bahaye Mujh Birhan Ka Dil Saajan Sang Jhoom Jhoom Gaaye’ – quite similar to ‘Piya Ho’ but has a distinct rhythm and melody. Once again the able Sadhna Sargam at the mic, but this time she is solo. ‘Prem toh hai gangaajal jisme vish amrit bann jaaye’ writes new lyricist Raqeeb Alam. The song encapstulates unadulterated love, alongwith it’s underlying pathos.
Sukhwinder returns, but with a trifle increased tempo in ‘Aayo re sajan sakhi’ – earlier I felt it resembled Sukhwinder’s own Kisna title song. But as the song progresses the difference is stark. In this number Sadhna Sargam joins Sukhwinder from mid-way. A lovely use of Indian instruments like santoor embellishes the song . The song is like the royal sea's tide washing over an expansive beach.
With these three songs itself, the album can be called a dizzying exponent of high-quality sweet music. But there are three more tracks remaining – like the silver vark on tasteful barfi!
This album is definitely Sukhwinder’s crowning glory. Listen to him in yet another Lord Krishna-theme-based semi-classical song Bangri marori saiyan ne meri. I love the way the tune takes a sharp upward curve at the line ‘Radha ke gal-dori’
The next exquisite track is ‘MoheShaam rang de’ – a Holi number. This is a full-fledged masti song and the heart dances as the singers throw up a vocal flourish with ‘bajale zaraa dhol zor se’. The rang-bhang ka mausam is right at our doorstep now, and this number should be right up there – and it is such a relief after Rahman’s own horrible Holi number in Mangal Pande. This time the singers are Richa Sharma, Naqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya – and they create an ocean of riotous merry making with their voices.
The last track is the famous Gandhian bhajan- Vaishnav Jan To sung by Kaushaki Chakraborty. This is a bhajan immortalized by Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition in the bumper hit album Ram Rattan Dhan Paayo. Rahman moves away a bit from the basic framework, and manages quite well overall. My bias will remain for Lataji’s version!
Yes, this is not the score that will be played at parties and discos. But the difference lies exactly there – it does not set your foot tapping, but your head swaying in its lyrical rhythm. And it makes a place permanently in the heart. This is A R Rahman’s very best in recent times.
Do grab it as soon as possible – and while you go to buy it, I will return to have another hear of ‘Piya ho’!
Overall: Not to be missed; A Must Buy
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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Music That Entices!
While the nation looses control over Rahman’s frothy Rang De Basanti score, sickness
his quiet and serene Water languishes away in oblivion. I am not a Rahman fan, overweight
but his few scores have really made an impact with me. Dil Se, buy more about
Zubeidaa, Pukar, One Two Ka Four, Bombay and Lagaan are my favorites. A point to note – all the above are prior to his current phase where the stress seems to be more on beats, rhythms and sounds than tunes. So, listening to Water came as a very pleasant surprise; till the time I read somewhere that Rahman’s music for Water was scored way back in 2000.
Anyways, whenever Rahman recorded these songs, they are beautiful!
The music is very delicate, like a dew drop; as if touching it would soil its purity. At other times, it’s like a soft drizzle which sends a thrilling shiver down the spine. Instruments are used minimally. You can switch off the light, put on Water’s music, and soak yourself in sheer melodies – extremely relaxing, that’s what Water is!
My favorite number – and I heard it five times on repeat mode after the first hearing – is ‘Piya Ho’ sung by Sadhna Sargam and Sukhwinder. There is this subtle rhythm which keeps flowing in the background, and a tune which cascades in its own curves in an unhurried pace; and over this Rahman places some riveting flute pieces so softly as if he is placing an expensive crystal over rich velvet – but then, that’s what this song is – bright as a crystal, soft as velvet! And it’s the tune which holds attention and not just sounds; a strong harkback to the old era of music. Oh yes, I have to mention the chorus which trails after the mukhda; it’s like a soft breeze which ripples over the tranquil river waters! If I am allowed to make one wish on this score, I would have loved to hear Lata Mangeshkar in this number!
Continuing the same mode, but switching theme to Meera’s unfulfilled love, is ‘Naina Neer Bahaye Mujh Birhan Ka Dil Saajan Sang Jhoom Jhoom Gaaye’ – quite similar to ‘Piya Ho’ but has a distinct rhythm and melody. Once again the able Sadhna Sargam at the mic, but this time she is solo. ‘Prem toh hai gangaajal jisme vish amrit bann jaaye’ writes new lyricist Raqeeb Alam. The song encapstulates unadulterated love, alongwith it’s underlying pathos.
Sukhwinder returns, but with a trifle increased tempo in ‘Aayo re sajan sakhi’ – earlier I felt it resembled Sukhwinder’s own Kisna title song. But as the song progresses the difference is stark. In this number Sadhna Sargam joins Sukhwinder from mid-way. A lovely use of Indian instruments like santoor embellishes the song . The song is like the royal sea's tide washing over an expansive beach.
With these three songs itself, the album can be called a dizzying exponent of high-quality sweet music. But there are three more tracks remaining – like the silver vark on tasteful barfi!
This album is definitely Sukhwinder’s crowning glory. Listen to him in yet another Lord Krishna-theme-based semi-classical song Bangri marori saiyan ne meri. I love the way the tune takes a sharp upward curve at the line ‘Radha ke gal-dori’
The next exquisite track is ‘MoheShaam rang de’ – a Holi number. This is a full-fledged masti song and the heart dances as the singers throw up a vocal flourish with ‘bajale zaraa dhol zor se’. The rang-bhang ka mausam is right at our doorstep now, and this number should be right up there – and it is such a relief after Rahman’s own horrible Holi number in Mangal Pande. This time the singers are Richa Sharma, Naqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya – and they create an ocean of riotous merry making with their voices.
The last track is the famous Gandhian bhajan- Vaishnav Jan To sung by Kaushaki Chakraborty. This is a bhajan immortalized by Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition in the bumper hit album Ram Rattan Dhan Paayo. Rahman moves away a bit from the basic framework, and manages quite well overall. My bias will remain for Lataji’s version!
Yes, this is not the score that will be played at parties and discos. But the difference lies exactly there – it does not set your foot tapping, but your head swaying in its lyrical rhythm. And it makes a place permanently in the heart. This is A R Rahman’s very best in recent times.
Do grab it as soon as possible – and while you go to buy it, I will return to have another hear of ‘Piya ho’!
Overall: Not to be missed; A Must Buy
This review was written the same day I saw the film, dermatologist
which was on 4th February. But seeing the overwhelmingly positive reactions for the film didn’t have heart to publish it. Till the time I told Anubha about its existence. She reprimanded me for not putting it up and reminded me that on my blog I had complete right to write whatever I felt. True, help
perhaps I have been playing to the gallery quite a lot, visit this
and taking ‘the popular’ tag a bit too seriously than warranted. Thanks Anubha for the reality check!
Blame it on the huge expectation – but fact is I found Rang De Basanti just about ok, a different film, but just about that. Somehow it couldn’t involve me into its narration. There were too many incoherent details which left me cold – some were minor quibbles regarding Delhi’s depiction: why the hell did Sonia (Soha Ali) take Sue via Red Fort if they were going to University from Delhi Airport? There is a much shorter and convenient route! And then, that was clearly not anywhere close to Delhi University for sure! It was India Habitat Center passed off as DU!
Even though Rakeysh Mehra struggles to deploy a conventional story telling format, he is unable to fully discard the now-standard jump-cuts and fast-track editing styles; at few crucial points these neo-modern techniques crop up horrifyingly. The post-interval lathi charge scene is one prime example. Instead of gripping the audience in a tight-fist and knocking a solid punch, he shows a collage alternating between slow-motion and hazy movements with a dull song in the background. The entire sequence’s steam, whose build-up begins with Ajay Rathod’s death, dissipates away like a pressure cooker rudely taken off the burner!
The transformation of youth doesn’t come around neatly. I kept thinking of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades, and how he had handled Mohan Bhargav’s transition smoothly! Here, it is erratic and abrupt. Also, in Swades the awakening is not linked to personal tragedy, making it more sublime. Here it seems more like those eighties personal vendetta film wearing a neo-modern cloak!
The story is interesting – but the climax is very shoddy: it takes away the entire thrust of the film’s message. Here, I am not talking about the defence minister’s too-easy-to-be-true murder, which can be accorded to the director’s creative license. But it’s the death of all protagonists which I could not digest. Does the maker want to tell the youth that if they have to do something for the country they will necessarily be killed? And does it really make the nation rise in protest? Except for a few shots of some students talking to NDTV, which sounded like a storm in a teacup and extremely unconvincing, the film-maker remains stunningly silent on their action’s impact. To me, their sacrifice looked futile. Plus, where did the Commandos come from? And why?
Agreed that Rakeysh Mehra wanted to draw a parallel to Bhagat Singh et al, but shouldn’t the climax have moved away to show the difference of the eras and of the youth, then and now! I feel an intelligent comparison need not be hundred percent overlapping – though the rising could be compared but the end needed much brain which was definitely not put to use. A mature writer draws parallel, brings them to a crossroad, but from there takes it to a separate and higher denouement. And this is where the film fails, and the reason why it couldn’t touch me at all.
Another fact which irked me was Sue’s character – did Mehra really have to use a foreigner to awaken youth-conscience and youth conscious? Is this some surreptitious handshake with old British ideology that ‘it is always white man’s burden’ to take care of Indians? Sorry, Mehra – an upright Indian NGO worker could have made the point more clear and driven home the fact more scathingly – and if Mehra feels that such people don’t exist, sorry he needs to open his wider!
On the plus side – the film gives ample space to every character though it could have incorporated a bit on Soha Ali and Sharman Joshi’s background/home as well.
Performance-wise the film is a topper – Soha Ali is a huge revelation especially after her wooden acting in Dil Maange More. She slips into her character’s skin effortlessly. Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Atul Kulkarni live their part with aplomb. Siddharth, who gets maximum footage amongst the supporting cast, is a delight to watch, especially his voice modulation was impeccable (not sure if he has done the dubbing himself!). Alice Patten, with her cute night-class Hindi, is sweet and understated. Madhavan shines in his guest appearance.
But the mother of all performances is given by veteran Waheeda Rahman in her brief but strong role as Ajay’s mother. In one scene, after her son’s death, she is shown walking towards the door – her back is towards the camera, yet her entire body language, the minor tremor, the slight limp as she walks shows a seasoned actor at work! It’s a one small shot, where she is not even facing the camera – yet, she literally walks away with all accolades!
There are some smaller but solid parts – Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Anupam Kher who do their bit fabulously.
AR Rahman’s music is good in parts, though his background score was lacking – the odd sound during Jallianwala Bagh sequence was probably meant to stir hearts, but it shook the ears more! Lata Mangeshkar’s Lukka Chhupi Bahut Hui brings a lump, and that entire sequence is very well handled (though a personal grouse will remain for editing a bulk of Lataji’s portion). Of the other songs, Mohe mohe tu rang de basanti, Paathshaala and Tu bin bataye are ok. In ‘Mohe mohe’ Mehra picks up a few leaves from Yash Chopra’s films and shows flowing mustard fields and pulsating Punjab in satiated sway – given a choice, I’d prefer the tranquil pace of ‘Aisa des hai mera’ from Veer Zaara!
I understand the film is doing very well, and I have only read praise for it – perhaps, I am getting old to enjoy these ‘youthful’ films, but once again I would leave by mentioning Swades – the patriotism, the inner journey presented in that film was far superior to RDB’s graffiti-like cocktail!
Overall: Above average
Also check out: Saba's brilliant review of the same film
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, order decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, page physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, dysentery and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
Keeping Random Expressions away from Lata Mangeshkar is a sin that this blog and its owner object to strongly. Hence, decease this post is on yet another mesmerizing melody that touches the Queen’s lips and becomes divine. Unfortunately, physiotherapist the number was not used in the film, and hence it is quite forgotten.
Peeke chale, yeh chale yeh chale
Hum hai sharaabi, Hum hai sharabi
Nigahen yaar ke
Peeke chale…Mast hai hardum,
Jo hua kuch bhi nasha kam toh
WahiN thodi see peeli, thodi see peeli,
Khol do baahen, ke mile khulke nigaahen,
Ke hai yeh raat rangeeli,
Mere dilbar mere saaqi mere pyaare
Haaye, peeke chale…Mujhko mubaraq,
Mere hothon ko mubaraq,
Yeh lehakna,
Yeh chahakna,
Kisko mila hai ke mohabbat ka sila hai,
Yeh mehakna,
Yeh bahakna,
Yeh nigahen, yeh adaayen, yeh ishaare,
Haaye, peeke chale…Mauj mein hum hai,
Ke hawayon pe qadam hai, ke sitaron pe nazar hai
Yun hi guzar ho,
Na kabhi khatam safar ho,
Ke yeh rangeen safar hai,
Koi manzil, koi sahil na pukare
Haaye, peeke chale…
My favorite expression in this song is the way Lata Mangeshkar sings the word ‘nigahen’ with a shortened ‘ga’, almost the intoxicated way Meena Kumari would speak out. Also, she doesn’t sing the word ‘yaar’ with full emphasis – just a small opening of the lips, and a trifle stretch, very tiny and very mild, just the way the actress would speak; it sounds so cute in Latadi’s voice! Her ‘haaye’ is something I can die for! Latadi’s voice has a satin smooth texture which makes the number ekdum nasheela. The ‘suroor’ that it gives makes me sway languidly in its rhythm – which is very soft and very consistent. I also love the short cascade down at the end of each antara merging into the ‘mukhda’!
I have been listening to this number non-stop for the past few days. Each time, I just close my eyes and drink to the pleasure of its tune and the voice, and feel washed in relief, satisfaction and joy!
The song was recorded for Pakeezah, music by Ghulam Mohammad.
From Mukesh’s soul-stirring (and melodious) Zinda hoon iss tarah to Shibani Kashyap’s guttural scream (and off key) Zinda hoon main, one Health
Hindi film music has come a long way; and so have its noir heroes. From Raj Kapoor’s humorously dark but essentially tracing roots in light, order
bumbling tramp to Sanjay Gupta’s nether-conceptualised Armani- wearing sinister baddies is another journey that Bollywood has taken.
I would have given Zinda a complete miss had it not been the only film playing in nearly all top Kathmandu cinema-halls. Family, hospital
the other release, and my own choice, has not made its way here yet. To give Gupta his due credit, Zinda is perhaps his most cohesive and steadfast narrative to date. I wouldn’t go overboard as some critics have done in lauding about ‘realism’ because that is still truly not fully present here, though I can understand where they come from. But yes, there is a sense of starkness and throat-grabbing urgency that is, if not appealing, but certainly very attention-focussing.
Another relief is that the film has nothing to do with mafia, dons, cons or heists – a marked change in Gupta's subject choice! The tale hangs around an ordinary citizen, which also makes it forceful giving just that tantalising realistic tickle – what if it happens to normal people like you and I?
The story (picked up from whichever English/Far East DVD) is pretty enticing. Balajeet Roy (Sanjay Dutt) has everything going for him – a plush job in top software Bangkok company, a loving wife and a caring friend. One day it all collapses. He is taken captive. For 14-years he spends his life in a solitary cell, fed on fried wantons with just a television for company. Yet, his captor will not allow him to die or go insane – and releases him after 14 years for a purpose.
Roy traces his captor, but more than that he needs to find out why he was chosen for this exemplary punishment.
The film’s strength is its pace – not jerky, yet not lacking. Gupta and his co-scriptwriter weave in all essential details beautifully in dialogues, something that I have always found interesting in Barjatya or Yash Chopra films. Of course, he has his eye on the ‘interior’ market (though such films don’t work there) which makes him spell out somethings that could have been best left unsaid. Just for an example – when Sanjay Dutt claims his first tormentor, the supplier of wantons, the death was amply conveyed; yet, Gupta gives a long pan shot of the gruesome dead body – not required. The impact is severely lost!
Certain details in their gory stomach-throwing details might not find viewership acquiescence; but they do provide a taut vicarious thrill, and I guess that’s what Gupta aimed for. A word of caution – avoid taking in your pop-corn pre-interval!
Shot in nearly black-and-white hues, the film’s cinematography is first-rate. The background score elevates the sequences several notches. And Sanjay Dutt, though not really appearing an emaciapated victim fed on just fried wantons for fourteen years, gives a superb performance.
However, where Gupta falters horrendously are the solitary confinement sequences. Those were the film’s soul. But somehow the tension and morbidity of living alone just doesn’t come across, and the audience is uninvolved. That entire portion needed more padding up. Plus, a bit of realism when Dutt finally walks out to freedom would have made the film wholesome. I don’t think any one who has been fourteen years in captivity will walk the walk Dutt does! If length was a problem, Gupta could have cut out the gore!
I wouldn’t say the climax is a let down, because the tension of knowing ‘the why’ is so strong by then that any motive would have felt short of the build-up. But yes, perhaps a better justification there could have helped.
John Abraham is a wrong choice. The menace is too-contrived to hold weight. His habit of pursing his lips after every sentence is irritating – as if he is having a sore chin after a close-shave there. Lara Dutt provides glamour, and quite adequately. Celina Jeitly is as wooden as ever in her two-minute appearance. Mahesh Manjrekar is thankfully considerably reigned in.
The music is all used in typical Hollywood fashion; the theme song by Strings has been on air for sometime. Again, like in Ek Khiladi Ek Haseena, I will desist making any further comments on it.
Though he does not give up making his heroes walk that Marlboro-advertisement inspired swagger, to sum up, I would rate Zinda as a big leap forward by Sanjay Gupta from his previous disasters. This one surely has more meat, and can be easily watched. The biggest compliment: it does not bore! Also, the running time is pretty narrow, and that helps too.
Overall: Worth a view once.
UPDATE : Also saw KALYUG – Kaushi has done a superb review and covered whatever I had to say. Please click here for the same. My overall rating is same as hers : Worth viewing
That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
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That pretty much summarises the last four days. It’s not that I had some huge work to do by roaming in the city; but, cialis 40mg the curfews have resulted in shortages in essentials like vegetables and milk. Plus, of course the immense loss in business with most establishments, including restaurants, closed is a separate problem.
Personally, the biggest hit has been food and entertainment. With the maid’s arrival erratic, one day of cooking means utensils piling up. Plus, as I said earlier, what to cook is the biggest question? The quality of basic stuff like tomatoes and onions is quite off-putting. Restaurants are closed, so I have to rely on a single near-by hotel for dinners once the curfew is lifted in the evening!
Entertainment was primarily watching films – and that is impossible now! Songs continue, however!
Anyways, I will try to put up some thing better and more positive soon. Right now, the overall melancholic mood has permeated within. Meanwhile, the story progresses slowly; two last episodes are left, so that should be done during this week!
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I admit I am not too well versed in Kalpana Lajmi’s cinema, this web
and haven’t watched any of her films barring the refreshingly honest Ek Pal. My association with her is restricted to Lata Mangeshkar’s extremely eloquent ‘Dil Hoom Hoom Kare’ from Rudaali. Hence, sick
I approached Chingaari with an open mind, and to say it left me cold is a major understatement.
Chingaari is one of those B-and-C-grade films masquerading as an art film. It is a puerile and pathetic piece of cinema that has neither the content nor flow to captivate audiences. It seems Lajmi’s intention was to shock and sensationalise the audience without any care for aesthetics or form.
The story is set in a typical North Indian village, Rangpur which has a designated red light area called Lal Batti (how unimaginative!). The gullible villagers are firmly held in tight clutches of the evil head-priest Bhuvan Panda (Mithun Chakraborty), who abuses his authority for own selfish motives. He keeps them involved in meaningless religious mumbo-jumbos instigating fear in their heart to retain his superiority over them. He uses illogical rites like making a naked virgin girl sit on his lap, while he places himself over a corpse, in order to exorcise the dead man’s evil spirit! Even though he berates prostitutes, resorting to physical and verbal abuse even if they so much as touch the Goddess’ idol inadvertently, still he has no qualms in spending the nights at their place – practicing wild, kinky and sadist sex!
One such prostitute is Basanti (Sushmita Sen), who lives with her daughter Titli, and ekes out her living in that deplorable condition.
In this murky environment enters the fresh, educated and young postman Chandan Mishra (Anuj Sawhney). Like any villager postman, he not only delivers letters, but reads them out and writes for them, and in a sense he becomes a confidante, friend and mentor to them. An unstated, muted and sublime love develops between Chadan and Basanti, cemented by his affection for the latter’s fatherless daughter! He also instigates revolt against Bhuvan Panda.
No doubt the love story between the postman and the prostitute (incidentally, the film’s original title as well) is good, and could have been a classy saga of romance, sacrifice and valor. Unfortunately, Lajmi seems to have seen too many Neha Dhupia flicks of late, hence it ends up being a loud, crass and disgusting melodrama.
The narrative moves in jerks and fits, and the screenplay is shoddy. There is no continuum in the movement, and several unwanted scenes are repetitive or too lengthy for comfort; the running time is also inordinately long; looks as if the editor just did not know his job. Sequences where the prostitutes are interacting are gross. Sushmita’s introduction scene where she instigates two colleagues fighting over a customer and urges them to use words like ‘randi’ and ‘chinaal’ is horrible.
The dialogues are crappy, peppered liberally with obscenities and profanities and are written only to evoke shock value. The climax is hilarious – Sushmita goes to the village temple with her hair flying wild, drums beating and picks up a trishul and kills Bhuvan Panda – it’s straight from those forgettable mid-eighties dacoit/revenge dramas that had infested Bollywood that time!
Production value is shoddy and camera work is tacky. The music (by Adesh Srivastava) is nothing to write home (or anywhere) about.
Sushmita Sen gives a relatively good performance, though she appears too urban to pass off as a rustic prostitute convincingly. Anuj Sawhney is adequate. But Mithun Chakraborty is too tired and haggard! Ila Arun, as the red light area’s head-madame, is ok.
The film does nothing to sensitize against the prostitute’s plight; nor does it help to lay spotlight on interior
India’s woeful condition. In the end, it’s not even good cinema. This chingaari fizzles out without lighting any fire. I hope Lajmi drops the ‘neice of Guru Dutt’ tag for the time being till she returns with a more meaningful and involving film!
Overall: Avoid
Side Notes
While on prostitutes, I read the following somewhere: during the shoot of Kalyug abroad, Deepal Shaw was mistaken for a whore by another one from the tribe there! Despite liking Shaw in that film, my overall impression of her is that – to put it very bluntly – she looks like a slut! Her music videos are largely responsible for giving that image. In the write-up that I read, Shaw narrated this incident with obvious glee. I don’t know about her, but if I were in her place, I would have taken serious offence and not publicize this fact and, more importantly, do some serious introspection!
Secondly, who is that goddamn singer who has screeched ‘Aa darr ke marr’ from Darna Zaroori Hai! It’s the most irritating, grating and awful voice I have heard in recent times. If the brief given to her was to sound sexy and scary at the same time, she has got it widely wrong! Why does Ram Gopal Verma waste money and time in recording songs which no one is going to buy? Stardust (April 2006) carries a piece on Verma’s deteriorating position in the industry. Though Stardust in itself is a gossip magazine, but still some facts are true and cannot be ignored – his films (except Sarkar) have all flopped, his proteges are deserting him and his financers are distancing themselves.
Hope Darna Zaroori Hai bails him out. I liked the first part (Darna Marna Hai) and am eagerly awaiting the release of the second one now!
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
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Music That Entices!
While the nation looses control over Rahman’s frothy Rang De Basanti score, sickness
his quiet and serene Water languishes away in oblivion. I am not a Rahman fan, overweight
but his few scores have really made an impact with me. Dil Se, buy more about
Zubeidaa, Pukar, One Two Ka Four, Bombay and Lagaan are my favorites. A point to note – all the above are prior to his current phase where the stress seems to be more on beats, rhythms and sounds than tunes. So, listening to Water came as a very pleasant surprise; till the time I read somewhere that Rahman’s music for Water was scored way back in 2000.
Anyways, whenever Rahman recorded these songs, they are beautiful!
The music is very delicate, like a dew drop; as if touching it would soil its purity. At other times, it’s like a soft drizzle which sends a thrilling shiver down the spine. Instruments are used minimally. You can switch off the light, put on Water’s music, and soak yourself in sheer melodies – extremely relaxing, that’s what Water is!
My favorite number – and I heard it five times on repeat mode after the first hearing – is ‘Piya Ho’ sung by Sadhna Sargam and Sukhwinder. There is this subtle rhythm which keeps flowing in the background, and a tune which cascades in its own curves in an unhurried pace; and over this Rahman places some riveting flute pieces so softly as if he is placing an expensive crystal over rich velvet – but then, that’s what this song is – bright as a crystal, soft as velvet! And it’s the tune which holds attention and not just sounds; a strong harkback to the old era of music. Oh yes, I have to mention the chorus which trails after the mukhda; it’s like a soft breeze which ripples over the tranquil river waters! If I am allowed to make one wish on this score, I would have loved to hear Lata Mangeshkar in this number!
Continuing the same mode, but switching theme to Meera’s unfulfilled love, is ‘Naina Neer Bahaye Mujh Birhan Ka Dil Saajan Sang Jhoom Jhoom Gaaye’ – quite similar to ‘Piya Ho’ but has a distinct rhythm and melody. Once again the able Sadhna Sargam at the mic, but this time she is solo. ‘Prem toh hai gangaajal jisme vish amrit bann jaaye’ writes new lyricist Raqeeb Alam. The song encapstulates unadulterated love, alongwith it’s underlying pathos.
Sukhwinder returns, but with a trifle increased tempo in ‘Aayo re sajan sakhi’ – earlier I felt it resembled Sukhwinder’s own Kisna title song. But as the song progresses the difference is stark. In this number Sadhna Sargam joins Sukhwinder from mid-way. A lovely use of Indian instruments like santoor embellishes the song . The song is like the royal sea's tide washing over an expansive beach.
With these three songs itself, the album can be called a dizzying exponent of high-quality sweet music. But there are three more tracks remaining – like the silver vark on tasteful barfi!
This album is definitely Sukhwinder’s crowning glory. Listen to him in yet another Lord Krishna-theme-based semi-classical song Bangri marori saiyan ne meri. I love the way the tune takes a sharp upward curve at the line ‘Radha ke gal-dori’
The next exquisite track is ‘MoheShaam rang de’ – a Holi number. This is a full-fledged masti song and the heart dances as the singers throw up a vocal flourish with ‘bajale zaraa dhol zor se’. The rang-bhang ka mausam is right at our doorstep now, and this number should be right up there – and it is such a relief after Rahman’s own horrible Holi number in Mangal Pande. This time the singers are Richa Sharma, Naqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya – and they create an ocean of riotous merry making with their voices.
The last track is the famous Gandhian bhajan- Vaishnav Jan To sung by Kaushaki Chakraborty. This is a bhajan immortalized by Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition in the bumper hit album Ram Rattan Dhan Paayo. Rahman moves away a bit from the basic framework, and manages quite well overall. My bias will remain for Lataji’s version!
Yes, this is not the score that will be played at parties and discos. But the difference lies exactly there – it does not set your foot tapping, but your head swaying in its lyrical rhythm. And it makes a place permanently in the heart. This is A R Rahman’s very best in recent times.
Do grab it as soon as possible – and while you go to buy it, I will return to have another hear of ‘Piya ho’!
Overall: Not to be missed; A Must Buy
When I woke up today the curfew was on; and it will last till late evening. Yesterday, rx an aquaintance had called in to inform about it, stuff but I had not paid any heed to his warning. Rumors are as much in abundance here as there are bandhs and agitations. As stated on my main blog a few days back, curfew does not affect me as such, except that the shops are closed.
Half awake, I had trudged to the neighborhood shop to buy milk, and that is where I got the news. Being in a by-lane, the shop was open; it is basically a ‘dhaba’ but keeps stock of milk, water, cigarettes and a few other daily use stuff. Thankfully, I have some basic cooking ingredients, so will manage the food part for today!
Ironically, of all days, today I had planned to move out – pay my mobile bill, buy stuff to take back home and get a few stuff completed. I had also asked the maid to come late in the noon. For the past few days, when the situation had sort of reached a limping normalcy, I had royally procrastinated.
My new story ‘Tapish’ finds a small receptive audience on the main blog. Writing in Hindi was a little tougher than expected. First, my vocabulary is very limited; and second, typing speed was painfully slow and catching up with the running thoughts became an exercise in itself! Half the time, I would forget that ‘brilliant flash’ which would have occurred while visualising a scene. Anyways, not planning to write any more stories for a long time now, so will savor whatever comments come its way – good or bad!
Powered by Zoundry
Music That Entices!
While the nation looses control over Rahman’s frothy Rang De Basanti score, sickness
his quiet and serene Water languishes away in oblivion. I am not a Rahman fan, overweight
but his few scores have really made an impact with me. Dil Se, buy more about
Zubeidaa, Pukar, One Two Ka Four, Bombay and Lagaan are my favorites. A point to note – all the above are prior to his current phase where the stress seems to be more on beats, rhythms and sounds than tunes. So, listening to Water came as a very pleasant surprise; till the time I read somewhere that Rahman’s music for Water was scored way back in 2000.
Anyways, whenever Rahman recorded these songs, they are beautiful!
The music is very delicate, like a dew drop; as if touching it would soil its purity. At other times, it’s like a soft drizzle which sends a thrilling shiver down the spine. Instruments are used minimally. You can switch off the light, put on Water’s music, and soak yourself in sheer melodies – extremely relaxing, that’s what Water is!
My favorite number – and I heard it five times on repeat mode after the first hearing – is ‘Piya Ho’ sung by Sadhna Sargam and Sukhwinder. There is this subtle rhythm which keeps flowing in the background, and a tune which cascades in its own curves in an unhurried pace; and over this Rahman places some riveting flute pieces so softly as if he is placing an expensive crystal over rich velvet – but then, that’s what this song is – bright as a crystal, soft as velvet! And it’s the tune which holds attention and not just sounds; a strong harkback to the old era of music. Oh yes, I have to mention the chorus which trails after the mukhda; it’s like a soft breeze which ripples over the tranquil river waters! If I am allowed to make one wish on this score, I would have loved to hear Lata Mangeshkar in this number!
Continuing the same mode, but switching theme to Meera’s unfulfilled love, is ‘Naina Neer Bahaye Mujh Birhan Ka Dil Saajan Sang Jhoom Jhoom Gaaye’ – quite similar to ‘Piya Ho’ but has a distinct rhythm and melody. Once again the able Sadhna Sargam at the mic, but this time she is solo. ‘Prem toh hai gangaajal jisme vish amrit bann jaaye’ writes new lyricist Raqeeb Alam. The song encapstulates unadulterated love, alongwith it’s underlying pathos.
Sukhwinder returns, but with a trifle increased tempo in ‘Aayo re sajan sakhi’ – earlier I felt it resembled Sukhwinder’s own Kisna title song. But as the song progresses the difference is stark. In this number Sadhna Sargam joins Sukhwinder from mid-way. A lovely use of Indian instruments like santoor embellishes the song . The song is like the royal sea's tide washing over an expansive beach.
With these three songs itself, the album can be called a dizzying exponent of high-quality sweet music. But there are three more tracks remaining – like the silver vark on tasteful barfi!
This album is definitely Sukhwinder’s crowning glory. Listen to him in yet another Lord Krishna-theme-based semi-classical song Bangri marori saiyan ne meri. I love the way the tune takes a sharp upward curve at the line ‘Radha ke gal-dori’
The next exquisite track is ‘MoheShaam rang de’ – a Holi number. This is a full-fledged masti song and the heart dances as the singers throw up a vocal flourish with ‘bajale zaraa dhol zor se’. The rang-bhang ka mausam is right at our doorstep now, and this number should be right up there – and it is such a relief after Rahman’s own horrible Holi number in Mangal Pande. This time the singers are Richa Sharma, Naqeeb Alam and Surjo Bhattacharya – and they create an ocean of riotous merry making with their voices.
The last track is the famous Gandhian bhajan- Vaishnav Jan To sung by Kaushaki Chakraborty. This is a bhajan immortalized by Lata Mangeshkar’s rendition in the bumper hit album Ram Rattan Dhan Paayo. Rahman moves away a bit from the basic framework, and manages quite well overall. My bias will remain for Lataji’s version!
Yes, this is not the score that will be played at parties and discos. But the difference lies exactly there – it does not set your foot tapping, but your head swaying in its lyrical rhythm. And it makes a place permanently in the heart. This is A R Rahman’s very best in recent times.
Do grab it as soon as possible – and while you go to buy it, I will return to have another hear of ‘Piya ho’!
Overall: Not to be missed; A Must Buy
This review was written the same day I saw the film, dermatologist
which was on 4th February. But seeing the overwhelmingly positive reactions for the film didn’t have heart to publish it. Till the time I told Anubha about its existence. She reprimanded me for not putting it up and reminded me that on my blog I had complete right to write whatever I felt. True, help
perhaps I have been playing to the gallery quite a lot, visit this
and taking ‘the popular’ tag a bit too seriously than warranted. Thanks Anubha for the reality check!
Blame it on the huge expectation – but fact is I found Rang De Basanti just about ok, a different film, but just about that. Somehow it couldn’t involve me into its narration. There were too many incoherent details which left me cold – some were minor quibbles regarding Delhi’s depiction: why the hell did Sonia (Soha Ali) take Sue via Red Fort if they were going to University from Delhi Airport? There is a much shorter and convenient route! And then, that was clearly not anywhere close to Delhi University for sure! It was India Habitat Center passed off as DU!
Even though Rakeysh Mehra struggles to deploy a conventional story telling format, he is unable to fully discard the now-standard jump-cuts and fast-track editing styles; at few crucial points these neo-modern techniques crop up horrifyingly. The post-interval lathi charge scene is one prime example. Instead of gripping the audience in a tight-fist and knocking a solid punch, he shows a collage alternating between slow-motion and hazy movements with a dull song in the background. The entire sequence’s steam, whose build-up begins with Ajay Rathod’s death, dissipates away like a pressure cooker rudely taken off the burner!
The transformation of youth doesn’t come around neatly. I kept thinking of Ashutosh Gowarikar’s Swades, and how he had handled Mohan Bhargav’s transition smoothly! Here, it is erratic and abrupt. Also, in Swades the awakening is not linked to personal tragedy, making it more sublime. Here it seems more like those eighties personal vendetta film wearing a neo-modern cloak!
The story is interesting – but the climax is very shoddy: it takes away the entire thrust of the film’s message. Here, I am not talking about the defence minister’s too-easy-to-be-true murder, which can be accorded to the director’s creative license. But it’s the death of all protagonists which I could not digest. Does the maker want to tell the youth that if they have to do something for the country they will necessarily be killed? And does it really make the nation rise in protest? Except for a few shots of some students talking to NDTV, which sounded like a storm in a teacup and extremely unconvincing, the film-maker remains stunningly silent on their action’s impact. To me, their sacrifice looked futile. Plus, where did the Commandos come from? And why?
Agreed that Rakeysh Mehra wanted to draw a parallel to Bhagat Singh et al, but shouldn’t the climax have moved away to show the difference of the eras and of the youth, then and now! I feel an intelligent comparison need not be hundred percent overlapping – though the rising could be compared but the end needed much brain which was definitely not put to use. A mature writer draws parallel, brings them to a crossroad, but from there takes it to a separate and higher denouement. And this is where the film fails, and the reason why it couldn’t touch me at all.
Another fact which irked me was Sue’s character – did Mehra really have to use a foreigner to awaken youth-conscience and youth conscious? Is this some surreptitious handshake with old British ideology that ‘it is always white man’s burden’ to take care of Indians? Sorry, Mehra – an upright Indian NGO worker could have made the point more clear and driven home the fact more scathingly – and if Mehra feels that such people don’t exist, sorry he needs to open his wider!
On the plus side – the film gives ample space to every character though it could have incorporated a bit on Soha Ali and Sharman Joshi’s background/home as well.
Performance-wise the film is a topper – Soha Ali is a huge revelation especially after her wooden acting in Dil Maange More. She slips into her character’s skin effortlessly. Sharman Joshi, Kunal Kapoor and Atul Kulkarni live their part with aplomb. Siddharth, who gets maximum footage amongst the supporting cast, is a delight to watch, especially his voice modulation was impeccable (not sure if he has done the dubbing himself!). Alice Patten, with her cute night-class Hindi, is sweet and understated. Madhavan shines in his guest appearance.
But the mother of all performances is given by veteran Waheeda Rahman in her brief but strong role as Ajay’s mother. In one scene, after her son’s death, she is shown walking towards the door – her back is towards the camera, yet her entire body language, the minor tremor, the slight limp as she walks shows a seasoned actor at work! It’s a one small shot, where she is not even facing the camera – yet, she literally walks away with all accolades!
There are some smaller but solid parts – Om Puri, Kirron Kher and Anupam Kher who do their bit fabulously.
AR Rahman’s music is good in parts, though his background score was lacking – the odd sound during Jallianwala Bagh sequence was probably meant to stir hearts, but it shook the ears more! Lata Mangeshkar’s Lukka Chhupi Bahut Hui brings a lump, and that entire sequence is very well handled (though a personal grouse will remain for editing a bulk of Lataji’s portion). Of the other songs, Mohe mohe tu rang de basanti, Paathshaala and Tu bin bataye are ok. In ‘Mohe mohe’ Mehra picks up a few leaves from Yash Chopra’s films and shows flowing mustard fields and pulsating Punjab in satiated sway – given a choice, I’d prefer the tranquil pace of ‘Aisa des hai mera’ from Veer Zaara!
I understand the film is doing very well, and I have only read praise for it – perhaps, I am getting old to enjoy these ‘youthful’ films, but once again I would leave by mentioning Swades – the patriotism, the inner journey presented in that film was far superior to RDB’s graffiti-like cocktail!
Overall: Above average
Also check out: Saba's brilliant review of the same film
When I started writing for the Blogs, oncology I made a secret pact with myself: I will not indulge in self reflections, population health and certainly not write on my personal life and what it is happening to me. These were anecdotes, incidents and events of my life, and no one would be interested to read them. Honestly, I did not think I would be comfortable in baring my heart out ever. I preferred the other route- the fiction one, where I can seamlessly knit these occurrences into an imaginative story; and no is the wiser as to which is the truth and which is fiction out of that.
But within a week, I am here, penning my thoughts, expressions and reflections. So what made me change my heart? Today, I read one of the finest blogs and that made my thought waves tingling. This was a blog by Mr Ramesh Somasundaram, and is available at http://ramesh_somasundaram.rediffblogs.com. During the past one week, since the time I have been initiated into blogging, I have browsed a lot many of them: some good, some funny, some reflective, some empty, some stupid and some really shoddy; but this one was at once serious and funny; simple and complex, and a mixture of fiction and truth. Of course, that Mr Somasundaram writes in very lucid English helped a lot. I have this writing bug in me which gets activated every time I read a good piece of writing. It has happened earlier also; and at the cost of sounding immodest, I must say, that some of the stories that I have written have been quite good. Even I enjoyed reading them after a year or so, despite knowing each and every twist of the tale. But since a bright story idea eluded my poor brain, and the bug continued its insistent persistence, I decided to venture into an area which I had till now resolutely avoided. What the hell, I have also lived a full and enriching 31 years of life on this lonely( or is it not?) planet , and I have also gone through many bitter-sweet moments of upheavals and exhilirations that I think I should start sharing and not bottling them up in my 5’11” frame!!
Its said that plagiarism is the best form of flattery. Hence, I have kept the title of this blog similar to one that Mr Somasundaram does, as also the design of the blog and the first line of this blog, which is nothing but a paraphrase of a sentence which Mr Sundaram had used in one of its blogs.
I am not sure for how long I will be able to continue this blog, but I will definitely try. Perhaps, someday the rediff management will also find it appropriate enough to feature in the “Sizzling Blogs” section, though, to be honest, their criteria for selection bewilders me no end
[This was my first post on my Rediff blog; posting it for nostalgic sake again with same date stamp!]
[edited and posted with ecto]
[…] Four phases of life, three cities, two job changes and all through there remained one constant – this blog. Every time I look at my first post I cannot but help laugh at the following lines: I am not sure for how long I will be able to continue this blog, but I will definitely try […]