Rajesh Roshan : The Last Of The Originals!!

Hi!

"The Last Of The Originals". this statement was made for Rajesh Roshan by none other than the legendary music director, Laxmikant (of Lamikant-Pyarelal fame)! In the mid 70's when Laxmikant Pyarelal, R. D. Burman and Kalyanji Anandji were making waves, came a young music director who not only made a sensational debut, but also started a trend for soft romantic numbers. Yes, we are talking of Rajesh Roshan (RR) ! After R.D. Burman, the first music director who entered the Hindi Film Music scene and had an impact is Rajesh Roshan! Virtually, no other music director could handle the storm that LP, RD, KA had created in the early 70's, and then came Rajesh Roshan in 1974. He debuted with a sensational score in Kunwara Baap, which had unforgettable numbers like Aa Ri Aa Jaa, Main Hoon Ghodha, and Saj Rahi Gali Meri. He followed it soon with an eternal score in Julie whose numbers were nothing short of masterpieces. How can any one forget the aura created by songs like Bhool Gaya Sab Kuch, Dil Kya Kare, Yeh Raatein, My Heart Is Beating and Saancha Naam Tera!
The score of Julie certified that Rajesh Roshan has arrived! The arrangement and the composition were so refreshingly different, that straightaway Rajesh Roshan entered the club of big boys of Hindi Fim Music! Julie was followed by scores like Swami, Priyatama, Khatta Meetha, Doosara Aadmi, Inkaar, Jay Vijay, Tumhari Kasam, Dillagi, Viswanath, Des Pardes, Swarg Narak, Baaton Baaton Mein, Janta Hawaldar, Mr. Natwarlal, Kaala Patthar, Man Pasand, Aap Ke Deewane, Swayamvar, Yaraana, Khuddar, Kaamchor, to name a few!
Rajesh Roshan's career can be divided into four parts. Let's take up each of the parts individually to understand how in each phase of his career, Rajesh Roshan struggled to keep the melody intact in his songs and what made Laxmikant to say - He Is The Last Of The Originals!

Phase 1 : 1974 - 1985
Without no doubt, this was the best phase of Rajesh Roshan's career. He blessed us with Julie, Swami, Priyatama, Khatta Meetha, Doosara Aadmi, Des Pardes, Swarg Narak, Baaton Baaton Mein, Janta Hawaldar, Mr. Natwarlal, Kaala Patthar, Man Pasand, Aap Ke Deewane, Swayamvar, Yaraana, Khuddar, Kaamchor, Aakhir Kyon in this phase!
This was the phase, in which RR created some unforgettable romantic numbers. The melody has always played a big role in RR's compositions, and that is one of the major reasons, why his songs still continue to remain fresh in the minds of the listeners. The music arrangement was always there to support the composition, and not in a single song by RR in this period, arrangements took over the composition. The third factor which makes any RR composition so wowee in this period is the effective use of Lata, Rafi, Kishore in his songs. Listen to one song - Chal Kahin Door Nikal Jaayein (Doosara Aadmi) in which these three legends sang together for RR, and you will know what I mean! RR always made the best use of the voices of Lata, Rafi, Kishore. These three singers and RR coming together for a song in this period meant magic!
RR replaced LP, RD, KA from their strongholds in this phase. Dev Anand, Yash Chopra, L.V. Prasad, Basu Chatterjee, Mehmood, Ravi Tandon, Subhash Ghai, J. Om Prakash, K. Vishwanath, all of these stalwarts left their favourite music directors to work with RR. Similarly, RR was equally at ease working with legends like Anand Bakshi, Majrooh, Rajendra Krishan, Sahir on one hand, and young dynamic lyricist like Amit Khanna on the other!


Phase 2 : 1986 - 1994
The Bappi wave took a toll and majorly the three music directors who suffered the most were RD, KA, and RR. The death of Kishore Kumar, Mohd. Rafi and selective singing of Lata Mangeshkar saw RR losing his ground. The compositions started losing the spark which were trademark RR. Somehow, RR's composition could not gel with the voices of Mohd. Aziz, Shabbir Kumar and Suresh Wadkar. Amit Kumar was the only exception, whose singing style did ample justice to the compositions of RR. The RR magic was evident in this phase in scores like Babu, Khudgarz, Kaash, Kabzaa, Khoon Bhari Maang, Aasmaan Se Ooncha, Kaala Bazaar, Kishan Kanhaiya, Jurm, Bahaar Aane Tak, Kasak, Khel, King Uncle and Gunaah. RR started using Kumar Sanu from the early 90's and Amit Kumar lost RR as well as other established music directors of those times!
In this period, music arrangement in RR's compositions got louder and louder! Perhaps, that was the struggle of the gentleman composer to change with the changing times. Still, whenever RR returned to his signature style, as evident in scores like Kaash, Jurm, Bahaar Aane Tak, Khel, Gunaah, the result was exemplary!

Phase 3 : 1995 - 1999
RR started 1995 with a bang! Karan Arjun produced and directed by his brother Rakesh Roshan saw RR ruling the popularity charts for the whole year! It had gems like Jaati Hoon Main, Yeh Bandhan To and Ik Munda. The other big hit of the year was Sabse Bada Khiladi. These two movies saw RR returning back to the popularity charts, which was eluding in the earlier phase. These four years saw the brilliance of RR in scores like Papa Kehte Hain, Dastak, Koyla, Ghulam-E-Mustafa, Keemat, Main Solah Baras Ki, Daag-The Fire, and Lawaaris. Although not all the scores were popular, RR still managed to keep the melody intact in the above mentioned scores.
This phase marked the return of RR as far as the popularity index goes. His scores were well attuned with the times, and that confidence was quite evident in every popular score by him in this phase!

Phase 4 : 2000-........
2000 - the year of Kaho Na Pyar Hai! RR ruled the year with songs like Kaho Na Pyar Hai, Chand Sitare, Ik Pal Ka Jeena, and Na Tum Jaano Na Hum! Kya Kehna, Moksha, Naa Tum Jaano Na Hum, Koi Mil Gaya, Krrish, Krazzy 4 followed suit. RR in this phase has cut down on his work heavily, to the extent that now his music can only be heard in movies produced by his brother - Rakesh Roshan!
The music of RR remains special as always, and how I wish that we get to hear more of his tuneful melodies! Considering the times where it is hard to distinguish between a pop album and a film score, the sincerity of RR always shines through in his scores!

Rajesh Roshan and his music, both of them have always been low profile! Easily, he is one of the most underrated composers of all times. His style of music making has been followed by his juniors and even his contemproraries. Bappi Lahiri, Anu Malik, Jatin Lalit, Shyam Surinder all have followed, what is the Rajesh Roshan school of music! I guess, this is what made Late Laxmikant to term him, The last of Originals! It is his sheer brilliance that he managed to create and retain his own style throughout his career. You will find the trademark RR signature in every popular score composed by him!

हम तो आप के दीवाने हैं
बड़े मस्ताने हैं ओ ओह ओ ओह!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Music Review : Ghajini

Facts about the music of Ghajini :

• A. R. Rehman and Prasoon Joshi team together after a very successful collaboration in Rang De Basanti!
  
• The combination of Aamir Khan and A. R. Rehman have never gone wrong except in Mangal Pandey!
• For the first time Rehman uses Sonu Nigam's voice as backing vocals in the opening song - Guzarish!

One of the most eagerly awaited score of the year is that of Ghajini! I had my apprehensions with the score, primarily because it is a remake of a Southern flick by the same name and secondly, due to the heavy action flick it promises to be, which leaves practically no scope for good music! But overall after hearing all the songs, I am pretty satisfied with the score.
Now let's straightway come to analyse the songs individually!

1. Guzarish (Javed Ali, Guest Vocals - Sonu Nigam)
The first song of the album has a nice romantic feel to it with good lyrics and some very clean singing! The best part of the song is that Rehman has not let his arrangements take over the composition, and that helps the song in a big way. After a very long time, the singing and the lyrics create the mood rather than the composition itself. Sonu Nigam's alaap between the two antaras helps the listener get into the mood of the song.
A very impressive output from Rehman with equally good lyrics by Prasoon Joshi and superb singing by Javed Ali!

2. Aye Bachchu (Suzanne)
A song that wants to say that life is fun! Intentions are cool, and the lyrics are pretty neat, but why Rehman just goes overboard with the arrangements when it comes to fast numbers? The arrangements are so over the top that it borders on showing disrespect to the lyrics written for the song! You have to listen to the song carefully to just get the lyrics! And this complain with Rehman is not only for this number, but for most of the fast numbers he has composed in the past! This song was literally crying for Alisha Chinoy, she would have taken this number to altogether different level!
Anyway, the song is okay, and could have been better with some spaced out arrangement and of course, Alisha Chinoy!

3. Kaise Mujhe (Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal)
Ah, what a song! The lyrics are absolutely great! Prasoon Joshi has mixed the simplicity of Anand Bakshi with the poetry of Gulzar to create one of the best romantic number of the season! You can feel your heart skipping a beat when you hear Benny Dayal and Shreya Ghoshal playing with the words of Prasoon Joshi in the ambience created by Rehman! Everthing's just so right with the song, that you dont feel betrayed as a listener. So just put on the song and let yourself fall in love with love all over again!
Excellent - that's what this song is! Go for it!

4. Behka (Karthik)
The song has loungy feel to it and that relaxed atmosphere is ably created by the arrangement of Rehman! I particularly loved the use of saxophone in this song. The singing is okay, the lyrics not as good as Kaise Mujhe, but still decent enough to pass muster! Overall the song has an interesting feel to it, and the credit for that fully goes to Mr. A. R. Rehman!
An interesting song, will keep the listener engaged!

5. Lattoo (Shreya Ghoshal)
This song has a Latin feel to it, and the lyrics once again are very unconventional! Never heard an actress singing on screen - Lattoo Lattoo Main Uspe Lattoo! Shreya Ghoshal singing Lattoo was so cute, that I just fell for the song! Hats of to Prasoon Joshi for bringing a new word to the limited dictionary of lyrics of Hindi Cinema Song! Rehman has done justice to the lyrics, and I am pleasantly surprised, because this shows that he has adapted himself to the requirements of a Hindi film song.
A very cute song, you will enjoy it!

3. Kaise Mujhe (Instrumental)
The instrumental version of my favorite song in this album is the nicest way that could have been possible to end the album. I am pleased that there are no remixes in this album, and that is a welcome change!
Nice way to close the album!

I am happy with this album, and the biggest cause for celebration for me was the lyrics! Prasoon Joshi with this album has shown that things for him are definitely bright in the future! Another remarkable thing was the chemistry between A. R. Rehman and Prasoon Joshi! The understanding between them is evident in all the songs of Ghajini! I sincerely hope and pray that this collaboration entertains us in many more scores in the future! The music of Ghajini has more plusses than minusses. Grab it, and feel warm in the cold month of December.

Rating : Very Good!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Music Review : Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi

Facts about the music of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi :

• Aditya Chopra shifts to Salim-Suleiman who replace Jatin Lalit as music directors!
• The death of Anand Bakshi sees Jaideep Sahni step into the shoes of the great lyricist!
• This is the first directorial venture of Aditya Chopra where Lata Mangeshkar is not singing a single song!
• Even Udit Narayan does not feature in a single song!
• Sonu Nigam sings for the first time for Aditya Chopra!

Aditya Chopra is back after Mohabbatein! This is in itself the biggest reason to lend ears to the music of Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi। The music style has seen a dramatic change in the eight years that has separated Mohabbatein and Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi (RNBDJ). Although the quality of songs have deteriorated significantly in this period, the name of Aditya Chopra donning the cap of director raises the expectations from the soundtrack of RNBDJ to preposterous levels. I approached to the soundtrack keeping in mind all these facts, trying to be as reasonable and fair to Aditya Chopra and the times in which the movie has been filmed. And I did listen to the whole album with all the excitement a Yash Raj movie deserves. I was aghast, when the album was over! I just could not digest the fact that this is a soundtrack coming out of a movie directed by a person who single handedly has taken an Indian production house to be the 27th largest production house of the world! I have got it wrong - that's what came in my mind after the first hearing. I put on the CD once again to have an another take on the songs of RNBDJ. There has been no change in my opinion about the soundtrack, even after numerous hearings!
I know that I am being very harsh to the soundtrack of RNBDJ, but you dont expect any average stuff coming out of Yash Raj stable. This is not me who has raised the bars, but it is the sheer quality of Yash Raj in the past, that has made this album a tad disappointing!

Let's check out the songs individually!

1. Tujhmein Rab Dikhta Hai (Roop Kumar Rathod)
The opening song of any movie directed by Yash Chopra or Aditya Chopra always had been the flag bearer for the whole album. Just rewind to Mere Haathon Mein (Chandni), Kabhi Main Kahoon (Lamhe), Tujhe Dekha To Yeh (DDLJ), Dil To Pagal Hai (Dil To Pagal Hai), Humko Humhi Se Chura Lo (Mohabbatein), Tere Liye (Veer Zaara) and you know what I mean! Tujhmein Rab Dikhta Hai is probably the weakest opening song of an Aditya Chopra/Yash Chopra directed movie of all times! The composition and the lyrics, both are very ordinary, and the only saving grace is the singing of Roop Kumar Rathod. The lyrics are so passable and the composition so dull, that you are just left cold after the song is over! Ideally when Roop Kumar Rathod croons the line - Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi - at the end of the song, the listener should have felt a strain in his heart, but the coldness just left me seeking for a blanket!
This song is sub standard, and will not be heard for long!

2. Haule Haule Se Hawa Lagti Hai (Sukhwinder Singh)
The song starts good and things just feel like picking up! The singing prowess of Sukhwinder Singh is to be heard to be believed. Control over the singing even in the higher notes is so refreshing. The lyrics just get the passing marks, and the composition is somewhat similar to the title song of Chak De India. What makes this song stand out is the arrangement! Salim-Suleiman have done an excellent job in using the tabla and harmonium in this song!
This song is going to make this album sell - nothing more, nothing less!

3. Dance Pe Chance (Sunidhi Chauhan, Labh Janjhua)
Haule Haule sounded good, but what's this? Is this song from a Yash Raj movie - I just don't believe it! A song that has it's origins in One Two Cha Cha Cha (Shalimar, 1978), it just falls flat. The hook line is embarassingly weak, and that has been the problem with each and every song (barrring Haule Haule). The singing of Sunidhi Chauhan is average, nothing extraordinary. Labh Janjhua is just passable. If the song aspired to teach non dancers the skills of dancing, then Aditya Chopra is sure going to create many Sunil Shettys, as far as the dancing skills goes!
Very uninspiring song, only the kids may get a grab of it! Rewind back to One Two Cha Cha Cha instead, and have a blast!

4. Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte (Sonu Niggam)
The song starts from where Mere Jeevan Saathi (Ek Duje Ke Liye) had ended! Salim Suleiman use the original music clips of the evergreen songs and Jaideep Sahni use hook lines of songs that are still heard. A very interesting concept and the song genuinely starts well, but the problem again lies with the hook line - Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke, Phir Milenge Chalte Chalte. You somewhow don't connect with the song just because of weak composition and weaker hook line! Sonu Niggam's singing is plain bad in this song. How a good concept just falls apart - listen to the song and you will know!
I prefer Mere Jeevan Sathi (Ek Duje Ke Liye) any day. Don't think will ever like to hear this song again!

5. Tujhmein Rab Dikhta Hai (Shreya Ghoshal)
The sad version of the title song - it fares much better! In fact, this is the only song that has the vintage Yash Raj flavour. Notably, the lyrics, the composition, the singing all come good in this song! Singing is simply top class! What Roop Kumar Rathod could not do in a 5 minute song, Shreya Ghoshal did that only in 2 minutes!
A very good song. How I wish it could have been longer! Listen to Shreya Ghoshal and you feel blessed!

6. Dancing Jodi (Instrumental)
I enjoyed this instrumental piece! Very well put together by Salim Suleiman, this instrumental piece has clips of the rest of the songs of RNBDJ. Lot's of energy is what we get in this piece! The arrangement is top class and this gets my thumbs up!
Very enjoyable, you will love it!

The biggest mystery of 2008 - What made Aditya Chopra take Salim Suleiman as music director? My personal opinion is that they are not ready to take the challenge to give music in movies of such scales! It's been 8 year since the death of Anand Bakshi, and his place still remains to be filled. Yuvvraaj and RNBDJ, both missed Anand Bakshi as hell! I can bet you that the songs of RNBDJ could have been much better, had Bakshi Saab been there to pen the lyrics! On the whole, the soundtrack of RNBDJ is a big disappointment. There is absolutely no repeat value, and the songs will just fade away. Repeat value had been the biggest strength of the Yash Raj Films, as far as the music is concerned. This year has been a letdown for them, with no album having any repeat value, be it Bachna Aye Haseeno, Thoda Pyar Thoda Magic, Laaga Chunari Mein Daag, Aaja Nachle, Tashan, or Road Side Romeo. Add Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi to this list!

Rating : Below Average!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Why Laxmikant Pyarelal Became An Addiction To The Directors ??

Hi!!!!!!!!!
The biggest news of this week was the release of the music of 'Rab Ne Bana Di Jodi'. The music review will be here this week - that's a promise!
Coming back to Laxmikant - Pyarelal (LP) and their Long Playing (LP) association with the biggest directors of the Hindi Cinema, the most notable thing is that they had a long lasting relationship with not one or two, but several prominent directors! When we speak about Shankar Jaikishan, their association with Raj Kapoor leads the party! When we speak about Ravi, B. R. Chopra was his man! Remember Kalyanji - Anandji, Manoj Kumar and Prakash Mehra's name flashes in your mind! R. D. Burman had Shakti Samanta and Nasir Hussain! S. D. Burman and Vijay Anand were inseparable! Now come to Laxmikant - Pyarelal, and there is list out there! Raj Khosla, Raj Kapoor, Subhash Ghai, J. Om Prakash, Mohan Kumar, Manmohan Desai, Manoj Kumar are some of the names that come in our minds! It must have been a miracle to have a long term bonding with these legends who had such varied taste as far as music in their films was concerned. Raj Khosla's music had earthiness, Raj Kapoor's music had to had a larger than life quality in even the simplest of songs, Subhash Ghai's music demanded melody, Mohan Kumar's musical inclination was simplicity, Manmohan Desai's music was aggressive, and Manoj Kumar had a taste for emotions! God, such diverse demands and two gentlemen always had something in them to satisfy each and every one of them! That was the beauty of Laxmikant-Pyarelal!
What I have said can be argued - readers may point out that apart from LP, the other music directors also had a long association with prominent directors, and that is very true! But the point is that LP had a bonding with not one but several of them, while others had a impactful relation with one or two!
Let's read more about LP's association with some melodic filmmakers.

Raj Khosla and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (10 Films)
Raj Khosla worked with S. D. Burman, O. P. Nayyar, Ravi and then he shifted to LP , who worked with him for 10 films right from Anita (1967) to Mera Dost Mera Dushman (1984). The association produced eternal scores like Anita, Mera Gaon Mera Desh, Do Raaste, Main Tulsi Tere Aangan Ki, Dostana! Raj Khosla had said on an occassion- Once you have LP, you don't need anybody else!


Raj Kapoor and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (3 Films)
The Showman of the Millenium - Raj Kapoor had a very successful bonding with Shankar Jaikishan (SJ) who worked with him right from Barsaat (1949) to Mera Naam Joker (1970). When he decided to launch his son - Rishi Kapoor in Bobby (1973), LP were signed to take over the SJ legacy! And what a brilliant choice it turned out to be! LP went on to give us memorable numbers like Main Shayar To Nahin, Hum Tum Ek Kamre Mein, Jhooth Bole Kauwa Kaate among many others in Bobby! Raj Kapoor directed three movies after Bobby - Satyam Shivam Sundaram, Prem Rog and Ram Teri Ganga Maili. Two of the last three movies directed by Raj Kapoor had Laxmikant Pyarelal as music directors!


Manoj Kumar and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (4 Films)
Manoj Kumar had a strong bonding with Kalyanji Anandji (KA) in Upkar and Purab Aur Pachchim. He shifted to LP with Shor, and post Shor only once he turned away from LP in Clerk! LP gave Manoj Kumar - Shor, Roti Kapda Aur Makaan, Kranti, Jai Hind-The Pride!


Manmohan Desai and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (9 Films)
Manmohan Desai, the Maestro of Formula Films, always aspired to have popular music in his directorial ventures, and had more or less been successful in that aspiration. He had started his career with Chalia in 1960 and till 1973 made 9 films using six music directors - Kalyanji Anandji, Shankar Jaikishan, O. P. Nayyar, Sonik Omi, R. D. Burman, Ganesh! In 1974 he made Roti, and for his next 9 directorial ventures LP was the constant factor! They together amalgamated to give us memorable scores in Roti, Dharam Veer, Amar Akbar Anthony, Suhaag, Parvarish, Suhaag, Naseeb, Desh Premee, Coolie! The last two ventures of Manmohan Desai had Anu Malik as music directors. Incidently, the last movie concieved by him saw the return of LP in MKD Films (Deewana Mastana 1997)!

Subhash Ghai and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (9 Films)
Subhash Ghai has been looked as a director who always had a flair for good music. He started his directorial career with Kalicharan which had Kalyanji Anandji, moved on to Vishwanath with Rajesh Roshan, and then he found his musical anchor in LP. The Subhash Ghai - LP association started in Guatam Govinda (1979) and lasted throughout the 80's and successfully culminated with Khalnayak in 1993! In between these years LP provided their magical touch in 9 out of the 10 movies directed by Subhash Ghai!

J. Om Prakash and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (9 Films)
J. Om Prakash had worked with Madan Mohan before he took R. D. Burman for Aap Ki Kasam in 1974, and he extracted excellent work from him. In Aakraman (1975), he teamed with LP, and that bond lasted till Agnee (1988). In between these 13 years, he directed 11 movies out of which 9 had music by LP. They together entertained us by giving us fantastic scores in Aakraman, Apnapan, Aashiq Hoon Baharon Ka, Aasha, Aas Paas, Arpan and Aap Ke Saath.

Mohan Kumar and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (9 Films)
Shankar Jaikishan and Madan Mohan were the favourite music directors of Mohan Kumar, but it all changed with Aap Aaye Bahaar Aayee(1971). Right from 1971 to 1990, Mohan Kumar never directed any movie without LP. The magic of LP with Mohan Kumar was evident in scores of Aap Aaye Bahaar Aayee, Anjaana, Mome Ki Gudiya, Amir Garib, Avtaar and Amrit!

The above are to be taken only as examples, because LP had a very successful tuning with other acclaimed directors like Mahesh Bhatt (Naam, Gumrah, Dhun), Satyen Bose (Dosti, Wapas, Aasra, Jeevan Mrityu), Brij (Night In London, Paise Ki Gudiya, Do Bhai), Mukul Anand (Insaaf, Hum, Khuda Gawah, Trimurti), J. P. Dutta (Ghulami, Batwara, Yateem, Hathyaar, Kshatriya), Dulal Guha (Dushman, Dharti Kahe Pukar Ke, Pratigya, Dost), Raghunath Jhalani (Aaye Din Bahaar Ke, Aaya Saawan Jhoom Ke, Man Ki Aankhein, Badalte Rishte), Raj Kumar Kohli (Lutera, Gora Aur Kala, Naagin, Jaani Dushman, Bees Saal Baad), Amar Kumar (Mere Humdum Mere Dost, Pyasi Shaam, Barkha Bahar), Harmesh Malhotra (Lafangey, Nagina, Nigahen, Heer Ranjha), Ramanand Sagar (Jalte Badan, Charas, Prem Bandhan, Baghavat), amongst many others!

The point I have tried to make by illustrating the association of LP with various directors is that LP were probably the only one who were chameleons as far as the requirements of the directors, script, setting was concerned. Once a director had the oppurtunity to work them, rarely they let them go! Why - ask this question to yourself and you will get the answer! The music of Raj Khosla's movies and music of Raj Kapoor's movies were as different as chalk and cheese. There was only one LP who could have bridged this gap between the varied tastes of filmmakers and change colours so magnificently!

बन्दा परवर मैं कहाँ
ये आपकी महफिल कहाँ
आपकी बंदानावाजी है
मैं इस काबिल कहाँ !

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Composers' Enduring Quotient - Longest Peak-Times

HERE ARE THE 15 COMPOSERS WHO HAD THE LONGEST PEAK-TIMES IN TERMS OF CREATIVITY & POPULARITY TOGETHER.

SENIOR COMPOSERS ARE LISTED FIRST WHEN SPANS ARE EQUAL. ALL OTHER COMPOSERS HAVE HAD SPANS OF LESS THAN 10 PEAK YEARS.

AMONG CURRENT NAMES WE FIND THAT SHANKAR-EHSAAN-LOY (1999-) ARE IN THEIR 8TH YEAR (2001-), HIMESH RESHAMMIYA (1998/2000 AS SOLO) IN HIS 7TH YEAR (2002-), VISHAL-SHEKHAR (1999 / 2002 AS SOLO) IN THEIR 6TH YEAR (2003- ), PRITAM (2001 AS JEET-PRITAM, 2003 SOLO) IN HIS 5TH YEAR (2004-) ,SAJID-WAJID (1998/ 2000 AS SOLO)IN THEIR 2ND YEAR (2007-) AND SALIM-SULAIMAN (1999/2005 AS SOLO) IN THEIR 2ND YEAR (2007- )AT PEAK.

TOP FIFTEEN COMPOSERS:

#1. S.D.BURMAN CAREER 1946 TO 1975 LAST RELEASE 1977 FILMS: ABOUT 70
PEAK: 1951-1975 (25 years)


#2. KALYANJI-ANANDJI CAREER 1958-2001 FILMS: ABOUT 250
PEAK: 1965-1989 (25 years)

#3. LAXMIKANT-PYARELAL CAREER 1963-1999 LAST RELEASE 2004 FILMS: ABOUT 490
PEAK: 1969-1993 (25 years)

#4. NAUSHAD CAREER 1940-2005 FILMS: ABOUT 70
PEAK: 1944-1967 (24 years)

#5. SHANKAR JAIKISHAN CAREER 1949-1987 FILMS: ABOUT 150
PEAK: 1950-1972 (23 years)

#6. ANU MALIK CAREER 1978- FILMS: ABOUT 250
PEAK: 1983-1987 / 1993-2005 (18 years)

#7. R.D.BURMAN CAREER 1961-1994 LAST RELEASE 2000 FILMS: ABOUT 300
PEAK: 1971-1985 (15 years)

#8. RAJESH ROSHAN CAREER 1974- FILMS: ABOUT 150
PEAK: 1975-1987 / 1995-1996 (15 years)

#9. ANIL BISWAS 1935-1965 FILMS: ABOUT 60
PEAK: 1938-1951 (14 years)

#10. C.RAMACHANDRA 1942-1971 FILMS: ABOUT 100
PEAK: 1950-1963 (14 years)

#11. RAVI CAREER 1954- FILMS: ABOUT 70 (HINDI ONLY)
PEAK: 1959-1972 (14 years)

#12. O.P.NAYYAR CAREER 1952-1994 FILMS: ABOUT 50
PEAK: 1956-1967 (12 years)

#13. BAPPI LAHIRI CAREER 1973- FILMS: ABOUT 350
PEAK: 1982-1993 (12 years)

#14. NADEEM-SHRAVAN 1981- FILMS: ABOUT 100
PEAK: 1990-1997 / 2000-2003 (12 years)

#15. A.R.RAHMAN CAREER 1993- FILMS: ABOUT 50 (HINDI ONLY)
PEAK: 1999- (10 years)

Reign of Music Directors

Dear all,

It is very interesting to day that in 78 years of film music (1931-2008) so far, Shankar Jaikishan (1950-1968) and Laxmikant-Pyarelal (1969-1992) - that is 43 years have been ruled by these two duos ON MERIT & WITHOUT HYPE OR MEDIA PROMOTIONS LIKE TV, CONTROVERSIES, MULTIPLE TV CHANNELS & NEWSPAPERS ETC. True, S-J had their position threatened temporarily by names like O.P.Nayyar(late '50s and early '60s) and Ravi (mid-'60s), and L-P by R.D.Burman (early '70s)and Bappi Lahiri (mid-'80s), but they never let go their Numero Uno positions. L-P eclipsed S-J by 1969, and Nadeem-Shravan took over in 1993.

EVEN MORE INTERESTING is the fact that from 1931-1949 and from 1993 onwards no single music director has been on top for more than a max 2-3 years!
Pre-1949, Naushad, Anil Biswas, Husnlal-Bhagatram and C.Ramachandra were sort of jointly at the top in see-saw flip-flops, and here is the scenario post-1992.

1993 NADEEM-SHRAVAN & ANU MALIK (Hum Hain Rahi Pyaar Ke, Baazigar, Sir, Phir Teri Kahani Yaad Aayi)
1994 ANU MALIK & ANAND-MILIND (Imtihan, Vijaypath, Main Khiladi Tu Anari, Raja Babu, Laadla, Suhaag, Krantiveer, Gopi-Kishan)
1995 A.R.RAHMAN (Rangeela, Bombay)
1996 NADEEM-SHRAVAN (Raja Hindustani, Agnisakshi)
1997 ANU MALIK (Judwaa, Border, Ishq, Virasat, Tamanna)
1998 JATIN-LALIT (Kuch Kuch..., Ghulam, Jab Pyaar..., Pyaar To Hona...)
1999 JATIN-LALIT & A.R.RAHMAN (Sarfarosh, Taal)
2000 NADEEM-SHRAVAN (Dhadkan)
2001 A.R.RAHMAN (Lagaan)
2002 NADEEM-SHRAVAN (Raaz)
2003 ANU MALIK & NADEEM-SHRAVAN
2004 ANU MALIK
2005 ANU MALIK & HIMESH RESHAMMIYA (Ishq Vishq, Aashiq Banaya Aapne)
2006 HIMESH RESHAMMIYA & PRITAM (Aksar, Tom Dick And Harry, 36 China Town. Phir Hera Pheri, Dhoom:2, Gangster, Woh Lamhe...)
2007 A.R.RAHMAN, HIMESH RESHAMMIYA & PRITAM (Guru, Aap Kaa Surroor, Namastey London, Bhool Bhulaiya)
2008 A.R.RAHMAN, PRITAM, HIMESH RESHAMMIYA, SHANKAR-EHSAAN-LOY (Jaane Tu..., Jodhaa Akbar, Karzzzz, Race, Singh Is Kinng, Rock On!!)

These positions also tended to be score-based or even song-based rather than work- or consistency-based and the music scores' popularity were completely dominated by promotion/marketing, media-hype, claims, and the films' successes. Also except in some of these years, NO SINGLE COMPOSER HAD A DISTINCT SOLO TOP STATUS.

HERE IS ALSO WHAT I FEEL IS THE VERSATILITY QUOTIENT (OUT OF 10) OF TOP COMPOSERS OF ALL TIME, STARTING 1950s:

C.RAMACHANDRA 9
NAUSHAD 5
S.D.BURMAN 7
SALIL CHOWDHURY 6
ROSHAN 5
RAVI 6
CHITRAGUPTA 7
O.P.NAYYAR 7.5
MADAN MOHAN 5
SHANKAR JAIKISHAN 10
KALYANJI-ANANDJI 10
R.D.BURMAN 8
LAXMIKANT-PYARELAL 9.5
RAJESH ROSHAN 7
BAPPI LAHIRI 7
NADEEM-SHRAVAN 4
ANAND-MILIND 5
JATIN-LALIT 5
ANU MALIK 8
A..R.RAHMAN 4
HIMESH RESHAMMIYA 6
SHANKAR-EHSAAN-LOY 6
VISHAL-SHEKHAR 5
PRITAM 5
SAJID-WAJID 6

RAJIV VIJAYAKAR

Music Review : Yuvvraaj

Facts regarding the music of Yuvvraaj :

• This is for the first time A. R. Rehman and Gulzar are teaming up together with Subhash Ghai!
• A. R. Rehman and Gulzar have worked together and have witnessed tremondous success with scores like - Dil Se, Saathiya and Guru.
• Subhash Ghai and A. R. Rehman have worked together before in Taal and Kisna, and the results were pretty good!
• Subhash Ghai hopes to regain his musical showmanship with Yuvvraaj!
• Sukhwinder Singh is missing from the soundtrack of Yuvvraaj!

The first thing that strikes, after you are through with the whole album is that Subhash Ghai's musical inclination in this movie has shifted towards the Mani Ratnam school of film music! Subhash Ghai has tried real hard in this soundtrack to keep his distinct identity as well as to be in sync with the demands of the present times! This dillemma is reflected particularly in these two songs - Shanno Shanno, Zindagi! Don't read the credits of the song, and hear the songs. They don't sound like coming out of a Subhash Ghai's movie, much more like coming from a Mani Ratnam movie!

Now, let's check out the songs individually!

1. Main Hoon Yuvvraaaj (Salman Khan and the Fifth of Beethoven)
The album starts with Main Hoon Yuvvraaj featuring Salman Khan and the Fifth of Beethoven. This is an introduction to the album with a Western Classical orchestra playing in the background and Salman Khan giving a description of his character! The influence of European style of music gives us a sign to what could be expected from the songs of Yuvvraaj.
Overall this musical piece does it's job nicely in setting up the tone for the album!

2. Tu Hi To Mera Dost Hai (Benny Dayal, Shreya Ghoshal and A. R. Rehman)
A very good song to start the album with! The singing of all the three singers are top class, it has good melody, nice arrangements, and some good lyrics. The European influence is throughout there in the song!
This song is probably the one which is going to burn the music charts. It has repeat value, and is not a song that will be forgotten easily.

3. Shanno Shanno (Sonu Nigam, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha, Tina and Blaaze)
A regular Rehman song made different by Gulzar Saab's lyrics! The antara sounds suspiciously similar to "Chori Pe Chori" from Saathiya! The Mani Ratnam effect starts with this song!
It is an okay song, but it does not sound out of place in the album. Maybe , the song will look good with the visuals!

4. Tu Muskura (Alka Yagnik and Javed Ali)
What a song!!! This was my first reaction to this song when I first heard it. The lyrics, the melody, the singing, all are first rate. The song is a perfect example of confluence of two different style of music schools - Subhash Ghai and A. R. Rehman! Subhash Ghai's touch is there in the singing and the melody, while A. R. Rehman's excellence in music arrangements strums the strings of your heart!
One of my personal favourites, I rate this song as one of the best of the year! Strongly recommended!

5. Mastam Mastam (Sonu Nigam, Alka Yagnik, Benny Dayal, Naresh Iyer)
The blending of the two different schools of music comes out good in this song! But this song desperately misses Anand Bakshi! Ah, what a song it could have been, were Bakshi Saab had been alive to write the lyrics for this song.
A good song but could have been better! What could have been bettered has been stated earlier!

6. Zindagi (Srinivas)
A typical Rehman number in terms of composition and arrangement with some very average singing. Subhash Ghai tries to recreate "Nahin Saamne Tu" from Taal, but fails to do so! Gulzar Saab tries to go simple in his words, which saves this number to some extent. Had the lyrics been heavy, God knows what would have happened to this number.
An okay number which will find few takers!

7. Dil Ka Rishta (Roop Kumar Rathod, Sonu Nigam, A. R. Rehman)
The Showman is back with this song! A vintage Subhash Ghai number arranged in present times. The exhuberance in singing transcends the song to a different level! Listen to Roop Kumar Rathod and Sonu Nigam in this song, and you know why Subhash Ghai style of music has lived on for so many years. The singers sing as they should have sung for a Subhash Ghai movie! This song is a tribute to Subhash Ghai - Laxmikant Pyarelal association, and I loved that! The graph of the song, the arrangements, the singing, all have the L-P touch!
A very good song, which will look and sound even better when watched alongwith Subhash Ghai's vision!

8. Manmohini Morey (Vijay Prakash)
The song has a start similar to "Dhoom Tanaa Naa" from Thakshak, and then it moves to Subhash Ghai's territory with the clip of "Muskura" acting as interlude! A classical raga based song with modern arrangements, the amalgamation works!
An interesting piece, it has competent singing by Vijay Prakash! Again will work fine with the visuals.

9. Shanno Remix (Featuring Ember)
A remix by Krishna Chetan! This remix is a bit different when compared to the other remixes we have been hearing lately. Very interesting beats have been used to remix this song, and this subtle change has made a huge difference to the remix!
I don't have the taste for the remixes that are used to fill the audio CD's, but this remix works for me! Good!


Now what is the final result -
A sure shot hit! An album with more plusses than minusses, Subhash Ghai has another winner in his hands! How I wish, he maintained his style in the two songs - Shanno Shanno and Zindagi! Things would have been different then! The collaboration of the three geniuses have worked big time, when seen in context to the year in which Hindi Film Music has degraded itself to fit in the mobile world (read caller tunes, ringtones, etc.)! Not a classic, but not a downer! Gulzar Saab has tried very hard to fit himself in Anand Bakshi's shoes, but we miss Anand Bakshi! His touch would have taken this album to different heights!
A good score which will find appeal both with the masses and classes!

Rating : Very Good!!!!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Our Past Is Dying!!!!!!!!

Hi,

It has been incredible 15 days! I am touched and am honoured by the kind of response I am getting to my blog. The intention was exactly the same. I wanted the lovers of Hindi Cinema Music to come forward and talk about what made them lovers of this kind of music. I am thrilled to tell one and all, that this is happening! My friends, let us all join hands and preserve the treasure we have got!
Hindi Cinema Music is like a garden which has variety of flowers! You may love the fragrance of one flower and I may love another! But at the end of the day, we all are on the same side. Ras ke pujari aap bhi hain aur hum bhi, to hammein dooriyan kisliye (Roughly it means you and me , both are devotees of music, then why should there be any distance between us!)। I am here to spread love for our music, and I request all of you to do the same। Only being a lover of Hindi Cinema Music wont do! If you are in love with our music , then you have to spread it !
I have a very valid point to support what I have said earlier! How many of you have faced this - a kid dances to the tunes of Bachna Aye Haseeno and exclaims, damn Vishal - Shekhar are cool! They don't even know that this masterpiece was composed by a maestro named R. D. Burman ! For that matter the remix version of Mere Naseeb Mein Tu Hai, Leena O Leena, Yeh Mera Dil have been burning the dance floors for quite a while! I can guarantee you that the Youngistan (the new generation) don't even have a clue about the original composers and the singers of these songs. Add to that, they don't even know that there was a original song from where it has been ripped! Not knowing the facts is okay, but what is disastrous is the fact that they don't have the inclination to know the facts. This is no way their fault! The fault lies with us - have you ever informed your kid about the source behind these remixes and adaptations. I am sure, most of us dont care to do that, and that's why the ignorance. Doston (Friends), in this case ignorance is not bliss, it is a blunder!
Chitragupta, Usha Khanna, Roshan, Vasant Desai, Sonik Omi, Khemchand Prakash, Suman Kalyanpur, Shamshad Begum, Suraiya - does these names ring a bell? When was the last time you have heard their songs being played - there contributions have become extinct as far as the recall value is considered. Pull up your socks before the same happens to Shankar Jaikishan, Laxmikant Pyarelal, S. D. Burman, Mohd. Rafi, Kishore Kumar, Lata Mangeshkar, Mukesh, and the rest of the Gods of Hindi Cinema Music!

जाने वो कैसे लोग थे जिनके प्यार को प्यार मिला
हमने तो जब कलियाँ मांगी कांटों का हार मिला !

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Clinical View of A Hindi Cinema Song !

Hi,

Have you ever noticed that in a Hindi Cinema song there is a definite pattern in which a song is framed? If you haven't, then let me tell you that in majority of the songs, there is a fixed pattern!
A Hindi cinema song generally consists of a prelude, the mukhda, the interlude, and the antaras! A song starts with the prelude music which is followed by the mukhda, which is further followed by the interlude music which acts as a bridge between two or three set of antaras. The mukhda comes after the prelude music and subsequently appears after every set of antara! Mukhda is a hindi word and the most liberal translation of it in English means face, and the word antara can be translated to heart/soul! You can very well understand that the mukhda of a Hindi Cinema Song is the face of the song, which in turn means that the mukhda tells you in short, what the song is all about! The antaras are the heart or the soul of the song, which is nothing but a detailed explanation of the contents of the mukhda!
The prelude music sets up the tone for a song and generally by hearing the prelude music of a Hindi Cinema song, you can identify whether you are going to hear a happy, sad, romantic, patriotic, sentimental or a philosophical song! In short the magic of a Hindi Cinema song starts right with the prelude music.
The interlude music connects mukhda with antaras and acts as a bridge between the antaras. The interlude music is the thread that binds the song together. It's function is to combine the different parts of the songs and make it one ! This means, the interlude music is the one that prevents a song from being disjointed!
Now when we know what are the basic components of a song, you might be eager to know what are the roles of a music director and a lyricist in a Hindi Cinema song! Actually the making of a song involves three parts - music compostion, music arrangement, lyrics! Philosophically speaking, the music composition gives body to a song, the music arrangement gives flair or dignity to a song, and last but not the least, the lyrics gives the character to a song. Take away any of the component mentioned above, and the song becomes incomplete!
Which is more important - the music or the lyrics - is probably one of the toughest question in this world? According to me, both of them are equally important, and I dont want to waste any further time to evaluate the superiority of either of the two!

गीत तेरे साज़ का
तेरी ही आवाज़ हूँ
तू भी मेरा साथी बन जा
मैं तेरी हमराज़ हूँ !

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P.S. Please put up your comments by clicking on comments below!

Who Were The Most Popular Amongst Them All ???????

Hi,

I was listening to one of the collections of the most popular songs of 70's, when it striked to me that let's put up a list of the most popular music directors, singers and lyricists between 1950 to 2000! The idea is not to belittle the talents of these geniuses by placing them up in a ladder, but to explore which one of these contributed the most in terms of quantity, to entertain us. Before putting up the table of ranks, I must make it clear that the ranking has been done strictly on the basis of the most popular songs contributed by these talents.
So let's start rocking and find out the most popular amongst them all!

The 10 Most Popular Music Directors :
1. Laxmikant - Pyarelal
2. R. D. Burman
3. Shankar - Jaikishan
4. Kalyanji - Anandji
5. Bappi Lahiri
6. S. D. Burman
7. Rajesh Roshan
8. O. P. Nayyar
9. Nadeem - Shravan
10. Anand - Milind

The 10 Most Popular Singers :
1. Lata Mangeshkar
2. Mohd. Rafi
3. Kishore Kumar
4. Asha Bhonsle
5. Mukesh
6. Kumar Sanu
7. Manna Dey
8. Alka Yagnik
9. Mahendra Kapoor
10.Amit Kumar

The 10 Most Popular Lyricists:
1. Anand Bakshi
2. Majrooh Sultanpuri
3. Shailendra
4. Sameer
5. Hasrat Jaipuri
6. Sahir Ludhianvi
7. Rajinder Krishan
8. Shakeel Badayuni
9. Indivar
10.Gulzar











Take a look at the above rankings, and let me know what you feel !

गाता रहे मेरा दिल
तू ही मेरी मंजिल हाय
कहीं बीते ना ये रातें
कहीं बीते ना यह दिन!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

The Musical Journey...2 (continued)

Hi,
A very Happy Dusshera to everybody out there! May Goddess Durga shower all her blessings to you and your family members.
Let's continue with the tags I had associated with the decades of Hindi Cinema Music.

Energetic 80's

According to the purists, this was the worst decade of Hindi Cinema Music and they generalise that by blaming Bappi Lahiri! But I beg to disagree that whatever came in this decade was totally crap! There were some real gems from this decade which continue to shine even today. The early half of this decade was dominated by Bappi fever , who made us feel for few years that disco was what Hindi Cinema music is all about! Disco from Bappi Lahiri's stable was bearable, anything that was intolerable was the music he scored for those South movies (movies produced by Southern India production houses). Bappi Lahiri is a music director who started his career in 1970's and in the seventies he was what I feel at his very best. Listen to the scores of Chalte Chalte (Chalte Chalte Mere Geet), Aangan Ki Kali (Tumhein Kaise Kahoon), Zakhmee (Jalta Hai Jiya Mera), Toote Khilone (Maana Ho Tum) and you will get the idea why I feel so! Bappi Lahiri gave good music in the 1980's in movies like Disco Dancer, Namak Halaal, Sharabi! So it is quite unfair to blame him for all the troubles in 1980's!
Anyways, coming back to the 80's, this decade gave us scores like Silsila, Love Story, Aasha, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Karz, Hero, Prem Rog, Disco Dancer, Saagar, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Tezaab, Ram Lakhan, Maine Pyar Kiya amongst others! The Bappi fever was so severe in the early 80's and continued till 1985, that it threatened to change the course of Hindi Cinema Music. But that was not to be! Laxmikant - Pyarelal single handedly took over the charge and the fever was effectively medicated by the popularity of scores like Ghulami, Pyar Jhukta Nahin, Naam to name a few! Actually the flag of good popular music in the mid 80's was left only in the hands of L-P! And then, destiny intervened! Anand- Milind arrived with a bang in 1987 with a phenomenal score in Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, and gone were the Disco days! The movie's timeless melodies were the biggest reason for it's success. A score that was a trendsetter, and it single handedly brought back the era of love stories with good music. This trend was ably carried forward in the late 80's by a movie called Maine Pyar Kiya, which proved the eternal singing power of Lata Mangeshkar!
My opinion is that this was the most thrilling decade as far as the music in Hindi cinema is concerned! The highs were towering and the lows were stooping in this decade! The highs were achieved by scores like Silsila, Love Story, Ek Duje Ke Liye, Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak, Maine Pyar Kiya, and in the same decade the lows came in the form of Mawaali, Justice Chowdhary, Pataal Bhairvi and several others which I don't even feel like mentioning! This contradiction of sorts among the music scores makes this decade one of my personal favourites! Only in this decade you can find scores which fill your heart with warmth and at the same time, you will find scores which will encourage you to stop listening to Hindi Cinema music! This is what I feel is the beauty of this decade! A thriller of a decade, and this thrill makes this decade, the Energetic 80's!

Transitional 90's
India became a liberal economy in the early 90's and this led to the opening of print media, electronic media, and suddenly India was bombarded with real time informations and news from the whole world! More and more Indians started getting the flavour of different cultures from all around the world and this exposure had it's reflection in the Hindi Cinema as well! Suddenly our filmmakers, the music directors all started looking west for inspiration. The previous decades were not oblivious from the west, but it became much more pronounced in the 90's, solely because there were some quick real time informations out there! This decade is also best remembered for the fact that the old guards of the Hindi Cinema Music, namely Laxmikant - Pyarelal, R. D. Burman, Kalyanji - Anandji handed over the mantle to a younger breed of music directors! This decade also saw the end of the era system. Not a single music director from this decade can claim that they enjoyed the unmatched success of their predecessors! Every year in this decade saw a new music director taking over the guard, but sadly no one had a consistent run in the popularity charts.
This decade gave us scores like Aashiqui, Saajan, Saudagar, Jo Jeeta Wohi Sikandar, Khalnayak, Baazigar, Hum Aapke Hain Kaun, 1942 A Love Story, Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jaayenge, Dil To Paagal Hai, Gupt, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, Taal, to name a few!
This decade had variety in music which is incomparable with any of the previous decades. The search for starting a new trend in Hindi Cinema Music was throughout there in the decade of 90's. The fading out of veteran music directors and the old guard of filmmakers was the primary reason behind this search! The younger breed of filmmakers came into the scene in this decade and had very noble intentions to create a new sound, a new flavour of Hindi Cinema music. There were many experiments made in this decade and the biggest of them was made by a music director from the South (Southern India) named A. R. Rehman. Right from his very first movie - Roja - he tried some fresh musical arrangements for his songs. This experiment worked big time and suddenly he bacame the blue -eyed boy of the whole nation! More often than not, his experiments failed post Roja, but no one can doubt his musical talents as far as the arrangement of a song goes! This decade's irony can very well be identified by the co existence of experimental music of A. R. Rehman and that of the conservative sounding music of the likes of Nadeem - Shravan and Anand - Milind!
My opinion is that, 90's music reflected the times we lived in! Every Indian was confused with his identity - he wanted to be a cool, chilled out guy who wanted to take on the world on his own terms, and at the same time he also could not let go of the Indian values with which he was born! This very irony is reflected in the Hindi Cinema music of the 90's! That makes this decade the Transitional 90's!

इक दिन बिक जायेगा माटी के मोल
जग में रह जायेंगे प्यारे तेरे बोल!
दूजे के होठों को देकर अपना गीत
कोई निशानी छोड़ फिर दुनिया से गोल!

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P. S. If you wanna know about the movie or want to listen to the songs listed in this post, just click on the movie name or the song !

The Musical Journey....2

Hi!

Right away I thank my readers for the support and the encouragement they are providing me! That should show on the comments section too! Please put in a word or two in the comments section that follows the post. Positive, Negative, Good, Bad or Ugly, any kind of comment will do ! Par comment mangta hai, kya??? That will really help this blog to be more informative and interactive in every possible manner!
In my last post, I spoke about the impact the music of Barsaat had on the the music scene in Hindi Cinema. Let's pick up the threads from there and move ahead to explore what the next decades had in store as far as Hindi Cinema music is concerned.
The decades that followed can easily be tagged with the kind of music that came in that particular decade. This will help us in getting an overall idea about the kind of music we can expect when we listen to a song from a particular decade.

So here we go!
Soft 50's
Melodious 60's
Youthful 70's
Energetic 80's
Transitional 90's

A brief description for the tags that has been assigned for the decades follows :

Soft 50's

The decade when Hindi cinema music started coming on it's own! The decade when music for movies like Awara, Baiju Bawra, Madhumati, Shri 420, Nagin, Naya Daur, CID, Anari, Paying Guest, Goonj Uthi Shehnai, Anarkali blessed us! Listen to any of these album and instantly the world seems a better place to live in! Everything's so pure about them - the lyrics, the music, the singing! No one seems to be in a hurry, and that reflects in the songs. There is a certain calmness in the songs which engulfs the listener and takes him to a world he thought never existed!
My opinion is that this purity and calmness comes from the way the music was composed. The music arrangements and the singing were softly done, the lyrics were simple, and that is why nothing from that decade hurts the ears! That according to me makes it Soft 50's!

Melodious 60's

The decade of romance! Romantic songs were abundant in this decade and that is one of the most striking feature of this decade. Romantic songs from movies like Sangam, Mere Mehboob, Aradhana, Jab Jab Phool Khile, Aarzoo, Do Raaste, Suraj, Taj Mahal, Junglee, Guide and many others continue to linger in our memories till this date. A certain lilting quality can be found in the songs from this decade and they were ably performed by the romantic heroes who ruled in this decade. Notable amongst the romanitc heroes were Shammi Kapoor, Rajendra Kumar, Dev Anand, Rajesh Khanna. Melody ruled supreme and that's what make the songs from this decade eternal!
My opinion is that songs started having a larger than life appeal and that reflected in the music arrangements and the style of singing! Listen to Chahe Koi Mujhe Junglee Kahe sung by Mohd. Rafi for Junglee to experience this! But the grandeur did not overtake the melody in the songs and that's why of all the decades of Hindi Cinema Music, the most songs that are still remembered is from this decade. That makes this decade the Melodious 60's!

Youthful 70's

The decade of Flower Power! Hippies, hashish, denims were the order of the day for this decade. But that was one side of the coin, there was another side of this decade that was ably represented by heroes like Rishi Kapoor. And then there were the shining stars like Amitabh Bachchan, Dharmendra, Jeetendra, Rajesh Khanna, Shashi Kapoor who ruled the roost in the 70's! It may surprise you that while talking songs, why have I started talking about the heroes of this decade. This is because this decade saw songs being made for stars rather than the movies! Movies took a backseat in the sense that by hearing the songs you can identify the stars that may have starred in that particular movie! But the overiding feature of the songs in this decade is that the zest cannot be overlooked! Be it any movie, be it any star, the songs in this decade had a youthful flavour to it. Even in movies like Haathi Mera Saathi, Yaadon Ki Baraat starring veterans like Rajesh Khanna, Dharmendra, the songs were full of energy. The youthfulness can be sampled in the songs of movies like Hare Rama Hare Krishna, Yaadon Ki Baraat, Bobby, Johny Mera Naam, Hum Kisise Kam Naheen, Amar Akbar Anthony, Haathi Mere Saathi, Julie amongst many others!
This decade also started a trend of having designer songs that were made to fit in a movie! Just for example listen to Duniya Mein Logon Ko from Apna Desh and you will know that this song was there in the movie just because Monica My Darling from Caravan was a huge hit and the filmmakers wanted songs from the same genre in their movie. Some of the movies that featured designer songs are Anamika, Raja Rani, The Train amongst others!
My opinion is that there was not a single popular score in this decade which was dull. This energy in the songs are totally due to the treatment of the songs by the leading music directors of this decade, namely, Laxmikant - Pyarelal, R. D. Burman, and Kalyanji - Anandji! This energy in the songs is what makes this decade the Youthful 70's!

(To be continued..........)

गीत गाता हूँ मैं
गुनगुनाता हूँ मैं
मैंने हंसने का वादा किया था कभी
इसलिए अब सदा मुस्कुराता हूँ मैं !

Bye for now!
आपकी अपनी आवाज़
Vishal

P. S. If you wanna know about the movie or want to listen to the songs listed in this post, just click on the movie name or the song !

The Musical Journey....1

Hi!
In India, music is an integral part of the day to day life of an Indian. When we talk about music in India, class, caste, sex - all the lines of discrimination fall apart. Not a single ceremony, whether child birth, marriage, religious ceremony, is complete without songs! Add to that, even small day to day events call for songs in India. When you are in love, when you are putting your child to sleep, when you are with your beloved, when you are in dumps, when there is nothing to say, when we have much to say - we generally have songs for practically each of these moments! Have you ever thought about the fact that all these songs have a single origin point, and they more or less originate from the Hindi Cinema!
When Hindi cinema music has and is making such an irreversible impact on our lives, it becomes very important for all of us to acknowledge this fact. Hindi cinema music has been for long crying for some respectability and dignity, and the time has come my friends, that we all come together and just do that! Let us go back in our memories and find out what is so beautiful about the Hindi cinema music! Let's dig deep into our history and marvel with pleasure, how a song of an average duration of four minutes can become so integral to our lives.
The musical journey of Hindi cinema started with Alam-Ara in 1931, and that was 77 years back! This journey of Hindi cinema music has been very exciting with all the twists and turns, highs and lows and had it's own ups and downs! In it's initial years, the music scene in Hindi Cinema kept on exploring itself and tried real hard to fit itself in the paradigm of Hindi cinema. This turmoil for Hindi cinema music continued from 1931 till 1949. There were sparks in between this period but nothing came in those years which could have have been followed in the years to come.
In 1949, the showman of the millennium -Raj Kapoor, alongwith a team comprising of music directors - Shankar & Jaikishan, singers - Lata Mangeshkar & Mukesh, and lyricists - Hasrat Jaipuri & Shailendra came together for a movie named "Barsaat", which according to me is the baap of all the music in Hindi cinema! The soundtrack of "Barsaat" has made such an impact that till this date whatever respectability and recognition songs have got in Hindi cinema could be singly attributed to this movie! The soundtrack of this movie was in true sense a trendsetter! The music arrangements, the singing style, the lyrics - all were so defining that till this date the basic pattern for a creation of a song somehow can owe its birth to this movie!
If we can divide the era of Hindi cinema music in two parts - pre Barsaat and post Barsaat, it is not hard to find the difference. The music of Barsaat declared with a bang that mainstream Hindi cinema music cannot be ignored, it cannot be taken for granted, and most of all - it is here to stay! Post Barsaat, Hindi cinema music has evolved to have it's own separate identity from the Hindi cinema itself. Movies are hits or flops, but their songs are treated distinctly. The Hindi cinema music has its own charts, they are hits or flops which has nothing to do with the movie they feature in!
Music in Hindi cinema does not live within the shadows of Hindi cinema, and this is the sole reason which makes Hindi cinema different from the rest of the world cinema! We may be making remakes of English, Korean, Italian movies, but the Indianness in all these movies comes from the music that features in all those movies!

Bye for now!

तुम मुझे यूँ भुला ना पाओगे
जब कभी भी सुनोगे गीत मेरे
संग संग तुम भी गुनगुनाओगे !

आपकी अपनी आवाज़,
Vishal

Mujhe Kisi Se Pyar Ho Gaya from the movie Barsaat (sung by Lata Mangeshkar)


Jiya Bekaraar Haifrom the movie Barsaat (sung by Lata Mangeshkar)