Kidnap — Music Review


After wining the showdown against Harman , Imran is all set to have a one on one with Abhishek on the coming Gandhi Jayanti . This time though the contest is little harder and Abhishek is having a fan-following which would definitely be more than Harman Baweja . The common thing though in both cases being that Imran’s film is pitched against a high budget Fantasy film . Last time it was Love Story 2050 and this time being Drona . His small budget youth love story became the biggest hit of this year and made him star by night . Though this film would be a real test for him , his acting skills and his stardom . The Music of any film as I always say plays the biggest role in its publicity apart from its stars and in that front Kidnap is definitely scoring some goals over Drona . And as I suspected in my earlier post , Kidnap Vs. Drona , the music of Kidnap is definitely sounding a little better .

The soundtrack consists of seven songs out of which five are originals and two are remixes . The soundtrack of any film has to be according to the mood of the film and should show us the character of the story and film itself . This soundtrack definitely manages to do that . The Pacy Thriller nature of the film can be felt even in this soundtrack which makes it quite interesting . Pritam got his first taste of success in Sanjay Gadhvi’s first film Dhoom and then on he has given back to back hits , most of them being lifted from here or there . Keeping the loyalties he has given music to this film also and the lyrics are by Mayur Puri .

The opening track of the OST , “Mit Jaaye” though is not the Title Track but can be called so because it very well sets the mood for the entire soundtrack upfront and even gives you a hint of the film . During the entire song you can imagine Sanjay Dutt chasing Imran to get his daughter . What I mean is that this song has the thriller element in it and is also very pacy . The song also expresses the feelings of the lead character of the film played by Imran . The video on this song is already on air and is creating some buzz . Interestingly the best track on the album is not by Pritam and Mayur , instead it has been written and composed by Sandeep and Sanjeev Vyas and has been very well sung by Sandeep Vyas . The two brothers have single handedly carried the entire song on their shoulders and have come out with flying colours . This song is definitely going to get Popular among the masses . A great job by the vyas brothers . Sandeep is a good singer and has long way to go . They are also great composers . I’ve become a fan of this track and my personal favourite on this soundtrack .

The next track on the album is a Hip Hop song called “Hey Ya!” by Suzie Q. who recently gave a hit song Jee Karda in Singh is Kinng . This track sounds like and introduction song for Minissha Lamba , the rich daughter . The song is decent and goes about well according to its nature . I just hope that story keeps moving while this song is being played during the movie . That way this song would look good in the film otherwise it might hinder the pace of the film . If properly placed this song would look good in the film with a hot video on Minissha . Suzie sings well and has done her job quite well . The song doesn’t deviate from its character and remains Hip Hop through out .

The third song on the soundtrack is a slow song “Mausam” by Shreya Ghoshal . This song is little different and Shreya has sung it quite well , as usual . It is not something extraordinary but still it has enough music and lyrics to keep it going . This song would be shot beautifully and the video would do the rest of the job . It is a typical track yet it can be heard once . The music is good and the singing is also accordingly . Overall , a different one as compared to other songs on the album yet quite ordinary in general sense .

Next comes a very commercial track called “Haan Ji” by Adnan Sami . Adnan is one of those singers that can even make a very ordinary song sound sound good . This song is a very unusual song and has some very unusual lyrics . The lyrics are more like a conversation and less of poetry .The music is good on this one but it is the singing style of Adnan that stands out . He is a talented singer but sings quite less no. of songs . Overall , the song is a very average commercial track that might work because of its singing . In my opinion this track might damage the film and hinder the pace of the story .

The last original track on the album is “Meri Ek Ada Shola” by Sunidhi Chauhan . This song has very old sounding lyrics and even Pritam has gone about it in a very old style . Pritam has also put in some Shakira like music in this song . This song suggests that when it would be played in the film the story would keep moving . The song has been sung in her typical style by Sunidhi and Sukhwinder has given her good company . Overall , this song is more of a commercial track and would mean more in the film .

Next comes the remix of Hey Ya which is been done by Imran and Vikram . Imran and Vikram do a fair job and they have put in usual remix beats . This one is almost like the original and is as good as the original . The last track on the album being the remix of Mit Jaaye which has been done by Hyacinth D’souza . This one is called the Rock Version and not a remix on the album cover . Whereas this can be called Rock Remix because I don’t think they have re-recorded the song for this one . Hyacinth has done a fair job and just put in drums and guitar with the original one . This one might appeal to die hard rock music lovers but I still prefer the original one .

Overall , the album is fairly good and can be listened once . The songs won’t look bad on screen and won’t cause much damage to the film . Not all of them are potential hits but Mit Jaaye is a big time winner . In all , the album is neither too good nor too bad so you can give it a try .

Album Rating : Two and Half out of Five ; Average album with Mit Jaaye being the best .
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Hollywood inspired by Rock On!


Rock On!! is a one-of-its-kind movie as this is the first Bollywood film, which has used rock music as its premise. But this trend is not new in Hollywood. However, they are using the title ‘Rock On’ for the first time in one of their flicks. Speculations are also rife that the film is inspired by Farhan Akhtar’s debut film Rock On!!

A musical-comedy-romance film, the film was earlier titled Will and there have been murmurs that Bandslam was the latest title in discussions. Starring Gaelan Connell, Lisa Kudrow, Alyson Michalka and Vanessa Hudgens, the film (just like the Bollywood version starring Farhan Akhtar, Prachi Desai, Arjun Rampal, Purab Kohli, Luke Kenny, Shahana Goswami and Koel Puri) tells the story about a group of friends coming together and forming a rock band.

This seems to be the correct example of West meeting East and we hope such things happen quite often as its always the other way round
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Prachi Desai enters Bhatts Camp


Prachi Desai, the young actress who began her acting career with Ekta Kapoor’s serials, made an impressive film debut with Rock On, which released over the weekend. The actress is believed to have been signed up by the Bhatts for heir next film opposite Adhyayan Suman.
The actress, who is quite a favourite with her mentor Ekta, delivered a mature performance, playing Farhan’s wife in the Ahishek Kapoor-directed movie. The actress has already been signed by Abbas Mustan and Suniel Shetty for their future productions. And now the Bhatts have signed her on for their next, called Jashan opposite Shekhar Suman’s son. The film is reportedly a musical, which as is usual for Vishesh Films, will feature a couple of singers from across the border.

The film will be directed by duo Hasnain and Raksha. The film’s story is about an ordinary individual who has dreams of becoming someone but lacks the self belief required for it. The director do feel that Prachi suits the role to a T. With so many films on hand, this young actress seems to have made quite a successful transition from TV to films.
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Ru Ba Ru


First thing that strikes about the soundtrack of Ru Ba Ru is that it comprises of as many as 12 songs and that too all being originals with not a single remix version. Phew!

Now that's something new in the current times when even a hardcore musical like Karzzzz is coming with only 9 songs (though there are 10 remix versions to boast). This makes one wonder about what exactly does the music of Ru Ba Ru have to offer?

With 'Speed Of Sound', Satyadev Burman and Sameeruddin contributing to the music of Ru Ba Ru, one expects quite some variety in the offering.

It's a mighty impressive beginning to Ru Ba Ru the moment Jaspinder Narula flexes her vocals chords for the title song 'Ru Ba Ru'.

A number which brings everything from 'sufi' to rock to conventional Bollywood melody to 'rap' to 'bhangra' under one roof, 'Ru Ba Ru' is a highly catchy composition by 'Speed Of Sound' that comes naturally to you within first couple of hearing itself.

A love song written by Shuja Haider which reminds one of 'Mitwa' (Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna), it sounds even better once Haider decides to come behind the mike himself. His is a fresh voice which ensures that 'Ru Ba Ru' is a number which has in it to do quite well for itself if promoted aggressively.

Lyricist Aditya Narayan, composer Sameeruddin and singer Vijay Prakash come together for an altogether different song, though with the same title, 'Ru Ba Ru'.

A track which befits a lounge setting, it is not something which a core Bollywood music buff is used to hearing. However, for those looking who like their music to be unconventional, modern and not so filmy, 'Ru Ba Ru' makes for a decent hearing.

An even better song arrives in the form of 'Tham Jaa Ruk Jaa' which has singer Ranjit Barot (yes, he sings here while leaving Satyadev Burman to take care of the composing part) having only a guitar as his partner.

Written by Soumik Sen, it is a soft rock track which comes with a punch though without making it all so obvious on ears. A number about expecting time to stand still, 'Tham Jaa' works yet again as a soft number.

Soumik Sen and Satyadev Burman come together again for 'Mitti Ki Khushboo' which could have turned out to be a conventional Indian melody had the arrangements not being as subtle as they are here. In fact the conversational duet between Sunidhi Chauhan and Kunal Ganjawala reminds one of 'Kuch To Hua Hai' (Kal Ho Na Ho) though the similarity just ends there as overall the composition stays on to be easy on ears but that's about it.

Director Arjun Bali gets his writing pad on for getting the lyrics of 'Na Dekho' in place which comes so close to the feel of numbers like 'Tum Ho To'/'Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein' (Rock On) that one senses if the compositions were almost created back to back.

Suzanne D'Mello sings this slow paced number in such a relaxed manner that one gets an impression as if she is totally oblivious to the surroundings around her and is just following the tune that Sameeruddin created.

The semi-rock mood continues pretty much into the remainder of the album as well with 'Tera Woh Pyar' which has Shreya Ghoshal going solo for a number written by Shuja Haider and composed by 'Speed Of Sound'.

A situational track with a sad undertone to it, 'Tera Woh Pyar' has a passionate feel to it and should look (and sound) further impressive in the film's narrative.

Written and sung by Akshay Verma, 'Ye Jo Pal' isn't really arresting in nature even as it is seeded into the film's genre of prominently rock music. With Sameeruddin responsible for composition, 'Yeh Jo Pal' is about a man living every moment of his life and appreciating everything brought by things around him.

Surprisingly, the song which follows next, 'Tere Bina Hori' doesn't quite get a 'wow' response as well even though it isn't bad.

Yet another situational track which has Satyadev Burman fusing Indian classical with Western feel, 'Tere Bina Hori' by Sunidhi Chauhan along with the kids Sneha Suresh and Shravan Suresh comes and goes without making any impression.

Ditto for 'Manchali' by the same team (minus the kids) which again stays on to be hardcore Indian in feel with a slight classical touch to it. However, the peppy feel still remains which keeps the listener's attention on.

A better song, though yet again unconventional again in the Bollywood scheme of things, is heard next with the arrival of 'Jogi'.

Written by Arjun Bali, 'Jogi' is a Punjabi number and sees Sameeruddin rope in Krishna to come up with some intense rendering. However, unlike a 'Jee Karda' or a 'Bhootnike' from Singh Is Kinng, this one is mellower and doesn't take a frivolous approach.

A bona fide English number brings Ru Ba Ru to a close with Chester Misquitta singing 'Beautiful Day' for Sameeruddin.

So authentic is the number to a Western sound, be it lyrics, music or singing, that if only this song wouldn't have placed in a Hindi movie, it could well have passed off as a number belonging to a Western album. It's a pity that it lasts only 2 minutes though.

Ru Ba Ru starts off exceedingly well with its title song creating an instant impression. A couple of other songs which follow continue to enhance the momentum though after a while, things become stable.

Towards the end there is a slight dip as well though overall Ru Ba Ru still manages to keep its head high. This one is those for those who want music in Hindi movies to be served differently with a touch of Western influence
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Saas Bahu aur Sensex Music Review


The first official film to be distributed by Warner Bros. India , Saas Bahu aur Sensex , is all set to release and the music of the film is out now . The film itself has no major stars in it so no hype is surrounding the film . The only big name that surrounds the film is that of Warner Bros. The Soundtrack of the album also features some not so known names and overall is a completely new type of album .

The first song on the soundtrack is "Abhi Abhi Jo Tu Aayi Hai" which is composed by Randolph Correa and has been sung by Jaaved Ali . Remember Jaaved Ali who sang the superhit song "Ek Din Teri Bahon Mein" from Naqaab . He is back with this quite unique sounding song . The music and tone of this song is quite western and a little inspired from English songs that are featured in various Hollywood Movies in background . This song because of its different music and voice of Jaaved Ali sounds quite fresh and new . The lyrics by Raqeeb Alam are also good and have been used in a good way by the music composer . The Music composer has given it a very new and different feel and even though the lyrics are quite romantic sorts , he has put in a lot sound effects in the song which are present in usually faster tracks .

The next song on the soundtrack is the title track "Whats up India" and is a wannabe rap song . The track has been sung by Blaaze , the guy who sung the Bunty and Babli rap song . Personally I feel that Blaaze sings rap songs quite well but he doesn't write them quite well . This song having the lyrics and music both by him lacks that finish and is completely avoidable . Most probably it would be used in background and may be it might look good in the background .

The third song on the soundtrack is "Mujh Mein Nigaah Daal De" which again is composed by Randolph Correa and hence has a feel that is completely western . The music sounds like a bad mixture of music from various artists from the west . The song has been sung by Monica and her voice has been distorted by the music director completely so I don't know how does she sing . She might have sounded better without the distortion .It is a fast track and has a hip hop disco kinda feeling to it . The whole song again might be used in background .Overall the song is average in its music and singing . The lyrics are also average and have nothing to offer .

The next track on the album is a Punjabi track "Mithri Mithri" . Maybe one Punjabi track is made mandatory by the music companies . This one is a usual Punjabi track with dhol beats . The track has lyrics by Raqeeb Alam and Shona Urvashi and music is by Bipin Panchal . All three of them have done nothing new and out of the way . A very basic and old sounding Punjabi track .The track is also not full on Dance track so in general will not get any audience .

The next track is an English version of Nigaah Daal De which has been sung again by Monica . She sounds better in English and her accent suits more for English songs . The original itself wasn't that good how would this one sound good .This song is a wannabe Britney Spears track and goes nowhere .

The last track is again a remix of Whats up India and sounds only a little better than the original . The remix also has very less to offer and would be probably used in the ending credits of the film .

Overall apart from the first track 'Abhi Abhi' nothing is worth a listen and the album on whole can be avoided . They should have never released the album in the first place . The should have put it on the net to download for free . Then probably it might have drawn some attention and hype for the film .
Music Rating : One Star out of Five ; This is what Bad Music is all about , only one song is worth listening .
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A Wednesday movie review


Now this is a complete surprise. And an extremely pleasant surprise, must add. Newer stories are slowly finding their way into plexes of India.

Two Fridays ago, Phoonk spoke about the power of Black Magic and last Friday, ROCK ON!! encouraged you to chase your dreams. Both Phoonk and ROCK ON!! didn't boast of A-list actors to lure the audiences in hordes, but the films let the powerful content do the talking.

It's a hat-trick now. The third Friday in succession witnesses the release of A Wednesday. And marks my words, it's the most powerful film to come out of Bollywood in 2008.

Most promos mislead the viewer no end. They promise the moon, the viewer is hooked and very often, they fail to meet the expectations. In this case, the promos are just the tip of the iceberg. This movie has so much to offer than a few vital glimpses highlighted in the promos.

Here's another point that needs to be clarified. A Wednesday is not about the train blasts, nor is it similar to MUMBAI MERI JAAN. Sure, terrorism is the wallpaper here, but A Wednesday talks about the plight and power of the common man, the aam aadmi.

The year has witnessed some supremely talented storytellers make their debut, like Rajkumar Gupta (AAMIR), Kunal Deshmukh (JANNAT) and Abbas Tyrewala (JAANE TU… YA JAANE NA). Now Neeraj Pandey joins the ranks of directors who, one is confident, will be one of those calling the shots in the future.

A Wednesday works like magic because of its gripping plotline. The journey, right from start to end on a fateful Wednesday, keeps you on tenterhooks. And the culmination to this complex tale is what takes this film to dizzy heights.

In short, A Wednesday is amongst the finest -- and bravest -- films to come out in 2008. Just one word to describe it: Remarkable!

A Wednesday tells the story of certain events that unfold between 2 and 6 p.m. on A Wednesday in Mumbai. Events that do not exist in any record.

Flashback: Prakash Rathod (Anupam Kher), Commissioner of Police, Mumbai gets a call demanding the release of four militants in lieu of information on bombs that the man has planted in various parts of Mumbai.

At first, Prakash suspects it to be a crank call, but his doubts are dispelled once he actually finds a bomb planted in the police station right opposite his Police Headquarters.

Prakash Rathod is not the type to give up easily. He gets a team of his best men together and taps all his resources. He even hires a young hacker to help his team trace the calls and also the location of the anonymous caller.

Time passes by, but no concrete results are evident. Eventually, Prakash Rathod decides to hand over the militants to the anonymous caller. It is then that events take a bizarre turn.

Expect the unexpected in A Wednesday. From the writing point of view to the execution of the written material, writer-director Neeraj Pandey never takes the been-there-seen-that route even once.

It does take time to settle down (the multiple stories at the start are not too interesting), but once you do get the hang of things, A Wednesday offers you twist after twist, throws challenge after challenge in those 1.30 hours (yes, it's a short film).

No sub-plots, no songs, no unwanted masala, no unnecessary tracks -- A Wednesday has a story to tell and it tells most effectively.

On the execution front, the camera movement (Jimmy Jib), during Naseer's portions specifically, demands your attention. Cinematographer Fuwad Khan's output is top class even when he captures a chase (Jimmy Sheirgill) on a busy Mumbai street.

The editor (Shree Narayan Singh) deserves lavish praises for giving shape to this thriller. During the finale specifically -- Anupam is driving towards the location, while Naseer is packing his stuff -- the parallel scenes are juxtaposed brilliantly. The background score (Sanjay Chowdhury) is stirring.

When your film has two of the finest talents sharing screen space, it only heightens the curiosity.

Naseeruddin Shah has delivered several remarkable performances over the decades and the one in A Wednesday easily makes its way into his Top 5 works when you recall his body of work.

His outburst in the end -- when he talks about the plight of the common man -- is astounding. The entire audi, one is confident, would break into a deafening applause at this master sequence.

Anupam Kher is equally dynamic. Watch the cold look or catch him face-to-face with Naseer in the finale, if there's one actor who could stand up to a giant of an actor, it's Kher. An outstanding performance indeed!

Every performance in A Wednesday is charged. Jimmy Sheirgill is first-rate as a volatile cop. Of late, the actor has been wasted in insipid roles and it's about time film-makers take a note of this talented actor.

Aamir Bashir is superb. Again, this actor has never got his due in feature films. It's our loss, not his! Deepal Shaw plays her part confidently.

Chetan Pandit, as the Chief Minister, is effective. Ditto for the actor who plays the main terrorist - Kali Prasad Mukherjee.

On the whole, A Wednesday is cinema at its best. It may not be a Kinng-sized entertainer to lure the audiences in hordes and set the box-office afire, but A Wednesday does pack in king-sized punch. Do yourself a favour: Watch A Wednesday.
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Soha and Siddarth split up?


According to industry buzz, Siddarth and girl friend Soha Ali Khan have again had a major fight with Sid walking out of Soha's apartment.

Common friends reveal that the actor had moved in with Soha after buying her new pad in Bandra. In fact, whenever he's in town, he stays at Soha's place. According to sources it all began with a small argument.

Soha felt that Siddarth wasn't giving her enough time and attention. Since Siddarth refused to go public about their relationship, Soha is feeling stifled.

Siddarth is extremely moody and they often have fights. Soha loves to party and is an extrovert while Siddarth is a loner.

So this time, the fight got out of hand and Siddarth decided to move out. Siddarth shifted out a day before Saif's birthday party at Four Seasons.

Though both Siddarth and Soha came to the party together, he was very uncomfortable about getting his pictures clicked together with Soha and hid his face when the photogs tried to click them together.

Soha and Siddarth have had lot of fights in the past, but they haven't yet called it quits!
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I hate being called Yashraj girl: Rani Mukherji


The insinuation that Rani is a resident Yashraj heroine has the talented actress fuming.

A source close to Rani says it takes the actress all her willpower to stop herself from bursting a blood vessel when she's referred to as the ghar ki heroine at Yashraj.

"What exactly do people mean by this?" says a source very close to Rani. "Agreed Rani has done comparatively more films with the Yashraj banner.

But that's because any heroine in Bollywood would be foolish to turn down an author-backed heroine-centric part like Laga Chunri Mein Daag. And so what if the film didn't work? She's very proud of the film and rates it among her best films."

Continues the source, "In fact Rani makes it a point to remind people that lately she did Karan Johar's Kabhi Alvidaa Na Kehna, Ravi Chopra's Baghban and Sanjay Leela Bhansali's Saawariya. None of these is a Yashraj film."

In fact if rumours are to be believed, Rani is on the verge of signing a couple of films that are far removed from the Yashraj banner.

"One of course is Sanjay Leela Bhansali's historical Bajirao Mastani which is far from shelved. Sanjay plans to make the film in the near future. And while the rest of the cast may change Rani as Bajirao's wife remains in place. There are other films that Rani is seriously considering, " says the source.

Says the source, "Some time ago Rani said no to Mira Nair's Namesake for emotional reasons. The excuse was dates. But Rani had her own reasons for foregoing a role that has changed Tabu's career internationally.

Today Rani is in a space were she realizes being hard-headed and business-like is what Bollywood is all about. She certainly doesn't want to be branded a Yashraj heroine."

Whispers that she acts like a hostess at Yashraj Studios are strongly denied by people close to the organization. "This is all in people's minds. Rani is at home in every production house.

Have you seen her with Karan Johar or Sanjay Bhansali? She's totally relaxed in their homes, has long chats with their mom and even goes into their kitchen at will."

At the moment Rani is in intense preparation for her cricket film with new director Anurag Singh.

Says the source, "It's being said she's agreed to work with a new director because of the banner. But hello? Rani has worked with Kunal Kohli and Shaad Ali.

Even Karan Johar was a debutant when Rani did Kuch Kuch Hota Hai.As for working with only Yashraj Kunal Kohli's Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic is entirely Kunal's production. Yashraj have only lent their name."
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