Song: Hawa Hawaii Film: Mr. India Composer: Laxmikant-Pyarelal Playback Singer: Kavita Krishnamurthy
I thought my favorite Sridevi song would be appropriate to start this post about the first look of her first film after 14 years (!!!) titled English Vinglish
Song: Main Koi Aisa Geet Gaoon Film: Yes Boss Composer: Jatin Lalit Playback Singers: Abhijeet & Alka Yagnik
A third of the year 2012 is already over! Can you believe it??? Anyway, I compiled a list of my favorite Bollywood songs of 2012 so far to let everyone know which songs have been most memorable for me this year.* Honestly speaking, I meant to make this list when March ended (the first quarter of the year), and do it for every quarter of the year. However, this works just as well, and now after every four months I will post my favorite songs that have been released in that time frame. This list will include songs from films that came out in early 2012 (even if their music was released at the end of 2011). Here they are! (in no particular order).
Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu (Film: Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu): Although this song is completely auto tuned, it's still soooo catchy! However, I do believe that Amit Trivedi's creativity far surpasses what he did for this song. Nevertheless, it's still great! Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu
Aahatein (Ek Main Aur Ekk Tu): I am easily attracted to sad or depressing songs, including this one, also by Amit Trivedi. The song has the lyrics "par kuch kami hai" (meaning: "but there's something missing"); however, I don't think there's anything missing in the song! Nice. Aahatein
Voh Dekhnay Mein (London Paris New York): I feel bad for Ali Zafar that this movie fizzled out, but I still liked some of the songs he composed for this film, especially Voh Dekhnay Mein! The lyrics (also by Ali Zafar) are super cute, and his voice...*faint* Voh Dekhnay Mein
Teri Yaadon Se (Blood Money): I honestly love all of the Blood Money songs (I would be lost in life without music from Bhatt brothers films). This song, composed by Pranay, is probably the most sad/depressing in the album (no wonder I like it), and Mustafa Zahid is amazing as always. Teri Yaadon Se
Raabta (Agent Vinod): I love this song so much, I made an entire post on it earlier this year. Pritam is back with his loveliness, and Arijit Singh's voice sounds fresh, new, and sweet. Awesome. Raabta
Jannatein Kahan (Jannat 2): I enjoy listening to most of the Jannat 2 songs (see my review here), especially this one because it uses the Zara Sa theme from the original Jannat. I appreciate how Pritam did that with this composition, there can't be a Jannat sequel without Zara Sa in there somewhere! Jannatein Kahan
Pareshaan (Ishaqzaade): As noted in my recent review of Ishaqzaade, I believe this song is just amazing. It's so amazing that I'm 'pareshaan' (worried) that a song can be this good (just kidding). This is probably my favorite song in 2012 so far. Congrats to Amit Trivedi and singer Shalmali Kholgade for this song, I hope it gets some awards! Pareshaan
Pani Da Rang (Vicky Donor): This song is beautiful, and the Punjabi lyrics make it sound so unique! Ayushmann's voice is perfect (I still can't believe he's so good as a singer) and he even helped compose the song with Rochak Kohli. The lyrics are what I like most about the song (even if I can't completely understand them). "Akhiyaan cho anju rul de..." Pani Da Rang
Don't be shy and please post comments on what your favorite songs in 2012 have been!
* I haven't listened to all the songs released this year, so this list may be edited once I do listen to them all.
Ishaqzaade... Honestly, this film didn't really catch my attention until I learned that Amit Trivedi was the composer, and now I'm totally looking forward to it. The song promos are looking pretty good too, but maybe that's just the magic of Amit Trivedi (I have been a HUGE fan of Amit Trivedi''s music since Dev D). Anyway, let's see what Mr. Unconventional has come up with this time around!
Ishaqzaade: Sung by Javed Ali and Shreya Ghoshal, this title song is alright, and it actually sounds like it would belong to the I Hate Luv Storys album (not sure if that's a good thing or not). However, it does have a nice Amit Trivedi touch with the trumpets in the background. This song is more of a typical Bollywood love song, so I wonder how it will work in the film considering the film doesn't seem like a typical Bollywood film. Shreya Ghoshal sounds nice with the lower pitch she sings in; however, I'm not sure Javed Ali was the right choice for the song. Nevertheless, he does a good job and overall the song is nice. Listen to Ishaqzaade Chokra Jawaan: This song, sung by Vishal Dadlani and Sunidhi Chauhan is a typical UP-type item song(reminiscent of Billo Rani). However, it has an awesome catchy beat with naughty lyrics about a 'boy' (chokra) growing into a young man. I think the best aspect of the song is the attitude in which Vishal and Sunidhi sing the song and how they cue off of each other with the lyrics. I don't think anyone else could pull off the attitude of this song as well as Vishal and Sunidhi do (good choice Trivedi!). This may not be a typical Amit Trivedi composition, but I do believe that he added his own flavor within the last two minutes of the song. Love it! Listen to Chokra Jawaan Pareshaan: Yes, Yes, Yes!!! This is definitely my favorite song from this album. I was in love from the moment the first chorus of "Main Pareshaan Pareshaan Pareshaan Pareshaan" started. This might be my favorite Amit Trivedi composition after Iktara from Wake Up Sid. The playback singer, Shalmali Kholgade, is excellent, and I believe this is her debut song in Bollywood. She will surely be in the running of the Best Female Playback Singer during awards season for 2012 (I hope!). The lyrics are sweet too (by Kausar Munir). Overall perfection. Listen to Pareshaan. Jhalla Walla: This song, sung by Shreya Ghoshal, interestingly sounds like Dil Mera Muft Ka from Agent Vinod in the first 15 seconds. The song is more of a slow, qawwali-sounding, item song, with English words (sung in a very strong Indian accent) interspersed within the lyrics. Does this song by chance have the same item girl (Gauhar Khan) as Chokra Jawan? Because both songs have lyrics that have the girl being referred to as 'Chand Baby'. Interesting. Shreya Ghoshal does a nice job showing attitude in this song. I honestly haven't decided if I like this song or not; I think I will have to see in the movie to make a final decision! Listen to Jhalla Walla Aafaton Ke Parinde: This alternative version of a title song is a classic Amit Trivedi song. It's grungy, loud, and in-your-face. The song even has dubstep sounds in the background along with the high energy of the instruments. Sung by Suraj Jagan and Divya Bhatt, the song sounds like Aali Re from No One Killed Jessica (another Amit Trivedi album), although Suraj makes the song unique with his varying vocals throughout the song. Another good song for this album! Listen to Aafaton Ke Parinde Pareshaan (Remix): A remix to Pareshaan by Abhijit Vaghani. I don't really think it's worth listening to since the original Pareshaan is already a masterpiece, and I also am not a fan of remixes (especially in a Amit Trivedi album where they are completely unnecessary!). However, if you do like remixes, do give this remix a listen! Listen to Pareshaan (Remix) Jhalla Walla (Remix): This remix, also by Abhijit Vaghani, actually isn't too bad, but I still don't think it is necessary in the album. It is more upbeat than the original Jhalla with portions of English lyrics at the beginning and in the middle. Give it a try! Listen to Jhalla Walla (Remix)
Overall, I would give this album 3.5 out of 5 stars. Pareshaan and Chokra Jawaan have me totally in love, while Aafaton Ke Parinde makes a strong impact. The remixes I could do without, but I'm not sure if having remixes is completely within the music director's control or not. I was pleasantly surprised to see more popular and conventional playback singers in an Amit Trivedi album (Shreya Ghoshal, Sunidhi Chauhan, Vishal Dadlani), but I think they were a good choice. As for newcomer singer Shalmali Kholgade, she's amazing! Do comment on your opinions of the Ishaqzaade album!
