Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Review. Show all posts

Kadal - Review

As Mani mentioned in the interviews, Kadal is is a 'good vs evil' film.

The good man, Sam (Aravindswamy) and Satan, Bergmans (Arjun) are brothers in a Seminary, with Bergmans having joined the Seminary to feed himself and his poor family and Sam, to serve the Lord. Bergmans is thrown out from the Seminary, as Sam reports to his superiors that Bergmans has broken the oath of Celibacy. Thus begins the 'good vs evil' fight which forms the crux of the film.

Several years later, Sam, now a catholic Father, comes to a village, where he mentors Thomas, an orphaned kid who grows up to be a handsome young fisherman. The good vs evil fight restarts, this time with Thomas joining in. Meanwhile, Thomas is smitten by Beatrice, a nurse. Questions like where does Thomas and Bea fit in this fight, do they get together, how does good triumph evil are answered as the second half of the film unties all the knots.

Mani Ratnam and Jayamohan have woven a beautiful script, which keeps you interested till the end. The efforts taken by them to bring in the nativity of a fishing village is so evident. At the end of the film, you feel like you've visited the village and lived there.

Arjun as the unapologetic satan and Aravindswamy as the oh-so-pure Father and Thomas' mentor, have played their parts well, though Arjun reminds us of Pugazhendhi from Mudhalvan, especially during the climax. Gautham Karthik looks promising and is convincing in his role as Thomas. Thulasi Nair is apt as the emotionally immature, childlike Beatrice.


The album, one of Rahman's best in the last 5 years, is already a big hit, with people eagerly waiting for each song in the theater. AR Rahman has worked equally hard for the background score too, with each cue fitting perfectly to the mood. I already can not wait to get my hands on the voice-less BGM tracks.

Rajeev Menon proves why he is among the best cinematographers here. The vibrant sea, the pristine beach, the church look so beautiful. The highlight is the climax scene in on the boat, with the boat tossing and turning due to the storm. Hats off, Rajeev Menon!


My only big grouse with this film is the way in which the songs were used in the film. Lakshmi Manchu once tweeted (https://twitter.com/LakshmiManchu/status/270745822809968641) that Nenjukkulle was picturised on her, but for some reason the song has been removed. The song is now played in the background for Gautham-Thulasi. Chithtirai Nila was used in bits and pieces three times in the film and Anbin Vaasale was pushed to end credits. However, the use of Magudi when Gautam turns 'evil' is just perfect. The most brilliant part of the song and the usage in the film is the 'devil' telling him in her seductive voice that once he has embraced 'her', he'll not be able to redeem himself and he'll dance as per her tunes (naan magudi daa, nee paambu).

Kadal is not a typical Mani Ratnam film. He has ventured in to new territory - in to a zone he is not comfortable with - has come out with flying colours. Kadal is a must watch. I'd rate Kadal 4 out of 5. It's one of the best tamil films in recent times (PS: I haven't watched Vishwaroopam yet).
By Aravind on Sunday, February 03, 2013 at 2:25 PM
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Ada - Music Review

Ada - the album is aptly tagged "A Musical journey by A.R.Rahman", for he has been composing for this film for about 7 years and the album takes us through a journey with ARR!!!

The album starts with the male version of Ishq Ada Hai rendered by Rashi Ali, the guitarist who has been playing guitars for ARR for quite sometime now. Though he has sung "Nadhirdhinna" in Parthale paravasam, it went unnoticed... Ishq Ada should prove to be a nice platform for him, to launch him as a singer, for it showcases his powerful voice brilliantly! The waltz pattern, the addictive accordion bits, the simple tune - all of these make the song instantly likeable.

Then comes Hawa Sun Hawa - one of the most beautiful melodies composed by ARR. Rendered by Sonu and younger-sounding (less shrill) Alka Yagnik (probably recorded in 2002-2003), this track takes time to grow on. But this one will become one of the songs, closest to the heart! Naveen adds more beauty to this song with the wonderful flute interludes, which leaves you yearning for more!!

Gumsum Gumsum is one of the tracks that was given for the remix contest, which was organised for promoting the movie. So I'd heard first 60 seconds of just the voice track and imagined that it would be a totally western track with drums et al! Lo and behold... Rahman surprised me totally, making it a desi track with dholaks!! Was this composed at about the same time as Water? I felt there was an "aayo re" hangover in the santoor interludes (just the style, I mean!). Another duet for Sony and Alka and they do a commendable job!
And, how could I forget the short guitar surprise at around 3:40!!! The muted guitar bit is MAGICAL!!!

Sonu Nigam comes back, this time accompanied by Sunidhi Chauhan (her second song for Rahman) for Gulfisha. And Sunidhi works wonders in this one! The song starts of with French chants by Viviane Chaix and then Sonu takes . But, it is Sunidhi who takes it to a completely new level! The point when she switches to the high pitched Gulfisha from the low pitched one (at around 1:18) is mindblowing!! This song, too, will take sometime to grow on you!

The next song in the album is the one which brings in the "what came first - chicken or egg" type question back again - Does Rahman always choose to render the best song of the album or does the song become the best because of Rahman's rendition? yes... Meherbaan rendered by ARR is definitely the "Song of the album". Starting as a soft melody with backed by piano and a gentle rhythm, it it becomes rock-ish with distortion guitars in the second half of the song, still retaining the melodic feel. There's a certain something in his voice which makes any song he sings, SPECIAL! This one is no different!

Next in the album, Tu Mera Hai must be one of the songs recorded during the later half of Rahman's 7 year long "Musical journey", for it features Naresh Iyer along with Chitra and Sukhwinder! Sukhwinder and Chitra have done a commendable job, with Naresh Iyer chipping in with the "laahi laahi" bit! Though this was my least fav in the album, this one is rapidly moving up my list!!

Rahman tries to recreate the "Ae Ajnabi" magic with Hai Dard - a sad song sung by Udit Narayan - and pulls it off! Though not as powerful as the classic Dil Se track, this one is great in its own right. The song is styled like a 1970s bollywood pathos song, in waltz beats. Udit's voice aptly conveys the emotions of the lover in pain! The sax interludes create a mystic feel to the song!

Parul Mishra, the winner of Fever FM's Voice Hunt (held last November), makes her debut with Ishq Ada Hai. Her voice is fresh and quite unusual. She carries off the song with ease, and makes this song rank higher than the male version! The backing vocals and arrangements are quite different from the male version of the song.

Legendary Malayalam singer P.Jayachandran makes his Hindi debut with the pathos number, Milo Wahan Wahan, with Alka for company. Alka starts off the song, and sets the mood of the song perfectly. When Jayachandran joins in, the song moves up a few notches! The highlight of the song is the second stanza by Jayachandran (starting 5:05). What a voice!
The lyrics, are a bit of a letdown - though the mood of the song is conveyed perfectly in the lyrics, the lines are far from poetic!

Sanjeev Thomas mesmerises us with the Guitar instrumental version of "Meherbaan". The instrumental is as impressive as the original sung by Rahman. The use of distortion guitar for the high pitched parts and normal electric guitars for the softer parts speaks of the genius of the man!

In all, Ada is a classic - on the likes of Meenaxi or Taal - a must-have for any music lover.


PS: ARR composed this album over a period of 7 years.... I wrote this review over a period of 21 days!! :P
By Aravind on Thursday, May 29, 2008 at 7:03 PM
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'Evano Oruvan' Review

Being a fan of Madhavan, I've been waiting for this movie right from the time it was announced. The fact that Director Nishikanth Kaamath won a national award for Dombivili Fast (the movie of which Evano Oruvan is a remake) raised my expectations! And, well... I loved the movie!

The movie revolves around a bank employee, Sridhar Vasudevan (Madhavan) who leads a very normal and routine life with his nagging wife Vathsala (Sangeetha) and his two kids. We see glimpses of his righteousness, and also his helplessness when he comes across instances of corruption or people breaking rules. But all his helplessness changes when Vathsala provokes him. The erstwhile helpless Vasudevan erupts. What follows is a one-man-trying-to-change-the-system story.

We have seen so many such movies - be it Indian, Ramana or Anniyan. What makes Evano Oruvan different is that it is closer to reality, unlike the other movies which have more of a fantasy feel to it. The protagonist is not a super-hero which is usually the case in such movies. The hero doesn't succeed in his quest to change the whole world all alone. The movie is a show of anger against the society and the way we have allowed anyone to break the law with out any fear, and the helplessness of the middle class!

Madhavan excels in this movie - both with as an actor and a dialogue writer. There are some really sharp dialogues through out the movie. The resignation letter that he addresses to God is brilliant! So are the dialogues of the poilce inspector (Seeman) when he knows he is helpless in many scenes including the discussion he has with his wife!

Seeman fits perfectly into the role of a police officer who is torn between his conscience and his assigned police duty. And, so does Sangeetha as a nagging wife. The two kids who play Maddy's kids are so natural. It is refreshing to see kids portrayed like this, rather the usual oversmart "adhiga prasangi" kid characters (like in Sillunu Oru Kaadhal, for instance).

Kudos to Madhavan for taking the initiative to produce meaningful cinema in Tamil without sans commercial elements like duets, item numbers and cliched fight sequences. Hope we get to see more such meaningful cinema in Tamil.
By Aravind on Friday, December 14, 2007 at 7:40 PM
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'Guru' Music - Review

When ARR and Mani Ratnam work together, you expect nothing short of a masterpiece. And when Gulzar joins in, the expectations are bound to raise. And, the trio strike gold yet again, after Dil Se!

1. Barso Re
The song starts with base strings. Then Shreya Ghosal teases with "naa re.. naa re". Naveen joins in with playful flute bits. And the teasing continues. U know u are in for a treat!

Apart from Shreya, the other star in the song is Naveen's Flute. Apart from the brilliant starting and the first interlude (which I think is one of the best interludes in recent times), Naveen also joins Shreya in the second stanza (Kaali Kaali raatein...) taking it to a whole new level!

Rahman gives a sweet melody backed by foot tapping beats. He has this knack of perfectly blending western sounds with Indian music - even in folk and village songs - like he did in Bharathi Raja's Taj Mahal. He does it here too! The electronic drums and the synth sounds do not in any way deteriorate the rustic flavour in this song. In fact, coupled with the the awesome lyrics, u can actually visualise the village, the rains pouring all over the streets and ponds, the wet soil, the bulls in the fields (the "chal chal chal" sound throughout the song will reminds u of the bullock carts in villages).

Highlights of the song are the starting 'conversation' between Shreya and Naveen's Flute, the flute interlude, and Uday Mazumdar's cameo.

2. Tere Bina
Rahman loves doing sufi-based songs, and excels at them. And, here's one more to the list, sung by Rahman himself. In this song which ARR has dedicated to late Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, ARR does sound like NFAK in some places. Rahman has grown a lot with respect to his singing, and he improves a lot with each song. Waiting for him to win a "best singer" award in the future!!

Chinmayi is absolutely splendid in this song. Her voice is so different and the diction is perfect. Having trained in Hindustani and having won AIR national level Ghazal contests, this must have been easy for her! You get more surprises towards the end of the song, when she sings a line in a very different base voice. Read what Chinmayi had to say about this song, here.

The guitar backing throughout the song creates that richness. Yet another masterpiece from Rahman, and a wonderful dedication to NFAK.
Highlight of the song is the "Dham Dhara" refrain.

3. Ek Lo, Ek Muft
A fun bhang song. Totally situational number - Abhishek singing this to celebrate the birth of twins. Gulzaar's funny lyrics and Bappi Lahiri's 'intoxicated' rendition perfectly match for this song. And then, a female voice joins in - And it is Chitra in a whole new dimension!

The "joiyya joiyya" chorus is really funny and makes me laugh each time I listen to this song. Just love the way the beat changes in the middle of the "joiyya joiyya laado...", in the second interlude (2:54).

Highlights of the song - definitely the female chorus, and of course "Meri Gudiya...Guruuuuuu ki gudiya" (4:07-4:17), with Chitra acknowledging the "meri gudiya" with a "hmmm". Yet another instance to show ARR's attention to minutest of details!

4. Maiyya Maiyya
When the song is an item number to be picturised on Mallika Sherawat, the voice has to be sensous. Rahman brings in Egyptian born Canadian singer Maryem Toller, and she simply rocks in this song. The Arabic and Egyptian influence in her rendition simply boosts the song. Chinmayee and Keerthi join in with whispering chorus from time to time. You think this is fully Arabic, when the Gujarati flavour comes in - this is supposed to be Junior B and his friends joining Mallika in the middle of the song.

Listen to this song in headphones for a wonderful treat, for this song is filled with numerous layers. Also, the music keeps moving from left to right to left, which can't be experienced fully unless u use headphones.

5. Ay Hairat-e-Aashiqui
The song starts with a accordion piece (played by ARR himself using his newly purchased Accordion, which he bought for this song). The "dham dhara" refrain from Tere Bina takes over along with tabla. And then, Hariharan joins in with his magical voice, backed by absolutely soothing strings and harmonium. Till about 1:55, u think this is a total Ghazal - but u are in for a huge surprise - fast beats and a western sounding interludes take over. And then it is back to the tabla! What's really breathtaking is the transition, which Rahman manages in style. Mellifluous Alka starts singing "Kyun Urdu Faarsi bolte ho" which is just out of the world!

Highlight of the song is when the tabla stops when Hari stops at "jagaa mat" (1:02) and "lagaa mat" (1:11). Rahman proves that not just sound but even the lack of it, is music!

Not often does it happen that a song sung by ARR takes a backseat in my favourites list in an album. This song overtakes Tere Bina. It is definitely one of the sweetest duets in a long time!

6. Baazi Laga
Sung by Udit and Madhushree, this track is a typical 80s number, with fast beats and heavy instrumentation. The interludes, the chorus, instrumentation - everything reminds us of that period. This is the song that might not be picturised or might be pushed to background like Dol Dol (Yuva).

Highlight of the song is the "La La La" (3:03 - 3:25).

7. Jaage Hain
A lullaby, which is like the theme of the movie. Mani Ratnam mentioned in an interview that this track will be there through out the movie.
The track starts off slowly with Chitra singing "Jaage hain", followed by the strings and the chorus. When everything else stops but for the bass guitar and cello, Rahman starts whispering "jaage hain....". The track reaches its crescendo with Rahman singing the same lines at a high pitch.

Rahman's stint with theatre and Broadway musicals is clearly evident in this track, which features very rich strings and instrumentation coupled with awesome chorus of Madras Choral group.


Overall, yet another masterpiece from ARR-Mani combo. With such variety (Sufi, rustic rain song, bhang song, opera piece, ghazal), technical brilliance and instrumental brilliance, Guru has to be the album of the year!
By Aravind on Sunday, December 24, 2006 at 11:06 AM
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Vallavan - He surely doesn't know what to do!

I never would have watched this movie, had it not been for the hype and hoopla surrounding it... and I have learnt a lesson - never watch a Simbu movie, how much ever it is hyped! First half was watchable, but the movie goes totally haywire in second half. It is obvious that Simbu was all at sea. None of the characters seem to be well etched out.

Simbu has tried way too much and failed miserably. The worst thing about the movie was Simbu trying to be superstar - the close-ups (which are scary), punch dialogues, his so-called style and actions. Does he really think people like watching him do all that? And, poor poor Reema Sen - she has never looked so bad till now, and i don't think she will look worse than this!

Yuvan's music was hyped as well. But, nothing great there. Vallavaa was the only song which was listenable. I still don't understand why people go ga-ga over Loosu Penne. That is one of the most irritating songs I have heard. Re-recording was noisy at some places, making the dialogues inaudible.

Vallavan is way too much toruture (more than 3 hours) to inflict on oneself, however much one is angry with oneself! Please avoid!!
By Aravind on Sunday, November 12, 2006 at 8:27 AM
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From Dadagiri to Gandhigiri - Lage Raho!

It was just a coincidence that I watched Lage Raho Munnabhai on the eve of Gandhi Jayanti for I did not know that the movie was even related to Mahatma Gandhi.

Munnabhai and Circuit are back - this time, with a different message and a different story - What happens when a Bambaiyya don "meets" Mahatma! Though the movie is filled out and out with comedy, it doesn't just stop there - it also delivers the strong message of "Gandhigiri"(Munna's term for 'being Gandhivaadhi'!). Bambaiyya hindi used throughout the movie is enjoyable!

Sanjay Dutt and Arshad Warsi shine throughout the movie - be it in the comic scenes or the emotional ones. Boman Irani as a Punjabi builder, gets ample footage and he does a brilliant job!
Jhanvi - Munnabhai
The gorgeous Vidya Balan plays the role of Jhaanvi, a bubbly Worldspace RJ. There is not much screentime for her in this movie, but she has done her bit perfectly! Her "Good Morniiinnnnnnnnng Mumbaaaaai" has become famous and is already being commonly used by youth when they meet thier friends and also in Yahoo Chats!
Check out Jhanvi's Good Morniiiinnnnng Mumbai clip here

Dialogues were good in many places, especially the ones carrying Gandhiji's messages. Some of my favourites:

"chaata maarna aasaan hai, maafi maangne ke liye himmat chahiye, beta.. yeh kaarayon ka kaam nahin hai" (It is easy to slap someone, but to apologise, one needs courage. It is not something for cowards.)
Gandhiji - Munnabhai
"Bhai, mujhe to barso pehle maar diya tha.. Par mere vichaaar teen goliyon se nahin marne wale hain." (I was assassinated years back, but my thoughts are not the ones which die because of 3 bullets!)

"Bachpan mein jab tu jhooth bolti thi, to tera baap taxi pakad ke bhaag jaata tha kya?"

Films like Rang De Basanti and Lage Raho Munnabhai are the only hopes of saving Bollywood from the Karan Johars of the world! Kudos to Vidhu Vinod Chopra & Rajkumar Hirani for this brilliant effort.

Positives: Sanjay Dutt, Vidya Balan, Arshad Warsi, Boman Irani and of course, the theme of "Gandhigiri".
Negatives: Gets a bit preachy, but it is inevitable.

Kya jhakaas movie hai! Aise picture bahut kam ich dekhne ko milte hain aajkal... Apun bolta hai, miss nahin karne ka, maamoo!



Update: The melody "Pal Pal Pal" from this movie is a total copy of the song "Theme for a dream" by Cliff Richard. Shantanu Moitra too joins the list of Copycats!!!
Listen to both the songs here.
By Aravind on Monday, October 02, 2006 at 6:30 PM
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Sillunu Oru Kadhal Audio - Review

The album came out after a long wait. There was lot of hype surrounding it. The producers of the film kept attaching lots of importance to the music and to ARR. So, lot of expectations on this album!
Does it live up to the expectations? Well, more than just meeting the expectations - it truly rocks and might well be the album of the year... err.... probably not... Guru is releasing in October!

Kummi Adi (or Ammi Midhichaachu):
An energetic folk number with fast beats.
Naresh rocks... Had a discussion with Deepak, about Naresh's voice in this song - he was wondering if it was Naresh in this song!! I felt Naresh's voice has so many dimensions. He sounded so soft in Tu bin bataaye (RDB) and Myiliragey (Ah Aah), sounded very different in Roobaroo and Paathshaala (RDB), and had that rustic feel in Kammaaa karaiyile (Godfather). His voice sounds so different in each one, and in this song, it is the "kamma karaiyile" dimension!! It was great listening to Swarnalatha, Seergaazhi Sivachidambaram and Theni Kunjaramma!
Already a chart buster.

Sillunu Oru Kaadhal:
Typical jazz song of 1970-80s. The beats, bass guitar arrangements, sax interludes, instrumentation - everything give us that retro-jazz feel. ARR proves once again that he can give a master any genre! Total fun song. Tanvi's voice is so fresh and apt for the mood, and the cat mewing sounds are so enjoyable.

Munbey vaa:
A soothing melody by Shreya Ghoshal and Naresh. The string arrangements are brilliant through out the song, especially during Shreya's humming after the first "rangoli" chorus. The starting instrumental and the BGMs (is it santoor?) are so cute. Highlight is the Rangoli part.

Maaricham:
Rahman loves to experiment a lot and break all rules. And he has gone totally unconventional in this song . This song doesn't follow the usual routine of pallavi-interludes-2 similar saranams.
The song starts of in a slow, high pitched opera-song-kinda mode and then the fast beats take over. Carolissa handles the high pitch portions throughout the song with ease.
The song shifts to a totally different mood after about 3 mins, when she says "Gautam" (it does sound like a mohini pisasu, as Harish pointed out !!) and Aslam takes over. Aslam's portion is melodious and is backed by fast percussion and wonderful string arrangements. The "tejo mayam " ending is good.

Machakkaari:
A peppy number. Shankar Mahadevan and Vasundara Das create magic. Loved the part when shankar sings "Thaangadhe Machakkaari" -starting from a low note for "thaangaadhe" and dragging on the "machakkaari" part to a high pitch and then goes "ohhh"... lovely! And, the bass guitar peice at the end of the stanza is mind-blowing! Potential chart-topper.

Mazaa Mazaa:
Shreya Ghoshal sung Thazhuvudhu Nazhuvudhu (Ah Aah) with SPB. This time, she pairs up with SPB Charan for a similar kind of song. Charan has tried to sound like his dad and succeeded in many places!
Just loved the percussion arrangements and the transistion from one mode to another! Very light percussion in the starting, and then some very heavy percussion at 1:07 - u keep listening and never know then shift in beats happened - so smooth! The starting ("mm mm hmm") is so addictive. Highlight of the song is the point (4:13) when all percussions stop, Shreya sarts to sing "Jillunu oar...", stops, giggles and then SPB Charan completes "Jillunu oar Ginger beeru thaan"... Awesommme!
Also love the part when both sing "kandaal Paavam unda....." (3:07-3:13) - SPBC sings that line from high to low pitch and Shreya goes from low to high... brilliant!

New York:
Definitely the pick of the album. A guy-misses- his-gal song - a very common theme, but the song is so fresh. Everything about this song is so different. The tune is very unusual and unpredictable and makes you keep guessing all the time.
This is second song in this theme in Rahman's voice, the first being "Mera yaar milaa de" from Saathiya. I dont think anyone else could have done justice to this song other than Rahman - wowwww - he just takes u in to that mood.
I was spellbound by the starting of the song itself, when i heard it for the first time. The "hmmm hmmm" (which keeps continuing to about 1 min) starting is so innovative. After some heavy acoustic guitar strumming in Roobaroo and Luka Chupi, Rahman continues that trend again and it adds to the mood. The lyrics by vaali are just awesome.

Best album in recent times.... Haven't got the album yet? What are u waiting for?
By Aravind on Monday, August 21, 2006 at 8:17 AM
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Godfather

Have been extremely busy!!! Have been planning to write a review for Godfather music, but I don't think I will find time for it - at least in the near future.
I came across an amazing review of the music of Godfather. Brilliantly done! Lots of those minute effects have been beautifully covered... An Extensive review... Access it here.
By Aravind on Wednesday, March 08, 2006 at 6:57 PM
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Rang De Basanti

Finally, got to watch RDB today - and one word that came to my mind - BRILLIANT!
I could spot lots of technical brilliance sprinkled throughout the movie. The transitions from past to present, and back - mannn.. too good!! I got goosebumps in many such scenes! Rakeysh Mehra gets a pat on the back for the way the songs are used in the movie. ARR's background music is mindblowing - few which I remember are the Khalbali remix that comes during the starting titles, the Anupam Kher-Siddharth scene and the Lukka Chuppi flute instrumental! For those (including me) who felt that there is very less of flute usage in the songs, good news is that ARR has made up for all that in the BGMs. There are lots of mesmerising flute bits in many points in the movie. Prasoon Joshi shows his class with wonderful lyrics and dialogues. The youthful comedy and one-liners that run throughout the movie are refreshing. Aamir Khan and co have done a great job on screen! Overall, a great movie!

Quite heartening to see that a non-conventional movie is doing good in box office collections too!

(However, there is someone who actually finds the movie and the music very very ordinary - Mr. Taran Adarsh of IndiaFM !!! Here's the biased, pathetic review by Taran and a rejoinder to it which i found in a blog!)
By Aravind on Wednesday, February 15, 2006 at 9:05 PM
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Rang De Basanti - Review

Ahh... at last.... I found time to write the review. As usual, I have attempted to cover the finer aspects which are so beautiful but go unnoticed on cursory listenings.

Ik Onkar
Basically a Sikh Prayer song – This is actually adapted from what is known as the Mool Mantra. There is very minimal use of instruments – hardly any! This is beautifully rendered by Harshdeep Kaur. If u are wondering if u have heard her voice before – u are right! She has lent her voice to many commercials, including the Cadbury’s Perk ad.

Listen to this track early in the morning – when there is no disturbance to feel the magic of this one!

Rang De Basanti
Tired of all those punjabi songs with the same tune recycled again and again by the “Punjabi MC”…Want a bhangra song, which is as Bhangra as can be, and still fresh? Then , this is a track for you! ARR shows yet again, as to how you can retain the flavour, yet give something totally new. Huge relief that the lyrics are also fresh and do not have words like Kudi, Munda etc which find their way into any Punjabi song! Daler Mahendi and Chitra do a great job.

Notice the “aha aha” that comes throughout the song… It is not same throughout… Even that keeps changing in a set pattern!

Paathshala & Be a rebel
There are two versions of this song “Paathshala”. One is the rap version by Blaaze and the other without the rap. Naresh Iyer and Aslam lend their voice in both the songs. The continuous lead-guitar loop throughout the song keeps lingering in ur hears even after the song is over!
The rap by Blaaze rocks. Blaaze impresses with the rap lyrics as well, with innovative stuff like “Zinda-bad, Zinda good”!

The other version is again a typical Rahman youth song – yet different. A fast college song – so youthful in both the music and the lyrics – with words like “lose control”, “I am a rebel”, this track gets u in to the college mood. You think the song ends with someone shouting “Lose control”… But there is a surprise waiting after this, to close the song which impressed me a lot!

Tu Bin Bataye
A slow, melodious romantic duet. This is the second song for MadhuShree and Naresh Iyer together and they score yet again! ARR impresses with his awesome backing strings arrangements in this song. Very short hints of flute(a few seconds before the first interlude) tease us – but the flute stops right there after tempting us! The sax interlude is awesome. Rahman has given wonderful sax interludes in many songs like Azhagiya Cindrella (Kangalal Kaidhu Sei), Sabaq Aisa (Tehzeeb) and of course the songs in Duet. This song can be added to that list of songs with memorable sax interludes.

Khalbali
The song starts with awesome techno guitar stuff (which continues almost throughout the song). U expect a full-fledged techno/rock song…Then u get a huge surprise – ARR starts Khalbali Hai Khalbali in typical Arabian style… Wow… What a blend – techno + arabian… I doubt if anyone would even dare to try such a combination. Aslam and Aacim (who is the also the lyricist for this song) provide good support. The "Ziddi ziddi" part in the song is just too good!!!
Still wondering how Rahman perfected that Middle-east style of singing!!!

Khoon Chala
Basically an inspirational song. Mohit Chauhan of Silk Route gives a soothing touch. His voice at the starting of the songs reminds of ARR’s voice!

A very lovely melody which is beautified by the the piano accompaniments, wonderful orchestration and the haunting strings.The song which starts very melodiously ends with some fast beats.

Luka Chuppi
No electronic intruments… no synthesized voices… Plain acoustic guitar strumming, harmonium, Tabla and mellifluous voice of Lata Mangeshkar… and of course ARR’s voice. These are enough for ARR to create magic. It is a pure, unadulterated acoustic song. You can even hear those small screeching noises that are produced when you move your fingers along the strings of the guitar, to change chords. Those who claim that ARRs songs sound great only because of the electronic jazz he does, here is an awesome reply from the master!
Small hints of flute here and there in this song too… The swaras at the end, recited by ARR and Lata together provide an ideal closing for the wonderful song.

Lalkar
Nothing much to write about this one. Aamir Khan recites inspirational poetry, with some light instrumental and vocal chants in the background.

Roobaroo
A fun song – sung by ARR and Naresh Iyer. Opens beautifully with some great acoustic guitar strumming. Its been a long time since we have heard such prominent acoustic guitar strums from ARR (I think Vellai Pookal was the last song).
This song is a must in Karaoke mode… You thought you are hearing only one voice at a time (either ARR’s or Naresh’s)? Listen to this in Karaoke mode and you will know…Throughout the song there is ARR’s voice. Wherever Naresh is singing, there is one more layer -that of ARR’s voice - with the same lyrics, but ARR’s is at a lower pitch… Mannnnn…. This gave me goosebumps…It is two persons singing throughout and I did not even realise it!!!!

Listen to all songs in Karaoke mode (winamp has a plugin to remove voices) – u are in for some sweet surprises! These are what make any ARR album interesting – even after some 15-20 listenings, u are bound to find something new.. something that u missed… ARR continues with that trend with Rang De Basanti!

Long time since ARR composed for such a youthful movie in hindi and he comes back with a bang! A wonderful album with such a great variety - a bhangra, sikh devotional, arabic, rock, rap, love ballad...Wow... I dont think anyone can even come close to successfully providing such wide variety!

By Aravind on Saturday, December 17, 2005 at 7:42 PM
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Ungal magizhchiyai paattil vaippen

Aaararai kodi paergalil oruvan,
Adiyen thamizhan, naan ungal nanban

Thus starts the title track of Ah Aah. Was it written to signal ARR's return to Thamizh movies after a year? well...I do not know...

Whatever!! ARR has come back in style with Ah Aah. Beautiful, colourful album!! You get to hear so many different sounds and lots of experimentations throughout the album, which leaves you spell bound. There are 6 songs in the album, each one so different.

Anbe Aaruyire
This is the title track of the movie. ARR sings this song, along with child-chorus. ARRs enchanting voice makes me play this song in Winamp in repeat mode! And the lyrics - It is as if ARR is saying, "I am a thamizhan and I am back in thamizh". Look at the lyrics - Vanna thamizh paattu aayiram solven and Ungal Magizhchiyai Paattil vaippen. The lyrics fit ARR! Still wondering how this is picturised in the movie!
One negative aspect is the heavy percussion, which shadows ARR's voice in some places.
However, this is a great song!

Thazhuvudhu Nazhuvudhu
Shreya Ghoshal and SPB rock! Is it really Shreya? Flawless thamizh pronunciation, and that too, considering the fact that the lyrics are nothing less than a tongue-twister!!! The constantly changing rhythm patterns keeps you interested in the finer aspects even after repeated hearings!

The way the voice is blended with instruments (is there a technical term for this?) is brilliant! This effect is quite pronounced in Maramkothiye song too. ARR had earlier used this technique in "oh humdum suniyo rey".

Mayilirage
The song starts with Thavil. Then an instument that sounds like nathaswaram joins in! There has been a debate going on, in ARR Fans Yahoo Groups regarding what this instrument is - people came up with different ideas - Tenor Sax, Oboe, Shenai Voice in KORG etc. etc... We still do not have an answer. Whatever... That piece is so catchy and keeps playing in your ear even after you switch off the player!

The vocalists are Madhu Shree and Naresh Iyer. Madhu Shree's voice is as sweet as ever! She sounds like Sadhna Sargam in many places. And for those who don't know about Naresh Iyer - he is the one who failed to win the Super Singer (ARR was the judge), but got a chance to make a great debut under ARR!
A Beautiful melody - the next "Snegithane"!

Thigu Thigu
Slow ghazal-type beats and Sadhna Sargam's melliflous voice provide a very different start. And that too, the first 45 seconds of the song sounds, as though we are hearing it on an old radio set, with lots of disturbance. Will have to watch the movie to know why it is so...

ARR has this knack of inserting a catchy bit in some songs, to which you will be addicted. In this song, it is the "thala thala thala... anai anai anai" bit. This rhythmic bit has been inserted into the soulful melody without losing the effect of both.

Strangely enough, neither the cassette/CD covers nor the websites mention the name of the male singer in this song!

Maramkothiye
Maramkothiye is a fast, disco number with lots of techno beats and sounds. The beginning rap "wanna wanna be a woodpecker" is good. Think it is by Blaaze. Shalini and Vasundhara Das are best suited for such songs and they do deliver. Shankar Mahadevan too does a good job.

The most interesting aspect of this song is that this song has the same basic tune as that of "Mayilirage". I figured this out only after 4-5 hearings. So well disguised. It is really amazing that the same tune fits a pleasing melody and a fast dance number!

Varugirai
A pathos song from ARR after a long time. And it breaks all the conventions and rules of pathos songs. Hariharan and Chitra are the singers. What more can one expect from the legends. Hariharan shines in the high pitched parts in the second stanza.


True to the line "Ungal Magizhchiyai Paattil vaippen" in the title song, ARR has made everyone happy with this album.

Overall, ah aah-some musical treat.


(ah... my first attempt writing a review for a music album... finally!!)

By Aravind on Sunday, July 24, 2005 at 11:03 PM
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