Moondru Per Moondru Kadhal – Sleeper hit

Listening to a Yuvan Shankar Raja can be an interesting experience. This is due to the fact that you never know which Yuvan will turn out – the one who is a worthy successor to his genius father and superbly talented brother or the commercial MD who sleepwalks through his composing sessions. The last Yuvan album I heard was Billa II and it seemed to me that he slept through the entire composing session for the same. Hence it was with trepedition that I picked up MPMK and boy I was surprised – this featured the good yuvan – one who was capable of catchy tunes and rich orchestra work. Here are my thoughts on the album.

Imagine being asked to sing at a gathering and you start after a pregnant pause. Aaha Kadhal is a typical example of the same. Nandini Srikar helms this lovely song , which talks about the effects of cupid’s arrow on a person. The song starts with a lovely guitar which soon merges with keys , violins et al, to create a heady mix. The violin plays an extended cameo in the second interlude with the flute , creating so rich a feel that one wonders if Karthik Raja had any hand in the orchestra work. This one had me hitting the repeat button so many times that I didn’t progress to the rest of the album for quite a few days. Aaha Kadhal is one of Yuvan’s best in recent times and definitely worth the hype its getting.

Neha Bhasin is one of Yuvan’s favorite singers and Kadhal en Kadhal does nothing but reinforce the fact. Neha croons her way into our ears and hearts , the morchang and Nadaswaram helping her a lot. What stays with you for a long time is not her superb voice quality but the addictive Nadaswaram hook – so much so that I’ve taken to humming the hook at my workplace , earning quite a few stares and am in the process of creating an entire ringtone from the hook – and yes while it’s not the vintage wine that Aaha Kadhal is , Kadhal en kadhal holds its sway on one’s ear thanks to that Nadaswaram hook and percussion.

A piano begins the proceedings for Mazhai Mazhai which is a tad bit jaded tune wise. Karthik takes the center stage with the lovely Swetha Mohan to ace this number which is a very pleasant listen. The interludes feature a lovely flute and string segment , which is faintly reminiscent of Yuvan’s Paiyya days. I know for sure that it will be a rain song or will be shot in mountainous terrain. Rumor says that this was initially recorded with Sonu Nigam and I wish the makers had included his version in the OST too. It would have definitely made a very interesting listen and I think Sonu’s voice would have suited the song a tad bit more.

Padapadakuthu is quite an interesting song but the processed voices spoil it for me. The orchestra work is spot on , and its quite an engaging tune but the excessive processing of the vocal segments spoil the song for me. Nevertheless this is a number which will do a round of quite a few discos . The best part of the song for me is the organ segment from 2:23 – 2:56 – nothing else stands apart.

The last time I heard Yuvan Shankar Raja sing , I cringed in distaste . That was because Saayndhu Saayndhu could have been a super number but for the crappy singing. But one has to agree that sometimes Yuvan’s off key singing has its own charm , unakkagave being a stellar example. A love ballad with electronic sounds , the song grows slowly , new age sounds and all that. As I speak , I’ve started humming touch by an angel , much to the amusement of my roomies.

The Soundtrack ends with another stunner helmed by Ramesh Vinayagam. The nayanam and trainesque percussion herald a ultra modern kutthu pattu / love failure song. Stop the pattu has Vinayagam crooning away to glory about his ex to the accompaniment of the superb nadaswaram and thavil. This is Yuvan in splendid form and the song will stay on the FM radio circuit for a long long time. Thakathimichak Thakathimichak indeed and watch out for the guitar , nadaswaram interplay in the second interlude – naughty and nice

To round up – MPMK brings baclk Yuvan of the good old days – the one who knew about crafting addictive tunes and showstopper melodies. Listen once and stay addicted amigos!!!!

Nenjukulle – a translation

I’ve tethered you within my heart
I’ve tethered you within my heart
In which direction is my livelihood destined?
You gave me a sweet glance
And this heart of mine became a mirror glazed by water

A colorful pearl ornament , that watch in your right hand
That presence commanding enough to tame elephants and tigers
Your shadow has stayed back even after you’ve left and has imprinted itself in my heart
This lass who looked up then has not lowered her glances since , her mind erect like an umbrella’s stick.

I’ve tethered you within my heart
I’ve tethered you within my heart
In which direction is my livelihood destined ?

The birds have slept , the milk curdled
The leaves on the eechi tree have slept too
In an hour where even TB patients have slept
this lass afflicted by disease of desire has not slept a wink

I’ve tethered you within my heart
In which direction is my livelihood destined?

Not a bite has gone in ,
The throat has not been wet for ages ,
For the past week or so , even saliva has refused to be consumed
This poor young lass is not able to say anything
Rubber bangles do not have the capacity to make sound

I’ve tethered you within my heart (a repeat of stanzas 1 and 2)

Note : This is a very rough translation of the song done in a hurry for a friend. I will update this post as and when I get time

Paanch Adhyay – A feast to the ears !!!

People often say that Music transcends barriers of language and it is with this absolute belief that I set up on a journey to discover and share fantastic music – Paanch Adhyay definitely falling into that category of musical excellence. Shantanu Moitra is no unknown name to fans of music – thanks to the high quotient of melody in his compositions. Off late he’s largely been absent in the bollywood music scene , not counting his excellent coke studio work or his TV stint as the judge of a musical show. I’m not sure of the exact count of people who’ve missed him as a composer ; I don’t have a count of folks who listen to his earlier works like Hazaron Khwaishen Aisi or Khoya Khoya Chand and wonder why he’s not doing more work ; I don’t know the count of filmmakers who want to work with this wonderful artist – What I know , is that the numbers whatever they are will go up once they listen to Paanch Adhyay .

Phire Paoar Gaan (whatever it means) begins with whimsical guitars crooning a highly memorable hook , as Ash King takes his place behind the mike. Guitars , gentle percussion and Ash make your fingers click , feet tap and eyes dance with sheer ecstacy.Close your eyes and imagine sitting in front of a huge campfire , on a cool winter night , a cup of hot tea in your hands ; watching time fly by. Thats the feeling you get when you listen to this song and you almost feel that. The feeling stays with you even after the song ends as you keep humming the pam pam para bit !

If you are dazzled by Phire , you’ll be blown off your socks by ‘you and me’ . It’s the same tune , with guitars still playing a major role – only difference being Usha Uthup , the language and boy what a difference. Usha sounds like an enticing siren and takes the tune to even greater heights. Her singing reminded me of this woman in a club , sitting with a guitar singing about her beloved. The arrangements are again noteworthy and a tad bit different from phire , adding to the novelty.

Baavri is again characterized by splendid arrangement and lovely singing. Shreya is in top form and as expected from her does a fabulous job. The string work continues from where it left off in the previous songs and is excellent. The only flip side if one can call it that is the fact that I’m not Bengali and hence can’t understand a single word of the song. That said I’ve been looping this song through the weekend and it ain’t going off my playlist that soon.

Ura Jaye/Uda Jaye again has two versions : Hindi and Bengali , Swanand on vocals for Hindi and Shuba Mudgal for Bengali – both of them , long time collaborators with Shantanu. Uda Jaye is a lovely track ,with Swanand doing super justice to the vocals. The only deterrent for me was a very slight resemblance that I seemed to notice with the pooche jo koi track from Yahaan – that said the resemblance is not at all overwhelming and can be attributed to a passing mention.The flute interlude in Uda Jaye is totally kick ass and left me wanting more of it. The Bengali version – Ura Jaye is more sedate by comparison and Shuba sounds fantastic and almost in a reminiscing mood . I also loved the detour she took into the Aao Balam part. The flute again is splendid , and absolutely wonderful as in the case of Uda Jaye.

Rahoon Tere Piche to me is the best song of the album along with you and me. Kaushiki is in top form as she goes on about a woman in love ; eyes open yet dreaming ; losing herself to gain more of her beloved. That addictive hook from Phire, You and me , makes an appearance in the interludes and hints of a connection between the songs. Slow and heady , Rahoon is like the poison that gets inside your system and refuses to leave , however strong the medication may be – and the best part you don’t mind getting addicted to it.

Agontuk to me seems to be the weakest song of the album , due to the fact that it doesn’t hold a candle to the other songs of the album. That said , the singers do a competent job with Shreya edging ahead of Shaan by quite some distance. It’s however lovely to hear Shaan after a long long while. Hopefully this song will be propped up a splendid video to make the inadequacy disappear.

To round up , Paanch Adhyay is one album I would absolutely buy , never mind the fact that the songs were shared by a music pal and I don’t understand a stitch of Bengali. Flipkart are you listening ?

PS : Special Thanks to @Rohwit , who shared the songs across!

PPS : If you are one of the people who are reading this review and are quite competent with Bangla , Please Please Please translate the songs for me !

Jab Tak Hai Jaan – Starring Yash Chopra – his brood , his khandani Dholkiwala and a Cameo by ARR

In an interview from a long time ago , ARR candidly admitted that there were directors who did not have a sense of what clicks when it comes to music , and in such cases it was a tad bit difficult for him to decide what suits the film and hence the output was not so great. Yash Chopra’s supposed Magnum Opus ‘Jab Tak Hai Jaan’ does not fall into that category – not because the songs are epic ; but because the not so great output has more of Yash Chopra’s influence written over it than AR’s genius.

Remove the AR label and no one can find fault with Challa. The song begins with an addictive guitar hook and has lovely guitar arrangement. Rabbi Shergill makes his debut for ARR in a song which feels more like a part of one of his albums than a Rahman composition. The extra strong punjabi tadka and the out of tune singing at times , fails to prop the song up . A dated and middling effort from the master which is pleasant on the ears.

Violins , Cellos , Flute and vocal harmonies circa Yuvraaj herald the beginning of Saans with Shreya Ghoshal and Mohit Chauhan doing the honor behind the mike . The song also features the standard punjabi beats which acts as a dampener. There is nothing extraordinary about the tune as such , but the orchestral work while sounding dated is commendable . I loved the flute and the string bits totally. What didn’t work for me in this case was the choice of singers : I felt that an Anuradha Paudwal or an Alka Yagnik would have made the staid tune work much better accompanied by may be a Vijay Prakash or Hariharan and yes the Dholki / Punjabi beats could have been done away with.

Ishq Shava begins with a neat riff that is more Rahman than Yash Chopra and you end up playing the song multiple times just to dig into the superb string work. Ragav Mathur and Shilpa rao do a commendable job with the vocals but its the string work which scintillates and serenades one into submission . Is it me or does the ‘Ajj Ki Raat kiski hai , kal ki raat teri na meri’ phrase (1:45 into the song) have a striking resemblance to ‘Mazhaithuli enna thavam thaan seithatho’ phrase from then merku paruva katru? Ishq Shava is one of the better songs of the album and grows on you with multiple plays thanks to the string arrangement.

A rose is a rose by any other name . Similarly , call it whatever you want but Heer to me is one of the best picks of this album. Harshdeep Kaur enchants everyone with the dreamlike quality of her work and the dholki for once , adds to the beauty of the song instead of acting a spoil sport. There is also excellent guitar work to dig into and that whiff of violins when you catch it is very soothing.

Guitars and a peppy Neeti Mohan make a lethal combo and the fact is best highlighted in ‘Jiya Re’ which is where ARR makes his full-fledged appearance along with Gulzar.The Jiya Re phrase is a total earworm and the tempo used makes you want to tap your feet in tune to the song.If you liked Neeti in ‘Ishq Wala Love’ , you’ll love her in ‘Jiya Re’. In fact Jiya Re gives stiff competition to Heer in terms of standing and as I write this review , has tipped Heer to become no 1 song of JTHJ for me.

The lesser said of the title song , the better . Jab Tak Hai Jaan is one horrendous excuse of a song , and the superb beginning is ruined by what follows. One wonders if Rahman composed the first minute and then the baton was taken over by YRF’s khaandani dholkiwala – so misplaced and overwhelming the dholkis are – even distracting one from Sakthishree’s hatke voice texture. Cutting and Otting scene from KanduKonden KanduKonden anyone?

Saans reprise has more of the Punjabi Beats and the tempo is slower than Saans . Even a kid can guess that this is the quintessential sad love song . One can even imagine Katrina Kaif dressed in immaculate designer wear , crying with desperation over her breakup/departure of her beloved . But does the song work – NO.

Remember that dance contest between Madhuri and Karisma in Dil Toh Pagal hai to an instrumental tune? Ishq Dance to me is just an upgraded version of that. While the fact that tune is dominated mostly by percussion instruments and choral segments is interesting , it is not that good to hold one’s attention.

The second instrumental , works much better with the guitars and sweeping string arrangements take the sting away from the inane poetry .

To sum up – quite an ordinary soundtrack for a supposedly extra ordinary love story

English Vinglish Sorry Vorry

There is one moment in English Vinglish , which will make all daughters cringe – not in distaste , not due to the cliche , but in remorse – remorse due to the fact that in the process of growing up ; or rather acting grown up , we’ve hurt the one woman who has mattered the most , in so many ways that a simple sorry would not suffice.

I discovered this fact , 12 years and numerous excuses later , in a multiplex watching what was Sridevi’s comeback movie , accompanied by my loving family – rockstar dad , handsome dude of a brother and my normal down to earth mother – who was brought to life , so beautifully by a lovely leading lady in so potent a canvas that by the end of two hours , I wanted to get up , give my mother a huge hug and say sorry for all that I dished out to her during my terrible teens , just for the fact that she belonged to a different generation and couldn’t relate to my hep thoughts. What I settled for , was a lovely smile and a lump inside my throat as I walked out of the theater , hand in hand with the lady in question.

Shashi Godbole is what one would call a modern woman . She is independent , runs a business , takes care of her family and is a cool mum to a sweet little boy and a cute , oversmart teenaged girl , who wears shortskirts , goes to cafe coffee day and has a grudge against her mother just for the fact that the lady’s English is not one of her strong points , despite the fact that but for her language , her mother is one modern , easy going woman who knows to give her children enough space.

In one of the most endearing scenes in the movie , Shashi helps her daughter find her scrapbook even while not physically present at home, assures her that her privacy has been respected only for her daughter to hit back at her weak point – English and the mother inside her crumbles totally.In an awesome moment that follows , she rants out her frustration in Hindi , to a handsome French cook who loves her and is her classmate at English classes , only to order a coffee , sandwich and water in pitch perfect english in the same breath. English Vinglish is littered with so many lovely moments like these , that you end up forgiving Gauri Shinde , for some of the trite , done to death components like a gay english teacher , the brash Pakistani taxi driver and the ayyo spouting Tamil software engineer who loves his Idlis and Amma.

English Vinglish , has been categorized as a movie about how a woman learns to speak the King’s language and in a way it is – but what the movie really talks about is relationships . A relationship between strangers on a flight – brought to life by the brilliant Bachchan Sr , in an endearing cameo ; A relationship between an insecure wife and a well meaning , emotionally cruel but loving husband – the superb Adil Hussain ; A relationship between a woman looking not for love , but respect and a man alien to her culture and country who falls in love with her, despite the communication barrier – a doomed love , never to succeed – Mehdi Nebbou , him of the shy smile , vulnerable eyes and lovely accent – winning hearts with his portrayal as the French cook looking to open a French-Indian restaurant with a woman having eyes like coffee and milk ; a relationship between sisters who envy eachother’s skills ; A relationship between a loving mother and her cute mommy’s boy ; A love-hate deal between a teenager and her well meaning modern mother ; A relationship between an insecure husband and his lovely wife – watch out for that penultimate moment when Satish asks Sashi if she loves him and pat she replies – ” Why are you asking even ? Would I give you two Ladoos otherwise and btw , thanks for the saree – good choice ” – Husband and Wife dynamics 101 explained in a minute.

All the above mentioned relationships have one thing in common – A lovely lady called Sridevi , making a comeback 15 years after she’d shut shop and my oh my ; what a comeback she’s made. She makes you teary eyed as the vulnerable mother and insecure wife . She makes you laugh as the friendly aunt and cool mum .She makes you fall in love with her – those huge eyes a mirror to her feelings and she makes you go awwww as a strong woman trying to say no to this lovely man without hurting his feelings.Its no wonder that this lady was the only woman to be called superstar – and she deserves this accolade and much much more.

Talking about performances , the supporting cast is lovely too . Be it Mehdi Nebbou or Adil Hussain or the lovely Priya Anand- the actors bring to life the normal human beings we see day to day – flawed yet perfect ; normal yet special. But what stays with you after the movie is Sridevi’s lovely vulnerable brown eyes , NewYork in its full glory , Amit Trivedi’s excellent music score and that brilliant take on a mother – daughter relationship that every woman of my generation can identify with.

Watch English Vinglish atleast once . Its not only a great movie , but also a great way for a daughter to say sorry to her Mother , for all those little wounds caused in the battle while coming of age !

Aiyyayyayaaa – My thoughts on the Aiyyaa OST

There is a buzz amongst music lovers that Amit trivedi has become a master of orchestral work and tune smithy and is the only music director , fit to be called AR Rahman’s heir apparent. The fact that he is growing strength to strength , album to album was what started the buzz and his superb coke studio work lent credibility to the same after a tepid 2011. The buzz in fact will increase in volume as one listens to the Aiyaa soundtrack and here is my thoughts on Amit T’s work for this movie.

Dreamum Wakeuppum opens with the loud sound of the south masala songs of the late 80s and what starts is a wacky journey with the orchestra. The keys , the percussion and the guitars along with the percussion are so wacky and the mix improves when the Nadaswaram gets into the fray.The only thing which spoils the song is the meaningless , loaded with double entendre lyrics and the yucky video I am not able forgive. All in all a competent opening song for the album belonging to a genre I call Hindi Kuthu.

From the southern most part of the country we travel to Maharashtra , straight into a Lavani performance thanks to Amit T , only thing is this Lavani has its own twists. Talking about Hindi Films and the protagonists’s desire to get into films , Sunidhi sleep walks through the song competently. What sets this song aside is the orchestral work , esp when the guitars enter the fray in the second interlude. A competent effort again and while one does not have anything against the song ,one feels its not special.

Think of a Marathi rock star and think Aga Bai. That slow start with the percussion and classical singing blows up into a riot of voices and synth & electronic work. The song seems like a club/disco number and I was not able to shake the feel off even after a couple of listens. What’s commendable is again the orchestral work and singing – the singers have got a Marathi accent going with hindi and it sounds very very authentic.Shalmali and Monali render this number and though I was not able to distinguish which was which , both the ladies are in super form and are very very good.

One can be forgiven for thinking that Mahek Bhi is an instrumental . The first minute and half of the song is dedicated to a dreamy piano accompanied by Shenai , joined by a violin ,cello and whistle later on. Amit adds layer upon layer on layer in those 90 seconds that you wish the track was an instrumental or had an instrumental version. Shreya Ghoshal joins the song somewhere around the second minute and carries the song along with her dreamy voice. This is a song you play on rainy evenings sipping a cup of tea or dancing to the waltzy arrangement with a friend.Mahek Bhi is slow poison . It gets inside your system slowly , steadily and refuses to let go. The backing male vocals are also splendid ( Amit T himself maybe). If you loved the Shenai lines in Amit’s Navrai Majhi , you’ll go crazy over the Shenai work in this song – its bloody brilliant of Amit to use the Shenai with a Waltzy arrangement.

People always say its nice to return gifts and Amit must think so too for he’s given Sneha K , the best song of the album in ‘what to do’. A santoor ( I’m not sure) leads the song and Sneha jumps into the fray immediately. The grungy guitars , keys . that percussion and Sneha K mean musical addiction with Amitabh Bhattacharya adding to the headiness. One goes vavvavvaavvaa with the song and goes wow after it.This is a song which has to be heard and the lesser said about the better – the wacky mix has to be experienced to be understood. Way too addictive , this has been playing on a loop umpteen times and one word to the readers – watch out for that wacky second interlude with Mridangams and what not .

Any tamil Brahmin worth his/her salt will certainly smile as Wakda begins with the trade mark moresingh and mridangam that kick starts wakda. The Nadaswaram adds to the wackiness and as Amit starts with Pa Pa you realize you are in for a fun ride. The orchestral work is once again out of the world and wacky. Amit T even has the back up singers sing Wakda in a very southie style. The nattuvangam in that first interlude along with the Mridangam is a win too. I guess this is a wedding song and there is a slight Marathi wiff too. Watch out for the guitars and trumpet in the second interlude ye readers – kick ass stuff this. In fact wakda stands shoulder to shoulder with Ijjat Papad and I am quite confused as to which is the best song of the album.

Overall , Aiyyaa is a wacky and mixed ride with some competent and some out of the world work. Amit T take a bow , for making us go Wakda !

Barfi – Matter of fact and earthy!

It is an almost indisputable fact that films often use life’s misfortunes to lure their audience to connect with their protagonist and their story. In most cases filmmakers use disabled leads , contrived misfortunes , jilted lovers and self-sacrificing heroines almost always leading to loads of melodrama and bags of soaked tissues. Barfi uses all of the above plot tools yet stays so matter of fact and so real that you can’t help falling in love with it.

Barfi is all about three characters who form a love triangle – Barfi , Jhilmil and Sruti played by Ranbir , Priyanka and Ileana respectively. That Barfi is deaf and mute, Jhilmil is differently abled and Sruthi is married , does not affect the story arc and does not manipulate the audience into rooting for/against a particular character. Strip away the handicaps and what you have is a standard done to death love triangle and this is where Barfi as a movie succeeds. Anurag uses a very common story template , adds the above mentioned plot devices and includes spectacular moments to create a heady mix which appeals to one and all.

Often , when one has characters with disabilities or emotional burden , one tends to highlight their angst and plight so heavily that one ends up creating saint like two-dimensional characters. Anurag tosses this out of the window and ends up creating real , believable characters who do what they do , yet regret / resent doing it. In one of the first moments in the film , where one is Introduced to Shruti , one sees her room filled with photos of her and Barfi – capturing what you assume as their life together.Much Much later into the film , at the fag-end , you end up realizing that the photos were not of hers and Barfi’s alone – they also include jhimil , who has been folded into invisibility by Shruti – this despite the fact that but for Sruti , Barfi and Jhilmil would not have had a happy ending.

It is moments like these , that make you root for Anurag Basu the film maker , be it the moment where Jhilmil tries to check out if she’d look good in a Saree like Sruti which indicates her subtle jealousy or the tears in Sruti’s eyes accompanying her bright smile as Barfi marries Jhilmil indicating her heartbreak and happiness. These moments when they occur , makes you forgive the occasional dragging that happens and gives you additional insight into the characters , layer by layer. Jhilmil’s possesiveness towards her man and her fear of Ileana is so subtly indicated as she comes forward , and forms a barrier of sorts with her hands . Much later chronologically , she consoles a broken Sruti patting her arms lightly , letting the audience know that Jhilmil has accepted what has to happen whereas Sruti has not.

Yet for all the spectacular moments , brilliant acting , soul-stirring music – rerecording included and captivating cinematography , Barfi is not without flaws. The movie drags at times and could have very well avoided the kidnap , robbery and mystery angle to the story.The ending , so notebookish also seems a tad contrived. But one forgives the flaws when one comes out of the theatre as what stays is Ranbir’s brilliant acting , Priyanka’s lovely outing as Jhilmil ( which is at Par with Sridevi’s act in Moondram Pirai) , the lovely lovely Darjeeling brought to life by Ravivarman and the music which is undoubtably Pritam’s best till date.

Watch Barfi atleast once – for it is good cinema which appeals to a very wide palate. Watch it because , it brings a smile to your face , a smile which is due to the fact that the experience of watching this movie takes one back to a place where life is beautiful and real , despite the occasional brutality and unhappiness.

Neethane En Ponvasantham – Raja Personified

This weekend has been one to savor due to many reasons , Raja’s latest soundtrack being one of them. It has been ages since Raja’s genius has been used properly and it comes as a pleasant surprise that Gautam vasudev Menon has let the genius do what’s he’s best at , keeping his interference to a minimum. For the past two days the web has been buzzing with the awesomeness of this album and here’s my juvenile take on the same.

A choir heralds in a solitary bagpipe ; the strings join the melee and thus begins one of the best songs of the album. Vanam Mella is a music lover’s delight through and through. A gorgeous tune enriched by splendid orchestral work , this beauty sung by the master himself and the lovely Bela Shinde leaves you spell bound. The violins in the first interlude is vintage raja and makes you want to dance.Na muthukumar with his lyrics does justice to Raja’s tune. So powerful is the orchestral work that one wishes that there was an instrumental version of the track .

Next comes an ear worm which if composed in the eighties , would have featured SPB on the vocals.and would have probably had Karthik chase a lovely damsel on a lonely road . Yennodu is a frothy composition , that takes you to the Golden age of eighties where Raja’s music was enough to make a film a super duper hit. Karthik . the singer has done complete justice to this number. The highlight of this number is the second interlude where Raja introduces an electronic tinge to the song . The lines “Unnudaya kaiyale Thandanaigal Thanthale en nejam Kondadume ‘ makes one go Ada! Ada! Ada!. A number which doesn’t grab your attention at get go , Yennodu is like a slow poison , getting you addicted bit by bit slowly and surely.

Think romance , think Raja is an undisputed fact and Katrai Konjam adds more weightage to the same. Karthik takes his place behind the microphone to belt out a quintessential love song , sung by the hero about the heroine and his love for her . The highlight of the song is the saxophone and Na muthukumar’s lyric which makes one go awww. The splendid orchestral work continues to entice and one ends up listening to the interludes again and again and again.

One thinks disaster , when one thinks about Sunidhi chauhan and a tamil song – but the lovely lady does complete justice to Mudhal Murai – which is the shortest song in the album. Sunidhi is pitch perfect and nails her Tamil pronunciation, lifting the song to greater heights. The electric guitar and Cello , are perfect accompaniments to the song and the violin in the first interlude is kick ass. Is it me or does the first interlude reminds one slightly of an older Raja melody? The neethane en ponvasantham hook is too addictive and is a lovely touch by the master.

Pudikala mamu starts off with lovely guitar and catchy lyrics and the vocals by Suraj Jaggan makes one assume that its going to be an out and out rock number , a college anthem taking a dig at college discipline. The hey hey part makes you want to sing along . Infact two minutes into the song , I wondered why Karthik’s name was mentioned in the song as I couldn’t discern his voice at all. That concern was pushed aside slightly as I started dancing to that lovely first interlude with exemplary guitar work . Karthik enters the fray in the second interlude which starts in a dialogue like santhu pottu , and nails the folksy veethi pathathe part. The percussion makes you tap your finger against the nearest surface available and as the guitar enters , you smile.The kick ass second interlude is wacky and brilliant at the same time. You go dhadakku dhadakku with the singers and soon start singing along. a 2 in 1 package , Pudikalla works very very well.

Prior to listening to Satru Munbu , I had no idea who Ramya NSK was. This lady does complete justice to this magnum opus , her westernized voice and tonal quality reminding me of Anupama , many a time. The piano makes an appearance in this number and lends ample support to the violins . The lesser said of this song , the better as this song has to be experienced to understand its beauty. The second interlude is a masterpiece in itself , with the violins taking center stage yet again.

Saayndhu Saayndhu has everything in it to become a chartbuster , but for one factor – the vocals. Yuvan Shankar Raja sounds so off key and jaded , that he ends up spoiling the splendid guitar work. Replace YSR with a Karthik or Vijay Prakash and the song would easily be the best in the album. There are rumors floating around that Gautam demanded that Raja use YSR in the song. If that’s the truth , I have only one question to ask. Why Gautham ? Why this Kolaveri ?

If Yuvan’s vocal fiasco makes one wince in Saayndhu Saayndhu , it makes one cringe in Pengal Endral , which to me is the weakest in the album. The tune is not that great and YSR’s vocals do not help the song in any way , but bring the song down by several notches. Pengal Endral is a timid and damp end to a rather splendid album.

To Summarize things , while NEPV is not raja at his zenith , its easily Raja’s best work in Tamil after ages and is a must listen for all Raja fans who’d love to be taken on a journey back to his golden era.

Barfi – A sweet treat , fit for a dessert

Barfi is a favorite dessert of folks at home . Its sweet , sweet and sweet making one go awww at the taste and the musical album sharing its name with the sweet , ends up the same way.

The Album begins with Ala Barfi. Mohit Chauhan Pwns the song which has a very interesting orchestral arrangement which takes one back to the late fifties / early sixties of the Hindi Music timeline. The song is very easy on the ears, the lyrics kinda giving an insight into the lead character of the movie, especially the second stanza. Swanand wins with his lyrics , with the mentions of Murphy Radio and Ceylon station. There’s also a second version of the song by Swanand with some changes in the arrangement . It’s quite good but Mohit is way ahead of Swanand when it comes to singing, however better the arrangement might be in Swanand’s version.

Pritam is no stranger to having multiple versions of the same song recorded and this album is no exception. However , both the versions of phir le aya dil are delightful, Rekha Bhardwaj and Arjit Singh nailing the brief to a ‘T’. Rekha’s version of the song does remind me of ‘Bahara’ at places , but that’s just due to the feel you get out of listening to the song.The orchestral work on Rekha’s version is also very light , with the gorgeous string sections acting as embellishments to a classic tune. Surprisingly Arijith’s version pips Rekha’s version for me. The tablas , the electric strings ( I think) in the background and his lovely voice scream melody. The piano and cello (I think) in the interludes are gorgeous.One of Arijith’s best songs by a mile , though his best is yet to come. On the flip side , I sense a faint resemblance to may be other songs , but again that might just be me.

The next song is Main Kya Karoon , which is the most Pritamish song in the album.I haven’t heard Nikhil Paul George until now but he has a voice kinda similar to that of Ash King’s and has aced this song. To me this is one of the weak links of the album , not taking credit away from the arrangement and the lovely interludes.

Kyon is a winner from the starting string interlude . Papon gets behind the mike and bewitches one and all . At the risk of sounding repetitive the arrangement is kickass.The song reaches its zenith with the string interlude kicking in and the violins and cellos (I think) accompany Sunidhi into the second para. I also wonder if someone has messed up with the credits as Papon almost sounds like Mohit Chauhan and yes I wonder if I did hear an accordion somewhere. This one will be on a loop , until I find answers to this question and even if I don’t.

Aashiyan starts with a superb hook and queen Shreya starts off in magnificent form , singing itni si khushi. Nikhil Paul George accompanies her on this feel good number and once again Pritam has nailed the arrangements.It appears to one that aashiyan is all about the wishes of a couple to build their home and to my limited knowledge , the lyrics convey that exactly.

Last comes Saawli Raat which is the best song of the Album. Arijhit sounds so different in this song , that you end up wondering if it this was the same guy who sang phir le aya dil. Listen to this song on a dark night , standing by your balcony watching the trees dance and it will take you to heaven.The lyrics are splendid. Sample this “Saawli si raat ho , Khamoshi ka saath ho . Bin kahe bin sune , baat ho teri meri.” whimsical Stuff embellished by splendid string work , this is quite a lovesong cum lullaby and I’m completely in love with it.

So , to put it in a nutshell , Barfi is high on the melody quotient with splendid orchestral work. Pritam is spot on with his choice of singers and the lyrics are just beautiful.Pritam Da is back to form and How !!!!!!!!!