Ice cream on a rainy day :)

Wow! It feels so nice even when am writing about it. Imagine a cool Ice Cream parlor like Baskin Robbins right opposite to your office and after your lunch you drop into the parlor to find that its raining outside just when you order for two scoops of Banana Caramel!! Thats exactly what happened with me a couple of days ago. Through out my childhood I was never allowed to have an Ice cream on rainy days as I was very vulnerable to having cold stuff and end up Wheezing all night. But now, dono how the vulnerability disappeared. Thanks to my "Hale and Healthy" body.. now no one stops me from having one.

UTV MOTION PICTURES and

ASHUTOSH GOWARIKER PRODUCTIONS presents

Jodhaa Akbar

as ASHUTOSH GOWARIKER film

produced by RONNIE SCREWVALA and ASHUTOSH GOWARIKER

lyrics JAVED AKHTAR music A. R. Rahman

Hey, you guessed it right! Those last two words are of my dearest concern. Before I start, let me proclaim loudly that this is not a music review. It would not be fair to call it a music review with me being a great fan of ARR; I have just tried to put what ran through my mind when I heard the music of Jodhaa Akbar.

The album is packed with five tracks and two instrumental numbers. There’s also a bonus material DVD containing 5.1 Dolby based trailer of the movie.

101 AZEEM-O-SHAAN SHAHENSHAH

An elaborate arrangement dominated by Trumpets and Drums constitutes the 1^st track AZEEM-O-SHAAN SHAHENSHAH sung by Mohammed Aslam, Bony Chakravarthy & chorus. This track is all about praising the greatest Mughal emperor, Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. The chosen pitch and strong intonation rendered in the song, envisages the picture of a battle field (I haven’t watched the movie yet, so dono how it is portrayed on the screen). My 5.1 home theatre system does enough justice in conveying those little nuances which Rahman would have toiled to mix while recording. Percussion work is great (One can say it is done in the best way) and Sivamani’s Taiko and sword rhythms are awesome.

Dheem toam taanaa naanaa… all set to rock!

102 JASHN-E-BAHAARAA

Kehne ko pyaara sa Ghana hai… This one is a mixture of everything... heart touching lyrics, soothing music and an everlasting tune. When I read JASHN-E-BAHAARAA by Javed Ali in the booklet, thought it must be by mistake. I initially thought it was Sonu’s voice. Though, my lil sis could immediately say that it is not Sonu's voice (she is very good at that) but later got confirmed on the web pages that it was sung by Javed Ali. His voice has close resemblance with Sonu Nigam. Longing to see how Hrithik and Aish would look in this song. ARR slightly breaks the rule of Pallavi and Charanam concept by reusing the last two lines of the Pallavi before the first after second Charanam. That makes it an unconventional master piece. I love these two lines “… Jaise milte nahin kisi dariya ke do kinaare.. Paas hai jo paas nahin”, it reminds me of so many things.

Kehne ko Jashn-e-bahaaraa hai… lovely!

103 KHWAJA MERE KHWAJA

A Qawali by the genius ARR... I was not a person who had good taste for Qawalis untill I heard this one. I agree that Piya Haji Ali was instilled by ARR in Fiza but this one makes Qawali a new entry into the genries of songs I usually listen to. These days ARR keeps atleast one track for his own voice. Nothing wrong about it until his tender voice can do magic to his already mesmerizing music. ARR’s voice and the harmonium give a good start to the song. When tabla joins the team, the journey becomes more elegant and I bet you cannot stop listening to it just once.

Khwajaji… Dil me Samadiya aapne!

104 INN LAMHON KE DAAMAN MEIN

Hats off to the genius and his creativity. I have no words to express the quality of this song. The tune.. the arrangement.. the choice of singers.. the pitch.. absolutely flawless and definitely a master piece. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics are heart touching. Especially the lines “Phoolon mein rang mere the lekin, Inn mein khushboo tumhee se aayi hai…”

Ishq hai jaise hawaaon mein.. love will definitely be in the air after listening to this song!

105 MANN MOHANAA

This one is a devotional song in a sad tune. Guess Jodhaa (Aish) sings it during her separation from Akbar (Hrithik)… not sure. Not a song to be ignored just because it’s placed last. But you need at least two iterations to start admiring it first and then sing along (ARR’s usual magic.. isn’t it?).

Tum bin paoon kaise chaiyn… true lord!

106 JASHN-E-BAHAARAA (Instrumental)

Flute by Naveen is the main attraction. Naveen is not new to ARR’s music.. He has been around since Roja. A man who can do wonders with those perforated bamboo pipes but humbly say “It’s nothing but wind”. This track is best suited to be a ringtone.. just trying to impose what I have done ;).

107 KHWAJA MERE KHWAJA (Instrumental)

ARR has roped in LEIGHANN WOODARD to play OBOE for the instrumental version of Khwaja mere Khwaja. I felt Oboe is a good choice for the tune.

Surprisingly, (Unlike Shivaji) the CD packing is also sooooo good with aesthetic pictures of Aish and Hrithik with all the jewelery. Hats off to the whole team of Jodhaa Akbar. Folks! At last paying 160 bucks for the CD is simply the least you can do to experience a musical extravaganza. Trust me, its worth more than that. Please don’t support piracy, buy the original.

God bless A.R.Rahman.
Insha Allah

HaPpY BiRtHdAy !!

Jan 6, 1966 a genius was born. He was named A.S.Dileep Kumar.. later when he started following Sufism, he was renamed as Alla Rakha Rahman. To the world he is popularly know as A.R.Rahman. My heartfelt birthday wishes to the genius who filled my life with music.

2007 and Me - a Kid's post for one last time!

(kid's lingo intentionally chosen :))

Year 2007 will remain the most memorable one in my life. It has been an year full of learnings and too many out of the world experiences. (I don’t like to put the calendar of events though..)
I can see the transition of myself from a kid to an adult (might look a bit exaggerated but true to my own definitions). Now I know whom to trust and whom not to. I know when a person is lying and when he/she is not. I know who deserves my care and love and who doesn’t. I owe so much to all those people who were directly or indirectly responsible in shaping this lil boy in such a short span.

Some times you are so prepared for a journey that you get the whole picture of how it is gonna be, even before you start. I get a picture of what I would be doing in 2008 (which I believe will determine my future!), Things like, what higher education am gonna choose.. What my career path is gonna be and many more. 2007 has equipped me on both emotional and professional front to face the reality of Life. The only thing I still fear to face is Injustice, the fear of being cheated when you cannot do anything other than take pity on them. I really cannot bear Injustice to me in any form which can drive me to an insane behavior at times and land me into an awkward situation.

Whatever, I have started understanding my self a 1000 times better than what I used to (Of course the world outside me also!!). On this last day of a very significant year in my Life, which has taught me so many things, I am tempted to look back and enlist all the good (right) and bad (wrong) things I have done. Don’t worry I will not do that here.. but there’s one thing that really deserves a mention here. In the due course of understanding my inner self, I have identified a peculiar behavior of myself… I would actually start doing certain things as if I had planned to do it since years for no known reason. At that point, If I am caught by my cholar and questioned as to why I am doing it, I will have no answer and that’s when I will be wondering/cursing/repenting/questioning myself as to why the hell am I doing this!!

A few days ago (dono what made me do that), I simply went to my friend’s house (in the neighboring state) without informing him at all. He was so shocked and did not know what to say to his parents about my sudden appearance. It was so embarrassing to both my friend and me! Yak! How or Why the hell did I do that?? All I can do now is to say “am sorry and I have learned not to do that”. :( This is an important learning to me and I would like to carry it to the years to come. I know this would have happened due to my uncontrolled behavior driven by sudden impulses. Now, I have learned to damp such impulses and have steady decisions made for myself.

Adieu “2007”, I will never forget you :)