Song In My Mind

"Kya Hai Tera Mantra" by Euphoria

MANTRA
Intro: Na na...
Kisne ye jaana hai ye kitna puraana hai,
Jaata kahaan ye silsila?
Phir se na aana hai ye kitna suhaana hai
Pal ye jo humko hai mila.

Kisne ye jaana hai ye kitna puraana hai,
Jaata kahaan ye silsila?
Phir se na aana hai ye kitna suhaana hai
Pal ye jo humko hai mila.
Is pal mein aao khud ko jaan lein pehchaan lein hum,
Aao dekhein jeevan ke rang sabhee,
Bhoolein na beeti jo thi, dekhenge hoga jo bhi,
Pehle jaane to sahi, kya hai tera mantra?
Hai jeet kya aur haar kya, gham aur khushi ke paar kya,
Hai megh ke aasaar kya, toofaan kya majhdhaar kya,
Hai baadlon ke paar kya, koi aur bhi sansaar kya,
Bas jaan lo hai pyaar kya, hai ye mera mantra!!

Dekho pukaarein tumhe nabh ke sitaarein,
Baahein phailaaye aasmaan,
Bahti hawaaein tumhe kahti fizaaein,
Dekho thamey na kaaravaan.
Lekar chal yaadein kal ki, karta chal tu waadein kal ke,
Is pal pe tere kadmon ke nishaan,
Dekhenge aane waale, manzil ko pane waale,
Poochhenge chalne waale, kya hai tera mantra?

Mehnat bhi hai, himmat bhi hai, thodi si, haan, kismat bhi hai,
Aankhon mein hain kuchh khwaab bhi aur seene mein hasrat bhi hai,
Hai saanson ka aadhaar kya, aur zindagi ka saar kya,
Bas jaan lo hai pyaar kya, Hai ye mera mantra!!

Aao na, socho na, dil se mita dein sab faaslein,
Sarhad na, mazhab na, hum sab rangein hon,
Ek rang mein, ek rang mein.
Tera hai apna kya, tera paraaya kya, tera hai aasha kya, tera hai jeevan kya...
Tera hai sapna kya, tera hai Eishwar kya, tera hai bhaasha kya,
Tera hai mantra kya...?

Movie Scene In My Mind-1

"Mia: Don't you hate that?
Vincent: What?
Mia: Uncomfortable silences. Why do we feel it's necessary to yak about bullshit in order to be comfortable?
Vincent: I don't know. That's a good question.
Mia: That's when you know you've found somebody special. When you can just shut the f*** up for a minute and comfortably enjoy the silence." fave scene from Pulp Fiction Uma Thurman & John Travolta

Segmentation and Positioning in Indian Pop

Even though pop music in India has at least a decade back origin, I would say that 1993-94 was when we Indians woke up to the fact that songs can be made without the need to situate them in movie. Baba Sehagal’s RAP songs (someone said to me RAP stands for Rahein Aap Pareshan :-) ), Alisha's Made In India song and Biddu's Boom Boom song sung by Nazia Hussan (featuring a very young Anupama Verma, yes the same from Big Boss 1 ) were the catalysts along with Daler Mehndi's Bolo Tara Ra.

It was the same time that we middle class Indians were slowly realizing that not English movies have a corrupting influence on character. This was courtesy Jurassic park of Spielberg. This reminds me of an interesting anecdote narrated by one of my friends in college. He was watching Titanic in TV (Of course, all art dilettantes who wanted to appreciate Leonardo do a live portrait of Kate Winslet were hugely disappointed with the censors going snip snip on that scene, and movie was de-toxicated for TV viewing. ). His grandmother came and scolded him something like, "Kya gandi picture dekhte rahte ho?" and then she switches the TV channel to a Hindi movie channel showing Helen dancing in a slit-thigh gown trying to patao Amitabh in Don :-)

So, the realization that "English movies don't have songs and English bands release albums without placing them in movies" and "evolution of desi pop" was almost simultaneous.

As happens in any industry with almost no barrier to entry, there were lot of new entrants with different positioning and segmentation. Following is my attempt to slot them:--

1.) Region

 i.) Punjabi pops Daler Mehndi

 ii.) Altaf Raja targeting UP, Bihar with Subah Pehli Gaadi Se

2.) Location

 i.) College – Yaaro yehi dosti hai by KK; Purani Jeans

 ii.) That Girl Next Door to Your Apartment – Aankhon mein tera by Aryans ( featuring Shahid – if you watch him in that video with Hrishitha Bhatt, it is so difficult to believe that a Jab We Met type restrained // Ishq Vishq type probably the most confident debut in a comic role by any male actor in recent times (Just watch the scene where Satish Shah tries to explain “Birds And Bees” to his precocious son Shahid or his advice to fake Sachin to impress Shenaz something like “haan square cut thoda kum aur apna elbow sidha rakhana ..”) // Kaminey type quirky performance is lurking inside him

3.) Extraordinary feats

 i.) Underwater shooting in Dooba Dooba

 ii.) Breathless song

4.) Gender

i.) Phalguni Pathak's Maine Payal hai chhankayi (featuring Riya Sen and, if you did not notice, Ayesha Takia in one of her first pop songs appearances, after that Complan ad she did with Shahid in her childhood "I am a Complan Girl; I am a Complan Boy")

5.) Age group wise

i.) For kids -- Amitabh’s classic Ek Rahein eeir, ek rahein bir, ek rahein phatte aur ek rahein hum ; Sunidhi Chauhan’s “sunk-without-a-trace” kid pop song Aira Gaira Nathhu Khaira(her first album after she won Meri Awaz Suno on DD)

ii.) Teen school going/college going love -- Shaan's Lovology

iii.) Twenties love (Sonu Nigam’s Ab mujhe raat din from Deewana album (IMHO, his best album)

6.) Based on music genre

i.) Classical – Piya Basanti featuring Nauheed

ii.) Rock – Parikrama

iii.) International type – Seulmont by Alisha

iv.) Remix -- Someone rightly said “R. D. Burman kab tak inke ghar ki roji roti chaleyenge”
Nahin Nahin abhi nahin (featuring Ayesha Takia in a lift..why exactly is she taking a spoon of coffee syrup like medicine in that video .. I never understood..but it worked for me)

7.) Behavioural/ Situational/ Mood segmentation

i.) Madly, Truly, Deeply wala love songs – Dooba dooba rehta huun by Silk Route

ii.) Feeling wala nostalgic love – Maaei Ri from Euphoria featuring Rimi Sen

iii.)Unrequited love – Woh Pyaar Mera featuring Amrita Rao by Alisha

iv.) Junooni pyaar – Apki Dua Hai by K.K.
"Uski Hi Dhun Mein Hoon Mujhe, Tum Deewaana Kaho
Aap Ki Dua Hai Pyaar Hua, Ishq Ka Mein Beemaar Hua"

v.) Hyper-confident, possessive love – “Kaise bhulegi mera naam” from Euphoria (my favourite band)
"Tu hi meri zindagi, tu hi meri har khushi,
Tu hi meri preet hai tu hi hai meri jaan.
Tu hi meri dhoop hai, tu hi meri chaaon hai,
Tu hi mera dard hai, tu hi hai muskaan.
Kaise bhulegi mera naam!!
Sakhiaan teri deti taane mujhe dher sare,
Gharwaale ne tere itna bhala-bura kaha.
Din bhar kaam karoon, raaton ko main dhundhoon tare.
Samjhegi tu to mujhe isilye itna saha.
Kya ho gaya sanam, mila koi naya sanam,
Chaahegi tu aur kisi ko, mane na kyon mera yah man.
Hoga to wahi sanam, kuchh bhi karle jatan, Ek din banegi tu meri dulhan!
Tu hi meri zindagi, tu hi meri bandagi,
Tu hi meri subah hai tu hi hai meri shaam,
Tu hi mera geet hai, tu hi mera meet hai,
Tu hi mera puja hai, tu hi hai mera Raam.
Kaise bhulegi mera naam!!
Kya hua ke agar milna sake hum,
Kya hua ke mere waadon mein na dum
Pyaar to hua na kam, Jeeti tu haarein hain hum
Sun liya maine, sah liya maine,
chheen lunga tujhe abki baar.
Kaayar na hoon main, jhoota na hoon main,
Kamzor na hoon, bas karta tujhe pyaar"

vi.) Egoistic love Kabhi aana meri gully by Euphoria
“Kya karegi tu ghar se nikalke, jaaegi tu kahaan,
Kya dekhegi tu Taj Mahal ko, main na hoon jo wahaan,
Kya nazar aur kya nazaare, kuchh nahin inmein baat,
Nagri-nagri kya dhoondegi, main nahi jo tere saath.
Kabhi aana tu meri gully Tujhe palkon pe rakhoonga ji.
Baat dil ki karoon Hindustani jo hoon,
Jab jee chaahe to aaja na jee.
Kabhi aana tu meri gully-2
Kya karegi tu Kashmir jaake, swarg tera yahaan
Kya baithegi tu Ganga-kinaare, main na hoon jo wahaan.
Kya ye jannat, kya ye teerath, kuchh nahin tere kaam
Ho jaaenge dhaam saare, legi jab mera naa-ha-ha-ha-haam.”

vii.)Sensitive love – “Ab Naa Jaa” song by Euphoria featuring Vidya Balan
“Aankhen band kar loo jo mein dekhu bas tumhe
khwabo mein hi keh sakta hoon apna tumhe
rehne de mera yeh vehm pe hi yakeen naa ja abhi
pyar ki yeh raat hain ab na jaa chotti si ek baat hain ab na jaa
tumhhi se hain meri neend naa bhi ho to kya
tumhi see hain meri battein naa bhi ho to kya
kehne do taaro ko kahani ankahi na jaa abhi”

 viii.)Inspirational – Kya Hai Tera mantra by Euphoria
"Kisne ye jaana hai ye kitna puraana hai, Jaata kahaan ye silsila?
Phir se na aana hai ye kitna suhaana hai Pal ye jo humko hai mila.
Kisne ye jaana hai ye kitna puraana hai, Jaata kahaan ye silsila?
Phir se na aana hai ye kitna suhaana hai Pal ye jo humko hai mila.
Is pal mein aao khud ko jaan lein pehchaan lein hum,
Aao dekhein jeevan ke rang sabhee, Bhoolein na beeti jo thi,
dekhenge hoga jo bhi, Pehle jaane to sahi, kya hai tera mantra?
Hai jeet kya aur haar kya, gham aur khushi ke paar kya,
Hai megh ke aasaar kya, toofaan kya majhdhaar kya,
Hai baadlon ke paar kya, koi aur bhi sansaar kya,
Bas jaan lo hai pyaar kya, hai ye mera mantra!!
Dekho pukaarein tumhe nabh ke sitaarein, Baahein phailaaye aasmaan,
Bahti hawaaein tumhe kahti fizaaein, Dekho thamey na kaaravaan.
Lekar chal yaadein kal ki, karta chal tu waadein kal ke,
Is pal pe tere kadmon ke nishaan, Dekhenge aane waale,
manzil ko pane waale, Poochhenge chalne waale, kya hai tera mantra?"

 ix.)“Boy asking naughty question, Girl giving sensitive answer, boy getting emotional” song Lucky Ali + Kavita Krishnamurthy
"Male:- Gori teri aankhen kahe raat bhar sooyi nahi
chanda dekhe chupke kahi aur taare jaante hain sabhi
ke kisne dil le liya kisko dil de diya yeh dil ka lagana koi jaanta nahi
Gori teri aankhen kahe raat bhar sooyi nahi
Female:- Dil mein teri yaad basi tu samjhe ga nahi
jo hain mere paas hai tera mera kuch nahi
kyun akhiya chupao kyun tujhko satao
dil tod ke tera mein kya pao
bol piya bol piya bol piya bol piya bol piyaaa bol
saajan teri baatein badi ke mein raat bhar sooyi nahi
chanda ne bhi dekha nahi aur taaro ko yeh maloom nahi
ke meine tujhe dil diya tera dil le liya mera tu hi hain bahana kyun manta nahi
saajan teri baatein badi ke mein raat bhar sooyi nahi
Male:-- Aate jaate mausam jaise lagte the sabhi
humne bhi to manga rab se apna bhi koi
Duniya se bachao palko mein chupao
dil jeet ke tera sab ko batao
sun gori sun gori sun gori sunnn sun gori sun gori sunnnnn
Gori teri aankhen kahe jaane anjaane mein kahi
chanda ne bhi dekha nahi aur taaro ne bhi jaana nahi
ke tune mujhe dil diya mera dil de diya mera jeene ka bahana koi aur nahi"

9.) Family relation

i.) Sibling rivalry -- Riya Sen in Jab Saamne tum aa jaate ho by Jagjit Singh and Asha Bhonsle

ii.) Maa -- Euphoria's "Sone de maa" ---Before Kya main Itna Buraa Huun Maan and Lukka Chuppi(from RDB) by Prasoon Joshi , these were some of the best lines written on that atavistic wish which everyone feels after frustrations, struggles of adult life to get back to his childhood, to let someone else care for "aanta, daal ka bhaav", to keep doing what one likes, to just sleep at leisure without the rude alarm clocks waking you up and deadlines to be taken care of, to be simple again, neither to feel pressurized to catch up with workaholics in weekdays nor succumbing to peer pressure of "having to do the in-things" on weekends
"Teri kahaani mein sacchayee jeeti sada,
Tu hi bata maa kya jhootha wo wishwaas tha,
Bikhri kyon maa mere sapna ka sansaar tha,
Lamha-lamha dhokha naya,
Tanha-tanha main thak gaya.
Sone de maa ab na jeena * 4
Sapna jo toota bhi, dekho main roya nahin,
Saaya jo toota bhi, khud ko main bhoola nahin,
Sadiyaan hui tere aanchal mein soya nahi.
Lamha-lamha jeeta jahaan, Tanha-tanha main thak gaya."

10.)Those which defy characterization/ refuse to be slotted

i.) Daku daddy 2008 song featuring Hrishitha Bhatt and Shakti Kapoor

ii.) Aie hip hop hopper tu pyar to kar by Sunidhi 2008

When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine That's amore

Must listen song -"That's Amore" by Dean Martin

song "That's Amore" on wiki

""That's Amore" is a 1952 song by composer Harry Warren and lyricist Jack Brooks. It became a major hit, signature song for Dean Martin in 1953. Amore means "love" in Italian, giving a general translation in English "that's love"."

lyrics of song "That's Amore"

In Napoli where love is king
When boy meets girl here's what they say

When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool
That's amore
When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli
That's amore

(When the moon hits you eye like a big pizza pie
That's amore
When the world seems to shine like you've had too much wine
That's amore
Bells will ring ting-a-ling-a-ling, ting-a-ling-a-ling
And you'll sing "Vita bella"
Hearts will play tippy-tippy-tay, tippy-tippy-tay
Like a gay tarantella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)
That's amore
(When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)
That's amore
Lucky fella

When the stars make you drool just like a pasta fazool)
That's amore
(When you dance down the street with a cloud at your feet
You're in love
When you walk down in a dream but you know you're not
Dreaming signore
Scuzza me, but you see, back in old Napoli)
That's amore, (amore)
That's amore

Madhur Bhandarkar movies

I am back after a month and the main reason why I am writing one day before the Management Accounting paper is this review by Raja Sen (one of my favorite Indian movie critics...one of the few critics who understand Cinema and review it without fear or favor)

Review of "Jail" on Rediff.com by Raja Sen

I remember a year back when Fashion released, I was asked to go for it and I torpedoed the proposal saying I find Madhur Bhandarkar a pretentious director. Mind you, just a few days back I had watched Dil Kabaddi (atrocious copy of Woody Allen's gem "Husband And Wives" with a 100% rottentomatoes rating) and I am the same person who can watch all the eighties formulaic movies on Zee Cinema non-stop. But I find the presumed self-righteousness dripping from his movies, stars fawning over him and media lionizing and anointing him the "New Age Director" just plain nauseating.

 Pray tell me what is his "Claim to This Fame"?

A completely undeserved, fortuitous National Award for Chandani Bar or a highly over-rated Page 3 (though marginally better than others in his so-called "realistic" oeuvre -- Traffic Signal, Fashion, Corporate, Jail).

People say he has the ability to "shock your conscience with his hard-hitting realism". If you are referring to the scenes like actress-art director angle, socialite & foreigners with street children in Page 3 or boy being assaulted in Chandani Bar, I would say either I have a very shock-proof, hardened conscience or you need movies to tell you, "You know dude fashion industry is all dirty..It is about drugs, egos, wardrobe malfunction". Thank You Mr. Madhur. We know that. See, we also read the same newspapers from which you cull the stories. What kind of a shock you are talking about? Only shock I feel is when I see such pedestrian cinema being hailed as "showing new direction" to Bollywood in TV channels and only shock I see is, when in the movie breaks of Page 3, advertisements of Havells Switches "Shock Laga! Shock Laga!!' come :-)

Many people have used this strategy of getting a profession/business/social setting and basing their story on that. But it works when you bring some fresh perspectives, when you do a thorough research on the turmoils, trials and tribulations of the protagonists. When the setup is a part of the story being told, but story is not being told only because there is a setup. See, if you start discussing a movie like Shawshank Redemption with friends, you talk about hope, human determination, cool nonchalant acting of Tim Robbins and, most of all, the felicity with which Bob Gunton has played the part of a disgusting, corrupt, cruel warden.[Just watching him say "I want him found. Not tomorrow, not after breakfast - *now*" after Andy escapes is a moment of joy]

Shawshank on RT
Sahwshank movie quotes on imdb

Movie offers amazing insights in prison life, including how that old man refuses to go out of jail after spending most of his youth because he simply doesn't have anyone to go to. Prison is his home. And then when he is released, he commits suicide. Then you start thinking...then you are shocked...not in that Hila Ke Rakh Diya way, but more subtly because the movie has questioned your basic assumption that everyone inside the prison wants to go out to be free..not true..prison has become such a part of their identity that even when we outsiders can see their loss of freedom, they are either not aware of it or are ready to compromise with the curbs put on their liberty..because they derive their identity from it..because they just can't fit in anywhere else.. If you'll allow me some more minutes of your valuable time, let me say that this is a problem you'll see in many of the arguments or issues concerning India (or World) - Prison is just a metaphor and, in reality, you may be caged because you are born in a particular religion/caste/nation and your have sub-consciously tied your identity so closely with it that any attempt of slightest insult to the symbols of your religion/caste/nation by such insular people from some other religion/caste/nation is met with violent retaliation from your side...Result riots and societal disharmony.

You are more than "I am a Hindu upper caste male from the most advanced city of India belonging to the most upper class by income"...You are what you like, you are what makes you laugh, you are what makes you think, you are what kind of books/movies/music/games/hobbies you prefer, "you are what you think should never be done, what can be 'its chalta hai' and what you will always do" i.e. your values, and of course, you are what makes you angry.

Yes! I am talking about movies which can generate that kind of thinking and not those which resort to cardboard characters, stereotypes to tell us what we already know in the name of hard-hitting cinema..To such filmmakers, please hit me a little more hard. I still can't feel a thing.

And for that you need filmmakers who themselves don't live in their ivory towers surrounded by sycophant actors/actresses trying to get in their good books Just read Mughda Godse's interview on Rediff.com..

Moghda's interview on rediff.com about Jail movie

"Working with the same director on films with different genres is very challenging."

Films with different genres ...LOL.  Excuse Me, Ms. Mughda...Though movies can be vaguely made, words like genre have very specific meaning. Crudely speaking, movies can be comedy, tragedy, action, suspense type -- these are different genres..You don't say different genres to refer to similar documentary style movies made with different settings. Just because you have heard someone to use that word, it doesn't obligate you to use that word without knowing how to use it correctly, right Ma'am?

"And such challenges can be taken up only with directors of Madhur's caliber."

"He is a very fun loving person. Jitne serious inke films hai utna hi funny hai yeh."

Have you noticed how before the release of any of these movies such type of fun stories start spreading in umpteen media interviews given by stars. Oh! fun loving..Is it "Made-up-stories-of-actor/director-playing-silly-pranks-on-heroine-meant-to-be-released-to-news-pr-person-just-before-release-of-movie" wala fun or that cliche "He-works-hard-and-parties-harder" wala fun..Please elaborate

"We just didn't realize when we started shooting the film and when we finished it."
(kucch hona bhi chahiye movie mein realize/yaad rakhne ke liye))

 And if you did not already know, this is Madhur Bhandarkar's movie just before Chandani Bar
movie Trishakti on imdb

Yes, he was/is "that" type of director. And then he gets, to his utmost surprise, a National Award..finds a formula and starts milking it.. Kab tak? kaath ki haandi baar baar nahin chadhti, mere bhai.