Raanjhanaa | Analysis Of Best Film Of 2013 | Blue Notebook

There was a little discussion on facebook and offline on how a film like Raanjhanaa whose mere selection was debated with some heat, won the best film of 2013 at Blue Notebook. Simple answer – it was an audience poll. But why audience appreciated it over films with more substance? Raanjhanaa was definitely one of the better made films but was it the best? Maybe it was because it was a perfect blend of everything a film demands.

Raanjhanaa might not be the best album from ARR’s catalogue but some of the songs were right there in most loved songs of the year. Songs like Banarasiya and Tum Tak were character driven and brought up the individual elements of the character. On the other hand songs like Piya Milenge and Tu Man Shudi were situation driven and pushed the story well. Piya Milenge had the haunting feel which made audience nervous to the core. The folk and classical blend in the musical was perfect manifestation of Benaras.

Story was developed in two parts – both sort of coming of age tales. First story was about innocent one sided love where the lover feels cheated brutally by the girl. He acts on whim and causes catastrophe. Second story is where the lover matures and faces his mistake in the hard way. His act of penance might seem foolish to people, it bring about the conclusion. In the end, the lover, still very much in love, is tired of the pursuit. Somehow, it reminded me of climax of Gone With The Wind.

Performances of different characters, with special mention for the side characters, were top notch. Only exception was a little broken but still her best ever – in Sonam Kapoor who played the lead lady. In cameo Abhay Deol nailed the role. Zeeshan and Swara were immaculate in their interpretation of characters. These two characters alone worth a re-watch. However, the USP of the film was Dhanush who played a Tamil Brahmin born and brought up in Benaras. His accent had the Tamil feel and somehow it worked for the character. He nailed almost each scene of the film.

As a package, Raanjhanaa was able to attract class and mass alike. For Hindi belt watching a Tamil star speaking chaste Hindi was a delight. Arguments will be there in favor of other films but still it was hardly a wrong choice.  

Raanjhnaa – Music Review

AR Rahman is ready to top the charts with this new album. Personally, I was too dissatisfied after Jab Tak hai Jaan, but this one showcases his exclusive musical style again.  As the setting of the movie is in the holy but musical city of Benaras, which has given many best classical musicians to the country, the album is an amalgamation of classical music with western touch.

Banarasiya, the name itself has the classical vibe in it and so does the song. The instruments (flute, table) are beautifully used and Shreya Ghoshal’s voice has sweetness to it, indulging you to hum with her. Benaras being my hometown, I was too expectant from this song and thus the lyrics let me down.

Piya Milenge, takes and awesome start and the Sufi touch adds to the romantic though melancholy mood. This can be an apt choice for a repetitive playlist. Sukhwinder Singh has done justice to the mood, but the chorus is the one adding power to the song.

Tum Tak, left me with a mixed feeling. This is probably among those songs which grow on you with time. I will give it an edge and probably another chance.

Nazar Laaye, has some kind of 90’s pop album feel. The music sounds similar to the previous song and hence a sense of repetitiveness makes you not to enjoy the song much. Neeti Mohan has done a better job than Rashid Ali.

Raanjhana, is my favorite in the album. The blend of classical and fast pace is awesome. Jaswinder Singh has done a great job and with his voice you too can relate emotionally to the song.

Tu Man Shudi, takes a wonderful start and has the potential to be the best soundtrack in the album. But alas, soon it seems to be dragging and Rabbi is putting a lot too much effort to cope up with Rahman.

Aye Sakhi, brings back the classical vibe  singers adding an extraordinary melody to the song. I am not sure who added the innovation of “tyun tyun” after every stanza, I simply did not understand its purpose. A near miss to be a perfect song.

Aise Na Dekho, is a jazzy romantic number. Little slow but enjoyable.

All in all, I will say, its a typical AR Rahman album !! This is a good one, but yes, not his best. I am awaiting for another Roja / Dil Se / Saathiya.

Written by Neha Jain.

#Oscar Results | Fall Of The Legend | Cine Talk

True Grit stood by the meaning of its name though lost the race. Ten nominations without winning even one honor; though that hardly makes it any lesser gem. True Grit won hearts… but failed to get the big one… as a matter of fact, any of them. This news robbed peace of many minds and many more disagree with the results of Academy Awards. Big movies like Inception, The Social Network and The King’s Speech grabbed respectively 4, 3 and 4 Oscars providing some nail-biting moments in the Kodak Theatre.

This Oscars would be remembered as one of the closely contested Academy nights. Never had the viewers been so divided in their opinion. While Inception and TSN relied more on the technology, True Grit and TKS relied more on the content (symbolically; Inception and TSN had great content too but they represent technology advancements). The big honors, i.e. Best Picture and Best Director both went to TKS leaving behind disappointed fans of True Grit, Inception, TSN, The Fighter and Black Swan. However, except True Grit, fans of all of these had some better moments. Black Swan got Best Actress. The Fighter got both Actress and Actor in Supporting Role. Inception and TSN ruled the technical awards. The lone loser was True Grit. It had many nominations yet failed to convert any of them. May be this was the real test of the grit.

Brilliantly made Inception won over its strengths. It won honors for Visual Effects, Sound (Mixing, editing) and Cinematography. Personally, I don’t agree with the last one. The Social Network grabbed three Oscars. As expected it grabbed the honor for Best Editing and Writing (Adapted Screenplay) and surprised with the Music (Original Score) Nomination. Many expected 127 Hours to make a mark. Pixar’s Toy Story-3 also bagged two honors.

Rahman failed to impress the Jury. That could have been a high for Indian Cinema. When Slumdog Millionaire bagged 8 Oscars, many hailed it as a victory of Bollywood over Hollywood as the movie was almost a typical Bollywood movie save for the packaging it had. Rahman’s victory with 127 Hours would have cemented it. Anyways… better luck next time…

High: Victory of ‘God Of love’ in Short Film Category.

Low: Many… for me… Rahman failing in getting the Oscar.

Written By: Sujoy Ghosh

Raavan Movie Review | Critique

Rating -2/5 stars

Often comes a movie, that makes you feel the rush of excitement before you enter the cinema. But when you come out you feel disappointed. Raavan made me feel the same thing. The premise of the film is not without promise but the execution is silly to say the least.

For example, if Govinda plays modern day Hanuman, does he have to fly over trees? Does Abhishek Bachchan have to do his stupid jhak-jhak-jhak act to tell us he is crazy (and frankly it doesn't work)? Does Aishwarya Rai have to say the corny line to Vikram, "Get a good mahurat and kill off this Raavan"? Do the characters have utter the word raavan every half an hour? This are the kind of things that come to your mind when you are watching. In some scenes it seems difficult to believe Mr. Ratnam directed this movie. AR Rahman's music has been wasted songs at times seem forced

Abhishek Bachchan clearly does not fit in to the role of Beera for most parts. Aishwarya Rai is good in parts, but her dressing corners on vulgar at times. Vikram, ah! He is the only saving grace of the film, He plays Ram with negative shades. The fact is he seems more menacing than Abhishek in whole of the film which should have been other way round. I seriously wish to see the other version in which Vikram plays Raavan, He has an excellent screen presence. Govinda and Ravi Kishan are good but they too overacted in some scenes, especially Govinda.The actress who plays Supnakha has performed excellent in every shot she is in.

"So, is there not anything good in this movie?" you may ask. Thankfully the answer is no. The cinematography is excellent. Though design of Beera's den did remind me of Cuppola's "Apocalypse Now" starring Marlon Brando. Set design is superb. The are scenes that have the spark of Mani's brilliance. The scenes of married Vikram and Aishwarya have that physical chemistry, as it should be between to people in love. The scenes in which Abhishek lusts for Aishwarya have immense sexual tension

There are some diamonds in Raavan but they are buried into much rubble to make any difference.

P.S. Every film this yearfor which we have waited has disappointed. Lets hope rest of the year does not disappoint. (But when Anurag Basu and Mani Ratnam fail then there isn't much left to expect right?)

Written By Ali Naqvi

Raavan by A R Rahman | Music Review

I dont know if its destiny or pure coincidence that I am coming back on ReelMag reviewing my favorite, A.R.Rahman's work , that too for Maniratnam, which is ofcourse not by chance that His best music has been reserved for him. It’s largely traditional folk-based music, with a modern touch but it will take time to grow on you.

1. Beera : Congo beats welcome you to the world of Beera, the main character. Lyrics by Gulzar are situational and might be more appreciated after the release of the movie. Singing by Vijay, Mustafa are first class with vocals by Keerthi adding drama to the track. A typical Rahman’s experimental with fusion of Indian and Afro music.


2. Behne de : A slow start song, but as it gains pace, oozes melody from start to end. Gulzar’s striking metaphors are a treat to listen to and visualize. Karthik has given his best performance ably supported by Mohamed Irfan.

3. Thok de Khilli : A mixing pot of dholaks, guitars & shenai, takes a start as a dance number. Sukhwinder Singh adding his exotically rich voice and energy with an Arabic essence in the in-between phrases. But not a hit in the offering.

4. Ranjha Ranjha : My favorite in album, fusion of peppy modern beats and traditional folk. Rekha Bharadwaj’s sufi type chanting of "Ranjha Ranjha" is phenomenal blended very well with Javed Ali’s voice and amazingly written lyrics by Gulzar.The richness of Rahman’s music is undescribable.

5. Khilli Re : The only romantic track in album. It is a mix of contemporary music with retro, quite reminiscent of the 80s romantic songs. Lyrically it has nothing special to offer but melodiously crooned by the first-timer Reena Bhardawaj.

6. Kata Kata : A distinct Rajasthani folk has the essence of euphoria with layer upon layer of mind-boggling notes. The multi-faceted singers energize the song, thanks to the folksy lyrics.

Raavan music has variety, class and rustic flavor that deserves repeated listening to be fully appreciated. But one thing, which never before happened with Rahman, that some songs have some similarity to one of his previous compositions, Ranjha – Maiya (guru), Kata – Azeem o shaan (jodha akbar), Behne de – Tu meri (jaane tu).
 
Written By: Neha Jain

Couple's Retreat | Music Review

How often do you get to hear Tamil song playing in a Hollywood soundtrack? Don’t believe me;?just get hold of album “Couples Retreat”, the track

Here's what i thought of tracks of the album:
“Kuru kuru” would be a treat for you this Diwali, brought to you by A R Rahman in his Hollywood debut. It’s a really addictive track with the Tamil lyrics tuned in complete Hollywood style.

The next track “Undress” is the prettiest ‘jugalbandhi’ work that any music lover would’ve heard. Mrindangam & Veena take a start blending into sync-base.

“Salvadore” is superb fusion of Hindustani tarana with Latin instrumentation. You may find similarity to some of Rahman’s previous hindi scores.

Next surprise comes your way in form of “Sajna re”. No dear, it has English lyrics, with Rahman’s idea of adding a Hindi word to it. The lyrics are mesmerizingly touching with crystal-chimes accompanying them. You can find it’s instrumental in same album as “Tour of Villas”.

A hip hop number “Nana” with lot of tribal words is enjoyable and you can’t resist tapping along with tune. I read somewhere that Rahman’s son Alim has also given voice in this song.

“Jason and Cynthia Suite” on the other hand begins on a more solemn note but changes to a more folksy segment in the end. One can see Rahman employing his entire orchestral splendor.

“Meeting Marcel” and “Sharks” are two instrumental tracks with almost same notes, I guess people with taste of classics will only love them.

“Animal Spirits” is a blend of theme and ‘villas’, you may skip it. “Itinerary” is just a background track, I feel, it shouldn’t have been included in the CD. But, the maestro roars again with “Intervention”, marked by its orchestral opulence and Rahman’s soulful humming. John O’Brien’s sole score for the movie, “Luau” is a Hawaiian song, which can be given a chance.

The album has more instrumentals than songs, hence not made for masses, but yet one can’t afford to miss Sajna, Kuru and Salvadore.

Written by Neha Jain.

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