Yearend music roundup.

Musically, this was a typical year for Bollywood, a few good releases by A.R.Rahman, Shankar Ehsaan Loy and some good newcomers.

Best Film Album (OST)

This was a tough one, but I think I’ll go with Amit Trivedi for the music of Aamir. Let me defend now.

Jodha Akbar was complex, grand and multi-layered, Slumdog Millionaire was something different from Rahman, Rock On was one of the best albums I heard in quite some time (and if not for Aamir would have been an easy choice), Welcome to Sajjanpur was really melodious but very situational at times and Khuda Ke Liye was a great album overall.

About Aamir, it was earthy, it was simple, it was melodious. Heck, at some points it was so raw that it would make an A.R. Rahman cringe at the sound ! But it was very good music, it was different, it was experimental. I still listen to the songs of Aamir almost daily. The sufi number Ha Raham, the folk and earthy Chakkar Ghumyo, the fast Phas Gaya, the experimental Haara and of course the philosophical Ek Lau, which assumed great significance in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks (lyrics and translation here).

You might also want to listen to this song composed by Amit Trivedi for the Mumbai victims.

Best Non-Film Album

This was me was a contest just between Sonu Nigam’s Classically Mild and Rabbi Shergill’s Avengi Ja Nahin, and it was easy to choose Rabbi (review here). His first album was undoubtedly more catchy but Avengi Ja Nahin was deeper. Every song in this album deserves a proper listen and understanding !

Best Song  : Bilqis (Jinhe Naaz Hai) (review here).

I do not think anyone would dispute this. This song is one of the reasons why music can be powerful yet subtle.

Best Singing Male : Sonu Nigam in Soona Soona (song here).

Sonu Nigam came back with some brilliant singing in a classical album this year and still managed to hold fort as one of the best singers we have.

Best Singing Female : 

I really liked Dominique in Ye Tumhari Meri Baatein from Rock On but I think I will go with Madhushree in Ek Meetha Marz from Welcome to Sajjanpur. I haven’t heard a female playback voice sweeter than hers and you just have to listen to the way she sings this song (that too just one stanza).

Jaane tu ya jaane na review

After a long time, there comes along this good film that is genuinely real and funny at the same time.

Brilliant writing by debutant director Abbas Tyrewala and a long overdue fresh, apt, youthful music by the ever dependable A.R.Rahman. Acting, you could feel the actors’ discomforts on screen, but this is the first time I saw music, good writing and direction actually making up for the acting in several scenes and making winners out of the scenes. To be fully honest, the acting was by no means bad and I can confidently state that Imran can turn out to be the next good star-actor in the Hindi Film Industry after Hrithik Roshan (who has been holding the position for quite a long time now). We also had the more-than-just-dependable Nasseruddin Shah, Ratna Pathak-Shah and Paresh Rawal (brilliant !!) complementing the new actors very well.

What other directors and writers can learn from this movie is that humour has moved on since where it was a decade ago and the writer gets it spot on (© Ravi Shastri) in this movie !

Finally, this movie, with all its flaws, easily beats DCH hands down (to give due credit, DCH held the bastion for 7 long years !!).