DJ Munks.com

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Kunal Kohli has not written, produced or directed a movie in over two years now with Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic being the last one that did well at the box office. A gap of two years..?? Not at all surprising with Kunal because all his movies are done with a gap of 2 years. He does not necessarily always come out with a good final product but Break Ke Baad does look like it could be an entertaining hit at the box office. Directed by Kunal Kohli’s old assistant Danish Aslam making his directorial debut with current Bollywood heartthrobs Imran Khan & Deepika Padukone, this movie sure has the potential and the look to make an impact closer to Christmas this year.

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One of my all time favourite lyricists – Prasoon Joshi is back to mainstream big budget movies after a while. His last big budget movies included Ghajini & Delhi-6 that were fantastic on the music front with Mr. Rahman’s involvement. This time the man with the magic pen teams up with hugely talented Sa Re Ga Ma Pa Singing Superstar boys Vishal Shekhar. They are already on a roll this year with hit soundtracks including I Hate Luv Storys and Anjaana Anjaani. The guys are brilliant and know how to make the hits. With Prasoon Joshi’s lyrics to add on, I have really high expectations from the OST of Break Ke Baad.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Adhoore – Rock star Vishal’s vocals are always a good option for the opening of an album. His vocal texture suits the modern international look going around in Bollywood these days. Supporting him on the mic is Alyssa Mendonsa who does a good job too. The composition & sound of this song is quite similar to Anjaana Anjaani in the main chorus. Did not expect Vishal-Shekhar to run out of ideas. But nonetheless I don’t see the harm in reusing a tested formula that works with some fresh new lyrics by Prasoon Joshi. The lyrics, music & vocals are not path-breaking but the song works and will be heavy on radio. A hit.. not a super hit! 7/10.

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Track 2 – Ajab Leher – A very cool start to the song by funky Sax by Rhys D’souza & electric guitar. It sets the tone for a light fun song with a very catchy element to it. The overall composition & instrumentation of the song is fantastic and very modern American pop jazz. The lyrics are perfectly set in this music. Even though they are fun they still carry a bit of complexity in them that Prasoon delivers fantastically. Neeraj Sridhar’s vocals are banging and cool with backing vocals by Vishal & Shekhar themselves. This is a much better song that does not take long to grow on you. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Dhoop Ke Makaan – If you concentrate on the vocals of this song you will appreciate the sheer talent that Prasoon is. The song is about inspirations & motivation and it does just that to future writers. The music & composition are not aspirational but work for the song. It lacks innovation & feels like Vishal-Shekhar decided to play it safe. Although they do mix a brilliant guitar solo in the 2nd chorus. The vocals are by Shekhar & Sunidhi Chauchan with backing vocals by Caralisa Monteiro & Mikey McCleary. An average song unless you let the vocals inspire you. 7/10.

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Track 4 – Dooriyan Hain Zaroori – Don’t know where I last heard the voice of Monica Dogra Could be a new entry into Bollywood… and quite a pleasant one. She is very good & has a range from a soft voice to that of a rock chick. It takes some talent to stand next to Vishal on a rock song!! She totally has it.. This is a very catch Indian-rock song & could easily rock a venue like Rang Bhavan in Mumbai or a Hard Rock venue in UK. The electric guitar work & solo’s are fantastic. The lyrics and composition are versatile & show the great relationship between Prasoon & Vishal-Shekhar. I recommend this song. 7.5/10.

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Track 5 – Main Jiyoonga – Nikhil D’souza is clearly the best male vocal lead entering into Bollywood this year. With a line up of hits including movies like Aisha, Anjaana Anjaani, Crook & now Break Ke Baad. This time he delivers a theatrical feel good song with some exciting drumming by Mr. Gino Banks himself. Some excellent guitar work again on the music front in a composition that could easily work for a musical theatre show. Some good lyrics to this song as well. It is not your normal big hit song.. but I like it. 7.5/10.

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Track 6 – Don’t Worry About Me – What a song..!! Vishal pushes everyone away on this song. He takes the pen from Prasoon, takes a keyboard & tells Shekhar + musicians to rest the day off.. and also gets up on the mic. The man is brilliant in all the roles on this purely English song. This is not Bollywood anymore and I strongly suggest releasing this song in International markets on your regular English radio channels. It will get lost in India as I know no radio or TV will play it. It is different & not mainstream but I can imagine listening to this on XFM or Heart FM in the UK. A song with true potential. Well done to Vishal!! 7.5/10.

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Track 7 – Adhoore (Remix) – Remixed by Abhijit Vaghani who doesn’t sound like a DJ but sure knows how to rock a club with a proper tune. This is a good remix that I can’t find any reason to criticize. It is not cheesy or sluggish and has a good rhythm to it. It will surely make you dance… and I will surely play it in my sets. This is as good as the original. 7/10.

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Track 8 – Dhoop Ke Makaan (Acoustic) - You have to listen to this song!!! Shekhar has completely redone the vocals and they are simply BRILLIANT!! Plus the guitar work by Hitesh Sonik is exemplary. This is now perhaps the best song on the album and much better than the original. 8.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Quite Good – 7.5/10

Break Ke Baad is a decently good album. It comes in the league of Anjaana Anjaani and is almost similar in many aspects but better in some. It has a similar sound to the music which comes from Vishal-Shekhar but the tone & variety of the album is different which comes from new director Danish Aslam. The types of song in the OST have a good variation to it spanning over different genres. The aspect that this album is very prominently better in is the lyrics that come from the genius of Prasoon Joshi. All the respect to him. Listen to Break Ke Baad and it will grow on you. It has no massive hit song to go by but for the UK audience it sure has something for everyone. OST on T-Series.

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Sikandar seems to be a very offbeat movie with an intense subject to potray. The film is based in the picturesque setup of Kashmir with the sensitive subject of influence of terrorism on school children. Sikandar is a thriller about a school kid who finds a gun lying on the road on way back home & how that changes his full life. This will surely be an intense film & stars Parzun Dastur [Tussi Na Jaao Sardar kid of KKHH.. ] along with Sanjay Suri and R Madhavan. Sikandar is written and directed by Piyush Jha and produced by Sudhir Mishra.

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For such offbeat, intense & small budget movies, the music is usually not much to look forward to. For a non-commercial movie the music will never be commercial !! Plus offbeat movies like this usually use music as a tool to add narrative to the script or use as a background score. Thus the expectations are not sky high. One only expects the music to be soothing, meaningful, have some kind of a narration & with good instrumentation reflecting the culture of the Kashmir valley.

The music of Sikandar has some big names associated with it including the likes of Prasoon Joshi and Shankar Ehsaan Loy. Lets find out what the album truly delivers…

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Dhoop Ke Sikke – It is said that superstar lyricist Prasoon Joshi saw this movie and was so inspired that he went home & wrote a lovely poem. Producer Sudhir Mishra loved it soo much that he decided to use it as a song in the movie. Shankar Ehsaan Loy worked on the music .. and the final outcome was this song in the voices of Shankar Mahadevan & Anusha Mani.

The song is true to the hype as the SEL boys always make magic when with Prasoon.. like they did when they made Maa for Taare Zameen Par. The lyrics are brilliant and the music has the soothe touch to a soft rock rhythm. The lyrics sum the scenic beauty of Kashmir with suttle references while it talks majorly about the innocence of a child and how the society influences their future. It sure is a good listen & I love the start with Anusha’s vocals. 8.5/10 .

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Track 2 – Gulon Mein (Serene  Version) – This kind of an OST would sound incomplete without the vocal touch of Mohit Chauhan [last heard on Masakali from Delhi-6] . The lyrics of Neelesh Misra are truly serene. They are deep, touching and thought provoking. The music by Justin-Uday is soft and easy to the ears. Its majorly acoustic with some great guitar work. A must listen track all in all as Mohit pulls the spot light off Shankar from track 1. 8.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Arzoo (Naat) – This is a traditional song sung in a purely religious style by a village boy named Mehrajuddin from Aru in Jummu & Kashmir. His style portrays raw talent and has the depth & recitation style of the mountain valleys. There is no music & his vocals carry the track thru for 2 minutes in style. 7/10 just for this tenagers voice.

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Track 4 – Allah Hoo – Justin-Uday are on a roll here and show their true talent after giving music for Hijack. Allah Hoo is a true Sufi ambient track. The music is simple & thus pure and soothing to the ear. I cannot imagine the music to be any better on this composition than it already is. They let the vocals by Yash Narvekar and Hrishikesh Kamerkar do all the talking and they do it in style. These 2 new singers are here to stay as no music instrument is better than the human voice. They both are gifted. Must mention lyricist Kumaar does an excellent job as well. Simple.. but Great listen !! – 7.5/10 .

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Track 5 – Gulon Mein (Upbeat Version) – The lyrics by Neelesh Misra have a different voice this time with KK giving it a rock touch that he brings with him to most of his tracks. The vocals are average though. Sandesh Shandilya [who's previous work includes movies like Chameli & K3G] does a decent job but nothing extra ordinary or worth noticing. Is he loosing his touch..? But thank God he has kept it simple and not made a remix out of it.. The upbeat version is not really upbeat except for the soft rock composition style. 6.5/10 .

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Track 6 – Manzaraat – Finally we get a Kashmiri song in theme with movie but the sound is totally different than the soft rock & sufi feel in the album so far. It sure adds variety to the OST but fails to impress as Shilpa Rao’s vocals, Justin-Uday’s music & Kumaar’s lyrics are all average. At times it sounds like Bhumro but doesn’t get close to the quality of that song. 6/10 .

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Track 7 – Chaal Apni – This is a romantic upbeat number with a Kashmiri compositional touch again to a modern digital beat. I would have called it to be average but the more I have heard it, the more I have started dis-liking it. I have come to a point where I can’t stand it. The music by Justin-Uday just doesn’t work and the singers Hamsika Iyer & Hrishikesh Kamerkar fail to impress here. Please end the album at track 6. 4.5/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Niche, Average – 6.5/10 .

As expected, it is not an OST for the masses but for the niche classes who enjoy sufi, lounge and soft rock. I would give it a higher rating & call it “Above Average” but the OST lacks any kind of commercial value and stays totally focused around the script of the movie. But the songs are good individually. The lyrics are deep and beautiful for the first few tracks. The singing renditions are brilliant by the maestros. Buy this album if you like to experiment with your music and like the calm of chillout music. If you are a commercial junkie.. then stay away from this soundtrack.. !!

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You can’t imagine how high my expectations were from this movie!!!

Nikhil Advani made hits like Kal Ho Na Ho & Salaam-E-Ishq and then got down to making Chandni Chowk to China… Ashutosh Gowarikar made Lagaan & then made Swades [although a good movie but not successful at the box office]… Pridarshan made Hulchul & then made a list of crap movies…

Dint expect Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra to follow this trend !!!

Rang De Basanti was epic, the trailers of Delhi-6 looked great, the storyline seemed unusual, the cast is good.. but the movie is a TOTAL DISAPPOINTMENT.. !!

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PLOT

Waheeda Rehman is in USA with her Hindu son who married a Muslim girl & then moved to USA. She is sick & does not have long to live. She wishes to come back to her old house in the nooks of Chandni Chowk in Delhi. Her grandson Abhishek Bachchan offers to bring her back. He’s never been to India & is welcomed by the locals in the typical loving way. Stars like Rishi Kapoor, Om Puri, Divya Dutta, Atul Kulkarni, Vijay Raaz, Aditi Rao, Prem Chopra & many more are the locals of this Delhi-6 area. Also here is wannabe Indian Idol Sonam Kapoor in a conservative family with a dad who wants to marry her off soon against her will. A mixture of stories start sprawling around Abhishek as he sees the day-to-day life of India. He appreciates how everyone gets together for every little thing here & how they are all one big family. He is starting to love the people & the surroundings. But then to break the bubble, a local pest known as “Kaala Bandar” is causing panic which eventually leads to unrest & finally communal riots. Abhishek tries to be a mediator but is shunned out every time. He is about to leave the country when he has a change of heart & decides to stay and help ‘his own people’.

I’ll leave the part of ‘how he helps’ for you to see if you ever decide to watch this bore…

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REVIEW

If you were expecting a new story and genre of cinema then you were right in doing so. This movie does deliver that to be frank… but in a very boring, slow and un-slick style. The script is interleaved with a number of parallel stories running together. The stories are not confusing but there is barely any continuity. You won’t really enjoy the flow of this movie. It’s slow and not crisp at all. It does not build up on the graph nor does it keep you engrossed.

The innovative story idea goes to a total waste due to over ambitious aims of the production team. The whole Kaala Bandar concept is sooooooo rubbish & cheesy.. and highly overdone!!  The performances are decent but yet again none so outstanding or captivating. Abhishek is the main face of the movie and is in almost every scene. He does a good job but yet you won’t take much notice of his work due to crappy story telling style. Soonam is cute and good only in the Masakali song. Rest is average cause she barely has a few lines ..

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HIGHLIGHTS OF THE MOVIE

- Music is the best thing about this movie.

- Guest appearance by Amitabh Bachchan.

- Good job by Abhishek Bachchan throughout the movie.

- Sonam is cute & charming mainly in the Masakali song.

- Good story but told in the most obsolete & boring way. The way Mehra has shown how the society works and how the irrelevant things become big in India is true to its depiction.

- The idea of Delhi moving in New York is quite cool in the song Dil Gira Dafatan.

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LOWLIGHTS OF THE MOVIE

- Very slow flow to the movie.

- Not at all engrossing & captivating. You are not looking forward to anything in the movie.

- The Kaala Bandar funda is way overdone and very cheesy.

- No glamour or show off. [That's a relief for a change though.. ]

- The songs are so good that Mr. Director decided to run the full movie using those songs as background scores. There is barely any other background score at all in the movie.

- The sound design and sound effects are absolutely hopeless throughout the movie. They completely ruin the experience.

- The overall post-production on the visuals, sound & edit is quite bad.

- There is major use of evident green screening for a lot of shots. Looks really bad.

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FINAL WORD

I think I have been extremely critical to the movie in my review above.. that’s because I had really high expectations from it… So lets tone down.. Be fair and neutral..

Overall Average – 5/10 .

This movie is a classic example of what you can call a drag.. Also an example of how poor post-production can ruin a good story with fairly good performances. Try not to fall asleep when you see this. And if you have any expectations.. please leave them at home..

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The first insight I got about the music of Delhi-6 was in an interview with lyricist Prasoon Joshi when talking to him about the music of Ghajini. I had asked him what the chemistry is like between him and Mr. Rahman. All he said was, “We are working together on the music of a movie called Delhi-6. Listen to that and you will know”. I think for any music lover that one line wraps up anticipation and expectations !!

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Last time the team of Rakeysh Omprakash Mehra, Prasoon Joshi and A. R. Rahman got together one of India’s most acclaimed and highest grossing movie was made with the name Rang De Basanti (RDB). The music of that movie made an equal impact and touched/inspired millions.

Blessed are these three and Thank you to them for creating Delhi-6 for I have not heard anything like this in an era. Just when you feel Prasoon cant get better with the pen (after Maa & Guzarish) and Rahman has delivered his best ( with Ghajini, Jaane Tu.. ya Jaane Na, Slumdog Millionaire ) , Mr. Mehra steps in and inspires a creative epic in the form of Delhi-6.

The music touches different aspects of Delhi and its life in romance, faith, beauty, fun and classical tradition. Bollywood has a growing obsession with Delhi and especially Chandni Chowk area of old Delhi ( Oye lucky.. lucky oye, Chandni Chowk to China ). For those who dont know, the “6” in the title refers to the pincode of the Chandni Chowk area in Delhi and so the music revolves around the lifestyle of that area.

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REVIEW

Everyone in India knows about the musical brilliance of A R Rahman. People in UK know about that too through his musicals like Lord of the Rings and Bombay Dreams. Now.. the whole world knows about his capabilities with his current rise to fame as being the first Indian to win the Golden Globe for the soundtrack of Slumdog Millionaire. Rahman proves with Delhi-6 that he can outdo his own self !!

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Track 1 – Masakali – Truly innovative, harmonic and melodious in all possible ways. Usually songs that come at the start of the year fade out of our memory by the year end when you get to judge the best songs of the year. I am very sure Masakali will not just remain fresh in our minds but will also win that best song title !! The lyrics are truly fun and the work of a genius. You would expect such lyrics from the old guru’s like Javed Akhtar or Gulzar. But young Prasoon Joshi proves that linguistic and poetic abilities have not faded in our generation.

Cant praise Mohit Chauhan’s vocals enough. He makes this song what it is !! Deep and soulful. Rahman does his magic with a superb Bass guitar work with Harmonica, Bongo’s, Ghattam, Accordion and an amazing classical style violin orchestra. The music creates an atmo-fun-sphere around you in which you can visualise the carefree attitude of the characters. You wont find anything missing or expect anything more out of this song – 10/10 .

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Track 2 – Arziyan – I am a big fan of Javed Ali’s singing abilities ( Jashn-e-Bahara, Guzarish, Ek Din teri rahon mein, Nagaada nagaada ). He prove’s it yet again why. This time he has Kailash Kher for company. Rahman goes back on the lines of his typical Islamic Sufi religious songs like Khawaja Mere Khawaja & Piya Haji Ali. This time only better. This 9 minute long song is serene and pious. It will make you believe in the power of simple music and gratitude to God and you won’t come to know where 9 minutes have passed. Tabla, harmonium, and bass are the simple ingredients that make this a perfect combination with Prasoon’s amazing lyrics. Truely soul touching 8.5/10 .

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Track 3 – Dilli-6 – Remember ‘Khalbali Hai Khalbali’ in RDB ? This title track takes you right there. The song is very cool & groovy. A variety of singers including Blaaze, Benny & Tanvi add the extra zing factor to the track. It also has French vocals provided by Viviane and Claire. I don’t remember when was the last time a Bollywood music director decided to add a French touch to they soundtrack. There are certain things only Rahman can do !! Lyrics are plain and ordinary. This song is for it’s youthful cool quotient and not it’s deep lyrical factor. 7.5/10 .

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Track 4 – Rehna Tu – A Rahman OST is never complete without a song in his own voice. Especially if it is a romantic one… This composition could have been used by any International band and delivered a worldwide hit with it. The song is truly Global and unique. It even breaks into an Arabic style chorus in between and Karnatic towards the end. It has Rahman written all over it.. It’s all him.. !!

If you can manage to get your attention off Rahman’s sublime and suttle vocals then listen to the lyrics. I think they are better than those of Guzarish. One can play this song and make anyone fall in love with them.. Romantic at it best – 9/10 .

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Track 5 – Hey Kaala Bandar – I dont get this track and don’t know why it’s there on the OST… Perhaps the only disappointing track on this CD   Lyrics are crooked with crap English rap. Music is stylish but not enough. Plus it has inspired parts from Yuvraaj’s ‘Dil Ka Rishta’ song. Vocals by Karthik, Naresh, Srinivas and Bony are good but don’t stand out. We need to wait and watch how this song is placed in the movie. Might make more sense then.. For now lets ignore it. 5/10 .

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Track 6 – Dil Gira Dafatan – Rahman is known to introduce new singers all the time. But this time he plays a gamble with singer Ash King. He gives him brilliant romantic lyrics but barely any music.. relying all the way on his vocal delivery. Does it work?? It sure does.. It’s Rahman & Prasoon backing Ash after all. His voice has a deep classical and vintage Bollywood texture that I simply love. At the start, the ‘Dil Mera’ chanting itself makes a lasting impression and sets the tone for the rest of the song.

Lyrics are as good as Track 4 Rehna Tu. The orchestration, altough minimal, is the best I have heard in a long time. The violin’s & spanish guitar just take you away on a journey. The composition is simply brilliant. Put this song on repeat – 9/10 .

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Track 7 – Genda Phool – This short track has some of the best classical female voices of the present time. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit and V.N Mahathi contribute to this shocking song. Why shocking?? The song opens to Rekha’s folk rustic vocals and then just out of nowhere a brilliant funky beat kicks in leaving you stunned !!! Is there any style or musical trick Rahman can’t execute ?? This time Rajat Dholakia adds to the composition making it a ‘out of the box’ track. Perfect for wedding Mehndi functions. I can’t get enough of this 8.5/10 .

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Track 8 – Bhor Bhaye – A pure classical track has not been heard in any Bollywood OST for years now. Rahman brings the magic back in it’s purest form. I am trained in classical music and I assure you the Thumri Gujri Todi is not easy to deliver.. and nor is what Rahman has managed to deliver here with a perfect transition and mix of the original recording by Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan and the new breath-taking rendition by Shreya Ghoshal. Kudos to her for making this sound effortless and truly Hindustani classical.

Prasoon Joshi shocks us here with his talent and knowledge of Indian music and poetry. He has written additional lyrics to a decades old classical piece maintaining it’s true flavour. Love the Tabla and Harmonium on this track. I can’t imagine the time Rahman and his team must have spent on cleaning up the original recording for today’s clear digital release. The mix sounds perfect !! This track should be used as a case study in Sound Engineering courses… A masterpiece – 9.5/10 .

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Track 9 – Aarti (Tumre Bhavan Mein) – Sitar, timbals and voice. This combination has been the highlight of religious classical music in India for centuries. Rahman brings back his ‘O Palanhare’ formula from ‘Lagaan’ only this time to traditional lyrics and composition. Rekha Bharadwaj, Sujata Majumdar, Shrradha Pandit & Kishori Ashok Gowariker render this Hindu Aarti in its purest form. You can’t help but feel overwhelmed in these 3 minutes. 8.5/10 .

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Track 10 – Noor – Amitabh Bachchan features to wrap up this album with a monologue poem. It does not have to be music all the time. Some times words say it all. This 50 second piece talks about Love for that one special person who you see everywhere and in everything. 8/10 .

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FINAL WORD

Brilliant – 9/10 .

I recommend tracks 1, 2, 3… Damn.. chuck it.. I RECOMMEND THE FULL ALBUM.. !! Please go buy it.. It’s worth every penny. True to all expectations and a must have in every music lovers collection. The album is a genius musically, lyrically, vocally and even as far as the engineering goes. Big up Rahman, Prasoon Joshi and Omprakash Mehra for brining it all together !!!

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