DJ Munks.com

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Sanjay Leela Bhansali is a class apart. You have to admit that when you read names like Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam & Black next to his name credits. The man is an artistic genius and his vision & direction is exemplary. The colours, cinematography, artistic camera work, fantastic performances with a good story are some of his strongest points that he brings to the table. Guzaarish looks to be another classic piece of work from him starring supremely talented actors Hrithik Roshan & Aishwarya Rai Bachchan in the lead roles. It shows similarities to Black in look & the disability concept where Hrithik is a disabled magician now pleading to be put to death. The concept is very interesting and I am sure the movie is the one to watch for at least excellent direction & acting by both the stars.. if nothing more.

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Ronnie Screwvala usually always spends his money wisely. Co-producing a movie like Guzaarish under the UTV banner is a big risk in a market that is recovering from recession & thus not taking risks with non-mainstream movies. He must have immense confidence & faith in the script of the movie and most importantly in Sanjay.

Sanjay has taken multiple roles in this movie.. Producer, Director being his usual roles.. but he is the music director for the first time for a full OST. He has done this before in his last movie where he successfully created a massive hit with his first composition – ‘Thode Badmash‘ from the movie Saawariya. He has now composed the full OST of Guzaarish with no help except for the lyrics of Vibhu Puri & A. M. Turaz. You ofcourse don’t know these 2 names as Vibhu is a newcomer and Turaz has never made a hit song in his 3 year career so far.

I am quite excited to hear this OST and see if Sanjay can bring the same emotions, his classic unique style & untapped vision in the aural domain as he quiet easily delivers these characteristics in the visual domain.

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REVIEW

Track 1 – Guzaarish – In his first project Sanjay has decided to at least play safe with his singers and use his most reliable vocalists who have delivered hits on his past projects. He gave K K his big break & K K gave him Tadap Tadap in HDDCS which is by far one of the most powerful songs in Bollywood & one of the most difficult songs to sing. But KK takes a rather softer touch to his vocals in this song. He gave Shail Hada his big break in Sawariya and he is here too but contributing mainly with background vocals. The lyrics by Turaz are brilliant. The song is purely artistic & theatrical with clear sad elements. Violins by Suresh Lalwani are just brilliant with some excellent guitar work. Kudos to Sanjay for the composition in the opening track. Watch out.. this song almost makes you cry. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Sau Gram Zindagi – The piano melody at the start of the song sets the tone of the song with the soothing voice of Kunal Ganjawala. The vocals are good and brings out a different aspect of Kunal’s performance capabilities but it is not the best of him. But the choice of taking him is evident as there are English lyrics towards the end and Kunal does them very well like many of his other songs. The whistling is great too & adds more definition to the song. The song is a recipe in a sing song fashion and explains the main characteristics of 100 grams of life. Very well & carefully written by Vibhu Puri. The orchestration in the second bridge is of Rahman calibre and shows the amount of effort & detail Sanjay has put in doing his first music OST. The overall composition is almost like a ghazal. I still love it. 7.5/10.

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Track 3 – Tera Zikr – I would like to credit musician Tapas Roy who plays the Odu on this track almost effortlessly. The music in the first 30 seconds of this number is very exciting and truly innovative in the Kashmiri style of music. The arrangement by Sanjay is fresh & noteworthy for any aspiring musician. Shail Hada finally gets his song as the main vocalist and he does not disappoint at all. It is almost like you have been waiting for him. He literally makes you welcome him. This song is probably now one of my all time favourites!! It is a piece of genius. The lyrics by Turaz are absolutely simple but gorgeous. I could kiss his hands for writing this song. You will fall in love with it. These lyrics make Shail’s job very difficult & you thus have to applaud his work when you have heard the full song. The instrumentation variety & arrangement is fabulous. A very unique set of instruments blend together over different ranges taking your mind & heart up the mountains. Even the use of Rakesh Pandit’s high pitch voice is a perfect fit to the song. I cannot find enough words to prise this song. Must hear!! 10/10.

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Track 4 – Saiba – After the Kashmiri mountains Sanjay now takes us to Goa & it’s Portuguese musical heritage. The Spanish guitar & bongo-Congo arrangements with Accordion give a good variety & range to the OST so far. The vocals by Vaibhavari Joshi, Fancois Castellino & Shail Hada are good for this Goan style of song. The lyrics are average & thus so the overall composition of the song. It is simple & thus nothing much worth noticing except the instrumentation. You can miss this & you won’t miss much. 6/10.

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Track 5 – Jaane Kiske Khwaab – This is very short & sweet song. It says a lot with a beautiful concept in a matter of 3 minutes with K K’s vocals. An acoustic guitar, cymbals & piano are all to accompany him. The words by Turaz are simply beautiful and touching. They say a lot in a few lines. The composition by Sanjay is good. A good listen. 7/10.

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Track 6 – Udi – This is a situation party song again with a Spanish dance music inspired tune. Probably used for one of magical performances situation in the movie. The rhythm is a good mix of Goan & Spanish musical styles but lacks the click factor to catch on. You won’t latch onto this song & sing along. The vocals by Sunidhi are good but do not show her full potential and talent. Lyrics by Turaz are average. 6/10.

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Track 7 – Keh Na Sakoon – This is another acoustic guitar & piano based song with very soft vocals by Shail Hada. The artistic flavour of this song is again in its composition & lyrics. “Keh Na Sakoon main itna pyaar, seh na sakoon itna pyaar.. itna pyaar karta hoon“. Such a deep & beautiful thought penned by late Jagdish Joshi & Vibhu Puri. The sad & loving expression is well reciprocated in the vocals and music of this song. The piano work by Jarvis Menezes is excellent. 7.5/10.

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Track 8 – Chaand Ki Katori – You will immediately notice the powerful & classical vocal style of Harshdeep Kaur make an impression on you. Her vocals go to a higher pitch with every line of the lyrics. She hits every note perfectly & then eases into the next note pitch. The vocals are very beautiful. The lyrics by Vibhu Puri are deep and very interesting. Concentrate on every word and you will notice the different aspects about life that Vibhu has covered in this song. Musically Sanjay uses a deep bass Flugel horn which I don’t think I have ever heard in a Bollywood song. It fits in very well with the vibe of the song. Great arrangement. 7.5/10.

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Track 9 – Daayein Baayein – Another K K song with lyrics by Turaz. Unlike most sad songs in this OST so far, this song takes you to a happier place under the sun. It does not have the dark indoor musical feel which comes with a good amount of strings and high pitch K K voice. The lyrics are happy & talk about happy lovely memories. Very good variation to the OST but as a standalone song it is not the best or a catch number. It is quiet average. 7/10.

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Track 10 – Dhundli Dhundli – The album ends with a very different and poetic song. It is still very artistic in every aspect and is also situational to the movie. The pitch keeps rising as this song has the pleasure of Shankar Mahadevan’s voice with some high pitch violin. The lyrics by Turaz are very well framed to the situation and are a story in itself. Musically this is a big violin orchestra work. Sanjay has conducted and executed it a perfectly grand and intricate style. This is a very well thought and well executed song. It has a system & different levels that it reaches on the music & the vocals. It is not a job of an amateur but a genius. 7.5/10.

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FINAL WORD

Very Good – 7.5/10

Sanjay Leela Bhansali likes to do things in an artistic larger than life way and this is very clearly noticeable in his music as well. For a first time music director he has done a fantastic job. You can easily compare the music of Guzaarish to international world music albums and you will not be able to undermine Sanjay’s work. He truly has the calibre to be the next Rahman.

What this OST & Sanjay’s style lacks is mainstream variety in the music styles. Whether he is capable of producing something like that is what needs to be seen to make him the next Rahman in Bollywood land. His attempt in Guzaarish is purely situational and is quite versatile within that domain. He does not explore beyond that. Most songs are average as they are within the same delivery style and thus limited. But there is definitely no bad song in there.

The vocal performances by K K & Shail Hada are the highlights with some phenomenal lyrics by Turaz and Vibhu Puri. Both should have really bright futures from hereon. I also have to give credit and mention all the musicians of Guzaarish as the instrumental work is very good. Sanjay deserves all the credit for managing this to the dot. For sure buy the album available on T-Series.

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Dharma, Sony and UTV Motion pictures come together for Mr. Karan Johar to do a remake of Stepmom!! Why why why..! Lol.. I am only kidding. I do understand that really good English movies don’t quite reach Indian villages and the people who don’t speak English, but then this movie is nearly worthless for the International Bollywood fans. Thus for the UK Bollywood fans all there is left to see in We Are Family are the performances of Kajol, Kareena and Arjun Ramphal with debutant director Siddharth Malhotra’s vision.

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“Ain’t no mountain high.. ain’t no valley low.. ain’t no river wide enough baby..

If you need me call me.. no matter where you are .. no matter how far.. no problem baby”

We don’t have Marvin Gaye in We Are Family but we certainly do have the best of Shankar Ehsaan Loy on the music with Irshad Kamil and Anvit Dutt writing the lyrics. What I am curious to find out if the OST of We are Family has any inspirations from the Stepmom OST as that truly is some soundtrack. Let us hit play and find out what this 10 track album has in store.. (last 4 songs are bonus songs so lets check out the first 6 for We are Family)

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Track 1 – Aankhon Mein Neendein – The song opens with what you would imagine coming out of the Aisha soundtrack with serious similarities until Rahat Fateh Ali Khan & Shreya Ghoshal’s soulful voices fill your ears. The arrangement of the song is catchy at the start but then goes into sounding like an average Bollywood song. Some good instruments used like the mouth organ solo. The overall music feel of the song is similar to the sounds of Kal Ho Na Ho and Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna and thus lacks true identity. The lyrics by Irshad Kamil are pretty complicated and not that you will pick up on your first listen except for the chorus.. and thus it will take a couple of listens to start liking this song. 7/10.

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Track 2 – Dil Khol Ke Let’s Rock – Elvis would probably kill himself if he listens to this. Sure it is not bad for Bollywood but this song is suicide in the international markets. Totally inspired by Jailhouse Rock and written by Anvita Dutt is what is playing the most of TV these days.. but I am still to develop a liking for this song. The Dholki twist in the bridge of the song is pretty cool but overall the song fails to impress musically and lyrically. Even the vocal performances by Akriti Kakkar, Anushka Manchanda & Suraj Jagan are purely average. 5/10.

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Track 3 – Reham O Karam – This song comes as a surprise after an average and a nearly average song. Pure Shankar Mahadevan vocals can blow anyone away. They are just perfect and can swing your mood and calm your nerves within a minute of listening. This is what you call God gifted talent!! Vishal Dadlani has been singing a number of really good songs and seems to be promoting himself as a singer now and not just a music director.. he is singing for his competition music directors now! Good for him.. and for us since this song is something else. They lyrics by Irshad are very good but not catchy again. The music is nearly not there and is not required as Shankar fills up all the airwaves but when there is then it is with the rock theme with some exciting orchestration and electric guitars. Must & totally recommended listen. 8/10.

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Track 4 – Hamesha & Forever – Sonu starts off this song with some good piano work and harmonic chorus. The mastering could be off in this song as the music seems to sound louder than his vocals. So technically not the best. Again with the lyrics.. the beauty of words comes across through long phrases rather than rhyming words and thus misses the real click that usually works with the audiences. It’s a decently good song overall but I won’t recommend it. SEL (Shankar Eshaan Loy) seem to be loosing it with what really works with their listeners. 6/10.

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Track 5 – Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman – Bela Shende is a name that has come up after a long time after Jodhaa Akhbar & Paheli. She does another acoustic song to piano which actually sounds really good as far as the music arrangement and her vocals are concerned. The lyrics for a change do work! The sad feel of the song is very situational and I guess works in the background in the movie when she about to die. 7/10.

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Track 6 – We Are Family Theme – Well now we know why there is excessive use of piano throughout all the songs in this movie since it is part of the theme. This is where SEL excel.. in creating good theme musics for situational movies. They never fail to impress in this category and this could well win them an award in the music department.. Musically this song is that good.. Check it out. 8/10.

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Track 7 – Noor E Khuda – Bonus Track from the movie ‘My Name is Khan‘.

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Track 8 – Aaj Kal Zindagi – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Wake Up Sid‘.

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Track 9 – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehan – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna‘.

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Track 10 – Kal Ho Naa Ho – Bonus Track from the movie ‘Kal Ho Naa Ho‘.

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FINAL WORD

Above Average – 6.5/10

Just a little above average for this OST because of the disappointment that it brought along.. With names like SEL, Irshad Kamil & Karan Johar I was expecting this to be something new that would thrill. But every song is almost predictable with SEL deciding to play safe all across the OST with nothing new in the CD players. No big track to hit the dance floors and all they could come up with was a copy of Jailhouse Rock. The lyrics are good but they don’t click. The vocals are good but fail to totally impress except really good vocals in Reham O Karam and Sun Le Dua Yeh Aasman. hus I won’t recommend you buying this OST but surely get the above two songs. Music on Sony Music.

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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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