Santhosh's Blog (2009-2018)

Note: the link to the soundtrack jukebox, and the soundtrack credits are featured at the end of this post. Review The title track Uff Yeh Noor sung by Armaan Malik feels like something different from his usual style of songs, and he nails this one as well. The track has a very peppy and light feel to it, also featuring some interesting instrumental portions towards the second half of it. Sukriti Kakar gets behind the mic for Jise Kehte Pyaar Hai , and does a great job at giving it the finesse and subtlety required, for what is a fresh breezy and sweet composition. The sargam portions are a really nice touch, nicely executed by Sukriti. Amaal Mallik keeps it simple for this one, and it ends up creating a feel-good and happy song. Prakriti Kakar gets an ace of a composition through Hai Zaroori , which is my second-most favorite song of the album. Following the style and feel of songs like Tujhe Bhula Diya from Anjaana Anjaani and Mitra from Band Baaja Baaraat , this on...

Hello all! As this year comes to an end, here's reviving my blog yet again to write the usual year-end posts; it is indeed a personal "ritual" I do not want to lose, and these posts are usually among the most popular ones on my blog. So why change a winning formula, right? The first one of the year-end posts will be my pick for what I deem to be the best Bollywood songs of the year. And wow, this has been yet another great year for Hindi music generally! Thus it was obviously a rather difficult list to compile, as it is every year - I am indeed expecting some feedback on the lines of "Why did you leave out THIS song?" and the likes. This list is based on my personal choices, but I'm hoping you will enjoy it. I have featured a playlist at the bottom including all these songs mentioned in the list. Here we go!

(The link to the soundtrack jukebox is featured at the end of this post) Review Alizeh features really good vocals from Arijit Singh, Ash King and Shashwat Singh, and an interesting church song-like arrangement. Beyond that it doesn't impress all that much, but it remains a decent melodious listen. Cutie Pie is a goofy song with whacky lyrics, but it is effective. Sung by Nakash Aziz and Pradeep Singh Sran, his voice goes really well the mood of the song. The song having a nice Punjabi flavor to it boasts of an extremely catchy beat. One would think a song which features the line "breakup song" over and over again may be a bit too much, but The Breakup Song actually works as a song. Jonita Gandhi brings it to life with her powerhouse vocals, and does a great job to match the energy of Arijit Singh's voice. The rap by Badshah is also a nice inclusion in this one. Featuring a really nice element of rock with some really good use of guitar, Bul...

(The link to the soundtrack jukebox, along with the soundtrack credits, are featured at the end of this post) Review Pakistani singer Bilal Saeed's Khair Mangdi which was originally composed in 2011 by himself and Dr. Zeus gets re-used for this soundtrack (re-christened Teri Khair Mangdi ). A small sidenote: this track will appeal to the British Asian music lovers - as this was a viral track there. Lovely track, but doesn't score many points in my assessment since it's not an original composition in this soundtrack. Kaala Chashma is a cool and interesting take on the Punjabi dance number by Amar Arshi from the 2000s. As mentioned above, this one would also be well-appreciated by the British Asian listeners, for the same reasons. However it does better, as Badshah's rap portions are very catchy and effective, and Neha Kakkar's inclusion works. Unlike in a lot of other songs with Badshah, this time the rap portion doesn't sound like it was forcefully...

Hello all! Here's the FINAL Bollywood blog post I will be posting for the year. These are my 30 favorite Hindi songs of this year. I must admit, this was a tough ranking to come up with, as there were plenty of great Bollywood tracks this year, so there were some tough choices to make. Moreover, I don't really like the concept of "ranking" tracks - some songs just cannot be compared with each other, as the genres differ. So please see this more as a "list" than a "ranking" - although the Top 5 are probably my five most favorite songs of the year. So here goes, the Top 30 Bollywood Songs of 2015 , with a Youtube playlist at the bottom. ( CLICK ON READ MORE TO CONTINUE READING )

Soundtrack Credits MOVIE: TAMASHA MUSIC: A.R. RAHMAN LYRICS: IRSHAD KAMIL MUSIC LABEL: T-SERIES YEAR: 2015 (The link to the soundtrack of Tamasha is featured at the end of the post) Review Mika is behind the mic for Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai , singing a genre that is different from his dance numbers. Not too fond of this one, very average, despite many listenings. Sung by Sukhwinder Singh, along with Haricharan and Haripriya, Chali Kahani is a very impressive composition, but not a track that is very "enjoyable". Very situational, so it would obviously be enjoyed fully when watched on the big screen. AR Rahman comes up with an instrumental titled Parade De La Bastille which is extremely well done. Lots of interesting elements used and blended in, also featuring the tune from Matargashti (will come back to this track shortly). The album's "better side" starts off with Wat Wat Wat . An infectious and catchy beat, with superb vocals from ...

Yolo is the first Himesh track in this soundtrack (sung by Sreeramachandra). Decent, catchy, but gets monotonous after a point. The English rap, however, is top stuff. You ask for a Himesh-Arijit collaboration, you get Baaton Ko Teri . The Himesh fan in me is super happy! What a soulful song – the kind you can imagine Himesh singing, but Arijit does the job for him. Himesh’s best one in this album is Tu Milade . Take Ankit’s energetic vocals, and Himesh’s powerful tune, and goosebumps are sure to follow! Mere Humsafar is “old wine in a new bottle”. The Qayamat Se Qayamat Tak hit song now has a soulful feel, thanks to Mithoon who nails it (yet again!). Tulsi Kumar does great too. The second-best track of the album is Nachan Farrate . I never really got the “Baby Doll” hype (song was great, but was it worth that much hype?), and “Chittiyaan Kalaiyaan” was very poor. But this one is PERFECTION. The Meet Bros rope in Kanika Kapoor one more time, and deliver their b...

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  Introduction Ladies and Gentlemen, 2013 is coming to an end. Wait, you knew? Ok, I think you knew. But what cinema-goers and music lovers do not realize, is that the year has sadly come to an end for Bollywood. We have had a bit of everything this year, to be honest. From a silly "Chennai Express" to a beautiful "Aashiqui 2". Eventually we also had "Bhaag Milkha Bhaag", but we also had an undeserving "Grand Masti". Thankfully, the year ends with a BANG. Got the joke? No? Let me try again. "2013 will end with a DHOOM". Is that fine now? I think so... Anyway, keeping aside the various puns and jokes worthy of an Aamir Khan movie, let me just say that Pritam has given us a "feasty buffet" to participate in. We have a bit of 'Malang', we have some Arabic Dhoom Machale as well. The dessert is also very tasty with Julius Packiam's instrumental. And that will be the point of this music review. It ...

Salutations all! :D Hope all are doing well. It's been exactly 1 and half months I've not written on this blog and I must admit it does feel weird to pen down my opinion, after such a long time gap. Anyway, I will be soon writing a blogpost on August and September, two AMAZING months of my life. 2010 is just getting better and better for me! :) I hope all are having a great 2010 as well... Cheers to all! :D But well, this blogpost will mainly consist of reviewing two Hindi movie soundtracks. Both are from forthcoming Bollywood blockbusters. One is the movie ANJAANA ANJAANI. And the other, ROBOT. (Also known as ENDHIRAN - THE ROBOT) The reason why I'm combining both reviews into one blogpost, is because the two soundtracks are very VERY different. Two opposites, in fact. According to me, one of them has failed BIG TIME, and the other, has really emerged as probably the best soundtrack of the year! Now which of the two is the better album, is what you will find ...