Recap 2013 : Top 100 Songs

Arijit Singh dominated the year among male singers quite easily.  Aashiqui 2 is to Arijit what Rockstar was for Mohit Chauhan. Only difference being that Arijit wasn't as popular as Mohit was before that album.  'Tum hi ho' had success and awards written all over it for him. Also, his other songs from album especially my fav 'Milne hai mujhse aayi' was on my repeat mode list. Then, there was another track that I loved, 'Ilahi' from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani that went un-noticed among other hits, one of those hits being 'Kabira' sung by him only. Be it 'Laal ishq', 'Dilliwali Girlfriend', 'Kabhi jo baadal barse' or 'Beparwah' (whose full version I haven't got yet if there is one), he had good songs coming throughout the year. Whether he prefers quality over quantity, will be something to see in next 1-2 years.

Shilpa Rao topped the female singers this year, with her song at no.3, she was just too good in 'Mann Marziyaan'.


There were plenty of new singers or not yet famous singers whose songs I liked a lot more than the ones we are used to listen to always, K.Mohan's 'Barbaadi', Falak Shabir's 'Saajna' and Saba Azad's 'Dil ki toh lag gayi' to name a few.

While among female singers, Sunidhi and Shreya didn't really dominate though their songs, still there in my top25.

The likes of once my favs, Kay Kay and Sonu Nigam gave only one song each in top 100, sadly.

Sneha Khanwalkar who was the star of last year for me, completely misses this time, did she even sing or compose anything and if she did it was definitely not noteworthy. Another voice that I missed was Suman Sridhar.


Special mention to Three Kills (David) and Dhoom3 Overtrue themes, that I totally loved.

TOP 25 SONGS :

1. Tum hi ho - aashiqui 2

Was there a choice really to choose no.1 ? Not for me atleast.  Arijit Singh totally nailed this romantic track with his voice that is so addictive. Among Mithoon's best compositions, keeping it light and simple. Love the post 2:31 part.
tera mera rishta hai kaisa, ek pal door gawaara nahi.. tere liye har roz hai jeete, tujhko diya mera waqt sabhi.


2. Barbaadi - aurangzeb

This song may not even feature in top100 of many people, but I loved it madly.  Vocals of K.Mohan, the song shows the turmoil a person is going through in his life. Very well composed by Ram Sampath who doesn't over-use instruments and lets the lyrics and singer dominate instead.
zara zara sa tujh mein jeeke marta hoon main, tere shaakho par hai mere sookhe sookhe se sapne.


3. Mann marziyaan - lootera

Always been admirer of Shilpa Rao's singing instead being part of regular Shreya and Sunidhi fan club.  This song testifies why Shilpa is different and yet so good to listen to. Amit Trivedi's brilliant composition, his vocals at start and a steady soft plus emotional feel in the lyrics.
sikkon jaisi hai uchaali mann marziyaan, mann marziyaan.. ziddi ki maari, bholi bhaali … mann marziyaan, mann marziyaan.


4. Saajna - i, me aur main

There's been plenty of Pakistan singers making their name in our hindi film industry, the new entry Falak Shabir whose youtube famous song 'kaisi yeh judai hai' hasn't yet released officially in movie. But, his first song for hindi film hits right note instantly. Saajna is a re-worked and better version of his own private album composition. Another great emotional romantic and kinda of sadistic song, specially love the lyrics. Its early to say if he would be as good as Atif or Rahat or Mustafa, but he for sure has started brilliantly.
tu haathon mein toh hai mere, hai kyun nahi lakeeron mein.. yeh kaisa tera ishq hai. Saajnaaaa.


5. Milne hai mujhse aayi - aashiqui 2

A song where the guy has kinda of given up on himself and wants someone to notice and bring him back to right path. This song didn't get fame due to other songs in album which became big hits.  Arijit sung it very well, specially both antaras which I love most in the song.
toota hua saaz hoon main, khud se hi naraaz hoon main.. seene mein jo kahin pe dabi hai, aisi koi awaaz hoon main.


6. Yaaram - ek thi daayan

When a Sunidhi Chauhan sung song appeals, then it has to be awesomely composed track first of all. Yaaram is one of that, and Sunidhi keeps her pitch perfectly low surprisingly and letting the song magic not fade at all. Clinton Cerejo joins in the next stanza for male part, which is in a way reply to 1st part of song and he does so well specially the final part when his voice echoes and the music gets louder from being very light.  Also, a very innovative composition from Vishal Bharadwaj, while Gulzar lyrics I would say not completely lovable as the singer and composer get the better of the song.
hamara dil, pyar mein haara.. bechara dil.. hamara dil, kunwara dil.


7. Badtameez dil - yeh jawaani hai deeewani

It was one hell of a crazy song, be it visuals or the way Benny Dayal sung it. Full on energy, pacy and a very addictive tune. Love the start, is it trumpet used (i am not good at recognizing instruments). I liked how they used 'gilli aa aa' of the classic number 'yeh jawaani hai deeewani haan meri rani'. Special mention to how wonderfully its choreographed in movie and performed by Ranbir. Only weak part in the song comes when you hear female vocals, maybe they could had kept it completely male oriented but still it doesn't affect the song much.
poori duniya ka gol gol chakkar leke, main duniya ko maara dhakka.


8. Zinda - bhaag milkha bhaag

Prasoon Joshi's lyrics are so inspirational in this song, right from the first line 'zinda hai toh pyaala poor bhar le'.  Siddharth Mahadevan sung it brilliantly, but its the S-E-L's composition and Prasoon's lyrics that makes it so much lovable. Whenever I listen to this song, it tries to inspire me even if its for the length of this song. Easily falls into the evergreen songs like Ruk jaana nahi, chak lein de etc.  Only complain I had was why there was only 1 antara, and not two. Some good songs are too short.
hichkiyon mein kya hai marna… poora mar le. 


9. Ghum huye - david

Another song where the guy feels lost and wants to return back. Initally this song didn't gel well with me until I saw the movie where the 1st shot comes of this song and well after that this song just grew on me badly. The lyrics are awesome, so is the singing by Siddharth Basrur, but its the composition that made me fall in love with it, the lost feeling in the tunes was so imaginable and still is.
ho dhoondhein unhi raahon ko, ho raastein jahan khoye the hum. 


10. Alvida - d day

Confession - I started liking this song only when I began making this 100 songs list. It simply clicked all of a sudden, and so much that its now no.10 song in the list, also above Dhuan which I loved most. Some songs just require a certain mindset and mood, and then you don't resist listening them repeatedly.  Nikhil D'souza and Shruti Hassan have lended their voices in this soft emotional song, with Sukhwinder giving some high pitch lines. Composition is fantastic from S-E-L, and so are the lyrics by Niranjan Iyengar. Specially love Nikhil's vocals in the song.
teri yaadon ko sehlaata hoon, pal mein banke bikharta hoon. 


11. Kamli - dhoom 3

When you think of the song, its Katrina Kaif's awesome strip dance comes to mind straightaway. But, if Sunidhi didn't sing it so well, Katrina won't have made that much of impact. One of the most addictive song from last year for me, just couldn't help listening it repeatedly. Although its not a low pitch song, yet what was good here is Sunidhi didn't go too loud which on occasions she goes singing such songs, plus there are parts where she changes pitch so effectively. Till date, I haven't understood meaning of many words but the craze for this song hasn't ended despite that.
bekhudi mein tu khudi ka zariya zariya, mere yaara. 


12. Sun raha hai - aashiqui 2

This song is like saans of Jab tak hai jaan, I got problem in main line 'sun raha hai na tu, ro raha hoon main' like I had with 'saans mein teri, saans mili toh.. mujhe saans aayi' .. Both these lines appear so cliche or something I feel affected my love for these songs. But their antaras are so good that you just have to accept that the song is worth listening to or maybe pay attention to once the mukhra ends. The alaap after 'apne karam ki kar adaayein' was so so long but very good, specially when you hear with film in theatre, almost gave me goosebumps. Sandeep Nath as lyricist has done good job apart from messing up on those 2 lines. Awesomely sung by Ankit Tiwari, specially 1st antara which is my most fav.
manzilein ruswa hai, khoya hai raasta… aaye le jaaye, itni si iltejaa. 


13. Shikayatein - lootera

Another gem of a song from amit trivedi. Special mention to Amitabh Bhattacharya lyrics, all through the song you can't stop admiring him. Some of the themes used in this song were my favs from the film, love the one that comes during 'Ek jeet tu hai' and one at the right end of song.
ek jeet tu hai, ek haar main hoon.. haar jeet jode jo taar main hoon.


14. Nagaada sang dhol - ram leela

And enters Shreya Ghoshal song finally in my list. She was just outstanding in this one, what impressed me specially was her voice modulation throughout the song, how well she changed it. Not a religious person, but if I was, then this would had been among my fav navratri songs. Special mention to the use of gujrati lines which complimented the song very well.
baagon mein bola, bola re bola… morey badla re dil ka bhoogol.


15. Dil ki toh lag gayi - nautanki saala

Interestingly, this is a female song sung for a male. Saba Azad voice is hard to not love (only reason her version of dhoom machale failed was more to do with composition), very much the love I have for Suman Sridhar's voice. Both these singers add that extra sensuousness into the song. Also, notice how the lyricist plays with words around like 'ladki, takatak hot hai with tequila shot hai'. A very well composed humorous sad song, and Saba's voice makes you hear it again and again. For me it was the best song of album, above saadi galli.
cinemaa ki tu hai aah, mogambo khush hua.


16. Kabira - yeh jawaani hai deewani

What a pairing it was, Tochi Raina and Rekha Bharadwaj, and the song did turned out to be great. A song that's trying to tell that the guy has got himself so lost in his dreams that he has taken himself away from his close ones. In a way its a lighter version of naadan parindey. Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics once again worth applauding.
ban liya apna paigambar, tar liya tu saat samandar… phir bhi sookha mann ke andar, kyun reh gaya.


17. Shubh aarambh - kai po che

There's that feel good factor with this song, whenever I listen it. Another gujrati based song, sung by Shruti Pathak and Divya Kumar. Love raas racheelo line and the background theme that runs after it. Very good composition from Amit Trivedi.
haan mazza hai zindagi, nasha hai zindagi, dheere dheere chadhegi ho, dua de zindagi, bata de zindagi… baat apni banegi ho. 


18. Bandhay - david

Sung by modern mafia, its a fun peppy track, with few funny inserts of a guy at places like 'sorry', 'get out' etc. Its the instruments used that makes this song full of energy and probably shake a leg to, specially the 2nd stanza.  Love the 'la la la la' chorus. Easily a song you would listen continuously.
bandhay mera raja, tera time aa gaya.. par tujhko na pata, tujhe rehna hai lapatta. 


19. Ram chahe leela - ram leela

Now, here's a song where whole credit goes to the singer Bhoomi Trivedi. Composition is nice, lyrics are okay, its only her vocals that give something special to this song. I fell in love with song pretty late, during Jan award shows, when this song would play a lot and actresses would perform on this song. Even hated choreography of this song, yet as audio track I can listen it repeatedly for the way she has sung it.
lage saare dushman, dikhe sabmein chor…teri balcony mein baitha ek mor, moron ki hai mistake, ram-leela badnaam.


20. Ankahee - lootera

Another of Amit Trivedi's brilliant composition, only complaint was why only 1 antara (very much like Vishal Shekhar did in 'Dua', Shanghai). The highlight of the song is the instrumentation, specially the opening prelude and then the ending one. Beautifully penned down and sung by Amitabh Bhattacharya, its a painful romantic song that touches the heart.
patte jo shaakhon se toote… bewajah toh nahi roothe, hai sabhi. 


21. Dil ka mizaaj ishqiya - dedh ishqiya

There's a pleasant feel when you listen this song, like I say about films how crucial the 1st scene is to determine how good film would be, similarly here the first few secs of song sometimes are enough for you to be totally involved. I would had preferred slightly lower pitch used when Rahat sings 'aisa hi hai yeh' and similar lines in other stanzas. Totally love when he does the harkat of 'ishq ishq ishq ishq ishqiya'. Gulzar-Vishal Bharadwaj combo produces yet another song worth remembering after 'Dil toh bachcha hai jee from Ishqiya, and I still won't be able to choose my favorite among both.
ulajhne ki isko yun aadat nahi… magar bewafaai sharafat nahi.. yeh jazbaati hoke chalak jaata hai.


22. Yun hi re - david

I don't know if its thunderstorms or fire-crackers at the start of song, but I love that they started like that followed by that instrumental tune that I madly loved. Plus the chorus of singers singing 'yun hi re, yun hi re, mile rahe hum.. tujhi mein, tujhi mein.. range rahe hum' is so romantic, infact the whole arrangement of song along with Anirudh-Sweta complementing each other so well, gives that feeling of being in love the song has in it. Excellent work by Aniruddh as composer.
apni chahat aur kuch hai, ishq ki kuch aur hai… tere mere bas mein kya hai, ho raha hai jo likha hai. 


23. Khoon choos le - go goa gone

A song that every school/college/uni/office goer would had enjoyed and related to totally. How much everyone hate Mondays, and we want Saturdays and Sundays to just never end. We don't wanna wake up on the Monday morning. All this is so brilliantly penned down by Amitabh Bhattacharya, and Sachin-Jigar makes it a hilarious composition that starts with 'ay le, phir aa gaya tu face utha ke.. dum lega kya meri jaan kha ke'. 'Main nahi jaana, main nahi jaana' totally had me laughing thinking of days when I felt same but had to go and leave sweet bed.
sukoon ke shikaari, somwaar.


24. Laal ishq - ram leela

If there was a possibility to re-do a song for separation of Salman-Aishwarya in Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam then this song could fit in very nicely. Laal Ishq is like slow version of 'Tadap Tadap', a broken lover telling tale of his love. Once again Arijit Singh has sung it flawlessly, and a typical Sanjay Leela Bhansali's composition that reminds of his old works yet doesn't fail to impress. Liked that the song ended on the sound of temple bells.
apna naam badal dun, ya tera naam chupa dun… bas ek rahe mera kaam ishq, mera kaam ishq. 


25. Dhuaan - d day

I have to admit its the background theme with which the song begins that made me love this song. The lyrics are good, so is the composition but that theme is the major ups of the song.
maangna nahi bas dena hai jinki zubaan, loot kar jinhe humne baandha hai yeh sama. 

26 TO 100 SONGS -----

26. Andha ghoda race mein dauda - chashme baddoor 

27. Dilliwali girlfriend - yeh jawaani hai deewani 

28. Botal khol - prague

29. Hum na tode - boss

30. Mera yaar - bhaag milkha bhaag

31. Raghupati raghav rajaram - satyagraha

32. Tu hi junoon - dhoom 3

33. Gulabi - shuddh desi romance 

34. Ae zindagi gale laga le - prague

35. Saadi galli aaja - nautanki saala

36. Murshid khele holi - d day

37. Dharpakad - special 26

38. Party all night - boss

39. Lahu munh lag gaya - ram leela

40. Malang - dhoom 3

41. Tum hi ho (female) - aashiqui 2

42. Ilaahi - yeh jawaani hai deewani

43. Ambarsariya - fukrey

44. Slowly slowly - go goa gone

45. Slow motion angreza - bhaag milkha bhaag

46. Gandi baat - r rajkumar

47. Balam pichkaari - yeh jawaani hai deewani

48. Banarasiya - raanjhanaa

49. Bachchan - bombay talkies

50. Tu hi tu - nautanki saala

51. Bezubaan - any body can dance

52. Meethi boliyan - kai po che

53. Aaja nindiya - aatma

54. Titli - chennai express

55. Manjaa - kai po che

56. Saree ke fall sa - r rajkumar

57. O rangrez - bhaag milkha bhaag

58. Dhating naach - phata poster nikla hero

59. Charon taraf - john day

60. Mann mera - table no 21

61. Babaji ki booti - go goa gone 

62. Mera mann kehne laga - nautanki saala

63. Chanchal mann atti random - shuddh desi romance

64. Love ki ghanti - besharam

65. Ghagra - yeh jawaani hai deewani

66. Maston ka jhund - bhaag milkha bhaag

67. Naa jaane - i, me aur main

68. Kabhi jo baadal barse - jackpot

69. Hum jee lenge - murder 3

70. Mor bani thanghat kare - ram leela

71. One two three four - chennai express

72. Ang laga de - ram leela 

73. Mujh mein tu - special 26

74. Zinda hoon yaar - lootera

75. Sun raha hai (female) - aashiqui 2

76. Piya milenge - raanjhanaa

77. Aye dil bata - ishq actually 

78. Bhula dena - aashiqui 2

79. Dil ka jo haal hai - besharam

80. Beparwah - shahid

81. Rab di - david

82. Dhoom machale - dhoom 3

83. Bismillah - once upon a time in mumbaai dobara

84. Jeene laga hoon - ramaiya vastavaiya

85. Early morning - chashme baddoor

86. Mat maari - r rajkumar

87. Chahun main ya naa - aashiqui 2

88. Rooh mein - club 60

89. Piya aaye na - aashiqui 2

90. Totey udh gaye - ek thi daayan

91. Capuchino - i, me aur main

92. Main senti hoon - mere dad ki maruti

93. Lautungi main - ek thi daayan

94. Ghanchakkar babu - ghanchakkar

95. Monta re - lootera

96. Kap kap - prague 

97. Sawaar loon - lootera

98. Tu mun shudi - raanjhanaa

99. Sadda dil vi tu - any body can dance

100. Dil tu hi bata - krrish 3 

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Recap 2013 : Hollywood Top5

I ended up watching near to 30 movies, still didn't see few major ones but a lot more than I have seen in past and would like to watch more in future.

Thor2, Elysium, Man of Steel, The Lone Ranger and The Hunger Games : Catching the fire,  were among some of major disappointments.

While in animated movies, I loved The Smurfs2 and Frozen.


Here's my list of Top 5 movies :

                          1. Rush

Not seen single Formula One race ever, and probably won't in future too. Yet this movie was able to move me so much, a highly engaging biopic on James Hunt and Niki Lauda, how they started from Formula Three and moved up, and how different both were in going towards goals and their lifestyles. Daniel Bruhl for me deserved Osacar nomination, as Niki Lauda his accent and mannerisms were so applaudable. Chris Hemsworth for once impressed me after not having liked him in Thor avatar. Hans Zimmer's background score adds extra layer to the plot. Also, the screenplay is very tight and pacy, the rivalry between Lauda and Hunt is something to see, its more of a friendly rivalry. Easily one of most enjoyable bio-pics for me.
When you call Happiness an enemy, then its too late. Then you have already lost. 

2. Her

Last time a lonely guy fell in love with a woman while writing letters and posting them in lunchbox (irrfan khan starrer). Here, he falls in love with a newly bought artificial intelligent operating system which has a female voice by Scarlett Johansson. When was last time that you don't see a character in entire movie, only her voice and yet how much you adore and love her. Samantha is funny, sexy, teasing, seduces and despite being a operating system gives hope and company to Theodore, who eventually falls in love. Whats great is, the concept of Samantha isn't limited to just being operating system becoming aid for Theodore to see his mistakes regarding ex-wife or view life in different manner, but Samantha herself explores various traits of humans that develops her emotions and feelings. She is more or less a human who isn't visible. The end is kinda of heart-breaking but it serves purpose of knowing how to love. Special mention to that funny game sequence once with Theodore, and then later when his friend is working on one. Great performance by Joaquin Phoenix, and the writing of movie is pretty strong with some very romantic moments.
Sometimes I think I have felt everything I am ever gonna feel. And from here on out, I am not gonna feel anything new. Just lesser versions of what I have already felt. 

3. American Hustle

I love movies where characters do insane or crazy mad stuff, like Pulp Fiction. American Hustle falls in that category as almost every character gets to behave in unusual manner which is still lovable to watch on screen. The plot is pretty average, its more of a character driven movie. Pace is tad slow but it didn't bother me, I was just enjoying it so much. Christian Bale's looks aint much to like but his performance as always is damn good, Jenniffer Lawerence playing his wife has some funniest scenes and that one where she dances madly or argues about oven getting fire. Liked the friendship angle between Christian and Jeremy Renner. Amy Adams and Bradley Cooper were great in their supporting roles. Special mention to Robert De Niro who does special appearance, in a tense scene.
You are nothing to me, until you are everything. 

4. The Great Gatsby

Leonardo Di Caprio movies usually impress me like Aamir does in hindi ones. To add to it, this was a romantic one which he did after quite a while. That scene where he shows what he has been upto for his love in all these years while becoming worthy for her, and 'Young & Beautiful' track playing along it just showed di caprio's crazy love who would go to any extent to have her. Another interesting aspect of movie was the tease director did with Leonardo introduced after almost 30 mins of movie gone, building all the hype of who really Gatsby is, and then when he appears with that smile and glass of wine, it was simply a wow moment. Amitabh Bachchan also does suitably well in small cameo. While Tobey Maguire who narrates whole story was efficient too. Only the army sequences looked out of track in a otherwise very romantic movie that has a sad end. Special mention to the green light reference and background score.
All the bright precious things fade so fast, and they don't come back. 

5. Prisoners

Hugh Jackman dominated movie, who is desperate to find his kidnapped daughter. How from a  caring worried father he transforms into a person who would do to someone exactly what might be happening with his daughter. The torture scenes are hard to watch, and simultaneously Jake Gyllenhaal is trying to solve the case. Love the car scene where Jackman shows his angst against Jake. Also, good open ending to the movie allowing you to make your own interpretations. Not a pacy thriller but engaging to the core as the mystery to the girls missing remains till late end.
Pray for the best, but prepare for the worst.

Recap 2013 : Worst Films

2013 was a year of lots of disappointments when it comes to big or awaited films.  There were films like Inkaar, Ghanchakkar, Ek Thi Daayan, Bullet Raja and Besharam that had in them to be really good, but somewhere the film faltered and ended average or even bad.

And then there were the films that were hard to tolerate, many may have left theatre in middle, but people like me who sit till the end no matter how bad the film is, had to face headaches that particular night.  Though there were many bad movies, I am only listing my top5 films or nightmares of the year, and two of them were above 100 cr club mark which speaks a lot about the taste our audience or biased fan clubs possesses.

Top5 Worst Movies of 2013 (in order) : 


1. Grand Masti

Writing double meaning dialogues, and directing in the vulgar most way made sure that this film was at no.1 in worst movie of the year. Unfortunate thing is that when such films do well at box-office and people love it, it tells two things, one that people are actually that cheap that they got entertained by the film, and other that the makers would make maybe even more cheaper film in the 3rd installment. Also, How desperate the 3 leading ladies must be for fame, that they signed this film. The moment they would had read that climax scene they should had rejected the film, to be frank many scenes before that were bad enough to give no to the film, respect goes away for such actresses for me. Makers like these make joke of 'Adult Comedy', who knows nothing about it and still get lucky with all the aam janta love, and all the success only makes them arrogant that they find ways of justifying the film instead of accepting how bad it was.


2. Zanjeer

Mr. Ram Charan acts through one expression throughout the movie, I didn't knew that to play angry man role you need to do that. If you only watch him enacting the evergreen scene of Amitabh starring Zanjeer, then you would leave the theatre right then or switch channel on T.V. Prakash Raj is villain, so he gets double meaning dialogues, seriously the writer/director have no respect for a cult film that they allowed it to happen. I would have liked them to keep different title of film at least if they were adamant on making the movie like this. Priyanka Chopra was only decent character in entire movie, who at places gets on your nerves too. Sanjay Dutt may have got the look right in Pran's role, but his portrayal was over the top, and same can be said for the action sequences of the movie. I would bow down to you, if you manage to watch the film at a stretch without feeling headache (not to the biased fanatics).


3. Chennai Express

Had this movie not crossed above 70 cr (forget 200), I would had not included it in the list. But the anger for film increased when it kept collecting way more than it deserved, otherwise I had rated it as a Below Average movie only. Only Rohit Shetty movie I have loved is Singham, and Golmaal I am sure I will love whenever I watch it. Problem with a movie where you do spoofs is, that you tend to go over the top, and there comes lot of over-acting in it. Most of the time, the dialogues are trying desperately to make you laugh and your face tries to bring smile, but it just doesn't come as the writing is terrible. Shahrukh totally hams his part in the movie right from 'Goa is On' scene onwards. Deepika looks misfit into the movie with the only good performance of the film. Songs do give some respite from the story that never engages me. A true shahrukh lover won't love this movie, and I felt happy that I didn't. Don't think I will follow him on twitter sooner, with his next Happy New Year movie looking on same lines from the poster. Might have to wait till release of 'Fan' if Maneesh doesn't compromise with his creativity while working with Shahrukh.


4. Zila Ghaziabad 

Some weird dialogues like 'bacche peetal ke honge' and mega slow motion fight sequences where every actor, be it Arshad Warsi or Vivek Oberoi or Sanjay Dutt, gets to enact the superhero hidden inside them. Usually films have one item song, here there were two, director was in mood of overdose in every department afterall. Sunil Grover (comedy nights with kapil fame) was the only good thing in the movie, who actually played negative character. Heavy dialoguebaazi doesn't work always, this film is prime example of that.


5. Ramaiya Vastavaiya

Girish Taurani hams to the core in his debut film, while Shruti Hassan can't act in full fledged role.. maybe she is better off in small roles like D-Day. But, she looks very beautiful in Indian outfits throughout the film. Prabhu Deva made this film in awe of Salman Khan, as the story resembles Maine Pyar Kiya as well as Pyar Kiya Toh Darna Kya, unfortunately Ramaiya Vastavaiya isn't even 5% of those two films. Songs are placed anywhere out of own luxury, even the popular Jeena Laga Hoon which to be frank isn't that great either. Only Vinod Khanna and Sonu Sood were tolerable in this movie.

Recap 2013 : Best Albums

Another great year with many songs that can be heard even after years. Amit Trivedi topped and it isn't a surprise as he had so many albums released, out of which 2 got into my list.. with Lootera at first position. Pritam again had a good year with Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani and Dhoom3.  Major surprise of the year has to be Shankar Ehsan Loy, for quite a while their music wasn't arousing interest but with Bhaag Milkha Bhaag and D Day they gave plenty of good songs. And then there was ever reliable Sanjay Leela Bhansali, his films may not be living upto his standards but the music has always been great. Also, fairly new composers Sachin-Jigar sneaked into the list with their Go Goa Gone.

Two major names missing are Vishal-Shekhar and AR Rahman. V-S pair looked out of form but expecting them to bounce back this year. While Ranjhanaa lacked those special songs a Rahman album must have.  In past 5 years, first time A R Rahman album doesn't make to my top10 list… just proves the fact no one is god. 

Here's listing my top10 albums of 2013 : 

1. Lootera

Finally, after No one Killed Jessica, I have loved Amit Trivedi's album madly. Ankahee was my 1st love, the soft melody that has shades of romance in a sad song with lovely lyrics. Mann Marziyaan was my usual, oh everyone like it, I don't.. and later I love it song. Shilpa's brilliant vocals, the composition that has a thehraav in it plus its picturisation was fantastic, kudos to Vikramaditya Motwane for it.  Monali Thakur's pleasant Sawaar Loon and Amit Trivedi's vocals in Zinda Hoon Yaar were other highlights of the album. Even my least heard song of album Monta Re was pretty good too. One of those albums which pure romantic lovers would had enjoyed. 

2. Aashiqui 2

One of rare occasions when numerous composers for single album succeeded in giving a very good final product. Arijit's rendition in Tum Hi Ho and Milne Hai Mujhse Aayi (its last two stanza lyrics specially were outstanding) was out of the world, my most fav tracks. Ankit Tiwari's Sun raha hai na tu, reminds me of Saans from Jab Tak Hai Jaan, as in that song too I had problem with only the main line lyrics, otherwise loved the song. Shreya Ghoshal sang female version of Sun raha very well, also those minor changes in composition trying to make it sound better as singer perspective was well achieved in movie. Piya Aaye Na would had appealed more if female singer wasn't Tulsi, love the line 'har khata ki hoti hai'. Hum Mar Jayenge and Aasan Nahi Yahan were the only weak links in the album. 

3. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani 

So close it was to take no.2 position, Pritam has this knack of giving awesome albums every year and this is first of them in the list.. though the first position hunt in my list continues. Benny Dayal's energetic Batmeez Dil was my most fav, lovely peppy composition that makes you groove. Rekha Bharadwaj's Kabira was emotional, and kinda of loose version of Naadaan Parinda. Ilahi was probably most overlooked song in album.. love the lyrics, Arijit has sung it very well. Also, Arijit's versatility seen in a dance number Dilliwaali Girlfriend. Balam Pichkari and Ghagra also were very appealing.

4. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

I was wary about quality of album knowing Shankar Ehsan Loy are composing it, but how good their work turned out to be except for the title track composition which was only major disappointment. Zinda sung by Siddharth Mahadevan, was total addictive track, with Prasoon Joshi penning awesome lyrics 'hichkiyon mein kya hai marna, poora mar le'. Mera Yaar, a slow romantic track by Javed Bashir, that grew on me after watching film. Also, its other version O Rangrez was beautiful too. Slow Motion Angreza had Sukhwinder and S-E-L having fun in a song that has punjabi flavor mixed into western english lyrics. Also, Maston Ka Jhund with those lines 'toh kya karenge ? hawan karenge' and the dance steps of Farhan on it. Its infact caller tune of my dad, he loves the song. Daler Mehndi's Gurbani served its background purpose in a key situation.

5. Dhoom 3 

Another Pritam album in the list, and how well did he do in the 3rd part of franchise after being successful in previous two outings. Infact he outdoes his work in Dhoom2, and very much comes closer to the awesome songs he gave in 1st part, only falters at the main song Dhoom machale which works with video but as audio lacks that special thing earlier versions had. Kamli is outstandingly sung by Sunidhi Chauhan, special mention to the pitch changes she has done in it. Tu Hi Junoon by Mohit Chauhan, another very good romantic number, and a lovely composition too. Good beats in Malang sung well by Siddharth Mahadevan and Shilpa Rao, special mention to the part where Pritam does a classic tune over Dhoo Dhoo dhoom theme. Shivam Mahadevan and Anish Sharma makes sure the lines Bandhey hai hum uske don't go waste, with a good emotional song.  The other highlight of album is Dhoom Overtrue theme, kudos to Pritam to include it in album and it easily enters my all time favs list.  Except for title, I love all songs.. Kamli and Tu Hi Junoon being favs.

6. D Day 

Its Shankar Ehsan Loy once again in a album that had no weak song, but only brilliant compositions. Alvida tops the list with Nikhil, Shruti and Sukhwinder behind the mic, special mention to composition and lyrics. Qawalli's are so less done these days, Murshid Khele Holi ranks among best I have heard, love the line 'khele dukh sukh aankh micholi'. Good rendition to another version of Duma Dum song by Mika. While Rekha Bharadwaj's slow ghazal Ek ghadi would had been treat for ghazal lovers, I ain't fond of it so the song made less impact, but with film it haunts whenever used. Dhuaan was my fav track from album, sung by Alyssa, Rahul and Siddharth, the background tune was hard to resist.. only complaint why was the song duration so small.

7. Kai Po Che 

Only reason why this album is so low on my list is that it had only 3 songs. Though, all of them are  very good in one way or other.  Shubh Aarambh being my fav, sung by Shruti Pathak, it has that gujrati flavor which attracted me. Manja by Amit Trivedi works too specially for its lyrics. While Meethi Boliyaan sung by Mili Niar is that feel good friendship track, and love the line 'aye zindagi humhe sobaton ka nasha hai, yeh sobatein yaaron ki'. One thing about Amit Trivedi's compositions is the creativity visible, something that is mostly seen in Rahman's work.

8. David 

Another album that comprises of many composers, most of them giving good music. Ghum Huye by Siddharth Basrur and Three Kills by Saurabh-Aaron my most favs, the former covers all 3 stories of film and has a great emotional feel in its composition, while the latter works for the heavy tunes and the english lyrics used on it, most likely fall in love at first hear. Bandhay sung by Modern Mafia has great guitar notes, and a humorous touch. Yun Hi Re sung by Anirudh and Swetha is highly romantic, especially the part 'yun hi re, yun hi re, milte rahe hum'. Also, Rekha Bharadwaj's Mast Kalandar is well sung, I like the rock version more. Rab di has good beats, though lyrics don't appeal much. While its the opposite case for Out of Control song. Lastly, Light House Symphony instrumental is pleasant with the whistle tune.

9. Ram Leela

Bhansali magic is hard to ignore when it comes to music. Shreya Ghoshal mighty impressed in Nagaada Sang Dhol, way she modulates her voice throughout making it my fav track. Ram Chahe Leela works for Bhoomi Trivedi's voice, a composition that simply attracts even if there's nothing special as such in it. Lahu Munh Lag Gaya by Shail Hada and Laal Ishq by Arijit Singh falls in the classic category of songs a Bhansali album always has, and both these songs are indeed brilliant. Ang Laga De, a romantic song that seduces but not a routine seduction track. Only Tattad Tattad and Ishqyaun Dhiskiyaun appear out of Bhansali league, though both these are enjoyable tracks with film.  Dhoop and Poore Chand doesn't click with me.

10. Go Goa Gone 

Sachin Jigar are composers whose albums usually has at least one special song, but this time whole album manages to enter my list. There is Khoon Choos Le by Suraj, Arjun and Priya, a song that became favorite of every school/college/office goer including me who doesn't belong to any of it. Slowly Slowly by Jigar and Talia was superbly composed with the tunes and lyrics bringing that lost in activity (or drugs in film) feel. Babaji ki Booti by Sachin and Jigar, was a total fun spoof on all the baba's all over. Only Khushamdeed was average track in the album.


Albums that just missed entry in my list : 

Shuddh Desi Romance
Nautanki Saala
Raanjhanaa
Boss
Ek Thi Daayan

Recap 2013 : Best Films

Another year goes by, finally I saw more movies than I ever did in a single year previously. Of the 72 seen movies, I am listing my top 10 here. Each of these 10 movies were loved by me, Kai Po Che and Lootera however gets top two positions by a long margin.

I consider no.3 to no.9 positioned movies pretty much at same place, just numbered for the sake.

Here is my list of Top 10 Hindi Movies of 2013 -

1. Kai Po Che 

Excellent adaptation of Chetan's novel '3 Mistakes of Life' by Abhishek Kapoor. Special mention to how he uses earthquake, godhra train and riots events into the friendship story. Sushant makes excellent debut, RajKumar is effective as always, and personally Amit Sadh impressed me most. Amit Trivedi's music and specially the background score increases the emotional quotient. The pre-climax scene in novel was very dramatic, but Abhishek handled it in a subtle way, that proved good for the movie. Kai Po Che adds to the list of great movies made on 'friendship'.
Main ambani ban jaayunga, Omi ko CM bana denge.. chal ab rickshaw pakarte hai.


2. Lootera 

The best romantic movie I saw in 2013. Sonakshi's performance in the 2nd half is so good that if you combine all of her rest masala movies performances they will still fall short of Lootera by a huge margin. Only problem in movie was the loud background themes that were cutting the dialogues in the 1st half and not using Ankahee song with narrative or maybe final end credits with moving pictures. Amit Trivedi's music is made special by Amitabh Bhattacharya's lyrics, and Shilpa's vocals in Mann Marziyaan making the song in the movie much more emotional.  Liked how the 'last leaf' inspiration is used into the narrative. Yes the pace of movie is slow, but if you love what you are watching, it doesn't matter.  Also, with Lootera, Vikramaditya moves to 2 out of 2 great films in his filmography, with his first being Udaan.
Kya likh rahi ho ? Koi kahaani likh rahi ho ? Hmm. 
Kya kahaani ? Bas kahaani hai. 
Ladka hai kahaani mein ? Aur ek Ladki ? Hmm. 
Dono pyar karte hai ek dusre se ? Nahi. 
Pyar mein padne wale hai ? Pata nahi. 

3. Bhaag Milkha Bhaag

I have loved Farhan Akhtar's acting in all his films, but with this he goes one step ahead showcasing how much effort he can take and come up with a performance that is near to flawless (Sorry Mr Naseeruddin Shah, disagree to ur criticism). Rakesh Om Prakash Mehra, makes a extremely inspirational movie that I can watch any number of times, and feel motivated towards anything I want to. Two weak points in film were Dalip Tahil and Yograj Singh, who hammed and looked misplaced into the movie. Divya Dutta except for 1-2 melodrama scenes, acted very well. SEL's music was very good, specially Zinda and the romantic number 'Mera yaar'. One of bio-pic movies that will always be remembered. Unchayi pe udne wale panchi chote chote pedho se dil nahi lagaate.

4. Shahid 

Hard-hitting movie from Hansal Mehta who keeps the storytelling realistic, with just one song used in background. RajKumar Rao in his best performance of career, completely flawless. This film is prime example of how to tell a message without preaching, 'If you got courage, you can achieve anything you desire'.  Also, the film has some of well directed court-room scenes. Special Mention to Mohd Zeeshan Ayub who is excellent in supporting role.
Mujhe nainsaafi dikha kar khuda ne insaaf sikhaya, dard beijjati zulm ka saamna karke, mujhe ladna sikhaaya, unn logo ki madad karna sikhaya jo khud ki madad karne ke kaabil nahi hai. 

5. Dhoom3

Who won't like to see Aamir in a double role, in a franchise that is stylish with cool punchlines, Aamir's perfection in acting makes it even better. Katrina's seductive kamli moves. Best 2nd half in a dhoom franchise till now, tough to choose between Samar and Shahir, both are equally good. 'Tu hi Junoon' is filmed very romantically. The chase sequences, specially the 1st one gives goosebumps. Aamir's entry scene one of best ever. While 'Bandhey hai hum uske' would be a line I would like to remember as much as I do 'hum duniya ki parwah kare kyu' (from dum maaro dum). Special mention to the background score, the overture instrumental easily adds to my fav bg themes.  The entertainer of the year easily belonged to Dhoom3.
Ek aisi ladaayi jismein audience ko lagta hai ki jeet unki ho rahi hai, lekin jeet-te hum hai, hamesha. 


6. AkaashVani 

Maybe a surprise entry for some, but I personally loved this movie despite the marital rape scenes were hard to watch. The romantic chemistry between Kartik and Nushrat is so adorable, specially in 1st half. Love the moment in 2nd half when Nushrat recalls old memories spent with Kartik over ipad. And when Kartik tries to bring happiness in Nushrat's life back so that she can become strong, the whole 'Bas main aur tu' song is pure love. Music by Hitesh Sonik another plus point of movie. After Fanaa, we get to listen quality shayaris too.
Humne jo ki thi mohabbat, aaj bhi hai. 
Teri zulfon ke saaye ki chaahat aaj bhi hai. 
Raat kat ti hai aaj bhi khayalon mein tere. 
Deewano si woh meri haalat aaj bhi hai. 
Kisi aur ke tasawwur ko uthti nahi. 
Beimaan aankhon mein thori si sharafat aaj bhi hai. 
Chah ke ek baar chaahe phir chorh dena tu. 
Dil todh tujhe jaane ki ijaazat, aaj bhi hai. 

7. Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani

After Wake up Sid, Ayan entered commercial cinema.. and still made a mark. If 1st half shows how well he can entertain, then 2nd half shows the maturity in direction with some great conversations about relations, friends. Ranbir-Deepika chemistry is fantastic. Except for few dramatic dialogues, there's no weak link in movie. Pritam's music is excellent, with all songs making mark, Batmeez dil and Kabira my favs. In current lot of actors, if there is one actor who can do what Shahrukh has successfully done over years i.e full fledged romantic films (fantasy or non-fantasy), then its only Ranbir Kapoor, he's just too good.  Farooque Sheikh has a small but lovable cameo. Special Mention to Kalki who slips in a entertaining supporting performance.
Waqt kisi ke liye nahi rukta. Gujarta waqt hai, aur kharch hum hote hai. 

8. The Lunchbox

Two people fall in love without meeting, a concept used very less before without much success. But its very well explored here, with Lunchbox playing the medium for Irrfan and Nimrat to form a bond that grows. Their conversations over routine life goes to personal and the liking develops into love. Ritesh Batra handles the post love part so effectively, with a scene where Irrfan feels he is too old for Nimrat. Then, there's Nawazuddin in a brilliant supporting act. Irrfan's acting looks so effortless, when he tells about memory of his dead wife or when he runs away from Nawazuddin early on. Climax with a open ending, though I would have loved one extra scene.
Kabhi kabhi galat train bhi, sahi jagah pahuncha deti hai..

9. Madras Cafe

Love to see John in non-commercial movies, he gets it almost right leaving the church sequences. Powerful performances by Prakash Belawadi and Siddhartha Basu. But what was beautiful about this movie, was the way it was shot, political story development and the tight editing. Not a single song used in a hindi movie is like a slap to all others who feel indian films need to have songs. The tension over Rajiv Gandhi's assassination day is well created. Rabindranath Tagore lines at the end could had been used in better way.
Jo hum dekhte hai, sunte hai, sach sirf utna nahi hota hai. 

10. Go Goa Gone

Hilarious 1st half, with Vir Das and Kunal Khemu sharing cracking chemistry. Its first hindi movie on zombie though not in horror genre, a zom-com. 2nd half could had been better with twists or special power to zombies, still its good enough to sneak a place at 10th in my list. Also, Slowly Slowly and Khoon Choosle songs were highly entertaining. Spoof on running behind trees when Kunal runs away from a zombie was super funny.
What do we know ? What have we learnt ? 
We know nothing. We have learnt ghanta. 


Movies that just missed entry in my top 10  : 

Special 26
B.A Pass
David
Shuddh Desi Romance
D-Day

Movie Analysis : Dhoom3

Directed by : Vijay Krishna Acharya
Imdb link -> http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1833673/


Aamir's top notch performance makes this best dhoom film. 

Read this post at your own risk.. its full of spoilers.


If you have been a regular reader of my blog, then you must be knowing how much I have hated masala movies this year. This post therefore will come as a surprise, because Dhoom3 though essentially a action movie very much falls in same category, yet I have loved it madly. Finally an all-out commercial movie that didn't dissappoint me. The reason mainly, is the Dhoom franchise that has always made me mad. Dhoom machale of Dhoom was the reason I became a music lover (before that I hardly use to listen songs all day), John's performance as a cool theif, was followed by Hrithik in Dhoom2. The very idea of a cool theif who will make it hard for cops to tackle amazed me (ofcourse I am always anti towards cops).

The only worry with Dhoom3 was the failed director Vijay whose last outing Tashan was a serious headache for me. But, thank goodness, he looks in super form. Yes, there's one scene where he looked in Tashan hangover, the intro scene of Jai (Abhishek Bacchan) and Ali (Uday Chopra) with the total over-the-top stunt sequence in auto-rickshaw and bike. Infact, if I ever think of editing the movie for personal use, I will definately cut this sequence, and bring them into the story with the scene where they head over to Chicago. I don't think their characters require filmy entry in every new dhoom series.

Now coming to the best part of the movie, which is breathtaking stunt sequences, and a brilliant 2nd half. The last two series lacked in one thing only, and that was a weaker 2nd half which meant we had to wait for the climax to see that last stunt. But in Dhoom3, there's a very good drama built over Shahir and Samar (twins, both played by Aamir Khan). This meant, there was no side plots of Jai-Ali unlike last two parts, they have no romantic interests (apart from Ali's regular dreamy scenes). The fact that its an all out Aamir Khan based story makes the impact large. For the first time in Dhoom series, we have a theif whose background is told to us, the theif is still cool and stylish with the manner he steals but the reason here lies the revenge of his father's Iqbal Khan (Jackie Shroff) death.

Aamir's entry scene is spectacular, if I tend to write a blog post on Best Entry scenes in future this scene is gonna be part of it for sure. The camera-angles, way its cut, the background theme and the lines 'bandhey hai hum', everything perfect. The 1st chase sequence gave me goosebumps, it had many stunts, something I felt 2nd chase sequence lacked a bit. Specially the bike roll beneath truck, kick to cop and the standing on bike while crossing cars. The final chase was super, loved the theme that plays when Shahir-Jai fight over bike. All the twists in each three of these chases made them look even better.

The idea of twins in a magic trick (taken from Nolan's 'The Prestige'), and bike that transforms into various shapes when required (taken from Nolan's 'Batman series') was applauable, for a change how inspiration can be used to own benifit is showcased here without lifting complete hollywood movie.

Only flaws apart from the intro scene of Jai-Ali, were the exessive use of slow motions, especially when chicago cops are lined up to shoot at Shahir/Samar, it made them look very stupid, plus the magic of that particular stunt got reduced. I would had preferred to see cops failing while trying, and not failing without trying (they didn't knew guns are used to shot). Editing was actually very weak, film could easily had been tighter with 10-15 mins cut.. or maybe have additional Shahir heist.

Also, I felt Shahir-Samar should not have died. When they escape away from Jai-Ali, they could had ended it there with a next scene showing where they both are, and what happened to Aaliya (Katrina Kaif). The dialogue 'isko nahi pakad sakte' would had fitted too. But yes, it would had denied the great emotional use of 'Bandhey hai hum uske, humpe kiska zor' in the current climax.

Music of Pritam is as good as Dhoom. Dhoom2 had only 2 good songs (title and crazy kiya re). Aditi's title rendition appeals more with video though unlike previous title versions that I loved listening without video. Love that stunt scene of Shahir-Samar during 2nd stanza in the song. My favs though are Kamli and Tu hi Junoon. Kamli is outstandingly picturised on Katrina, with her unbelievable dance moves and stunts, just like Shahir says 'koshish toh bahut ki', I couldn't take eyes off her during those 5 mins. It can well be termed as a strip dance number. Sunidhi has sung it very well, if you notice the change in her voice modulation during song. Tu hi Junoon is extremely romantic, love the cuteness Aamir brings into the song picturisation, Katrina looks hot in red dress specially. Malang is magical for the use of various props filling up the frame, love the Samar part in it which isn't there in audio version. Only 'Tap dance' didn't gel well with me.. must had been tough to practice it, I doubt even Hrithik would had made me love it.. feel tap dance should had been part of the choreography and not base whole dance on foot tap.

Background themes is another plus point of the movie, something I missed in Dhoom2. Here, we have the regular tune re-worked in great way, and there are some additional themes, all of them are fantastic. And happy to see 'Overtrue' theme presented in audio album.. one of best themes I have ever heard.

Dialogues are very well written, many punchlines work, my fav is 'jo duniya ko namumkin lage, wahi mauka hota hai.. kartab dikhaane ka'.

Aamir ensured that the year ended with a bang, another praiseworthy performance added to his list. As Shahir, his angry expressions in entry scene, the revenge look when he says 'main ghar aa gaya baba', his way of telling 'fuck you (tumhari aisi ki taisi)' to Jai during the entire conversation sequence (love the bg that plays when he throws coin in air). As Samar, he was too lovable right from the moment he says 'bandhey hai hum kiske', or when he talks about his secrets, when he tells Jai 'chor toh sab hote hai, chori karne ko milna chahiye kuch'. The two argument conversations between Shahir and Samar, especially the 2nd one was example of class acting, anger vs emotions.. that was infact my 2nd most fav scene after the entry scene .. very emotional (Tu mastermind, aur main khatra). We get to see him play a autism character, to do 2 different characters in same movie, and not faltering at any moment is commendable.

Abhishek at places (as I wrote during trailer blogpost) was repeating his dialogues from previous dhoom films.. still in comparison to Dhoom2, he looked and acted much better.

Uday Chopra was funnier, thanx to the fact that he has less screen time. There are two long sequences where he does irritate, which tells that its better off to have small dialogue scenes of his along with dreamy thoughts.. asking more than that from him won't work.

Katrina Kaif has small role, but in her dance moves, in all 4 songs she features in.. she is terrific. In acting, she falters during 1 scene badly.. when she asks Samar for date. Other than that, she is pretty fine. She has good chemistry with Aamir, but I would prefer to see her having larger role next time she acts with Aamir.

Jackie Shroff is excellent in his cameo role. Very good to see him do good meaningful roles, first in Aurangzeb and now Dhoom3.

Tabrett Bethell, australian actress who plays Victoria, hardly gets any scope to perform. Might had been better to let her lead cops in few scenes. To add to it, she was made to enact those dreamy Ali sequences, specially that kamasutra sequence.



Dhoom3 exceeds above all the expectations, Aamir's excellent acting, background themes, chase sequences, music and Katrina's dance moves. Flaws are there, but they don't come in the way of loving the movie.


Verdict : EXCELLENT