Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 6:
On Apple Music | On Saavn

A note on each song in the playlist.

Mushkil hai apna (Mukkabaaz, Hindi): Dr.Sunil Jog’s lyrics, with lines like, ‘Tum diwali ki bonus ho, main bhookon ki hartaal’ comes alive with phenomenal colloquial humor. Brijesh Shandilya’s delivery too is top-notch. Rachita Arora brings all these together in a funky package!

Visiri (Enai Noki Paayum Thota, Tamil): A gentle, breezy celtic-infused lilt! Sid Sriram & Shashaa Tirupati is in sparkling form. Thamarai, with relatable lines like ‘En veettil nee nirkindraai adhai nambaamal ennai kiLLI konden’! Darbuka Siva – Gautam Menon combo seems like a winner.

Bahut hua samman (Mukkabaaz, Hindi): Opens on an ambient note, but Rachita transforms it into an entertaining protest song, with Swaroop Khan leading the charge. Giving Swaroop enough ammunition is Hussain Haidry lively lines.

Aaj se teri (PadMan, Hindi): When a man adopts a woman’s electricity bill, you get Aaj se teri! Kausar Munir’s zingy lines lend this lilting ballad by Arijit Singh significant heft even as Amit Trivedi’s melody is reminiscent of Shankar Ehsan Loy’s Bhimplas number Bol na halke.

Bohot dukha mann (Mukkabaaz, Hindi): Rachita Arora’s best in Mukkabaaz is this Puriya Dhanashri-based song! The raaga carries the sensuous melody beautifully while Rachita sings it incredibly well, along with Dev Arijit. How does Anurag Kashyap discover such musicians!?

Chhipkali (Mukkabaaz, Hindi): Vijay Arora’s handling of Chhipkali has an enjoyably whimsical tone. Hussain Haidry’s lines are superb yet again, while Rachita’s tune is Gulaal-style (Piyush Mishra) retro.

Kaatil (Mayaanadhi, Malayalam): Shahabaz Aman is absolutely and wonderfully in command in Kaatil, lifting the sonorous melody significantly with his fantastic singing, while Sushin and Yakzan offer superb support in the backgrounds.

Nenjil mamazhai (Nimir, Tamil): Ajaneesh Loknath’s Tamil repertoire is looking stronger with every soundtrack. Kurangu Bommai, Richie and now this! The lilt is brilliant and Haricharan and Shweta Mohan handle the immersive melody beautifully.

Kiliye (Mayaanadhi, Malayalam): Between Atul’s Hang Drum, Benny Abraham’s Oud and Raghavasimhan’s electric violin, the immersive melody of Neha Nair’s Kiliye flows scintillatingly. The orchestration is decidedly more exotic and adds to the song’s charm.

Swagatham Krishna (Agnyaathavaasi, Telugu): Anirudh retains Oothukkadu Venkata Subbaiyer’s original Mohanam-raaga base, but transforms the serene classical piece into an ambient, orchestral variant. The jathi intro, mid-way, is fantastic. Splendid singing by Niranjana Ramanan.

AB yevaro nee baby (Agnyaathavaasi, Telugu): Fantastic musical melange! Anirudh ropes in Nakash Aziz (with excellent backing vocals by Arjun Chandy) for this entertaining track that has a gentle swing seemingly tailor-made for Pawan’s trademark steps.

Poradi poradi nee (Masterpiece, Malayalam): Deepak Dev’s Jimikki kammal equivalent, if you see Masterpiece as Mammootty’s equivalent of Mohanlal’s Velipadinte Pusthakam, both playing college professors. Jassie Gift handles the Central Asian-style catchy tune well.

Swagpur ka chaudhary (Kaalakaandi, Hindi): Borders on Psychedelic Funk and carries the same irreverent swag from Akshat Verma’s (who writes and sings this one brilliantly) Delhi Belly.

Aa bhi jaa (Kaalakaandi, Hindi): Abhishek Nailwal gives fantastic company delivering the sedate hook to Vishal Dadlani’s lead vocals in Aa bhi jaa. Sameer Uddin’s tune is wrapped in more funky psychedelia.

Jive With Me (Kaalakaandi, Hindi): Abhishek Nailwal ups the ante with the zingy Electro Swing Jive With Me. Sameer Uddin’s tune has a charming shake-your-head rhythm and is consistently enjoyable.

A new monthly series where I pick one composer (or composers, as this first post indicates since they are a trio!) and list my favorites from that composer(s) either within a theme or broadly across their music. With Shankar Ehsaan Loy, my focus is on their melodies. The list here is from their repertoire across 1999-2015 (which is why you see the extraordinary music of Mirzya missing).

Playlist on Apple Music | Saavn | YouTube
(Saavn doesn’t have the soundtrack of Shortkut and Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai? in its catalog, so it’s a 28-song playlist. Apple Music and YouTube are full 30-song playlists)

Khaabon ke parindey – Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara, 2011
Even without being influenced by the phenomenal scene that leads to the song and the incredible visuals of the song, the song in itself is a treat! This ranks right on top of the trio’s repertoire when it comes to their melodies. The gentle bossa nova sound accentuates the dreamy nature of the song as much as Alyssa Mendonsa’s delightful vocals. And when Mohit Chauhan enters with ‘Roshni mili’ it’s almost as if he’s shining light on the proceedings with his voice! This is one enchanting song!

Aao naa – Kyun! Ho Gaya Na…, 2004
Sadhana Sargam… sigh!! It all seems like so long ago… considering the film came out in 2004, that’s actually a long time ago. This is my favorite song from the trio that has a lovely tinge of the classical sound, very Indian and very melodious. The way the rhythm steadily and slowly builds is worth noticing and enjoying separately, while the ‘Aao naa’ hook is absolutely addictive!

Bol na halke halke – Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, 2007
This is my second favorite song by the trio that employs the very-desi sound. Here, they use Bhimplas-raag to construct the melody. Besides the profusion of santoor, flute and sarangi, the ghatam leading and sustaining the percussion stands out as a wonderful decision. And Rahat Fateh Ali Khan sounds so fresh, far away from his stereotyped repertoire, with splendid support from the criminally under-rated Mahalakshmi Iyer.

Kaisi hai ye rut – Dil Chahta Hai, 2001
Dreamy is the one word I’d use immediately to describe this song. I don’t know how the trip zeroed-in on Srinivas, but what an inspiring choice! The tenderness in his voice adds to the song’s dreamy flow and Javed Akhtar’s lyrics showcase the feeling of identifying oneself with and being soaked in love so beautifully. Also, the vocal chorus right at the end of the song is a sign of things to come… the tune is very similar to the ‘Love will find a way’ humming from Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’s Mitwa!

Meri zindagi mein aaye ho – Armaan, 2003
I have always associated this song with Mahalakshmi Iyer, though it is sung by Sunidhi Chauhan! Sunidhi seems way softer here, to me, and is in absolute command over the serene melody. Sonu Nigam, who enters after the first antara, is in his usual, impeccable self. The use of sitar all through, particularly for the interludes is a lovely touch.

Achchi lagti ho – Kuch Naa Kaho, 2003
The first thing that made me fall in love with this song is something seemingly very small – the distinctly Middle Eastern twang in the percussion. That tone becomes pronounced after the big interlude (given the song’s lack of antara and built around just a long mukhda). The banter-style singing between Udit Narayan and Kavita Krishnamurthy is a clear highlight. I do wonder why and how the discordantly jarring sound came about at the end of ‘Dilkashi tumse hai… taazgi tumse hai’, though!

Bolo na – Chittagong, 2010
The second the song starts with strains of the tanpura, you know this is Shankar Mahadevan’s domain. The song is almost like a preview of the trio’s music in Katyar Kaljat Ghusli. The Bhagesree raaga melody is really, really immersive, and comes out so well in Shankar’s nuanced singing. The song is also loaded with sitar almost all through. The ending, with an extended sitar and strings combo, is a brilliant way to close it.

Tere naina – Chandni Chowk To China, 2008
The song’s picturization makes me cringe massively… it is so corny. But Shreya Ghoshal’s ‘Mere dil mein jo armaan hai’ always makes me smile too! Here’s Shankar singing deeply a lengthy, patient ‘Tere naina’ with all the feels and you have Shreya impatiently going with her line that serves as a brilliant contrast! And for the last ‘Mere dil mein jo armaan hai’, she actually goes, ‘Orannnana naanaanaa paas aake zara dekho na’ like only she can! The entire song’s unhurried feel is absolutely addictive!

Aasma odh kar – 13B, 2009
Chithra… sigh!! The indipop sound in the background seems functional, but the trio’s tune really has zing. The interludes are top notch, however, particularly that harmonium’ish sound in the first interlude. The antara is a killer, deviating from the pop sound to a pure desi sound, before Chithra brings it back to the original flow. Shankar, of course, holds the song with his commanding presence.

Kal nua baje – Shortkut, 2009
This is perhaps most saccharine sweet song by the trio. The narrative by Javed Akhtar of two people in two different places looking at the moon together at the same time (appointment-based viewing of the moon!) is charming and such levels of romance perhaps demanded this syrupy a melody. But it’s a lovely tune in general that meanders into the typical 80s tabla rhythm eventually to add to the quaint charm.

Baat kya hai – One By Two, 2014
One By Two is one of the trio’s best soundtracks but its prospects were severely impaired by the mess surrounding the audio release and the film’s poor prospects. Among the songs, Clinton Cerejo’s solo, Baat kya hai is a particularly good representative of the film’s overall sound. The background music is spartan—to go perfectly with Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lines on how bleak things seem to be—with a simple musical phrase repeated all through, but the trio layer in chorus (I think I hear Shankar himself in the chorus) to go with Clinton’s vocals, to get a soul-style expression.

Achha Lagta Hai – Aarakshan, 2011
I love Prasoon Joshi’s verse in this song. Lines like ‘Jhatak kar zulf, Jab tum tauliye se, Baarishein aazad karti ho, Acha lagta hai’ and ‘Zara sa modkar gardan, Jab apni hi adaa pe, Naaz karti ho, Acha lagta hai’, completely immersed in love and in an expansively creative mood, Shreya Ghoshal retorts, almost impatiently, ‘Zara short mein batlao na, Seedhe point pe.. aao na’ as if seeking the 30-second equivalent of all that expression! That the trio’s music is spritely, with a naughty lilt adds to the song’s undeniable charm.

O Rangrez – Bhaag Milkha Bhaag, 2013
The choice of Javed Bashir to sing the song seems to work brilliantly. The rhythm builds so softly and gradually, all the while accentuated by the guitar in the background, before letting Shreya enter with her ‘Apne hi rang mein mujhko rang de’, she first does it in Javed’s own minimal sound and then does it again with the tabla in the backdrop, to complete the lovely build-up. The Indian elements in the song – sarangi, sitar, and harmonium are totally in line with how well the trio have employed it in the past.

Kuch to hua hai – Kal Ho Na Ho, 2003
When the trio finally broke into the so-called big league (Karan Johar, in this case), I was really worried and curious on how their sound will be marred by the Dharma staple, but to give them credit they have evolved it very, very well. Their strengths come out so well in this song, with the spring-in-the-step rhythm and the enchanting brass in the background, while the lyrics and melody is so very Karan Johar. This is a wonderful blend.

Tumhi Dekho Naa – Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna, 2006
The other Karan-trio combo. I find the Karan influence more pronounced in this song, but the gentle mellow lilt the trio brings to this song, along with the Sonu-Alka combination is irresistible. The signature ‘Tumhi dekho na’ hook is really memorable, while it is easy to see the dholak-led background satisfying the Karan side of things.

Mast magan – 2 States, 2014
The Arijit-Chinmayi combination is a great reason to listen to the song, to start with. But then there’s the awkward tabla-mridangam mix and the synthesized nadaswaram that dots the sound eventually as a musical version of the film’s plot itself… it seemed way too simplistic and obvious to me as a musical cue, but the head-shaking lilt in the tune is a clear winner.

Agar main kahoon – Lakshya, 2004
The guitar-harmonica combo is the song’s clear highlight. The guitar, in particular, is a constant, lovely refrain. The conversational nature of the song is very similar to Dil Chahta Hai’s Jaane kyon, and the way Udit asks a question that Alka answers and vice versa is a lovely touch by Javen Akhtar in maintaining the song’s pace lyrically. Musically, of course, the guitar and harmonica do it really well.

Chup chup ke – Bunty Aur Babli, 2005
The sitar is a beautiful part of this song, particularly in the prelude and the 2nd interlude. I found the tune itself to be very filmy, but the overall scheme the film, this works to its advantage. The soaring strings add to the song’s grandness as if paving way for the lead couple to leave their room and head to the open, icy mountains and start dancing like a typical Yash Raj style. Sonu is in top form and so is the very dependable Mahalakshmi Iyer.

Dil ki tapish – Katyar Kaljat Ghusli, 2015
For Dil ki tapish, the lovely melody most probably set in Keeravani-raaga, the trio bring Vasantrao Deshpande’s grandson, Rahul Deshpande, to deliver the immediately affecting tune! It works wonders given Rahul’s prowess in getting the classical nuances right. Given the film’s nature and plot, the trio keep the music completely authentic and a lot of it is, I’m sure, owing to Shankar’s roots.

Pyaar ki dastaan – Luck By Chance, 2008
After Shortkut’s Kal nua baje, the other saccharine-sweet melody of choice for me, from the trio’s repertoire. It’s interesting that both films are about films… that is, the film industry is the backdrop of the plot in both films! In this song, it is literally a filmy song, a song in a film, inside a film… a song being directed inside the film! That explains the fluffy, but likeable sound. Amit Paul’s choice to sing the song is the biggest surprise for me here – someone like a Sonu seemed the obvious choice, but Amit’s fresh voice is a great fit too.

Ankhon mein neendein – We Are Family, 2001
A lot of people miss this song because one, the film itself was missed by many and two, this plays during the title sequence! Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal play off each other’s strengths really well in the song. Rahat leading with the classical hum and letting Shreya take it on is a particularly nice touch. There’s an infectious and energetic bounce in the song that’s very charming.

Un azhugukku/Koyal se mili – Aalvanthan, 2001
The Tamil version is a lot better thanks to Vairamuthu’s wordplay centered around the word ‘poruppu’ (responsible), much like his wordplay in A R Rahman’s ‘Azhagu’ from Pudhiya Mugham. The melody here by the trio is sedate and flows very smoothly with no major highs or lows, though the occasional mysterious turn (in the keyboard and flute eventually) is a great touch.

Alvida – D-Day, 2013
Alvida is a song that almost sounds like a prayer. I was immediately reminded of George Michael’s Praying For Time when I heard Alvida first, but the trio has an even more minimal sound with that one-note percussion dotting the background. But it’s the voices that really carry this song very high – Nikhil D’Souza and Sukhwinder Singh, and in what I consider her finest song to date… Shruti Hassan. Shruti’s Tamil diction is laughably bad, but in Hindi, she is such a fine command over both the singing and the diction.

Aaj kal zindagi – Wake Up Sid, 2009
Despite Amit Trivedi overshadowing this soundtrack with his lone Iktara, the trio did have a great soundtrack here. Aaj kal zindagi is a favorite of mine because of its focused and very specific sound that hardly moves in any other direction. The song is also a textbook example of the trio’s working relationship with Javed Akhtar – the words just flow seamlessly and the tune, more in the Ehsaan-mode (soft rock), is delivered by Shankar with panache.

Kya yeh sach hai – Dillagi, 1999
For the 25th song, it was a toss-up between Mission Kashmir’s Chupke se sun and this song from Dillagi. In the end (pun intended), I picked this one. This was perhaps the trio’s biggest film in their early days if you ignore the ill-fated Dus. And Jatin-Lalit, with their super-plagiarized set (Haan haan yeh pyaar hai, copied blatantly from Frankie Valli’s ‘Cant take my eyes off you’ and Koyi nahi aisa shamelessly ripped off Tommy James and The Shondells’ ‘Mony mony’) completely enveloped the trio’s music. Still, I’ll always remember Kya yeh sach hai as something the trio trying to emulate A R Rahman’s music. If I hadn’t known the name of the composer, I would have guessed it as Rahman’s. That’s not a bad thing at all in 1999.

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Added on January 15, 2018:
While thinking about this new series, I knew that my list would be a mere fraction of the overall repertoire of any composer(s), but I did not anticipate the amount of feedback like I received for this one! Across emails, direct messages, comments and at-mentions, I got a list of 37 songs (many, like Aasmaan ke paar and Pehli baar were by multiple people), ignoring the more uptempo songs of the trio that I had planned to keep out of this list to retain the mood. Pehli baar, from Dil Dhadakne Do, would even perhaps qualify under ‘mid tempo’, but then, so would Lakshya’s Agar main kahoon.

So, I gathered all the feedback, made a list of songs recommended that, according to me, would fit within this list and added 5 more songs from the list (based on my preference) to round it off to 30. These songs were definitely on my long list, but, for the sake of a 25-list, I had removed them. Now, thanks to the feedback, adding them.

Aasmaan ke paar – Rockford
Rockford was 1999! Literally, the trio’s 2nd or 3rd film. The sound too is very Channel V types, including an amusing music video with the trip in dhotis and Ehsaan complaining vocally at the beginning of the song. The Indi-pop sound is thoroughly endearing and so is Shankar’s steady and very dependable singing. Gulzar’s lyrics are another clear highlight.

Ye tumhari meri baatein – Rock On
I still remember the scathing reviews of Rock On’s music when it was released. I stuck my neck out and gave it a #200, despite Farhan Akhtar. This song, in particular, sung so well by Dominique, is so calming, with a memorable bass. It is also a very interesting song within the film’s narrative – it is sung by a woman, while the scenes unfolding showcase an all-male rock band’s restart.

Chupke se sun – Mission Kashmir
I always mix Hrithik Roshan in Mission Kashmir and Hrithik Roshan in Fiza. Both, ironically, released about 60 days apart in the same year (2000). I’m not a particularly big fan of the trio’s music in Mission Kashmir barring Bumbro and Chupke se sun. Chupke se, for most parts, is as peaceful and steady as the calm Kashmiri lake the shikara glides on, but the parts where Hrithik gets awkwardly agitated… where the chorus kicks in… usually makes me cringe.

Pehli baar – Dil Dhadakne Do
I thought a LOT about including this song in this particular playlist. I L-O-V-E this song, no doubt, but felt that this is more mid-tempo than most of the softer melodies in this list. But then, so would Lakshya’s Agar main kahoon be and then, this song may not fit a list of say, uptempo/party’ish songs I may make in the future from the trio’s repertoire. So, adding it here. The thrumming and steady energy in the song is highly infectious!

Yeh sama – Yeh Kya Ho Raha Hai?
One of the trio’s earliest soundtracks, showcasing a different phase of their musical evolution. Given Shaan’s voice, the song has a very Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi feel, I thought. But Shaan and Sowmya Roah’s singing retains the innocence of those early pop-music feel, though the sounds akin to bubbles in the beginning only makes me smile these days.
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YouTube:

Apple Music:

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 7:
On Apple Music | On Saavn

A note on each song in the playlist.

Lae dooba (Aiyaary, Hindi): Rochak Kohli had a fantastic year in 2017 and Lae dooba is a great start to 2018. Sunidhi Chauhan is at her usual, fantastic self, handling the evocative & highly melodious tune, with panache and especially excellent diction, stressing on each word.

Dil chori (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Hindi): Yo Yo Honey Singh is back with yet another ‘spirited’ song, though much of the charm here is courtesy Anand Raaj Anand’s catchy original song from the album Chorni, sung by Hans Raj Hans.

Subah subah (Sonu Ke Titu Ki Sweety, Hindi): Amaal Mallik definitely had a winner with Roy’s Sooraj dooba and rehashing it so many times is proof enough. This is yet another rehash, but the bouncy sound actually works again

Kanave (Sketch, Tamil): Thaman no doubt ‘smoothens’ Vikram’s voice significantly, but the melody is easily and effortlessly appealing. This is Thaman template all the way, something that works like comfort food.

Ontharadali ella hayagide (Bruhaspati, Kannada): Listen to the song’s 2 interludes and anupallavi tell me it is not by Ilayaraja. Go ahead, try it! Harikrishna does it so very often and most times he gets such Raja’ish melodies so darn perfectly!

Arare arare (Idam Premam Jeevanam, Kannada): Judah Sandhy’s song could easily fit into Chamak’s soundtrack, as a follow-up to the title song. It’s that breezy, with a gently lilting electronic sound and whispery vocals by Sneha Hegde.

So Many So Many (Okka Kshanam, Telugu): It’s mighty obvious that the producer insisted that he wants a Telugu ‘adaptation’ of Ed Sheeran’s Shape of You. Mani Sharma, starting from that brief actually does decently enough!

Oh pilla nuv pooladanda (Manasuku Nachindi, Telugu): Radhan, fresh from the super success of Arjun Reddy, creates a similar song here, mixing hiphop, faux-carnatic sounds and letting Naresh Iyer and Sameera Bharadwaj handle it confidently.

Title song (Tagaru, Kannada): Anthony Daasan’s spirited rendition lifts the title song (Tagaru banthu tagaru) as much as Charan’s captivating and ominous sound that effortlessly descends into pulsating kuthu at times.

Mental ho jawa (Tagaru, Kannada): This is a curiously interesting concoction! Charan blends a lot of things into a heady mix – Ananya Bhat’s Mental ho jawa hook, a semi-classical or faux-classical anupallavi and a steadily catchy disco’ish background!

Poo Poothuvo (Kaly, Malayalam): The song is oh-so-Ilayaraja, with a dulcet melody and incredibly Raja’esque interludes too! Rahul choice of singers, K.S Hari Shankar and Radhika Narayanan, works wonders for him!

Kurumba (Tik Tik Tik, Tamil): A father singing about his son has a fairly Imman’ish melody, but it is Madhan Karky’s lines (Veettu paadam seidhaalo, ratha azhuttham yerum!) that stand out brilliantly! The lines have a beautifully lived-in feel that’s so relatable.

Title song (Tik Tik Tik, Tamil): Lyricist Madhan Karky plays Tamil teacher yet again, teaching us new, interesting words, even as @immancomposer, for the catchy song, trolls us by getting Yuvan—who mispronounces Tamil a lot—and gets him to sing with perfect pronunciation!

Naana thaana (Thaana Serndha Koottam): Between the energetic tabla and iktara-like strains, Anirudh handles Naana thaana‘s likeable tune in his inimitable style. The little nuances he brings, like the casual cough (which perhaps has an in-movie reason) add to the fun.

Innale innale (Diwanjimoola Grand Prix, Malayalam): Sung by Niranj Suresh , the song is so very Gopi Sundar! A low-key, guitar-driven melody that meanders with unhurried pleasantness and evoking the composer’s Telugu repertoire.

Kaate poora kaate (Diwanjimoola Grand Prix, Malayalam): Niranj Suresh is behind Kaate poora kaate as well, a song that sets the Diwanji Moola as an iconic location (for Grand Prix!), with flamboyant guitar and an anthemic tune, though the tune is good old Gopi material.

Seramal ponal (Gulaebaghavali, Tamil): Vivek-Mervin’s sound for this melody is expansive, featuring Chennai Strings Orchestra and a lush melody sung (particularly neat ‘Seramal ponal’ hook) very well by MervinJ and Sameera Bharadwaj.

A new playlist, after a week’s break (because of the Shankar Ehsaan Loy playlist!). Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 8:
On Apple Music | On Saavn

A note on each song in the playlist.

Koova (Indipop, Tamil): Singer Karthik, as composer, nails the song’s delightful electro-swing structure! Madurai Chinna Ponnu, in a Queen Latifa’ish makeover, is simply superb! The video, with fantastic dance moves by Sathish is a compelling watch!

Manavyalakinchara (Indipop): Agam’s sophomore album is turning out to be quite something! This familiar Nalinakanthi-raaga song by Thyagaraja gets a scintillating new mod in Harish’s incredible vocals and some awesome backgrounds, including that vocal chorus ending!

The Greatest Show (Film OST): The title song of the film’s OST is as grand as a P.T.Barnum spectacle! The build-up is slow and steady, with thumping crescendo! To hear stars like Jackman and Efron sing so well compares so poorly with Indian films’ ‘playback’ singing style!

Yaenadi (Nimir, Tamil): This is Darbuka Siva basking in the post-Gautham Menon glow, away from his La Pongal days! The song could easily fit in the director’s film too! Breezy melody, phenomenally sung by Haricharan and a particularly lovely anupallavi-to-pallavi bridge!

Geedhaara kiliye (Nimir, Tamil): This song is the pièce de résistance of the soundtrack! Sathyaprakash is superb with the wonderfully affecting melody that has an instantly-recognizable homage to Ilayaraja’s Poomaalai (Sindhu Bhairavi), in the anupallavi! Don’t miss this song!

Mizhi (Eeda, Malayalam): My pick of the 3-song soundtrack of Eeda, composed by John P Varkey. The melody is often pensive and haunting, but is undeniably affecting! Roshni Suresh and Amal Antony handle it in a sedate way that makes it a great listen!

Mazha (Shikkari Shambu, Malayalam): Mazha‘s melody is wonderfully dreamy, worth soaking in, with the sound carried from the composer Sreejith Edavana’s earlier combo with Sachin (Yuvvh and Madura Naranga). Haricharan and Roshni Suresh pull it off brilliantly.

Ninnila (Tholi Prema, Telugu): The best from this latest soundtrack by Thaman. Armaan Malik is finding himself getting the best of Telugu and Kannada soundtracks recently. Thaman hands him a sweeping melody, with a brilliant effort from the Chennai Strings section.

Dhaari Choodu (Krishnarjuna Yudham, Telugu): Nothing much has changed in Hiphop Tamizha’s music in Telugu. The same style continues, with its focus on repetitive structures & catchy music with a generous nadaswaram-base. Penchal Das croons the song well, Anthony Daasan-style.

Iskoot zhala (Chitthi, Marathi): The energy in this song is fantastic, particularly the ‘Peremacha Mazya’ hook! Composer Onkarswaroop Bagde leads the vocals enthusiastically, while the chorus, Umesh Joshi, Vijay Dhuri, Swapnil Godbole & Varun Likhate offer excellent support.

Jeevana kali (Idam Premam Jeevanam, Kannada): Judah Sandhy’s tune is really good, nuanced and highly melodious. What transforms the song beyond that likeable tune is Shashank Seshagiri’s highly involved vocals! The use of sitar (sounded like sitar to me) is a great touch too!

Preethi Endarenu (Jayamahal, Kannada): In a tune that could fit within Judah Sandhy’s Chamak body of work, he gets Sanjith Hegde and Eesha Suchi for this pleasant song that does more with the lush tune, while the strings in the background offer a classy, sweeping sound!

Mazhamukile (Kalyanam, Malayalam): Najim Arshad reminded me of Karthik, while Prakash Alex’s tune reminded me of Maragadhamani’s Marakka mudiyavilla from K.Balachander’s Jadhi Malli! Similar raaga, perhaps. The sound eventually goes very Gopi Sundar’ish, and is quite catchy!

Pande Nee (Kalyanam, Malayalam): There’s a lot of early Rahman and of course Gopi Sundar in this song too. Given Prakash has worked as a keyboard player with Gopi, among other composers, this is expected. Lovely tune with a neat veena-layer, very well sung by Siddharth Menon.

Kalyanam (Kalyanam, Malayalam): The title song is easily a milder version of Bangalore Days’ Thudakkam maangalyam! It’s not as lively, but is no less likeable, with a catchy hook, a neatly modded nadaswaram sound and excellent singing by Suchith Suresan and Joju Sebastian.

Dhrithangapulakithan (Kalyanam, Malayalam): What Dulquer Salmaan, the singer, lacks, composer Prakash Alex makes up with a super lively tune! Dulquer is barely functional in this song, as a singer, but I do understand the value in roping him in as a star attraction!

Episode 2 of Milliblog Monthlies, featuring 30 songs by composing duo Vishal-Shekhar.

Playlist on Apple Music | Saavn | YouTube

For the heart:

01. Zehnaseeb – Hasee Toh Phasee (2014)
Probably my most favorite song from the duo’s repertoire! A song that best showcases the duo’s approach to melody making, in my view. The way they add a lilt to kick-start the percussion after, “Iss kadar hum dono ka milna ek raaz hai”, where Shekhar starts with, ‘Hua ameer…”. The bridge from antara to mukhda is a lovely touch too – from, ‘Hona likha tha ‘ to the main tune with, ‘Jo bhi hua’. The melody here is impeccable, and Shekhar does an exemplary job with the vocals, and the choice of Chinmayi takes the song to an all new level.

02. Suno na – Jhankaar Beats (2003)
Shaan has some incredibly tuned numbers with Vishal-Shekhar! And it started right from the beginning when Vishal composed ‘Woh pehli baar’ in Pyaar Mein Kabhi Kabhi (1999) along with Samrat and Shiraz Moti (the reason why that lovely song is not part of this playlist). Suno na, though, is the duo’s best with Shaan, in my opinion. It is really hard not to sing along with Shaan in this one; it’s that tuneful and immersive! Fantastic bridge from antara to mukhda yet again – “Tanha tanha sama, mehki mehki hawa” and “Muskurati fiza gungunati hawa” to seamlessly “Keh raha hai jahaan jo… suno na”. ‘Tu aashiqui hai’ from the same film is a great song too, but if I were to pick one song to represent the film, this is easily it.

03. Tujhe bhula diya – Anjaana Anjaani (2010)
When Mohit Chauhan, in his honey-dew voice, sings, ‘Kaali kaali khaali raaton se, hone lagi hai dosti’, it is very, very difficult not to close your eyes and picture the feeling of being desolate and alone. Not to be left behind, Shruti Pathak’s Punjabi verse not only start the song but also pave way for the song’s tantalizing mix that blends the two disparate genres effortlessly with Shekhar handling the sufi-style parts. Also, almost 3 and a half minutes into the song comes the solo antara – a smart way to close the tune!

04. Khuda jaane – Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008)
Bachna Ae Haseeno is arguably the best soundtrack by the duo for a Yash Raj production. And this song is a stupendous example of how much the duo have imbibed Pancham’s music (even though I consider Jatin-Lalit an equally good duo that has beautifully kept Pancham’s style alive) and something they had explicitly done in Jhankaar Beats. What starts like a really catchy, frothy melody transforms into a uniquely R D Burman’esque track when the ‘Tu kahe to tere hi kadam ke’ antara and keeps throwing uniquely turning tunes line after line that would make Pancham proud (before joining the title hook). And placing Shilpa Rao’s and KK’s humming (‘aa aaa’) strategically at various places significantly enhances the song’s appeal.

05. Allah ke bande – Waisa Bhi Hota Hai – II (2003)
I can never believe that this song is composed by Vishal-Shekhar! I don’t think I have heard another song from the duo’s repertoire that comes even close to this song’s sound. It could be because of Kailash Kher’s overpowering impact in the song and that he himself composes (along with Naresh and Paresh Kamath, via Kailasa). But, the duo did compose it and what a song this is! The sparse, guitar-only backdrop and Kailash’s beautifully earthy voice make sheer magic together, while the tune is thoroughly engaging… something that would make any listener try singing it inside his/her head immediately. The one small thing that irks is the backing vocal chorus that accompanies Kailash towards the end, starting 3:20 – it always seemed jarring to me.

06. Merupula – Chintakayala Ravi (2008)
Chintakayala Ravi would have been the only Vishal-Shekhar Telugu soundtrack, but the duo is composing music for the Allu Arjun starrer, Naa Peru Surya (due in 2018). This song’s prelude usually reminds me of Viju Shah’s style. But then those irresistibly foot-tapping rhythm starts and things change. While Shreya is, as always, impeccable, it is the SPB-clone Rajesh Krishnan who literally runs away with the song; he sounds particularly like SPB in the background vocals during the ‘You make my heart go’ chorus! I love the saccharine-sweet melody in this song, where the lines extend almost breathlessly.

07. Bhare naina – Ra.One (2011)
This is a mighty ambitious song, in terms of its structure, perhaps going with the flow of the film itself. The main semi-classical part juxtaposed with Gregorian-style chants, actual Sanskrit chants and some fantastic rock layered on top of it for the hook. The second interlude featuring the flute is a particular favorite. The song works spectacularly because of Nandini Srikar’s towering vocals. Nandini is not a Hindi cinema regular and her unique sensibilities accentuate the song’s appeal immensely.

08. Tinka tinka – Karam (2005)
After being a top pop star during the beginning of mainstream pop music in India (led by Channel V and MTV, of course) and after completing one proper round of film music singing (aided a lot by Anu Malik), this is one of Alisha Chinai’s best in her second innings, 10 years after Made in India! The song seems to be built as a literal showcase of her vocal prowess, and she delivers so, so well! There’s a delicate edge to her singing that is absolutely tantalizing. The composing duo keeps the backgrounds minimal and functional, with lovely interludes, of course, but it’s the tune that works wonders.

09. Haravali pakhare – Balak Palak (2013)
I’m glad the duo reused the tune of this Marathi song in Hindi too (Kehkasha tu meri, Akira) because the original Marathi album and song is not available on Apple Music and Saavn! The jaunty rhythm lends a beautifully lilting, almost pahaadi-style feel to the melody. Shekhar owns the vocals – his range seems perfectly fit for such bordering-on-mellow melodies. I prefer the Marathi original (available on YouTube playlist) for the language’s inherent beauty, compared to the Hindi version.

10. Khoya khoya – Shabd (2005)
The song is such a delightful listen, with that gentle, almost-reggae backdrop. Sonu Nigam usually aces such songs and this no different, with him putting in an extra effort in the word ‘khoya’. The antara is a particularly lovely piece of construction, making it conversational, with Sonu and Sunidhi literally taking up one line each, answering each other. I wish there was a version of this song without Sanjay Dutt’s dialogs. Within the context of the film’s plot, they make some sense, but as a standalone song, they seem like random mumbo-jumbo and spoil the song’s flow.

11. Falak tak – Tashan (2008)
Falak tak is the most un-Tashan song in the Tashan soundtrack oozing with hinterland-rock. This could have been part of any other Yash Raj film featuring music by the duo – it is that generic. But it is also gorgeous! An easy-on-the-ear melody, with a lush, indulgent rhythm, and wonderfully sung by Udit Narayan and Mahalakshmi Iyer. I’m quite fond of the 2nd interlude featuring santoor and flute, and the sans-percussion first line in the antara.

12. My Dil Goes Mmmm – Salaam Namaste (2005)
This is an easy entry in this playlist. There’s a gently energetic lilt in the percussion in the backdrop that is so easily likeable. And that hook is a very clever idea, blending the hmmm with the humming seamlessly. I always hear some bits of ‘Woh pehli baar’ in the background of the antara, but that could also be because of the Shaan-connection! And this is one of the fewer songs by the duo that has 3 antaras!

13. Khabar nahi – Dostana (2008)
After hearing more than the adequate number of songs featuring the ‘Maula’, I’m reasonably tired of its predictable use…. this song included. But the main melody (Kis taraf hai aasmaan) of the song is very, very good. And I’m glad Vishal takes it upon himself to handle that. The duo’s typical English verses playing up as interludes is a nice touch too.

14. Bahara – I Hate Luv Storys (2010)
If it was ‘Maula’ in Khabar nahi, it is the generic folk phrases in Bahara. Yes, Sona Mohapatra does a lovely job there (what was once Ila Arun’s exclusive domain), but it is the main melody that I love. Shreya sounds extra sweet here. The antara’s construction is something worth observing closely – the way ‘woh’ extends and moves to ‘kabhi dikhe zameen pe, kabhi woh chaand pe’ and the way ‘yeh’ extends too and moves to ‘nazar kahe use yahaan main rakh loon baandh ke’ and this one doesn’t end as seamlessly as the earlier line, but helps move further into the antara. Love it!

15. Udan choo – Banjo (2016)
The accordion-based sound lends a distinctive vaudevillian feel to the song. Hriday Gattani’s voice is easily the highlight of the song… something that may have gone to a Shaan, in an earlier period. The percussion accompanying the hook is the song’s most attractive part, though the 2nd interlude jumping to the disparate and louder Mumbaiya rhythm and paving way for the song’s ending irks me mildly, always

For the feet:

16. Aahista aahista – Bachna Ae Haseeno (2008)
Lucky Ali! The way he goes ‘Yun gira gira hai chand’ like only he can… that’s perhaps enough for this song. But the song is so much more! Shreya Ghoshal leads the song brilliantly, offering a perfect foil for Lucky Ali. And the song’s racy rhythm and guitar is instantly addictive. The ‘ho ho ho’ hook is something one can’t not sing along!

17. Dhat teri ki – Gori Tere Pyaar Mein (2013)
A vastly under-rated Vishal-Shekhar song. I was trying to pick between this one and ‘Dil duffer’ from the same soundtrack and decided to go with this one simply for its heady funk. Sanam Puri’s fresh voice adds to the song’s appeal and the hook is a killer. Plus, song is shot in Bengaluru – at the Hard Rock Cafe in Bangalore, India Shot at Hard Rock Cafe at St.Marks Road and at Skyye Lounge, UB City

18. Hairat hai – Anjaana Anjaani (2010)
Lucky Ali!! A lot more flashy guitar work than Aahista aahista. But the tune is the winner here, along with the fact that the duo get Lucky Ali to sing it. The way they layer in a chorus line behind ‘Tu hai toh har ek lamha khoobsurat hai’ is highly imaginative and it is things like this that really take this song to the next level.

19. Ajab leher – Break Ke Baad (2010)
It was this song or Adhoore tum adhoore hum from the same soundtrack and I pick this because I believe it offers more variety in terms of musical sensibilities. The really captivating horns section, for one, is a great addition. And Neeraj Shridhar rarely goes wrong with such songs.

20. Sheila ki jawani – Tees Maar Khan (2010)
This is a genuine foot-stomper! The hook comes after adequate teasing which literally goes, ‘What’s my name… what’s my name?’ and comes amidst what seems almost like a drumroll! Sunidhi is in complete control all through the song, though Vishal’s entry in the antara, with that desi twist, is a fantastic diversion. The other really interesting feature is the fact that the duo actually conceived 2 different antaras! The 2nd one, ‘Paisa gaadi mehanga ghar’ seems considerably less popular than the first, ‘Silly silly silly silly boy’.

21. Chammak challo – Ra.One (2011)
This song is as good a foot-stomper as Sheila ki jawani, with the difference being this one going pan-Indian and beyond India too, given Akon’s vocals. The hook is a killer, staying in my mind long after the song is over. And that Tamil infusion mid-way is highly imaginative too! Those four Tamil lines by Hamsika Iyer and the subsequent four Hindi lines really build on the song beautifully.

22. Tu meri – Bang Bang! (2014)
A song that seems tailor-built for Hrithik Roshan! That ‘Tu meri’ hook is an absolute delight, though also seems like a one-trick pony given how the rest of the song literally vanishes in the background. The ending, with the EDM reaching a crescendo and the hook turning into a chorus, is a fitting finale.

23. Shake It Like Shammi – Hasee Toh Phasee (2014)
The duo really crank up the horns section in this one! The ode to Shammi Kapoor rock ‘n roll sound is massive fun and the hook is a guaranteed feet mover. If there’s one complaint about the song, it’s beyond the music – I’d have loved to see a more involved and flamboyant dancer like Ranbir Kapoor dance to this one. Sidd’s dance seemed very tame to me, though the song has more than enough scope for a scorching dance (though Sidd seemed much more at ease much later, in A Gentleman’s Chandralekha)!

24. Subah subah – I See You (2006)
Subah subah, with those neat guitar riffs, catchy chorus vocals (that comes all across the song, including the first interlude, followed by that addictive whistle phrase) and an incredibly energetic tune, is instantly catchy and typical Vishal-Shekhar material! This is the quintessential spring-in-the-step song that, in a morning, can put the mood back into your system! That superstar making a surprise guest appearance in the video as Arjun Rampal gets out of a building starts to trot happily is a reason enough to see the song video if you haven’t already

25. Dil haara – Tashan (2008)
Tashan was Vishal-Shekhar’s own Omkara (music by Vishal Bhardwaj). But while Vishal Bhardwaj gunned for a more authentic hinterland sound, the duo, also given the Yash Raj brand behind it, go for a broadly appealing masala music while sticking to the hinterland rock sound very convincingly. The grungy vocal chorus that starts the song and appears in the second interlude again is an inspired idea! Sukhwinder Singh, who has a heavily stereotyped voice like Rahat Fateh Ali Khan, actually is an asset in this song, because his tone and way of singing aids the song brilliantly!

26. Dus bahane – Dus (2005)
I recall this song (and Deedar de) literally being played everywhere (in Bengaluru) back in 2005 when the soundtrack came out. Both songs were total earworms that you just cannot escape from! The Dus bahane song, in particular, had this bizarrely interesting sound that starts when Shaan starts singing the first ‘Dus bahane’ hook. It plays in the background like a grating, extended wail and then plays a shorter version again for the next ‘Dus bahane’! It also plays like a longer version during the first interlude. Once you hear this intriguing sound specifically, almost like an angry dinosaur screaming at you, you simply cannot ‘unhear’ it

27. Happy Diwali – Home Delivery (2005)
This is a seriously underrated song by the duo! The vocal harmony in this song is simply brilliant. The ‘Mere tumhare’ hook, even more so! The kids chorus and Sunidhi’s lead, and the generally happy and bouncy tune make it a phenomenally fun song! This is also perhaps the most un-desi Diwali song with no traditional flavor whatsoever while also being such a solid song.

28. Golmaal – Golmaal (2006)
The easiest way to gauge the song’s appeal is the fact that 11 after the original (in 2006), the song is still being used (in remixed formats) in all the sequels! I’m sure the proposed sequel (to be released in 2021, according to Wikipedia) will have a new variant of the same song, 15 years after it was first composed. The original is a fluffy, incredibly catchy song that’s good bubblegum pop.

29. Everybody Put Your Hands Together – De Taali (2008)
De Taali had a pretty good soundtrack. This song is actually an interesting and clever variant of the Golmaal title song. Plus, it has Anushka Manchanda, much like that song! The rhythm is also similar – measured and precise, almost like a march-past. After the first antara, there’s a tiny (lasting just 4 seconds!) desi, harmonium-style phrase that is totally unexpected – always used to wonder who came up with that idea and why!

30. Sajanji vari vari – Honeymoon Travels Pvt. Ltd. (2007)
My original choice for the last of the ‘for the feet’ 15 was Sultan’s Baby ko bass pasand hai. But I figured that a song from the duo’s repertoire that literally works like the Sultan chartbuster’s precursor is Sajnaji vari vari! Even though the tempo of both the songs is different, both seem, to me, to be part of an extended continuum. The Sultan song is significantly amped up to allow Salman’s dance moves, while Sajnaji is, in my view, a much better song, with a more natural flow that is an unbridled joy. Sunidhi is simply superb here!

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YouTube:

Apple Music:

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 10:
On Apple Music | On Saavn
(Songs that are not available on Saavn or Apple Music are in the form of YouTube embeds, below)

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Vaadi (Arjun, Pop): What a surprise listening to Vidyasagar’s superhit Tamil song from 2001 (http://bit.ly/2nCuGZZ, Alli Thandha Vaanam)! Sri Lankan-born UK-based Arjun uses the Tamil song as a base to layer his bubblegum pop. It works for sheer nostalgic value!

Sauce (Man of the Woods, Justin Timberlake): This Timbaland, Danja and Timberlake-produced song’s prelude is the viral 2017 Best Buy employee video (http://bit.ly/2nBqWbi)! The song, with adequately enjoyable and ample funk that’s so very Timbaland!

Midnight Summer Jam (Man of the Woods, Justin Timberlake): The only other song that appealed to me from Justin Timberlake’s brand new album. It fits right into his last album, The 20/20 Experience, with a 70s funk reimagined for current times, with a fantastic, extended outro.

Edo Jarige (Needi Naadhi Oke Katha, Telugu): Suresh Bobbili, who scored pretty good music in 2017’s Maa Abbayi, has everything going for in this Rahman’ish song, right up to the violin interlude and the Thenkizhakku Cheemayile’ish melody! Chinmayi rocks the rendition, as usual.

Oka Nuvvu (Gayatri, Telugu): Thaman is in in a pretty confident form these days. Gayatri is above average work too, with Oka nuvvu being the best song. Gorgeous violins on serene keys, and a lovely melody sung so well by Jubin Nautiyal & Shreya Ghoshal.

Sarasamaha (Gayatri, Telugu): There’s a Vidyasagar’ish flourish in this song that’s so alluring! Ramya Behara is the song’s stunning highlight given the way she sings it so confidently, while also imbuing the semi-classical melody with an impish edge.

Thella Thella (Gayatri, Telugu): The melody of Thella Thella is deeply engaging! It reminded me of the Nada Nama Kriya raaga-based bhajan, Paahi paahi jagan. Madhu Balakrishnan, in his best Yesudas-mode, seems the perfect fit for this tune, accentuated by Thaman’s percussion.

Gazab ka hai din (Dil Juunglee, Hindi): Tanishk Bagchi remixes Anand-Milind’s masterful inspiration from Neil Diamond’s Play me. The remix using Tanishk’s own original phrases more than the source, layers it pretty well together! Jubin Nautiyal & Prakriti Kakar are fantastic!

Jeeva sakhi (Tagaru, Kannada): Tagaru is turning out to be one phenomenal soundtrack. Charan Raj takes up the vocals himself for the haunting tune, with some superb guitar and a stupendous solo flute outro, played by Varijashree Venugopal!

Pushpa (Touch Chesi Chudu, Telugu): Pritam’s JAM makes its Telugu debut with Touch Chesi Chudu! Ashish Pandit for JAM8 composes Pushpa, a faux-retro style tune that goes perfectly with Ravi Teja’s well-known onscreen shenanigans. Nakash Aziz sings it with appropriate zing.

Neer maathalam (Aami, Malayalam): M.Jayachandran’s tune is a serene Malayalam melody harking back to a different period, brilliantly sung by Shreya Ghoshal, punctuated by Arnab Dutta’s Bengali phrases, reflecting Kamala Das’s Calcutta days.

Oru mozhi parayam (IRA, Malayalam): That very Gopi Sundar melody! The second interlude, in particular, is so symbolic of Gopi’s template! The melody is nice enough, albeit a bit too familiar, though Vijay Yesudas & Mridula Warrier make a difference.

Saarae (Queen, Malayalam): Monsoon Mangoes-fame Jakes Bejoy’s recent Tamil film Mannar Vagayara was middling too! But, he does score in this song from Queen, using the Rama rama pahimam bhajan line as a hook for a catchy engineering college song!

Vidiyarkaalai nilave (MaMaKiKi, Tamil): M S Jones Rupert’s debut is a pretty listenable melody, with a simple, likeable tune, orchestrated appropriately too. Vijay Bhaskar’s lyrics and Vimal Vijayan’s singing props the song considerably.

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Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 11:
On Apple Music | On Saavn
(15 songs in total, this week, though both Saavn and Apple Music do not have all the songs. Some songs that are not available on Saavn or Apple Music are in the form of YouTube embeds, below.)

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Uyir uruvaatha (Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Tamil): Structured around that instantly likeable hook, gains enormously from the fabulous singing of Chinmayi and Sathyaprakash. The second interlude, where Sam makes two instruments converse, is a particularly fantastic touch.

Yean penne neeyum (Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Tamil): Manoj’s violin and Kishore’s sitar jostle for equal attention along with Haricharan’s dependably wonderful rendition in this song. Sam’s melody is, though it desperately pleads with the woman in question.

Yea pa yeppappa (Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Tamil): Sam grunges his way through the vocals, in a showy, superbly orchestrated package, punctuated by Swagatha S. Krishnan’s humming in the latter half.

Nights Of Neverland (Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Tamil): Sam picks the first interlude from Yea pa skilfully to create Nights Of Neverland and it works beautifully as a standalone instrumental variant, reaching a stupendous high and ending on a serenely and completely ominous note!

Winds Of The Darkest Hour (Iravukku Aayiram Kangal, Tamil): As good as Nights Of Neverland, if not a bit more flamboyant and pulsating. If you think 1:03-1:07 sounds very familiar, look no further. Listen to 0:31-0:35 here

Chatu Matu Chupulanni (Manasuku Nachindi, Telugu): Radhan scores pretty well with a catchy and instantly foot-tapping rock ‘n roll sound, with an excellent brass section and Srinivasan Raghunathan getting it very right with the vocals, ending on a softer note.

Saalaagi (Gultoo, Kannada): Saalaagi’s sweeping melody seems perfect for Saindhavi’s range, and the frenetic breakbeats lift the song to a new high! Deepak Doddera joins her in the latter half, after which it turns into a lovely duet.

Neenondu Ashcharya (Gultoo, Kannada): Neenondu ashcharya could have easily come from Judah Sandhy’s mind… fits perfectly in the Chamak soundtrack’s scheme of things! Lovely melody, very well sung by Eesha Suchi and Deepak Doddera, and excellent orchestration as well.

Pranayamayi Radha (Aami, Malayalam): This song is yet another spectacular showcase of how good Shreya Ghoshal is, while singing for regional films! She holds the deeply affecting melody completely in her control, a spell broken only briefly by Dilshad Khan’s sarangi.

Umar Salon Sein (Aami, Hindi): Taufiq Qureshi’s treatment of this ghazal by Gulzar is completely different from Jagjit Singh’s imagination (Aap agar in dinon, Koi Baat Chale – 2006) and much closer to Hariharan’s outstanding ghazal Ghar chod ke (Sukoon, 1983).

Ayya Sami (Kinar, Tamil/Malayalam): K.J.Yesudas and S.P.Balasubrahmanyam last sang together for Ilayaraja’s Kaatukkuyilu Manasukkula (Thalapathy, 1991). This new collaboration is decidedly more Rahman’ish, and the voice fantastic voices keep it consistently engaging.

Etho Paattin Eenam (Ira, Malayalam): Though there are some very Gopi Sundar’ish flourishes (particularly the 2nd interlude), the melody has a gentle, old-world’ish charm. Vijay Yesudas, ever sounding like his dad, and Sithara’s vocals are perfect for the lovely tune.

Nenjin Ninave (Angarajyathe Jimmanmar, Malayalam): Girish Narayanan’s song is rather Gopi Sundarish too, and that’s no complaint at all It’s also wonderful to hear Hariharan singing, with good support from Nikitha, and gorgeous strings by Cochin Strings.

Neelashalabame (Charminar, Malayalam): Jecin George intersperses his melody (sung by Sachin Warrier) seamlessly with Gayathri Suresh’s carnatic phrases (Thyagaraja’s Paripalaya raghuatha, for the prelude & closing) and the blend works brilliantly since the core melody is so nice.

Yavva Yavva (Raambo 2, Kannada): Actor Sharan always seems to get the best from composer Arjun Janya. When Vijay Prakash joins in, it gets even better. Yavva is instantly catchy and easily dance-worthy, with simple hooks and repetitive musical phrases. Slick video too!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 12:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
(16 songs in total, this week. A new addition – YouTube playlists, from this week, based on popular request. Ironically, only YouTube had all 16 songs this week, while Apple Music and Saavn had 14 songs each!)

A note on each song in the playlist.
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The Celestial Nymph (Agam): This sophomore album by Agam, A Dream To Remember, is getting bigger and better with every song! The Celestial Nymph (Manassi Dussaham), based on the Shringaara Padam written and composed by Maharaja Swathi Thirunal Rama Varma, set to the raaga Aahiri, is a mighty ambitious and sweeping attempt! Harish, as always, lifts the song with his majestic vocals, but Praveen, on guitar, is equally splendid! His guitar solo at 4:28, which seemed like Charukesi raaga to me, is particularly spell-binding!

Saalaikal (Thaikkudam Bridge): A peppy Tamil pop with the band’s usually powerful orchestration, marked by that addictive violin layer! The tune is so very Govind Menon, no doubt – could have easily featured in any of the films he composes for!

Manikya Malaraya Poovi (Oru Adaar Love, Malayalam): That ‘wink’ song! This is Shaan Rahman template all the way, including him starting it with his own humming and right up to Vineeth Sreenivasan’s fantastic vocals! There’s something about Malayalam films and songs set in a school/college stage that have a distinctly Muslim-musical setting and sound – at one point (in 2006), Classmates’ Ente Khalbile (music by Alex Paul) was a massive hit, set in a college stage. And in 2018, this song, set in a school stage!

Kannala (China, Tamil): With Kabilan’s hilariously ‘Madras’ lyrics that rhymes ‘gulp’ with ‘bulb’! The melody, composed and sung by Ved Shanker Sugavanam, defies those words, though, and is a pleasant affair, with fantastic guitar by Keba Jeremiah and violin by Karthick Iyer.

Vilagaadhe Enadhuyirae (Oru Kuppai Kathai, Tamil): 54321 in 2015, Parandhu Sella Vaa in 2016, and now Oru Kuppai Kathai in 2018 – the re-re-return of Joshua Sridhar in Tamil! Despite the digital processing of Haricharan’s voice, the tune is eminently listenable!

Yentha Sakkagunnave (Rangasthalam, Telugu): Devi Sri Prasad is a master of repetition, in every way. Here, he uses that to his advantage and how! Using the ‘Yentha Sakkagunnave’ hook extensively to build his entire song, he creates a superbly catchy and addictive folk tune!

Main Ishq Hoon (Indipop, Hindi): The return of Viju Shah!! While the melody seems oddly dated (gets particularly sappy and outmoded in the antara!), Yasser Desai’s singing redeems it, though what keeps it spritely is Viju’s excellent work in the keys and rhythm.

Barsaat Mein (Indipop, Hindi): Jeet Gannguli, now better known as Pritam’s ex-partner, does very well composing and singing in this soaring, pathos-laden melody. The tune is reminiscent of the duo’s early music, and specifically, Jeet’s soft melodies, that he does so very often.

Feel (Indipop, Multi-lingual): That ‘fee-ee-ee-eel hai’ is a sure-shot giveaway that this is an Amit Trivedi composition! The forced nature of adding multiple languages while not doing each of them properly is an ear-sore, but the tune’s overall enthusiasm makes up for it.

Ulaviravu (Indipop, Tamil): There’s so much going for this song! Madhan Karky’s inventive word for ‘date night’ and Karthik’s wonderfully breezy melody that he sings it like only he can! Gautham Menon is doing a really fantastic job of reviving Tamil non-film music!

Koottippo Koodave (Junga, Tamil): Siddharth Vipin’s melody is pretty listenable even as it traverses largely predictable phrases as it progresses. What lifts the song is the choice of singers – Sathyaprakash, and Ranina Reddy, in particular, make a huge difference.

Julie (Indipop, Tamil): While Vignesh Shivn continues his pursuit of nailing colloquial, conversational ‘lyrics’, Anirudh does what he does best – create incredibly catchy and beautifully and intricately orchestrated melodies, with fantastic hooks (like ‘Maane thene’ here).

High On Love (Pyaar Prema Kaadhal, Tamil): Yuvan’s choice of Sid Sriram is the clincher! Not only is the tune so good and so-very Yuvan (particular the strings!), but Sid’s lush vocals adds a fantastic new dimension! Yuvan cranks up the backgrounds brilliantly in the anupallavi!

Bas Tu Hai (3 Storeys, Hindi): Clinton Cerejo’s melody is dependably good and soars at the right spots. Between Arijit Singh and Jonita Gandhi, the tune comes alive wonderfully, living through its steady thrum, punctuated by Warren Mendonsa’s solo guitar.

Nin Kannil (Meera, Malayalam): The song’s gently lilting melody took me back to Rajesh Roshan’s Ghar Se Nikalte Hi! Similar raaga, perhaps! Great to hear Srinivas and Sujatha Mohan, for Midhun Narayanan’s warm melody that has a beautifully retro-Malayalam flavor.

You in Me (Ghibran’s Orchestra Series): This one’s a surprise! Ghibran is known for his fabulously layered music, and in this new series, he eschews voices and words, to focus only on the backgrounds! The punchy layers are intact, as is the sprawling music that takes flight at 3:50 spectacularly!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 13:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
14 songs in total, this week. The YouTube playlist is missing the 3 songs from Daas Dev since they are part of a jukebox (jukebox embedded below, in the post), Redemption from the Black Panther OST, and Carbon’s Kaattin Sarangi that’s available only on Facebook (embedded below), not on Apple Music, Saavn of YouTube!

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Redemption (Black Panther OST): Zacari, who swooped into Kendrick Lamar’s Love with his superb falsetto last year joins South African gqom (South African house music) Babes Wodumo and her upbeat call-and-response in Redemption, my favorite from the soundtrack.

Happy Happy (Blackmail, Hindi): The DJ Waley Babu duo is back!! Badshah and Aastha Gill produce another song that seems simplistic and monotonous, but ends up being an annoyingly interesting earworm, with a repetitive hook and sound that would put Devi Sri Prasad to shame!

High End (Con.Fi.Den.Tial, Punjabi): Diljit Dosanjh, on a Bollywood high, retains an interest in his roots. The first single from his upcoming album Con.Fi.Den.Tial, where he starts—swag-style—singing as soon as he gets off his private jet is heady Punjabi stuff.

Aashiyana (Love Per Square Foot, Hindi): Sohail Sen’s tune has an addictive and almost-religiously fervent hook by Altamas Faridi. Lyricist Abhiruchi Chand weaves a thematically new-age Do Deewane (Gharaonda, 1977) and even invokes Gulzar, through Tarannum Mallik!

Khol De Par (Hichki, Hindi): Jasleen Royal, interestingly invokes Amit Trivedi almost directly in the song! When Arijit starts the antara, ‘Rati Ratayi Sari’, the Amit sound surfaces, but becomes massively obvious during, ‘Sabko Mananeki’, as if straight from Udaan!

Raasleela (3 Storeys, Hindi): If there was a need for a redux of Suneeta Rao’s Lesle Lewis-composed Paree hoon main, it is this! Amjad Nadeem does a fantastic dandiya-inspired reinterpretation, aided superbly by Sumedha Karmahe’s ebullient vocals.

Nit Khair Manga (Raid, Hindi/Punjabi): One way to look at this song is, ‘Blasphemy!’. But if I move beyond that reaction, Tanishk Bagchi’s recreation is not bad at all. Rahat Fateh Ali Khan handles the source tune might well and the song flows on the strength of the original.

Challa Chaap Chunariya (Daas Dev, Hindi): Daas Dev’s surprisingly good soundtrack belongs to Sandesh Shandilya! In Challa chaap chunariya, he ropes in Rekha Bhardwaj for a lilting psychedelic electro-pop that sounds absolutely lovely with the occasional sarangi thrown in!

Raat Din Yunhi (Daas Dev, Hindi): The other song by Sandesh Shandilya. The song’s sprawling sound is a fantastic listen, with Papon and Shradha Mishra adding to the exhilarating expanse of the song’s soundscape, complete with a superb sax base.

Tain To Uttey (Daas Dev, Hindi): Vipin Patwa’s song featuring Bulle Shah’s verse, Tain to uttey has Pakistani singer Javed Bashir, who is very good with the song’s pulsating rock hook otherwise set to a lively folk sound, straight out of a Coke Studio Pakistan episode.

Ga Gha Megha (Chal Mohan Ranga, Telugu): Thaman’s resurgent form is going pretty good. After recent works like Gayatri and Tholi Prema, looks like he has another promising soundtrack coming up, going by this breezy, highly listenable, Rahul Nambiar-sung song.

O…Kala (Juvva, Telugu): I’m glad M.M.Keeravani has canceled his retirement plans! His first post-Baahubali soundtrack is Juvva, with decent-enough music. O…kala is the pick of the album, with his favorite, Kaala Bhairava joining Damini Bhatla for the pleasant melody.

Poomathe Ponnamma (Udalaazham, Malayalam): Composers Sithara Krishnakumar & Mithun Jayaraj concoct a hypnotic melody that has traditional Kerala rhythms coexisting with a more modern sound. And the singing by Pushpavathy & Jyotsna Radhakrishnan add to the effect.

Kaattin Sarangi (Carbon, Malayalam): It’s a shocker that this film’s makers released the best song, composed by Vishal Bhardwaj, only on Facebook! The song is a good old Vishal-style lush melody, the kind he used to offer to Suresh Wadkar and then started singing himself.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 14:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
15 songs in total, this week. But not even one platform where all 15 songs are present, together! Shyam Piya is on Apple Music and Facebook, not on YouTube and Saavn. Baalam Ji is on Apple Music and YouTube, but not on Saavn. IndoSoul Karthick Iyer’s new song is only on YouTube! And Shadow and Light’s new album, Sabar is Saavn’s Artist Originals – so, only available on Saavn! So, my request – please try all 3 playlists to listen to all 15 songs this week. Wish there was a service to build cross-platform playlists and be able to play them via my mobile!

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Shyam Piya (Sona Mohapatra and Ram Sampath): Ram takes the Meera Bhajan made iconic by Anup Jalota and infuses it with a fresh lease of life, courtesy Talvin Singh’s tabla and Sanjoy Das’s guitar and most importantly, Sona Mohapatra’s incredibly involved singing!

Baalam Ji (Salim Sulaiman): Composing duo Salim and Sulaiman who are almost out of the Bollywood circuit (despite a stupendous soundtrack in Jai Gangaajal, 2016 http://bit.ly/2mDd1Dw) continue to produce lovely music, like this Rajasthani folk fusion featuring Sattar Khan!

Azaadiyaan (3 Storeys, Hindi): Clinton’s tryst with 3-song soundtracks (considering 1 song in this soundtrack is by Amjad Nadeem) continue and he continues to wonderfully well! Azaadiyaan is amazingly serene, letting up only for the title hook, that Bianca Gomes handles so well!

Zaroori Bewakoofi (3 Storeys, Hindi): Besides Mohit Chauhan’s honey-coated singing, the chorus hook, ‘Kahani atrangi si’ by Vivienne Pocha, Crystal Sequeira and Bianca Gomes is clearly the song’s highlight. And there’s Clinton’s vocal trumpet too, btw!

Runa Zuna (Memory Card, Marathi): With a flute intro that sounds like the one in Gupt’s Yeh Pyaar, the melody in Runa Zuna, by Mitesh-Pritesh. is almost single-handedly propped by Mahalakshmi Iyer’s stellar vocals! But yes, Javed Ali joins mid-way and makes the song even better!

Konte Naatey (Aamhi Doghi, Marathi): Mangesh Dhakde’s tune is pleasant enough, but it is Vaishali Mhade’s singing that elevates it to a lovely new level.

Aalaliloo (Karu, Tamil): There’s palpable tenderness in the way Swagatha S. Krishnan handles Aalaliloo, rendering Madhan Karky’s gentle verse as if they are brittle. Sam’s music is wonderfully serene, even segueing into a rhythm that’s equally gentle.

Konjali (Karu, Tamil): Konjali is an absolute stunner! From the sparse mridangam to the beautifully appropriate nadaswaram, to Sathyaprakash and Neha Venugopal’s lead vocals, Sam’s sound is almost like that of Sharreth’s!

Adiye (R. K. Nagar, Tamil): Have always felt that Premgi Amaran was a better composer than a comedian on screen. Adiye, from R K Nagar is a pretty good song! Very Vijay Antony’ish. Seemed like Gowrimanohari raaga to me.

Paalthira Paadum (Captain, Malayalam): Another late full album release. The best song by Gopi Sundar is this Shreya Ghoshal delight! The tabla-coated melody is so very Gopi (those interludes featuring his own high-pitched humming and strings!), and Shreya is heartbreakingly good!

Kannanthalir (Velakkariyayirunnalum Neeyen Mohavalli, Malayalam): Composer Viswajith who had, in 2016, produced some lovely songs in Rudrasimhasanam, returns with an expansive melody! Vijay Yesudas is in great form, though, at places, I almost thought I heard Hariharan!

Kuyilai Polave (Two Sides of Karma, Tamil): Karthick Iyer, has been producing some great non-film music and the 1st song from IndoSoul’s 3rd album is a great start, with its beautiful Khamas-raaga melody, adorned with Karthick’s splendid violin, and vocals!

Pathjad, Samandar & Vaade (Sabar, Shadow and Light): Shadow and Light is Pavithra Chari and Anindo Bose. The sound—comprising jazz, pop, electronica & R&B—is very, very good, though I’m not fully convinced with the tunes. Liked these 3 songs the most from the album.

Episode 3 of Milliblog Monthlies, featuring 25 songs by Vishal Bhardwaj.

Let’s start with this song, shall we?

Now, if I did not know who composed this song, my guess would be Dilip Sen-Sameer Sen (who made their debut in 1992, with Jeena Mara Tere Sang, with songs like Chaha Hai Tumhein Chahenge and Kal Maine Khuli Aankh Se that I recall were quite popular back then). But, this cringe-worthy (in retrospect) song is composed by Vishal Bhardwaj! Vishal’s first recorded song was used eventually by Usha Khanna, it seems, for a 1985 film called Yaar Kasam (though, which of the 4 songs here is by Vishal is hard to say).

But, from Fauji’s Kabhi Aankh Milaye to what is generally considered his debut (incorrectly), Gulzar-directed Maachis… it’s a giant leap for Vishal Bhardwaj the composer. I consider Vishal an enormously talented composer-director (among the many other things he does), but not just that – I also seriously believe that he is a very intelligent composer. Why do I say that?

Let me try to articulate that in my own non-musical way.

To me, it seemed that Vishal, in Fauji, with its utterly generic masala music, was trying his hand at music to know what he could really do with it.

With Gulzar’s sensibility in Maachis, he adapted his music to a new style and paradigm… one that gave him—well deserved—the Filmfare RD Burman Award for New Music Talent in 1996.

He carried that sound till 2000, and produced largely mediocre work, with Satya being the lone spark. Then, in 2000, he produced music for Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar and this was the turn of a newer style that he thought could put him in better stead. Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar had a breezy and easily likeable set of tunes, with Vishal’s own sensibilities added to it. But unlike his earlier set, starting with this film, his films had a more confident outlook – they are much more catchy. He carried that sound in Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega too, and to some extent Chupke Se.

Then, starting with Maqbool, he turned his style in a different direction! He extended that to Omkara and No Smoking too, while also amping up the commercial value of his sound significantly, with electric masala numbers like Beedi and Phoonk De.

After that, starting with Kaminey, he has moved on to a completely different zone – the music from this point onwards is decidedly more modern, global in outlook and a lot more saleable in general. That extends till last year’s Rangoon (with Ishqiya, 7 Khoon Maaf, Dedh Ishqiya, Matru Ka Bijlee Ka Mandola, Ek Thi Daayan, Haider and Drishyam all thrown in between).

For a director, composing music for his own movies and changing his music idiom at least 5 times, based on the demands of those periods of time is remarkable and highly intelligent.

The following playlist has my favorite 25 songs by Vishal Bhardwaj. I’ve broken down the 25-song playlist into 3 sections – the first 10 are my favorite melodies from Vishal. The next 7 are ideally mid-tempo songs, while the last 8 are songs where Vishal whips up a frenzy!

Playlist on Apple Music | Saavn | YouTube

Note: The playlist on Apple Music has 21 songs and is missing: No.4 – Kehte Kehte from Chupke Se, No.8 – Kaatin Sarangi from Carbon, No.10 – Atthanisi Zindagi from Jahan Tum Le Chalo and No.25 – Jhin Min Jhini from Maqbool.

The Saavn playlist is also a 21 song list, and is missing: No.8 – Kaatin Sarangi from Carbon, No.10 – Atthanisi Zindagi from Jahan Tum Le Chalo, No.16 – Love Ke Liye from Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega and No.25 – Jhin Min Jhini from Maqbool.

The YouTube playlist is the closest to a complete list, with 24 songs. It is missing only one song – No.8 – Kaatin Sarangi from Carbon.

No.8 – Kaatin Sarangi from Carbon is available ONLY on Facebook, so I have embedded it below the entry in this post.

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Kaminey – Kaminey (2009)
Kaminey is a soundtrack that’s packed with incredible music. My absolute favorite, though, is the title song. The build-up to the song is so soft and serene, but it takes on a beautifully expansive sound to wrap the lush melody inside it. Vishal’s singing is absolutely top notch, even though, I have noticed that he has a way of going awkward while singing (and is better of handing over the singing duties to Suresh Wadkar—earlier—and then to Arijit Singh). But sometimes, like this song, it just works perfectly.

Dil To Bachcha Hai – Ishqiya (2010)
Vishal nails the vaudevillian sound in this song! So good is it that the mesmerizing tune transports you straight to the Raj Kapoor era. And roping in Rahat Fateh Ali Khan to sing it is the icing on the cake – the tune works perfectly for Rahat’s range. It’s a beautifully picturized song too, incidentally.

Tu Mere Paas Bhi Hai – Satya (1998)
If I were to pick between Badalon Se and this one, I’d pick Tu Mere Paas. Yes, Badalon Se had Bhupinder singing it and is a classic Vishal-style melody, but I believe Tu Mere Paas breaks that template very well, with a breezy Latino flavor that was quite unlike what Vishal had attempted till then (though Betaabi’s Tum Mere Ho, that otherwise goes haywire, has a base tune that sounds a bit similar to Tu Mere Paas, to me).

Kehte Kehte – Chupke Se (2003)
Between Koi To Ho and Kehte Kehta from Chupke Se, I would pick the latter, though I quite like both songs. Also, as far as I know, Kehte Kehte is Lucky Ali’s first song for Vishal Bhardwaj and Lucky Ali’s voice fits extraordinarily well for the melody, a lazy drawl of a tune that flows oh-so-casually. Vishal adds some small, nifty touches in the song – my favorite is the sound that comes right after ‘Na jaane kyon’!

Bekaraan – 7 Khoon Maaf (2011)
Vishal’s own vocals in Bekaran, along with that dulcet tune and Gulzar’s love-soaked sentences bear the composer’s standard style, but I also hear a lot of A R Rahman. Vishal sings this one like someone truly possessed with another person, with an almost whispery, throaty edge and a bit high too! The 2nd interlude, in particular, is a delight!

Kya Pataa – Drishyam (2015)
Drishyam is like Fazil’s Aniyathipraavu (music by Ouseppachan), which was subsequently remade in Tamil (Kadhalukku Mariyadhai, music by Ilayaraja), Telugu (Nenu Premisthunnanu, music by Tamil composer Sirpi), Hindi (Doli Saja Ke Rakhna, music by A R Rahman) and Kannada (Preethigaagi, music by Tamil composer S.A.Rajkumar). Drishyam has 5 remakes—Tamil, Telugu, Kannada and Hindi, and a Sinhala remake. All of them have different composers – Anil Johnson (Malayalam), Ghibran (Tamil), Ilayaraja (Kannada), Sharreth (Telugu), Vishal Bhardwaj (Hindi) and Sachith Peris (Sinhala). While I love the movie, the only 4 songs I like across all of these versions (yes, I have heard all the songs) are Yeya En Kottikara in Tamil, Prathi Roju in Telugu and Kya Pataa & Carbon Copy in Hindi! Kya Pataa is a particular favorite in the way it employs Arijit’s voice and the tune is wonderfully mysterious, with a lovely jazz touch.

Dil Ka Mizaaj Ishqiya – Dedh Ishqiya (2013)
This is perhaps my all-time favorite (so far!) Rahat Fateh Ali Khan song! The melody is heartbreakingly beautiful and that dulcet tone works so well for Rahat’s voice. The way he goes ‘Mizaaj’ every time stressing on the ‘j’ (as it should be) is lovely!

Yeh Ishq Hai – Rangoon (2017)
This is a complete shocker! That it sounds *SO MUCH* like Dil Se’s title song is the shocking part! When Arijit goes on the high-pitched ‘Yeh ishq hai’ at the end of the antara, you perhaps would like to scream inside your head, ‘Dil se re!!’ too! But, once you get over that and accept it, the song sounds fantastic, though.

Kaatin Sarangi – Carbon (2018)
It’s incredibly unfortunate that the best song from Vishal’s 2nd Malayalam film (first being Daya) is still lying, without any extra credits like singer, lyricist etc., as a Facebook video! This song is vintage Vishal melody – ambient, dreamy and beautifully sung by Benny Dayal.

Kaali Kaali – Ek Thi Daayan (2013)
Besides the lovely, immersive tune that Vishal concocts here, his choice of Clinton Cerejo for singing this one pays big time. I particularly love the melody of the antara and the way they mingle with ‘katra katra’ and ‘lamha lamha’ so beautifully! The 2nd interlude is a lovely piece of imagination too!

Atthanisi Zindagi – Jahan Tum Le Chalo (1999)
To some extent, this song from Vishal’s 1999 film is a precursor to the kind of music he eventually started producing, starting with 2000’s Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar. The tunes were starting to get catchier and the music was getting decidedly more interesting, with the rapid cuts leading to the hook (Atthanisi Zindagi) closing in on the end of the antara. Given Hariharan’s voice, this could easily be mistaken for the many Indipop songs that came in that period!

Chhai Chhapa Chhai – Hu Tu Tu (1999)
Hu Tu Tu is the 2nd film directed by Gulzar, with music by Vishal. So, obviously, I was expecting a Maachis-like soundtrack, but it turned out to be completely different and a letdown, largely. The saving grace was this song, though! That antara which goes, ‘Dhunda karenge tumhe saahilon pe hum’ is a lovely touch and Hariharan pulls it off so well.

Lai Ja Re Badra – Dil Pe Mat Le Yaar (2000)
My favorite song from this new turn in Vishal’s musical style, along with Hariharan’s Swagatham. Both songs are semi-classical and Lai Ja, sung by Sanjeev Abhyankar has a fantastic fusion feel to it. Amidst all the wacky, pop tunes of the soundtrack, these 2 stand out amazingly!

Saiyaan – U Me Aur Hum (2008)
This is perhaps the most un-Vishal Bhardwaj’sh song if you ignore his early misfires like Fauji. It could fit straight into a Dharma Productions film with music by say, Jatin-Lalit! Still, there is a certain Vishal sensibility that the tune holds, like the superb antara. Sunidhi Chauhan, as usual, is impeccable with her vocals!

Yaaram – Ek Thi Daayan (2013)
Gulzar’s lyrics take center stage in this amazing song, where he gets the woman to go all out wooing a man unabashedly!
“Hum cheez hain bade kaam ki…Yaaram
Humein kaam pe rakh lo kabhi…Yaaram” and
“Ghar daftar mein le ke chalenge hum
Tumhaari filein, tumhaari diary
Gaadi ki chaabiyan, tumhaari enakein
Tumhaara laptop, tumhaari cap, phone
Aur apna dil, kanwaara dil
Pyaar mein haara bechara dil” are so very Gulzar! Vishal’s tune for the ‘Tumhaari filein’ part is a crackling idea! Sunidhi Chauhan and Clinton Cerejo have a lovely to and fro vibe in this song.

Love Ke Liye – Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega (2001)
Vishal gets the tapori-style vibe so well in this film’s title song. The song is breezy and the question-and-answer format between Sunidhi and Udit really lifts the song’s appeal. The carnival’esque 2nd interlude is a commercial cop-out, but overall, really cool song, even back in 2001.

Chappa Chappa – Maachis (1996)
The song that literally built Vishal’s appeal as a composer (along with Chhod Aaye Hum)! I recall hearing the song almost everywhere, even in Tamil Nadu where I was when the film released. It was such a massive chartbuster, cutting across states and languages in its sweeping appeal. The combination of Hariharan and Suresh Wadkar, for the singing, along with the splendid chorus and Gulzar’s sparkling verse takes the song to a new high.

Goli Maar – Satya (1998)
A killer song! Vishal has done another song like this, 3 years later, in Love Ke Liye Kuch Bhi Karega’s Aslam Bhai! But Goli Maar (or Kallu Mama), sung with affecting South Indian accent by Mano revels in its drunken stupor like very few songs before it! The inspired song picturization, led by the incredibly funny Saurabh Shukla is a delight! To a large extent, Vikram Vedha’s Tasakku Tasakku reminded me of Kallu Mama, in terms of the way it was structured and approached.

Beedi – Omkara (2006)
Beedi is Vishal taking the item song genre, pouring kerosene over it and setting it on a glorious and rousing fire! The song’s lines, by Gulzar, makes Bhojpuri Hindi go for a pan-Indian appeal with its bawdy and risque phrases that gel perfectly with the testosterone-filled format. Sunidhi Chauhan is the song’s stunning highlight, with excellent support from Sukhwinder Singh, Clinton Cerejo and Nachiketa Chakraborty. I believe the song is a massive hit in Brazil, ever since it was used in the Brazilian TV soap opera called Caminho das Índias.

Dhan Te Nan – Kaminey (2009)
The surf guitar-loaded DhanTeNan is no doubt reminiscent of Dick Dale’s legendary track, Misirlou (more popularly referred to as the theme from Quentin Tarantino’s Pulp Fiction), but beyond broad, genre-influences, it stands on its own, as a hyper-enthusiastic dance track, with infectious vocals by Sukhwinder Singh! The spontaneous outburst of energy in the song is quite something!

Doosri Darling – 7 Khoon Maaf (2011)
I’ve always felt that the Kalinka-inspired Darling has an underwhelming rhythm… for such a mesmerizing tune! Usha Uthup and Rekha Bharadwaj make an incredible combo, but get their due only in the other version, Doosri Darling – the soundtrack’s magnificent highlight! This one gets an exciting and authentic Russian background, while Rekha’s vocals acquire a naughty edge. Vishal blends the original adeptly with the Indian parts he conceives plays with the song’s tempo to fantastic effect.

Horn Ok Please – Dedh Ishqiya (2013)
This may be the most respectable song Yo Yo Honey Singh has ever sung, given then it doesn’t allude to any of the mood-altering substances he is usually used to sing about. Vishal even throws in a rap portion to fit Honey Singh’s image and to be fair, he does a fantastic job with the flamboyant and funky tune!

Bismil – Haider (2014)
Continuing with the exotic world music influences in other songs like Darling, Dhan te Naan and Dil To Baccha Hai Ji, Vishal’s use of the Central European sound in Bismil is amazing! Along with the song’s picturization, set in a superb location and the theater-style narrative, the song makes a superb impact! Sukhwinder Singh and the chorus deliver Gulzar’s storified lyrics beautifully, with the ‘Mat mil, mat mil gul se mat mil… Aye dil-e-bulbul bulbul-e-bismil’ coming in to close the phrase suddenly being a fabulous highlight.

Dil Todne Ki Masheen – Hawaizaada (2015)
Much like the Bhojpuri item song, Vishal amps up the Marathi Lavani-style item song, with generous support from Rekha Bhardwaj who completely owns the song! The hook is an absolute killer, burning up the stage, much like Beedi’s hook.

Jhin Min Jhini – Maqbool (2003)
The song starts off slowly and steadily, like a standard wedding song, but just before the 2-minute mark, it simply explodes! The assortment of voices, including Sadhana Sargam, Ustad Sultan Khan, Anuradha Sriram and Rakesh Pandit make it a fantastic listen, with the song culminating to Amir Khusro’s iconic qawwali, Aaj Rang Hai.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 15:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
18 songs in total, this week. Apple Music playlist is missing the 2 Kannada songs from Trunk that are available on Saavn and YouTube playlists. Naadottukku, from Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri is not on YouTube, but available on Apple Music and Saavn playlists. Kannum Kannum from Vikadarakumaran is not available on Saavn, but is present on both Apple Music and YouTube playlists!

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Heer (Ved Sharma, Indipop): Ved Sharma, from Dabra is the 3rd find of Mohit Suri and EMI Music’s VYRL Originals. Pleasant R&B melody and well sung too, though I don’t understand this Punjabi obsession even from a singer from Madhya Pradesh!

Baby I’m A Queen (Sofi Tukker): A new single from New York-based electronic duo Sofi Tukker’s (Sophie Hawley-Weld and Tucker Halpern) upcoming album, Treehouse, this dance-worthy, guitar-laden electronic song is easy on the ears and quite catchy.

No Excuses (Meghan Trainor): Like a true Meghan Trainor song, this one’s catchy and funky too, in equal dose, with a definite hint at the retro. The eye-popping colorful video is a great addition as well.

Edhuvaraiyo (Kolamaavu Kokila, Tamil): That punchy Anirudh package yet again! He truly seems to be on a roll. Sean Roldan’s grungy voice goes wonderfully with the moody tune and the dialogs by Gautham Menon added as interlude is intriguingly cool!

Pondattee (Golisoda 2, Tamil): Nice lilting and winsome melody that is simple and with a foot-tapping hook. A bit Sean Roldan’ish, I thought. Achu does a great job handling the engaging tune.

Karuppi (Pariyerum Perumal, Tamil): A searing hip-hop melody from Santhosh Narayanan that he sings with his usual, intense fervor, along with Dr. S.C. Chandilya. The tune and the rap are packaged, along with the ending, as a hauntingly modern oppaari of sorts!

Rangamma Mangamma (Rangasthalam, Telugu): This Rangasthalam is turning out to be a fantastic soundtrack by Devi Sri Prasad! In the 3rd single, Devi hands M. M. Manasi a cracker of a catchy song and she handles it brilliantly! The lilt is infectious!

Kala Kala Kalamandir (Inttelligent, Telugu): This is good old Thaman-style kuthu masala! The rhythm is incredibly catchy and Thaman’s inclusion of veena all over the song works wonders! Nakash Aziz and Geetha Madhuri lift the song significantly with their rendition.

Pedda Puli (Chal Mohan Ranga, Telugu): Thaman strikes again! The folksy tune (with a repetitive structure) and rhythm combo works easily and the chorus adds good impact too, with a super frenzied ending! Rahul Sipligunj’s enthusiastic singing is great.

Kannum Kannum (Vikadakumaran, Malayalam): Trust Rahul Raj to produce such incredibly lovely melodies! Sounds like Sindhu Bhairavi raaga to me (shades of Satya’s Valayosai!) and the icing on the cake of Vineeth Srinivasan and Akhila Anand’s vocals!

Vanolam (Kala Viplavam Pranayam, Malayalam): With a spritely rhythm that segues seamlessly into folk sounds, the energetic tune is a great listen! Athul Anand scores well on the music front, as do Sithara Krishnakumar and Niranj Suresh in singing it.

Romanchana (Trunk, Kannada): Trunk has music by debutant trio, Kartik Raman (of Indian Raga fame), Pradeep Pady and Ganesh Govindaswamy. Romanchana, sung by Kartik, is a super smooth ballad – effortlessly likeable!

Yaakeetara (Trunk, Kannada): Vidya Panicker’s vocal range and style reminded me of Ranina Iyer’s, but not to take anything away from Vidya, she’s fantastic in the slow and sedate melody of Yaakeetara. The composing trio keep the backgrounds minimal to let the melody work wonders.

Naadottukku (Kuttanpillayude Sivarathri): Singer Sayanora Philip, making her composing debut, gets Naadottukku superbly right, with a lovely pallavi repeating thrice, peppered with ambient music; sung wonderfully by Job Kurian, with good chorus/spoken support by Prarthana.

Mere Anarchy, The Middle is Gone, This Wild Darkness & A Dark Cloud is Coming (Everything Was Beautiful, and Nothing Hurt – Moby): Moby’s latest album is perhaps the closest to his breakthrough (my favorite), Play. The sound is incredibly lush and the female guest vocalists (Julie Mintz, Raquel Rodriguez, Brie O’Bannon, Mindy Jones and Apollo Jane) do a darn good job all through. Mere Anarchy has all the Moby regulars – compelling synth leads, thoroughly engaging drum patterns and deep bass lines. Lounge piano, guitars and a repetitively haunting synth play along brilliantly in The Middle is Gone, while in This Wild Darkness, a delightful choir makes an impeccable mark. A Dark Cloud Is Coming has an incredibly cool synth signature laid on top of a sweepingly entrancing rhythm!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 16:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
13 songs, this week. YouTube and Saavn are complete – they have all 13 songs. Apple Music is missing 3 songs and has only 10 songs – the missing songs are: The Mercury Song, the Kannada song Hosa Padmavathi (my favorite from this week’s list!) and the Punjabi song Rabb Jane from Shaadi Teri Bajayenge Hum Band.

A note on each song in the playlist.
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Everybody Hates Me (The Chainsmokers): The first 2 singles (Sick Boy and You Owe Me) were largely whiny, but in Everybody Hates Me, the much-hated Chainsmokers drop all pretense and go full on, with a bloody cool EDM drop and some pseudo self-analysis:
“I’m a product of the internet
And now, I’m face to face with all the voices in my head
I can’t even check the time without facing regret
Why do I still have to mean everything I ever said?”

Done For Me (Charlie Puth, featuring Kehlani): Charlie Puth collaborates with R&B star Kehlani who has been scoring some really impressive collaborations recently. The song’s funky sound is effortlessly appealing, thanks to the synth horns.

Hosa Padmavathi (Johny Johny Yes Papa, Kannada): While Ajaneesh is making waves in Telugu with Kirrak Party, this new Kannada song drops… and rocks!! Superb horns, an incredibly catchy ‘Colour colour’ hook and fantastic singing by Vijay Prakash and Indu Nagaraj.

Most Wanted Abbayi (MLA, Telugu): Trust veteran Mani Sharma to whip up a scorching hot Telugu masala track! The lyrics, in typical Telugu-style rhyme (Armani) suit-tu, (Adidas) boot-u, cut-out-u, sweet-u, chocolate-u and many other things to a raucous effect!

Hey Indu (MLA, Telugu): This is the kind of song Mani used to compose in his sleep during his peak in Telugu film industry. Glad to see him back in this game. Rahul Sipligunj breezes through the wonderfully rhythmic tune and that ‘Chinnadaana’ hook.

Tere Naal Rehna (Jeet Gannguli, Punjabi): I’m really glad that Jeet Gannguli picks a serene and melodic tune for his first ever Punjabi song! Along with Jyotica Tangri (who is very, very good!), the song’s pleasant melody is thoroughly appealing.

Badla (Blackmail, Hindi): Amit Trivedi and DIVINE are angry… very, very angry in Badla. The sound is edgy, with a ‘Badla’ hook that literally explodes. DIVINE’s rap is mighty punchy, as usual.

Rabb Jane (Shaadi Teri Bajayenge Hum Band, Punjabi): Composer Rupak Iyer’s melody seemed like classic Charukesi raaga to me, with its thoroughly engaging and beautifully rich tune. Who better than Sonu Nigam to sing such a melody? And the man completely owns the song!

Thoo Manju (Krishnam, Malayalam): The trilingual has music by Hariprasad R, and of the 3 versions (sung by Karthik in Tamil and Kala Bhairava in Telugu), this Malayalam version sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan is my favorite. Full Vidyasagar feels in the stately melody!

Mayathennum (Mayathennum, Malayalam): There’s a distinct Gopi Sundar-style in Arun Ashok’s song. But he has a way with the likeable melody that takes an interesting turn after the 2nd interlude. Nikhil Mathew and Sangeetha Sreekanth are very good with the vocals.

Morning Is Coming (Album – 44/876): Sting and Shaggy are an unusual combo! This single, from their upcoming album, is a smooth downtempo and easy-listening track that combines the best of reggae and Sting’s incredible voice!

The Mercury Song (Mercury, Hindi): The last really well-known ‘silent’ film, the Kannada film Pushpaka Vimana (1987) wasn’t silent after all – it had no dialogs, but had fantastic background music by L.Vaidyanathan. This new ‘silent’ film by Karthik Subbaraj takes the same multi-lingual route to release like Pushpaka Vimana which was effortlessly welcome in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi and Malayalam as well. But, this one has a song – a promo song, at that, in Hindi no less. The song’s lyrics, by Sayeed Quadri, awkwardly shoehorns the word ‘Mercury’ into the flow, but other than that, this is perhaps the most energetic song composed by Mithoon in recent times, far removed from his brooding melodies.

Bhannat (Gavthi, Marathi): The trailer and the other songs from Gavthi seems to indicate some inspiration from Sairaat and this pulse-pounding song is on the lines of Zingaat — a manic Marathi kuthu song composed by Shreyashh and sung well by Suhas Sawant.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 17:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
14 songs, this week. YouTube has all 14 songs. Saavn is missing 4 – the 2 Punjabi songs from Sajjan Singh Ranroot (understandably since Speed Records proudly displays ‘exclusive on Gaana’ all over the video, thereby reducing its spread, the new song from Agam that’s available only on YouTube and the song from the Malayalam film Naam, which is from Satyam Audios that has a deal with Apple Music and rarely lists its music on Saavn. Apple Music has 11 songs – it is missing the Agam song and the 2 from Sajjan Singh Rangroot, for the same reason

A note on each song in the playlist.
—

Theher Ja (October, Hindi): Even as Abhishek Arora’s tepid Sooraj Dooba Hain knockoff in Dil Juunglee’s Dil Jaane Na is in circulation, he gets it superbly right with Theher Ja! Armaan Malik significantly elevates it, with its serene melody that truly accentuates the theher ja’s thehrav sentiment.

Sataasat (Blackmail, Hindi): After the T-series inserted songs, finally Amit gets his songs in Blackmail, starting last week’s Badla. While Bewafa Beauty is the most un-Amit Trivedi’ish song ever, Sataasat is a total comfort zone. Trippy and sedate melody that he sings himself like only he can.

Laung Laachi (Laung Laachi, Punjabi): Gurmeet Singh’s tune is very Punjabi – effortlessly rhythmic and instantly catchy, but with a marked feminine grace that Mannat Noor brings with her phenomenal vocals. The natural beauty of the language adds to the whole charm.

Sheesha (Laung Laachi, Punjabi): Mannat Noor pulls off again in Sheesha too, this time the tune is very folksy and melodic, with a softer lilt. That ‘Sheesha ho’ hook is haunting in Mannat’s mesmerizing voice.

Roti (Sajjan Singh Rangroot, Punjabi): The Punjabi war movie based on the experiences of Sikh Regiment during World War I has 3 songs by Jatinder Shah and one by Uttam Singh. Roti is true-blue Punjabi earthiness, made better by leading man, Diljit Dosanjh’s involved vocals.

Pyaas (Sajjan Singh Rangroot, Punjabi): Lovely old world’ish charm in Uttam Singh’s backgrounds, reminiscent of Dil Toh Pagal Hai. It’s Diljit again who carries the searing yearning in the melody which seemed like raag Pilu to me (Pardesiyon se na, Jab Jab Phool Khile).

Tui Ki Kore Dili (Ghare And Baire, Bengali): This is Anupam Roy’s home territory. This is his trademark style, a breezy soft-rock melody that he always sings himself. That hook, “Tui, Tui Ki Kore Dili… Tui E Ki Kore Dili Re… Bol Na, Bol Na, Bol Na” is marvelous!

Kedaya (Kalari, Tamil): VV Prassanna’s tune is largely predictable and familiar, but there’s no denying its charm. Between Prassanna and Vaishaali, the melody’s inherent beauty does come out very well.

Azhuku Jatti Amudhavalli (Iruttu Araiyil Murattu Kuththu, Tamil): A first for Tamil cinema – a song titled, ‘Amudhavalli’s dirty undies’! The bawdy lyrics are replete with double entendre, but given the whatever-goes horror genre, Balamurali Balu’s song seems oddly and weirdly fun!

Naaloni Nuvvu (Needi Naadi Oke Katha, Telugu): Composer Suresh Bobbili keeps up the promise showcased in last year’s Maa Abbayi. In Naalonu Nuvvu, he ropes in Sony and Naani for the soft and lush melody, with a particularly lovely strings and shehnai’ish profusion.

Vaaram (Chal Mohan Ranga, Telugu): Vaaram plays out like a template of a Thaman song – the melodic intro, followed by the rhythmic hook. In Nakash Aziz’s dependable voice, this works perfectly! The sound and choice of instruments in the interludes is particularly very, very good!

Ardham Leni Navvu (Chal Mohan Ranga, Telugu): A surprise, considering Thaman uses Thyagaraja’s Hamsanadam-raaga based Bantureethi Kolu as-is! Still, the new layer of lyrics juxtaposed on the familiar tune, the modern backgrounds and Sreenidhi’s singing make for lovely listening.

Tanka Takkara (Naam, Malayalam): Kerala produces more college songs than any other Indian language; result of high literacy rates? This song by Ashwin & Sandeep is no doubt reminiscent of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s Tattad Tattad from Ram-Leela, but that innate Malayalee charm is a winner.

Koothu Over Coffee (A Dream To Remember, Indipop): The 5th song from Agam’s 2nd album. An original Tamil folk written by Agam’s keyboardist Swamy Seetharaman, the simple and lively folk tune gets a massive fillip from Harish’s superb singing, the choir, and the celtic soundscape!

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 18:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
15 songs this week. Apple Music has all 15 songs. Saavn is missing Sona and Ram’s Tori Surat and Kammara Sambhavam. YouTube playlist is missing a lot of songs – Tori surat, Prabhu ji (since it’s inside a jukebox; embedded below), all 3 songs by Pineapple Express (embedded as a jukebox below) and Kammara Sambhavam (inside a jukebox – embedded below).

A note on each song in the playlist.
—

Tori surat (Indipop, Sona Mohapatra, Ram Sampath): Sona and Ram’s 2nd song from Lal Pari Mastani is a spritely reimagination of Amir Khurso’s Tori surat ke balhari. The sound is energetic and Sona’s rendition adds a special zing to Ram’s already punchy sound.

Prabhu ji (Hindi, High Jack): The best song from High Jack’s soundtrack, IMO, is Prabhu ji composed by Anurag Saikia. The one by Asees Kaur is my pick, with a lovely classical tune layered over frenetic dubstep. The lyrics by Akarsh Khurana add to the quirky mirth & irreverence.

One Kiss (Calvin Harris & Dua Lipa): Uptempo with a deep house beat that Calvin effortlessly slays. Dua Lipa’s easily recognizable voice and rendition lifts the song to a new high that’s already brimming with instant likeability.

Cloud 8.9, The Mad Song & Uplift (Progressive Metal, Uplift EP): The name Yogeendra Hariprasad may not fit Pineapple Express’ pulsating outburst of metal, but Yogi does. With the band’s vocalist Karthik Chennoji Rao, they produce a mesmerizing carnatic-metal melange in Cloud 8.9, with no lyrics (only free-form carnatic scatting!) but with an awesome mix from Bhargav Sarma and Ritwik Bhattacharya’s guitars, Arjun MPN’s flute, Shravan Sridhar’s violin and particularly incredibly drums by Gopi Shravan. The Mad Song is one similar lines, but comes loaded with a catchy Kannada hook, with Karthik’s splendid vocals. My favorite from the band’s debut EP is the title song, with what seems to me like Dhanashri raaga. The melody is straight out of composer Vidyasagar’s repertoire but the way the band layers in the metal is astounding!

Kangan (Punjabi, Harbajan Mann): Kangan is proof of the Oye Hoye man’s staying power! Composer Jatinder Shah mixes a heady Punjabi tune over what sounds distinctly like a Middle-Eastern base, and the combination works very easily.

Ghar se niklate hi (Amaal Mallik): The original by Rajesh Roshan is a cult classic. But the reimagination by Amaal Mallik is a very competent effort – it retains the soul of the original but packaged in a significantly modern way (though with new lyrics that seem shoehorned).

Vachaadayyo Saami (Telugu, Bharat Ane Nenu): The soundtrack of Mahesh Babu’s latest is standard-issue Devi Sri Prasad material. But this song stands out easily featuring Devi’s splendid sense of rhythm – jaunty and enjoyable, this case.

Doore Vazhikalil (Swathandriam Ardharathriyil): Jakes Bejoy, after a spate of substandard Tamil soundtracks, seems to be getting his mojo back! This song’s melody has a haunting Middle-eastern tinge. Shreekumar Vakkiyil’s soft voice contrasts interestingly with the ominous tune.

Thaa thinnam (Malayalam, Theevandi): Half of composer Kailas Menon’s job is done when he picks Job Kurien to sing! The melody built around a catchy very-Kerala hook gets a new life in Job’s excellent singing even as Kailas does an especially good job with the interludes.

Orey nila (Malayalam, BTech): Rahul Raj can compose such immersive and likeable melodies in his sleep now given his recent track record! That he has Nikhil Mathew singing it makes it even better, besides the beautiful flute-led outro. The video is a particularly good watch too!

Title song (Malayalam, Ranam): The 2nd song by Jakes Bejoy this week! Saint TFC’s Tamil-English rap is a clear highlight, with Jakes’ rhythmic backgrounds working well alongside. Ajaey Shravan, Jakes Bejoy & Neha S Nair’s main vocals are interesting, as is a jadhi-led interlude.

Njanoo ravoo (Malayalam, Kammara Sambhavam): The best song from the 3-song soundtrack. Gopi’s melody and interludes are enchanting, though the comparison with Sairat zaala ji is inevitable. Haricharan is his dependable self, while Divya S Menon adds a lovely dollop to the tune.

Va va vo (Malayalam, Mohanlal): Yes, that’s the film’s name! Tony Joseph’s music is pleasant, with a delightfully soft reggae’ish rhythm, a dreamy flute tribute to Omana thinkal, and excellent vocals particularly from Nithya Menen.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 19:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
15 songs this week. YouTube has all 15 songs, while both Apple Music and Saavn are missing the last 3 songs – Varika Rasika from Panchavarna Thatha, Mazhayil Nanayum from Kaitholachathan (Manorama Music and Millennium Audio really need to work on their distribution online) and James Vasanthan, Madhan Karky’s Odahuttidhavarae.

A note on each song in the playlist.
—

Anjaana (Indipop, Shor Police): Ananthaal minus Vijayprakash is Shor Police! Ananthaal had a fantastic debut album; Shor Police, with music co-composed by Clinton and Bianca promises to be equally good! The groove is tried and tested Clinton signature that flows oh-so-smoothly!

Dead To Me, Nuestro Planeta (Isolation, Kali Uchis): Colombian-American singer Kali Uchis’ debut album is a heady pop-soul-R&B melange. The bouncy and anthemic Dead To Me, and Nuestro Planeta, with a lovely whiff of reggaeton and Kali singing in Spanish, are my favorites.

Energia, Best Friend (Treehouse, Sofi Tukker): The duo had earlier featured in the March 11 playlist, and now their album is out! The infectious EDM jungle pop is all over the album, with Energia, a compelling Portuguese track with incredible bossa nova swing and drumbeats, and Best Friend, that’s already massively popular given it featured in an Apple iPhone X ad, featuring Alisa Ueno, The Knocks, and NERVO, with an entertaining chorus section and a cool outro by The Knocks.

Beautiful Love (Telugu, Naa Peru Surya): Vishal-Shekhar transplant their dependable ballad’ish sound to Telugu. In Armaan Malik and Chaitra Ambadipudi’s singing, the melody shines beautifully and I won’t be surprised if the tune isn’t reused for Hindi film!

Sakkath Tagaru (Kannada, Tagaru): Charan Raj’s Tagaru title song is already a superbly handled tune, but what Dheerendra Doss does on top of it, with a veena (Mahesh Prasad Veena) + heavy metal (guitar by Ajay George Joseph) + konnanol (Somashekar Jois) layer is astounding!

Wah re wah (Kannada, Dalapathi): The 2nd Charan Raj song this week came out in late 2017! The movie is releasing only now! The song’s rhythm is an easy standout with its punch, and Vijayprakash effortlessly glides through the vocals, along with Sindhuri.

Mugulunage (Kannada, Edakallu Guddada Mele): Composer Ashic Arun had a good outing in the 2016 film Coma, but hasn’t been seen after that. Edakallu Guddada Mele is decent enough. In Mugulunage, Shreya and Karthik help prop the song beyond its predictable tropes.

Jeevamshamayi (Malayalam, Theevandi): After last week’s Tha Thinnam, composer Kailas Menon is back, with an absolutely gorgeous Reetigowlai-raaga based Jeevamshamayi! Shreya Ghoshal and Harisankar KS are outstanding, as also Cochin Strings and Vishnu Vijay on flute.

Rasathi (Malayalam, Aravindante Athidhikal), That word is so strongly associated with Rahman’s Thiruda Thiruda number, but the other Rahman—Shaan—makes a valiant effort to frame another song starting with that word! With Vineet singing it, the effort works mighty well.

Aaha (Malayalam, Orayiram Kinakkal): I wasn’t impressed with the 1st song from the film (by Ranjit Melappat), but this one, composed by Sachin Warrier, is an easy winner! With its mild Electro Swing feel and the peekaboo Middle Eastern sound, this MG Seekumar-sung song is superbly catchy!

Varika Rasika (Malayalam, Panchavarna Thatha): The song, composed by Nadirsha, is a spunky carnatic-techno medley that works for 2 reasons – Jayaram’s almost unidentifiable look and outrageous moves, and Shankar Mahadevan’s stellar vocals!

Mazhayil Nanayum (Malayalam, Kaitholachathan): Jibu Sivanandan’s tune is an interesting idea that worked much better during the anupallavi than the charanam. The latter seemed weaker, but the former, with a possibly Reetigowlai’ish feel is very neat!

Odahuttidhavarae (Kannada, James Vasanthan): Lyricist Madhan Karky debuts as Kannada lyricist in this song that is a lovely bridge of languages (with Tamil subtitles) and the spirit of brotherhood between the troubled neighbors (Tamil Nadu and Karnataka). If James starts getting Kannada film offers after this song, I won’t be surprised at all.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 20:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
14 songs this week. All of them are available on Apple Music, while Saavn and YouTube are missing just one song – Dhruv Visvanath’s Botswana. Do remember to check out the music video of DJ Snake’s Magenta Riddim if you use the playlists on Apple Music and Saavn. The twist in the end is worth the time

A note on the songs in the playlist.
—

Ae watan, Dilbaro, Raazi & Ae watan (female version): Read the review of the music of Raazi here.

Badumbaaa (102 Not Out, Hindi): The song, composed and arranged by Amitabh Bachchan, (produced by Rohan-Vinayak) seems like a literal showcase of Big B’s character in the film! It’s a simple tune that the veteran repeats endlessly to make it addictive. The upbeat Western sound gradually moves to tapori dance mid-way, in a clever nod to the Bachchan-style music. While his own singing is great, as always, Rishi Kapoor makes up in terms of enthusiasm what he lacks in terms of singing.

Magenta Riddim (DJ Snake, EDM): DJ Snake’s latest song is a cross-cultural hodge-podge! The French DJ mixes Jamaican Riddim and an irresistible dance-hall sound. The video, shot in Telangana featuring local actors playing a firefighting troupe, has a mind-bogglingly poignant twist!

Oru Mara Nizhalil (Mercury, Tamil): Santhosh’s prelude to the song is very Chaplinesque and closer to Edith Piaf’s La vie en rose even though the film uses her Non, je ne regrette rien! The melody smoothly moves to his trademark melody in Sathyaprakash’s resonant voice, with the prelude turning into a haunting waltz.

Villupaattu (Lady Kash, Rap): Singapore-born rapper Kalaivani Nagaraj aka Lady Kash’s homage to the Tamil folk music art form Villupaattu and showcases the similarities between Villupaattu and rap, in terms of use of rhythm and story-telling. The song is heady with pulsating rap by Lady Kash, backing vocals by V.M.Mahalingam and stellar nadaswaram by Thirumurthy. The song transcends commercial parameters given Lady Kash’s interest in highlighting the plight of perhaps the oldest Villupaattu exponent alive, in Kanyakumari – Poongani Amma.

Mooga Manasulu (Mahanati, Telugu): The first song in the biographical film based on the life of South Indian actress Savitri is a spectacular showcase of the kind of sweeping sound composer Mickey J Meyer has in mind for the film. The song, powered by a superb horns section, is expansive and a wonderfully immersive melody that Mickey does so well! Shreya Ghoshal and Anurag Kulkarni are absolutely fantastic with the singing!

Mazha Megham (Krishnam, Malayalam): Composer Hariprasad R’s music for Krishnam has been impressive, based on the singles released. If Thoo Manju had Vidyasagar’ish Tamil repertoire as a reference point, Mazha Megham has Vidyasagar’s Malayalam repertoire as a reference point! In Vijay Yesudas’ delightful voice, evoking wonderful memories of his legendary father, the song is an easy winner.

Aaro Varunnathai (Mazhayathu, Malayalam): Gopi Sundar gets Divya S Menon to sing a classic ghazal in Aaro Varunnathai! The music is beautifully simple and uses a predictably nice ghazal template, featuring Dilshad Khan on sarangi and P K Anand on the tabla and dholak. The second interlude, featuring strings is so very typical Gopi, though!

Sogasaagi (Krishna Tulasi, Kannada): This song released late last year, but given the film’s release last Friday, and the full soundtrack’s release last month, it deserves a listen now. Composer Kiran Ravindranath sings the homage to the city of Mysuru himself – a homage in intent more than nativity of the sounds Mysuru could generate.

Wild, Botswana (The Lost Cause, Dhruv Visvanath): Dhruv’s sophomore effort after this 2015 album Orion is a great listen, coming on the back of his extensive travel that led to the album’s inspiration. The song Wild, featuring Ajay Jayanthi on strings, with its intimate and poignant sound is perhaps the best showcase of the album’s sound, while Botswana is the other end of the spectrum, with its infectiously fun sound!

Episode 4 of Milliblog Monthlies, featuring 18 songs by M.M.Kreem.

His name is incredibly unique! In Hindi, that is. He may be the only music composer in India who has a different name for each language he composes in, at least the 3 major languages he composes/has composed! So, he is M.M.Keeravani in Telugu (Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani), Maragathamani in Tamil and the oddest of all, M.M.Kreem in Hindi! This multi-moniker trend runs in the family too – his brother, Kalyani Malik, a very, very competent composer himself is known by many other names – Kalyani Malik, Kalyan Malik, Kalyan Koduri and Sri Kalyan Ramana!

This list focuses on M.M.Kreem, the Hindi repertoire of M.M.Keeravani. The man is a well-established and successful composer in Telugu and has also produced some fantastic music in Tamil (he made his Tamil debut with K.Balachander’s Azhagan, one year after his Telugu debut! Here’s a more detailed note on how good the music of Azhagan was.)

Kreem’s Hindi debut was in 1995, 5 years after his Telugu debut, with Mahesh Bhatt’s Criminal (an ironic title since the plot was criminally lifted without credit or royalty from the Harrison Ford starrer The Fugitive. From then on, Kreem has been associated with the Bhatt family across many movies and worked with other directors and producers too in Hindi. His trademark Hindi sound is soft and melodious, and very unique as a body of work.

The composer once wrote on Facebook that he had marked his retirement date as December 8, 2016, on the day he recorded his first song in Telugu (December 9, 1989)!

Thankfully, in 2017 he decided to stay on, through a tweet!

The following playlist has 18 songs from M.M.Kreem. These are my absolute favorites from the composer’s body of work in Hindi.

Playlist on Apple Music | Saavn | YouTube
___

01. Raat sari – Zakhm (1998)
I know that Gali mein aaj is the more/most popular song from Zakhm, I love it too, and the fact is Zakhm is Kreem’s best Hindi soundtrack to date. But Raat saari makes my heart flutter, literally. Alka Yagnik was absolutely incredible with her singing, bringing out the longing in the waiting of the song’s lyrics (Anand Bakshi). Kreem himself joins in with a vocal hum in the end and the instruments used are so well thought-out and classy – including santoor, sitar and strings. The prelude sound before santoor kicks in is haunting and memorable!

02. Chup tum raho – Is Raat Ki Subah Nahin (1996)
The film was Kreem’s 2nd Hindi outing. The film was in news back when it released even though it was being seen as an ‘art’ film. Nida Fazli’s lyrics add a beautiful dimension to the soft ghazal-like sound that Kreem plays around with creatively in the antara. Between Chitra and Kreem, the soulful and very serene—perfectly apt for the ‘chup’ of the lyrics—veers in an awkward direction only in the ill-conceived second interlude.

03. Awarapan banjarapan – Jism (2003)
What a wonderfully immersive song! Sayeed Quadri’s lyrics are so evocative of the wayward, aimless feeling that occurs to all of us at various points in life. And KK breathes life into those lyrics so beautifully. Kreem’s music is understated and lets the melody flow through, with a lovely choice of instruments, the oboe being my favorite. This song has been torturing me for a very, very long time for a different reason, though. There’s a particular line in the song that tune of which I’m sure I have heard it in some Tamil song – some old Tamil song is what I can recollect… the M.S.Viswanathan, Sivaji Ganesan period. But I just cannot place the song. The tune in the Hindi song repeats 4 times (only the lines outside the bracket – just the tune for that!!),
“Apne liye toh thik usee pal (roz dhala hai seene mein)”
“Ho na ho uss par kahee koyee (khwab jala hai seene mein)”
“Ishq kee aise rah guzar ko (hamne chuna hai seene mein)”
“Thoda sa dil meraa bura hai (thoda bhala hai seene mein)”
I keep hearing the song in loop for that reason too, in the hope that some day I’ll stumble on the song I’m looking for.

04. Anjana dil kya jaane – Dhokha (2007)
This is probably more upbeat than most of Kreem’s Hindi songs! KK’s vocals are vibrant and highly enthusiastic and Kreem’s tune has a verve that reminds me of Vishal-Shekhar’s Subah Subah from I See You for some reason. The outlook, of optimism and positivity, seemed similar in sound and lyrics.

05. Tu mile – Criminal (1995)
This is the song that made Kreem a known name in Bollywood! Perhaps picking a thread from Mahesh Bhatt who is usually unabashed in his intent and execution of plagiarism of plots from all possible sources, Kreem used parts of Enigma’s Age of Loneliness in the opening of the song where Chitra hums extensively (it’s her in Hindi too, though Alka Yagnik sings the actual song) modelled on Enigma’s original. Not just that, Kreem also lifted Snow’s Lonely Monday Morning for the song Keemti Keemti! But, on Tu mile, the song now is a cult classic, plagiarism or not. The melody is wonderfully rich and sweeping, and Kumar Sanu and Alka sing it so well, particularly the gorgeous antaras!

06. Gali mein aaj – Zakhm (1998)
This is a heart-breakingly beautiful song. If Raat saari was about hope and longing, Gali mein aaj is wish-fulfillment. It’s where the hope ends in happiness. I still remember an email from Piyush Pandey (Ogilvy) that he sent to all employees (I was one, at that point; not anymore) about how the song’s lyrics came through a brief.

“A few days back, I met a doctor friend of mine who shared a wonderful story with me. My friend met Anand Bakshi’s son, who narrated the story. One day, producer-director Mahesh Bhatt met Mr. Anand Bakshi and asked him to write a song for him. His brief of the situation was about a man who visited his wife once in a blue moon. The key words are ‘once in a blue moon’. Here the song and you will know the difference between a brief in English and a response from the heart.”

It’s interesting that Anand Bakshi approaches the brief from the woman’s perspective and not the man’s point of view. Her perspective is expressed so beautifully through that idiom, ‘once in a blue moon’ which finds a literal but thoughtful translation of ‘gali mein aaj chaand nikla’. The simple, lilting tune and Alka’s singing are part of the song’s magic.

07. Chalo tumko lekar chale – Jism (2003)
Shreya Ghoshal incredibly sweet vocals literally makes this song work. The rhythm is standard-issue faux-Enigma, but Kreem’s melody is deep and engaging. The song featuring a temptress needed this tempting a tune and lyrics to work and the combo or Kreem and Shreya deliver it really well. The way Kreem approaches the antara is a lovely touch: “Gaati sarsarati in hawaon sang aao” paves way for a lengthy “Paas m-e-r-e A-n-a-a”, while ‘Zarasa’ ‘Lamha’ ‘Chupa tha’ are delivered one line each!

08. O saathiya – Saaya (2003)
I believe this song was composed for originally for Zakhm and the dholak-led sound perhaps makes it very apt for that film too! It’s a classic Hindi film song template that I’m surprised Kreem nails it so well, complete with a qawali style clap sound towards the end of the antara. The main refrain from the song, ‘Dil chura liya… saathiya’ is a very memorable hook!

09. Dil mein jaagi – Sur-The Melody of Life (2002)
This one’s Sunidhi’s show! Kreem gives her a really lengthy and almost-breathless mukhda that she sings with pitch-perfect emotion. You can almost picturise Gauri Karnik breathlessly ending the lengthy mukhda and smiling as you listen to the song! Nida Fazli, in the lyrics add little touches like free-form vocalizing: “Aisa chhaaya mujhpe jaadu, haa haa hee hee hey hey ho ho” that adds to the song’s appeal. The keys in the first interlude are very reminiscent of Azhagan’s music, by the way!

10. Hum yahan – Zakhm (1998)
Doesn’t Hum yahaan sound like a soul-sister of Saaya’s O saathiya (Dil chura liya)? The rhythm, though, evoking a much older Hindi-retro style sound is so charming, along with the trademark Kreem-style violin! And Kreen himself takes on the 2nd interlude, much like Rahman’s sweeping ‘Yelelo’ humming interlude from Roja’s Chinna Chinna Aasai! My favorite is the Alka version, more than the Kumar Sanu variant; Alka brings a tenderness to the melody that is so, so involving.

11. Kaun mera – Special 26 (2013)
Kreem’s tune here is breezy, and Papon singing underlines it too. But the song’s inherent pathos comes out so well too, and that works even better in the more pronounced pathos versions of the song, beyond the Papon version.

12. Kab tujhe – Dhokha (2007)
I always assumed that Kreem made this tune for a Telugu song! I could easily picture Mahesh Babu or Pawan Kalyan dancing for this! Plus the female-chorus in the prelude, the violins after ‘kuch pataa na chala’ and the strings in the second interlude are very indicative of Kreem’s Telugu repertoire. In the KK and Shreya Ghoshal’s voices, the song’s happy, full-in-love feeling comes out wonderfully.

13. Aa bhi jaa – Sur-The Melody of Life (2002)
Kreem has worked with Lucky Ali in this film and Kasak. While Kasak is a terrible musical, this song, featuring Lucky Ali’s vocals is a much better bet. The opening violin set to the tune of ‘Aa bhi jaa’, for some reason, reminds me of Himesh Reshammiya! But it gets much, much better as it progresses, particularly the absolutely lovely antara – the antara’s tune is actually more interesting to me than the main hook.

14. Jaadu hai nasha hai – Jism (2003)
Much like Chalo tumko lekar chale, this song too uses a Enigma-style rhythm in the background and lets Shreya lead the temptress-tune again!

15. Dheere jalna – Paheli (2005)
Kreem, I felt, was an unusual choice to score music for a Rajasthan background film, directed by Amol Palekar and starring Shah Rukh Khan no less! I’m not a big fan of the film’s soundtrack, but Dhree jalna is at least one song where Kreem’s inventive mind comes to the fore. He interlaces the softer parts of the melody—the interlude and antara are incredibly soft!—while occasionally exploding it with the Dheere jalna chorus!

16. Musafir – Lahore (2010)
Lahore had a mighty good soundtrack that was completely overlooked due to the film’s limited run. Kreem is a surprising choice for this film too! Musafir is one song he sings himself and for the other version, he ropes in Daler Mehndi who handles the somber melody in a way we haven’t heard him, away from his ebullient musical style.

17. Mujh mein tu – Special 26 (2013)
Kreem’s expansive singing lifts this pathos-laden tune. I was surprised he chose to sing it himself, but the decision works well, given how his unique voice and singing style adds a specific dimension to the song. The sparse and minimal orchestration helps too.

18. Main tujhse pyaar – Baby (2015)
After the Bhatt family, the only other director in Hindi who worked with Kreem twice is Neeraj Pandey (Special 26 and Baby). Both films had music that was understated and plays to Kreem’s strengths in melody. Papon aces this one effortlessly, given the soulful melody Kreem hands him.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 21:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
16 songs this week. Saavn has all of them. Apple Music is missing just one: the last one, from the Malayalam film Uncle. YouTube is missing quite a few. Please do check the Saavn list or the write-up below for the ones missing.

A note on the songs in the playlist.
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Make Me Feel (Janelle Monáe, Dirty Computer): The lead single from Janelle’s already-acclaimed album is throbbing funk done right! Prince’s influence is all over the sound! The video is straight out of Black Mirror’s San Junipero, with a blast of 80s styled colors!

Familiar (Liam Payne and J. Balvin): For One Direction star Liam Payne takes his solo act further with yet another collaboration, this time with Colombian reggaeton star J.Balvin. The tune is familiar (pun unintended!) Latino template, but is punchy and catchy enough.

Bulbula & Yeh Bhi Beet Jayega (Meri Nimmo, Hindi): Good to see Krsna surviving against the odds. His 2 songs here extend the sound he explored in Tanu Weds Manu Returns’ Old School Girl – waltzy goodness. His singers, Paroma Dasgupta and Sukriti Kakkar, deliver wonderfully.

Yedhedho Aanene, Kallooliye & Theme song (Mr.Chandramouli, Tamil): Sam’s outright masala soundtrack works half-way. Read the soundtrack review here.

Sainika & Iraga Iraga (Naa Peru Surya, Telugu): Sainika is energetic and pulsating, thanks largely to Vishal’s singing. In Iraga, the duo stand side-by-side with their South counterparts creating a captivating and compelling kuthu, powered by Mohana Bhogaraju and Rahul Sipligunj!

Sada nannu (Mahanati, Telugu): Mickey J Meyer’s music for the film is turning out to be very interesting. For this semi-classical song, his choice of Charulatha Mani works wonderfully. The music is typical Mickey – sweeping, ambient and beautifully realized.

Naa pranam (Mehbooba, Telugu): Sandeep Chowta is back! His pensive and inventive melody is only distantly and minimally reminiscent of Bimbo Jet’s iconic El Bimbo. Varijashree Venugopal is absolutely fantastic with her solo singing, lifting it to a new high.

Payunne Mele (Thobama, Malayalam): The Neram-Premam composer, Rajesh Murugesan, strikes again! His ‘Trip Song’ is dreamy and perfectly in sync with lush green Kerala on display in the video! Benny Dayal’s lead vocals go beautifully with the gentle lilt of the song. Don’t miss the video!

Kaadhale (Maradona, Malayalam): Sushin Shyam’s soundscape is incredibly beautiful! The lead vocals by Sruthy Sasidharan enhances the music’s whispery feel, while the backing vocals by Amal Antony, Neha Nair, Sushin Shyam gets the repeated chorus delightfully right!

Kripaakari Devi & Endhe Kanna (Aravindante Athidhikal, Malayalam): Kripaakari Devi is a power-bhajan or sorts, with Mithun Jayaraj singing paeans of Kollur Mookambika Devi in Shaan Rahman’s pulsating music. Debutant Megha Josekutty gets an absolutely gorgeous tune from Shaan in Endhe Kanna! She steals the show with her singing, with the melody seeming like either Madhyamavathi or Brindavana Saaranga raaga in Endhe Kann. Shaan’s sound is rich and ambient, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Eeran Marum (Uncle, Malayalam): The talented Bijibal has been largely missing so far in 2018, but in Earan Marum, he makes a very good start. With Shreya Ghoshal phenomenal singing by his side, his resonant melody effortlessly comes alive.

Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly new music playlist. Week 23:
On Apple Music | On Saavn | On YouTube
A packed week – 20 songs in the playlist! Apple Music has it all. Saavn is missing just one – Old Is Gold’s Oru Poovithal, while YouTube is missing quite a bit.

A note on the songs in the playlist.
—

This Is America (Childish Gambino): This is THE most hyper-viral song of the year. And more so because of the music video than the song itself. I can guarantee you that if you watch the video once, you’ll go on multiple repeats! Here’s a recap on what’s the video really about. The video is in the YouTube playlist anyway. DO NOT miss watching the video!

New Light (John Mayer): Very 80s, with disco guitars and all… and very ballad’ish given John goes,
“Pushing 40 in the friend zone
We talk and then you walk away every day
But if you give me just one night
You’re gonna see me in a new light” -lovely song!

Veere, Bass Gira Do Raja & Aa Jao Na (Veere Di Wedding, Hindi): Read the review of the soundtrack here.

Katravai Patravai, Thanga Selai, Kannamma & Nikkal Nikkal (Kaala, Tamil): Read the review of the soundtrack here.

Yaaradi (China, Tamil): Ved Shankar already has a great song in the film, oddly titled ‘China’ – the song Kannala that I had covered in the February 18th Weeklies. In Yaaradi, he hands a lovely ballad to Benny Dayal, that shines with his vocal prowess, its lilt and violin interludes!

Nijama Manasa, Chiniki Chiniki & Naa Nuvve (Naa Nuvve, Telugu): Read the review of the soundtrack here.

Oh Priya (Mehbooba, Telugu): Read the review of the soundtrack here.

Oru Poovithal (Old Is Gold, Malayalam): Jubair Muhammed’s music and tune are pleasant and simple, but what really works in the song is Remya Nambeesan’s vocals. It’s not singer-perfect, but there’s a beautifully earnest quality about her singing that fits the song perfectly.

Sowhrudham & Neeyen Suryam (Kamuki, Malayalam): Kamuki, with its 3 song soundtrack is one of Gopi’s best in recent times! After the ebullient Kurumbi, Sowdruham goes completely in the opposite direction – peacefully melodious! Very-Gopi too (background violins). Amidst the tabla base Mithun Jayaraj and Sithara Krishnakumar are outstanding while handling the serene tune, Sithara in particular, who seems to have an added zest in her diction! Neeyam Sooryan is equally calming, with a highly melodious anupallavi that reminds me of Raja’s repertoire. Excellent singing by Geethu, Divya S. Menon, Ashitha and Mekha.

Mann Ki Dor (Ash King, Indipop): Yes, the vocal processing jars, but the overall song composed by Sundeep Gosswami comes out pretty well in Ash’s engaging vocals.

Maa Reva Journey (Maa Reva, Gujarati): Mighty impressive music by Amar Khandha that literally brings the spread of Gujarat with its sweeping soundscape! Kirtidan Gadhvi’s vocals are fantastic, as also the rhythm, by Vijay Dhumal and Vivek Kulkarni.

Rangapura Vihaara (Agam, Indipop): I have to confess that this is the song that involved me lesser than the others from Agam’s 2nd album, A Dream To Remember. But that’s only in comparison to the other songs in the same album. On its own, this is a fantastic recreation of Mutthuswamy Dikshitar’s Brindavana Saaranga melody. While Harish is stellar in his exposition of the core melody, I did not connect adequately with the vocal choir going ‘Ranga Ranga’ – that somehow seemed a bit out of place to me. Barring that, a pretty awesome song!