urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ravi_iyer ravi_iyer ravi_iyer 2007-01-03T16:01:07Z urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ravi_iyer:1177 2006-12-09T08:24:22Z 2007-01-03T16:01:07Z If you havent yet experienced the phenomenon called 'Gunda', go do yourself a favour by getting your hands on a CD.<br /><br />Doubtless, you will be remarkably struck by each of the carefully crafted characters of this wondrous piece of art. However, I dare say that some people would leave more of a lasting impression than others. In this exalted category comes the incomparable Lamboo Aata (in deference, to be henceforth called Lamboo-ji Aataa-ji, or LG-AG).<br /><br />Now, one has to admit - this guy doesnt come particularly well-endowed in any department - he lacks the vile and cunning of Potey (jo apney baap ke bhi nahin hotey), doesnt have the sheer brawn of The Bull-laaaaa, doesnt come with the (ahem) feminine charms of Chu-tiya (refers to the pony-tail), lacks the icy menace of a Kala Shetty, or the slimy character of an Ibu Hatela... <br /><br />(And before you even dare to ask, he definitely cant hold a candle to the divine powers of Prabhu-ji.)<br /><br />What the heck, just calling him Lamboo is, ahem, a tall order.<br /><br />But, here's where you are mistaken. LG-AG makes up for all these shortcomings, by the supreme force of his personality.<br /><br />So what makes LG-AG so special:<br /><br />That razor sharp tongue<br />LG-AG doesnt believe in holding back his emotions - what's there in his (ok,...corrupted, demented, sick) mind is there for all to see. And what a rich spectacle (he makes of himself)...unfolds before the viewer! <br /><br />The indisputable logic<br />LG-AG's approach to justifying his actions is simple - drown people in a barrage of convoluted, i mean, convincing logic, leaving them in a stupor, unable to respond.. his trademark lines have a standard format "A hoti hai B karne ke liye; C hoti hai D ke liye aur (insert punchline here) X hoti hai Y ke liye"<br /><br />The Act-first-think-never approach<br />We're probably being too charitable by using the word think in this discussion, but LG-AG never bothers himself with such niceties - he believes in shooting from the lip, and a staunch policy of tit for tat.<br /><br />The Art of (In)Appropriate Conversation<br />LG-AG doesnt let trivialities like saying the right thing at the right time interfere with his communication. Classic point in case is the heart-rending scene when his brother is breathing his last .. Our man takes to nostalgia, using rhyme for added effect - connoisseurs may not exactly admire the 'Kundan-Chandan-London' sequence; but purists are too boring anyway..<br /><br />Whatay daring fellow! (sneaky too, eh?)<br />The zenith of his dare-devilry is reached during the last few minutes before his tragic death at the hands of the Bull-laaaa. Confronted by not one, not two, but five despicable scoundrels, any normal person would've succumbed to the predictable routine of 'mujhse bhool ho gayi, mujhe maaf kar do'. (Course, our man is anything but normal). <br /><br />Taking the adage, 'offence is the best defence' to dizzying heights, LG-AG goes on to disdainfully justify his dastardly actions, with some more of his incontestable logic on the ordained purpose of various beings in the worldly order. Upon recognizing that his captors are not exactly buying into his argument, our man stealthily decides to change tactics. Desperation is the order of the day, as LG-AG tries to make the best of an increasingly bleak situation. In no uncertain words, he assures the Bull-laaaa of his undying submissiveness to him for the rest of his life. Some fans may even be taken aback at the drastic change in approach, and disapprove of LG-AG's bout of servility... but they do not have faith.. - LG-AG is a master in the art of seeing the writing on the wall and adapting to circumstances. Who knows what is the next surprise that he may spring at us!<br /><br />It's a mad mad mad world<br />Lo and behold, he decides to take a last desparate gamble - lunacy. Without any warning, LG-AG starts singing and dancing to please his captors. Or maybe it was a final 'last-laugh' manner to torment them... Unfortunately, we'd never know, as the Bull-laaaa (having truly had enough) decides to put an end to everyone's misery. LG-AG collapses in a heap, not before a final act of hoarse hamming on being stabbed. <br /><br />LG-AG is no more, but the closing act, which sees a rich display of a myriad of emotions - from disdain to desperation to sheer lunacy.... leaves a lasting impression, which the rest of the movie (despite Prabhu-ji's divine presence) fails to live up to. <br /><br /><br /><br />Credits<br />Ishrat Ali<br /><a href="http://random.imdb.com/name/nm0019427/">http://random.imdb.com/name/nm0019427/</a><br /><br />Bashir Babbar<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1568760/">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1568760/</a><br /><br />Kanti Shah<br /><a href="http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1328135/">http://www.imdb.com/name/nm1328135/</a> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ravi_iyer:974 2006-08-19T20:42:17Z 2006-08-19T20:42:17Z ok so its been ages since i updated this. shoot me.<br /><br />but before doing that, get a music cd of omkara. honestly, its been a long time since one album has so thoroughly fascinated my aural senses ..<br /><br />(i had briefly heard beedi before seeing the movie...but during the movie some of the other pieces too sounded wondrous .. and they were woven so beautifully into the storyline... had to get the songs..)<br /><br />so it starts with the omkara piece, (which is incidentally brilliantly choreographed in the movie)... a lot of people really like this song. it is quite special too, with the inimitable sukhwinder rendering all his life into it ... sukhwinder is known for the trademark fluidity he employs between similar sounding consonants.... (which incidentally is a very very tam thing... in the tamil language, there is hajaar fluidity between consonants like ka-ga, ba-pa etc. so poor ahalya becomes agalya, gokul curiously becomes kogul... bambaai becomes pampaai...sigh) anyways, i dunno his tam connections, but when sukhwinder croons, omkara becomes omgara.., hai becomes gai... the effect is enhanced by rendering it in a semi-drunk voice..<br />gulzar shines as the song makes liberal use of his favorite metaphor style.. (aah, if only i understood more than just mumbaiya hindi).. <br />(oh by the way , i came across a remix of this song on a tv channel... sad.. it seems that music directors are preempting some nut screwing up their song, by doing the honours themselves...)<br /><br />then follows a true masterpiece of melody, verse and voice. 'o saathi re' starts with a lovely guitar piece.. and then shreya ghosal's silken voice takes over... then you slowly start comprehending the lyrics...and smile to yourself as you realise that gulzar saab, (the "master of metaphor" as one blogger referred him) has outdone himself again... how on earth (pardon the pun) can you come up with lines like:<br />"..thaka thaka suraj jab nadi kinaare niklega<br />hari hari kaayi pe paanv pada to phislega<br />tum rok ke rakhna, main jaal giraaon<br />tum peeth pe lena, main haath lagaaon...<br />..din doobe na...."<br />(kaayi = moss)<br /><br />vishal himself has given the male voice, and you wonder - dude why dont you get behind the microphone more often..? his voice has a dreamy feel, enhancing the mood of the song..<br /><br />you leave o saathi re with a nice warm feeling in your heart... when the next song is waiting to assault you..<br /><br />I've heard that beedi is inspired from folk-song/s ... well i dont know, but it sure packs a wallop...! Sunidhi prepares the ground as Sukhwinder comes charging in... the lyrics are special here too ... they have the unique distinction of being supremely suggestive without being a shade vulgar... way to go again gulzar saab... this one beats kajara re hollow!<br />Vishal has embellished the song with some numbingly catchy beats, and i can only think - man will this song be the rage on campus (iima)... i can almost see half drunk junta asking for the millionth repeat...<br />Sunidhi reaches dizzying heights with her voice... and when Sukhwinder goes - "ho... na to chakkua ki dhaar...." you seriously are facing a bout of altitude sickness..<br /><br />its on this high that you realise the depths of vishal's talent and suresh wadkar's unbeleivably soothing voice... this singer is indian cinema's best kept secret... its a constant source of wonderment, pain and agony to see him being so throughly underutilised by music directors... <br />anyways... the song warms up with a lovely piano piece... and suresh wadkar takes over... softly caressing your senses with his words... which have been ably supplied by, yep, gulzar ji. this one, you have to read the lyrics to belive in their simplicity.... and divinity<br /><br />जग जा री गुडिया<br />मिसरी कि पुडिया<br />मीठे लगे दो नैना<br />नैनो में तेरे<br />हम ही बसे थे<br />हम ही बसे है<br />है ना?<br /><br />ओ री रानी<br />गुडिया<br />जग जा<br />ए री जग जा<br />ओ री जग जा<br /><br />जग जा री गुडिया<br />मिसरी कि पुडिया<br />मीठे लगे दो नैना<br /><br />हलकासा कोसा<br />सुबह का बोसा<br />मान जा री<br />अब जाग जा<br />(bosa = kiss in urdu)<br /><br />नाक पे तेरे<br />काटेगा बिच्छू<br />जाग जा<br />तू मान जा<br /><br />जो चाहे ले लो<br />दशरथ का वदा<br />नैनो से खोलो जी ..रैना<br /><br />ओ री रानी<br />गुडिया<br />जग जा<br />ए री जग जा<br />मोई जग जा<br /><br />किरनो का सोना<br />ओस के मोती<br />मोतीयोसा मोगरा<br />तेरा बिछाना<br />भर भर के दारु<br />गोलमोहर का टोकरा<br />(oas - dew drop; bichouna - bed)<br /><br />और जो भी चाहो<br />मांगो जी मांगो<br />बोल जी मेरी मैना<br /><br />ओ री रानी<br />गुडिया<br />जग ज<br />ए री जग जा<br /><br />जग जा री गुडिया<br />मिसरी कि पुडिया<br />मीठे लगे दो नैना<br />नैनो में तेरे<br />हम ही बसे थे<br />हम ही बसे है<br />है ना?<br /><br />sigh... easily the best one in the album...<br /><br />vishal has deliberately used minimal instruments... but in some turns of phrase, he unveils magical stuff... check out the lift that he gives just before "kiranon ka sona.."... and the tiny piece of guitar magic before "tera bichouna..."<br /><br />its these juicy tidbits that make the album for me..<br /><br />we then have namak... guess forcefitted as a situational song in the movie... rekha bhardwaj has given a good rendition... and perhaps in another album this would've gotten a decent standing... but in this galaxy of super-duper stars, it falls behind a tad...<br /><br />but the album wasnt done... it had a few more knockout punches to deliver... <br /><br />"Nainon ki mat maaniyon re" catches your attention straightaway with a stunning piece on the strings.. as if to reinforce, rahat fateh ali khan opens with a voice deeper than the Grand Canyon.. and as the song unfolds, u realise - omigosh, the gulzar-man has done it again... what a rich tapestry of words to describe a concept so profound ..<br />"naina raat ko chalte chalte swargan mein le jaave<br />megh malhaar ke sapne bije, hariyali dikhlave<br />nainon ki zubaan pe bharosa nahi aata <br />likhad padath na rasid na khaata<br />nainon ki zubaan pe bharosa nahi aata <br />likhad padath na rasid na khaata<br />saari baat hawai re <br />saari baat hawai <br /><br />some more of vishal's magic... when the first "baadalon mein satrangiyaan bove, bhor talak barsaave" dips, be prepared for another subtle yet sublime lift from the strings..<br /><br />in the end vishal fittingly leaves us with some guitar play, to slowly ease us out of the high..<br /><br />wait, it aint over yet. rekha bhardwaj comes to redeem herself with "laakad"... again some sublime lyrics... i unfortunately coudnt download the song...so havent heard it properly... but theres an absolutely magical guitar (i think) interlude after the first para... which totally transports you to another dimension... <br /><br />to end the album, we have an instrumental piece (tragedy of omkara).. the music grips you like the film did.. <br /><br />take a bow mr. bhardwaj. you've created a timeless masterpiece.. urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ravi_iyer:673 2006-03-28T18:51:37Z 2006-03-28T18:51:37Z So what do you want to do with your life, if there were no constraints? <br /><br />me... i'd like to do hajaar things.. <br /><br />lets start with whats top of mind. <br /><br />I'd like to be a doctor. i think i'll make a good doc. i like being in a position to take care of others. course, its primarily because of selfish reasons, but anyways. <br /><br />i like being in a dependable 'helpdesk' situation. where people come to you with expectation, with hope. and with a sense of security. and i feel good when the expectations are met. <br /><br />medical science gives that wonderful opportunity where a person has so much potential to positively impact others. <br /><br />and there is so much one can do better. medical practice is not a mechanical process between a disease and a practitioner. it involves managing the fears, anxieties, worries of patients and relatives.... wud need hajaar patience. <br /><br />the amount of respect and importance given to a doctor's word , by everyone, irrespective of age, social status, financial status..... is tremendous... there is so much positve use one can put this power to... <br /><br />and ofcourse the human body!! WHAT a fascinating piece of artistry created by God. have not even begun scratching the surface through my healthcare work....but boy, what a fascinating creation.... <br /><br />ofcourse, studying human advances in medical science and treatment techniques is another hajaar interesting area... <br /><br />ah, damn, wish had thought of these things in my 10th standard, instead of chickening out of science on frivolous reasons and choosing what can be charitably described as an uninteresting field. <br /><br />Something's <em>seriously</em> wrong with the way we choose our careers.... <br /><br /> urn:lj:livejournal.com:atom1:ravi_iyer:498 2006-03-16T18:03:55Z 2006-03-16T18:06:30Z so i finally take the blogging plunge.. thnx for the encouragement andy<br /><br />i actually like to write. used to write quite frequently earlier.. <br /><br />was putting off blogging bcos i wasnt sure i'd continue updating after sometime. well, what the heck. will start anyways.<br /><br />so then, i had the opportunity of catching Crash yesterday. (thanks for the cd vinoo)<br />was good, real good.<br />the screenplay was brilliant. <br />quite a few scenes would be imprinted in my mind for a long time.<br />the gut wrenching (i'd heard that term before, but actually experienced it while watching it) scene with a rookie cop (ryan phillipe) and a black carjacker (who doesnt really fit any sterotype..)<br />or the sequences between a dad and his oh-cho-cute 5-ish daughter... heart-achingly touching..<br /><br />the movie portrays the idea that, while ya, racism and prejudices exist, it aint all simple... the underlying complexities and subtleties in brilliantly effective manner.. the director's a genius...<br /><br />bas aise kuch movies mil gaye dekhne ko once in a while, to i am happy... and can hopefully find something to write about. which i've just done.