2013 - Top 5 Desi Melody Blocks !!

Meri Jaan, a year - goes and another year - comes ! While there are always gains, some losses canot be replaced. These losses are of your near and dear ones.

I have lost many of my nearest and dearest ones in the last couple of years. Memories of all of them are dug deep in the heart and I will always cherish the moments spent with all of them !!

On a positive side, I metup with some friends after 25 years, and what a great reunion! I will miss the big event happening back home over the New Year, but it was incredible to catchup with school mates and those school-ish memories!

MPS alumni rocks !!

Ups and Down tou chalta hain - par Apna Bollywood was rocking as always - some movies went Express on Dhoom while some just went out like the Bijlee stuck in Zanjeer !!!

Some of you asked my favorite musical lots this year, and here they are ....top 5 desi albums and some songs I really loved from other desi movies.

No.1: Yeh Jawani Hain Deewani - Koi Shak? "Balam Pichkari " and "Badtameez Dil" Rocked the charts !!! Overall the album was rocking - Ghagra, Dilli waali, Kabeera, Ilahi, Subhanallah - all songs included - makes Pritam well deserved for the TOP ALBUM OF 2013.

No.2: Ashiqui2: No one expected what to expect - but the songs made everyone hear with "Sun rahaa hain na tu", "Kyunki Tum hi ho", "Chaahoon main", "Bhula denaa", "Hum mar jaayenge" and others.

Cant compare with the original Ashiqui music that actually marked T-Series as THE record company and introduced a range of singers, but this one too introduced some good composers and singers - Arjit Singh being one of them.


No.3: "Chennai Express. SRK really needed that one number to dance on all the shows and Vishal Shekhar gave him the deserved "Lungi Dance" and "1234". Alongwith Titli, Ready Steady, and Kashmir main, the album overall deserved to be in the top 3 slot.

No.4: Ram Leela: With Bhansali himself helming the musical reins you know it is going to be mixed bag of Devdas, Hum Dil De Chuke, Saawariya and you can't miss the impact. My favorite was Lal Ishq, alongwith Dhol Baaje, Ram Chahe, Poore chand, Ang Lagaade,Tattad Tattad (wonderfully sung by Aditya), and others.

No.5: Raanjhna: When the music composer is AR Rahman you know the music will have Sufi, rock, folk, groove, ballad, jazz and it will take time to grow. "Ranjhna, Tum Tak, Banarasiya, Tu man shudhi, Ay Sakhi, Piya milenge" alongwith others had all the mixed bag of AR Rahman music taking it in the Top 5 slot.

Other numbers and albums that really had some good numbers:

ABCD: Sachin Jigar's composition and 3 songs - Ga,Ga,Gan Ganpati, Shabhu Sutaya and Bezubaan kab tak rocked the album !!!

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag: SEL really need a BIG Hit now. Movie was a biopic, and there were a lot of songs. To make all of them work - Zinda, Slow motion angreza, Maston ka jhund, Mera yaar, Rangrez had the flavour.

Kai Po Che: Manjha, and Shubharambh - Amit Trivedi + Swanand Kirkire.

I was definitely expecting more from Matru Ki Bijlee - but apart from Oye Boy Charlie, it was a let down.

R...Rajkumar - Pritam gave the soundtrack and it is Prabhudeva's movie - so the south influence is inevitable - but Gandi Baat, Saari Ke Faal Sa were just enough for a visual treat.

There were couple of other hits and miss-es in Murder3, Race2, Fukhrey, Special 26 (Mujh meni tu), Go Goa Gone, Lootera (Sawaar loon), D-Day, Phata Poster (Main rang sharbaton ka), Boss (loved the re-created Har Kisi ko), Ramiya Vastaviya (Jeene Lagaa Hoon, Hip Hop Pammi), Besharam (Piya).

Next year we have a lot to look forward to starting with Roy after Peekay doing Jai Ho on Highway and Action-Jackson Humshakals, Kick-ing Gabbar and Singham-2 with a Bang-Bang into a Happy New Year 2014.

Meri Jaan, with that lets end 2013 on a happy musical note. Till we meet next, stay safe, and stay in Loeve !!

- Pankaj

20 FRAME DISSECTION ! RAM-LEELA

It was great meeting some of the bloggers/ followers recently. Some of them mentioned to start a review column on movies that I see/ or have seen. So I am going to try and start a periodic 20 frame review of the movies. Lets make it my 20 FRAME DISSECTION !!!

Today's pick is the recent Romeo and Juliet with blazing guns - Ram Leela. I will not go into specific scenes, but only review frames that stayed in my mind.

Frame 1:  Opening sequence was good. Created the theme of the two camps and how a simple piss can piss-off someone. The camera showing net with bottles showed that such bottle throwing activities have been common routine in the town. Rivalry setup. Good beginning.

 Frame 2: Entry of Ranveer - FANTASTIC !!!! The screen was filled with people, costumes, colors, the loud bang musical entry. Love the song too. Ramji ki chaal dekho. Great move forward

Frame3: Entry of Deepika: Great entry. Cant miss the colors again. Holi. SLB tried to recreate the "ankhon ki gustakhiyan" chemistry - but - the song needed to be a little more powerful number - "Lahu muh lag gayaa" as a song was ok -ok !!

Choreography was brilliant with the dandiya steps !!! Deepika rocked !!!

Frame4: Some more enhanced character entries - BAA, NRI dude, Deepika's bhabhi at one end and Ram's brother and their internal relationships etc - SLB trying to set premise of side characters on both sides of the rivalry teams - OK - not bad - now we need to move forward

Frame5: Same to same frame of Romeo Juliet...it is like a poetry written " The moon was at its best and Ram entered Leela's courtyard. The palace was gleaming in reflection of the pond and serenity was flowing all around. Ram jumped and saw Leela up in her tower, courtyard filled with peacocks. Ram looked around and climbed the nearest branch - he had to be with his love and so she dared him...."

SLB - we know you love theatre. Brilliant sets. Loved it.

Frame6: Dishkiyaaoon - loved the "kisi disco main jaayein" style choreography. Passable song. This could have been a highlight song.

Not bad song placement but the next scene -  NRI taking photo in dushman area-too cliched - you know someone is going to see it !

Frame7: Ok - some more "mor" and song routine to keep the romance alive. Whats next SLB?

Frame8: Scene at the pier - great formation - and culmination - some movement atleast

Frame9: So - 2 principal leads killed of both factions. Should the love story still continue?

Frame 10: Lovers still run away...ok - u both dont want any part of this hate drama understood, dont fight - just take a room in lakeview and show us the passion. 

Frame 11: Somehow I felt that SLB really wanted this song to be the highlight - "ang lagaale" but it dint come out the way he was probably expecting. Lets just say - visuals were breathtaking !! But something was amiss in the smoke -  something's missing SLB !!!

Frame 12: A litle "Shakespear-en" twist !! A misunderstanding - love's gone !!!! Time for a sad song ! "Tujh sang bair lagayaa aisa" - Great song - SLB still stuck with "jhoka hawaa ka aaj bhi.." but great premise for Ranveer to show his drunken acting capabilities (Leeela main jo hain woh - kissime nahin; Anyone - "Baabuje ne kahaa ghar chod dou..Paro ne kahaa...." - yaya we know SLB - you are in love with Devdas !! )

Frame 13: Rajjadiyon ka Nayaa Don, Baa, NRI dude, Ram Ki Leela SMS - hmmm...even after cutting Leela's finger - this needs some more masala SLB

Frame 14: Enter Priyanka "Ram Chaahe Leela" - what a brilliant set? Brilliant purple hues in the background, props, magna, whites, cottons - rope in all the Kala-kind of shops.

Great visuals in the song !!!

Frame 15: Bhabhi goes looking for help in middle of night - why? Arre picture abhi baaki hain mere dost.

Well - Tit for tat attitude in camps, revenge games, Ram versus Baa, some misunderstandings - ok - whats next guys?

Another vibrantly choreographed song and sung flawlessly by Shreya Ghosal - "Nagaade sange Dhol Baaje"

By this time the guy in the front row had almost chew-ed his hair and he just did not know how should he express his frustration any more !!!  Ek aur gaana???? Hey Ram !!!!!!

Frame 16: Re-enter Shakespeare tale of traitors and dhoka; and now "Leela is Sanido ki nayee Don". SLB - now this is getting too much to watch - why is Razaa Murad around and who are these townpeople dividing the trades? Running out of ideas are we?

Frame 17: SLB - ab end kaise karoge? Arre - Ram Leela has to end in Ram Leela - so lets move towards climax - but too much happening on screen! Audience is confused - What is exactly happening?

Frame 18: Looks like a scene from Rambo - each one vanishing one by one ! C'mon SLB again "jaan ke badle jaan"....now we are bored ! Yeh Aag kab bhujegi? Yeh Ravan kab jalega?

Frame 19: Again Raja Murad is back - why? Pados main Madhubala ki shooting chal rahee thi Meri Jaan ! Oh - ok !!  Enter the Rajadion ka chora - aakhri chiraag story and suddenly BAA has melted and killed one of her own? Oh man what a turn of events - ab sab ek ho ke Raawan jalaaeinge YAAAAEWN !! Hey Ram !!!!!!

Frame 20: The end.

Angoor hain haraa, kelaa hain peela, SLB tumne 200 crore ka bhara hain thaila, par - Dude - visuals, props, sets and colors chodke humne too much hain - jhelaaa !!!!

Till next time - stay safe and Stay in Loeve !!!! (Non-Ram Lila Style)

 - Pankaj

Pyar Humein Kis Jod Main Le Aaya !

Scene is late 90s. Place is New York.

The day and date: Platinum day of love and the most memorable day of my life.

It was the 4th of July weekend. In US, if you live around the east coast, you get only 3 long weekends - Memorial day, Independence Day and Labor day.  4th of July is the Independence day and 2nd of those long weekends. I was working in this IT Factory of assembled engineers clocking in my "stay in front of the computer" time to clock in maximum hours.

One of my friend called me up from New York and insisted that I should forget about the project deadlines for that weekend and start worrying about the growing wrinkles on my head lines. He mentioned that he and some his group friends would be taking the city tour and asked me to come over for the weekend.

Hey - I was not going to miss a weekend in New York, so I packed my bags, booked a greyhound ticket and off I was to New York, New York.

In Hindi, Murphy's law translates exactly opposite of its real meaning into "Jab Jab jo jo hona hain - tab tab kuch gadbad zaroor hoti hain." On reaching New York about 8pm in the night, I called up my friends number, I found out that his boss called him for a last minute site visit to West Coast, and he had to leave in a rush. All the other group friends had made other plans, so I was left with no place to go.

My friend mentioned that I could use his place to crash and keys were with one of the apartment share mates. From what it seemed, this apartment share mate was a new "fresh of the boat" MBA student.

I was a little reluctant, but the great thing about New York is that if you are in company - nothing like it. If there is no company, it is a very scary place !

Well, where was I going to go that late in night, so I took the subway and landed at the doorsteps of my friend's apartment.

I rang the bell, I heard a voice and suddenly there was LIGHT !!!! I had heard that when love lands on your heart, you hear drum rolls - and so I did !

Yes - said the voice at the other end?

I said - Ummm - We were all going to go for the city tour, but seems things changed last minute. I just got off the phone with my friend and he mentioned I could crash here for the night. I will leave early tomorrow morning, if its ok?

Ok - said the voice, come in please, a little hesitantly.

After about 30 minutes of monologues - I asked, so what are you doing for dinner?

She said - "Notin much" I will probably have salad.

Salad? For Dinner? I asked.

Yes, I love the Salad and the dressings here !

Well, as much as I love food - I am not having Salad or the dressing for dinner, so why dont we head down the street - possibly pick up Chinese food - fried rice, noodles, with lots of chicken - and with salad and dressing on the side. 

Ok- she chuckled.

Suddenly - all those mushy songs of the 80s started making sense in full volume.
Damn - what was going on?

We walked down to the Chinese store.

This walk was probably the only time I have found myself deaf.  I simply could not hear anything. I was in a vacuum of this sort- all I could see was the other person was moving their lips, but not sure why I could not hear. I knew there was something called as dumbstruck - but never deaf struck !!

Finally - after about 15 mins of walking, we picked our meals and returned back to the apartment.

What happened next is a very long story, but lets just say that "plane of love landed on my airport forever".....all leading to some amazing platinum years........till the time I really had to go out and buy that diamond !!!!

-Pankaj Puroht
Blog entry for Platinum day of love.

MI SHOP - 2030 - A MAAS EXPERIENCE

Kid - Ma, Pa is in air

Ma - Hey hunny

..Suddenly Pa pops up in air like the Jeanie imagined from an Alladin story. Seems like he in some shopping mall on Mars

Pa- Hey sugar, this is incredible - did not know Mars was so cheap?

Ma- You betta check - turn the collar - it might have the tag - "Made in Earth"
You dont know hun - These guys get the spac-x-port quality and keep the earth-ing quality for us

Pa - Hun the paper roll is on sale. Should I get some?

Ma - Only if they take earth coupons? I have so many collected from the thanksgiving paper?

Pa - No. No earth coupons, they only take coupons from Venus

Ma - I told you we should have visited Venus first.

Pa - This is incredible - they still have mars rover on sale - it would be a great present for my family on Christmas

Ma - Mars Rover? Are you kidding? Get some rocks for your family, the Rover is for ma side of the family

Pa- hold on - this one says "Made in Taiwan - huh?"

Kid - Dad - can you check whats the latest available in cereals?

Pa - Oh wully pie they only have the ASTRON-oats variety

Kid - Dad whats the big smoke in the background?

Pa- Oh wully pie - they have the FIRE MARTIAN day today. The martians burn candles on their octospacey legs and then release them in the space.

Kid - why?

Pa - Seems Martians are still are trying to woo the Venussians. When will they learn to wake up? wake up wake up..wake up...wake up....

Ma - WAKE UP .. you couch-base, here is the list - go get some eggs, butter, salt, toilet paper, washing liquid, veggies and those tops on sale - make sure it does not say "Made on Mars"
 

The Date - When love calls !

This story is about me, a live-life-each-day-as-it-comes dreamer, who was lost in the skyscraper capital till I met the love of my life.

I still remember the sprawling skyscrapers, the Hudson Bay, the New York skyline and the sunny sailing days! A vista view embedded in my eyes because that was where I worked for quite a few years and yes where I met my someone special !

Here I was, sitting at Rocker Feller center at the center of 5th Avenue and 48th street and I could feel my heart slipping away to the person sitting across. This person had an impressive charm, she had the prettiest smile, and yes, she could talk non-stop - Seriously - she still talks non-stop!

Opposites attract, and post that day, I could not find my heart!!!

Isn’t it funny how sometimes life just join's together the pieces of your scattered jigsaw. Life just joins the jigswaw together to show you a much clearer picture of the future.

My future was formed on 4th of July and let me take you forward into the Circles of Flashback !!!!

It so happened that some of us were working in Virginia had plans to go and see the fireworks near the Statue of Liberty. The problem was that most of us were new to the country and never drove on their own ! So we were pretty much dependent on this one friend to take us to NYC.

On a parallel front, I was in constant touch with "my special friend" and she had also planned to be around the waterfront that day! Stage was almost set for The Date !

Like they say, as is Murphy's law, the one dependable friend who would drive us to NYC got stuck with flu two days prior. Now our options were either catch a bus from DC, or rent a car - but even to go the bus station, we would need some transportation.

So renting a car seemed btter option, but who would drive? For some of you that have driven across the NJ turnpike and the Washington beltway would know that the roads are easy to drive as long as one can follow standard directions !

Well, I had never driven on those roads myself, but hey I was not going to miss my Date, so I volnteered to drive. Whatever it took, I was going to be with "my someone special" that weekend. My only requirement - I need to hit the road as early as 4am. This way, I would not feel intimated by the traffic.

This requirement had serious pullbacks from my friends. 4am - are you insane? I never got up at 4am for my engineering exams - one of them said! Hell, I also never woke up at 4am, but how could I miss THIS NYC trip? Cmon guys - we can make it !!!

So, we packed our bags. I probably slept only 2 or 3 hours and 4am it was - on a nice summer morning ! With the directions all printed, we rented the car previous night and made sure the car was pumped with gas !! A little nervous on the road, we stopped at the gas station to grab some coffee and off we went on our rendezvous!!!

Navigating through the turns - and the big signs - go west or east? Go Cars lane or Trucks? Take toll road or non-toll? Bridge or Tunnel? HOV or non-HOV lane? Finally we all managed somehow to live through those directions to reach our destination.

As crazy as this may sound, but I could not believe that it was my first drive on my own and I was able to navigate through all the crossings and turns! Finally after driving 300 miles, we entered the parking garage nearest to where we could catch the boat to Ellis Island !

I still remember that day, I asked the guys to go ahead while I grab some Donuts. I was standing in line still trying to figure out what to order, and I heard a voice - "excuse me - are u going to take longer"? I turned my head - and there she was standing with her hair all glowing with sun-rays gleaming through those golden streaks !

Hey - you? I thought you would be coming in a little late?

She smiled - I thought I would beat you to the statue, but are you not too early?

How could I tell her that I also could not sleep, I said - yes I like to hit it early on the road.

Great - same here ! She said. (Damn - I hope she never finds out this was my first trip on the big bad world of turnpike and beltway. Phew - dont ask how we just made it - all in one piece).

..and we kind of were lost in some conversation !

Our lovely conversation was sadly interrrupted with this lady on the counter - "could you two please move back to make way for others"?

Ah - suddenly as my mind was all clear - I turned around to the counter and said - 12 chocolate donuts and 2 chai latte to go please !

12 chocolate donuts? You will have some serious sugar rush !!!! She said.

Well, it would be lesser than  the adrenaline rush I have right now - and we both smiled !!

I probably dont need to go into the details of how the rest of the day went, but I definitely believe that when love calls - you just know the way to be with your love !

- Pankaj Purohit