Lyrical Love - Part III

I cannot help but come back to the lyrical love posts. Each time a beautiful song about love plays on my ipod, I am tempted to write down its lyrics and capture my emotions in its lovely words… written out on my blog.

This time however, I have songs in four languages to the kitty… Hindi, Tamil, Malayalam and English :

1) Saathiya, Tune Kya Kiya (Love - Hindi)

This is an older song from the Bollywood 80’s (when Salman Khan was still thin and had lots of hair on his head ;-)). Some of us mallus were amazed at the (wierd?) combination of a popular Malayalee actress Revathi with Salman in a movie called “Love” (See the song in YouTube). But anyways, I bring up this movie now not to dron about its unusual pairing but for this timeless song…

The music (by Anand Milind) captures that era and leaves you feeling like you’re walking in the Bombay of the 80’s… on an evening as the sun is setting; your heart is filled with the joy of being alive, and love. The song is sung by two South Indian singers - the maestro SP Balasubramaniam and the woman with the voice of gold - KS Chitra. SPB is flawless as usual and Chitra’s accent for once doesn’t distract you from her beautiful voice. The lilts in their voices as they sing the “la-la-la” sweeps you off your feet, a rush of emotions capture you as you echo those words with the song that makes you want to run (Bollywood style) straight into the arms of a lover, who’s telling you “jaana kahaan? aa dil mein aa”…….*Sigh*.
Not surprising, since it is penned by the genius Majrooh Sultanpuri.

[Male]
Saathiya, tune kya kiya
Beliya, tune kya kiya…

[Female]
Maine kiya, tera intezaar…

[Male]
Itna karo na mujhe pyaar… (2)

[Female]
Saathiya, tune kya kaha
Beliya, tune kya kaha…

[Male]
Yoon na kabhi, karna intezaar…

[Female]
Maine kiya he tumse pyaar… (2)

[Paragraph]
[Male]
Itni mohabbat, seh na sakoonga
Sach maano zinda, reh na sakoonga…

[Female]
Tujhko sambhaaloon, yeh mera zimma
Main hoon tho kya hum, jaane tamanna…

[Male]
Ab jeena marna mera, jaanam tere haath he…

[Female]
Maine kaha na sanam, ab tu mere saath he…

[Male]
Tho phir sambhaal, ke main chala

[Female]
Jaana kahaan, aa dil mein aa (la-la-la…)

Saathiya….

[Paragraph]
[Female]
Dil ke chaman ka, hasna tho dekho
Jaage nazar ka, sapna tho dekho

[Male]
Aise hue hum, ek jaan ek dil
Tu he ke main hoon, kehna he mushkil

[Female]
Jhonka basanti he tu,
Than he gulaabi mera…

[Male]
Do rang milne ke baad,
hothe nahi he juda

[Female]
Tho phir sambhaal, ke main chala

[Male]
Jaana kahaan, aa dil mein aa (la-la-la…)

Saathiya…

2) Munbe Vaa (S(J)illinu oru kaadhal - Tamil)

It would be sacrilege if I don’t mention Munbe Vaa in a blog devoted to love and beautiful songs. (And yes, I know I have written about this before in my album review but I can still speak volumes about this song ;)) This has kept me company for many of my travel journeys, times when I would listen ardently to the lyrics, and wonder if there would be the perfect love in my life. And then, when I would listen to them again, and sing along… living my idea of the perfect love. Munbe Vaa is one of AR’s best melodies. The prelude piece brings visions of droplets of water falling, dancing rather, as they fall softly onto the earth - only to blend with other droplets and flow into an ocean as the main song emerges.

[Female]
Munbe vaa en anbe vaa
OoNe vaa uyire vaa

Munbe vaa en anbe vaa
Poo poovai poopom vaa

Naan, naana kEtEn ennai naane
Naan…. neeya, nenjam sonnathey

Munbe vaa…

[Chorus]
Rango rangoli
KOlangal nee pOttaal
KOlam pOttava kaigal vazhi…
Vallayal sattham

Jal jal….

Rango rangoli
KOlangal nee pOttaal
KOlam pOttava kaigal vaazhi
Sundara malligai sandhana malligai
Sinthiya punnagai vannam enna…

[Female]
Poovaithai poovaithai
Nee poovaikkor poovaithai
MaNa poovaithu poovaitha
Poovaikkul thee vaithai, oh…

[Male]
Theyney nee mazhayil aada
Naan maan naan nanainthen vaada
En naalathil un rattham naadikuL unn sattham
Uyire…ho…

[Female]
ThOzhi oru sila naazhi
Thaniyena aanaal tharayinil neendhum mmm.

Munbe vaa en anbe vaa
OoNe vaa uyire vaa…

[Male]
Naan, naana kEtEn ennai naane
Naan… neeya, nenjam sonnathey…

[Female]
Munbe vaa…

[Male]
Nilavidam vaadagai vaangi
Vizhi veettinil kudi vaikkalaama
Naan vazhum veettukul
Veraarum vanthaley
Thagumaa…

[Female]
Thenmalai thEykakku nee thaan
Unthan thoLgaLil idam tharalamaa
Naan saayum thOlmel verorum saaynthaley
Thagumaa…

[Male]
Neerum sengula cherum
Kalanthathu poley kalanthavar yaar…

Munbe vaa…

The song is written by Vaali, and sung by Naresh and Shreya. See the video here. And I have seen lots of people requesting it, and have been prey to it myself - the translation of this song. Couple of versions are available on the net, but the best one I liked is this.

3) Moovanthiyaay Pagalil (Pakshe - Malayalam)
This is not a song most people refer to often. But it is a phenomenal one, if ever there can be one. Music by Johnson, written by K Jayakumar, sung by the “gaana gandharvan” Dr. KJ Yesudas. The song embodies a more mature love and its inherent sadness, pain, angst. The music and words burn into your heart, its warm embers glowing through your eyes causing you to hold yourself close, lest those feelings burst out of your heart and lose you in their midst.

[Male]
Moovanthiyaay pakalil raavin viral sparshanam
TheerangaLil baashpa deepangaLil
POrithal naaLamaay nombaram…

Moovanthiyaay…

RavEReyaay piriyaanaruthathoru nOvin rapadikaL (2)
Choodathora poompeelikaLaal koodonnu koottiyallo,
Janmangalee veenayil meettum eenam
Moolunnu raakkattukal

Moovanthiyaay…

YaamangaLil kozhiyan madiyaayoru tharam thEngunnuvo (2)
InnOrmayil kilivaathilukal thaane thurannuvallo,
DoorangaLil enthino kannu chimmi
Veendum nishagandhikaL

Moovanthiyaay…

4) Is This Love (Whitesnake - English)
This is my most special song and it will remain so forever. I heard it for the first time (sent to me by my very special person ;)) at a time when I was just waltzing into love and to this day each time I hear it, it brings in those wave of emotions. The thrill, the magic and the feeling of floating in air :). It beats everything else in this world. (Btw, you can see the video here)

Should have known better
Than to let you go alone
(It’s) Times like these
Can’t make it on my own
Wasted days, and sleepless nights
An’ I can’t wait to see you again…

Find I spend my time
Waiting on your call
How can I tell you, babe
Back’s against the wall…

Need you by my side
To tell me it’s alright
Cos’ I don’t think I can take anymore…

Is this love, that I’m feeling
Is this the love, that I’ve been searching for
Is this love, or am I dreaming
This must be love
Cos’ it’s really got a hold on me…
Hold on me…

Can’t stop the feeling
Been this way before
But, with you I’ve found the key
To open any door

Can feel my love for you
Growin’ stronger day by day
An’ I can’t wait too see you again…

So I can hold you in my arms

Is this love that I’m feeling
Is this the love that I’ve been searching for
Is this love or am I dreaming
This must be love
Cos’ it’s really got a hold on me…

Hold on me…

Is this love…

Hmmm. Yes, it is!

Lyrical Love - Part II

 

It’s nostalgia season now, since I’m briefly separated from the land I love. As I listen to songs at work, the sweet strains, bells and percussion of the music takes me into a land of my dreams… a world, a piece of which, I’d like to share with you all, right here, right now. As ever, my obsession is still Love.

So here’s another iteration of Lyrical Love. Enjoy!

1) Theeram ThedumoLam (Vandanam - Malayalam)

This is one of my ever-favorite songs in Malayalam. One that brings me visions of the green fields, the silvery green water in the ponds and the warmth of the traditional, Hindu ancestral homes in Kerala. Theeram thedumoLam is from the malayalam movie Vandanam, which is set in Bangalore. Strangely, my visions are quite different from those shown in the actual movie visuals - and yeah, I have a reason for the contradiction :).

The first time I heard the song, when I was in the 6th or so, was in Kerala during my summer vacations. The thrill of being in the beautiful natural environment, with my family around, coupled with adolescence and romance slowly creeping into my being, was like magic. I and my cousin sister (a year older than me) - more best friends than relatives - were in a world of our own… secrets, mystery, music and the first set of cupid’s arrows being pierced through our childlike hearts. Listening and humming the songs around, playing secret games with each other and discussing movies, our first crushes and our awakening to the beauty - of the world and people, around us.

Today when I hear this song, I still feel my heart tugging with the same emotions…Innocence is bliss, Love is divine.

Here is the lyrics of the song… sung by M. G. Sreekumar and Sujatha, written by Shibu Chakravarthy and set to tune by Ouseppachchan. Spare some time to listen to the song whenever possible.

[Chorus]
Dheem thana nana nana nagruthanithom,
Dhirana dhirana nana nagruthanithom.

[Male]
Theeram thedumoLam premageethangal thannu
EeNam cherthu njaan innonnu kaadhil paranju

[Female]
Ee raavil nee enne thottu thottunarthi
MinnumkuligaLil LaaLikkum
Njan oru chithra vipanjikayaay…

[Male]
Theeram…

[Paragraph]
[Female]
Pon thaazham poonkaavukaLil,
Thannaalaadum poongaatte,
Innaa thirayude thirumuttam
Thoothu thalikkaan nee varumo

[Male]
Mungi kuLi kazhinjeththiya pennin
Mudiyil choodaan poo tharumo…

[Female]
Aaa…

[Male]
Venn thaaram poo mizhi chimmi,
Mandam mandam maayumbol
Innee purayil poomanjam,
Ninne urakkaan njaan virikkum

[Female]
Swapnam kandoru poovirimaaRin,
Pushpathalaththiyil, njan urangum

[Male]
Aa….

[Female & Male]
Theeram…

2) Un Samayal Arayil (Dhill - Tamil)

This is a crazy song indeed :). When I heard it the first time, I wondered what the lyricist was thinking of… But over time, and with the proper translation of the lyrics, it occurred to me how much the simplest of lyrics can hit you in the softest spots :). See the lyrics below- I’ve given the translation alongwith each line, since it makes much more sense that way… The song is tuned beautifully by Vidyasagar, worded by Kabilan and sung by Unnikrishnan and Sujatha.

[Male]
Un samayal arayil, naan uppa sakkaraiya? (In your kitchen, am I the salt or the sugar?)

[Female]
Nee padikkum arayil, naan kangalaa pusthakamaa? (In your study, am I the eyes or the book?)

[Male]
Nee viraLkal enraal, naan nagama modirama? (If you are fingers, am I the nails or the ring?)

[Female]
Aaa, nee idalkal enraal, naan mutthama punnakayaa? (If you are lips, am I a kiss or a smile?)

[Male]
Nee azhagu enraal, naan kaviya oviyana? (If you are beauty, am I a poet or a sculptor?)

Un samayal arayil…

[Paragraph]

[Female]
Naan vekkam enraal, nee sivappa kannankala? (If I am shyness, are you the reddishness or the cheeks?)

[Male]
Naan theendal enraal, nee viralaa sparisangala? (If I am the touch, are you the fingers or the sensation of it?)

[Female]
Nee kuzhanthai enraal, naan thottilla thalaatta? (If you are a child, am I the cradle or the lullaby?)

[Male]
Nee thookkam enraal, naan madiya thalaiyana? (If you are sleep, am I the lap or a pillow?)

[Female]
Naan idhayam enraal, nee uyira thudi-thudippaa (If I am a heart, are you the life, or the heartbeat?)

Un samayal arayil…

[Male]
Nee vithaikal enraal, naan vEra viLainilamaa? (If you are seeds, am I the root or the fertile land?)

[Female]
Nee virunthu enraal, naan pasiya rusiya? (If you are a feast, am I hunger or taste?)

[Male]
Nee kaïdi enraal, naan siraiya dhandanaiya? (If you are a prisoner,am I the jail or the punishment?)

[Female]
Nee mozhigal enraal, naan tamizha osaigalaa? (If you are language, am I Tamil or the sound?)

[Male]
Nee puthuvai enraal, naan bharathiya bharathithasana? (If you are Puthuvai (Puducheri), am I Bharathi or Bharathidasan?)

Nee…

Nee thanimai enraal, naan thunaiya dooratthila? (If you are solitude, am I your company, or far away from you?)

[Female]
Nee thunaithaan enraal, naan pesava yosikkava? (If you are my company, should I speak or think?)

[Male]
Nee thirumbi ninraal, naan nikkava poyvidavaa? (If you have your back turned to me, should I stay or go away?)

[Female]
Aa…Nee pokiraay enraal, naan azhaikkava azhuthidavaa? (If you go away, should I call out to you, or cry?)

[Male]
Nee kadhal enraal naan sariya thavara? (In your (if you are) love, am I right are wrong?)

[Female]
Un valathu kayyil paththu viral (On your right hand, there are ten fingers)
En idathu kayyil paththu viral (On my left hand, there are ten fingers)

Dooraththu megham, thooralkal sintha,
Theertha mazhayil, thee kulippoo…

(The far-away clouds, start a drizzle
We will be immolate ourselves in the rain…)

3) Kya Mujhe Pyaar He (Woh Lamhe - Hindi)

One of the recent songs that have caught my fancy. Kya Mujhe Pyaar He from the movie Woh Lamhe, has two versions - a slow one and the remix: The slow version is the one to listen to, although the remix is pretty racy and can get your feet tapping, and your body breaking out into a jig. Pritam’s music, lyrics by Neelesh Misra and sung by Kay Kay. The slow song begins with guitar strings, a slow chorus and within a second, you’re caught, blinded, trapped. Kay Kay’s voice sounds like steel, cutting across your sensations with his unwavering rendition of “Kya mujhe pyaar he, aisa khumaar he”. I cannot desist from mentioning the the song is another of Pritam’s blatant lifts (of the track Tak Bisakah by the Indonesian rock band Peterpan), but its hard to ignore its wonderful music and worse :), its lyrics… Just the song to express the first sensations of love for a person. With this song, love is no longer a soft feather wafting across your face. It is like being under a waterfall, falling in sheets, pricking like needles, bringing with it, a cold thrill inside your body and soaring your senses to newer heights.

Read further for the lyrics. I will try to put up a translation when I have time, later.

Kyoon aaj kal, neend kam, khwaab zyaada hai
Lagtha khuda ka koi nEk iraada hai
Kal tha faqir aaj dil shehzaada hai
Lagtha khuda ka koi nEk iraada hai

Kya mujhe pyar hai… ya..
Aisa khumaar hai…                           (2)

[Paragraph]
Paththar ke in raston pe, phoolon ki ik chaadar hai
Jabse mile ho humko, badla har ik manzar hai

Dekho jahaan main neele neele aasmaan thale
Rang naye naye hain jaise ghulte hue
Soye se khwaab mere jaage tere waasthe
Tere khayaalon se hain bheege mere raasthe

Kya mujhe pyar hai… ya..
Aisa khumaar hai…                           (2)

[Paragraph]
Tum kyun chale aate ho, har roz in khwaabon main
Chupke se aa bhi jao ek din meri baahon main

Tere hi sapne andheron main ujaalon main
Koi nasha hai teri aankhon ke pyaalon main
Tu mere khwaabon main, jawaabon main, sawaalon main
Har din chura tumhe main laatha hoon khayaalon main

Kya mujhe pyar hai… ya..
Aisa khumaar hai…                           (2)

Sillunu (Jillunu) Oru Kaadhal

Thought I’d break the prolonged silence on my blog with a music review :).

SOK Music Rating: 4 and 1/2 out of 5.

I had heard the music of SOK some time ago, because there were a lot of people talking about it, and I was getting requests to post a review. After three weeks of intense personal activities, here is my take on the album (whew…finally :)):

What can I say about AR Rahman, that hasn’t been said before. It can only be a man of pure genius (like him) who can come up with a number like Munbe Vaa En Anbe Vaa. Each time I hear the song, I feel my senses melting - suddenly, nothing else matters in the world and the song takes my body and soul into another dimension altogether. The song starts with a piano interlude (don’t I love songs that start like that :)) and the combination of Shreya Ghosal and Naresh Iyer, that follows, is sheer magic. While her sweet honey-like voice wafts into your ears and fills your being, his husky, silvery tones gently brush alongside hers and sweeps into prominence almost at the end of the song (I would have liked more of Naresh in the song though )… Rahman blends multiple layers of both the voices to create a masterpiece that only the maestro is capable of. I also love the lyrics (and will be posting it on my song lyrics page soon) - here is the extract that I like the most, because I think it has this spark of naughtiness

Nilavidam vaadagai vaangi
Vizhi veetinil kudi vaikkalaama
Naan vaazhum veettukul verarum vanthaley
Thagumaa…

Thenmalai thekkukku nee thaan
Unthan thoLgalil idam tharalaama
Naan saayum thOlmel verorum saainthaley…
Thagumaa…

Neerum sengula chErum
Kalanthathu poley kalanthavar yaar…

The next song that I liked in the album is the other popular number Machakari. I first saw the song on TV before I heard it, and what struck me initially was that it  is almost a continuation of Rahman’s experiments with western music. Its a dance number with catchy beats, and will  get you to shake your head, tap your feet in tune with it. Shanker and Vasundhara are complete rock stars in this song, and Rahman succeeds in tapping the raw-ness potential in both the voices thereby giving us facets which we haven’t heard earlier; Also another surprising element in the song is that both loud and soft sounds intermingle and there are instruments (that I cannot recognize) playing softly in the background contributing to the multi-layers.

NewYork Nagaram was the surprise piece for me, because I never really expected it to be so addictive. Rahman is in superb form (his voice tugs on my heart); the guitar strings and the hollow chorus in the background is haunting. The perfect song for solitude :), and for commemorating long-distance love, and longing… [Infact, the song is so perfect that I found the visuals in the movie lacking - it was looking like a Tanha Dil (DCH) copy :(]

Jillendru Oru Kaadhal is the opening song of the movie. Very stylishly packaged song - reminds me of the English Broadway musicals in the 60’s, of jazz, the movie Chicago, and Rahman’s own number “Hello Mr. Ethirkatchi” in Iruvar. The voices (Tanvi, and ?) are very cute, I loved the indulgence :).. there is also a stray alley-cat somewhere there. Leave it to Rahman to add a bit like that

Majja Majja: SPB Saran in yet-another-sensual number, with Shreya accompanying him. Reminded me of kaadhal sadugudu… but please don’t compare the visual presentation of the song. Kaadhal sadugudu is a treat for the eyes - sensual and subtle whereas even though Majja Majja is interesting and catchy, the visual in the movie is in-your-face, and there are too many jatkas-matkas that destroy the subtle nuances of play in the song. I was disappointed because this was the song where Surya’s and Jyothika’s chemistry should have set the screens ablaze, but it did nothing of the sort. The song is  beautiful - please listen to it while banishing all thoughts of the actual visuals - you’ll enjoy it then.

Maricham: Techno-indulgence. Rahman displays the finesse that he showed in “Dol Dol” in Ayudha Ezhutha, here also. I love what he is doing to Indian contemporary music - we get to hear so many world influences in his pieces nowadays… we’re coming of age :). Some parts of the song have an Enigma hangover, and then some parts of the background that remind me of the Nightrider theme music. I didn’t understand much of the lyrics - I think if I do, I will appreciate this piece more. The “Tejomayam” echo lingers on…

Kummi Adi:  This is a track set in the tamil village - exulting over a marriage with elements of the Iyer culture thrown in generous doses within the lyrics. Kummi Adi is the perfect icing on the SOK cake that blends such diametrically different music in the same album. I wish I could understand the lyrics a little bit more - for now, my appreciation of the song is limited to its native flavoring, and of course Naresh’s presence in it - Rahman surely knows how to tap the vocal dimensions of this guy - what a contrast Kummi Adi is to Munbe Vaa, Roobaroo and Tu bin bataye.

Summing up, this is one album every Rahman fan needs to have with them. However, when I watched the movie, I did secretly wish that it had been Mani Ratnam instead, to give the perfect visual interpretation to the maestro’s magic… anyway, I guess the effort was good enough. I’d give the movie a rating of 2 and 3/4 (because it wasn’t good enough for a 3)… oh, but then that’s content for a whole new post isn’t it ;).

My Top Ten Romantic Movies

I was struck with inspiration today morning while listening to the B’lore radio channels, as I was travelling from home to office: Inspiration to post my favorite romantic movies - movies which I can watch again and again, movies which have swayed my heart, made me believe in love, and defined some part of my idea of pure love… and so, here are the top ten ones, in random order (I’ve tried to intersperse the languages though - one English movie, one Hindi, one English again and so on..):

1. Titanic

A very safe choice but also a very personal one…Titanic still takes my breath away, each time I watch it. Beautifully crafted, taut and perfect, the movie leaves no loopholes, and the love between Jack and Rose is almost immortal. Leonardo Di Caprio is fiery, charming yet mature, a man who believes in living every moment to the fullest. Kate Winslet is beautiful, strong, passionate and a woman of substance. Their love seems improbable at first, but after they meet, inevitable. If I were to list favorite scenes, I would almost be rewriting the movie, so for now I mention only these: the look on Jack’s face when he sees Rose for the first time, on the upper deck, Jack’s performance on the dinner table - and him saying “Almost”, when Cal tells him he could almost pass for a gentleman; Rose reading the words “Make it count. Meet me at the Clock”, the flush on her face as she tap dances with Jack, and discovers the free-spirited life she’d been yearning for, Rose coming back for Jack when she realizes he’s not gotten onto the boats, Jack dying trying to save Rose… The last scene is perfect - the lovers are united under the clock, where time and life stop for their divine love - I still get tears when I watch that one.

2. Dilwale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge

Who could be more corny and irritating than Raj in the first half of DDLJ, yet be able to win the heroine and us over in the second half with his undying love and promises, and who could be more endearing than Simran, who cries, screams, shouts, gets sozzled, and yet has stars in her eyes… DDLJ is the atypical romantic movie, one of the best movies Hindi cinema has seen. 5 yrs and still going strong. My favorite scenes would again fill a whole page, but some notable ones I can think of immediately is: Raj and Simran shouting at each other, then having to say sorry, when the other one says “bade bade deshon mein aisi choti choti batein hothe rethe he”; Going their separate ways after all their escapades, and turning back to see the other one walking away; Raj meeting Simran in the mustard fields of Punjab - where he’s come to take away his bride; the scene in the kitchen where Raj tells Simran’s mum “bas, samjho ki aap ki hi parchayi honi chaahiye”, and the subsequent look on Simran’s face; them meeting chori-chori chupke-chupke on the terrace, and Simran’s ploys to get Raj to give her food and water on karva chaut, and to avoid Kuljeet put a ring on her ring finger… I think I’m already running out of space :).

3. Dil To Pagal Hai

I haven’t seen Silsila and other Yash Chopra movies much, so for me Dil To Pagal Hai is his best. Being into dance myself, Dil To Pagal Hai was a movie that resonated with my being. I watched this when I was in college, and was in DTPH fever for months altogether. I loved it - from the promos, to the songs, to the dialogues to the concept of “someone, somewhere is made for you”. That line has stuck with me the longest, and I have only Yash Chopra to blame for me not finding a mate yet - cos I believed in it :). Shahrukh as Rahul, Madhuri as Pooja and Karishma as Nisha. They had it all - the moves, the grooves. The whole movie traces the making of a play, and Shahrukh and Madhuri fall in love as they enact ‘Maya’… and the climax finds them rewinding through all the songs, on stage. Memorable scenes: The tune Shahrukh hums when he’s in the changing room at a store, when he’s going back home after the Valentine’s day party, when he’s delivered a cake to Madhuri’s home and is leaving, when he’s dropped her home and as he’s going back, he hums it and then she realized it was him all that while, the Kathak piece Madhuri does with Shahrukh on the drums, the Arere song (with two pairs of Madhuri-Shahrukh: one in actual life, and the other in love, watching them live their lives, but realizing the strong undercurrent of love between them), the scene after the wedding when Madhuri loses her choodiyan, the dance of envy and Karishma’s almost-green eyes… again running into pages

4. Pretty Woman, The Runaway Bride

I had no choice but to list these two movies together - and that’s only because of the star pair. Richard Gere and Julia Roberts created magic on the silverscreen - fantastic chemistry in the most improbable situations. I was all eyes for Gere and Julia Roberts - never knew why there was so much hype about her smile till I saw these movies. She can only be described as sparkly. Gere is suave and dashing. Memorable Scenes from both the movies: Gere running after his runaway bride, and she in her bridal wear hopping on a (Fed-Ex?) van; Julia coming back to Gere afterwards and the emotional moments in his apartment, with her proposing to him on one knee; In Pretty Woman, Julia going to an upmarket store and them being rude to her because of her sleazy outfit, and then Gere taking her to another one where she’s treated like a queen; Gere coming after her at the end, and climbing up (stairs?) to propose to her.

5. Maine Pyar Kiya

Listing Maine Pyar Kiya after Pretty Woman et al, may seem blasphemous to many, but not for me. I first heard of the movie Maine Pyar Kiya during my summer hols after completing 4th standard in school and going to the 5th. I remember my uncle telling me that it was a ridiculous movie about love. That year, we had a new school bus driver - I remember him very well - devout muslim with a beard, wearing a white prayer cap - although he appeared fierce as a person, in reality he was pretty jolly, always smiling and having a booming laugh. Every day when we went home he would play the Maine Pyar Kiya cassette in the school bus, and I would listen to the song “Mere Rang Mein” - not understanding a single word, but wondering what sort of music it was, because I’d never heard something like that before.
Initially I got tired of listening to the same song over and over again ( I remember each time the song got over he would rewind and play it again ) but then it grew on me. To this day when I hear the song, its like déjà vu; I’m transported to a totally different place. I saw the movie much after I’d heard its songs, and that’s when Cupid struck an arrow in my heart. No, I didn’t have any real life crushes, but I was in love with the movie - the innocence of Suman, and the mischief of Prem, and their dosti. Feelings of romance and love are so strong in adolescence (as my friend The Visitor puts it, probably an effect of hormones ;)), but however clichéd some parts of Maine Pyar Kiya were, it still ranks as one of the most romantic movies I’ve seen. I got to see it on TV a couple of weeks ago, and I realized I still stick to that.

6. You’ve Got Mail, Sleepless in Seattle

Double listing again courtesy Tom Hanks and Meg Ryan. I looovvvee Tom Hanks and I loved his pairing with Meg Ryan. What can I say about both the movies? Just very simply - all you mushy movie freaks out there - watch it. This one’s for you. For months after watching You’ve Got Mail, I wished fervently that I would also fall in love online. I logged onto yahoo chat with my incessant prayers, and the first few episodes of chatting jolted me to ground level, straight from the clouds - suffice to say that there were some unpleasant encounters, and although I did make some friends, I realized I couldl never fall in love without seeing and knowing any person. I guess I realized that movies were far removed from reality. Don’t want to list any particular moments from either of the movies btw, because I was captivated more by the lead pair, and how believable they made the stories seem.

7. Mughal-E-Azam

Anarkali and Salim. A tribute to love, dated back to almost a half-century ago. Re-made in color recently, and since has been playing out on Sony MAX almost every weekend. I never watched Mughal-E-Azam in black n white, so when it released in color, I made sure that I went to watch the larger than life, opulent movie, in PVR cinema’s plush cinema hall, in Bangalore. That was my first movie in PVR :). I’ve also watched the movie since then many times on Sony MAX, just because I could never take in the richness of the movie at one/two goes. Sony MAX plays out interesting tidbits during ad breaks - here’s one tidbit: When Jodhabai waits for her son to return from the army, years after he’s left home, there is one shot where a lot of pearls are thrown on the ground - Supposedly that shot was first done with fake pearls, but the maker of the film, K Asif, didn’t like the fact that the fake pearls didn’t bounce after hitting the ground, the way real pearls did. So he actually suspended shooting of the movie for a whole year, till they could accumulate enough real pearls to do that one shot! Getting back to the romance in the movie - I’ve heard a lot of people say that the scene where Salim caresses Anarkali’s face with a feather is the most passionate scene ever devised. I guess that says a lot for the jhatkas, matkas and stripping we see in movies of today. I don’t think any heroine of today can be what Madhubala was then - she was ethereal, so complete a performer. Strong and defiant, yet passionate and devoted, she was a revelation to me when I saw the movie. Her soft, romantic song “More Panghat Pe Nand Lal” song is so different from the classic “Pyaar Kiya tho Darna Kya”. In both songs, the hero sits on a throne away from the heroine; there is no physical contact, and no in-your-face moves at all - yet there was sheer electricity in the scenes.

8. The Wedding Planner

This last one year I must have watched this movie atleast 50 times. Each time its on Zee Studio, HBO or Star Movies, I’ll be there watching it. So much so that I can recite all the dialogues with ease, maybe even show the facial expressions :). JLo is the wedding planner par excellence who lives a lonely life with no wedding bells for her in sight, and Matthew McConaughey is the doctor (paediatrician) who knows how to ballroom dance, and is engaged to a rich, adventurous and exciting but skinny woman. Their paths cross, and Mary falls in love with Steve, only to find out that she’s supposed to be planning his wedding. Amazing chemistry, scenes straight out of romantic fantasies, and finally a happy ending. My fav scene is the dance where JLo is wearing an amazing red dress, and Steve and Mary dance with aplomb (I’ve often tried practicing those moves :)) while yelling at each other the whole time. And there’s a scene in Mary’s house, when she’s drunk - she’s lying on the sofa and mumbling to Steve, who is roasting marshmallows on a lit candle, and he removes this strand of hair that’s fallen on her face… If there are people out there who’re smirking right now: yes, yes, I confess. I’m an incorrigible romantic. A hopeless case.

9. Bombay

I don’t know whether it was Manisha’s innocent and endearing smile, or Arvind Swamy’s dapper looks, A R Rahman’s eternal music or Mani Ratnam’s impeccable direction that did it for me, but Bombay has always stayed on my mind - as fresh as when I saw it first. The choreography of Kehna Hi Kya (not to mention the song) is just perfect - Manisha - she’s dressed in this white/cream outfit, looking divine - tries to evade Arvind during the whole song (which she is singing in a marriage) but he keeps following her; at times, her step ceases as she sees him and our heart beats cease too. Tu Hi Re (Uyire in Tamil) is a heart-rending song about love, pictured with the sea as a backdrop. Hariharan and Kavita put their heart and soul into the song, and I get goose bumps even when I listen to it today. Finally they fall in love and she, a Muslim girl from a village in Tamil Nadu, runs away from home, to join her Hindu beloved in Bombay. And together, they set up a beautiful life after marriage - have twin children with names like Kabir Narayan and Kamal Bashir, but then their dream-like story is shattered in communal riots in Mumbai, and their family is almost torn apart. There is a piece that Rahman has composed as the Bombay theme - flute and violin. It is one of the most beautiful instrumental pieces I have ever heard in my life; the kind I would expect to hear if I ever go to heaven :).

10. Nandanam

Nandanam is the only Malayalam movie I count here, because most Malayalam movies with a romantic track, either have a strong dose of comic timing, or social relevance, or family values. So even though there are many many movies where the romance was special to me, I’m not listing any of them here. Nandanam is an exception, because Nandanam was all about love. Again, Nandanam is a movie for which I can write almost all the dialogues because I’ve watched it so many times. What made Nandanam refreshing was Navya Nair’s portrayal of Balamani - I loved that character. Her chemistry with Prithviraj (Manu in the movie) was also amazing - they were a fresh pair, good looking, and simple - and so was their love. But what made Nandanam so special was not only their love, but the involvement of God in it. I don’t know if I am spoiling anyone’s suspense by writing this here (but what the heck, its been years since the movie’s been released) - Balamani is an ardent devotee of the Lord Krishna, but she’s only a servant in Prithvi’s household. However, her love for the God is so pure that the Lord comes to her in human form, and brings the twists in the story that finally lead to her marriage with Prithviraj. The movie ended with the note that if you believe strongly in any higher-power, regardless of what name you may choose to call it by, that power will make your ardent wishes come true.

There are many other movies that were straining to come into the list, but I opted them out only because I didn’t think the romance was the only significant part of the movie. Also, there are most probably many other movies which I haven’t watched but qualify for best romantic movies - but then I said this is “My list” :). So that’s my disclaimer for sceptics

Lyrical Love

 

Love is an endearing emotion. Its seeds are sown young and sometimes we spend our entire lives in pursuit of the eternal love that we may probably never get on earth.

What makes love totally paradoxical is that the more we love, the more we want to possess, but the more we try to possess, the more love escapes from us.

By its very nature love is pure, divine and free. Its the acme of all emotions on this earth, and a riddle for anyone who’s been in its midst. Poets wax eloquently about love; yet no poetry fully characterizes it.

Recently I came across a site that had English translations of popular Hindi songs, and I realized that some of our Indian film lyricists did really try to infuse poetry in their songs, and most of the beautiful lyrics came from songs about love.

I then thought I’d blog about some Indian love ballads and their translations as a precursor to better poetry in film songs, and many more beautiful love songs to come, and as a tribute to this wonderful emotion called love…

Song	Translation
Film: Gangster Language: Hindi Lyricist: Sayeed Quadri Tu hi meri shab he, subah he, tu hi din he mera. tu hi mera rab he, jahaan he, tu hi meri duniya… Tu waqt, mere liye, mein hoon tera lamha, kaisa rahega bhala, hoke tu mujhse juda…	You are my night, my dawn you are my day. you are my god, my universe, you are my world... To me, you are time and I'm every moment for you. How can you ever live apart from me...
Film: Ayudha Ezhuthu Language: Tamil Lyricist: Vairamuthu Yakkai thiri Kaadhal sudar Jeevan nadhi Kaadhal kadal Piravi pizhai Kaadhal thirutham Irudhayam kal Kaadhal sirpam Jenmam vidhai Kaadhal pazham Lokam dwaitham Kaadhal advaitham Sarvam soonyam Kaadhal pinnyam Maanudam maayam Kaadhal amaram.	Body is a wick Love is the flame Soul is a river Love is the sea Birth is a mistake Love is the correction Heart is of stone Love is the sculpture Birth is a seed Love is the fruit The world is dual, Love is singular Everything(sarvam) is zero(soonyam) Love is infinite Life is an illusion Love is immortal.
Film: Summer in Bethlehem Language: Malayalam Lyricist: Gireesh Puthenchery Oru raathri koodi vidavaangave, Oru paattu mooli veyil veezhave, Pathiya parannen arikil varum, azhakinte thoovalaanunee. palanaalalanjamaru yaathrayil, hridayam thiranja priya swapname, mizhikalkku munpil ithalaarnu nee, viriyaanorungi nilkayo pularaan thudangum oru raathriyil, thaniye kidannu mizhivaangave, oru nertha thennal alivodevannu nerukil thalodi maanjuvo… malarmanju veena vana veedhiyil, idayante paattu kaathorkave, oru paazhkinaavil urukumnoren, manassinte paattu kettuvo… nizhal veezhum ente idanaazhiyil, kanivode poottha mani deepame, oru kunju kaattil anayaathenin, thirinaalam ennum kaathidaam.	As one more night bids adieu, and the sunlight falls whilst humming a song, You are the feather of beauty that wafts and settles next to me... In my travels that have gone on for many days, oh dear dream that has sought my heart, are you, draped in petals, waiting to blossom in my eyes? As the night was giving way to dawn, and I lay alone, with my eyes open, A breeze came with love, and disappeared after caressing my forehead... On a path in the forest decked with mist, as you're straining your ears to listen to the shepherd's song, did you hear the song emanating from my mind which is melting in a futile dream... In my corridor which is filled with shadows, You are the lamp that has flowered with mercy, Forever, I will protect you from every breeze that tries to blow your light out.

These are of course just a selection of three different songs from Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam… I got the lyrics for the Hindi and Tamil from other websites, but the Malayalam song translation is solely mine [I think it may be a bit crude here and there, but then this was all I could come up with in the short duration of time I had to write the post].

There are thousands of Indian film songs written on love, and some are sheer classics in terms of their poetic excellence… all written and inspired by the most beautiful emotion in this world: Love. 

Krrish

This was supposed to be one of the first reviews to come out for Krrish; Unfortunately, I didn't get enough time on Friday to complete it, so I'm posting it today. On Thursday, I was at one of the premier shows of Krrish in Bangalore (cost me 250/- for a ticket), with a couple of my friends - we'd booked the ticket on Monday itself, so that we'd be one of the first to watch what had been one of the most awaited movies of 2006, and for which we'd been waiting with bated breath. In the plush multiplex theatre, as I waited for the movie to start rolling, there were many questions running through my mind.

I had of course read that Krrish is Rohit Mehra (Hrithik in Koi Mil Gaya)'s son, but what I really wanted to see is what sort of superhero would he be in this movie. Would he have the immense likeability of Rohit in Koi Mil Gaya? Would we cheer to see him bash up the villians, and cry when he'd be disadvantaged? Would Krrish really herald the new-age Indian superhero, and would we have Indian kids jostling to get their Krrish Masks, Krrish dolls and Krrish comic books, instead of Superman, Spiderman and all the other foreign men out there? And then, as the movie started, I put the questions out of my mind and settled back comfortably on my chair, hoping that I'd get my 250/-'s worth and maybe much more.At the outset, let me say, Krrish does not really match upto Koi Mil Gaya. The movie is definitely a step in a new direction, and Rakesh Roshan needs to be lauded for trying to achieve something not many directors/producers will even dream of. Superhero stuff is not your everyday bowl of cereal, you know. The locales are terrific (Singapore looks squeaky-clean), the camera work is distinct, the stunts/action are classy - in fact the places where the superhero gets to do his act are really amazing (I never knew Singapore has such mind-boggling structures; and also, it must have been tough work to actually shoot on those structures, and the roads).  And of course, there's the super-hero. Hrithik's looking uber-cool in some of the shots, and he's made a real earnest attempt to portray the unwilling Superhero, who can hop, skip and jump amidst skyscrapers and busy traffic on the road, swim seas, swat enemies as if they were mosquitoes, perform kung-fu style action and yet be child-like, innocent, loving and caring. The positive aspects of the movie stop there though. Hrithik tries hard with his histrionics and with the action, but the script lets him down considerably. I also wasn't impressed by his packaging vis-à-vis his clothes and super-hero look. The dirty vest/salwar he wears in the first half makes me wonder what got into the designer. I mean who wears such stuff in a village anyway? The vest is obviously intended to show off his muscles, but the salwar desperately needs a wash, and is out-of-place, considering his granny (Rekha) is dressed in immaculate designer sarees teamed with expensive shawls of the same color (in fact looking like she's got a makeover, esp. from the Koi Mil Gaya period, where she was in subdued muted tones with minimal makeup). In Hrithik's Singapore tryst, one particularly ugly t-shirt looked like a ladies top - orange with yellow borders - *yuck*. However, the man is good looking, so he forces you to ignore his unfortunate wardrobe. His mask is cool (I'm a little unsure about how he fixes it to his face), but I didn't like the black overcoat. His muscles will put any regular gym-man to shame, and may have women drooling, but I for one, don't care much for rippling muscles, so that didn't add value to my money.  Krrish as a whole let me down. The comparisons to Koi Mil Gaya are inevitable; as I watched the movie, I tried to remember why it didn't keep me engrossed the way Koi Mil Gaya did, and I failed. However, over the weekend, I watched Koi Mil Gaya on Sony Max, and I understood why. Both the movies have different story lines, but Koi Mil Gaya was very fluid and integrated as a movie - had a single purpose, and had some very loveable characters, all of whom were relevant to the storyline. Krrish unfortunately has a lot of unnecessary side-plots and characters that I just wished would get out of the screen. The editing is patchy, and there are evident flaws in the story, which could have been avoided (for eg. the school principal never seemed to have aged). Koi Mil Gaya had a hero we could sympathize and empathize with. His infectious laughter brought a smile to every face, and his tears would have us reaching for the hankerchief. We understood and felt emotionally tied to the guy who was the typical underdog, and unfortunate victim. And when he rose to heroism, we were there, cheering for him, and egging him on. Krrish has none of those advantages. Here we have the hero, a genius at birth, who has more powers than we can count. But instead of him being the archetype of the hero of the masses, he ends up being a whimpering, confused and at times stupid boy with too many emotional hangups, and whose genius IQ levels never grew up with him. Many times during the movie I felt that Krrishna(esp. when he went into the angst mode)'s voice started to sound like Rohit, and he was walking a thin line between the portrayals of Rohit and Krrish. I wouldn't blame Hrithik for it though - it was most likely that Rakesh Roshan got confused which movie he was directing. Or probably he was suffering a hangover from Koi Mil Gaya.  Priyanka Chopra was a huge letdown. Although she's not one of my fav actresses, I however appreciated her spunk in Andaaz, liked her quite a bit in Aitraaz, and could bear her in Bluffmaster. But in Krrish, what irritated me most about her was her overtly done makeup. I don't know what it is with the Indian love-affair with fair skin. Priyanka Chopra and Sushmita Sen are dusky beauties, who've been accepted and felicitated even by international panels where you get the best in fair skin and clear complexion. Yet, in Indian filmdom, they're made to paint/cake their faces with so much makeup to match up to the Indian (and very dumb) perception of beauty. In Priyanka's case, I also think its because she would have looked quite contrast to Hrithik's very fair coloring. But then, so what? Was it better to make her look like she's dipped her face in whitewash, than to retain her dusky beautiful color? In the movie, her close-up shots are unbearable. Priyanka has as her friend, a very irritating Maninee (I know her from Nach Baliye) who lisps, shrieks and is very annoying. Again, I suspect that Maninee is a choice for a friend because Maninee is also dusky and the makers musn't have wanted Priyanka to look darker in contrast to any other fairer 'sakhi'. Priyanka also needs to have another look at her Krrish wardrobe - her clothes were horrific. While Preity Zinta looked so glamorous and beautiful in Koi Mil Gaya, Priyanka looks crass and out-of-place. Her role does nothing to improve her situation, and all she has to do is widen her eyes, scream, look confused or sing and dance - there's not a hint of sophistication in her character, and it would have been better to pass her off as a village belle. The poorly done makeup seems to have claimed other victims - Rekha is another case. In Koi Mil Gaya, she was superb as the harassed single mom, whose life revolved around her half-wit son. I had really appreciated her choice of toned down sarees and neat but distraught appearance in the movie. In Krrish, she's completely made-up (blush on her cheek, deep eyeliner, and lots of mascara and eyelash-curler/falsh eyelashes), and refuses to look like a grandmother, except for the white strands in her hair, and a slight stoop.  All the other characters are badly written and are not even worth remembering (unlike say, Jadoo, Johny Lever and the kids in Koi Mil Gaya). Naseeruddin Shah is wasted, and his villainous act is more comic than scary. There are lots of questionable scenes, and the plot is poorly contrived, and has no suspense at all. Another *very* irritating factor is the amount of product placement in the movie. Each scene seems like an ad for a particular product, and you have product labels flung at your face almost every moment, and prominently so. I just wish film-makers like Rakesh Roshan would have some restrain and atleast try to disguise/minimise the visibility of their sponsorship strategy. Marketing and money seems to be corrupting all creative instincts. Unfortunate. The music in the movie does nothing to salvage its entertainment capacity. Its boring, not very hummable, and doesn't have recall-value. Just barely makes the grade for melody, and is mostly distracting and not well integrated into the movie. So I don't think it is going to help the movie attract viewers. BTW, just for trivia, when I saw Koi Mil Gaya again, I also realized that Rajesh Roshan had used the tune "Aao Sunao Pyaar Ki Ek Kahaani" as the background score for when Rohit is thanking Jadoo for giving him his powers.  Speaking of Jadoo, I also just realized that Koi Mil Gaya not only relied on Hrithik's superb performance but also on Jadoo. Jadoo is the most huggable alien I've ever seen, and probably contributed equally to KMG's success as Hrithik did. Krrish unfortunately has no jadoo… either as a character in the script, or in the story itself. So its your typically over-rated but under-performing sequel. I don't know what will be the fate of the movie at the box-office, but it didn't really please me in any way. Except of course, for Hrithik's superhero antics, which is the only paisa-vasool factor. The stunts are worth a dekko (although they've been definitely seen before) and Hrithik (with his sleek,taut movements) make them believable, and even enjoyable.  I just wish that Rakesh Roshan had toned down on the typical Hindi film melodrama and given more time n situations for the super-heroic stuff, because those are all that are worth watching. Unfortunately Mr. Roshan believes in a super-hero, who has to be first proved as the ideal grandson, ideal son, ideal boyfriend (how clichéd can it get - he even has to bash up goons who 'ched-chaad' his girlfriend) etc. etc. So there are loads of emotional baggage scenes that we're pilloried with, and you sit and twiddle your thumbs through them (since your sympathies lie only with you, and not with any of the characters in the scene) and wish you could get to see your hero doing his flying, running, swimming, jumping acts. Let me also digress here a little bit - one of my friends had an issue with all the things the superhero could do - there seemed to be too many of them. He was a bit of Superman, a bit of Spidey, a bit of Batman and lord knows who else. Come on now. We want Krrish to be the first Superhero. Not the only one, for heavens sake. Anyway, a review full of complaints later, I can only say that it was obviously a good effort, and I still do appreciate Rakesh Roshan for having the tenacity to do a film like this. I only wish he'd put in some more efforts and tied up the loose ends, and gotten a better script (and possibly better makeup men and dress designers), because it would have really been worth the effort then. Now, as I exited out of the theatre screening Krrish, I only felt a little bad that Hrithik had put in so much effort into a movie that could have easily been one of the best, but turned out to be nothing but a children's film with some good stunts.