First of all, let me apologise for disappearing last week. Life was suddenly very hectic and I was quietly going mad (given how often most of us declare that we’re going mad because we have so much work, we should all be in an asylum by now). But I was very kindly given a week’s reprieve, and I’m ever so grateful.

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If someone were to ask you, ‘Who is your all-time favourite Hindi movie music composer?’ would you be able to answer the question — quickly? Wouldn’t it be tough? I mean, there have so many great songs, right from the Forties and Fifties to the present day, by so many different composers that it’s near-impossible to choose one. Read more

If someone were to ask you, ‘Who is your all-time favourite Hindi movie music composer?’ would you be able to answer the question — quickly? Wouldn’t it be tough? I mean, there have so many great songs, right from the Forties and Fifties to the present day, by so many different composers that it’s near-impossible to choose one.

For example: Naushad’s songs in Mughal-e-Azam. OP Nayyar’s music in Kashmir Ki Kali, Mere Sanam, CID. Madan Mohan’s incredible songs in Mera Saaya, Dastak, Haqeeqat (I still get goosebumps when I listen to Kar chale hum fida). Salil Chowdhury’s songs in Madhumati. Kalyanji Anandji’s score for Safar.

And so on and on, for all composers, not just the few I’ve mentioned above. I can’t think of a single music composer who hasn’t give us at least some great songs.?

And if you look at the scenario today, well, there’s Shankar Ehasaan Loy and of course, the staggeringly talented A R Rahman (I am a big fan).

But I know that if I were asked to name my all-time favourite composer, I would cheat a little (name two people instead of one) but I would have no problem answering the question: SD Burman, followed by RD Burman.

There are two reasons why SD is my No. 1. First, while I’m sure I haven’t heard each and every SD song, there isn’t a single SD song I know that I don’t like. (I can’t say this for any other composer). Second, usually when composers create music for a film, a couple of songs are really good, a few are average and a few forgettable. But in SD’s case, there are so many films where the <I>entire<I> score is masterful: Guide (his absolute best), Pyaasa, Bandini, Sujata, Chalti Ka Naam Gaadi, Jewel Thief, Amar Prem, Abhimaan, and more.

He used Bengali folk music traditions to beautiful effect (Ore maajhi from Bandini). He did wonderful classical compositions (Poocho na kaise maine from Meri Surat Teri Aankhen). He created light-hearted, fun songs (Haal kaisa hai janaab ka from Chalti Ka Naam Gadi). He composed melancholic songs (Dekhi zamane ki yaari from Kagaz Ke Phool). He could create any mood: romantic, tragic, peppy, dark, yearning, haunting, anything, everything.

And his son? Has there been a more influential composer (they’re <I>still<I> doing tributes to him in our movies. In Mr and Mrs Khanna, RD’s Bade achche lagte hain crops up all the time – because Kareena’s character is called Raina). Also, just like SD, there are many films where RD’s entire score is superb. For me, top of the list is the amazing, path-breaking score of Teesri Manzil (from Tumne mujhe dekha to O haseena zulfonwali), and then the others: Yaadon Ki Baraat, Padosan, Masoom, Hum Kisise Kam Nahin, Kati Patang etc. And for all those who, when they think of RD, only think of racy numbers like Duniya mein or Piya tu ab to aaja, do remember songs like Raina beeti jaaye (Amar Prem), O mere dil ke chain (Mere Jeevan Saathi, one of my personal favourites), Rimjhim gire sawan (Manzil, the ultimate monsoon song) and so many others.

Just one thing though. Unlike his father, I don’t like every RD song that I’ve heard.(Also, since everyone spoke so much about RD’s collaboration with Gulzar in the last blog, I haven’t gone into that at all).

So, for me, it’s SD and RD all the way.

And for you?

Undoubtedly, the two most celebrated contemporary lyricists in Bollywood are Gulzar and Javed Akhtar. But though each one has written many wonderful songs, who’s the better / greater of the two? It’s not a particularly new or original question, and yes, I know comparisons are odious, but nevertheless, if I had to choose, I would opt for Gulzar. Read more

Everyone’s been going on and on about the Diwali releases this year (three of them – Main Aur Mrs Khanna, All The Best and Blue). The film trade considers Diwali a very favourable time to release films. Producers think that people are in the mood to go out, spend money, have fun. Ergo, their films will do good business. Read more

I haven’t seen Salman Khan’s Wanted yet, but it seems to be a sort of throwback to the big action films of the Seventies with their larger than life tough heroes and solid action.

It made me wonder — what do we feel about these movies today? Or more precisely, what do we feel about that kind of hero today? Read more

I’m not courageous – or foolhardy enough – to go and see Ram Gopal Varma’s Agyaat. But friends whose judgment I trust totally have told me that it’s one of the worst movies they have ever seen. That’s what most people felt about Ram Gopal Varma Ki Aag as well. And no, I didn’t see that film either (I love Sholay too much and the Aag trailers themselves were so dreadful I shuddered to think what the full film would be like). Read more

Where are Rani Mukherjee and Preity Zinta? I mean, we haven’t seen them in films for quite a while now and as far as I know, it’s not like they’re madly shooting for hundreds of new movies. Yes, they have been in the news — for their private lives. Rani Mukherjee for her relationship with Aditya Chopra (she’s one of the possibly eight people in the world who can claim to have actually seen Aditya in the flesh and blood, the other nine being his parents, his brother, his ex-wife, Karan Johar, Shah Rukh Khan and maybe his driver). Read more

Bollywood, any day. Always. Every time.

For a start, I can’t even follow what people are saying in Hollywood films. It takes me at least half an hour to get accustomed to the accents and if the movie has someone like Sylvester Stallone who only mumbles, never actually speaks, this half an hour can easily become one hour. And since Hollywood films are so short, most of the movie is over by then. Read more

Before anything else, let me say quickly — and entirely truthfully — that I like both SRK and Aamir and hate missing any of their films.

The reason I’m posing this question at all is because recently, a large section of the film press, as well as TV channels, have gone on and on about the ‘war’ between Shah Rukh Khan and Aamir Khan, discussing ad nauseum which of the two is a bigger star / better actor etc etc. Read more