Aainaism

The baadshah of bollywood, Shahrukh Khan, who has been stealing millions of hearts for more than a decade now, has accomplished a lot in this span of time. No matter how well or bad his movie does, one can always witness long queues in front of the ticket counters and house full boards in theatres where his movie is being played. He has had many ups and downs in his life, in his personal as well as professional career, but has never given up.

Life has been like a roller coaster for Khan. He was born on November 2nd, 1965 in New Delhi, India, at a time when his parents were not doing too well financially. Cancer caused his father’s death in 1981. “When my father died, I didn’t cry. I was one of the pallbearers. But I felt cheated despite the fact that he had prepared me for his death,” explains Shahrukh. He also shares an amusing incidence that he still remembers vividly. “Once this South Indian lady came over and complained to my father, ‘your son troubles my daughter.’ He looked at her and said, ‘If she is as pretty as you are, and if I was as young as my son is, I’d probably do the same thing.’ She began laughing. He had said it so gently and nicely, without being offensive at all.”

After his father’s death, Shahrukh’s mother was the one to bring him up and fulfill all his wishes. She never stopped him from doing anything including acting. “I remember I used to do very badly in Hindi at school. I would get zero on ten. And she would say, ‘If you get ten on ten, I’ll take you for a film.’ From that day I topped the class in Hindi every single time. I remember the first film she took me to was Dev Anand’s Joshilay.” Khan shared a very close relationship with his mother and when she died ten years later in 1991 because of illness, Shahrukh totally broke down. “My mother’s death made me realize that nothing is permanent. I cried a lot. And now nothing shocks me. That is why I don’t give a damn about anything. If I can live without her then I can live without stardom, money…anything.”

Shahrukh says that he still believes that his mother is there with him and is watching over him. Even though he can’t share his happiness with his mother, he shares his feelings with his sister Shehnaz. “She is naïve and sweet, but can also behave quite spoilt sometimes! I see distinctive traits of my father and mother in Shehnaz.”

Marriage was a big issue in Shahrukh’s life, as he loved a “hindu” girl. His mother was never against his relationship with Gauri. “But Gauri’s parents were dead against this marriage. So for ten years we carried on our relationship on a clandestine manner. Once I even went to her birthday party in cognito. I used the name I was given in my first TV serial, Fauji, Abhimanyu. But when they got to know who I was, all hell broke loose!” Shahrukh laughs. He says that he identifies the circumstances of his marriage with a film like Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. “I love Gauri because she is honest. Also, she compliments me. She teaches me to be diplomatic. She keeps telling that I say too many things that I should not. She has turned me from an animal to a man.” Shahrukh and Gauri have a six-year-old son, Aryan, who already made his debut in Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham, playing a younger Shahrukh. Recently, Shahrukh and Aryan lended their voices in ‘Mr. Laajawab.’ Shahrukh and Gauri’s family is complete with their Daughter, Suhana who is now four years old. When asked how he would like his son to grow up like, Shahrukh laughs, “I want my son to be a badmaash.”

Khan started his career with a small role in ‘In Which Annie Gives It Those Ones’ written by Arundhati Roy. The show was aired in 1988. He went on with ‘Fauji,’ a TV serial playing Abhimanyu Gupta. He also worked in serials such as ‘Circus’ and ‘Idiot.’ His first movie, Dil Ashna Hai came out in the year 1992. He wasn’t recognized but later on he started to get himself noticed as an actor of some caliber from movies like Raju Ban Gaya Gentleman and Deewana. As years passed by, Khan gave the film industry many hits like Kabhi haan Kabhi naa, Baazigar, Darr and Anjaam. He also has super hits in his pocket such as Karan Arjun, Dil to Pagal hai, Kuch Kuch Hota Hai. Some of his blockbusters are Dil Wale Dulhaniya Le Jayenge, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham and the latest one, Veer-Zaara. Chalte Chalte and Main Hoon Na were also hits at the box office and Swades was widely acclaimed overseas. Shahrukh was also applauded for his mind-blowing natural performance in Swades.

Shahrukh even tried his hand in production teaming up with Aziz Mirza and Juhi Chawla. The production company was very thoughtfully named as ‘Dreams Unlimited.’ Shahrukh’s first production was Phir Bhi Dil Hai Hindustani in 2000. The film was a flop but didn’t stop Shahrukh from going on with producing more movies. The very next year, his next production came out, Asoka. His efforts failed once again with Asoka being a flop. Shahrukh declared that if his next production fails, he would close down the company but it so happened that he didn’t need to. In 2003, Chalte Chalte was released to save the boat from drowning. Chalte Chalte was a hit and was liked by the masses. Shahrukh was so overwhelmed by the responses that he gave a bonus to all the employees of ‘Dreams Unlimited.’

Shahrukh received many accolades for his amazing performances. He accepted his first award in 1993 for the best sensational debut as the Best Actor in Baazigar. There was no stopping for Shahrukh and the awards continued with an award for his smashing performance in Darr in 1994. He was then admired with the critics award for Kabhi Haan Kabhi Na in 1995 and the Best Villian award for Anjaam in the same year. The next year, delivering a blockbuster, he received the Best Actor award for Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. Once again, in 1997, Shahrukh was awarded the Best Actor award for Dil To Pagal Hai. With Kuch Kuch Hota Hai, the next year, Shahrukh was immensely praised for his performance and honored with the Best Actor Award yet again. In 2000, Shahrukh received the Best Actor (cricts) award for Mohabattein. After two years, in 2002, he got the Best Actor award once more for his classic flick, Devdas. Followed by another Best Actor award for Kal Ho Na Ho the following year. In 2004, Shahrukh is expecting an award for Main Hoon Na, Veer-Zaara or Swades, let’s wait and watch for the results.

Khan has come a long way from Dil Ashna Hai to Swades. He has the unmatchable energy to work in movies be it an action scene or a dance sequence, he can do it all. Shahrukh seems to know what he wants to do as an actor in his movies and he says “with rudeness, not even with arrogance: You want different, go see someone else.” He believes in the movies that he does.

Shahrukh smiles, cries and dances into millions of hearts and warms them with a lovely grin and two sweet dimples on his cheeks.

You can love him or hate him, but you can’t ignore him!

A trend of bringing two establishes music directors together for one album and it has been repeated for the music of Kisna. A.R.Rehman and Ismail Darbar team up to compose music for ‘Kisna - The Warrior Poet.’

The first track on the list is ‘Kisna theme – instrumental,’ a composition by A.R. Rehman, the music maestro. He does an awesome job of providing the ears some relaxing music that leaves an impression. The theme is a plain flute tune, which is heart warming and nice to listen to. It has a warrior story like feel to it. It would be used as wonderful background music for the film.

A.R. Rehman is also responsible for the splendid music of ‘Hum Hain Iss Pal Yahan.’ It starts off with a dialogue in Vivek Oberoi’s voice (is this a trend these days?). The music is slow and very soothing to listen to. The song instantly sinks in and makes one want to listen to it over and over. A very fine combinations of sounds of instruments like Tabla and chirping birds. The song gets faster towards the end and sounds fresh. This song is formed on the theme music, which uses flute. Udit Narayan and Madhushree sound perfect for the song with flawless high and low tones. The singing is fantastic. Javed Akhtar shows his capability as one of the best lyricists in this song. The lyrics are relevant and go with the situation of ‘love is eternal.’ Another feather in Rehman’s heavy cap!

A cheerful song follows ahead. ‘Woh Kisna Hai’ is a fast, peppy number in the spirit of celebrating. The combination of singers, Sukhwinder Singh, Ismail Darbar, Ayesha I. Darbar and S. Shailja is marvelous. They perform the task of singing the rejoicing song with ease. The chorus is full of energy and adds to the enthusiasm of the song. Beats are the main attraction of the song and tend to overpower the voices at times. The music is something extraordinary and perfectly classy. The lyrics suggest the welcoming of Kisna, the warrior poet. One can tell what the song will be about before even watching the picturization. All in all, a must-hear song!

The next composition by Ismail Darbar ‘Tu Itni Pagli Kyun Hai’ is a likable duet sung by Udit Narayan, Alka Yagnik and Ismail Darbar. It’s another romantic track. It’s not as great as the previous songs but it’s not disappointing either. The lyrics are sweet and are written with a light romantic song’s view in mind. This song may not sink in at first but grows as one listens to it more.

‘Chilman Uthegi Nahin’ is a Mujra , which opens with a dialogue (again!) in Sushmita Sen’s voice. Various singers like Hariharan, Alka Yagnik, Ayesha I.Darbar, S Shailja, Kailash Kher and Rakesh Pandit team up to provide the song with an elegant, mujra-type-of-a-song feeling. Even the instruments like harmonium used are an addition to the old-song mood. It also has a qawaali type of beats and claps. The lyrics are meaningful to the song. A great song with a unique style.

Another joyful song ‘Wohi Din Aa Gaya’ marks the arrival of a lover when his bride is getting ready to marry him. The music is fresh and appealing because of its newness. A large part of the song is taken by the chorus voices, which gives the scene a sense of reality. That is, the friends helping the bride to dress up. Alka Yagnik, Sukhwinder Singh, Ayesha I, Darbar and S. Shailja are fantastic as far as singing goes. Their voices are very well co-coordinated and well placed in each part of the song. The lyrics are simple and show the aspiration of the bride for her lover. Another fabulous song, which is hard to miss.

‘Aham Brahmasmi’ is an inspirational song sung by Sukhwinder Singh and Alka Yagnik. It delivers a message of god being in one’s heart. Sukhwinder sounds just right for the song and Alka Yagnik is her usual fantastic self. The lyrics play a very important role in the meaning and situation of the song, making it irrelevant to even think about the music, which is not very tuneful but perfect for the kind of song that Aham Brahmasmi is. A superb motivational song.

‘Ga - Tu Aisi Dhun Mein Ga’ is another happy song, which seems to have a competition involved. There are a number of singers like Ismail Darbar. Ayesha I. Darbar, S Shailja, M. Salaamat and Kailash Kher who sing with enthusiasm and hype up the song making it sound like a delight. The chorus and laughing by kids in between the song adds to the light, fun feeling of the song. The beginning reminds one of ‘Ganga, Chali Tu Kahan’ from Pardes but as one listens to the song more, it sounds more original. The lyrics are peppy and fun as well, suiting the mood of the song with ease. Another great composition from Ismail Darbar.

Sunitha Sarthy does a good job of singing the English romantic song ‘My Wish Comes True.’ Blaze penned down the heart-warming lyrics. The music is soft and slow, sounding very beautiful and taking one away into a la la land. The light instruments have been used very intelligently to set the right mood, considering the highs and lows of the music. A soothing romantic song for making your mood right!

Kisna is sure to warm hearts with its versatile tunes for every occasion. The beats and music blend in perfectly with one another and the lyrics are an awesome addition to making the songs just right for the situations. Singers are very well synchronized and rightfully show off their singing abilities. Missing out on Kisna would be a big loss. So, got for it!

Vishal-Shekhar’s attempt to create good music for ‘Shabd – the year’s biggest love story’ is nothing more than ordinary bar some tunes and a couple of songs. Even the lyricists, Irshad Kamil and Vishal Dadlani don’t show signs of anything new to attract the listeners or compensate for the music.

The album consists of nine songs out of which three are repeated, Sholon Si and Mat Jaa being remixed and Chahaton Ka Silsila being sung twice with different singers.

Shabd begins with ‘Sholon Si,’ which has a tingling, spicy feeling to it. The song is sung by Vishal Dadlani and Sunidhi Chauhan who do full justice to the singing. Vishal’s heavy voice suits well with Sanjay Dutt. It has a great set of beats added to it, which gives it a salsa dance mood. This song is best suited when one’s on the dance floor. The lyrics succeed in making the song sound full of enthusiasm. This fast number is sure to win hearts.

‘Khoya Khoya’ follows next, starting out with Sanjay Dutt’s dialogues and then Sonu Nigam’s voice, singing. The initial beats sets one in a dreamy mood. Sunidhi Chauhan sings the female part and brings out (after Chameli) her versatile style and voice. Sanjay Dutt’s dialogues are persistent in between the song, which is not effective as it breaks the flow of the song. It may add to the picturization but sounds strange. Other than, Sunidhi Chauhan’s voice, the song is pretty basic. A light romantic number.

‘Bolo To’ is track number three, which again begins with Sanjay Dutt’s voice in a dialogue. The song continues with Sonu Nigam singing with a dynamic voice. Shreya Ghoshal sounds great singing with a voice that appears to involve pain in it. Once again, dialogues in Sanjay Dutt’s voice are constant throughout the song. The strange beats in the middle of the song don’t go with the music and sound eccentric.

Kumar Sanu and Sunidhi Chauhan sing ‘Chahaton Ka Silsila,’ which is a slow-paced song. It sounds average except for the theme tune, which makes it sound classy. The beats and music are nothing special. The lyrics don’t sound like anything above average either. Gets boring after a while.

Sukhwinder Singh proves himself, yet again, as an excellent singer with the next track, ‘Mat Jaa.’ This loud and heavy number is not a typical sad song, as the lyrics suggest. It’s made to be one with chunky beats and reminds one of hard metal. The lyrics are impressive and relevant to the meaning of the song. Guitar plays an important role and is also an addition to the ‘sad’ feeling with a difference. Awesome pick.

The magic of ‘Sholon Si’ is repeated with the same singers and same music but different and more effective beats. The drums work well with the other instruments used. Like a traditional remix, English lyrics can be heard between parts of the song. The song makes one shake a few moves with the racy beats. A new sensation for the clubs!

‘Chahaton Ka Silsila’ plays again with Udit Narayan’s voice. He suits the song well making it a soft melody. Udit Narayan’s style of singing and voice attracts one to the song more than the first one.

‘Mat Jaa’ remix starts off with a male voice saying ‘No no, gal, I’m not gonna let you go’ and continues with some more lines in English. The song continues in Sukhwinder’s voice and faster beats matching perfectly with the singing. There are voices in the background throughout the song, which add to the effect.

The theme of Shabd is very soothing and beautifully created. Starting out beautifully, it gets faster and suspenseful as it proceeds. After a phase of music, it slows down with the peaceful tune. Great theme music with the most serene tune.

On the whole, Shabd is a combination of some fast as well as slow-paced songs. The album sounds fairly average with exceptions.

After Lagaan, Ashutosh Gowarikar, A.R.Rehman and Javed Akhtar come together yet again with victorious tunes of Swades.

Rehman and Akhtar join hands to create some of the best songs known to mankind. Apart from the songs being diverse they are enthusiastic and add to the story.

Udit Narayan, Master Vignesh and baby Pooja joyfully sing ‘Yeh Tara Woh Tara.’ Udit Narayan impresses with the very pleasant alap in the beginning. He sounds as charming as ever. The music has a very funky rhythm to it in the background, which is consistent throughout the song. The two kids add to the excitement as well as the meaning of the song as the song is picturized on Shahrukh Khan in a village. The lyrics are inspiring. One gets the image of Shahrukh Khan preaching the villagers about what should be done. Excellent song!

The expectations increase for the rest of the album after listening to the first song and Rehman doesn’t let down. The magic continues with ‘Saanwariya Saanwariya’, which has been penned down beautifully. Alka Yagnik sings elegantly. Although, the beats in the beginning sound a little too fast for the slow paced song, the song eventually starts sounding perfect. A sweet sounding song with Gayatri Joshi. Fabulous music!

The pace speeds up with ‘Yun Hi Chala Chal’ next in the queue. Udit Narayan, Hariharan and Kailash Kher sing the song with so much dedication and energy that one can’t help up hum and dance a little. The ‘rum tum tanana’ part is very original and sounds cool. The combination of the three singers is astounding. The overlap of their voices sounds unique (Rehman loves to do that). The beats are simply flawless. Once again, Javed Akhtar, being his innovative self, whips out some encouraging words. Rehman uses the instruments sensibly and merges them into a compilation of great sounding music. Lets-get-up-and-dance kind of a song! *rum tum tanana*

The album is balanced out with a slow song next. The listeners can’t miss the fact that ‘Ahista Ahista’ is a lullaby. Udit Narayan sounds extremely sauve and gentle. Sadhana Sargam joins Unit Narayan with an equally charming voice. The lyrics are just right for a lullaby. The background beats are pleasant and give the song a heavenly feel. Certainly not for parties but just the thing for drives. A smooth song!

A.R.Rehman sings the title track himself. ‘Yeh Jo Des Hai Tera’ is another slow song but succeeds in engrossing the listener into it. Rehman sing it with fun devotion. The lyrics are the best out of the whole bunch. The NRIs are sure to experience a pinch of water in their eyes. The shehnai in the background is prominent and adds to the traditional feeling. Rehman composes incredible music for the most touching song of the album. A Poignant song!

‘Pal Pal Hai Bhari,’ sung by Madhusree, Vijay Prakash and Ashutosh Gowariker is a narration of a scene from Ramanya between Sita, Ravana and later, Ram where Sita shows her affection for Ram. Madhusree has done an awesome job. She sounds just right as Sita or even as Gayatri. Her voice suits well in the situation. The lyrics are spell bounding. The chorus stands out in the song. The dialogues make it seem more like a scene that a song. A Meaningful song!

‘Dekho Na’ follows next. The hysteric duo in the world of singing, Udit Narayan and Alka Yagnik, team up once again to sing this pleasant song. Javed Akhtar’s lyrics go well with the situation of the song. The music is pleasing to the ears. The two singers make it a peaceful and sweet. A romantic delight!

Overall, an entertaining album to listen to anytime of the day. The blend of various kinds of songs appeals for any mood. Yes, Rehman does it again!

“Please Aaina, I really want you to watch this movie…please.” My brother was forcing me to watch ‘Fida’. To be frank, I didn’t have the courage to watch another one of Kareena Kapoor’s movies and on top of that, there was Fardeen Khan. But I have never seen Shahid Kapoor in a movie before, hence, I decided to watch it, for Shahid’s and my brother’s sake.

The movie starts with someone hacking into a website and then the breaking news that a about how a hacker had hacked 550 crore rupees. The movie goes on with the introduction of Jai (Shahid Kapoor) who’s a dealer for imported cars. Jai and Sonia (Kim Sharma) are ‘best friends’ who are going somewhere on a bike and it all happens there and then, love at first sight! Jai tries to kill himself when Neha (Kareena Kapoor) rejects him and his love. He ends up being alive (somehow), in the hospital, where Neha goes to meet him. She tells Jai that she loves him and they sing a song together (to celebrate the happiness or something, I guess.) One day Jai finds Neha trying to commit suicide and asks her the reason. She tells him that her dad was a goon and he owed some people money, a huge amount of money and now they’re after her. If she doesn’t return the money in three days, they’ll take her away. Jai promises Neha that he’ll find a way out of this mess and comforts her. He decides that he’ll rob a bank, as that’s the best option. When Jai goes to the bank, he notices someone taking a whole let of cash with him and he decides to rob him (Fardeen Khan) known as Vikram in the movie. Vikram gives Jai just one punch and Jai’s knocked down. After Jai gains conscience, he tells Vikram his story and how he needs 6 crore rupees and Vikram promises Jai that he will give him the 6 crores but Jai has to do something for him too…Which is? Guess…

Shahid Kapoor as Jai was fabulous just as I had expected. Shahid is a natural but tends to get a little too much into his character at times. I didn’t really like the role of him being the lovey-dovey type but his performance was superb in the second part of the movie. I also noticed his great dancing capability. All in all, Shahid needs a pet on the back for his performance in ‘fida.’

Kareena Kapoor as Neha was exceptionally well. And yes, this surprised me. Not because I don’t like Kareena, but because her past performances (refugee, Mujhse Dosti Karoge, Mujhe Kuch Kehna Hai, Kabhi Khushi Kabhi Gham) that were nothing but ordinary. She suits the role and does it well. Her scenes with Fardeen Khan leave a trace in the viewer’s minds. With minimal make-up and a natural smile on her face (very rare) Kareena charms the screen.

Fardeen Khan as Vikram is simply plain. As much as I liked his role, he could easily be replaced by someone more…let’s see…spontaneous! Fardeen Khan’s dialogue delivery is beyond awful. It didn’t seem like he was acting, no, not because he was so natural, but because it seemed like all he was doing was saying his lines. No reaction, no twist in the tone and no expressions. Fardeen Khan does not suit the role at all.

The songs were melodious and most of them were well placed according to the story.

Overall, the story was nothing new but seemed fresh. Thanks to the turns and twists. I must say I enjoyed watching the movie and it really was worth it. “See, I told you it would be worth it,” smiles my brother at the end of the movie.

7.4/10