Music In The Mountains: Ban Ke Titli Dil Uda

A refreshing song today, pleasing to the ears as well as eyes. From "Chennai Express" (2013), the number is a splendid mix of modern and traditional in terms of its lyrics and visuals. It has been shot in the modern style, consisting of a collage of lovely frames. But the frames in turn are made of very traditional scenes showing a temple, a village, and women performing exquisite Bharatnatyam steps in the lush green hills.

Similarly the lyrics in Hindi are contemporary, while the lyrics in Tamil are in praise of Lord Vishnu written by Thiruppan Azhwar, an ancient saint poet born in 2760 BCE. Sisters Charulatha Mani and Madhumitha Mani have lent their voices for these verses. Even if you are not familiar with the language, so powerful are the words and their rendition that you can feel the divinity in them!

Singers: Chinmayi, Gopi Sunder
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Music: Vishal Shekhar

Costume Drama: Radha On The Dance Floor

We come across both old and new songs in this space. Enjoy this bubbly dance number from "Student Of The Year" (2012) today. Alia Bhatt, Sidharth Malhotra and Varun Dhawan appeared in lead roles in this romantic drama.

Singers: Shreya Ghoshal, Udit Narayan, Vishal Dadlani, Shekhar Ravijani
Lyrics: Anvita Dutt Guptan
Music: Vishal Shekhar

Garden Of Five Senses: Ooh La La Ooh La La

"The Dirty Picture" (2011) was based on the life of Silk Smitha, a leading lady from South India known for her bold scenes in films. It is ironic that this film ended up exploiting the same tricks, namely titillation and exposure, that it had set out to comment on. Vidya Balan received heaps of praise for her uninhibited portrayal of the protagonist. In fact, she carried the whole film on her shoulders. A raunchy duet from this film today. Complete with gaudy costumes and garish sets, it is reminiscent of the eighties, the period in which this story is set.

I had written a post on this film two years ago. It is here. This film's music had failed to impress me, but I must admit that this is the most likeable song from the lot.



Singers: Shreya Ghoshal, Bappi Lahiri
Lyrics: Rajat Arora
Music: Vishal Shekhar

As an aside, was this duet "inspired" by this one from "Mawaali" (1983)?

Her Story: Tiffs And Spats

Married life is not always about being good and saying sweet things to each other. It has its share of tiffs and spats. This breezy duet from "Salaam Namaste" (2005) is just right for this situation, even though the lead pair was not shown to be married. They were a couple in a live-in relationship.

Singers: Gayatri Iyer, Shaan
Lyrics: Jaideep Sahni
Music: Vishal Shekhar