Best of 2014

2014 brought a lot of "super hit" songs but most of them were forgotten after the films release. This is a general trend that many others also have observed. The songs pick up just before the movie release and ebb afterwards, as if on cue. There were some movies and songs that have stayed with me. Here is a list of songs that I liked this year, in no particular order.

I hope you enjoy them (atleast some).


Dil Ka Mijaz Ishqiya
Movie:  Dedh Ishqiya
Singer: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music:  Vishal Bhardwaj
This melodious song has this gem beaded in - "तनहा है लोगों में, लोगों में तनहाई, दिल का मिजाज इश्क़िया "

Jaban Jale Hain
Movie:  Dedh Ishqiya
Singer: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music:  Vishal Bhardwaj
Master of lyrics show how it is done again. Vishal Bharadwaj is intellegent enough to put just a touch of music and let the words do their magic. The tragedy of a lover beautifully articulated.

Zehnaseeb
Movie:  Hasee Toh Phasee
Singer: Chinmayi, Shekhar Ravjiani
Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya
Music:  Vishal–Shekhar
A song that lingers a lot longer that one would imagine and then grows on you. A great track by Vishal-Shekhar(much better than all that India-wale stuff)

Samjhawan
Movie: Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania
Singer: Arijit Singh, Shreya Ghoshal
Lyrics: Kumaar , Ahmad Anees
Music: Sharib Toshi, Jawad Ahmed
A movie that was refreshing, middle of the fairway rom-com. Varun Dhawan was a surprise, as was this nice song. Arijit, Shreya make it even more lovable.

Aao Na
Movie: Haider
Singer: Vishal Dadlani
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Vishal Dadlani used to be decent singer. Nowadays he has become a great singer and is giving other singers a run for their money. The more you listen to this song, the more the line between life and death becomes blurred. "वो जो सांस की एक फांसी थी वो निकल गयी. … अब तो आओ जान मेरी। "

Bismil
Movie: Haider
Singer: Sukhwinder Singh
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Sukhwinder - Gulzar - Vishal. Read that again. That's it. Next.

Gulon Mein Rang Bhare
Movie: Haider
Singer: Arijit Singh
Lyrics: Faiz Ahmed Faiz
Music: Vishal Bhardwaj
Mehdi Hassan's rendition is the barometer against which all Ghazals should be measured. A very huge undertaking by Arijit and boy does he deliver. How incredibly lucky you need to be - to be able to sing FAIZ AHMED FAIZ. Phew! Timeless Ghazal - renewed.

Tune Maari Entriyaan(Bengali version) & Tune Maari Entriyaan(हिंदी)
Movie: Gunday
Singer: Bappi Lahiri, Monali Thakur
Lyrics: Bappi Lahiri & Gautam Susmit
Music: Sohail Sen
Sometimes a song is so shocking that you applaud the bravery of lyrics and music. We have seen hindi heroines say "इस शम्मे-फरोज़ा के दीवाने हज़ारों है", but this song's hindi version takes the hyperbole to a new unexplored level. You have to tip your hat to "मेरे पीछे आशिक़ों की पूरी पूरी कन्ट्रियाँ " The bengali version is sung by Bappida so...

Gunday
Movie: Gunday
Singer: Sohail Sen, Rap by: Kinga Rhymes
Lyrics: Ali Abbas Zafar
Music: Sohail Sen
Start a great road trip with a RAP song, this fits the bill. "आग है - अंगार है - तेवर ही तलवार है " Irshad Kamil is a rightful heir to the great lyricists of yesteryear.

Hungama Ho Gaya(Remix)
Movie: Queen
Singer: Asha Bhosle
Lyrics: Varma Malik
Music: Amit Trivedi(Original Composer: Laxmikant-Pyarelal)
Amit trivedi brought back this song back from the 70s to the present. The movie showed us that we are in many ways still in the 70s, the way we see drinking and our ever present hypocrisy/prejudice towards women. This song practically wrote itself into this wonderful movie.

Heera
Movie: Highway
Singer: Shweta Pandit
Lyrics: KABIR
Music: A.R. RAHMAN
You may or may not have read this one by Kabir. But did you get it the way you are about to?. Leave it to Rahman to make the sublime accessible to us mortals. How can simple be profound? - Read Kabir or Listen to Rahman, or better still Listen to Kabir through Rahman.
"हीरा सोए सराही - सहे घनन की चोट      (that is the real diamond, which can sustain extreme adversity)
कपट कुरंगी मानवा - परखत निकरा खोट (the person who is pretending to be a diamond, will be outed easily)
हीरा तेहा न खोलिए - जहाँ कुंजरो की हाट (diamond is of little use in a chaotic vegetable market)
सहेजे गाठें बान्धके - लगिए अपनी बाट  (take the diamond/intelligent to some place else - where it can be used?)
हीरा पड़ा बाजार मा - रहा छार लपटाए ( diamond in the bazaar/commonplace - takes on dust from it)
कितीही मूरख पचि मुए - कोई पारखी लिया उठाय "(only a visionary can identify and take notice of it)


Bol Beliya
Movie: Kill Dil
Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan, Siddharth Mahadevan, Shankar Mahadevan
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
This song is a good example of the modulation that good singers can achieve and the tempo they can sustain. Too few singers have the range and capacity and music directors dont compose such songs these days. Here Siddharth Mahadevan's (Shankar's son) talents are on display. I hope to hear more from this promising singer.

Sweeta
Movie: Kill Dil
Singer: Adnan Sami
Lyrics: Gulzar
Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Because - Adnan Sami and his नखरीली आवाज़।  Don't we find ourselves humming "aye udi udi" but dont know when we started or why?. Adnan Sami.


I know I could have added some more songs (Khul kabhi to - Haider or Maahi Ve - Highway), but I couldn't. Please feel free to comment on any of the above or post songs that you enjoyed the most.
I would love to listen to some great songs.

Sushant

Best Songs of 2013

Here are some of the songs that I enjoyed the most in 2013.

Song Name	Album	Singer	Lyricist	Composer
Banarasiya	Raanjhanaa	Shreya Ghoshal	Irshad Kamil	A.R. Rahman
Bhaag Milkha Bhaag	Bhaag Milkha Bhaag	Arif Lohar, Siddharth Mahadevan	Prasoon Joshi	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Kabira	Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani	Rekha Bhardwaj	Amitabh Bhattacharya	Pritam
Manja	Kai Po Che	Amit Trivedi	Swanand Kirkire	Amit Trivedi
Mera Yaar	Bhaag Milkha Bhaag	Javed Bashir	Prasoon Joshi	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Piya Milenge	Raanjhanaa	Sukhwinder Singh	Irshad Kamil	A.R. Rahman
Sawaar Loon	Lootera	Monali Thakur	Amitabh Bhattacharya	Amit Trivedi
Tu Mun Shudi	Raanjhanaa	Rabbi Shergill, A.R. Rahman	Irshad Kamil	A.R. Rahman
Ye Laal Ishq	Raam Leela	Arijit Singh	Siddharth & Garima	Sanjay Leela Bhansali
Zinda Hai Toh	Bhaag Milkha Bhaag	Siddharth Mahadevan	Prasoon Joshi	Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy
Zinda Hoon Yaar, Kaafi Hai	Lootera	Amit Trivedi	Amitabh Bhattacharya	Amit Trivedi

P.S.:- The songs are ordered alphabetically and are not in order of choice. Clicking on the Song Names will take you to youtube for that song sample.

Let me be clear, I despise Pritam especially since he gets "inspired" and "adapts" from so many other composers and singers from all over the world, and that too admits only when pointed out that his latest hit is eerily similar to a certain Korean song from years ago. But that doesn't mean he is not capable of good music, just ask any Bengali music fan of  "Chandrabindoo". There are times when Pritam delivers something original and in "Kabira" he does an excellent job. With Rekha Bharadwaj's soulful voice you can't stop humming (कैसी तेरी खुदगर्ज़ी लब नमक रमे ना मिस्री)

Two really good movies of the year Raam-Leela and Kai Po Che had excellent music, and "Manja" and "Laal Ishq" are testamant of it. These two are under appreciated gems.

Amit Trivedi has the potential to become a great music director. He does not fear to experiment and displays a certain kind of daring in his music which only a visionary can bring. It has been evident since "Emotional Atyachar" (from Dev D) to Navrai Majhi (from English-Vinglish). His co-conspirator is mostly Amitabh Bhattacharya, who has a great sense of capturing surreal emotions. In "Lootera" they both deliver a very nuanced music album. "Sawaar loon" has a nostalgia of a bygone era of the great S.D.Burman. "Zinda hoon yaar" conveys the anguish of the protagonist who has been through so much in life, and that is palpable through the songs music as well as the words(कुछ मांगना बाकी नहीं - जितना मिला काफी है). There one more song in the album which does not make the list, but is nonetheless worth mentioning, "Manmarziyaan" sung beautifully by one of my favorite singers, Shilpa Rao. Her voice has a special smooth quality that no other singer has and she can also hit the high notes with equal ease.

Bhaag Milkha Bhaag shows quality that we came to expect of Shakar-Ehsaan-Loy but hadn't heard from them in a long time. In fact in their last few movies the music was at best mediocre. With BMB they deliver and in a delightful way. Prashoon joshi's lyrics evoke emotions that are very deep and that linger with you for a really long time. In "Mera Yaar" he writes, (इश्क़ करूँ या करूँ इबादत इक्को ही गल है and मैं मंदर क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है मैं मसजद क्यों जावा मेरा यार खुद है ) and in "Zinda hai toh" --- (हिचकियों में क्या है मरना पूरा मर ले ) and in the title track (फूंक दे खुद को ज्वाला ज्वाला, बिन खुद जले न होये उजाला).This song more than any other brings out very raw emotions and a lump in my throat everytime I listen to it. It is such an inspirational song. (क्या ख्याल है कि "… बस तू भाग , तू है आग, तू बन जा नाग, तू गोली दाग.… " - वाह )

The best music album overall by far this year for me was "Raanjhanaa". Rahman didn't make any impact with "Jab tak hai jaan" and his last album which was really good was way back in 2011 in "Rockstar". In Raanjhanaa he made up for the time between the albums with a really good collection. Although the entire album is mesmerizing, three songs stood out for me, Banarasiya- which is exceptionally sung by Shreya. These are the songs for which the likes of Shreya and Sunidhi are made for. The tonal variation is par excellence and you really appreciate what a great music director can reap from a supreme singer; next is "Piya Milenge" - which has great lyrics(जिसको ढूंढे बाहर बाहर वो बैठा है भीतर छुपके ) and the best of the lot "Tu Mun Shudi" song which loosely translates as "You are my soul and I am your soul.." The genius of Rahman is that he used Sehnai in all the songs of this album. In songs like Piya Milenge and Banarasiya he has wonderfully mixed the classical raagas with haunting islamic verses in way only a genius can weave.

If you haven't heard a song already, I implore you to give these songs a chance. I assure you that you will be pleasantly surprised. If you have heard it, please try it one more time, you never know when some lyrics suddenly transform from mere words into the sublime.

Heres a toast to all the good songs of this year, and looking forward to 2014 with great anticipation.