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