MUSICALISED

Singh is Kinng is surely one of the most awaited movies of the year and the same can be said about the soundtrack of the movie. It's the fourth movie of the year for Pritam after Race, Jannat and Kismat Konnection, all of them chartbusters. And no doubt now Singh is Kinng is going to add to the list of these hits.

Though, there is one song that does not belong to Pritam. And Singh is Kinng starts with that one song only - The Snoop Dogg Version of Singh is Kinng. This one is a Rhythm-Dhol-Bass track composed by Calvin Broadus with Surjeet Singh, Manjeet Ral and Kuljeet Ral. The song is supported by Akshay Kumar himself along with Snoop Dogg and RDB.

The song, already heard by many during the IIFA 2008 presentation, is a good number and is interestingly as Punjabi as English. The song is a good listening, especially in the last minute of the five minute length where there is much more Punjabi. Akshay Kumar's part in the song is interesting too.

The second song 'Jee Karda' sung by Labh Janjua and supported by Labh Janjua is a comparatively slower song which is mainly based on the beats in the background. The renditions of Suzi Q add to the so called X-factor of the song. Still, the song is a well composed punjabi song that is going to run well with the other songs of the movie.

The remix version of 'Jee Karda' doesn't have much new to it when compared to the original number and seems to be remixed for the sake of it as there is not much difference visible between the two tracks, not counting a few added effects at points.

And then comes the 'Bas ek King' sung by Neeraj Shridhar, Mika, Ashish Pandit and Hardkaur, which you must have seen on TV by now. The song is a made-for-high-volume song and is going to be a hit in its original and many remix versions which are sure to come out very soon. Though the song doesn't have very much left after the promos as you don't see Akshay Kumar while listening to the song on your music, it is clear that the song will be getting another boost after the release of the music as the full video will be lovable.

The song 'Bas Ek King' has been remixed into a Dhol style version too, named Tiger style remix, as obviously because Dhol is the main instrument in Punjabi music. The remix is made well and of course, a good dhol remix of a good punjabi song can work wonders.

Period.

Get ready for a whole new Daler Mehndi who starts shouting 'Aaj khushi ka din hai aaya..' before he starts singing for a Baaraat in his usual high-high-high style. Yes, 'Bhootni ke' is going to hit Indian marriages more than anything with its completely Made-in-India tag.

'Bhootni ke' has lyrics that resemble the soul of Punjab where love is expressed entirely in its own manner. 'Bhootni ke' is probably the best song of the movie and it seems Pritam agrees with me as we see three different versions of the song including one normal remix and another tiger style version in Mika Singh's voice.

The first remix of the song is as good as the original one, as it runs on a higher speed which will make it more compatible for dancing. The Mika version is the same song in a new packing, and it is difficult to say which one will be more popular. Still, one thing that can be said about the songs is that Daler's version has more Punjabi and authentic feel to it whereas Mika gives a more casual feel to the song and if asked, I would prefer the former.

The next number, Teri Ore by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan and Shreya Ghoshal, changes the mood for a song and Punjabi dance numbers leave some space for a romantic song, typical of Rahat for past some time, be it O re Piya of Aaja Nachle, Bol na Halke Halke of Jhoom Barabar Jhoom, or Falak Tak of Tashan. Typically again, Rahat is a singer who has never failed a song and this one is no exception. Shreya starts off the song with Rahat having an entry through his alaps after a minute and half.

A new experiment in the song is where Shreya and Rahat both sing lines together but Rahat's voice seems to be in backdrop with Shreya singing in front. A chorus that goes uncredited has also given its taste to the song, though I could not understand the language which is probably Rajasthani or some similar dialect.

And then there is a Lounge mix to this too!

Believe it or not (you will when you listen to it), Pritam has made almost an entire new song in the name of lounge mix as the flavor of the song seems to have changed. The song uses some traditional instruments too but they have been given limited access here so they don't affect the song in a bad way. And hence, this lounge version of Clinton and Eric Pillai also turns out to be a song worth listening.

But fact told, 'original is original' is what comes to my mind when I go back to the original version. A wonderful song, in an album that lies in a completely different territory than the song belongs to.

Back to Punjab, Singhs and Dance numbers. 'Talli Hua' is Neeraj Shridhar in a slightly newer territory and he has done his job well. 'Talli Hua' is a song that is Hindi-Punjabi whereas Neeraj is primarily known for English-Hindi numbers. The song is well supported by Labh Janjua as one doesn't easily understand where the two singers exchange voices.

The remix version that adds rap and Style Bhai adds to tempo of the song too and the version comes out well. Neeraj may once again have a hit to his name though it is not expected to catch up with the heights of Hare Krishna Hare Raam or even Kismat Konnection as those are the in the comfort zone of the Bombay Vikings leader.

To summarize, Singh is Kinng is yet another feather in Pritam's cap, especially as he gets into full-fledged Punjabi flavor in some places, which I expect would be required by the movie too.

As an album, Singh is Kinng is a Must Buy if you like Punjabi hip hop music. The only negative point of the music is that in some places it gets too Punjabi which may not be understood by entire Hindi audiences, especially those in southern parts of India. Else, the bottomline is that Singh is Kinng rocks.

Salman Khan can be a Hunk. Hritik can have a body that changes the image of Indian heroes, Shahrukh Khan can have a six pack and Harman Baweja can be another Hritik dancing his way to glory. But when it comes to the real thing, it is Singh who is the King.

Yes. It is only Akshay Kumar who can perform those deadly stunts for real. At the IIFA awards 2008 he proved once again that he is the person who dares to do it not just on the big screen but even off the screen, in front of crowd of thousands. It is Akshay Kumar who can reach the stage from the other end of the auditorium hanging on a rope and then perform, that is, sing and dance together. And then, even run into the crowds and stand on the chairs in between while performing.

Akshay, who managed to give four hits last year, is all set to hit the big screens with his next movie 'Singh is Kinng' in August. And though there hasn't been much aired on music channels except for one promo yet, Akshay's performance on 'hun te to mera door jaan nu jee nai karda ni' has made it clear that Pritam is once again going to rock with his music in the movie.

Besides his new movie 'Singh is Kinng', Akshay is also ready to hit small screens with his big thing 'Khatron Ke Khiladi', which is the Indian version of Fear Factor, and will be aired on a new channel called Colors. In the show Akshay will be seen performing stunts and helping contestants perform them.

2008 hasn't seen much in the name of hits. Where IPL became an instant hit with the ball crossing boundary line again and again, there were only two movies in the year, namely Jodhaa Akbar and Race, that crossed the boundary of hit. Nor have there been many movies that claimed critical acclaim, while 2007 had given a number of hits Guru, Chak De India, Om Shanti Om, Jab We Met and of course, Taare Zameen Par. Many of the movies were loved by critics also.

Well, that was the case with the movies released till now. But it seems that now there can be some change in the trends and I really hope for some good movies and hits too. Though Sarkar Raj hasn't brought very good results even after being good, there are a number of movies which must be good. So let's have a look.

Kay Kay Menon, Parvin Dabbas, Prashant Narayanan, Rajat Kapoor, Simone Singh, Sandhya Mridul, Sonali Kulkarni, Vinay Pathak. That's the cast of Via Darjeeling which is scheduled to release on June 20th. Whoever are the other people associated with the movie, the cast is expected to make a wonderful movie, which seems certain on seeing the promos of the movie. Though I do not expect the movie to be a blockbuster, it should be a great movie.



Next Friday, 27th June brings us Thoda Pyaar Thoda Magic which is at least expected to fare quite good if not exceptionally well on the box office. The movie has a great soundtrack and the reviews have been good.

July seems to be the best bet with at least one movie every week to watch out for. The first Friday of July will see two long awaited launches -- Imran Khan, the nephew of Aamir Khan, in Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na, and Harry Baweja's son Harman Baweja in Harry's sci-fi flick, Love Story 2050. Music of both the movies is out and Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na seems to be leading the race till now as AR Rehman's music has helped Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na a lot.
The second Friday will be seeing Apoorva Lakhia's big budget project, Mission Istanbul. The movie has Zayed Khan, Vivek Oberoi, Sunil Shetty along with Abhishek Bachchan in an special appearance. Mission Istanbul is Apoorva's most ambitious project till date and Zayed Khan has even gained 11 kg for the movie. So it will be worth seeing if the hard work will result in the mission getting accomplished or not.

Kismat Konnection will be released on the third Friday of July. The movie is in hype since the day the promos have been launched. The first song of the movie has been getting wonderful response even before the complete soundtrack being released and with Pritam bearing the credits of music director, the movie is expected to have some wonderful songs.

The fourth and final week of July will bring hopes with Nagesh Kukunoor's Aashayein which was previously expected in May. Aashayein not only stars John Abraham but it probably has John as a singer too. Nagesh has been reported to have many 'Aashayein' from the movie after his last movie Bombay to Bangkok which was a disaster.

On the same day, there will be two more movies which have been in news a lot. First is money hai to honey hai which is directed by Ganesh Acharya. Second one is Ranveer Shorey-Mallika Sherawat starrer 'Ugly aur Pagli'. Ugly aur Pagli has started showing on TV channels and I must say I loved the first promo. Being a Ranveer Shorey movie, Ugly and Pagli is almost certain to have a certain part of audience but this will be worth seeing what results does his pairing with Mallika Sherawat bring.


The trend may follow for a few days as C Kkompany, Singh is Kinng and God Tussi Great Ho will be hitting theaters in August. So keep watching.