I was looking for the video of this song to add to a Music Videos to Cherish post, but I thought this one might have been a fan-made video. But after some confusion as to why this video was appearing on most of the entries, I saw the whole thing and the singer's lips, to my surprise and eventual almost-devastation, were matching the lyrics.
"Bling!!?" was my reaction after I had stared at the screen for a while. "Epic Fail" is what my brother would say, and I would not hesitate to agree. I spent about half a second to consider that maybe this was a new, artsy way of contrasting different styles of video but I gave up that idea in the other half of that open-minded second.
This is just outright injustice. I can't even point and laugh at the video because I love this song. This song was in my feel-good playlist. I listened to when it rained softly and I was feeling emotional. When I missed someone, when I felt lonely. Now I have bling and smoke and jokers burnt into my memory. :(
I was looking for ways to procrastinate and came upon Imran Khan's song Amplifier from album Unforgettable (2009), and I thought I'd translate it so everyone can appreciate the humor of the baby Amplifier remix. Don't worry, I'll include all the related videos, you won't miss out on anything. :)
So here is the song:
LOL right? Yes I know. Moving on, here are the lyrics and translation:
" kaaliyan baariyan we gaddiyaan nu mein lawaan - I buy cars with black-tinted windows speed mein 220 di chalaan - I drive at a speed of 220 police de samne mein nai rukhda - I don't stop for the Police i am a knight rider - I am a Knight Rider
breakaan maar maar tardi mein chiekh kad da - I hit the breaks and the tires screech sari loki takde we ki hogeya - Everyone looks my way to see what happened lagda we injh mera dil rukda - It seems as though my heart stopped unu mein puchda - I ask her:
ni gaddi sadi beja ni jattiye - Get in my car O Jattiye (Punjabi (Jatt) girl) ni door tenu lehja we arriye - I'll take you far stubborn girl ni woofer tu meri meri - You're my woofer mein tera amplifier-fier - I'm your amplifier (x2)
gaddi meri tenu wi awaaz mardi - My car calls out to you black leather seetaan uttey aah bendhi - Come and sit on the black-leather seats tenu weh main ser karawanga ni - I'll take you out on a ride puri dunya di - of the whole world
kendi garmi we lagdi weh seene ni - She says she's hot around the chest pijh gai weh kurti paseene di - and that her top is drenched in sweat (Ew?) challi digrees di tooph pendi - and that its a 40-degree sun on kar AC - and to turn on the AC
ni gaddi sadi beja ni jattiye... - Sit in my car O Jattiye... (x2)
jaandi eh club das tere ki erade - Come to the club, what do you say? DJ nu puch ki lewa main tere gaane - I'll ask the DJ to play your songs lehja mein lehja tenu jithe we tu chaawain - I'll take you wherever you want ekh waari aawe moodh banawe - Just get in the mood to come with me (x2)
ni gaddi sadi beja ni jattiye... - Sit in my car O Jattiye... (x4)
meh tera amplifier-fier - I'm your amplifier (fade) "
The video is making more and more sense isn't it? =P
Here is "the baby Amplifier remix":
ROFL right? I know! =D
I stole this video from Saquieb Khan, who probably stole it from someone else, but I thank S. Zaman for giving me this opportunity to procrastinate. I also thank Salman Rizvi (and let this be noted) for translating most of the song.
Thanks to the reader for staying with me through the post. :) I am now getting my bum back to work.
I felt like I owed it to my blog to finish at least ONE of the drafts that have been sitting around waiting for me. Well, now that I have an assignment to do, here I am! This is a classic (although not a very efficient) example of "Structured Procrastination," but maybe more of that in another post. Out of the three drafts, I had most videos lined up for this one, the theme being heart-felt tragedy, or at least sorrow if not tragedy.
Tragic songs must be tricky to film. On one hand there is the simplicity of stage: one doesn't need a fancy backdrop, choreography, or wardrobe, although they can be used to contrast the solemn mood. But on the other, the video has the danger of being plain boring. So the director has to set the mood in the plot, and has to facilitate the viewer to feel emotion with not much happening on the screen.
Not all tragic songs are low toned, simple, and sorrowful however. There are some that are more intense, more angry and maybe even able to inspire a stronger emotional response from the audience. If you think about it in terms of Rasas, while the former inspires only Soka, the other arouses a combination of Soka and Krodha. Hmm, did I just get a bit carried away? I might have, and I blame my Asian Studies professors and the general awesomeness of that subject.
I'll start with a perfect example of a song where not much happens but is, given the right mood, hypnotizing to watch. I feel the need to point out that as good as Herman Baweja did in the movie as a whole, this video owes the magic to Priyanka Chopra, the object of the singer's attention. She is so simple here, straight hair, soft colors, big teary eyes, so still. This movie made me think more than once: how can he walk away? But I guess a man looking for a wife will choose against complications if he had the option, and who can blame him? Still, it's just so heart-breaking to watch.
bikhri bikhri, What's Your Raashee? (2009) singer: Sohail Sen and Marianne D'Cruz, music director: Sohail Sen, lyricist: Javed Akhtar actors: Harman Baweja and Priyanka Chopra, movie director: Ashutosh Gowariker
~
Sonu Nigam knows how to sing all kinds of songs, but he does so great in this mood. Add Aamir Khan to the mix and it's not so unnatural that you'd get a video that I'd post on a blog like this. We hear at times of being alone in a crowd, but do we really imagine it? Or the disappointment and despair, perhaps helplessness, that characterizes the period where a person realizes that life must go on. On the brink of accepting the end of something that had the potential to bring to one's life happiness. Or maybe the stubborn dedication to move on with life, but only to be hindered by the acute feeling of loneliness that was never there before.
tanhayee, from Dil Chaha Hai (2001) singer: Sonu Nigam, music director: Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy, lyricist: Javed Akhtar actors: Aamir Khan and Preity Zinta, movie director: Farhan Akhtar
I just realized that Farhan Akhtar directed this movie, and I am surprised. He actually did a pretty good job. I always thought his debut was Luck By Chance, but I guess he is an older player that I had thought. That reminds me, sapno se bhare naina from Luck By Chance (2009) is another great composition by Shankar, Ehsaan and Loy worth listening to many times over. The lyrics are worth a thought too: eyes full of dreams, no sleep, no peace (by Javed Akhtar, surprise?). ~
Let me introduce MM Kreem as he was introduced to me: Jism (2003) and Dhoka (2007) both great albums, turns out composed by the same man, Kreem. Other popular albums by Kreem include Paheli (2005), Rog (2004), Sur (2002), Zakhm (1998) and Criminal (1994). Are you seeing what I saw? MM Kreem is a tortured soul it seems, and his music is just so perfect for this post. I wonder what he is up to now, I can't wait for his next composition.
If John Abraham ever did a good job, it was in Jism. Amit Saxena, the director of the movie, must therefore be really talented; hats off to Amit Saxena. The movie starts off with this song, and so it doesn't really need an introduction but if curious, watch the movie. It is worth it: the music, the story, the direction, the acting, everything was good.
awaarapan, Jism (2003) singer: MM Kreem, music director: MM Kreem, lyricists: Neelesh Misra and Sayeed Quadri actors: John Abraham, movie director: Amit Saxena
Some songs of Kreem that are worth a mention in particular are roya re from Dhoka (2007), khoobsoorat hai vo itna from Rog (2004) and aa bhi jaa from Sur (2002), among others. ~
Anyway, I seem to only remember the sad songs at the moment. But I promise to come up with angsty songs with great videos as well, sometime in the future. Maybe it is just harder to make amazing angsty videos; they do seem to tread a finer line. Pritam's bheegi bheegi from the movie Gangster (2006) is a good, heart-wrenching, tear-provoking, sad yet intense, perfect example of my kind of song. But while James did an outstanding job as a singer, and the music composition was absolutely fabulous, somehow the video wasn't able to compete.
Some other great songs unfortunately paired with not such great videos include saathi mere (horrible, horrible, horrible video) from Kumar Sanu's Kehna To Hai, kaho na kaho from Murder (2004) while not a complete disaster could have been better (although gotta love the ending), and venturing into old times, ab tere bin from Ashiqui (1990).
On a side note, here is the original, Arabic version of kaho na kaho. And a link to Ashiqui's songs, that's a great album right there.
That's all for now folks. Still thinking of a pen-name, this is Juhi, moving on to her asignment.
As I vaguely mentioned in the post "Music Videos to Cherish", here is a post with some of my favorite songs that were brutally murdered on-screen. The short list of credits before each video tells you the artists (singers, music directors, lyricists) whose work was killed, those who are to blame (movie directors, choreographers) and the perhaps innocent and definitely ignorant victims (actors).
By far, the First prize goes to:
saaki saaki, from Musafir (2004) singers: Sukhwinder Singh and Sunidhi Chauhan music director & lyricist: Anand Raj Anand movie director: Sanjay Gupta choreographer: unnamed, maybe he/she is hiding? actors: Sanjay Dutt, Koena Mitra and a bunch of minions
Its like Sukhwinder poured out his soul only to have gold-toothed Sanjay Dutt laze about on a swarm of women and play with his pocket-knife while Koena Mitra has a seizure on the floor. Well, to be honest, the atmosphere is there: the set is intriguing and at times Koena does somewhat resemble the temptation of saaki. But while Sunidhi goads and teases Sukhwinder, Koena Mitra has a seizure on the floor. I can go on about this, but I won't of course, there are other videos to criticize yet. ~
The next song is downright painful to watch:
mind blowing mahiya, from Cash (2007) singer: Sunidhi Chauhan music director & lyricist: Vishal & Shekhar movie director: Anubhav Sinha choreographer: Remo and Rajeev Goswami actors: Ajay Devgan, Shamita Shetty and a bunch of minions
I understand it must have been hard to get Shamita Shetty to dance, and Ajay Devgan to look good during his unfortunate just-shaved/sideburns phase, but still.. come on. This song could have been so much sexier. Bubbly idiot and intense walk don't go hand-in-hand, you know? ~
The next video won't make you cringe per say, it is actually a good one to watch for time-pass, so think of it like a break from the other Cringe-assured videos. Still, I fail to understand how it relates in any way to the amazing track playing in the background. It irks me, what could have been a heart-wrenching, tragic sequence, brilliantly wasted on this meaning-less walk down the runway:
mar jaawaan, from Fashion (2008) singers: Shruti Pathak & Salim Merchant music director: Salim and Sulaiman Merchant lyricist: Irfan Siddique movie director: Madhur Bhandarkar choreographer: unnamed actors: Priyanka Chopra and Kangana Ranaut, among others
When compared to the catwalk on the track fashion ka jalwa, this song is ridiculously unsuited for this. I do have some complaints about the other video as well (as that too is one of my favorites, and it had a flare, thanks to Sukhwinder, that the video lacked) but it wasn't bad enough to put on this list. The second part of mar jaawaan is a little better filmed as there is some tragedy and drama involved when Priyanka walks down that ramp despite whatever it was that upset her. But this post is about bad videos, so effectively, the second part wasn't included up there. ~
I know I said that saaki saaki took the prize, at least in this post, but that was only because it is one of my all-time favorite songs; more so because of Sukhwinder Singh, whom I would Hero-worship if I were into that kind of thing. It was actually watching the murder of saaki saaki that first irritated me and turned me into such a crabby critic when it comes to music videos. It also inspired my love for the good videos, and made me first think up a dream career (as a director), even if it just remains a fantasy.
Anyway, the murder of saaki saaki was personal, so it had to take the Cringe-prize. Still, this next one is the rotten cherry on this spoiled cake, and I don't think I need to explain why:
one love, from Rakht (2004) singers & lyricists: Shaan and Blue music director : Anand Raj Anand movie director: Mahesh Manjrekar choreographer: unnamed actors: Abhishek Bachchan, Bipasha Basu and minions
For those who don't understand why this video should make you cringe (and you know who you are), there is little hope for you. But it's there, the hope, you just need a little help is all. My dear friend, if you are reading this, I am only kidding. It was good to remember this high-school argument, and I couldn't resist but mention you.
Anyway, we've cringed enough for one post, so until next time, (and until I come up with an uber-cool pen-name)
If I was fearless and had lots of money at my disposal, I'd be a movie-director, just like I've written somewhere on my profile. But what I want more than to make a full-length movie is to create videos for songs that I love, more so Hindi songs than any other.
The moment when Bombay Talkies changed into Bollywood was probably the same moment when Maroon velvet movie direction slowly started to mutate into Pink plastic. Somehow, the music seems to have adapted better. As a person who not only appreciates the beat, but also the lyric, I have a hard time watching music videos that have nothing whatsoever to do with the song. I will refrain from pointing out some of these songs (only to list them off in another post in the probable future), but I would like to share some of the videos that do touch my heart.
I hope this to be the first of many posts to come where I will embed a video that just popped into my head. For this reason, I won't worry too much about the fact that I can't remember more than just a couple of videos right now. Most of these are just my favorite songs with videos that match the quality of the music. If there are any suggestions, just let me know. :)
I'll start with a video that is still fresh in the memories of almost everyone who enjoys Indian cinema, and a composition made by a man who is known to even those who aren't very familiar with Indian music. An emperor who seeks to understand the magnetism of Krishna, for whom his queen sings with such devotion. He is drawn by her voice to the moment when he sees her face for the first time, the same moment perhaps, that he falls in love with her. How can I not love this video? ~ man mohana, from Jodhaa Akbar (2008) singer: Bela Shinde, music director: AR Rahman, lyricist: Javed Akhtar actors: Aishwarya Rai Bachchan and Hrithik Roshan, movie director: Ashutosh Gowariker
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Next, a song sung by a man whose voice, quite literally, has the power to stop me in my tracks, only to hear it more completely. She listens to a composition made only for her, by a man who is not her husband. He is the object of temptation in the absence of prying eyes. Mmmm... justice was done to this song. ~ chal chal mere sang sang, from Artitva (2000) singer: Sukhwinder Singh, music director: Sukhwinder Singh, lyricist: Shrirang Godbole actors: Tabu and Monish Bahl, movie director: Mahesh Manjrekar
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Lastly, a song that is probably forgotten by most of us. A woman consoles her lover when he feels that he has come short. Innocent's bliss, so perfect. ~ sona nahi na sahi, from One 2 Ka 4 (2001) singers: Alka Yagnik and Udit Narayan, music director: AR Rahman, lyricist: Majrooh Sultanpuri actors: Juhi Chawla and Shah Rukh Khan, movie director: Shashilal Nair
