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Main chala/ chali is plain, with a pedestrian tune, with even more banal backgrounds. The composer puts his vocals to better use in Peer manavan, a lively shaadi number but Yeh hindustan hai is annoyingly trite with even more clichéd lyrics. With a genuinely interesting rhythm pattern and adventurous orchestration, Jogi aaya is lovely. This one, along with the Sukhwinder-Hans Raj Hans duet Haq allah - an authentic sufi-styled track considerably elevate the soundtrack’s standing. But, overall, Sukhwinder as a composer seems to be heading into a predictable, uninteresting rut. Subash Ghai choosing him as a composer is rather strange!

Keywords: Anil Kapoor, Devil’s Own

Pirivom Sandhippom’s script and screenplay is nothing short of a miracle in a state which thrives on loud, shocking or sudden twists in everything - films, megaserials or politics! It’s a simple story, told elegantly, with simple, delightful touches of emotion and sparkling dialogs. I continue to not like Cheran in front of the camera and he continues to not act adequately enough - but, he does look like a ‘Natesan’! Sneha is the soul of this film; much like Pazhaniappan’s debut, Parthiban Kanavu, and boy does she deliver! She’s amazing in a role that does not require a woman to shout, squeal, frown, wiggle and what not. Sneha just smiles and showcases other subtle emotions through her expressive face that you don’t even recall if what you saw was acting. The entire extended family of Natesan is sheer delight to watch, even though the lack of any kind of an antagonist, while being a welcome, pleasant turn, is mildly jarring. If there was one, it would be ‘loneliness’ and it does rear its exotic head in the second half and has been dealt with appropriately, by Jayaram, in a delightful cameo. Pirivom Sandhippom is an adorable slice of life.

Keywords: Karu Pazhaniappan, Cheran, Sneha, Jayaram

Pritam’s Neeraj fixation continues pretty well in Race saanson ki, spectacularly showcasing the composer’s mastery over sound, while Atif’s passionate vocals considerably elevate an otherwise middling tune in Pehli nazar mein. Dekho nashe carries the trademark Jesse Cook sound and is appropriately catchy. Taz and Monali steal the show with their sprightly vocals in the groovy Mujh pe to and the seductive Zara zara, respectively. The already dancy soundtrack gets another CD with all the tracks remixed by DJ Suketu – conveniently rocks the dance floor! Race’s soundtrack is typical Pritam – rhythmic, with an assortment of interesting sounds from world music.

Keywords: Pritam, Saif Ali Khan, Akshaye Khanna, Anil Kapoor, Katrina Kaif, Bipasha Basu, Sameera Reddy

After a Bryan Adamesque Pal (1999), KK - one of India’s finest playback singers - returns with Humsafar, with a slightly more pronounced rock influence than his debut. The Pritam-styled Aasmaan ke and the marginally Malayalam-fused (ode to KK’s native state, huh?) Raina bhai kaari are the best of the lot. The mellow Humsafar and Yeh kahan too work, thanks largely to Mehboob’s thoughtful words. But the rest – there’s a strange sense of tedium - thankfully missing in Pal – that drags the album down. KK’s composing style is fairly decent but lacks variety to sustain interest in a 10-track collection.

Keywords: Krishna Kumar Menon, KK, K.K, Kalyan Barua, Leslie Lewis

Rekha Bharadwaj is scintillating in the haunting Aankhon se, ably supported by Ustad Sultan Khan, while Raaj’s fresh, unconventional vocals glisten in the sing-alongish guitar track Ajnabi. Dont I Love Or Do I Love U, despite Adnan Sami and Sunidhi’s zippy vocals and some groovy hip-hoppish backgrounds, is rather mediocre. Rafa dafa, despite the multitude of singers, falls in the same bracket. But, the soundtrack belongs to Man tu talbat, with generous doses of Middle Eastern strains and Hamza’s superb vocals. Even the multiple versions (Electro, Spanish and Remix!) are terrific! After a series of uninteresting soundtracks, Shamir Tandon arrives!

Keywords: Tulip Joshi, Kunal Khemmu, Kunal Khemu

Azeem-o-shaan has Rahman playing with orchestral opulence truly fit for an emperor, in a fragmented, rhythm-dominated context. The most interesting part is the blend of very Indian pieces amidst grand Mughal splendor, perhaps fittingly mirroring the relative importance of the film’s two protagonists. In lamhon ke daaman mein, for most parts, is serenely beautiful and even those intermittent high points in chorus harmonize delectably with the main melody. Sonu Nigam and Madhushree’s vocals are, as usual, delightful. Javed Ali gets a cracker of a tune in Jashn-e-bahaaraa and he handles the solo responsibly – since the song literally rests on his rendition – and fabulously. Rahman seems to be enjoying himself thoroughly, singing Khwaja mere khwaja, even as he, as the composer, elevates the sufi strains expertly within a reasonably modern orchestral license. Bela Shende is spectacular in the princely, semi-Bhajan Man mohana, where Javed Akhtar evokes - quite interestingly - lord Krishna’s separation from his beloved, for Jodhaa’s pangs of separation from a Mughal emperor! Truly secular and touchingly imaginative! The creative freedom Rahman and Ashutosh have sought in this soundtrack may not necessarily reflect the appropriate period in Indian history but makes up by being lavishly inventive and tremendously sweeping!

Keywords: Jodha Akbar, Akbar Jodha, Ashutosh Gowariker, Hrithik Roshan, Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, A.R.Rahman

Needhaana needhaana is a pleasant and enjoyable hip-hop mix but Raamanaa porandhaalum, while using a hip-hop template again, is pedestrian. Jyothsana and Srinivas’ impressive vocals work well in the slow and tuneful Aagaayam kaanaamal. Vijay Yesudas’ Habibi is adequately dancy with catchy rhythms, while Puyalodu mothidum is nothing more than a noisy mélange of disparate sounds. The Saadhu Miranda Theme is pretty interesting, however. Deepak Dev has had an impressive recent repertoire in Malayalam (Symphony and Naran, to name two of my favorites) but his Tamil debut definitely falls short, with nothing drastically different to let the music stand out.

Keywords: Sadhu Miranda, Malayalam film music, Chronic Bachelor, Prasanna, Kavya Madhavan

Kalloori is a brilliant example of perfect casting - Akhil, the girl who plays Kayalvizhi and the rest of the gang, and of course Tamanna, who’s ticket to fame till recently was being mistakenly identified online as the infamous bar girl Tarannum - the casting here simply steals the show. The milieu, dialogues and the narrative is achingly real, with Joshua Sridhar’s music working superbly in the background. The silent, untold romance between Akhil and Tamanna is handled with amazing maturity and intelligence - every stroke of directorial touch working big time in identifying and presenting the first signs of love oh-so beautifully. My predominantly city-led education wouldn’t have let me identify with the goings-on of a small town arts college, but the three years I’ve spent in Salem held me in good stead, in getting somewhat close. If director Balaji Shaktivel intended to give a rude jolt to his audiences through that unexpectedly harsh climax, he’s succeeded. It’s mighty sudden, though a tad too rude for a film that, for most parts, is hopeful. Like Kaadhal, Kalloori showcases accurately and with heartwarming flourishes, the uncluttered lives of a Tamilnadu we city dwellers have learned to leave behind and ignore.

Keywords: Balaji Shaktivel, Shankar

Despite the clichés, (songs, scrawny lead actor!) director Vetrimaaran succeeds with Pollaadhavan mainly through the masterful screenplay that spins an unusual tale with things progressively spinning out of control, much to our surprise! As for the scrawny lead, director Shankar, when he was re-launching Prabhudeva (post Indu!) in Kaadhalan, placed a minor Karate learning shot to convince us that a bag of bones could possibly deal with a hefty man. But, while Dhanush does look the part of a lower middle class boy yearning for a bike, the only other parts that equals Shankar’s Karate-shot are Dhanush’s mom asking him to get a bike of his size and Dhanush calling himself ‘chappai’. The chappai does go on to smash the shit out of the larger-sized villains, though, quite implausibly. Even the ravishing-heroine-falling-for-scrawny-hero part is sheer annoyance. Such quibbles aside, the film’s depiction of the urban underworld is superbly gritty. Most people live their parts amazingly well, specially Dhanush’s dad and Selvam, the lead villain. Pollaadhavan is enjoyably seeped in reality about ordinary people in extraordinary situations, except for one thing that continues to plague Tamil cinema - pandering to the hero, not for his emoting abilities, but for his connections.

Keywords: Dhanush, Polladhavan, Pollathavan, Kuthu Ramya, Divya, Dhivya, GV Prakash Kumar

Telugu producer MS Raju may have the remake rights of the Kannada trendsetter Mungaru Male, but that doesn’t give him the license to avoid Mano Murthy’s name for the four tracks his composer (Kamalakar) has lifted in the Telugu version. And worse, the cover versions are bland and lack all the zing of the Kannada originals - the retuning of Suvi suvvali after using the same prelude, is plain stupid and no reuse of Onde ondu saari!! There’s more… Rahman’s Meenaxi number, Rang hai becomes Unnatta Lennatta! Miraculously, Sirimalle vaana saves the soundtrack. But, this director-composer make a despicable duo!

Keywords: Vinay, Meera Chopra, Ganesh, Pooja Gandhi