This Nautiyal solo expressed hope

Ummeed Hai, as the title suggests, expressed hope.

And it was appropriate that it was the last track for 2020 on this blog.

The year has been awful, and as we get ready to usher in 2021, we are all hopeful that the coming year – and all the others to come – will be better.

The track from Unpaused was two minutes and 42 seconds long.

And the trio associated with this track was the most famous team involved with the film’s music – Jubin Nautiyal rendered the Payal Dev composition, which was penned by Kunaal Vermaa.

Kadu’s second contribution was catchy

Rastey was the shorter of the two contributions of Gaurav Kadu to the soundtrack of Unpaused – it was just a minute and 58 seconds long.

Like Mujh Mein Hai Tu, it was just penned, composed, and rendered by the Fiddlecraft frontman. And it had Hinglish lines.

In Mujh Mein Hai Tu, he sang, “GPS na dhoondh paaye, itna tujh mein khoye”.

And a line of Rastey went, “Likha ho address Hebrew zubaan mein”.

Well, even if the listeners were lost in these tracks, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that they loved this indie journey.

  

Zara bagged this Bagchi original

The title of this post contains Tanishk Bagchi’s name and the word original, so that’s definitely not an oxymoron.

In fact, the music director composed one of the songs on the soundtrack of Unpaused.

It was titled Nayi Dhoop, and it was the longest of the six songs in the film – it was three minutes and 21 seconds long.

Incidentally, it was the only track in the film that had a Reprise version – it was just a couple of seconds shorter than the original.

They were penned by Rashmi Virag, and rendered by Zara Khan. 

It was (Fiddle)crafted by Kadu

If the two contributions of Gaurav Kadu to the soundtrack of Unpaused were arranged in the alphabetical order, as well as in the ascending order of their durations, Mujh Mein Hai Tu would be the first – it was three minutes and 15 seconds long.

His involvement in the track wasn’t restricted to penning and composing it, but he rendered it too.

Incidentally, Kadu is the frontman of Fiddlecraft, a Pune-based band.

And it is appropriate, because new Hindi film music composers now seem to have a licence to fiddle with tunes, and craft unique sounds.

Mr Samant tooK(ama)the traditional route

The second song from Unpaused was one that wasn’t written for a film’s soundtrack, but music connoisseurs are aware of it.

The track in question was Chaap Tilak.

Hence, the word Traditional was written against its name in the column marked lyricist.

Keeping that in mind, it would be appropriate to state that the involvement of Shishir A Samant in this version of the track wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he was one of the two men who rendered it too.

The other was Sunil Kamath.

It was three minutes and 10 seconds long.

Ms Bagchi rendered this track

While the world continues to battle the COVID-19 pandemic, showman Raj Kapoor’s philosophy – “The show must go on” – will always hold true.

And it is probably with that in their minds that a bunch of young artistes collaborated on the soundtrack of Unpaused (2020), a film that was set against the backdrop of the pandemic.

Badarva was the shortest of the six songs from the film on this blog – it was just a minute and 57 seconds long.

Ginny Diwan penned the song, which was composed by Parth Parekh.

It was rendered by Madhubanti Bagchi.

It was a ‘Vishal’ disappointment

Woh Lamha was the only solo on the soundtrack of Shakeela.

It was rendered by Mr Mishra.

(Vish)Although the singer has, slowly and steadily, been climbing up the ladder of success in the Hindi film music industry, there are bound to be a few hiccups along the way, but what makes his mediocre songs more glaring vis-à-vis those of his peers is the fact that he is a composer as well.

Of course, he did not don the music director’s hat for this track – it was composed by Veer Samarth.

It was penned by Kumaar.

Khushboo didn’t Meet anyone’s expectations

Tera Ishq Satave was a song from Shakeela.

In fact, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that it didn’t impress the listeners, and the only purpose it served was to be the token Punjabi song in a Hindi film, because that seems to be the prevalent trend (regardless of the milieu in which the film is set).

The contribution of the Meet Bros in the song wasn’t restricted to composing it, but they were the backing vocalists too.

The main singer, of course, was Khushboo Grewal.

Kumaar, the go-to man for catchy tracks, penned it.

It VaS the (Prakri)title track

Shakeela released in 2020, and as the title suggests, was the biopic of the adult film star who ruled the Malayalam film industry in the late 1990s and 2000s.

This blog contains posts on three songs from the film.

If they were to be arranged in the alphabetical order, Taaza would be the first.

It was the title track of the film.

Veer Samarth’s involvement in the song, which Kumaar penned, wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he was one of the three who sang it too.

Prakriti Kakar and Saheb Khan were the others.

Jonita and Sukh-E didn’t Roc(ha)k

Single Ladies – from Indoo Ki Jawani – was three minutes and eight seconds long (which was, incidentally, the same duration as Haseena Pagal Deewani).

It would be safe to assume that it was just the title of the track, and not the target group, because no lady – single or otherwise – would approve of it.

The involvement of Rochak Kohli in it wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he was one of the three who sang it as well.

Jonita Gandhi and Sukh-E were the others.

The song was penned by Gurpreet Saini and Gautam G Sharma.

Badshah was at it AGain

Badshah’s song about broken heels has probably broken his fans’ hearts too.

The track in question is Heelein Toot Gayeen, the disappointing number from Indoo Ki Jawani.

He didn’t just compose and render it, but he penned it too.

And the lady who joined him behind the microphone was Aastha Gill.

A couple of minutes and 50 seconds long, the song was bound be a treat for the eyes of Guru Randhawa fans – the singer appeared as himself in the video of the song, and sounded weird lip-synching the popular catchphrase, “It’s yo boy Badshah”!

Mika sang another reK(au)reated version

There are recreations, and there are re-re-recreations.

And Hasina Pagal Deewani was an example of the latter.

It was from Indoo Ki Jawani, which was slated to release in 2020, but the film’s release was postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

This version of the song was three minutes and eight seconds long.

The involvement of Mika Singh in it wasn’t restricted to rendering it, but he composed it too.

But unlike the original, he didn’t pen this version – the lyrics were credited to Shabbir Ahmed.

Singh was joined behind the microphone by Asees Kaur.

It wasn’t a BaNal song

If the four tracks from Indoo Ki Jawani (2020) on this blog were arranged in the alphabetical order, and in the ascending order of their durations, Dil Tera would be the first – it was three minutes and 42 seconds long.

Gurpreet Saini and Gautam G Sharma penned the Rochak Kohli composition, which Benny Dayal and Neeti Mohan sang.

It took the listeners back to the 1960s, 1980s and 1990s, with recreations of Shammi Kapoor and Sharmila Tagore’s looks from Kashmir Ki Kali, Parveen Babi’s disco avatar and Aamir Khan and Urmila Matondkar’s looks from Rangeela.

Malini (A)was(thi)n’t just the singer

Heer was the longer of the two songs on the soundtrack of Durgamati: The Myth – it was four minutes and 49 seconds long.

So far, male lyricists in the Hindi film industry were inspired by the most famous beloved in Punjabi folklore, but on this occasion, it was a lady – Dipti Misra – who was inspired by the heroine of Waris Shah’s tragic romance.

The involvement of Malini Awasthi in the song wasn’t restricted to rendering it, but she was also one of the three who composed it.

Abhinav Sharma and Naman Adhikari were the others.

 

B Praak rendered AFantastic track

By no means would it be incorrect to state that Baras Baras, the track from Durgamati: The Myth (2020), was crooner B Praak’s gift to his fans in particular, and Hindi film music enthusiasts in general, for the festive season.

It was three minutes and 20 seconds long.

He was joined behind the microphone by Altamash Faridi, to whom the additional vocals were credited.

Tanishk Bagchi’s involvement in the song wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he penned it as well.

Indeed, India’s collective penchant for using a word twice for emphasis was its highlight.

Two Singhs sang with Bobo

Rang Bhariya – the song from Darbaan – was an incorrect phrase. It should’ve been transliterated as Rang Bhareya.

If the four songs from the film were arranged in the alphabetical order, and in the ascending order of their durations, it would be the last – it was four minutes and 24 seconds long.

Composer Amartya Bobo Rahut, who had the company of one Singh behind the microphone for Khushmizaaj, was joined behind the microphone by two Singhs – Amrita and Gulraj – for this track.

It was the second of lyricist Siddhant Kaushal’s two contributions to the film’s soundtrack.

Bobo sang it with Singh

Khushmizaaj, the song from Darbaan, was three minutes and 50 seconds long.

The involvement of Amartya Bobo Rahut in the track was not restricted to composing it, but he was one of the two men who rendered it as well.

The man who joined him behind the microphone was the one and only Arijit Singh.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that the track, which was penned by Manoj Yadav, was not just philosophical, but also had a positive vibe overall (as suggested by its title, which could be translated to, “Happy”).

Bobo and Joshi monkeyed around

Hindi film lyricists’ imaginations – especially when they are describing the heart – have literally run wild over the past few decades.

But things escalated rather quickly with Dil Bandar, which was the shortest of the four tracks on the soundtrack of Darbaan – it was just a couple of minutes and a dozen seconds long.

The involvement of Amartya Rahut (who is affectionately called Bobo) in the track wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he was one of the two men who rendered it too.

The other was Tushar Joshi.

The track was penned by Siddhant Kaushal.

Ms Harmalkar joined composer Bhalla

Darbaan released in 2020.

If the four songs were arranged in the alphabetical order, Behti Si would be the first.

The song was three minutes and 42 seconds long.

Every song in the film had one thing in common – all of them were sung by at least two people, of which one was the music director.

This was Raajeev V Bhalla’s only contribution to the soundtrack, and he didn’t just compose it, but rendered it too.

A young vocalist named Rashi Harmalkar joined him behind the microphone.

The track was penned by Akshay K Saxena.

Negi N(eh)ailed Javed-Mohsin’s lone composition

A pair of cousins teamed up for a track about a sister-in-law (and it became ‘relative’ly popular).

That, in a line, summed up Teri Bhabhi, from Coolie No. 1.

And the cousins in question were Javed Khan and Mohsin Shaikh.

Their involvement in the track wasn’t restricted to composing it, but they rendered it too.

They were joined behind the microphone by Dev Negi and Neha Kakkar [in whose portion of the song, the word bhabhi was replaced by bhaiya (which means, “Brother”)].

Danish Sabri penned the track, which was three minutes and 22 seconds long.

Das (Renes)sang it with Ash

The last of Tanishk Bagchi’s three contributions to the soundtrack of Coolie No. 1 – and the shorter of his two original compositions in the film – was Tere Siva.

It was three minutes and seven seconds long.

The track was penned by Rashmi Virag.

It was rendered by Renessa Das and Ash King (a relative of Kishore Kumar, who sang a song in Taaqatwar*, which released in 1989, and marked the directorial debut of David Dhawan, the director of both Coolie No. 1 and its remake).

(*Note: The song was titled John D’Mello Ding Dong Wala.)

Alka San(u)g this version too

The longest of the six tracks from Coolie No. 1 on this blog was the recreated version of Main Toh Raste Se Jaa Raha Tha – it was five minutes and 22 seconds long.

Interestingly, its title was inspired by a line from the original – Mirchi Lagi Toh.

And as was the case with the recreated version of Husn Hai Suhana, the words of the original lyricist (Sameer Anjaan) and the voices of the original singers (Alka Yagnik and Kumar Sanu) were retained in this track too.

It was credited to DJ Chetas and Lijo George.  

Monali sang (Ud)it with Ikka

Two of composer Tanishk Bagchi’s three contributions to the soundtrack of Coolie No. 1 were originals.

The longer of those was Mummy Kassam – it was three minutes and 32 seconds long.

(Ud)It was rendered by Monali Thakur and Mr Narayan.

And there was another Ikka (Hindi for, “Ace”) up the sleeves of the team that collaborated on this track – the involvement of the rapper in the song wasn’t restricted to joining the aforementioned duo behind the microphone, but he was also one of the two men who penned the song.

The other was Shabbir Ahmed.

Mr Bhattacharya sang (Chand)anawful recreation

Husnn Hai Suhana New was one of the two recreated tracks on the soundtrack of Coolie No. 1.

(Dix)It was rendered by Chandana and Abhijeet Bhattacharya, who sang Husn Hai Suhana from the original.

The song was four minutes and 27 seconds long.

The original was penned by the one and only Sameer Anjaan, who was credited as the lyricist of this version as well.

However, Anand-Milind, who composed the 1995 hit, should have composed this version too. It wouldn’t be incorrect to state that Tanishk Bagchi couldn’t fit into those big pairs of shoes.

(Pand)It was the shortest track

Coolie No. 1, a remake of the 1995 film of the same name, released in 2020.

If the six tracks from the film on this blog were arranged in the alphabetical order, as well as in the ascending order of their durations, its title track would be the first – it was just a couple of minutes and seven seconds long.

Raj Pandit rendered the song, which Farhad Samji penned.

It was the only contribution of composers Salim-Sulaiman to the film’s soundtrack. In fact, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that they let their fans down.

Sadly, Mr Aziz didn’t impress

Right off the bat, I knew a couple of things about Shivali, the song from AK vs AK – firstly, it was a Hindi song with a liberal sprinkling of Marathi words, and secondly, it contained unrelated words that ended with -ali (besides Shivali, lyricist Rajeshwari Dasgupta Ghose used Diwali, mawaali, Manali, etc.)

It was three minutes and 11 seconds long, and despite the fact that its hook was, “Vedha Zhala”, it didn’t drive anyone crazy.

Nakash Aziz was at ease rendering the Alokananda Dasgupta composition, but that wasn’t surprising, because such songs are his forte.

 

Kapoor’s rendition was truly jhakkas!

The soundtrack of AK vs AK featured a song that was actually rendered by the other AK in the title (Anil Kapoor).

It was titled Khallas, and it was just a couple of minutes and 50 minutes long.

He referenced a few films he starred in [including Mr. India (1987), Rakhwala (1989) and Nayak (2001)].

And of course, the song – which was penned by Kaam Bhaari and composed by Rakhis and Nuka – was incomplete without the actor saying, “Jhakkas” [a word his character said in Yudh (1985), and has come to being associated with him].

Trivedi was just the crooner

Before I heard the songs of AK vs AK, I read the list of songs.

And one of them confused me – was the song titled Ghum to be read as Ghum (which could be translated as, “Sorrow”) or Ghoom (which could be translated as, “Move”)?

Little did I know that it was neither – Amit Trivedi, who rendered it, pronounced it as Ghum, which actually sounded like the word that means missing.

Rajeshwari Dasgupta Ghose penned the Alokananda Dasgupta composition, which was the longest track in the film – it was three minutes and 37 seconds long.

 

Kashyap probably inspired Kaam Bhaari

My initials are AK, and this happens to be a post on the first track from the meta film AK vs AK (2020).

It was titled Duniya Gol Hai, and it was perhaps inspired by the song of the same name, which was from Dev.D, which released in 2009, and was directed by Anurag Kashyap, who plays one of the AKs in the title.

Kunal Pandagale (a rapper better known by his stage name, Kaam Bhaari) penned and rendered the track, which was just a minute and 33 seconds long, and composed by Alokananda Dasgupta.

The coMPosers sang it too

The soundtrack of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari featured two versions of Waareya, but this blog contains a post on just one – the duet.

It was the longest of the six tracks from the film on this blog – it was four minutes and 35 seconds long.

Javed-Mohsin didn’t just compose it, but they rendered it too.

The duo who (Para)shared singing credits with them were Palak Muchhal and Vibhor (who also rendered the male version, which was three minutes and 11 seconds long).

Vermaa penned both the versions of the track, which was the (Kuna)album’s highlight.  

 

Sanj sang the T(ripath)itle track

The title track of Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari was the longer of composer Kingshuk Chakravarti’s two contributions to the soundtrack of the film – it was a couple of minutes and 47 seconds long.

It was a situational track, and contained a line that could induce a chuckle or two – it went, “Inka toh status permanent quarantine hai”.

Sanj V and Chinmayi Tripathi lent their voices to the song, whose hook went, “Dono pagle hain praani, sunlo kya kehte hain gyaani”.

It was penned by Abhishek Sharma, who happened to be the director of the film.

 

These singers didn’t Make MAJic

By no means would it be incorrect to state that Ladki Dramebaaz Hai was the weakest of the six tracks from Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari on this blog.

It began with the tune of Pallo Latke, the track from the 1979 film Nauker, but was obviously no patch on the track that served as its obvious inspiration.

Mohsin didn’t just compose it with Javed, but was also one of the four singers.

Jyotica Tangri, Mellow D and Aishwarya Bhandari were the others.

Danish Sabri penned the track, which was three minutes and 11 seconds long.

Divya Joined the Music directors

Interestingly, Fatima Sana Shaikh has featured in two films whose soundtracks contained a song with the same title (albeit with different tunes) – Dauda Dauda.

The first was Chachi 420 (1997), and the second was Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari.

The track from the latter was composed by Javed-Mohsin, who were also credited as two of the three men who rendered it*.

Divya Kumar joined them behind the microphone.

Danish Sabri penned the song, which was a couple of minutes and 45 seconds long.

(*Note: In fact, the rap portion of the track was rendered by Mohsin.)

Sabri left Sholay fans Devastated

Maternal cousins Javed Khan and Mohsin Shaikh (a.k.a. Javed-Mohsin) composed four of the six tracks from Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari on this blog.

In keeping with their penchant with turning hooks inspired by pop culture into songs, they picked Basanti, Veeru and Gabbar, the iconic characters from Sholay (1975), and that film’s popular line, “Basanti, in kutton ke saamne mat naachna”, and composed Basanti.

Danish Sabri’s involvement in the track – which was three minutes and four seconds long – wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he rendered it too.

Payal Dev shared singing credits with him.

It was far from Mellow

If the six tracks from Suraj Pe Mangal Bhari (2020) on this blog were arranged in the alphabetical order (and in the ascending order of their durations), Bad Boys would be the first – it was just a minutes and 49 seconds long.

It was the shorter of composer Kingshuk Chakravarty’s two contributions to the soundtrack of the film, and was the only solo in the film.

The involvement of Mellow D in the track wasn’t restricted to penning it, but he rendered it as well.

But, as the title suggested, it was anything but mellow.

 

 

Aziz sang this ‘Feel’-good song

With opening lines that went, “Khud ko thoda break de, man ko thoda space de”, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that Zindagi Ka Feel – the longer of the two tracks from Sir* – was the male version of Jeene Mein Kya Jaata Hai.

It was composed by Ragav Vagav, and rendered by Nakash Aziz.

Mohit Chauhan penned the song, whose hook went, “Dhol ke beat pe zindagi ka feel le” (which could be translated to, “Get a feel of life to the beats of a drum”).

(*Note: It was three minutes and four seconds long.)  

Suvarna motivated everyone to live

Most of us are so busy running the rat race that we are merely existing, and seem to have forgotten to live.

And at that point, in stepped Suvarna Tiwari, who rendered Jeene Mein Kya Jaata Hai.

The song – whose hook went, “Jee kar dekh le” – was from Sir, which released in India in 2020.

Three minutes and a second long, the song – which was the shorter of the two tracks in the film – was penned by Mohit Chauhan.

It was composed by a man whose last name rhymes with his first name – Ragav Vagav.

Raja (Ha)sang this puerile track

Start Stop was a song from Laxmii.

Contrary to its title, it was a song nobody wanted to start listening to. And if they did, they wanted to stop it pronto.

It was three minutes and 13 seconds long, and contained inane lines penned by Vayu.

The only highlights (if they could be called that) were the local train announcement at the beginning of the track, and the hook, which went, “Aye Raja baja”.

But Raja ne bajaaya nahin. In fact, the man who (Ha)sang it was Raja.

The song was composed by Tanishk Bagchi.  

This song gave nobody Khushi

By no means would it be incorrect to state that a track that mentions the world’s tallest building is bound to generate a great deal of curiosity – and perhaps, criticism that is far from ‘construct’ive.

Burjkhalifa, the song in question, was from Laxmii.

It was three minutes and seven minutes long, and was penned by Gagan Ahuja.

The track was composed by Shashi and DJ Khushi.

The involvement of the latter – a popular disc jockey – in it wasn’t restricted to composing it – he rendered it too.

He was joined behind the microphone by Nikhita Gandhi.

 

 

This Virus(s) was certainly acceptable

Laxmii released in 2020. 

One of its songs, which was titled BamBholle, was three minutes and 40 seconds long.

There’s no two ways about the fact that it didn’t just spread some much-needed festive cheer, but became popular with devotees of Lord Shiva too.

And here’s an interesting bit of trivia – while the world is coping with the Coronavirus, a singer who goes by the stage name Viruss is the one of the two people behind the track.

The other is Ullumanati, whose involvement in it wasn’t restricted to composing it – he penned it too.

 

Guru (Randha)was the (Pay)all-rounder

Teri Choriyaan was a track from Chhalaang.

It was a couple of minutes and 55 seconds long.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that the track had Guru – with a capital G – written all over it.

In fact, his involvement in it (Randha)wasn’t restricted to penning it (with Luv Ranjan, who also happened to be one of the producers of the film) and composing it (with Vee), but he was also one of the two people who lent their voices to it.

The lady who joined him behind the microphone was Payal Dev.

 

It was tailor-made for Mehndi

This is a post on Le Chhalaang, the title track of Chhalaang.

And since it was, quite literally, all about taking the leap, it was a song aimed at motivating the listeners.

In fact, one of its lines went, “Maidan bhi hoga tera, tu haq se maang” (which could be translated to, “The ground will be yours, all you have to do is ask for it as if it were your right”).

The song, which was penned by Luv Ranjan, was composed by Hitesh Sonik.

It was rendered by the one and only Daler Mehndi.

 

Honey teamed up with Sweetaj

Yo Yo Honey Singh’s fans couldn’t have been happier – his Diwali gift to them was a track, ironically titled Care Ni Karda.

Well, if he didn’t care, he wouldn’t have taken the Chhalaang (which is Hindi for, “Jump”) – which was, incidentally, the title of the 2020 film on whose soundtrack the aforementioned song appeared.

The rapper’s involvement in the track wasn’t restricted to composing it (alone), but he penned and rendered it too.

Alfaaz and Hommie Dilliwala were his partners in rhyme.

A person with an interesting name – Sweetaj Brar – shared Sing(h)ing credits with him. 

 

Raahi ably supported all-rounder Enbee

This is a post on the fifth – and final – song from Taish.

As the title suggests, Shehnaiyan Wajan Do was a wedding song (although one would certainly think twice about attending one while the world grapples with the pandemic).

If the songs from the film (barring Funk) were arranged in the descending order of their durations, it would be the second – it was three minutes and 45 seconds long.

The involvement of Enbee in the track wasn’t restricted to rendering it, but he composed and penned it as well.

Raahi joined him behind the microphone. 

Ashwin sang it Preeti well

It wouldn’t be incorrect to state that the Pillai siblings, composer Prashant and singer Preeti, did a fine job when they collaborated on Roshni Si, from Taish.

Three minutes and 18 seconds long, it was the shorter of the two tracks from the film that Hussain Haidry penned.

Ashwin Gopakumar joined Preeti behind the microphone.

Armaan Khera, who was also a member of the film’s cast, wrote its Reprise version with Haidry, and sang it with Preeti.

The track – All I See Is The Light – was a couple of seconds longer than the aforementioned song.

 

Undoubtedly, Govind (Prartha)nailed the track

If Funk were excluded from the blog, Re Bawree would be the longest of the three songs from Taish on this blog – it was five minutes long.

It was composed and rendered by Govind Vasantha, who was making his debut as a Hindi film composer.

He was joined behind the microphone by Prarthana Indrajith.

There was another version of the song. Titled Jahaan Lost In Love, it was just three seconds shorter than the aforementioned song.

It was a female solo, rendered by the one and only Sona Mohapatra.

Hussain Haidry penned both these versions. 

Tangri sang the female version

The soundtrack of Taish had a couple of versions of Kol Kol.

But the blog features a post on just one – the female version, which was rendered by Jyotica Tangri.

It was, incidentally, the shorter of the two versions – it was three minutes and 36 seconds long.

The male version – which was called the Reprise version, and was just three seconds longer than the aforementioned song – was sung by Mohan Kannan.

Both the versions were penned by Rohit Sharma (the cricketer’s namesake, who happens to be a composer too).

They were composed by Raghav Sachar.

Mr Dharia joined the F(r)ate(h)rnity

If the five tracks from Taish (2020) were arranged in the alphabetical order, Funk would be the first.

Don’t be followed by the English title – the song was as Punjabi as they come (and was the film version of a single).

And the involvement of Pav Dharia in the track wasn’t restricted to being the lyricist, and one of the two who composed it [the other being The PropheC (a.k.a. Neal Chatha)], but he was one of the two men who sang it too.

The other artiste credited with him on the track was Fateh.

Mika’s NumBer was recreated again

Saawan Mein Lag Gayi Aag was composed, penned and rendered by Mika Singh, and was from the 1998 album of the same name.

Its first recreated version featured on the soundtrack of Woodstock Villa, which released a decade later.

Another version of the song featured on the soundtrack of Ginny Weds Sunny (2020).

It was the longer of the two tracks from the film on this blog – it was three minutes and 46 seconds long.

Payal Dev composed it, and penned it with Mohsin Shaikh and Badshah.

Singh, Badshah and Neha Kakkar rendered the song. 

It was certainly worth (Kam)alisten

Songs of heartbreak aren’t uncommon to Hindi film soundtracks, but they aren’t everyone’s cup of tea either.

However, by no means would it be incorrect to state that Rubaru, from Ginny Weds Sunny, wasn’t just a relatable track, but it was quite easy on the ears too.

Four minutes and a couple of seconds long, it was rendered by Kamal Khan [who sang the male version of Ishq Sufiyana from The Dirty Picture (2011) and Jhooth Boliya from Jolly LLB (2013)].

The track, which was penned by Peer Zahoor, was composed by Jaan Nissar Lone.

Neeti wasn’t the (Dhil)lone Sing(h)er

Phoonk Phoonk – which blended a Punjabi song and Sufi rock (the two genres that are now a part and parcel of almost every Hindi film soundtrack) – was the longest of the five songs from Ginny Weds Sunny on this blog – it was four minutes and 58 seconds long.

It was one of the two tracks in the film that Payal Dev didn’t compose – the man to whom it was credited was Gaurav Chatterji.

The track was rendered by Neeti Mohan, with whom Jatinder and Harjot Dhillon shared Sing(h)ing credits.

It was penned by Sandeep Gaur.

(Jub)Indeed, Nautiyal’s rendition was magical

By no means would it be incorrect to state that Phir Chala – from Ginny Weds Sunny – was tailor-made for Jubin Nautiyal, and the singer certainly did not disappoint.

The track was three minutes and 46 seconds long.

It was penned by Kunaal Vermaa, and was the only song in the film which was an original composition by Payal Dev (and not one whose hook was borrowed).

What worked in the favour of this track, which was laden with pathos, is the fact that it was the most relatable song on the soundtrack of the film.  

Payal and Dev didn’t impress

LOL – a widely-used Internet acronym that is expanded to, “Laugh Out Loud” – also happened to be a track from Ginny Weds Sunny, which released in 2020.

But, contrary to what its title suggested, it barely elicited a smile.

It was the shorter of the two tracks from the film on this blog – it was three minutes and a couple of seconds long.

The involvement of Payal Dev in the song, which was penned by Kunaal Vermaa, wasn’t restricted to rendering it, but she composed it too.

She was joined behind the microphone by Dev Negi.   

The composers rendered this TRack

Being an avid watcher of stand-up comedy (and obviously a Hindi film music buff), Comedy Couple (2020) piqued my interest.

To be precise, the only song in the film – Kya Yeh Tumhe Pata Hai? – did.

Just three minutes and 20 seconds long, it was a pretty good track.

The involvement of Tanmaya Bhatnagar in the track wasn’t restricted to penning it, but she composed and rendered it as well.

While she did not collaborate with anybody on the lyrics, she teamed up with Reuksh [whose name is, quite literally, Alag(h)] to compose and sing it. 

This shoulD(han)not have been RecreateD

My blog on the music of Hindi films that released between 1969 and 1986 contained a post on Dhanno Ki Aankhon Mein, which was from Kitaab (1977).

Gulzar penned the aforementioned the track, which was composed and rendered by R D Burman.

Fans of Pancham must have been appalled at the recreated version of the track, which featured on the soundtrack of Bahut Hua Sammaan.

Thankfully, both Gulzar and Pancham were credited for this version, which was four minutes long*.

(*Note: It was the longest of the three tracks from the film on this blog).

Nazia’s Boom Boom went bust

My blog on the music of Hindi films that released between 1969 and 1986 contained posts on a couple of tracks from Star/Boom Boom, which released in 1982.

Boom Boom wasn’t the title of a film, but of an album by Nazia Hassan, and also that of its title track.

A recreated version of the song, which was three minutes and 42 seconds long, featured on the soundtrack of Bahut Hua Sammaan.

Hassan and Indeevar, the lyricist of the original, were credited with this awful version, titled Boom Boom Mix Up.

Mannan Munjal composed it.   

Indeed, Parry’s rap was hard-hitting!

I associated the phrase Bahut Hua Sammaan (Hindi for, “No more respect”) with stand-up comic Rajeev Nigam, but in 2020, a film of the same name released.

Its title track was a rap number.

By no means was that a surprise, because it has been among the trending genres in the Hindi film music industry of late.

The song – which was composed by Mannan Munjal – was three minutes and five seconds long.

The involvement of Prikshit Gupta (whose stage name is Parry G) in it wasn’t restricted to penning it, but he rendered it too.

Megha didn’t just render it

When I read about a film titled Cargo (which released in 2020), and then looked its song up on YouTube, I must admit that I couldn’t help but chuckle at the irony.

The song was titled Forget Me Not.

The majority of the latest songs from Hindi films are actually forgettable, so it did make sense.

However, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that this song – which was composed by Sagar Shah – is the earworm of the year.

Megha Ramaswamy’s involvement in the song wasn’t restricted to rendering it, but she penned it as well.

Runa’s solo was a‘Maa’zing too

Mothers have inspired Hindi film lyricists for decades, and the latest to join the bandwagon is Aalok Shrivastav, who obviously isn’t a household name.

However, his song – which was titled O Maa Meri Maa – has the potential to make it to the mother of all playlists – the one featuring the top tracks about moms.

It was from Atkan Chatkan.

Four minutes and thiry-eight seconds long, it was the second contribution of Runa Rizvii Sivamani to the film’s soundtrack as a singer. It also happened to be her only solo in the film.

Sivamani composed it. 

Uthara’s second track was awesome

Nar Ho was the second contribution of Uthara Unnikrishnan to the soundtrack of Atkan Chatkan (if they were arranged in the alphabetical order).

And if they were arranged in the ascending order of their durations, it would still be second – it was five minutes and 37 seconds long.

The track was penned by a poet upon whom the title of Rashtrakavi (Hindi for, “national poet”) has been conferred – Maithili Sharan Gupt.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that it was an outstanding song, and composer Sivamani certainly deserves the credit for that.  

Sonu sang this soulful song

As if songs by two legends weren’t enough, Hindi film music aficionados were in for a triple treat, because the soundtrack of Atkan Chatkan also featured a song by the one and only Sonu Nigam.

It was titled Mann Tu, and by no means would it be incorrect that this soulful track was suited to him.

The song, which was five minutes and 59 seconds long, was penned by Abhishek Brahmachari.

The title of the song could be translated to, “Mind you”, and mind you, it was composed by the one and only ‘Drums’ Sivamani.

Uthara rendered this Kabir doha

Having had Hindi as a compulsory subject upto the eighth grade, I’m familiar with a few dohas (couplets) of Kabir, the 15^th-century mystic and poet.

Some of these, in fact, provided the base for a song which was, incidentally, titled Kabira.

It featured on the soundtrack of Atkan Chatkan, and was three minutes and 55 seconds long.

The song happened to be the shorter of singer Uthara Unnikrishnan’s two contributions to the film’s soundtrack.

It had additional lyrics too. These were credited to Shiv Hare.

Needless to say, Sivamani, who composed the track, is versatile.

Hariharan definitely (Ru)nailed this number

By no means would it be incorrect to state that Dil Zara was a breath of fresh air, given the kinds of tracks the Hindi film music industry has been dishing out of late.

And the lion’s share of the credit for that went to Hariharan, who rendered it.

Runa Rizvii Sivamani joined him behind the microphone.

The longest of the seven songs from Atkan Chatkan on this blog, it was half-a-dozen minutes and 18 seconds long.

Raqueeb Alam penned it.

The song was composed by the man fondly called ‘Drums’ Sivamani for obvious reasons.

Amitabh rendered this devotional track

Daata Shakti De – which could be translated to, “Oh Lord, grant us the strength” – was a devotional song from Atkan Chatkan.

Amitabh Bachchan was the best choice to render it, for a couple of reasons – (a) he is the possessor of the best-known baritone in the Hindi film industry, and (b) he has faced numerous setbacks, so the makers of the film believed his prayer for the strength to cope with the tough times we’re living in would be answered.

Three minutes and 39 seconds long, the Sivamani composition was penned by Runa Rizvii Sivamani.   

The age of INnocence Returned

Although maestro A R Rahman was the presenter of Atkan Chatkan (2020), Sivamani – the ace percussionist and Rahman’s childhood buddy – composed its music.

The title track of the film – which was four minutes and 19 seconds long – was a throwback to our childhood, which has aptly been referred to the age of innocence.

It was penned by Shiv Hare, the film’s director, and Runa Rizvii Sivamani, the composer’s wife.

Lydian Nadhaswaram (the lad who plays the lead role in the film) lent his voice to the song, as did R S Rakthaksh and Idazhiga I. 

Undoubtedly, Mr Tiwari (Lee)nailed it

The fourth – and final – track from Sadak 2 on this blog was Tum Se Hi.

The involvement of Ankit Tiwari in the track wasn’t restricted to composing it, but he rendered the version on this blog as well.

Leena Bose joined him behind the microphone.

The track, which was four minutes and 43 seconds long, was penned by Shabbir Ahmed.

As was the case with two of the previous three tracks from the film, it had a Reprise version, which was four minutes and five seconds long.

Alia Bhatt, the film’s leading lady, rendered it.

This tracKK was (Nautiy)alyrical treat

Shukriya wasn’t just a track from Sadak 2.

It was also what Hindi film music aficionados wanted to say to Jeet Gannguli (who composed it), and of course, to Rashmi Virag (who penned it) for collaborating on it.

There’s no two ways about the fact that KK and Jubin Nautiyal’s rendition gave the listeners goosebumps.

The song was four minutes and 45 seconds long.

While its Reprise version was as long as the original, the Rendition version was 10 seconds longer than them. Arijit Singh joined the aforementioned duo behind the microphone for the latter.

Javed's solo was Alively number

If Dil Ki Purani Sadak was the longest of the four tracks from Sadak 2 on this blog, Ishq Kamaal was the shortest – it was four minutes and 19 seconds long.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that the song – which was the lone contribution of Javed Ali to the soundtrack of the film – was lively.

Suniljeet composed the track, which was penned by him and Shalu Vaish.

Interestingly, it was the only track in the film that didn’t have either a Reprise version or an Unplugged version or a Rendition version.

KK rendered this intense number

Sadak 2, which released in 2020, was the sequel to the 1991 film Sadak.

If the four tracks from the film on this blog were arranged in the alphabetical order, as well as in the ascending order of their durations, Dil Ki Purani Sadak would be the first – it was four minutes and 49 seconds long.

It was composed by Samidh Mukherjee (who also rendered its Unplugged version) and Urvi.

Vijay Vijawatt penned the intense track, which was rendered by KK, who also crooned its Reprise version, which was three minutes and 24 seconds long.

It was a MArVellous number

This is a post on Jaan Ban Gaye, the only track from Khuda Haafiz.

It hasn’t released (at the time of writing this post) – it is slated to release on an OTT platform on August 14, 2020 (on account of the COVID-19 pandemic).

It is three minutes and 31 seconds long.

The involvement of Mithoon in the track wasn’t restricted to penning and composing it, but he was one of the three who rendered it too. The others were Asees Kaur and Vishal Mishra.

It would not be incorrect to state that it is outstanding.

It wA(zi)zn't dedicated to Rekha

The sixth – and final – track from Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl on this blog was Rekha O Rekha.

It had nothing to do with Ms Bhardwaj, who rendered Dori Tutt Gaiyaan (which I wrote about a couple of tracks ago).

The track, which was three minutes and 38 seconds long, was rendered by Nakash Aziz.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that while it was a catchy number, it was unlikely to have a long shelf life.

Kausar Munir penned the track, which was composed by the one and only Amit Trivedi.

 

Mr Malik rendered this version

The soundtrack of Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl contained another song with the word Dori (Mann Ki Dori).

While it had a couple of versions, this blog contains a post on just one – the male version, which was sung by the one and only Armaan Malik.

It happened to be the longer of the two versions – it was three minutes and 35 seconds long.

The female version – which was rendered by Palak Muchhal – was a couple of minutes and 56 seconds long.

The track, which was penned by Kausar Munir, was composed by Amit Trivedi.