Sorry for not posting in a while! I was searching for a song to write about and I remember watching Aaja Nachle a few months ago. I would like to cover a song from that movie that doesn’t have much recognition, primarily because it’s unorthodox. Whereas most songs are under 5 minutes, Laila Majnu is a staggering twenty minute long musical that narrates the concept of a soulmate in a strict Islamic society.
IF you want to listen to Laila Majnu while doing something else, I highly recommend opening a browser tab and playing the film version on YouTube. I find it easy to focus while the soft tunes and instrumentals fill my mind.
IF you want to avidly listen, I suggest directly watching the video. If you’re outside or a place where that’s inconvenient, download the MP3 file! The song is not in any popular streaming services (although Gaana has some parts of the 20 minutes).
That reminds me, this song is so rich and elaborate that one blog post would not suffice (you would become bored and the post length would not be pleasant). In PART 1 I’ll discuss the first five minutes of the song, where I’ll be talking about concepts such as love at a young age, how society might handle the unknown, and more!
This one is a bit different from the other songs that I’ve wrote about. The theme for this song seems to be brotherhood and purposeful living. I am choosing to write about this song because
a) I heard it on my playlist a couple days ago
b) I wanted to cover a theme different from romance.
TL;DR: 13.5/15
Songs Similar to Jashn-e-Ishqa:
Zingaat (Dhadak)
Chalak Chalak (Devdas)
Music: 4/5
“Rambo” type stuff
If you decide to listen to this song before you go to bed, chances are you’ll be up for a while. From the very beginning, the militaristic background makes your brain shoot adrenaline through all of your veins.
The song maintains this feel throughout the four minutes and twenty-one seconds. The music itself is a roller coaster ride. Intensifying as the signature lyrics come in, fading to let you take a breath, and then it comes again. This time it’s more intense than before.
The music is for those who love to listen to a fast paced song. Often times, the rambunctiousness of the music overtakes the lyrics. The only time you can hear what the singers are saying is during the slow parts of the song. I try to imagine a scale representing the speed of the music and also the quality of the lyrics.
With slow music, you have the opportunity to really develop the lyrics. In three or four minutes you can definitely immerse the listener. Jashn-e-Ishqa has overbearing music, to the point where it’s hard for someone to understand the lyrics. This is hard especially for non-Hindi speaking listeners.
Lyrics: 4.5/5
I could listen to this part for hours.
This was pretty tough to figure out.
It was hard to understand what they were saying because of how fast the song goes and how loud the music is. What’s good about this song however, is that they emphasize certain lyrics. This emphasis happens when the music slows down, the singers get louder (and in the case of the music video, the camera focus on the singers). I want to focus on some of these lyrics:
Toofan Ke Humdum Angaare Hain Hum
Dhadkan Mein Thoda Sa Baarood Hai Khwaahish Ka
We are the sparks accompanying a storm There’s a gunpowder of yearning within our hearts (All lyrics in this website were taken from bollynook.com)
This is the first “slowed-down” lyric of the song (slowed-down meaning that the music significantly fades away when singing this lyric). Whenever I hear this part of the song, I start to empathize. I totally understand what it means to have that gunpowder of yearning. It’s like a string tugging on your heart to do something.
This lyric is very colorful. The usage of the words gunpowder, storm, and sparks creates this very vivid image that sets the tone of the song.
Chalta Hai Sikka (1)
Hukumon Ka Ikka (2)
Banta Apna Har Ek Din (3)
Hi Shola Sa Ishqa (4)
A coin works And so does an ace of spades Every day of ours Becomes a fireball in the name of love
There’s a couple of things to unpack here. Lines 1-2 rhyme with each other, which adds a nice subtle touch to the song. Many modern Hindi songs try to exploit a rhyme scheme as much as possible, to the point where it becomes bland. My interpretation of lines 1-2 is that the protagonists (Ranveer Singh and Arjun Kapoor) climb their way to the top through whatever means possible. Every dollar, every tactic, and every minute is crucial.
Lines 3-4 simply sing to my life motto. Life’s too short to be wasting days. If you don’t like something, don’t do it. A day should be defined as the culmination of doing things that you love. If we define that to be a day, then most of us haven’t even lived a couple hours of it in our life. Jashn-e-Ishq represents the benefit of living a proper day. In the protagonists’ case, they went from being homeless to being the richest people in all of West Bengal.
Zakhom Ko Sehla (1)
Yeh Dil Na Behla (2)
Dil Bhi Jaise Ek Taara Hai Apni Hi Gardish Ka (3)
Pacify the wounds Don’t pamper your heart It’s a star in our galaxy of struggles
I’m a science freak. I love it when there are any references to space or the Earth. What I really like about this lyric is line 3. What does it mean for our heart to be a star in a galaxy of struggles. Well, let’s break it down. “Galaxy” is used to describe that the amount of struggles that the protagonists have is unquantifiable.
In the path to being the most successful, the issue of love arises. You’re going to have to break some hearts, lie to some people. There’s a degree of ruthlessness that’s present in everyone that’s at the top. If your heart becomes spoiled by a significant other or by family, then that becomes a struggle.
Video: 5/5
Detailed.
The music video is pretty dynamic, which is expected for such a fast paced song. The background always changes, from riding a motorcycle on a bridge to backflipping from a train to a coal cart.
There’s a lot for the listener to enjoy. The video perfectly matches the lyrics and the protagonists play the role of the singers really well. My favorite scene is when they started talking about the ace of spades, and they actually held up a burning ace of spades. It shows the amount of dedication to detail that the producers put into the music video.
So.. What?
If you ever need to be motivated to do something risky, or rather start something risky, then this song is perfect for you. Jashn-e-Ishqa describes the proper way to spend a day. It also shows that no bond is greater than that of a sibling. If one were to start adhering to the ideas in this song, they might see themselves setting up a path for success.
I came across this wonderful song while scrolling through the infamous Instagram “Explore” page at around midnight a couple of weeks ago. It was in one of those videos of a Bollywood fan account, and it presented the last thirty seconds of the song. Thank Shiva I clicked on that video.
a teaser photo of Mann Mein Shiva, starring young actor Arjun Kapoor
The first thirty seconds of the song is like any other upbeat song about warriors and pride. There’s rhythmic drumming, throwing the listener into an atmosphere of intimidation (sort of reminds me ofMalhari and Khalibali). What gets me out of my computer chair every single time is at the end of the 30th second, where Arjun (I will be crediting the verses to the actors, even though it should go to the wonderful lyricists) says the following:
कल जो दुश्मन यहां थे
आज पीछे हटे हैं
Now, I am not Indian. I am from Bangladesh, the small country right next to India so pardon my upcoming translation. I interpret it as:
The enemies of yesterday, are now standing in front of you
I still don’t understand why that makes me start frantically pacing back and forth in my kitchen, mouthing the verse as if I am Arjun himself. The verse does make sense to me though. I’ve made a lot of enemies in my life, often through my own weaknesses or through some unfortunate series of events. However, I’ve reconciled with most of them and in fact some of them are the friends that I talk to in school everyday.
Let’s talk about the climax of the song. In what seems to be an union of camaraderie, trust, and optimism, Arjun and his warrior friends chant the following:
तेरे मन्न में शिवा मेरे मानन में शिवा साँसों में शिवा प्राणों में शिवा हर घडी में शिवा हर दिशा में शिवा आज गूँजा हुआ है जय जय शिवा
Wow! What seemed to me a song on companionship is more so an integration of religion and warrior life. It makes sense, as many fighters in what I’m assuming to be an ancient India often fight under the name of their religion. Shiva is the god of destruction, an omnipotent deity tasked with looking after the universe. Therefore it makes sense for the chant Praise Mahadev (Mahadev is another name for Shiva) to be spouted by Arjun and his comrades.
It doesn’t end there though. What’s adding on to the warrior-religion dynamic in the song is, not surprisingly, love. In the last minute of the song, the part that attracted me in the first place, a brief duet between Kriti Sanon and Arjun is presented.
I think of it as Kriti responding to the Shiva in your mind that’s chanted by Arjun throughout the entire song. Perhaps Arjun was waiting for a voice back, like a whale does when mating. He could also be saying that even though his enemies are different from him, they all have something in common, and that is the presence of Shiva in their minds.
Either ways, I found this warrior-religion-love trifecta to be beautiful. Arjun has outdone himself in his acting for this song and I hope to see more good things come from him. Whenever I’m feeling a bit lethargic, I lighten my mood up by listening to Mann Mein Shiva. Maybe you should do.
PRE-NOTE: Hey, it’s Michael here. It’s been a while since I’ve written a blog post (in fact I’ve only written one so far). Because of COVID-19, I’ve been granted enough free time to catch up on sleep and start focusing on my hobbies. Without further ado, I begin my review of Ek Ladki, a song from the 2002 movie “Mere Yaar Ki Shaadi Hai”.
(TL;DR) Overall Rating: 12.5 / 15
Music: 3/5
So starting with this blog, I’m going a bit more structured and giving ratings on certain categories. This includes the must-have category of the actual music/instruments.
As opposed to many of the Hindi songs that I listen to, the chorus dominates in this song more than in any other song. With only a soft beat to accompany Udit Narayan, it’s very easy for anyone to catch themselves singing or humming along. Adding to Udit’s majestic voice is Alka Yagnik’s high pitched shrills (?). She doesn’t add much in terms of lyrics but she does add substance by giving a more somber tone to the song.
However, there are some things that I don’t like. The music doesn’t stand out on it’s own. If you were to subtract the voices and leave only the music, you’d just hear a bunch of shrills and beats. For a song to get a 4 or a 5 in the music category, the music alone must tell a story.
Lyrics: 5/5
I can’t express how good the lyrics of this song are. Maybe it’s because looking at the latest songs makes me cry in disappointment (yeah, looking at you Genda Phool) but the lyrics in Ek Ladki actually fit the intent of the song and the whole film. Let’s start with the song.
In my opinion, Ek Ladki is about a guy’s unrequited wishes with his childhood friend (but really his sweetheart). This is exemplified when Uday starts to talk about Anjali (the sweetheart in question) when the roommate starts asking questions about her. The songs meant to be a moment of reminiscence for Uday as it’s been a while since he’s ever seen her. In the lyrics, he recounts how charismatic of a girl she was:
Phool Barsein Log Tarsen
Jaaye Woh Ladki Jahaan
Flowers start to shower, people start to thirst
wherever she goes by
It’s clear my dude Uday has some feelings but because this songs so early into the film, we can pass it off as yearnings of a dear childhood friend. I like the moments when he describes her; it’s just so wholesome. You don’t see that kind of wholesomeness in contemporary Hindi songs, and in general you don’t see much songs about “dosti” (“Friendship”).
It’s also clear that the lyricists had a lot of fun coming up with things for Uday to say. Most of the lyrics are vibrant, childish just like the nature of the friendship between Uday and Anjali.
Hai Khafa To KhafaPhir Khud Hi Woh Maan Bhi Jaati Hai
Sometimes she’s angry Then she coaxes herself, and gets fine by herself
Some might say the line’s cringe because Uday is “simping” for Anjali, but I find it pleasant. It reminds me of how I thought platonic friendships were when I was little: no quarrels, just a lot of sweet talk. So when I’m hearing these lyrics, I feel a bit refreshed. It makes me feel good that people can be nice to each other. However, my favorite lyric is the following:
That tiny speck on the first white road is Uday! Really shows how much effort was put in the music video.
Ab Main Kahin Woh Hai Kahin
Par Hai Dua Aye Hum Nasheen
Now I am somewhere, and she is someplace else
but I’ll pray, my humnasheen (beloved)
I am a great fan of lyrics that depict the unknown (e.g. the future, death, miracles, etc.). It gives me the same excitement that I get when I start thinking about my tomorrow, a day of potential tragedies, miracles, and revelations. Here, Uday doesn’t know if he’ll ever see Anjali again. His conflicted feelings towards Anjali as a friend and a potential lover makes this lyric powerful and it reminds me of my crush. It’s also beautiful how Udit Narayan vocalizes the lyric, extending the “dua” (pray) to indicate the seriousness of Uday’s yearning to reunite with Anjali. I find myself singing this line over and over again in my kitchen because it’s just that powerful.
Video 4.5/5
Let’s get the only negative comment out of the way. The video isn’t something that would make you watch it everyday. It’s more so a one-time-only-and-then-listen-to-audio kinda song. With that being said, the music video is sort of like a dream. The video switches from the “real world”, which is Uday reminiscing to his roommate, to the dream-like world with Anjali. The video exercises the lyrics. For example, when he describes the flowers showering, he actually throws flowers in her face (might be a bit annoying but eh it’s a song). Uday’s expressions were perfect and although Anjali doesn’t sing, her gestures nicely complement the lyrics.
Last Thoughts
Not a bad song at all. I’ve listened to better songs (stay tuned) but I’ve had my good share of moments with Ek Ladki. I’ve learned from this song to value your friends because you never know when it’ll be the last time you’ll see them for a while (*cough cough* COVID-19). The song made me think a lot more about my crush, which is nice albeit distracting. But sometimes these kind of distractions are good.
The first sound your ears are greeted with is a triumphant roar from what sounds like a pipe. When I first heard of this, I was startled but then I got hyped. It was the kind of sound that, as the audience can see if they watch the accompanying music video, beckons the main protagonist (Varun Dhawan) to come to the festival and celebrate.
It was this roar that set the precedent for the entire song; the listener braces as they realize that what they’re about to hear will make their heart dance and their minds ecstatic.
Besides the roar, the rest of the song is backboned by a drumming da-ding. I found this to be the only flaw in the actual song, a lack of variety that always leaves me feeling a bit unpleasant. However, it doesn’t go without saying that the backbone complements the dynamic of the song.
The song can be thought of as a series of ocean waves. As time goes on, the wave builds up. Similarly, in First Class the music intensifies as the lyrics get more and more deeper (read the lyrics section for more). At critical moments in the song you can hear the roar in the background, but it’s not as profound as it was in the beginning.
Lyrics: 4/5
I have a couple of favorite lines from this song. For this section, I will just analyze the lines that stood out to me and to other listeners (refer to the YouTube comments of the music video).
To get the flaw out of the way, I didn’t really like the lyrics from the point Kiara Advani (female lead in the video) showed up. It was the same cliché “oh you’re the love of my life” spiel Bollywood is known for (refer to Ghagra for a good example of flirtatious behavior in Bollywood songs). I didn’t like it and I’m pretty sure they just needed to check off the female requirement in this song.
Anyways, here are the couple lines I found riveting:
1. मेरे जीवन की दशा
थोड़ा रस्तों का नशा
थोड़ी मंज़िल की प्यास है
This is the state of my life, A bit of intoxication here and there, And a great thirst for the destination
Something to know about me: I consider myself to be an explorer. I experiment and put myself out there a lot because you never know what you might discover. This lyric hits home because it discusses the struggle a lot of teenagers go through.
It’s a battle between having fun, setting up a bright future, and maintaining your endeavors. More often than not we are enamored by the distractions in our journeys. We become deceived by lust and greed sometimes that it throws us off our track.
The only ones who survive the intoxications are those with the greatest thirst, the strongest desire to reach their destination. It’s a powerful line.
2. बाक़ी सब First Class है
Everything else is first class.
There’s not much to read into here. The lyric is what it is. People get stressed out with their responsibilities to the point where their minds are plagued by negative thoughts. They start to overlook the positivity in their life, the things that are still going well. Varun does a great job in reminding everyone that everything’s, well, A-OK.
3. मेरी मुस्कान लिए कभी आती है सुबह
कभी शामें उदास है
Using my smile, sometimes mornings arrive And sometimes evenings become sad
This lyric holds a more sentimental weight. When I listen to this lyric, I think back to all of the people that I meet everyday. It’s hard to tell what’s going on in someone’s life, so the best you can do is show as much kindness as you can. Who knows, maybe you just made their day.
Actions speak louder than words, as the saying goes. Even if I’m having a bad day, I still put on a smile. I would never want an evening to be sad.
Video: 5/5
There’s a lot going on: Firecrackers, lights, it reminds me of the temple during Durga Puja. Varun does a great job with the choreography and the signature dance move is forever in my mind.
Everything’s so synchronized too, especially when everyone starts saying “Baki sab First Class hai”. Varun’s expressions were amazing, and it‘s always a great experience to watch the music video.
Final Thoughts:
What I’ve learned from this song is that everything is fine (stolen from The Good Place). I try to play this song after a long day, when I get off of my train at my neighborhood station. The view of the sunset behind the Manhattan skyline is breathtaking and it’s then that Varun’s words reach its ultimate value: Baki sab First Class Hai
I’m kinda going all over the place when it comes to the chronology of these songs.
Back to early 2000s! Ahh, how I’ve missed this decade. It was the decade when Akshay Kumar and Aamir Khan acted in blockbuster movies. The song for this blog is Guzarish, a romantic song (jeez I’ve mainly been reviewing love songs).
TL;DR: 13/15
Songs Similar to Guzarish:
Dil Tu Hi Baata (Krrish 3)
Suraj Hua Madham (K3G)
Music: 5/5
The power of humming in this moment can break mountains.
I don’t know why but the characteristic hums and shrills of the early 2000s (think: Ek Ladki) always hit home. The producers knew how to catch the listener’s attention, and they employed it in the first few seconds.
The chords played after the humming places my imagination in a desert (and remarkably enough, the video is in a desert!). I think that there’s just enough fluctuation in pitch for it to be a pleasant song you can fall asleep too, or listen casually on your chair. Through the rest of the song, the music becomes a mixture of beats and humming. It’s soothing enough to make a nice complement to the song!
And one last thing: there is a nice progression of the intensity of the background music. It’s not like Zingaat where the music is just all over the place and always hyped. You can feel yourself go up-and-down to the progression of Guzarish and that’s why I give the song such a high rating.
Lyrics: 3 / 5
pretty cute.
Man, it feels so nice to hear a song with meaningful lyrics. The purpose of the song is to to simply express want.
And I know what you might be thanking. This is not lust or some superficial sex craze. Aamir (the protagonist) is getting hit with the feeling of unreciprocated love and all he wants is to be loved by his crush. What particularly stood out was:
bas ek haan ki guzarish
All I’m asking for is some affirmation
In order to really understand this lyric, you have to understand the difference between affirmation and confirmation. Unlike Salman Khan in O Jaana (stay tuned!), Aamir Khan isn’t trying to force anything. He simply wants the girl to talk to him, pamper him, basically be his friend.
However, there is an issue. The lyrics become repetitive after a while. Once you start to decipher the lyrics, the whole song doesn’t go beyond saying sappy metaphors and the typical “You’re so amazing omg!” routine. I feel that perhaps the addition of a duet would spice things up. Asin (the female protagonist) could perhaps be humming too or sing:
Hai Guzarish!
It’s my request!
Other than that, the song was well versed.
Video: 5/5
landscape be looking kinda fire doe.
The cinematography is definitely something else, especially for its time. It reminds me of an infant version of Dil Tu Hi Baata, where you get the same kind of landscape shots but the landscape itself doesn’t vary. Aamir Khan perfectly played the role of a lover, with his hand gestures and soul-searching stares (Think: Tharki Chokro).
Asin can naturally portray a shy but curious girl. In the movie where the song is from (Ghajini), the song plays right after a secondary character discovers Aamir’s diary, where he describes his coy interest in Asin. I also find the timing of this song perfect in the context of the film.
So… What?
(I indirectly do this in every post so far but basically this is a formal section where I describe what I’ve gained from this song and what the bigger picture is. Hopefully this helps you in understanding the benefit of listening to a given Hindi song. Bollywood has so many hidden gems that can truly change your world as long as you take the time to explore.)
What Guzarish teaches me is that relationships don’t have to be sexual. They can be purely wholesome, romantic, and helpful. Someone’s life can completely change if you take a few minutes of your day to spend time with them. They might not show that they want to hang out, but there’s a chance that they’re just shy. So take the first step. Talk to that person. You never know what you might’ve changed in that person’s life.
Nath’s Bollywood Music Review 