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AR Rahman's Tamil Blockbuster "BOYS"

Topic started by Theepan (@ 209.197.167.70) on Tue May 6 23:23:20 EDT 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Rahman's much anticipated "Boys" is set to release soon and everyone is keen on finding out more about this album. Who are the singers? What are the soundtracks like? When is the release date? Will the album be delayed? If anyone has any idea; please post here....

Also; use this thread to discuss this album..

Here is what i found::

Typical of Shankar, the director is not prepared to say much about the film at this point. However, it is known that the film will be very youthful, almost teeny-bop, in content, with the majority of the cast being in the 16-23 age group.

Shankar, apparently, has decided to cast all new faces in his film – and the younger the better.

In fact, a mention in various Tamil periodicals, and an accompanying advertisement to the effect that Shankar was looking for new faces, has created a headache of sorts for the producers. Curriculums vitae have been pouring in to the Surya Movies post box ever since the ad and the story ran in the vernacular press – and last heard from, the flood shows no signs of abating.

Curiously enough, the ad appears – thanks to emails and discussion groups – to have reached an audience abroad as well, with the result that newer batches of applications have US, British and suchlike stamps on them, which suits the producer and director fine since the film does incorporate a lot of NRI faces.

For Shankar, Boys will be a return to romance after Kadhalan, and to comedy after the Aishwarya Rai-Prashanth starrer Jeans. Though the film will feature fresh – and ergo, inexpensive – faces, Shankar maintains that the film will be typical of his style, which means lavish budgets, and expensive production values.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: paran (@ 203.123.16.78) on: Tue Nov 4 05:02:18 EST 2003
  
  
  2. Meherbaan (Asha Bhosle, Sukhwinder; lyrics- Javed Akhtar):
  
  3---2---1---0...this is how the countdown begins. After "Radha kaise na jale" & "Chori pe chori", Ashaji is back in form with Meherbaan. She's the queen of hearts, especially when she renders such kind of songs. Recently when Ashaji turned 70, someone had asked her favourute composers. Apart from R.D.Burman (naturally), the immediate name was Rahman. Getting appreaciation & admiration from such big legends is the biggest compliment for any musician. the song does not actually belong to the album but its just added to give it a mass-appeal, an 'item number' label. The song starts with tympani & Ashaji's haunting vocals till the percussion becomes heavier. The rhythm is very catchy. Its an instant crowd-puller. He's used an arrangement of digital as well as natural percussions. The flute follows the vocals. As the beat proceeds, there r a lot of digital voices in the background like the cell-phones ringing, a lady saying '3-2-1-0', etc. This just adds to the curiosity of whats gonna follow. Towards the beginning of the song one can her the strumming of the sitar. The main song starts...
  
  "Meherbaan meherbaan, kyon ho naraaz tum, kyon ho tum badgumaan...",
  ( dear why are you so upset with me, why do u have so many misconceptions?')
  
  The mukhda is based on Raga Darbari. In the lines "kyun ho tum badgumaan", the note shifts from Komal Dha to shuddha dha giving it a chromatic nature. Sukhwinder enters with the chants 'meherbaan' which is almost like "Rehnuma' from Udhaya. But that chanting by Sukhwinder is very energetic & gets easily memorised. What is amazing thru out the song is the use of Bass guitars. Its just simply mind-blowing. Rahman is a genius when it comes to arrangements. After the chanting, the song shifts to Raga Bahar employing both the Nishadhs (like it was in "Kannathil muthamittal"). The overall song resembles quite a lot like "Thenmerkku paruva katrae". Then comes the real winner....the magical flute by Naveen. I think Rahman just gives him a free hand & Naveen gets into the groove. He's one of the oldest musicians with ARR! He travels thru a whole journey & galaxy of notes with heavy percussions. Suddenly, the piano glides thru a different set of notes. The melody changes. Normal ARR complication! There's ample support from the strings section (thanx to Srinivasamurthy). I love the lines "labz inkaar ka, lehza ikraar ka" which mean 'words of refusal but with a tone of acceptance". Only Javed saab can write such antithesis! Again, the song does not follow routine mukhda-antra format. After that there's lot of heavy percussions followed by the chanting. Ashaji gives her sensuous feel to the words "Aao bataaun apni har baat main, tumse kar doon bayaan apne jazbaat main". I definitely agree when people say that after RDB, Ashaji has given her best to ARR. She adds her touch by singing 'Mehebaan' with lots of harqats every time. Its only because of Ashaji's immortal vocals & Rahman's ever-dependable arrangement that the song becomes a winner all the way! When you see Urmila dancing & emoting this song on the golden beaches with innovative costumes & choreography, you feel that enough justice has been given to the music.
  Rating: **** 1/2
  
  
• From: paran (@ 203.123.16.78) on: Tue Nov 4 05:02:43 EST 2003
  
  
  3. Mujhpe toofan (Sujata Bhattacharya; lyrics- Momin Khan Momin):
  
  Here Khalid has chosen the traditional poetry of one of the greatestUrdu poets of 18th century, Momin Khan. His takkhallus (pen-name) was Momin. Rahman returns to his style of composing & does a marvellous job. This song can be called a s an authentic ghazal- perfect tune, arrangement & style. This song comes in the league of "Snegidhane", "So gaye hain", etc. The song is based on Raga Kirwani. It starts with soft santoor & flutes. This was the music used in the 1st trailors. The rhythm has been set to Taal Deepchandi (14 beats) again but this is much softer & better. Sujata gets an opportunity to explore her talent but musically speaking, she is mediocre in this song as compared to 'Na shikwa hota'. The reason is that she is not clear in many places. When she sings the upper notes, her clarity is lost. The tone is correct but rendering needed more force. Moreover, I felt that compared to other songs, the balancing of this song was not proper. The song has a faint volume thru out & the vocals r not clear. But full marks to the composition. The strings section (violins, cellos, violas) are amazing at providing chords. There are faint claps too (a regular ARR feature). The claps echo during the lines "kar diya apne aane jaane ke...". There's a lot of use of chromatic notes (shuddha & komal Dhaivat and Nishadh simultaneously).
  
  "Mujhpe toofan uthaaye logon ne, muft baithe-bithaaye logon ne"
  (people have raised many eyebrows (storm) on me just like that.)
  
  When she returns to the main lines there's a faint tabla. The 1st interlude mainly has female harmony. The antras are just beautiful with much twist-n-turns in the composition. The 2nd interlude is the highlight. It has pan-flutes, santoor piano & male harmony.
  
  "Sun ke udti si apni chaahat ki,dono ke hosh udaaye logon ne, bin kahe raaz aaye dilhaani, use kyon kar sunaaye logon ne". (Why did people make us hear so much after listening to our affair?)
  
  After the 2nd interlude, there's female harmony along with Sujata while singing the main lines. The 3rd interlude is pretty short & has a solo violin.
  
  "Kya tamasha hai jo na dekhe the, woh tamashe dikhaaye logon ne, kar diya Momin us sanam ko khafa, kya kiya haaye-haaye logon ne".
  (People made us see & hear things which we had never experienced, they made my beloved & me apart, look what they've done to us!)
  
  This song is written mainly for lovers whose love was never accepted by the society. Here 'logon' means society. Two lovers who could never meet because of various social reasons & what pain and agony they go thru has been described by Momin here. So the whole song has a sad & tragic feel. Towards the end, one can hear beats of tabla very clearly just to enhance the mood. Rahman has done full justice to depict this pain. What a composition! One of the best composed songs by Rahman in recent times.
  Rating- **** 1/2
  
  
• From: paran (@ 203.123.16.78) on: Tue Nov 4 05:02:59 EST 2003
  
  
  4. I wanna be free (Anupama, Mathangi; lyrics- Blaaze):
  
  When u listen to this song after the soothing ghazals, u feel 'where has this song come from?' Seriously, this song has just been added for mass-appeal. This song has been picturised on Namrata Shirodkar (Pukar fame) & its one of the item-numbers in the film (like Sushmita Sen did in Fiza). This is more of an instrumental theme than a song & is much like Spirit of Rangeela (the latter was a masterpiece). Rahman has just used samples & loops here with powerful vocals. The song can be categorised as Trance (Bailamore from Kadhal Virus). The mood & the treatment is similar. Lots of heavy western percussions have been blended with Bass & electric guitars. The only melody instrument in the song is woodwinds. Blaaze contributes to the lyrics which r not more than 2-3 lines "I wanna be free, break the chain....tod de zanjeer". The music sometimes tends to be loud. The singers do justice, adding much punch & force. Mathangi's voice is sweeter while Anupama adds immense power. As I had written for 'Bailamore' that it creates an atmosphere of smoke & adolescence, the same can be said here. R.D.Burman had tried something like this in "dum maro dum" & "aao kash mein kash" from Hare Rama Hare Krishna. The guitar work is splendid especially if u hear the part at around 1.52 mins. The voices have been digittaly manipulated when Mathangi's voice drops from a high note to the lowest note. The music is catchy but it seems odd in such an album. The song has already been criticised by many reviwers. The music forms a crescendo (climax) towrds the end when suddenly the style changes to western classical opera. The heavy percussions stop & melody enters. The lines "Freedom" r the highlight. Almost for a moment u feel u r listening to an International album like 'Bombay Dreams'. These 2 lines r the saving grace. It has come out extemely well. It brings out the character of the song. I wish there was more of this. But alas! it lasts only for 1/2 a minute. The songs returns back to the normal pace. The biggest disappointment is the end. When u get into the groove, it suddenly stops. Its an abrupt end. U wait for more but the song has already passed on. He cud have used a fading effect. But anyways, the rest of the songs cover-up for this one. It'll only be a visual treat to watch this song (as hyped by Khalid & Namrata). This song can easily find its place in discotheques. I think u can press the forward button!
  Rating- *** (just-about)
  
  
• From: paran (@ 203.123.16.78) on: Tue Nov 4 05:03:11 EST 2003
  
  
  5. Sabaq aisa (Sujata Bhattacharya; lyrics- Dagh Dehlvi):
  
  Rahman returns to his favourite Raga Bhairavi. In the Simi Garewal interview he had mentioned that one of his favourite composition was "Mera rang de basanti chola" from TLOBS which is also in Bhairavi. When the song starts with typical Western percussions, u feel its just another kinda song & definitely not a ghazal. But u r in for a surprise! Its a traditional ghazal penned by one of the greatest Urdu poets, Dagh. This is Rahman! When Sujata starts to sing the lines "sabaq aisa" u feel nostalgic. The tune is just beautiful with the correct blend of pathos & pain. At one thought u feel tht this song cud have suited Richa Sharma or Shubha Mudgal's voice. Not that Sujata has sung it badly. But its just a feeling. The song has bass, spanish guitars with faded tabla as a support.
  
  "Sabaq aisa padhaa diya tune, dil se sab kuch bhula diya tune"
  (You've taught me such a lesson that all memories have been wiped off from my heart)
  "Betalab jo diya milaa mujhko, begaraz jo diya, diya tune"
  (I never got anything which I desired/ I always got the unwanted)
  
  The best part of this song is the arrangement. The 1st interlude has amazing saxophone by Martin. It reminds me of the incredible work done by Kadri in all the songs of 'Duet'. The interesting part of Bhairavi is that it gives the freedom of using all 12 notes. The 1st line of the antras uses Shuddha Gandhar instead of the komal one of Bhairavi. The song gets ample embellishment from the glides of the harp whenever the notes keep changing. The 2nd interlude has the harmony which is exactly similar to that of "Mera rang de" from TLOBS. Also it has resemblance to "Rajiyama" from Baba. The last 2 lines of the song r just incredible.
  
  "Mujh gunehgaar ko jo baqsh diya, to jahannum ko kya diya tune?"
  (If u forgive a criminal like me then what have u given to hell?)
  "Dagh ko kaun denewala tha, jo diya aye khuda diya tune"
  (who was going to give Dagh such a place, whatever he got has been given by God)
  
  Whenever Sujata sings 'diya tune', it echoes in our souls. It has been rendered so beautifully! In the end, there's harmony in the base voice supporting Sujata. This song too has a lot of pain & agony. This song is like most ARR songs...it haunts u like anything & slowly grows on u. The more u listen, the more u go deep & get immersed in the song. The song ends with a masterpiece sax rendition. Again, Rahman has given a free hand to Martin & he does so. He excels in creating the right mood. He ends it with a traditional tihaai (3 times) without any percussions just on his sax. And u crave for more. Its one of the best-composed songs. What is credible is that Rahman has not stuck to the usual meter of the song, its free-flowing as & when the emotions spring up. I think Bhairavi has never sounded so fresh & full-of-pathos in any other composer's song. This is the creativity of the maestro. Again, if the percussions were kept a bit softer, one cud hear the lyrics clearly.
  Rating- **** 1/2
  
  
• From: paran (@ 203.123.16.78) on: Tue Nov 4 05:03:31 EST 2003
  
  
  6. Khoyee khoyee ankhein (Shaan; lyrics- Shad Azimabadi):
  
  This was the first song to be aired on T.V. & I remember the immediate reactions of all members that it doest not sound Rahman-ish at all. Yes...when I heard the song, I felt the same. But as usual I did not get disappointed as I wanted to listen to the whole song before I cud pass my verdict. That helped. Until I heard the song, I was under the impression that ARR has done a very under-rated stuff. Listen to the whole song on personal headphones & u'll agree. The song is not so bad. In fact its really come out well, especially with Shaan's youthful vocals. This song describes the beauty of a lady with an amalgam of adjectives.
  
  
  "Khoyee khoyee ankhein hain, gori gori rangat hai, lambe lambe gesu hain, bholi bholi soorat hai"
  (lost eyes, fair complexion, long shiny hair, innocent face)
  
  The song kicks of with heavy bass & synth-waves. The percussion is very westernised & heavy. Shaan enter with syllables like 'Na na nari nari...'. This phrase ensures the youthfulness & pep of the entire song. It will be instantly liked by the younger generation. The guitar work on the alaap "hey...." reminds me of Chandralekha from Thiruda Thiruda. There's good inputs by the strings section thru out the song.
  
  "Aadhi aadhi chitwan hai, tedhe tedhe abroo hai, neechi neechi nazrein hai, kuch kuch dil mein ulfat hai"
  (cross glances, crooked eyebrows, dropping eyes, some trust in the heart)
  
  

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