Oscar to Gulzar and Rahman

Two geniuses of our times - Gulzar and Rahman - have won the coveted and most famous award in the world of Cinema - Academy Award (Oscars) for their song Jai Ho! in Slumdog Millionaire today (22nd Feb 2009 in US, 23rd Feb 2009 in India)....... I am so happy!! here is the lyrics of song that won them the award.

Jai Ho!

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Jai Ho!
Ratti ratti sachchi maine jaan gawayi hai
Nach Nach koylon pe raat bitaayi hai
Ankhiyon ki neend maine phoonkon se udaa di
Gin gin taarey maine ungli jalayi hai
Eh Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley

Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)
Ahora conmigo, tu baila para hoy
(Now with me, you dance for today)
Por nuestro dia de movidas,
(For our day of moves,)
los problemas los que sean
(whatever problems may be)
Salud!
(Cheers!)
Baila! Baila!
(Dance! Dance!)

Jai Ho!
Chakh le, haan chakh le, yeh raat shehed hai
Chakh le, haan rakh le,
Dil hai, dil aakhri hadd hai
Kaala kaala kaajal tera
Koi kaala jaadu hai na?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
Jai Ho!

Kab se haan kab se jo lab pe ruki hai
Keh de, keh de, haan keh de
Ab aankh jhuki hai
Aisi aisi roshan aankhein
Roshan dono heerey hain kya?

Aaja aaja jind shamiyaane ke taley
Aaja zari waale neele aasmaane ke taley
Jai Ho!

Movie Review - WALL E

WALL – E is an abnormal story of warmth-filled silence (film has hardly any dialogue), animated, on an earth which is uninhabited except for a cleaning-robot called WALL-E and his sidekick (a cockroach).

You hardly have any hook if you just hear the story before viewing it. But my god, even the machines can espouse emotions and that’s when you realise you are getting interested in the whole affair hardly 30 seconds in to the movie.

Pixar, the makers of this animation, show how real the animation can go, when you realise that the vast angles shown of earth and its sky scrapers are animated schenes and not the real life photographs/ videos. How the movie carries on with its narration despite no characters and no dialogue is a new chapter in movie making. A must watch for those who like feel-good movies.

The movie is a love story of Wall-E with another cute robot Eva. Premise is pre-posterous, of two machines falling in love, but not at all unbelievable the way it has been portrayed.

Anything from Pixar next time, and you will surely be tempted to see what new frontiers have they conquered. Wall-E is a defining effort.

DARK KNIGHT - Moview Review

I saw the movie "Dark Knight" yesterday at a multiplex. The movie is too good, but I am confused about the genre I should place it in. It is a superhero movie, action movie, thriller, social drama, great face-offs through dialogues, great photography, great acting, moral drama where characters play mind-games (see Heath Ledger to know what the evil looks like. One of the promos for the movie said for the character played by him "Joker" – "Joker doesn't have any shades of Grey. He is absolute.")

One of my colleagues who watched the late night show said to me next morning that he couldn't sleep because Joker's slurping face came before his eyes the moment he closed his eyes. Such is the effect this character has on mind. So much so that even superhero Batman finds it difficult to understand his motivation and hence find a way to corrupt him. In one of the scenes, Joker burns all the money that whole of underworld had as parallel black economy saying that "Crime because of money is petty. All present day crop (of convicts) is sub-standard. Gotham city needs better grade (of criminals), of those who do not do it because of these petty gains." He, in another scene, questions "You do good, that is good, but what is good. That's a good question. I mean, if what I do was labeled good, you would have felt good in doing this as well. Its about everything going as per plan. If I blow a lorry full of soldiers, you won't feel a prick, because its acceptable in world's sinister plan. But if I kill a single poor Mayor after announcing that I will kill him, your world topples over its head because its not what the plan is. I do not plan, but make sure to demonstrate that no plan succeeds." Well, others have done their part very well, including Christian Bale as Batman. Special effects are top class, so is specially-done photography with new-gen camera with INOX experience (didn't know what it means, till I saw it and it looks spectacular). But no one comes close to what Joker stands for – pure evil, who is surprisingly convincing.

What makes music soothing?

What is it in music that makes for good listening, and, at a higher plane, for soulful relaxing. Perhaps its "naad", a sanskrit word meaning "origin of sound", which generates this experience of sound, thus words, and thus songs - giving human existence an exalted position in universe. Perhaps its because music has rhythm, a flow, which helps human atoms synchronise itself with his/ her surroundings. Like a magnet helping electorns in iron bar straigtening themselves, giving them power hitherto unknown to them to attract metal henceforth. Music does it with our heart....... giving a sense of belonging to otherwise chaotic and unattached existence.

Just watched "Music and Lyrics " starring Barrymore and Grant. Genre was musical, but what I loved was the way words unfolded the story, in themselves evolving but helping the progression in an easy flowing manner. And, at the end was the question that i asked at the start of this piece - What is it in music that makes for good listening, and, at a higher plane, for soulful relaxing.