Sukhwinder rendered a RocK(al)yng track

It was in the slog overs (that is, the third and final track of Sachin: A Billion Dreams) that A R Rahman, with the music director’s baton in hand, dispatched one to the boundary.

Well, the track in question – Sachin Sachin – was four minutes and nine seconds long.

It was inspired by the fans' chant at stadia across India, and appeared in the Hindi, Marathi, Tamil and Telugu versions of the film.

It was penned by Irshad Kamil.

The Hindi version of the track was rendered by Sukhwinder Singh, with Kaly as the back-up vocalist.

Rahman's son and Anjali shone

The middle overs – read: the second, and shortest, of the three tracks on the soundtrack of Sachin: A Billion Dreams – introduced listeners to a new pair of singers – A R Ameen (whose father, A R Rahman, composed the film’s music) and Anjali Gaikwad.

The song in question was Mard Maratha. It was three minutes and 34 seconds long.

Irshad Kamil penned all the three songs of the Hindi version* of the docudrama.

(*Note: The film was simultaneously shot in Marathi and English, and dubbed into Tamil and Telugu. It was symbolic of Tendulkar’s pan-India appeal.)

Rahman was truly an A(ll)-R(ounder)

Being a blogger with passions for music and cricket, it was appropriate to include the songs of Sachin: A Billion Dreams (2017).

While most of A R Rahman's Hindi film soundtracks are comparable to Tests, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that the music of the film based on the life of Tendulkar, the legendary Indian cricketer, was akin to a Twenty20 match.

The longest track in the film (or the soundtrack's Powerplay) was Hind Mere Jind, which was five minutes and 14 seconds long.

Penned by Irshad Kamil, it was rendered by Rahman himself.

Rahman’s rendition was truly (Srini)d(h)isappointing

There’s no doubt that the title track of OK Jaanu was a letdown, despite the fact that it was penned by none other than Gulzar.

The track, which was three minutes and 26 seconds long, was composed by A R Rahman.

But by no means was his contribution to it limited to wielding the music director's baton. He rendered it too.

Ms Venkatesh shared S(rinidh)inging credits with him.

The song may have made it way to the charts, but it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that it didn’t have the qualities to stay on them.

Nobody was En(n)amoured with (Arij)it

OK Jaanu, which released in 2017, was the remake of O Kadhal Kanmani (also known as OK Kanmani). The latter was a Tamil film which released a couple of years before the former.

Mercifully, the soundtrack of the Hindi version was short, and its most popular tracks were, incidentally, the shortest of the lot.

Enna Sona – which borrowed its opening line from Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan’s classic – was just three minutes and 33 seconds long.

Rendered by Singh, (Arij)it was the longer of the two tracks from the film on this blog.

Gulzar penned it.

Rianjali co-wrote it, besides singinG(andh)it

Raakh Baaki was the longer of the two songs on the soundtrack of Mom that Rianjali co-wrote – it was five minutes and 43 seconds long.

She shared penning credits with Irshad Kamil.

But by no means was her contribution to the track, which was composed by A R Rahman, wasn’t limited to that – she teamed up with Jonita Gandhi to render it.

Since it was the seventh and final song from the film (if they were arranged in alphabetical order), it would not be incorrect to state that the best was literally saved for last.

Rahman and Tirupati S(hasha)alvaged it

By no means would it be incorrect to say that A R Rahman, who didn’t just compose, but also rendered O Sona Tere Liye, salvaged the soundtrack of Mom.

The song was five minutes and 20 seconds long.

Ms Tirupati Sh(asha)ared singing credits with him.

It is not difficult to picture a sales executive mouthing a pitch on the lines of, “O listeners, aap ke liye... Ek soul-stirring song.”

Because, indeed, that is perhaps the best word (if not the only one) to describe the track, which was penned by none other than Irshad Kamil.

Registering Darshana's rendition was mushkil

Muafi Mushkil was the shorter of the two female solos on the soundtrack of Mom.

The song was rendered by Darshana K T and was four minutes and 48 seconds long.

The phrase is colloquial Arabic for no problem, but in Hindi, it could be translated to pardon is difficult.

But die-hard fans of A R Rahman, who composed the track, would state that there was a problem – he put too many mediocre tracks together. And it was probably a tad difficult to pardon him for the same.

The lyrics were credited to Irshad Kamil.

Rahman’s go-to Sing(h)ers didn’t (Bl)a(m)aze

Kooke Kawn, a traditional track, was the shortest song on the soundtrack of Mom – it was three minutes and 33 seconds long.

It was one of the two tracks in the film that were rendered by male vocalists – Blaaze shared Sing(h)ing credits with the seasoned Sukhwinder.

By no means would it be incorrect to state that the duo let the listeners down.

The song, which was composed by A R Rahman, was nothing to crow about either.

And there’s no doubt that the best word to describe its lyrics, penned by Irshad Kamil, was insipid.

These giRlS suRely had fun

Freaking Life, from Mom, was the shorter of the two songs in the film that Irshad Kamil co-wrote – it was four minutes and five seconds long.

His partner in rhyme was Rianjali, who was also one of the three ladies who rendered it.

The others were Raja Kumari and Suzanne D’Mello. The former is the stage name of Swetha Yellapragada Rao, an Indian American rapper.

It was composed by A R Rahman, and was one of the two tracks that were reused in the film’s Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam versions. The other was Be Nazaara.

Tirupati S(hasha)ang this long song

Chal Kahin Door, the longest of the six songs composed by A R Rahman* in the film Mom, which released in 2017, was six minutes and 28 seconds long.

The track was penned by Irshad Kamil.

It was the longer of the two female solos in the film – it was rendered by Shashaa Tirupati, who was born in India and raised in Canada.

(*Note: Be Nazaara, the seventh track from the film, is not a post on this blog, because it was only programmed and arranged by Rahman. The song was rendered by Sudeep Jaipurwale.)

Rahman San(ah)g AnotheR lacklustre song

While the title track of Mohenjo Daro was the longest song in the film (a fact I didn’t mention), Tu Hai was at the other end of the spectrum – it was just three minutes and 59 seconds long.

Sanah Moidutty’s rendition must have prompted the listeners to exclaim, “Tu hai (You are) one of the voices of tomorrow”.

After all, she salvaged a track, which wasn’t just composed, but also rendered by none other than A R Rahman.

Maybe the fact that it was an intense romantic number worked against it.

Javed Akhtar penned it.

It waS a mere ABeRration

No one expected the music of Mohenjo Daro, which released in 2016, to create history, but it certainly wasn't expected to fare as poorly as it did either.

Of course, every composer has at least one dud in his discography, but A R Rahman appeared to have grabbed the albatross (read: Mohenjo Mohenjo, the film’s title track, which was six minutes and 22 seconds long) and put it around his neck.

He didn’t just compose it, but also rendered it.

Arijit, Bela Shende and Sanah Moidutty shared Sing(h)ing credits with him.

Javed Akhtar penned it.

ShashWat rendered (Arij)it with gusto

Wat Wat Wat – for those who want to know what on earth is that, it is a track from Tamasha.

It was rendered by two Singhs, namely Arijit (who is truly the king of playback at the moment) and Shashwat (doesn’t he deserve brownie points because the song is a part of his name?)

There were a couple of versions of the song – the original (which was four minutes and 58 seconds long) and the Vengeance Mix (which was three minutes and 55 seconds long).

Irshad Kamil penned the track, which A R Rahman composed.

It was A long tRAck

Of the seven songs on the soundtrack of Tamasha, Tu Koi Aur Hai was the longest – it was seven minutes and 20 seconds long.

It would certainly not be incorrect to state that the listeners would rephrase the song to echo a sentiment about it (after listening to it a few times, of course) – “Yeh kuchh aur tha” [which could be translated to, “This (song) is something else (in other words, mind-blowing)”].

Penned by Irshad Kamil, it was composed and rendered by A R Rahman.

Alma Ferovic and Arjun Chandy were credited as backing vocalists.

Appropriately, the vocAlist was Lucky

Lucky is a singer who believes in quAlity and not in quantity. That is what explains why he isn’t a regular on the Hindi film music scene.

But soundtracks that feature songs rendered by him have always been worth the wait.

One of them was the soundtrack of Tamasha. The song in question was Safarnama, which, as the title suggests, was a journey song.

Of the seven songs in the film, it was the shortest – it was four minutes and 11 seconds long.

It was penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by A R Rahman.

It was certainly a (Mo)hit

Every youngster, regardless of gender, wants to be free-spirited and head out for Matargashti, which is Hindi for fun.

It was also a popular song from Tamasha. Rendered by Mr Chauhan, (Moh)it was five minutes and 28 seconds long.

The track paid homage to a pair of legendary actors from the Golden Era of Hindi films – the evergreen Dev Anand and the showman Raj Kapoor (the grandfather of the film’s lead, Ranbir Kapoor).

A track that one might listen to during a journey, it was penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by A R Rahman.

It wA(Zi)z tailor-made for Mika

Heer Toh Badi Sad Hai, but listeners toh bade glad hue.

After all, it was undoubtedly the catchiest song on the soundtrack of Tamasha.

The track was five minutes and 27 seconds long.

It wA(zi)z right up Mika and Nakash's alley. In fact, it was perhaps a tad difficult to imagine anyone but them rendering it.

While many of today’s Hindi film songs have English words, they fail to stay in the memories of the listeners.

But this one did because there was a method to lyricist Irshad Kamil's madness.

A R Rahman composed it.

The Haris complemented Mr Singh

Chali Kahani, from Tamasha, was indeed an interesting track.

It was five minutes and 19 seconds long, and had references to various figures from Indian folklore (Sohni and Mahiwal), mythology (Kamsa and Lord Krishna), the Bible (Moses) and even the Indian epic Mughal-E-Azam.

It was a situational song, which was penned by Irshad Kamil.

The man who rendered it was none other than Sukhwinder. Not for nothing is the Sing(h)er considered a favourite with A R Rahman, who composed it.

He was joined behind the microphone by a couple of other singers, Haricharan and Haripriya.

(Arij)It marked Ms Yagnik's comeback

Fortunately, Alka Yagnik, who returned to the playback scene after a brief hiatus, wasn’t just welcomed back, but also got as much appreciation for her rendition as she did in her heyday.

The track in question was Agar Tum Saath Ho from Tamasha (2015), and the man who shared Sing(h)ing credits with her was none other than Arijit.

Irshad Kamil penned the song, which was five minutes and 41 seconds long and was a nominee in the Best Lyricist and Best Female Playback categories at most award ceremonies.

It was composed by A R Rahman.

ItS RHythM was itS USP

Lekar Hum Deewana Dil, the song from Yaadon Ki Baaraat, inspired the title of a film that released in 2014.

While its soundtrack wasn’t among A R Rahman’s best, one of its tracks – Khalifa – went on to become pretty popular with the youth, and those who like electronic dance music (EDM) in particular.

The song, which was five minutes and three seconds long, was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

It was rendered by a quintet, led by none other than the composer himself.

The others were newcomer Hriday Gattani, Mahesh Vinayakram, Shweta Pandit and Suzanne D'Mello.

The sisters' singing stirred souls

There’s no doubt that the catchiest song from Highway was the female version of Patakha Guddi.

It was a cracker of a track rendered by the Nooran Sisters (Jyoti and Sultana), whose mastery of the Sufi genre has impressed one and all.

While this version of the song was four minutes and 45 seconds long, its male version – which is not on this blog – was five minutes and 58 seconds long.

The latter was rendered by A R Rahman, who composed both the versions of the track.

Both the versions were penned by Irshad Kamil.

It was (Rahm)an addictive track

While most of his contemporaries were ruing the dip in their popularity, A R Rahman was cruising along the Highway. And composed the songs of the film of that name, which released in 2014.

His involvement in Maahi Ve, however, wasn’t just limited to music direction. He rendered the track too.

It was exactly four minutes long.

A typical Rahman composition that would grow on the listeners after several repetitions, it was admittedly a track that would have most of his fans hooked (but not for a long time).

It was penned by Irshad Kamil.

Javed Ali PacKed a punch

Tum Tak, from Raanjhanaa, introduced Hindi film music buffs to a newbie named Pooja Vaidyanath (also credited as Pooja A V).

She joined crooners of the cAlibre of Javed and Keerthi Sagathia behind the microphone.

A mind-blowing ballad, it was five minutes and four seconds long.

Penned by Irshad Kamil, it was the quintessential A R Rahman composition – a track that grows on the listeners after several repetitions.

But, of course, there is a difference – even after listening to it a number of times, there’s no guarantee that it will be pleasing to every ear.

Mr Shergill rendered ARocking track

Trust A R Rahman to pull a Rabbit out of his hat almost every time he wields the composer’s baton.

Mr Shergill was indeed the right man to render Tu Mun Shudi from Raanjhanaa.

But by no means was he the only one credited as the crooner – he was joined behind the microphone by none other than Chennai’s Mozart himself.

There is absolutely no connection between wafaayein (loyalties) and taaza hawaayein (fresh winds), but it was established by the wizard named Irshad Kamil, who penned it.

The track was four minutes and 42 seconds long.

This cross-border JUgalbandi was outstanding

A couple of male crooners. From neighbouring countries. Whose genres of music are dissimilar. One mind-blowing number.

That, in a nutshell, described the title track of Raanjhanaa.

Rendered by Jaswinder Singh (a ghazal singer from Mumbai) and Shiraz Uppal (a pop/rock singer from Lahore), it was the shortest of the four songs from the film on this blog – it was four minutes and 14 seconds long.

By far the most underrated song from what could be described as one of the most underrated A R Rahman soundtracks to date, it was penned by Irshad Kamil.

The Ensemble complemented the Sing(h)er

I stumbled upon Piya Milenge, from Raanjhanaa (2013), while reading about a song that I was planning to include in my blog on the songs of the 1950s.

It was Mirabai’s Ghoonghat Ke Pat Khol from Jogan (1950). It was composed by Bulo C Rani and rendered by Geeta Dutt (then called Geeta Roy). I dropped it.

Coming back to the present, Irshad Kamil penned the track, which A R Rahman composed.

Sukhwinder Singh and the KMMC Sufi Ensemble rendered it.

The longest song in the film, it was five minutes and 55 seconds long.

(Moh)It was certainly a (Ghosha)letdown

The longest of the four songs from Jab Tak Hai Jaan was saved for the last. But it was certainly not the best.

Folks, the track in question was Saans, which was five minutes and 28 seconds long.

As usual, Ms Ghoshal's rendition took everyone’s breath away, but Mohit Chauhan, the man who Sh(rey)ared singing credits with her, wasn’t in form.

The song, which was penned by Gulzar, was composed by A R Rahman.

Its Reprise version was a solo, which Ms Ghoshal sang. It was just a couple of minutes and six seconds long.

In its eN(ee)tirety, it wAs(hra)fantastic

It would not be incorrect to state that Jiya Re was the best song on the soundtrack of Jab Tak Hai Jaan.

The track, which was penned by Gulzar and composed by A R Rahman, was five minutes and 21 seconds long.

It was the only song in the film that was worth listening to on loop.

While that was attributable to the fact that it was a catchy and energetic number, the highlight of the track was certainly the rendition by debutante Neeti Mohan.

It also featured a rap portion, credited to Sofia Ashraf.

Raghav and Shilpa didn’t R(a)ock

The soundtracks of Yash Raj Films (YRF), and those directed by Yash Chopra in particular, have usually been awesome, and A R Rahman has been synonymous with music of a superior quality.

Going by those standards, it would not be incorrect to say that Ishq Shava, from Jab Tak Hai Jaan, left the listeners a tad disappointed.

It was penned by Gulzar, and was the shortest of the four songs from the film on this blog – it was four minutes and 32 seconds long.

The peppy duet was rendered by Raghav Mathur and Shilpa Rao.

Shergill succeeded at gRabbing attention

Jab Tak Hai Jaan, which released in 2012, was the last film directed by Yash Chopra, who died the same year.

Although the film released a few weeks after his death, he was able to witness the release of its soundtrack.

Its songs, which were penned by Gulzar, included Challa, which was five minutes and 23 seconds long.

A R Rahman composed the track, which was rendered by Gurpreet Singh Shergill, better known as Rabbi.

It was shot at several locations in London. These included Trafalgar Square, Canary Wharf, Hungerford Bridge and Golden Jubilee Bridges.

(Moh)Its attitude was its USP

Sadda Haq is Punjabi for, “It’s my right. Keep it here” (literally) [or figuratively, “Give it to me right here (and right now)”].

It was the most popular song from Rockstar.

Although (Moh)it was initially a tad difficult to picture Mr Chauhan, whose vocals are soothing, as a rocker, it must be said that he has done a pretty good (Cere)job.

The track, which was six minutes and five seconds long, was penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by A R Rahman.

Australian Orianthi Panagaris was the guitarist.

Clinton and Arpit Gupta were back-up vocalists.

(Moh)It was (Rahm)an enjoyable track

Naadaan – undoubtedly a wonderful palindrome – means innocent.

And Parindey can be translated to birds.

When the two are put together, what one gets is two things – (a) a phrase that can’t be used to describe the current generation of Hindi film music buffs and (b) an outstanding track from Rockstar.

The song, which was six minutes and 26 seconds long, was penned by Irshad Kamil.

(Moh)It was another display of the talents of the wearer of a couple of hats, who goes by the name of A(ll) R(ounder) Rahman.

Chauhan shared singing credits with him.

Rahman was indeed a MaJiciaN

Kun Faaya Kun – the Sufi track (or, to be precise, qawwali) from Rockstar – derived its title from an Arabic phrase, which could be translated to, “Be, and it is”.

It was the longest of the five songs from the film on this blog – it was seven minutes and 53 seconds long.

A R Rahman, whose first two initials could be short for All Rounder, didn’t just compose it, but rendered it as well.

He was joined behind the microphone by Mohit Chauhan, Javed Ali and the Nizami Brothers.

The track was penned by Irshad Kamil.

Harshdeep had the listeners hooked

Does Ting Ling ring a bell?

Folks, that was the hook at the beginning of Katiya Karoon from Rockstar.

Of the five songs from the film on this blog, it was the shortest – it was three minutes and 59 seconds long.

It earned Harshdeep Kaur nominations in the Best Female Playback Singer category at the Filmfare Awards and the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

It would not be incorrect to say that Sapna Awasthi, who provided the additional vocals, upped the entertainment quotient.

Irshad Kamil penned the track, which was composed by A R Rahman.

(Moh)It was (Chauh)an award-winning number

When a seemingly confident individual says that his words destroy all that he wants to say, all one can do is marvel at the irony.

Incidentally, that was exactly what the first two lines of Jo Bhi Main, the track from Rockstar (2011), could be translated to.

It earned Mohit Chauhan the Best Male Playback Singer Award at the Filmfare Awards.

The song, which was preceded by a few repetitions of the phrase Oh Yeah Yeah, was four minutes and 35 seconds long.

It was penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by A R Rahman.

Rekha sang some outstanding (A)lines

Ranjha Ranjha was truly an exquisite song. In fact, it was, by far, the best song on the soundtrack of Raavan, and possibly the numero uno track of the year.

The opening line of the track was an adaptation of Sufi poet Bulleh Shah's Ranjha Ranjha Kardi.

The song, which was penned by Gulzar and composed by A R Rahman, was five minutes and 54 seconds long.

It was one of the gems in the discography of Rekha Bhardwaj. She was joined behind the microphone by Javed Ali. Additional vocals were provided by Anuradha Sriram.

Karthik's rendition was undoubtedly (Ir)fantastic

On listening to Behene De, from Raavan, one can (and should) be forgiven for thinking it was a reference to A R Rahman’s creative juices.

If it were composed by anyone else, the listeners would’ve said, “Rehene De” (which can be translated to, “Let it be”).

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

The track, which Gulzar penned, was rendered by Karthik, who was ably supported by Mohammed Irfan, who won the reality show Jo Jeeta Wohi Super Star 2.

Mr Prakash rendered (Must)afast-paced track

Raavan was the Hindi version of the bilingual which released in 2010. Its Tamil version, titled Raavanan, released simultaneously.

Of the three songs from the film on this blog, Beera Beera was the shortest – it was three minutes and 15 seconds long.

Rendered by Vijay Prakash and Mustafa, it was (Kuto)anenergetic track.

Keerthi Sagathia was credited as an additional vocalist.

A R Rahman’s penchant for experiments showed no signs of waning, but this track, which was penned by Gulzar, was not as popular as the former’s previous songs whose titles had the same word twice.

This sonG(hosha)left many Alistener disappointed

The title of the film, which released in 2010, may have been Jhootha Hi Sahi, but the truth must be told – Cry Cry, inarguably the most popular song in the film, was a letdown.

The track, which was penned by Abbas Tyrewala, was four minutes and 26 seconds long.

It was composed by A R Rahman.

The track, whose opening lines made everyone wonder why we become sad, was a mere blip in the discography of Ghoshal, who is usually dependable.

Rashid Ali, who was also credited as a guitarist, Sh(rey)ared singing credits with her.

AYe, Ila rendered a Ring(a)tone

It would not actually have been a surprise if people had set Ringa Ringa, from Slumdog Millionaire, as their ringtones – it was A(l)katchy song.

Rendered by Ms Yagnik and Ila Arun, the song was reminiscent of Choli Ke Peechhe Kya Hai (but it failed to match the popularity that cult classic achieved).

In fact, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that with this composition, A R Rahman gave the film’s soundtrack, which was eclectic, a tadka of Hindi film music.

It was four minutes and 15 seconds long.

The track was penned by Raqeeb Alam.

ThiS song becaMe Very popular

Since it’s my blog, I have the leeway to write a post about a song that wasn’t from a Hindi film, but went on to become more popular than most songs from Hindi films that released that time.

Folks, the track was Jai Ho from Slumdog Millionaire, which released overseas in 2008 and in India in 2009.

The song, which Gulzar and Tanvi Shah penned, was five minutes and 19 seconds long.

It earned A R Rahman the Academy Award for Best Original Song.

Shah shared Sing(h)ing credits with Sukhwinder, Mahalakshmi Iyer and Vijay Prakash.

Benny and Co definitely capitalised

The title track of Delhi-6, also called Yeh Dilli Hai Mere Yaar, was undoubtedly a catchy number, but it was probably not the sort of track that a person who doesn’t live in the city, or hasn’t been there, could relate to.

While Prasoon Joshi penned it, the French portion was penned by Vivienne Pocha and Claire, who shared singing credits with Benny Dayal, Blaaze and Tanvi Shah.

Yeh A R Rahman ki composition thi mere yaar, and needless to say, he did an outstanding job.

The song was three minutes and 36 seconds long.

It was among Rahman’s BesT

Just when the listeners start thinking, “This is A R Rahman's best to date”, the maestro, who has surprises galore up his sleeve, comes up with one that makes them go, “Woah, this is superb!”

That was certainly the feeling they got on listening to Rehna Tu from Delhi-6.

The track, which was six minutes and 51 seconds long, was penned by Prasoon Joshi.

Rahman's role in the song wasn’t just limited to wielding the composer’s baton, but he rendered it too.

The legend was joined behind the microphone by Benny Dayal and Tanvi Shah.

Mr Chauhan sang a (Mo)hit

Masakali, the name of a dove in Delhi-6, inspired what undoubtedly went on to become a very popular track in the film.

Of course, the song, which was four minutes and 50 seconds long, wasn’t universally appreciated, but it earned the Airtel Mirchi Music Award for Best Song of the Year in 2009.

Prasoon Joshi, A R Rahman and Mohit Chauhan bagged awards in the Best Lyricist, Best Music Director and Best Male Vocalist of the Year categories, respectively, at the aforementioned ceremony.

Chauhan also bagged the Filmfare Award in the Best Male Playback category.

This Short Song was MemoRable

Only a genius of A R Rahman’s calibre can be appreciated for a track with a traditional feel and modern treatment.

Folks, the song in question was none other than Genda Phool from Delhi-6.

It was just a couple of minutes and 50 seconds long.

Prasoon Joshi penned the song, which earned Rekha Bhardwaj the Filmfare Award for Best Female Playback Singer, in addition to nominations in the same category at the Star Screen Awards and the International Indian Film Academy Awards.

She was joined behind the microphone by Mahathi, Shrraddha Pandit and Sujata Mazumder.

The vocAlists were chosen Kherectly

Arziyan was the longest song on the soundtrack of Delhi-6, which released in 2009 – it was eight minutes and 41 seconds long.

It was tailor-made for both the vocAlists (Javed and Kailash Kher). So it was no surprise that they were nominated in the Best Male Playback Singer category at the Filmfare Awards.

The track, which was penned by Prasoon Joshi, merited repetitions (to allow it to grow on the listeners). And once it did, it deserved listening to on loop.

In a nutshell, it could be described as the quintessential A R Rahman composition.

Kylie ShowcaSed her Sing(h)ing prowesS

To stand out from a group, one obviously has to be exceptionally talented. And if it’s a Hindi film song, a bit of international experience may do the individual in question a world of good.

Kylie Minogue, the Australian pop singer, was a top scorer on both counts. It wouldn’t be wrong to call her the USP of Chiggy Wiggy from Blue (2009).

Shreya Ghoshal, Sonu Nigam, Sukhwinder and Suzanne D'Mello shared Sing(h)ing credits with her.

Penned by Abbas Tyrewala and composed by A R Rahman, it was five minutes and a dozen seconds long.

Ms Yagnik rendered Alikable song

Tu Muskura, the song from Yuvvraaj, was high on the emotional quotient.

Of the three songs from the film on this blog, it was the shortest – it was five minutes and 37 seconds long.

The pair of legends who collaborated on it – lyricist Gulzar and composer A R Rahman – could not have given the listeners a more perfect message – “Tu muskura jahan bhi hai tu muskura” (which can be translated to, “Smile, wherever you are”).

The song was rendered by the one and only Alka Yagnik.

She was joined behind the microphone by Javed Ali.

It was a BRight Spot

The soundtrack of Yuvvraaj may have failed to impress Hindi film music buffs in particular, and fans of director Subhash Ghai in particular, but by no means would it be incorrect to state that Tu Meri Dost Hai was the best song in the film.

And that can only be attributed to the fact that the song was composed by A R Rahman.

The track was rendered by Benny Dayal, who was joined behind the microphone by Shreya Ghoshal.

It was penned by none other than Gulzar, and was six minutes and 13 seconds long.

Sonu and the others disappointed

When a Son(u)g is weak, the listeners don’t give it their nod.

Even a composer of A R Rahman’s calibre wasn’t spared – they said no to Shano Shano, the track from Yuvvraaj (2008).

Of the three songs from the film on this blog, this was the longest – it was six minutes and 22 seconds long.

Gulzar penned the song, whose remixed version, credited to Krishna Chetan, was a couple of minutes and 38 seconds long (that trivia was doubly shocking!)

It was rendered by Mr Nigam, Blaaze, Karthik, Srinivas, Sunaina, Timmy, Tina and Vivienne Pocha.

Rahman truly raised the bAR

Khwaja Mere Khwaja, a qawwali, was the longest track on the soundtrack of Jodhaa Akbar – it was six minutes and 56 seconds long.

It was one of two songs from the film to have an instrumental version. The oboe piece was just a couple of minutes and 53 seconds long.

The song was penned by Javed Akhtar.

While the soundtrack earned A R Rahman, who didn’t just compose, but also rendered this track, numerous awards, this track wasn’t honoured in the music categories.

However, it earned Raju Khan the Star Screen Award for Best Choreographer.

Javed’s rendition was truly mesmerising

Jashn-E-Bahaara was a romantic number from Jodhaa Akbar.

The track, and its instrumental version (a flute piece credited to P M K Naveen Kumar), were of the same duration – five minutes and 15 seconds.

It was a typical A R Rahman composition that took a long time to grow on the listeners, but once it did, there is no doubt that the song was played on loop.

And the man who deserved the lion’s share of the credit for that was Javed, who rendered it.

The song was penned by the vocAlist's namesake, Javed Akhtar.

Everything, including Bonnie’s backing, wAs(l)amazing

There’s no doubt that as far as Hindi film soundtracks were concerned, 2008 was Rahman's year.

Jodhaa Akbar, his first release of the year, lived up to the expectations of the fans of the composer, whose previous two collaborations with director Ashutosh Gowariker weren’t letdowns.

Of course, no mention of the film’s soundtrack would be complete without a mention of the third member of the team – Javed Akhtar, who penned the songs.

Azeem-O-Shaan Shahenshah, which was five minutes and 54 seconds long, introduced the Mughal emperor. It was rendered by Mohammed Aslam and Bonnie Chakraborty.

(Rah)Man, this track was superb!

A R Rahman is an optimist. And with good reasons.

Firstly, he has been remarkably consistent as far as his scores for Hindi films are concerned.

And secondly, he preferred to see an aadha bhara (half-full) glass [and not an aadha khaali (half-empty) one], as evidenced by the line in the opening verse of Tu Bole Main Boloon, the track he rendered in Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.

The track, which was four minutes and 36 seconds long, was penned by Abbas Tyrewala.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to say that it was an underrated gem.

Benny and Co could sing

Composer A R Rahman roped in half-a-dozen singers (Annupamma Krishnaswami, Blaaze, Darshana K T, Mohammed Aslam, Satish Subrahmaniam and Tanvi Shah) to share singing credits with Benny Dayal.

And their collaboration – Pappu Can’t Dance Saala, from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na – became one of the most popular tracks of the year, because it was catchy (not to mention the fact that it gave the youth four minutes and 27 seconds to prove they can dance).

Abbas Tyrewala penned the song, whose remixed version, which was as long as the original, was credited to Krishna Chetan.

Benny leD(ay)aline-up of new voices

Nazrein Milana Nazrein Churana, from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na, was three minutes and 57 seconds long.

The track was penned by Abbas Tyrewala. The effort he put in to connect with his target audience in their lingo was evident (and commendable).

A R Rahman composed it.

The song was rendered by nine singers. Of these, those who have regularly been listening to Rahman’s Hindi songs were familiar with just a couple – Benny Dayal and Naresh Iyer.

The others included Annupamma Krishnaswami, Bhargavi, Darshana K T, Satish Subrahmaniam, Sayanora Philip, Swetha Mohan and Tanvi Shah.

Rashid baggeDasong with Vasundhara too

It is possible that the woh in Kahin Toh Hogi Woh referred to Lady Luck, whose smile was what Rashid Ali was awaiting before he rendered the track from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na.

Of the five songs from the film on this blog, this was the longest – it was five minutes and as many seconds long.

This was a duet. Vasundhara was Dasinger who joined Ali behind the microphone.

The track, which depicted every man’s state of mind beautifully, was penned by Abbas Tyrewala.

It was composed by none other than A R Rahman.

Newbie Rashid sang Alively number

Kabhi Kabhi Aditi, from Jaane Tu... Ya Jaane Na (the youth-oriented flick that released in 2008), was a ditty that celebrated the dosti of a lad and a lady named Aditi (and could be dedicated to every woman who goes by that name).

The track, which was three minutes and 41 seconds long, was rendered by Rashid Ali. The newcomer, who was born in Hyderabad and raised in London, was discovered by A R Rahman, who composed the film’s music.

It was penned by Abbas Tyrewala, who, incidentally, made his directorial debut with the film.

This track had BRagging rightS

Kaise Mujhe was certainly the best song on the soundtrack of Ghajini, and one of A R Rahman’s best compositions in the first decade of the 21st century.

It was also the longest of the four tracks from the film on this blog – it was five minutes and 46 seconds long.

The soundtrack also featured an instrumental version of the song. It was four minutes and a second long.

It was penned by Prasoon Joshi.

The track was rendered by three singers, including the composer. Benny Dayal and Ms Ghoshal Sh(rey)ared singing credits with him.

Nigam was the guest vocAlist

Although Guzaarish, from Ghajini, was rendered by Javed and Mr Nigam was credited as a guest vocAlist, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that it was the latter who gave the Son(u)g Alift.

However, that does not imply that the former didn’t do a good job.

It was the second song in the film to have a remixed version. And coincidentally, the remixed version of this one was also as long as the original, which was five minutes and 29 seconds long.

The track was penned by Prasoon Joshi and composed by A R Rahman.

No critic could laud Karthik

It would not be incorrect to state that Behka was the weakest song on the soundtrack of Ghajini.

By no means did the track deserve a remixed version. But it was one of the two songs in the film that had one.

Interestingly, both the original and the remixed version were five minutes and 13 seconds long.

It would obviously be fair to blame Prasoon Joshi, who penned the track, and A R Rahman, who composed it, for the failure.

But was Karthik to blame too? The answer is definitely. After all, he rendered it.