It was KKuite a surprise

Tu Jo Mila – from Bajrangi Bhaijaan – wasn’t a catchy number. But it was a surprise, because it had three versions.

This blog contains a post on the version rendered by KK. Four minutes and as many seconds long, it was the shortest song in the film.

Javed Ali’s version, interestingly suffixed by the phrase Dekhna Na Mudke, was nine seconds longer than the aforementioned version.

Its Reprise version, which Papon sang, was the longest of the three – it was four minutes and 18 seconds long.

It was penned by Kausar Munir and composed by Pritam. 

This romantic number wAs(l)amassive letdown

When a listener gets the feeling that he/she has heard a track earlier, it can be underwhelming.

That would perhaps be the best word that could be used to describe Tu Chahiye from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Although it was melodious, it only impressed lovers, who must’ve dedicated it to their significant others.

The track, which was four minutes and 32 seconds long, was Amitabh Bhattacharya's only contribution to the soundtrack of the film.

(At)If one isn’t a die-hard fan of Pritam (who composed it) or Mr Aslam (or both), he/she would do well to skip it. 

It Vas AN UPBeat number

People’s love of selfies inspired Selfie Le Le Re, the catchy track from Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

Mayur Puri penned the song, which was four minutes and 57 seconds long.

Pritam, who was nominated in the Best Music category for the soundtrack of the film at various award ceremonies, including the International Indian Film Awards, the Stardust Awards, the Big Star Entertainment Awards and the Producers’ Guild Film Awards in 2016, was credited as one of the six singers.

The others who rendered it included Vishal Dadlani, Nakash Aziz, Aditya Pushkarna, Earl Edgar D’Souza (URL) and Badshah.  

(Moh)It was a headless Chicken

Chicken Song, from Bajrangi Bhaijaan, was undoubtedly catchy, but seemed to lack the qualities required for a track to stick in the public memory, which is short, for a long time. Speaking of length, it was five minutes and 43 seconds long.

It was penned by Mayur Puri and composed by Pritam.

Mohit Chauhan rendered the track, which would be music to the ears of a foodie (but perhaps wasn’t worth Kuk-Doo-Kooing to your significant other).

(Muchh)Although Palak was credited as the female vocalist, the listeners couldn’t help wondering what part was sung by her.

It waSamind-blowing qawwali by Adnan

At eight minutes and 19 seconds, Bhar Do Jholi Meri was the longest song on the soundtrack of Bajrangi Bhaijaan.

While it was originally sung by the Sabri Brothers, a revamped version of it was rendered by Adnan Sami.

Incidentally, the record label, EMI Pakistan, and Amjad Sabri Qawwal, the heir to the siblings, sought legal action against this outstanding qawwali, which was penned by Kausar Munir and composed by Pritam.

The traditional number was reprised by Imran Aziz Mian. This version of the track was 14 seconds shorter than the one rendered by Sami.

Mika rocked the Eid Party

One really has to be a magnanimouS(al)man to say Aaj Ki Party Meri Taraf Se, but that is how diehard fans of Mr Khan, who wait for each of his Eid offerings with bated breath, describe him.

The aforementioned track was from Bajrangi Bhaijaan, which released in 2015, and was four minutes and 40 seconds long.

And since the song, which was penned by Mr Ahmed and composed by Pritam, was about a party, how could Mika be far behind? The Sing(h)er didn’t do too Shabb(ir)y a job.

However, it had a short shelf life.  

It enlivened many a BaSH

Pritam was a guest composer on the soundtrack of Yaariyan, which released in 2014.

There’s no doubt that he had a finger on the pulse of the youth, which loves to party. This was evidenced by the popularity of the catchy ABCD.

Three minutes and 25 seconds long, it was the shortest track in the film.

The song, which was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, was rendered by Benny Dayal, Shefali Alvares and Yo Yo Honey Singh.

Unsurprisingly, it had a remixed version, credited to DJ Kiran Kamath.

It was three minutes and 19 seconds long.

PerhAPS this track was enjoyable

I have deliberately used the word perhaps in the title of this post, because Tauba Main Vyaah Karke Pachtaaya, from Shaadi Ke Side Effects, wasn’t an outstanding number by any stretch of the imagination.

However, it wouldn’t be incorrect to say that Mayur Puri’s lyrics were the highlight.

Pritam composed the Hindi and Punjabi versions of the track.

It must be S(h)a(h)id that the trio who rendered it surprised the listeners.

Mallya, Pakistan’s Alam Lohar and Indian Idol 6 participant Poorvi Koutish rendered the Hindi version.

Lohar’s son Arif joined them for the Punjabi version. 

Three versions were not JustIfieD

Shaadi Ke Side Effects was the 2014 sequel to Pyaar Ke Side Effects. By no means were its songs, which Pritam composed, a patch on those of the prequel.

Harry’s Not A Brahmachari, which was four minutes and 18 seconds long, appeared thrice on the soundtrack. Needless to say, the listeners were harried.

Jazzy B rendered all three versions, which were penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Divya Kumar and IshQ Bector joined him behind the microphone for the main version.

While Kumar didn’t sing the second version titled Original Song, Bector didn’t sing the remixed version.  

Kunal, who isn’t oft-heard, rocked

Since Mr Ganjawala had been keeping (Kun)alow profile for a while, his fans were thrilled at the prospect of hearing him render one of the songs on the soundtrack of Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty.

And the track in question – the Film Version of Tu Hi Toh Hai – was catchy.

The track, which was penned by Irshad Kamil and composed by Pritam, was three minutes and 58 seconds long.

I wasn’t aware that the chartbuster had another version, which was rendered by Benny Dayal.

It was just three seconds longer than Ganjawala’s version. 

Mr Singh sang (Arij)it well

By Pritam’s standards, 2014 was a relatively quiet year.

He had just three releases, one of which was Holiday: A Soldier Is Never Off Duty.

One man who wasn’t off duty, much to the delight of his fans, was Mr Singh, who rendered Shaayraana (which, as the title suggests, was a ballad.)

(Arij)It was four minutes and 21 seconds long.

And because the word, which was also the hook of the song, means poetic, it is only fair that the track should be penned by a poet.

The lyricist was none other than Irshad Kamil.

Sreerama rendered this R(a)omantic number

Subhanallah, which can be translated to, “Glory be to God”, was a track from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

The track, which was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya and composed by Pritam, was four minutes and nine seconds long.

It was rendered by Sreerama Chandra Mynampati, the winner of the fifth season of Indian Idol (which was telecast on Sony Entertainment Television in 2010). He was also the runner-up of the second season of Jo Jeeta Wohi Superstar, which was aired on Star Plus a couple of years later.

He was joined behind the MicR(a)ophone by Shilpa.

Mr Raina (To)chipped in too

Kabira, from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, earned Amitabh Bhattacharya nominations in the Best Lyricist category at the Filmfare Awards, the Zee Cine Awards and the fourth Gionee Star Global Indian Music Awards in 2014.

It was at the latterly-named ceremony that Rekha Bhardwaj and Tochi Raina, who rendered it, bagged the Best Duet award, and the latter was nominated in the Best Playback Singer (Male) category.

It was three minutes and 43 seconds long.

Pritam composed the track.

Its Encore version was 46 seconds longer than the original. Mr Singh and Harshdeep Kaur sang (Arij)it.

Mr Chauhan certainly rendered (Il)ahit

From the longest song on the soundtrack of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani to the shortest – Ilahi* was three minutes and 33 seconds long.

Penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, (Moh)it was rendered by Mr Chauhan.

The Reprise version of the track, which was composed by Pritam, was three minutes and 52 seconds long.

(Arij)It was sung by Mr Singh.

While there’s very little to choose between the two versions, it would be certainly not be incorrect to state that they were treats for the ears.

(*Note: The title of the song can be translated to, “My God”.)

Rekha’s rendition certainly added V(ish)alue

Ghagra was a folksy track from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

It was picturised on Madhuri Dixit and Ranbir Kapoor, but by no means was that the only reason why Hindi film music aficionados (of all ages and both genders) remember it.

Without an iota of doubt, it was the rendition – by Rekha Bhardwaj and Dadlani – that was the highlight of the song.

At five minutes and four seconds, it was the longest track in the film.

Amitabh Bhattacharya penned it.

The song, which took (Vish)along time to grow on the listeners, was composed by Pritam.  

(Arij)It wasn’t a massive (Sunid)hit

Both the Sing(h)ers – Arijit and Ms Chauhan – have been consistently delivering (Sunid)hits for the past few years.

But it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that Dilliwaali Girlfriend, from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, was a letdown.

Although the track, which was composed by Pritam, may have brought a few guys and their girlfriends to the dance floor, it fell short on a variable that, more often than not, determines the success of a song – its recall value.  

Four minutes and 20 seconds long, it was the only song in the film that was penned by Kumaar.

This track couldn’t be SKipped

Even if it isn’t Holi, a Pritam fan’s playlist wouldn’t be complete without Balam Pichkaari, from Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani.

The film earned him his fourth (and, so far, last) Producers’ Guild Film Award in the Best Music Director category in 2014. He was nominated in the same category at the Filmfare Awards the same year.

The track, which was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya, was four minutes and 49 seconds long.

It was rendered by Vishal Dadlani and Shalmali Kholgade.

The latter was nominated in the Best Playback Singer (Female) category at the Filmfare Awards.

Benny’s rendition made it ir(Alva)resistible

One of the songs on the soundtrack of Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani, which released in 2013, had the word chartbuster written all over it.

Yes folks, the track in question was Badtameez Dil, which was four minutes and a dozen seconds long.

Benny’s rendition was just what the doctor prescribed for those who want to give their mooD(ay)alift.

He was nominated in the Best Playback Singer (Male) category at the Filmfare Awards in 2014.

Shefali Alvares, who joined him behind the microphone, played second fiddle.

The track was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

Pritam composed it.

The Sing(h)ers (She)fa(l)iled to rocKK

Party On My Mind was the shortest song on the soundtrack of Race 2 – it was three minutes and 42 seconds long.

Yo Yo Honey shared Sing(h)ing credits with KK and Shefali Alvares, but the song was so-so.

It was the only song in the film that wasn’t penned by Mayur Puri. Prashant Ingole was the lyricist.

The remixed version of the track, which was penned by Pritam, was four minutes and 41 seconds long.

It was rendered by the aforementioned trio, while Bob and Earl Edgar D’Souza (a.k.a. URL) were credited as additional vocalists.

It was worth a SKip

Unless one is a fan of Benny and/or Shalmali Kholgade (who rendered it) or dig Pritam’s music, he/she may say that Lat Lag Gayee, from Race 2, is an ironically-named track. And he/she wouldn’t be incorrect.

The song, whose title can be translated to, “I got hooked”, was penned by Mayur Puri.

It was four minutes and 40 seconds long.

Unlike the other songs in the film, it didn’t have a remixed version.

That was just as well, because it was (Day)aletdown.

Of course, people who love to hit the dance floor would not agree.

It wasn’t (Asl)among Sunidhi's best

Be Intehaan was the longest song on the soundtrack of Race 2. It was four minutes and 51 seconds long.

Penned by Mayur Puri, it was Sun(idhi)g by Atif and Ms Chauhan.

It was worth giving this track, which was composed by Pritam, (Asl)amiss.

It had a remixed version and an Unplugged version, which weren’t in the film.

The former, which was five minutes and 15 seconds long, was rendered by the aforementioned pair.

The latter, which was three minutes and 59 seconds long, was the only solo on the soundtrack. Rahul Vaidya rendered it. 

Well, the VARM-Ap was disappointing

It’s pointless to beat around the bush. Allah Duhai Hai, from Race 2 (2013), was a skippable track.

And if the remake of the track from the first film in the Race series, which was four minutes and 16 seconds long, wasn’t enough, it had a remixed version, which wasn’t in the movie. It was three seconds shorter.

Mayur Puri penned the track, which was penned by Pritam.

The track, which was picturised on the cast of the film, was rendered by five singers – Anushka Manchanda, Atif Aslam, Michie One, Ritu Pathak and Vishal Dadlani. 

Nakash’s vocals dominated this (Mi)track

A(zi)z Nakash’s luck would have it, he did get an opportunity to make one of the songs on the soundtrack of R… Rajkumar his own, and boy, did he grab it with both hands.

Even if that meant Antara Mitra, who joined him behind the microphone, was overshadowed.

The song in question was Saree Ke Fall Sa, which was three minutes and 53 seconds long.

It was penned by Mayur, and by no means was it for the Purists.

The track, whose remixed version was three minutes and 49 seconds long, was composed by Pritam.  

Kalpana sang this (Mi)katchy ditty

Pritam may literally have got down and dirty when he composed Gandi Baat, from R… Rajkumar (2013), but it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that it was catchy.

As surprising as it may seem, this blog doesn’t contain a post on the Film Version of the track, which was rendered by Nakash Aziz and Ritu Pathak. It was four minutes and 26 seconds long.

But the version I have written about was 13 seconds shorter (and more popular) than the aforementioned version. Mika shared Sing(h)ing credits with Kalpana Patowary.

They were penned by Anupam Amod.

Mika sang this entertaining track

More often than not, when Mika is the Sing(h)er, fun is guaranteed.

While the entertainment quotient of Tu Mere Agal Bagal Hai, from Phata Poster Nikhla Hero, was undoubtedly high, the song took a long time to grow on the listeners. And when it eventually did, it, unfortunately, had a short shelf life.

A song remembered for the sounds in the background, including that of a barking dog, it was four minutes and 25 seconds long.

The track, which was composed by Pritam, gave Irshad Kamil, who penned it, an opportunity to showcase his versatility. 

Undoubtedly, Chinmayi rendered (Asl)amelodious number

Atif Aslam and Chinmayi Sripada rendered Main Rang Sharbaton Ka, from Phata Poster Nikhla Hero.

The remainder of the verse went, “Tu meethe ghat ka paani, mujhe khud mein ghol de toh, mere yaar baat ban jaani” (which could be translated to, “You are the sweet water of the banks of a river. If you dissolve me into yourself, my dear, it would be great.”)

Four minutes and 26 seconds long, it was penned by Irshad Kamil.

Pritam composed the song, whose Reprise version (sung by Arijit Singh) was 12 seconds longer than the original.

Nakash sang and everyone N(eh)aached

There’s no two ways about it, Dhating Naach, from Phata Poster Nikhla Hero (2013) – the folksy item number – went on to become chartbuster. That was shocking, but true!

The track was penned by Amitabh Bhattacharya.

By no means could it be described as a feather in Pritam’s cap.

However, it wouldn’t be incorrect to state that the energetic rendition by Nakash Aziz and Neha Kakkar was one of the highlights of the track, the other being its picturisation on Shahid Kapur (one of the best male dancers in the Hindi film industry) and Nargis Fakhri.

  

Javed rendered a fine qawwali

First up, the title of this post requires a clarification – the aforementioned Javed isn’t the Indian singer whose last name is Ali, but his Pakistani namesake, who uses his father’s name (Bashir) as his last name.

He rendered Yeh Tune Kya Kiya, from Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara!

At five minutes and 14 seconds, it was the longest song on the film’s soundtrack, which was, incidentally, just 23 minutes and 42 seconds long.

The qawwali, which was penned by Rajat Aroraa and composed by Pritam, was the most outstanding track in the film.  

As usual, Chauhan waS(unidh)in form

The soundtrack of Once Upon Ay Time In Mumbai Dobaara!, which released on India’s 67^th Independence Day in 2013, was short.

But could it be described as sweet? Probably not.

Three of the songs on the film’s soundtrack were composed by Pritam.   

One of them was Tu Hi Khwahish, which was rendered by Sunidhi Chauhan.

Although it was a passable item number, she certainly did a pretty good job. But that was no surprise, because the genre was right up her alley.

Rajat Aroraa penned the track, which was four minutes and 51 seconds long.

Unfortunately, it wasn’t a (Mo)hit

Tu Hi Junoon was the longest song on the soundtrack of Dhoom 3 – it was five minutes and a couple of seconds long.

It was penned by Kausar Munir.

Since the tracks that were penned by Pritam and rendered by Mr Chauhan prior to this song had become popular, (Moh)it was a tad unfortunate that the same couldn’t be said of this number, which wasn’t able to hold the attention of the listeners for a long time.

It wouldn’t be incorrect to state that it fell woefully short as far as recall value was concerned.

Mahadevan sang this R(a)ocking track

By no means would it be incorrect to state that Malang was the best song on the soundtrack of Dhoom 3.

A spectacular combo of Middle-Eastern and Indian arrangements, the track was four minutes and 33 seconds long.

Make no mystic, the visual impact of the song was far greater than it would have been if one were merely listening to it.

To use a cricketing cliché, Aamir Khan and Katrina Kaif took the aerial route.

The song, which was penned by Sameer and composed by Pritam, was rendered by Siddharth Mahadevan and Shilpa Rao.

Calmly, everyone (Kam)listened to Sunidhi

Kamli, from Dhoom 3, was three minutes and 55 seconds long.

Given that it was an item number, and was Sun(idhi)g by Chauhan, the word calmly in the title of the post may have sounded a tad ironic. But, sadly, it wasn’t as rocking as the chartbusters previously rendered by her.

Of course, it didn’t help that the track, which Amitabh Bhattacharya penned, was predominantly in Punjabi, which the majority of the Hindi film music loving populace may not have found easy to comprehend.

Pritam composed the track, whose hook was Ni Main Kamli Kamli.

The title track wasn’t Ad(d)i(c)tive

Dhoom Machale Dhoom, the (Adi)title track of Dhoom 3 (2013), was three minutes and 56 seconds long.

For a better part of that duration, the only words that seemed to be audible were repetitions of Dhoom Dhoom.

Ms Singh Sharma rendered the track, which was penned by Sameer and composed by Pritam, who composed the songs of the first two installments of the Dhoom franchise as well.

Naya and Mia Mont, from Lebanon and Peru respectively, sang its Arabic and Spanish versions, respectively. They were eight and nine seconds shorter than the original track, respectively.

Shafqat’s rendition was the highlight

Tu Hi Mera, from Jannat 2, could, at best, be described as a below-par song.

Sa(yee)dly, multiple repetitions of the three aforementioned words didn’t leave the listeners hooked.

And, of course, it hardly helped that the rest of the lines of the track, which was four minutes and 33 seconds long, weren’t exceptional.  

The culprits, of course, were the man who penned the track (Mr Quadri) and the one who composed it (Pritam).

However, it would certainly not be incorrect to state that the rendition, by Shafqat Amanat Ali, was the highlight of the song.

    

Khan touched many lovers’ (Ra)h(e)a(r)ts

Jannat 2, which released in 2012, was the sequel to Jannat.

The music of the film was composed by Pritam, who composed the songs of the prequel as well.

Tera Deedar Hua, the longest track in the film, was penned by Sayeed Quadri. It was five minutes and 47 seconds long.

It was a qawwali, rendered by Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.

He also penned the From The Heart version of the track, which was five minutes and 46 seconds long.

Khan did not sing this version of the track. He was replaced by Javed Ali.

    

Urmila didn’t let it go

Mala Zau De (Marathi for, “Let me go”) was an item number from Ferrari Ki Sawaari, which released in 2012.

It introduced music buffs across India to lavani, a genre of folk music and traditional dance form hitherto popular in Maharashtra.

Picturised on Vidya Balan, the track, which was penned by noted Marathi poet and lyricist Guru Thakur, was four minutes and 16 seconds long.

Pritam composed the song, which was rendered by Urmila Dhangar, the winner of the seventh season of Sa Re Ga Ma Pa, which was telecast on Zee Marathi in 2010.

Shridhar Set(h) everyone’s spirits free

Yeh gaana tha hi nahin is duniya ka. Folks, the song in question was none other than Tum Hi Ho Bandhu from Cocktail.

And one of the lines of the track, which was penned by Irshad Kamil was, “Main hoon hi nahin is duniya ki” (which can be translated to, “I’m not from this world at all.”)

Composed by Pritam, it was four minutes and 42 seconds long.

It was rendered by Kavita Seth, who is renowned for singing ghazals and being a Sufi singer.

And she was joined behind the microphone by Neeraj Shridhar.

The track PaNNed out well

Amitabh Bhattacharya’s only contribution to the soundtrack of Cocktail was Second Hand Jawaani.

The track, which was composed by Pritam, was four minutes and three minutes long.

It had hilarious lines like, “Bhanwaron ke college ka main professor hoon baby, ayaashi ke computer ka processor hoon baby” (which means, “I’m a professor at the college of bees baby, I’m the processor of the computer of fun, baby.”)

The song was rendered by bhangra artiste Gurinder Kaur Kainth, better known by her stage name, Miss Pooja.

Mr Aziz and Neha Kakkar (Naka)shared singing credits with her.