Sangeet Saagar 2015

I'm back! You probably didn't miss me, but I missed blogging! Now that I'm officially a 2nd semester senior, I'm going to try to actually blog at least once a week.
This past weekend, I had the opportunity to attend Sangeet Saagar 2015 at NC State University, a South-Asian fusion A Capella competition with 6 teams. Here is a short review about the teams that were there.


1. Ohio State University Dhadkan- This fairly new team began the show strong with rhythmic beats and enthusiastic choreography. Their arrangement of "Sun Raha Hai/Chandelier" was well transitioned and amazed me as the male vocalist for "Sun Raha Hai" was not even Indian! Their next song, "Bachna Ae Haseeno/Koi Mil Gaya" is a popular choice, but not done as well as I've heard. The "trrrrr" for "Bachna Ae Haseeno" needs to be more aggressive. "Koi Mil Gaya" was blended well and involved the whole group with its many solo parts.

2. Case Western University Dhamakapella- This team entered with what I think were the best costumes, and set the stage with a melodious classical number, "Jiya Lage Na", followed by a song I was pretty sure I had heard before. Yup, it was the same arrangement from the other Ohio school, "Sun Raha Hai/Chandelier". I was like

I don't want to compare the two, but CWU's soloists were more defined in their diction and pitch. Lastly, they changed up the beats and ended with an exciting Punjabi song, "Sadi Gali/Party Rock" and left the crowd cheering for more. Overall, CWU had great soloists, beats, and transitions, yet all their soloists were the same making you wonder what may have been wrong with the other singers on the team.




3. Rutgers RAAG- This group began with a very dramatic song which I was like I don't think i know this one, but it sounds good....
 

I later found out the song was "Awari". And I think I actually really like the song now... The next soloist expertly kept with the pace of "Mere Dholna" mastering the song with clear diction and voice. The team ended with a mix of "Radioactive/Aafton ke Parinde". This last song was a rough blend with the soloist's voices not as clear and almost competing with one another rather than combining together.



















4. Massachusetts Institute of Technology Ohms- The team from "IIT of USA" began with "Royals/Breathless". The latter of which is an extremely difficult song sung without stopping to breathe. Unfortunately the combination of the songs didn't seem to match all that well. Their next song, "I won't give up/Saiyaan" had an amazing soloist with a voice perfectly matching to the song. The team won the crowd with their mastery of the fast paced and tongue-twisting, "Badtameez Dil/Whenever, Wherever". The English song was not done as well, but the accuracy of the lyrics "Badtameez Dil" made up for it.






5. UVA Ektaal- The team which means "one voice" had one slight problem-- a lack of male vocalists. They began with a mix of "Dola Re Dola" with choreo exactly replicating Aish and Madhuri.
 
Their next song, "Maula Mere/Between the Raindrops" was well transitioned, and kept the high notes for the Hindi song but struggled on the English. The team ended with their arrangement of "Titanium/Uff Teri Adaa/Tu Hai Wahi". Here "Uff Teri Adaa" truly could have used more aggression at the "Jogi Nachle" something that is best achieved by a male voice. The remaining soloists (for both Titanium and Tu Hai Wahi) were perfect and fitted together well with the rest of the song.


6. Penn State University Fanaa- Surprisingly, this team did not do any songs from Fanaa! They opened and pumped up the crowd with "Amplifier". "Suraj Hua Madham" was not up to my expectations; yet I have high expectations since it is one of my favorites. Generally when I hear the song, I feel as if I am in Egypt dancing around the pyramids with Shahrukh Khan, 
yet in this version, the rhythm was slightly changed and the both vocalists were slightly off pitch. They ended the show with "Saari Raat/ Up all Night" with an amazing female vocalist yet a slightly off male vocalist who was either unprepared or uncomfortable with song lyrics.




After the 6 competing teams performed, there were two special performances, UNC Samaa and NC State Grains of Time. UNC Samaa had me with their on point replica of Taylor Swift's "Blank Space" yet slightly struggled with the diction on "Bahara". I died when I heard their "SRK Medley", it was just too perfect for words.


In the end, the winner was MIT Ohms and runner up was CWU Dhamakapella. I would actually have to agree with this verdict. I probably would've given it to CWU had they had more diversity in their soloists. All in all, the show was very exciting and fun to watch with all teams performing amazingly. I hope to go to more of such showcases in the future!

Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania Review

Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge is the classic film that basically symbolizes the Bollywood industry. Clearly, Karan Johar, doesn't agree with this statement, and felt the need to ruin the plot and make a modern day version of it, Humpty Sharma Ki Dulhania. HSKD begins with Alia Bhatt as Kavya Singh, a Punjabi girl, with a strict father (nothing compared to Amrish Puri), who goes to Delhi before her arranged marriage for wedding shopping. There, she meets Humpty (Varun Dhawan), a carefree slacker, who she befriends and eventually falls in love with after he pays for her designer wedding dress.

After she goes back, he runs after her and gets beaten up by her dad and brother when asking for her hand in marriage. Yet, he still pursues her and her father says if he can find something wrong with her to-be-husband, Angad (Siddharth Shukla), then he can marry Kavya. Humpty and his friends embark on a crazy adventure, but end up realizing that Angad is perfect. Suddenly, Kavya's dad is like ok Humpty you win whatever, and the movie ends on a happy note. 

Though, the plot is somewhat similar to DDLJ, and many of the scenes and lines are exact replicas, I would just consider this movie a basically a failed tribute to it.

It is mentioned above, but i think its important to note again that the songs are really bad. The lyricists were probably too lazy to come up with things on their own, and just decided to translate English songs to Hindi and change up the tune a little.

"Lucky Tu Lucky Me"==Lucky

"D se Dance"== D:Dance

"Samjhawan"==I don't want to live without you

"Daingad Daingad"==Naughty Naughty

"Saturday Saturday"== Friday

Overall, the movie still accomplished its goal of a funny, cutesy love story, but it definitely cannot be compared to the prestige of DDLJ. But still it is time pass and worth the watch, so go see it if you haven't already!

Top 10 Bollywood Pickup Lines

Having trouble talking to the ladies? Realized you can't play the mandolin and sing "Tujhe Dekha To" to a random girl? Tired of this reaction after every conversation?

Well maybe its time to try out some of these classic Bollywood lines. Whether you just met her or have been pursuing her for a while, these sayings have been proven to work. No matter your style, witty or cheesy romantic, one of these is sure to bring you more luck than you've been having with your "Ryan Gosling Hey Girl attempts".

10. "Agar tum mujhe yun hi dekhti rahi ... to tumhe mujhse pyar ho gaya" - Salman Khan, Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam  "If you keep looking at me like this, then you will fall in love with me". A perfect line for that staring at each other from across the room moment.

9. "Tumhare bagair to hum sirf jee rahe the ... dil ne dhadakna toh uss din shuru kiya jis din aap mein mili" - Amitabh Bachan, Baghban.  "Without you I was only living ... my heart started beating the day I met you". Don't quite know how to tell her you love her? This is sure to help you get started. Then, of course, you can start singing and dancing with her in the meadows or  Hrithik Roshan style on the beach.  

8. "Tumhari jaise ladki ke saath, mere jaisi ladke ka hona bahut zaroori hai" - Shahrukh Khan, Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge. "For a girl like you to have a guy like me is very important". Does she keep saying no? Maybe straightforward romance will work.

7. "Log kehte hain khoobsurat ladkiyan jab jhooth bolti hai ... toh aur bhi khoobsurat lagi hai" - Salman Khan, Hum Aapke Hain Koun. "People say that when beautiful girls lie, they look even more beautiful". Still saying no? Use this to turn a bad situation into a good one. Hopefully it will bring a smile instead of a sassy retort.

6. "Tumhare jaise ladkiyan flirting ke liye nahi ... ishq ke liye bani hai" - Ranbir Kapoor, Yeh Jawaani Hai Deewani. "A girl like you is not meant for flirting, but for love". Thinks you're just a flirt? Here is the perfect comeback. 

5. "Tumhare ishq se bani hoon ... pehle zinda thi ... ab jee rahi hoon main" - Aditya Roy Kapur, Aashiqui 2.  "I am made from your love, first I was alive, now I am living." One for all. Try it anytime if you're looking for this reaction. 

4. "Mard mein bahut dard pehda kar deti hai tumhari smile"- Saif Ali Khan, Love Aaj Kal. "Your smile creates a lot of pain in a man" For the girl with the best smile (among other bests). 

3. "Naam to suna hoga" - Shahrukh Khan, All of his movies. "You must have heard this name". Just use your name in the beginning, and any desi girl is sure to recognize this winning line. 

2. "Apni saans wapas lene aaya hoon ... atak ke rahi gayi hai tere paas" - Ranveer Singh, Ram Leela. "I have come to take my breath back, it is stuck with you" The witty one liner for that stranger in the seat next to you.

 

1. "Agar andha hota toh duniya ki sabse haseen cheez dekh nahi pata ... aap" - Aamir Khan, Fanaa. "If I was blind, I would not have seen the most beautiful thing in the world ... you". Go ahead, do your happy dance.

Top 10 Bollywood Hiccups

All Bollywood movies are the same: boy and girl fall in love, something happens that threatens their love, everyone cries, drama, and then it gets resolved and its all happy.

Since its so repetitive, directors probably often fall asleep during planning or shooting and don't realize the stupid mistakes they're making. Not to worry chicken curry, I've spotted and will share with you the top 10 mistakes in Bollywood, that will make directors go:

 

10. Main Hoon Na- We all know that in songs actors change their outfits pretty fast, but never have I seen it been done as fast as Amrita Rao does in Main Hoon Na. In the song "Tumse Milke Dil Ka", the back of her pants are first shown as white, then the front as pink. So either she changed really fast, or mixed color pants is a style. 

9. Kal Ho Na Ho- In the beginning of the movie, we are introduced to the characters by Preity, the main character, who introduces all the other characters when she's on her morning jog. Considering it says she lives in Jackson Heights, Queens, NY, and that she runs around Manhattan, and through Central Park, she's probably broken a record for longest typical morning run. 

8. 3 Idiots- This is like everyone's favorite movie and no one wants to believe that it has flaws, since much of the portrayal of college life is actually true, though maybe slightly stretched. In addition to the goofs caught by IMDb,  I also noticed that Aamir uses a "Airtel data device" so that Madhavan and the rest of the boys back at school can video chat with Sharman. But this is a part of the 10 year flashback, or around 2000, while Airtel did not exist until 2005 (unless this is some special device Rancho made like the Virus inverter)!

7. Jab Tak Hai Jaan- In this plotless movie with bad acting from everyone, not only does Katrina struggle to speak Hindi, Anushka is also caught in a mistake. She says she's a nationally ranked swimmer when talking to SRK after the song "Jiya Re", but in the first scene, she is shown drowning and being saved by SRK.

6. Kuch Kuch Hota Hai- Isn't everyone's favorite character Ms. Briganza? Well she seems to be somewhat of a magician, especially in the song, "Koi Mil Gaya", when she kicks her shoes off but then dances with them on again 5 seconds later, maybe that's why all the students say, "Ms. Briganza AHA"

5. Dilwale Dulhania Le Jayenge- The director clearly just wanted a joke in this scene, because it just doesn't make sense. SRK and Kajol are in the train, and her suitcase opens, and everything falls out. First of all this, shows that the train isn't actually moving, because her suitcase opens in the opposite direction of movement. After cleaning it all up,and there is nothing under or behind him, out of nowhere, SRK finds her bra. 

4. Chennai Express- Since the movie is a comedy, I guess the director thought mistakes would be okay because they'd be considered as planned jokes. SRK is on a sleeper train the whole time, but exits in her village from the general seating. In addition, they say he gets off at Deepika's village in Tamil Nadu, but in reality the location of the shot is Goa (where SRK had wanted to go in the movie)! 

3. Baghban- Very touching, but slightly over exaggerated, this movie had one obvious mistake. Amitabh and Hema split right after they celebrate Holi, which is generally in March/April, and go to stay with one of their sons for 6 months or till Sept./Oct.. They meet again at this time, when they are ready to switch to another son's house. In between this time, they celebrate both Valentines Day (February 14th) and Karwa Chauth (which we know, from k3g, ddlj, and others, occurs in late Oct.). So clearly, Amitabh just celebrates festivals whenever he feels like.

2. Kabhie Khushi Kabhie Gham- In the 10 year flashback (1991) before SRK leaves for London, Amitabh celebrates his 50th birthday and sings "Say Shava Shava" and then "Aati Kya Khandala" to his wife. But Ghulam the movie which the original song is from, didn't come out till 1998!

1. Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam- The biggest and most obvious mistake in the movie is that they go to look for Salman in Italy, but the location of the shot is actually in Hungary. Speaking of locations of shots, here is another mistake I caught. Aishwarya is shown with a wound on her neck after being shot, but in the hospital, her neck is fine, and only her arm is in a sling. I guess the hospitals in "Italy" are pretty magical!

Lets give the directors a break, maybe these were planned errors that they just wanted us to find (:

2 States Review

First off, I apologize for my absence of almost a year. I guess you could say I had a prolonged writer's block. But I'm back to give a long overdue review of "2 States".

2 States, a semi-autobiography, written by Chetan Bhagat, author of other popular books, including "5 Point Someone" and "The Three Mistakes of My Life", was a different take on the classic forbidden love, "Romeo and Juliet" plot. The story unfolds with Krish (Arjun Kapoor), a quiet, shy, Punjabi former IIT student,


and Ananya (Alia Bhatt), a meat-eating, alcohol-drinking, "Tamil brahmin", both studying at IIMA for MBAs. Their "just friends" relationship quickly blossoms into love, basically over the course of two songs.

Krish proposes to Ananya shortly before graduation, stirring up the real rising action. Neither family is in agreement with the couple's decisions to get married, and it becomes a 3 hour "jhagda".

As Bhagat says in his book, compared to other marriages around the world, "In India, there are a few more steps: girl loves boy, boy loves girl, boy's family loves girl, girl's family loves boy, boy's family loves girl's family, and girl's family loves boy's family. If girl and boy are still in love then they can get married." For the next 2 hours, the movie becomes a modern version of DDLJ, with Krish trying to woo Ananya's family, Ananya attempting to impress Krish's mother, and the two families vacationing together in Mumbai (Goa in the book). Meanwhile Krish's dad, Ronit Roy, is doing his classic angry father role and is all like:

 As predicted, the vacation does not go as planned, and the couple splits up. After the typical senti song and dramatic cry scenes, the conflict is suddenly resolved when Krish's father decides to get up off his chair for something other than a drink, and go to Chennai to meet Ananya's parents. 

The movie, unlike "Ek Duuje Ke Liye", ends on a happy note with Krish and Ananya's marriage, and Krish's father attending the wedding; an equally unexpected surprise.

Though appearance wise a wrong selection for the role of Ananya, considering she cannot even be mistaken by a blind man for South Indian, surprisingly, "Radha" brought youth and freshness to an archetypal story and displayed true potential for a basically new actress. It almost makes up for Student of the Year.

Kapoor's acting is good if you can actually realize that its not accidental, and the role he's supposed to be portraying is truly the complete opposite of a "Punjabi munda" (well except for the dance number). Also being a fairly new actor, I think he was attempting the Kristen Stewart approach to acting.

Overall the movie is not bad, and the songs are actually rather good as they fit in perfectly with the story, unlike movies like Hum Aapke Hain Koun where "unnecessary song sequences" can be considered a theme of the movie. Unless you're a mushy romantic like me, you will probably feel that the movie, whose plot has already been portrayed time and time again, simply drags on, investing its viewers early on beginning as a sappy rom com, transforming into a full blown bollywood drama fest,

 

until the end, finally switching back and leaving viewers happy as they exit the theaters. The book is much better than the movie, with comic relief thrown in throughout the story, and a much better portrayal of actual romance beyond just sex. And after you finish the amazing book, the movie becomes so much better, because you already like the story and actually are ready to sit for 3 hours of what is basically a modern political drama. 

Fresh Brewed by UIUC Chai-Town

Chai-Town, an all male South Asian fusion A capella group, released its album "Fresh Brewed" in 2008, and I finally got around to listening to it. Despite being an all male group, their voices sounded amazing, matching even the high notes perfectly. Their transitions between songs are probably the best of all the South Asian fusion A capella groups I've heard. What really stood out to me is the group and the album's diversity, including songs in English, Hindi, Telugu, and Tamil.
The album opens well with "All of the Lights", which is so much better than the original by Kanye West. The beat perfectly matches the song, and when the rapping part came, I honestly thought I was actually listening to Kanye. Not only does the group have a Kanye, it also has an Usher, as displayed in the song "Anytime/U Got it Bad". "Sajda/ Tera Naina" finally allowed me to believe this is a South Asian fusion group. This really adds to their amazing diversity of voices, with a great classical rhythm in addition to the last two English songs. Its hard to compete with the soloist of this song who was able to hold the note longer than any other singer I've ever heard.
"Kissed by a Rose" is sung beautifully, unfortunately its lacking South Asian zest. Despite not understanding any of the first half of  "Aunana Kaadana/Pee Loon" I still found it very melodious, beginning soft, and growing more upbeat as it transitioned from Telugu to Hindi. Chai-Town, once again had my mouth wide open, when I heard their version of Chris Brown's Yeah in "Yeah 3x/Tonight (Im Lovin You)". This group seriously needs to be applauded for being to perfectly replicate voices of famous singers. "Rockin that Thang/Pehli Nazar Mein" was a great blend of voices and of the two songs. Atif Aslam definitely needs to step up his game, or he's going to be replaced by this soloist.
I honestly couldn't even get myself to finish "Choli Ke Peeche Kya/ My Kinda Girl", the beginning was way too creepy. I had never heard the original for "Tujhe Bhula Diya", but I definitely think this one is my favorite, with its rhythmic and slightly classical opening, that transitioned to a more upbeat song. The music video for this song fits perfectly and is also well done! Seeing the title "Imma Put it on Her/Tu Hai Meri Shab Hai/Love in This Club", I didn't think these songs would mix well together, but I was surprised to find that it was a good combination of all the songs.
Since this a newly discovered group for me, I have a few comments on their past album in 2004, "Arohanam". I was really excited to see a "Mohabbatein Medley" being the biggest fan of the movie. But it was a huge disappointment, with a random unnecessary English song that just ruined it all. I'm sorry but NU BSugs's Mohabbatein is better. "Because of you/Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai" is definitely the best song by Chai-Town with a perfect transition between the two songs, and soloists so beautiful I just had to stop what I was doing and listen. "Mitwa" also sounded great, with another amazing solo voice. "Sexyback/Jumma Chumma De De" was a great ending to the album sounding like the group was really having fun, and also another voice facsimile of Justin Timberlake.
To sum it up, I want to say that Chai-Town is a great group, with really diverse voices. I wish they did more South Asian fusion songs, because the ones they have blended sound amazing! The group's soloists really have a knack at replicating original singer's voices, so it will be sad when they graduate. I can't wait to hear their next album!

Chennai Express

Chennai Express, the latest film starring Shahrukh Khan and Deepika Padukone, released August 8th, 2013. It was their 2nd movie together, the first one being Om Shanti Om which released 6 years ago. The movie, which mocked both the Tamil and Hindi film industries, may have seemed offensive to some die hard fans, but I found it simply enjoyable and humorous.

There were some clear flaws, including overdramatic fight scenes, and the lack of a clear plot. The movie went from rising action, to falling action every 5 minutes, lacking a real pin point climax. There was a comedic error, with Deepika's character, knowing Hindi, but mixing up genders when speaking. That is such a basic component of any language, that if she knows all these words and can converse, she should know be able to speak with the correct gender terms. Deepika's sexy Tamil accent was well applied to her character, but did not remain with her throughout the movie, as she switched between the languages of Tamil, Hindi, and English, making it difficult to believe she was depicting a South Indian character.

Despite these very minor flaws, I still got on the train to see the movie twice. Every line of the movie was a joke, that had the whole theater laughing. The references to timeless SRK classics like "Tujhe Dekha To" and "Rahul naam to suna ho ga" would make any fans smile. A big round of applause to the script writers who were able to make every part of the movie funny, and creatively compose new songs using the tunes of old ones as the characters in the movie spoke to each other. The lyricists should also be praised, incorporating Tamil and Hindi into their songs, and creating the perfect blend of songs for the movie. It contained an item song with "1234", a catchy tune with "Kashmir Main Tu Kanyakumari", and two rhythmic songs that keep your blood flowing, "Titli" and "Tere Rasta Chodoon Na". I will be waiting for an A capella group to successfully pull off "Titli" just as much as I am waiting to hear "Subhanallah". Those who say that the movie is completely nonsensical are wrong. There are some morals that are taught such as Rahul's line when he says, "Sometimes the best way to solve your problems is to face them", and the idea that love is stronger than any language barrier.

Last, but definitely not least, hats off to my girl Deeps. Her portrayal of a shy but clever South Indian girl was perfect. She has really grown as an actor since her debut film, Om Shanti Om. Although there were bumps along the road with "Chandni Chowk to China" and "Break Ke Baad" she still managed to excel as an actor. Compared to her last full on comedy, "Housefull", Deepika's comedic acting was clearly an improvement, that I could truly see when she jokingly referenced the horror scene from Tamil film Chandramukhi.  Being the person in the theater who is cheering every time Deepika comes on the screen, I have to say all her movies of 2013 so far, show her most superb acting, and make the movies worthwhile. Her acting in Chennai Express ought to get her the Best actress in a comedic role award.

If you haven't already, go watch Chennai Express. It's humor is bound to keep you laughing your head off in your seat for a good 2 hours.