Tag: pop culture
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Official Song of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011 – Another Bust
The official song of ICC Cricket World Cup 2011, composed by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy (SEL), was released on Dec 31, 2010. In my opinion, it’s another miss, close on the heels of A.R. Rahman’s official song for the Commonwealth Games. It’s easy to explain why you love a song or why you hate one, but really hard…
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Quentin Tarantino songs
I watched Inglourious Basterds last night and, as with other Tarantino movies I have seen, loved the songs as much as the movie itself. There is a certain quality to Tarantino songs – off-beat, melodic, dark, retro – that sounds amazing in the movies but also make for great listening by themselves. My original plan…
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Classical Music Is Dead! Long Live Classical Music!
Over the last few days, there has been a spate of news reports (like this and this) bemoaning the decline of classical music in India. The concern is understandable. Two things have changed over the years – a) Classical music faces a lot more competition from other music forms, b) Music itself faces more competition…
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AR Rahman’s 2011 Golden Globe Nomination
Golden Globe announced the nominations for 2011 awards. The nominations for ” BEST ORIGINAL SCORE – MOTION PICTURE” are as follows: Alexandre Desplat – The King’s Speech Danny Elfman – Alice In Wonderland A.R. Rahman – 127 Hours Trent Reznor, Atticus Ross – The Social Network Hans Zimmer – Inception As a big AR Rahman…
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The Importance Of Cover Songs
In an interview with Rajeev Masand, Asha Bhonsle rips apart Sunidhi Chauhan’s rendition of ‘Duniya Mein’ in a song called ‘Parda‘ in ‘Once Upon A Time in Mumbai’. And she does it with a beatific smile lighting up her face. She’s a spirited old lady alright and I admire her verve and energy. However, I…
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Why India Survives
Two incidents in my apartment complex resulted in a lot of debate related to religion and language in India: 1. Religion – It was discovered that two maidservants who identified themselves with Hindu names were actually Muslims. The residents’ association banned these individuals from the complex since their integrity was now in question. Debate: Did the…
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Why everyone likes music
Music is perhaps the pastime that needs the least attention and effort from us. Look at the most common ways in which we listen to music: While reading a book While surfing the net On TV In a movie In theater or a show with music In a party or celebration In a restaurant, pub,…
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Jugaad vs Dishonesty
Jugaad is a vital element of Indian entrepreneurship. Depending on whom you ask, you get different definitions of jugaad. Improvisation. Making do. Resourcefulness. I like Ratan Tata’s definition of “frugal innovation” because jugaad arises from constraints, scarcity and competition. Tata Nano might be tacky to some but there is no denying the ingenuity involved in…
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We will not touch your junk
Indians aren’t private people. We are conditioned by years of living in joint families or crowded communities, a throng of relatives visiting us or calling us over, and lots and lots of people all around us everywhere we go. So while, Americans demonstrate outrage at being patted down (and by the way, not even the…
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5 suggestions to recognize film music’s “extras”
Ever wondered who played the violin in Yeh Ab Aap Sochiye (Mere Sanam); the sitar in Deewana Hua Baadal (Kashmir Ki Kali); the harmonica in Ye Dosti (Sholay); the accordion in Har Dil Jo Pyar Karega (Sangam); the guitar in Ilaya Nila (Payanangal Mudivadhillai); or even who whistled in Hum Hain Rahi Pyar Ke (Nau…