Saturday, September 13, 2008

Yuvvraaj Movie Review-II

Reviewed by www.india.com

The very name of Subhash Ghai springs up imagery from Karz, Karma, Ram Lakhan, Khalnayak, Taal etc, and with such a repertoire it is only expected that he will deliver another box office biggie.

Ever since the first promos hit TV screens, YUVVRAAJ has developed a massive fan following, and when the music CD arrived, the interest only doubled. So was YUVVRAAJ worth the wait? Surely!

Coming to the story, the film is about three brothers, Salman Khan, Anil Kapoor and Zayed Khan; Salman Khan has a rivalry with the mentally challenged Anil Kapoor. The father is infuriated and throws Salman out of the house (mansion actually). Salman becomes a choir boy in Prague where he finds the love of his life (Katrina Kaif), a cellist. He can't marry her because her billionaire dad (Boman Irani) doesn't approve of Salman's impoverished situation.

Hoping to change his fortunes after the death of his dad, he rushes home to inherit the family millions, only to realize there's nothing left for him and his younger, equally roguish brother, Zayed Khan. Nerd Anil has been declared the sole heir, with sundry greedy relatives eyeing the moolah around him. Time for the dysfunctional family to outwit each other and split or to outsmart the outsiders and come together, once again.

Laced with overtones citing the arrogance and overconfidence of contemporary youth, the moral in this fable quite obviously stares back at you. But there is so much style in the execution, the cliches seem to fade away as this grand movie rolls.

But the heart of YUVVRAAJ is the exquisite music by A.R Rahman, who has given an awesome tribute to Beethoven - Gulzar's beautiful poetry along with Rahman's music is something extraordinary to behold. Cinematography by Kabir Lal is excellent. Every single frame seems like a splendid portrait as Kabir Lal's colorful palette illuminates the screen. Art Director Omung Kumar has done yet another fabulous job after the masterpiece 'Black'.

Yuvvraaj belongs to Anil and Anil alone. One can now call Anil a 'Bollywood veteran' because he deserves every bit of the praise. His career in the new millennium has undergone a metamorphosis and he proves here just how. His Hollywood film 'Slumdog Millionaire' releases next week and we just can't wait.

Salman Khan basically plays himself, a spoilt rich boy, and he does so with ease. He handles the emotional scenes much better than he did in 'Hum dil de chuke sanam'. Zayed Khan is lost in translation, he has no clue of the script or the performance required of him. Katrina Kaif looks fabulous and does exceedingly well. We could've done with more of the Sallu-Kat scenes for their chemistry is sizzling.

Director Subhash Ghai makes a nice comeback after the misbegotten Yaadein, the ludicrous 'Kisna' and the underwhelming 'Black and White'. Like Ghai, Yash Johar needs to wake up from hibernation too.

The script is shoddy at times, the energy rises to a peak in certain moments, but the ride to the strangely inept climax is quite uneven. Although the sumptuous music, classy visuals and the fine acting make up for the script. YUVVRAAJ is worth the trip to the multiplex. Enjoy it while its hot.

Thursday, September 11, 2008

Yuvvraaj Music Review-II

Rahman is back with a bangEvery 6 months A.R Rahman dishes out a brand new album or a soundtrack or a background score for a big Bollywood movie - an avid music listener waits eagerly with anticipation to listen to new Rahman material. We managed to get out hands on the music CD of Yuvraaj a couple of hours ago and gave it a listen.

Yuvraaj stars Anil Kapoor, Salman Khan, Mithun Chakraborty, Zayed Khan and Katrina Kaif in the leading roles. The film marks the return of Subhash Ghai in the director's chair after a brief hiatus.

According to the director, the film is about the arrogance and overconfidence of contemporary youth. You don't need to be a quantum mechanics expert to know that the legendary A.R. Rahman provided the music for Yuvraaj.

The album starts off with Tu mera dost hain which is sung by Benny Dayal and Rahman's favourite Shreya Goshal. The opening lyrics transcend the listener to a new realm but the song loses steam as it progresses.

Tu Muskura has Alka Yagnik and Javed Ali providing the vocals. The song is sweet, soft and melodious... just turn up the volume, sit back and relax... the song drifts you away to a wonderful place in your head. This is easily one of the best tracks of the album.

Mastam Mastam is trendy, jovial and a cool track sung by the sprightly Sonu Nigam. The track has some exquisitely funny lyrics laced with some great music and tempo that only heightens the fun. The last minute of the song particularly will have you jumping about.

Zindagi has Srinivas singing the vocals and he captures your heart in a jiffy. The song evokes memories of the ups and downs of your life. The track grabs you and simply never lets go. I heard this song twice before jumping to the next.

Dil Ka Rishta has a haunting piano piece at the beginning at gets those goosebumps streaming down your skin. Things take a U Turn when the keyboards kick in and the western music wins your heart. Sonu Nigam, Roop Kumar Rathod, A R Rahman, Clinton Cerejo, Suzanne D'Mello, Vivinenne Pocha have done an awesome job with the vocals.

Man Mohini has Vijay Prakash providing the vocals and features electronic beats to juice up the track. If you listen carefully, there is a sample of Rahman's own 'tanna dhoom tana' with an electronic twist.

Shanno Shanno Sonu Nigam, Srinivas, Karthik, Timmy, Sunaina, Vivienne Pocha & Tina providing the vocals and the track is a hip hop number packed with a few electronic sounds. It is a sort of an earsore after listening to the other wonderful tracks.

Vis a vis, the album of Yuvraaj is very satisfying! Except for 'Shanno' and its remix, there is not a single song that is underwhelming. A.R Rahman has once again proved that he is the undisputed Demi God of Bollywood scores. Buy the CD, its definitely worth a listen.