Friday, June 18, 2010
Bollywood Hot Actresses Wallpapers Gallery: Tanushree Dutta Hot Wallpapers Tanushree hot in Bra and without clothes
Tanushree Dutta Hot Wallpapers Tanushree hot in Bra and without clothesYour Ad Here Wednesday, June 16, 2010 Tanushree Dutta Hot Wallpapers Tanushree
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
I found more of myself in the film in the character of Maya than in any other movie I have done so f
By movietalkies
Tuesday Jun 23 6:14 PM
Tuesday Jun 23 6:14 PM
How was it for you to go back to college in the movie "New York"? What did you enjoy the most about it?
Well I started my career before I was at the age to go to college. So it wasn't an experience of going back to college but rather was like a first time college. I got a chance to experience what that life would have been like. That is probably the reason why I enjoyed it so much. The first day when I landed there I was honestly very awkward and felt completely out of my space. It was a different film for me from what I have done before. By the end of the film I didn't want to leave. The whole process of making "New York" was such an amazing journey for me. I think I found more of myself in the film in the character of Maya than in any other movie I have done so far.
In the song 'Hai Junoon', the three of you have really good chemistry and you are just outstanding and are having so much of fun.
I am really glad to get some appreciation for that because the two of them were looking at me during the whole song like do you mind. Can you stop jumping? Can you stand still or do a movement which requires both of your feet on the ground rather than off the ground? I don't know but I was having fun. There wasn't much choreography. Kabir, Adi and the choreographer said just be spontaneous and have a good time. So I was next to two really spontaneous people who love to dance and so I decided to jump enough for all three of us (Laughs).
How much do you identify yourself with the character of Maya you play in "New York"?
Maya, the character I play in "New York" is and will always be very special for me because I think it is a character the most similar to me. Not necessarily the experiences that she goes through in the film but for the ways she is. Her nature, her personality, the kind of joy and carefree attitude she lives her life is where I identify Maya with me. Towards the end of the film, the way she loves and the ways she is to people is very similar to what I am in real life. While discussing with Kabir about my character, he used to just tell me look in your inner self and that is where you will find Maya.
How was it working with Kabir?
When I first saw Kabir I thought to myself that this is the kind of person I am never going to be able to relate to. There was no connection at all. On my first day on the sets I realized that this man is a very intelligent and knows exactly about human nature. Kabir has been a documentary film maker before making films for our industry. His insight and understanding of human nature has made this film really special. He knows how to relate to everybody and will look at you and understand the kind of person you are. He was like a friend to all of us. He helped all of us find our inner self and made that connection that he wanted to come across in the movie. He did all of that with no pressure, no stress and in the most painless way. It was a wonderful experience to work with him.
Do you find yourself fortunate enough to be working with the renowned production house for "New York"?
Of course! It is actually a dream come true to work with Yash Raj. They are an institution by themselves. I have been very fortunate with other film makers as well. People who I have always worked with have really supported me but definitely working with Yash Raj is a personal achievement. Every actor does want to do a Yash Raj film and I think the fact that I got to do a film like this is great. The film is a new film and has not been seen before. The film is important, dramatic and still emotional which is why I feel it touches your heart.
The music of the film is already topping the charts. What are your views about the music of the film?
The music of the film really took me by surprise. I thought that this is going to be a film which will be more about the story and less music. I knew music would be there but in what capacity was the question. When I saw the film I realized how important role the music has played in taking forward the pace of the film. Music takes you into the story completely. Pritam has just done an amazing job. The music is so unlike from what he has done before.
An interview with Salman Khan
Ritesh Sharma, TWF, Bollywood Trade News Network
Salman Khan avoids intrusion in his life and profession but ends up drawing maximum attention for both right and wrong reasons. He is ready with the second edition of his television show 10 Ka Dum while awaiting the release of four of his big films. In a candid chat with our correspondent, the actor answers every question in good humour.Hi, finally we manage to catch you?
(Ha...ha...ha). Yes, I have been running all this time. I am tired and I need a good sleep. I am just back from London after shooting for LONDON DREAMS and now I start shooting for 10 Ka Dum. It's work, work and work and nothing else.
Do you still feel the same about the media, hold grudges and wishfully avoid them?
I never avoided the media. Truly, speaking I don't have any grudges. See, I am ready to give all the answers. Actually, I have changed. There was a time, when I would show my annoyance but every action is guided by a reason. The media annoyed me. I still feel there are certain questions, which are personal, which only my parents or maybe the ones who are really close to me have the right to ask. If someone asks such questions, I can always get annoyed. My fans never ask me such questions...not even my senior colleagues because they know it might be in bad taste and be demeaning. Now it's different. I have grown over the years and avoid all the questions. (Laughs)
So you say you have changed...
Of course I have. I think that's the best thing to do. I have stopped reacting to things. In fact that helps. This is the new way to be in news. Earlier, whenever I said something, it got misrepresented. Now, that I don't at least the news doesn't get distorted. Earlier I wasn't matured. Now I have cooled down.
But controversy never seems to elude you.
What can I do? I don't create it. I know the media's problem. A good article is always boring but if you spice it up, it works and that is how people get such stories.
The latest one is Claudia...
Which Claudia? (Laughs) Schiffer? Or are you asking about Ciesla?
Its former Playboy model and actress Claudia Ciesla who is being linked with you?
(Ha...Ha...Ha). I know. I too have been reading about all these in the newspapers. Okay let me clear it out. I know Claudia, as an actress, she had come to my house only once, spent some time and even met my family. That's all and nothing more.
Apparently, you had to compromise on your fee this year for 10 Ka Dum.
Compromise! (Gives a mischievous smile). Recession... recession!!!! See they made me cut down my fee citing recession as a reason. (Grins)
In fact it is said that you are doing it at half the price.
No...no...no... come on... I also have some market value. I can't cut it down so much. (Smiles)
You must be thrilled to be thrilled to host it once again.
Of course I am thrilled. It was during the last year only when I knew that this show is going to be a hit. And now that it's a hit I am hosting it for the second time and I would now love to host it for another couple of seasons. See... I love this show. It is a common man's show and my fans also get to see me as the common man. I am just like them and today whatever I am it's because of the public. They have made me what I am; else I would not even get the job of a darwaan (gatekeeper). They have the body and height and I don't even have that.
Okay, tell me why didn't you vote in the just concluded general elections?
See, I know that this is one thing that will be asked now but I wasn't in India. Had I been here I would certainly have voted. I was shooting in London... a lot of money has gone in the project and I was doing my work with my costars, director and the producer. I don't want to show off by flying down to India to vote only to get clicked outside the polling booth. And where there were only 27 per cent, 36 per cent and 47 per cent votes in some places my one vote wouldn't have mattered much. But yes, had I been in India, I would certainly have cast my vote.
But Shah Rukh Khan flew down all the way from South Africa to vote.
May be he has more money than me. I am not that rich. (Laughs)
However, you campaigned for everyone in Bollywood this year.
(Cuts in) No, not everyone, but only my friends.
Who would you invite as guests in 10 Ka Dum this time.
This time it's up to the channel. They will take a call but I am really looking forward to have some interesting guests. Last time was fun and I still feel Aamir should have attempted the last questions and made more money. It was one of the best episodes.
So you don't have any problems with Aamir?
I don't have any problems with anyone. And why are you asking only about Aamir. I don't have any problems with Shah Rukh. (Smiles) And even if there's a problem why should I tell you. (Ha...ha...ha). Look I have matured now.
But last year you invited so many of your friends to the show.
I think I am not left with any friends. (Laughs once again). But I would really love to have people like Sanju (Sanjay Dutt), Govinda, Sunny (Deol) and Dharmendraji to the show. Among women I would really love to have Madhuri (Dixit) and Sridevi as guests. Let's see what happens.
So, how has your shooting been going on?
I have four releases. First it's WANTED and the MAIN AUR MRS KHANNA and then LONDON DREAMS comes sometime near Diwali and then VEER.
And both VEER and WANTED are action films.
In fact, VEER has more action. The story is based in 18th century and it was more taxing than WANTED. And I am not saying this because it's my production. We have shot most of the film and the shooting in Jodhpur is over and the rest will be shot soon.
You have also written the story of VEER. So are you seriously considering scriptwriting?
See it's in my blood. It's as simple as that. I will write more of it in future and I am enjoying life. I have four releases this year and it's after a long time and all are different kinds of films. So you know how immersed I am in work.
Okay so when do you get married?
Soon...very soon. My parents are putting pressure on me (laughs). So eventually I will.
411 Movies Interview: India de Beaufort
If you are not watching the new screwball, slapstick comedy meets fantasy TV series, Krod Mandoon And The Flaming Sword of Fire on Comedy Central right now, you should. In the adventures of the ragtag resistance movement led by the aptly named Krod Mandoon (Sean Maguire) against the evil, tyrannical, and eccentric Dongolar (Matt Lucas), Krod is joined by his would-be girlfriend, the Racoon Pagan warrior, Aneka, played by British actress India de Beaufort. The singer, song writer, and musician shifted over to the acting scene several years ago on The Basil Brush Show before appearing with Simon Pegg in the movie Run Fatboy Run. Now India is getting a lot more face time in this great new TV series. And if you haven't seen Aneka's fire dance yet, you are truly doing yourself a
disservice. I spoke with India last week via phone to talk about what's going on with Krod and her acting career:
India de Beaufort as Aneka.
Jeffrey "The Vile One" Harris: So did you know Krod was "dork" spelled backwards?
India de Beaufort: It actually took me a while to realize. I didn't realize straight away. In fact no one even told me until the end of the shoot. I didn't really look for it, but I know now.
TVO: It explains a lot about Krod, doesn't it?
IB: It does. I think there's actually a story behind it. Peter Knight said there was some guy at his school when he was growing up who wasn't the brightest of the bunch, and they used to call him "Krod," and he didn't realize it was dork spelled backwards, so it was kind of like a silly joke or something.
TVO: So how did you get this role?
IB: I auditioned just like everybody else. I went through the exact same process.
TVO: Did you have any doubts, concerns, or hangups about Aneka and the way she behaves? She's definitely a sexually aggressive in how she approaches certain things.
IB: When I read the script, I just loved the character. And I only ever read the first episode, but when I auditioned I had only seen the first one, so I hadn't read anything about her fire dance or you know she has a couple of other a bit naughty scenes among the scripts. And I read those after I'd gotten the role. And I think I was originally a little bit concerned just because I take my job very seriously, and I love what I do and I didn't want people to watch the show and think that I was there for the wrong reasons. So I wanted them to hopefully respect me for playing the role. And there's always that sort of worry when there's a character that's so sexually relative, but after reading it a few times, the writing's just so funny and its intelligent and knowing that Sean Maguire and Matt Lucas were involved, I couldn't turn it down. And once that we shot the scenes, and now that I've seen it all out, I'm not worried at all because I love the role of Aneka. I really believe in her, and after playing her she's more a feminist character because she's saying, "I'm equal to every other man in the world. Men enjoy sex. I enjoy sex." You know, she's out there putting out this strong statement. And some people see it that way and some people don't, but for me playing her personally, I completely respect her and I love playing her.
TVO: So what was the shoot like, and where are you with the show right now?
IB: We're all back. We're all done, so now we can just sit back and watch it. The shoot was incredible. I mean it was really just one of those life-changing experiences, and I had so much fun. And I was fortunate enough to be with a group of people who really believed in the project and wanted to get the job done and do it well but also have a great time. We spent everyday just laughing and messing around. I work with a bunch of men who were all just big kids fulfilling their fantasy of sword fighting and being a part of that is just phenomenal.
TVO: Would you consider yourself a fan of fantasy before you started working on this show?
IB: Oh yeah, I'm a huge fan. I'm slightly addicted to Charmed, anything really with sort of the fantasy realm. Harry Potter, Heroes I love . . . just anything really. It's really amazing how the writers create this universe that's endless, and I have no idea where that imagination comes from. And being a part of something that when we walk on the set, we're walking into a world that somebody created. They took pencil and pen and then went down on paper sat down and they got to a point where we're sitting in it. And that's just so much fun to be a part of.
TVO: Krod wants to settle down with Aneka and for her to be his girlfriend, while Aneka wants to be her own girl and do things her way. But do you think Aneka is interested in Krod, and could you ever see her settling down with Krod?
IB: I don't want to give too much away, but Krod loves Aneka. He absolutely adores the ground she walks on. And they have this relationship where she wants an open, free relationship, and he wants a monogamous relationship and sort of seeing the challenges that brings, but there is more to Aneka than her sexual free-ness and her being a great warrior. She has levels and depth and vulnerability and later in the series you'll see more of that come out, and it may or may not be related to her feelings for Krod.
TVO: How did you get into acting and is acting something you've wanted to do your whole life?
IB: I've always wanted to be in the business. Both my parents were performers. I was a singer first. I've been in writing and singing since I was about 14, 15. And then I went into a children's TV show called The Basil Brush Show on the BBC in the UK. And I could sing on the show and was what required me to be one of the principal roles and that was my first introduction to acting. And then from there I went back to music and continued writing and continued trying to make it in that way, and then the role of Maya in Run Fatboy Run came along, which was directed by David Schwimmer, and David sort of took me to one side after we finished shooting and said, "Look. I really think that you should take this seriously, and this is the direction you should head in," and he saw potential, and he was the first person to really believe in me. I had people back me in music before but never in acting. When he took a stance and showed me some confidence, I took him seriously, I mean you have to; he's someone that's that talented. So I went away and trained for a year with different acting coaches and really found out my strengths, my weaknesses, the things that I loved about it, the things that I didn't like so much, and before long I just fell in love. So I put the music to one side and started heavily pursuing acting and auditioning and getting the roles and getting as much information as I possibly could and then Krod and I was fortunate enough to land the role.
TVO: was my first exposure to you playing the daughter of Simon Pegg's landlord, Maya D. Gas. I'm a huge Simon Pegg and
IB: I love Simon . . . and he's just the nicest guy, isn't he? I saw him a few weeks back when I was in London. Every time I see him, it just reminds me of how delicious he is as a person. I just love him to death.
TVO: I definitely agree. Your role in Run Fatboy Run wasn't a huge role, but I enjoyed it whenever you were on screen and you definitely had a good presence. And I love seeing you develop on this show, and I'm sorry to say this, but the fire dance was one of the greatest things I've ever seen in the history of television.
IB: *Laughs*. Yeah, that was the most nerve-wracking thing I think I've ever done. I had to down a beer before I went out and did that. I shouldn't admit it because I'm not a wine, cocktail drinking kind of a girl. I have an older brother, and so, so I watch football and I like a beer. And before we started shooting it, I was so nervous, not so much about doing it, but doing it in front of my peers, the people I've been working against. We were quite a way into the shoot by then. We were almost at the end of the shoot, and the idea of taking my kit off in front of them was mortifying. And then I got out there – the stage that we shot it on was sort of a laminate (?) material and it got covered in joo(?) once the sun went down. So I was slipping all over the place. I wear these hair extensions to play Aneka, and my hair extensions came out when I was throwing my head around, and it was all a bit of a nightmare. I mean I learned that day – I went to – this is absolutely terrible and I can't believe I'm admitting this, but to train me to do that, they sent me off with a dancing coach, and I got out of a car and I realize I'm outside of a strip club in the middle of Budapest. And I went inside, and this teacher they give me, she was a contemporary dancer, and because they knew it was going to be around some kind of pole, they brought me to a strip club, and it was during working hours. And I walked in and there were some girls on the side kind of sitting there in their very sexy lingerie and things and the owner behind the bar. And there was only one pole, kind of a full crowd, and I had to get up and learn pole dancing in front of all these people who didn't speak a word of English . . . I mean the whole thing was just crazy. I had a great time, and I learned to pole dance. So we choreographed this routine completely around the pole. And most of what I learned is that poles are on ball bearings, so when you swing around it, it goes wicked and you can really put down your feet (?). And then I got there on set on the day, and the pole was in fact a tree. So we had to throw out all the choreography that I've learned and I just had to wing it. So they still somehow managed to edit it and make it look half-decent, but the actual experience itself was a bit all over the place. By the time I'd done it, I had a blast, and I really enjoyed myself and I think it was one of those freeing moments where you never thought you'd do it, but you do it and you have a lot of fun. I might continue the pole dancing lessons if possible.
TVO: Please don't get offended when I say this, but I've never been more jealous of the citizens of Budapest.
IB: *Laughs*, Oh Jeffrey, that's very sweet of you. I promise you the takes that they saw were nowhere near—
TVO: I mean a lot about acting is about letting go of your inhibitions. And you really embraced the spirit of that character, and it was great.
"I might continue the pole dancing lessons if possible."
IB: Well the good thing about Aneka is that because she is so strong and feisty and can have these weighty foundations, if I had gone up there and showed that I was nervous and timid it probably would've been A.) more embarrassing and B.) I wouldn't be doing my job. And the great thing about playing Aneka is that because she has this really feisty – I can hide behind that myself. And so when I play her, I can pretend I am her and get away with so much more. Whereas me myself, I don't think I could probably pole dance in front of 300 men. I'm afraid of how I'd look.
TVO: Do you India find yourself attracted to Krod in any way? I mean, he's a little incompetent but I find his devotion to one woman very admirable.
IB: Me as a person, I'm a one-man woman. I'm all about trust and men being faithful and honesty and someone being a good all round person and Krod really has all those qualities. And I think it's kind of cute the way he gets things wrong and is a bit silly, you know. The only thing I probably wouldn't like is he's always messing with his hair and the way he looks. I can't bear those kinds of guys. Everything else about Krod, I love and obviously, Sean is gorgeous. So Sean playing Krod is a big plus. That's a character I do love.
TVO: So not like Dongolar or any of those guys?
IB: I don't think there's anyone in the show, a character – I mean Krod is probably the first guy I'd go for. And after that, Rafe obviously . . . and he's a very good looking guy . . . but I have funny taste in men. I don't go for the traditional hero. I don't know really know what I go for . . . but I've never really gone for the leading man. I'm not a leading man kind of woman, but you never know it might change.
"Everything else about Krod, I love and obviously, Sean is gorgeous. So Sean playing Krod is a big plus. That's a character I do love."
TVO: What's the most important thing you look for in a guy you want to date?
IB: Hm. In a guy I want to date. The guy personally, I just want to laugh. I spend my life around funny men, and if they didn't make me laugh it would be a bit strange. It's really important that I laugh. It's also important that you're sexually attracted to them. But I think the biggest one, the biggest thing that guys tend to miss, is that girls want to go on dates that surprise them. You know every girl in the world has gone on dates where they sat in a restaurant or sat in a coffee shop, or sat and talked or sat and eaten, and if you do it that way then you're kind of just the same as ever other guy that went before. Whereas if a guy took me rock climbing or to the beach or just something that kind of breaks the ice and is more relaxed and sort of allows you to be in an activity – you know just really breaks the ice, that would make a huge difference. And it's true because that's what all my girlfriends say, "if a guy would just do something a little bit out of the blue, a little bit abnormal, something unpredictable it would make a huge difference." So there's a big hint.
TVO: I'm going to be taking a lot of notes when I transcribe this interview.
IB: *Chuckles*.
TVO: You mentioned Heroes earlier. Are there any other shows you like to watch in your leisure time?
IB: . . . I'm so addicted to Heroes it's not funny. I'm usually waiting for Monday nights to come around. And I used to really like Lost and then I got a bit lost. Charmed I've been watching a lot of the reruns of recently. I love Gossip Girls, Desperate Housewives, all those kind of "chicky" shows. I love Monk, a detective series, I love Monk. There are many, many shows I adore.
TVO: For a more ladies type of show, I like Mistresses which we just started getting over here.
IB: I love Mistresses, but is it the British version here or . . . ?
TVO: I get the British version on BBCA.
IB: Nice. Because Sarah Parish is in Mistresses, who is the wife of James Murray who plays Rafe Longshaft in our show. That's a bit of trivia for you.
TVO: James Murray from Primevil?
IB: Yes.
TVO: That's another show I love, I just started watching series 3 and I'm going nuts.
IB: Well I'm fortunate because there's a lot of good TV around.
TVO: You guys have the best TV over in England, besides the fact that we get Krod here.
IB: Yes. England hasn't got Krod yet. England's still waiting, so you guys got it first.
TVO: So how many episodes did you shoot for Krod for this season?
IB: We shot six episodes. And hopefully if people watch and tune in and enjoy the show, then we'll maybe shoot ten or more next season.
TVO: Well, I'm definitely watching right now. I love this show. I love Aneka, I love Krod, and all these characters, and I hope we can see more. India, thank you so much for your time, it's been amazing speaking with you. And God save the queen.
IB: *Laughs* Thank you, Jeffrey. God Save the Queen.
TVO: And the Sex Pistols too. Thank you so much India, you're amazing. Tell Krod to watch out.
IB: I will let him know. When I see Sean later, I'll tell him.
TVO: Tell Sean to watch out too.
If you'd like to find out more about India, you can look up her , or look her up on Facebook or Twitter (her user name is India de Beaufort) where you can also listen to her original music and songs.
Also another friendly reminder for our loyal readers. To get the latest news and udpates in entertainment, movies, TV, MMA, sports, politics, and pro wrestling, you can bookmark 411mania.com to your favorite places or save the site as your homepage.
Album Review: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan - Charkha
SOUND CHECK: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan: Charkha
By Savaiz Bokhari
Background: Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is no stranger to the audience of Indian and Pakistani communities the world over. Born in 1974 at Faisalabad, Pakistan, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan was tutored by his uncle, the late Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan, in the art of classical music.
An extremely gifted child, he started his musical raining at the tender age of seven. Under the tutelage of his illustrious uncle, he went on to do his first stage performance at the age of 11. After two decades of captivating performances for international audiences, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan is today a star in his own right, one whose art is thoroughly appreciated worldwide.
Amongst his most notable achievements is his contribution to the soundtrack for the 1995 Hollywood film Dead Man Walking in collaboration with Eddie Vedder, the lead singer of Pearl Jam, alongside his uncle Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. In 2002, he worked on the soundtrack of Four Feathers in collaboration with James Honor.
More recently, he has worked with Mel Gibson, providing backing vocals for the soundtrack of Apocalypto. In addition to the above, Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has received many nominations and awards in India for his soulful music. (Quoted from the sleeve of the album Charkha).
The Album
Upon learning that Rahat Fateh Ali Khan has come out with an album, I decided to give it a listen. Having heard his mesmerising vocals in at least one song in every hit that comes out of Bollywood these days, my best bet was that the album wouldn’t disappoint.
Rahat sounds at best to be ‘going through the motions’ on what is supposedly his debut non-film album (excluding his qawali volumes). He appears to be having an off day(s) while recording the album as there is no way one can compare his efforts on this offering to earlier hits such as Jiya Dharak (from the film Kalyug), Jag Soona Soona (Om Shanti Om), Naina thug lainge (Om Kara) and O Re Piya from the lesser successful (Aaja Nachle).
The fluency with which one witnesses him deliver hits is just not present here. Some of the tracks appear too influenced by his recent attempts to sing for Hollywood, which unfortunately puts spirituality in the background rather than in the foreground. Songs such as Rang Rangeela, Tere Bina and Kanday Utay seem to suffer from this phenomenon and are in non-conformance to the greater scheme of this qawali-pop album. Even Rahat seems aware of his shortcomings on the album and has attempted to make up for it by adding his biggest hit to date, Jiya Dharak Dharak, as the finale on the album.
Negatives aside
Dunga Pani, a song penned by Rahat himself, is a harrowing ditty with a bluesy composition that stands out among songs that appear mediocre at their very best. It definitely does justice to Rahat’s mantle of being the sole-successor and pupil of the legendary maestro Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan. So does the pop-rendering of the sufi-folk kaafi number, Sainyaah (written by mystic poet Shah Hussain).
Another saving grace is the album’s title track which sounds divine (even the remix-techno version) simply because of the poetry of Bulleh Shah.
Another positive is that the composition of the entire album is credited to Rahat which means that unlike certain other Pakistani musicians, he hasn’t yet succumbed to the charms of Indian composers.
Bollywood state of mind
At times, Rahat’s ‘please Bollywood’ frame of mind seems to dominate certain compositions and they appear more made-for-Bollywood rather than this album. Such filmi songs include Morre Aangan, Aaj Hum and Na Janay Kahan which lack the otherwise free-flowing rhythm that is a requirement of qawali music.
Instead Rahat appears to be trying to impress with a more eastern-classical ghazal style mixed with filmi-pop. Hopefully, this isn’t going to be his future direction for musical production. It is pertinent to note here that this frame of mind seems to have an impact on the entire spectrum of Pakistani music and is responsible (partly) for the shuddering halt (of late) to the progressive development of the Pakistan music scene.
Why remix?
As regards remixes of two of the album’s songs, a note of caution: Anyone who has heard originals will testify that remixing never actually improves the quality of the original song, although at times it does create a work of art on a very different scale. Then again, why remix when the original isn’t the best song in the world to begin with.
In short, this album isn’t his best piece of work and will please only the most ardent fans of Rahat Fateh Ali Khan.
Album Review: Inteha — Kehna Chahta Hoon
Album Review: Inteha — Kehna Chahta Hoon
Soundcheck: Inteha — Kehna Chahta Hoon
Sunday, 19 Apr, 2009 | 04:08 AM PST |
by Asfandyar Khan
There’s something about Xulfi and his studio, Xth Harmonic. Nearly every band that goes in there ends up coming out sounding eerily similar. Perhaps it’s Xulfi’s little additions to a band’s material; perhaps it’s the engineering of the record itself. Either way, it’s fairly easy to listen to a record and tell whether or not Xulfi had his hands all over it.
Sometimes that can be a good thing, but with records produced at Xth Harmonic it seems to be a bit overwhelming — suffering ultimately from overkill.
Inteha acquiesce to the same fate. Listening to Kehna Chahta Hoon makes one yearn for the band itself rather than their produced material — which one can rather easily ascertain would be quite different from the band’s live performances. The songs are pristine, almost packaged. The music ends up sounding more by-the-numbers and mechanical as a result, and it’s a shame because some of the songs may well be able to stand up firmly on their own.
Paradoxically however, two songs seem to benefit from the overproduction; Talaash and Dastaan. The former goes through a couple of movements, almost as if it were a classical piece. Introduced by distinctly ethnic string work, the song soon finds itself amidst standard pop rock fare — only to become a quite different entity in the middle.
Stabbing staccato strings make the band sound Coldplay-ite, before the end anyway when some rampant riffs take things into a very distinct, Call-like atmosphere. The song itself as a whole doesn’t stand up for any other reason other than the fact that it’s not the sum of its parts. But those parts themselves are quite interesting.
Dastaan features some rather tasty rhythms, with drum work that takes it upon itself to fill up the sound, and bass lines that don’t seem to want to be on the periphery. Naukhez’s vocals here are a fair display of his ability as well. Throughout the album, in fact, he seems to not wait for an invitation to flex his larynx.
Like most albums these days — especially those from Punjab — there is the requisite Punjabi track (Muk Jaandi Aye). Why bands feel the need to chuck in a token Punjabi track escapes me. As with most tracks of its nature, Muk Jaandi Aye manages to elicit absolutely no emotional response except a slight sense of annoyance. Coming just after the song that everyone identifies with the band, Anjaana, is a tracking misstep as well.
The rest of the album seems a bit hit and miss. Some of the songs come across as mediocre ballads (such as the title track, Kehna Chahta Hoon) while the tabla in Manzilain seems as if it’s there for absolutely no reason whatsoever. Naukhez’s vocals here are particularly annoying, for every syllable seems to be unnecessarily dragged out.
Aao Na seems to manage to pick up the latter part of the album. It’s a song where everything seems to come together quite nicely, despite the band trying to overarch. Nausher’s guitar work seems to possess actual intent, as subtle arpeggios provide a lush backdrop to Naukhez’s vocals. The overblown chorus too seems perfect for the song.
There’s a lot of flute work going on throughout the album, and it seems to somehow work on only one song (Aao Na). Again, here it seems over-indulgent and extravagant for many of the songs did not need unnecessary ‘beautification.’ Sometimes, sparseness works far better, and it’s not always true only of singer-songwriter material. Unlike Jal, Inteha seem more at ease with the overdrive pedals at their disposal. The overdrive guitar tones do seem to lack a bit of punch however, and perhaps their quasi-grittiness wasn’t appropriate for an album of this nature.
The two brothers who make up Inteha, Nausher and Naukhez Javed, are undeniably talented, but they seem to either lack confidence in their abilities or have, in my opinion at least, convoluted views on music. Their songs do not need the help of multiple instruments to breathe; neither should ostensibly layered and complex arrangements be mistaken for depth and substance. Similarly Nausher’s vocals at times reach too high; too far. Some restraint would work wonders, as would a desire to actually work on songs as whole packages rather than consisting simply of instruments. On more than few songs it seems as if the vocals and the other instruments are striving for attention; competing where there shouldn’t be competition.
Kehna Chahta Hoon is probably one of the better pop-rock albums to come out in a while, based solely on the barren compositions not the final product. That, however, isn’t saying much. The strength of an album remains in its longevity, and within a couple of months Inteha’s mantle will be taken over by another band — one that’ll sound not too dissimilar. But for now, if you long for Jal-esque pop rock, you could do worse.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)