Backgroundscore.com completes 3 years today. I feel good.
Needle Drops
Tubby-Parik is composing the background score of Sanjay Leela Bhansali’s “Guzaarish”. I wonder why Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who finds it extremely difficult to convey his ideas and emotions to other composers, did not do the film’s background score himself. It is for background score of the film that a film maker needs a lot of patience to put temp music, talk, communicate and help the composer in understanding the characters, emotions and the narrative better, than for the songs of the film. I find the reason given by Sanjay Leela Bhansali, for turning composer, quite ridiculous. The problems in working with some other composer must be of a different nature. Do not get me wrong. I am one of those few who immensely love Guzaarish songs. Tera Zikr hai.. yaaaa!
Here is a delicious interview of A.R.Rahman in which he speaks in detail about the intricacies of scoring music for Danny Boyle’s “127 Hours”. 127 Hours OST is releasing digitally on November 2nd, next week. It has over 31 minutes of A.R.Rahman’s music. I can’t wait.
7 background score cues from the film are getting released in Ashutosh Gowariker’s “Khelein Hum Jee Jaan sey” soundtrack. Wonder why Ashutosh did not get these ideas when he worked with A.R.Rahman and created three consecutive masterpieces with respect to Background score. What a mouth-watering idea it is to release Lagaan Title Music, Swades title music, Aayo Re, Jodhaa Akbar love theme, Akbar theme, Rajputana theme and many more such brilliant cues from Lagaan, Swades and Jodhaa Akbar in CD.
But, finally, some score is getting a legitimate release. A.R.Rahman’s Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya background score is getting released in a Special Edition pack along with the DVD of the best film soundtrack launch I have ever seen in the history of Indian film music. I know. I know. Stones are coming my way. But, that was truly one spectacular event to witness. Wasn’t it? Additional songs from Raavanan are also getting released. Both are releasing on November 4th. It is Diwali time folks!
And recently, Udaan Score got illegally released here.
When asked about the song “Arima”, A.R.Rahman talks more about the background score he composed out of the song.
Guess the movie from this background score piece. It is a Hindi film.
I love Inception score. The concoction of Synthesizers, psychedelic rock guitars, booming brass, and rushing strings is apt to a mixture of action-adventure-heist-sci-fi fantasy that the film is. The internet is already buzzing with discussions on whether Hans Zimmer's 'Inception' score is eligible for an Oscar? (Zimmer seems to have tweaked in an already available music material). However, there is also a parallel PR machine working overtime to boast the music as “Originally” inspired material.
Amidst so many romantic duets, I know that Endhiran – The Robot wouldn’t be a Science fiction film in the true sense of the word. However, I am curious about the background of the film. I am expecting a lot of electronica in the score, though I prefer to listen to more of a choral-orchestral score. John Williams, long time back, proved that flickering laser lights don’t need flanging and phasing synthesizers in the background to create an impact. And can we have a Score OST release at least this time? It was announced that Sivaji Score would be released after the film’s success but it didn’t happen.
For past few weeks, I have been watching episodes of Vidaadhu Karuppu and Sorna Regai from Marma Desam Series. I love the spine-chilling title music of these serials. It is composed by Rehaan, who also composed the Sun TV lead music. I don’t know what he is doing now. He could have become a good background score composer in Tamil films. Listen to the title music pieces Vidaadhu KaruppuSorna Regai
It seems Raavanan soundtrack may be released with 5 additional songs from the background score of the film. The track listing is here
Gautam Vasudev Menon’s 'Nadunisi Naigal’, a glimpse of which we already had in ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya’, is a psycho thriller that would have no songs and it also may not have background score.
Here is a high quality version of Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya theme used aptly for a video by A.R.Rahman
Shruthi Haasan has won ‘Best Background Score’ Isaiaruvi Award for her Score in Unnai Pol Oruvan. Ilaiyaraaja presented the trophy to her. I recall Kamal Haasan, in one of the press meet before the release of Unnai Pol Oruvan, saying, how happy he felt when he heard Shruthi Haasan talking about minimalism in a film score. He also said that Ilaiyaraaja, who left most of the scenes silent in his initial days, was accused by the film producers for not adding enough music for the money he charges.
It is choral-orchestral bangs for Veera’s Introduction. Again. I don’t understand why A.R.Rahman always (Yuva, Sivaji, Mangal Pandey, Jodhaa Akbar, Mudhalvan) resorts to the same type of scoring, whenever there is a strong larger-than-life protagonist in the film. The main Veera theme could have been more rooted. I was expecting the eerie Oud that we heard in initial teasers (though can’t say the sound of it as rooted) to be the signature sound of the bewildering characteristics of Veera. It instead is used for Raghini (apparent in the scene in which she climbs up to the ground from a prison-pit).
But thankfully, major parts of the second half of the film, is filled with pieces made of the haunting melody of the song (that was not released in the CD) ‘Naan Varuvaenae’ (‘Jaa Re Ud Ja Re’ in Hindi). May be this contrast in sound, feel and volume between Veera’s themes in the first half and second half of the film is intentional to imply how Veera’s shades of Black gradually fades to white in Raghini’s perception.
‘Naan Varuvaenae’ / ‘Jaa re Ud Jaa Re’ first appears on a Sarangi when Veera weeps on witnessing a victim of rape in his Sister. When the same melody finally appears on divine registers of A.R.Rahman’s voice, in that chilling climax, I had goose bumps. I was moved to tears. Maniratnam mutes all mortal ambient sounds and allows Rahman’s immortal melody to induce a lump in our throat. My body was electrified for a split second when a lazy Harmonica starts in sync with the poignant slow motion shot in the end. This theme, to ‘Raavan’, is what ‘Then Paandi Cheemayilae’ melody was to ‘Naayagan’.
African chants and alaap are used randomly throughout the film and it aids to believably transform the place of action into an abstract mythical land.
The version of ‘Kaattu Chirukki’ in the film is beyond words, in which the melody takes an unpredictable twist and flow. Exquisitely eerie expression in the voice that rendered the song (Is it Chinna Ponnu?) adds further to the uniqueness of this version of the song. We can count this as a background score piece. I strongly feel that these visuals weren’t shot with music. The brilliant choreography by Astad Deboo and Sham Kaushal, the godly visuals and camera angles of Santosh Sivan, fiery performance by both Aishwarya and Vikram make this whole montage an absolute delight; I wouldn’t mind watching the film many times just for this sequence.
And the thundering ‘Yerimalai’ song (yes, another new song) that plays while Veera burns down Dev’s camp, though would sound very effective as a standalone track, sounds too chaotic with when played along an already chaotic montage of action. May be that was the requirement – Chaos in Sound. The instrumental version of the track works well to pump up the energy and to add an adrenaline rush in the subsequent action blocks.
There definitely is more music in the film. I will update if I find anymore interesting bits after I watch the film again.
