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--- arr_raghu <[email protected]> wrote: > Hi Gopal > Can you please post the source of this dozen list? > OR is this your personal selection? > Thanks > Raghu > > --- In [email protected], Gopal Srinivasan <catchg...@...> > wrote: > > > > > > > > His master's voice > > A.R. Rahman deserves all the awards he has been getting for Slumdog > Millionaire. But he has > > done better work before. Here are a few of his soundtracks that the > Oscar jury should lend > > their ears to first. > > > > Roja (1992): The big breakthrough album that instantly created waves > across the nation. But > > what it did more importantly was having Mani Ratnam switch to Rahman > from Illayaraja. The two > > would go on to do some of the best film music produced in the > country. From Chhoti si asha to > > Roja jaaneman, the film was a bravura feat from a 25-year-old > genius. No wonder Roja was > > featured on Time magazine's 10 best soundtracks of all time. > > > > Song for the feet: Rukmani rukmani > > > > Song for the soul: Yeh haseen vaadiyan > > > > Thiruda Thiruda (1993): One of Rahman's few Tamil soundtracks that > got heard in Mumbai and the > > rest of India, thanks to MTV, which couldn't have enough of Thee > thee and Chandralekha. The > > other wonders were the buddy song Kannum kannum, the immensely > chatty Veerapandi kottayile and, > > of course, the brilliant Raasathi, where Rahman uses only voices and > a choir in the background > > to create the desired effect. > > > > Song for the feet: Chandralekha > > > > Song for the soul: Raasathi > > > > Bombay (1995): The Rahman-Ratnam magic continued with this film, > where Rahman recorded his > > first of the many translated soundtracks, where the tunes remained > the same and the Tamil > > lyrics were converted into Hindi. From the intimate Kehna hi kya to > the chaotic Kuchi kuchi > > rakamma, Rahman showed his versatility yet again and by picking Remo > for Hamma hamma, he > > stressed again after Baba Sehgal and Shweta Shetty in Rukmani > rukmani that he was not > > afraid to experiment. The masterpiece of the album was arguably the > Bombay theme. > > > > Song for the feet: Hamma hamma > > > > Song for the soul: Tu hi re > > > > Dil Se (1998): Yet another Mani Ratnam film. Yet another gem of a > soundtrack from Rahman. While > > Chhaiyya chhaiyya initially overshadowed every other song in the > soundtrack, one possibly > > couldn't keep songs like Jiya jale and Satrangi re under wraps for > too long. With Jiya jale, > > Rahman first showed his keenness to give Lata Mangeshkar a reason to > sing again. Chhaiyya > > chhaiyya, of course, also saw the advent of singer Sukhwinder Singh, > who would become Rahman's > > constant collaborator. One listen and you don't need to be a genius > to figure out why Spike Lee > > used the song in Inside Man. > > > > Song for the feet: Chhaiyya chhaiyya > > > > Song for the soul: Ae ajnabee > > > > 1947 Earth (1998): One of Rahman's most underrated soundtracks, this > one was period yet very > > contemporary, slow yet very moving. While the kite-flying song Rut > aa gayee re was the instant > > hit, the quaint cycle song Dheemi dheemi grew with every hearing. > The other gems in this Deepa > > Mehta film the harmonium-driven Banno rani and the smouldering > paean of pain Raat ki dal dal. > > > > Song for the feet: Rut aa gayee re > > > > Song for the soul: Dheemi dheemi > > > > Zubeidaa (2001): Shyam Benegal's first film without composer Vanraj > Bhatia had Rahman producing > > one of his best works. Whether it was the chirpy gypsy song Main > albeli or the pristine love > > song Hai na or the moody Mehendi hai rachnewali or the liberating > Dheeme dheeme, this was a > > must-listen collection. But what took the cake and the entire > confectionery was Lata > > Mangeshkar's So gaye hain with the grand symphony structure. > > > > Song for the ear: Dheeme dheeme > > > > Song for the soul: So gaye hain > > > > Saathiya (2002): Shaad Ali's remake of Mani Ratnam's Alaipayuthey > not only had the same shots > > and the same cut points, it had the same soundtrack, it's just that > Gulzar's lyrics took the > > Hindi album to Level Next. While Sonu Nigam shone in the title song, > Adnan Sami made his entry > > into Rahman territory with the breezy Aye udi udi. The hidden gems? > Chupke se and Naina > > milaike. > > > > Song for the ear: Oh humdum suniyo re > > > > Song for the soul: Saathiya saathiya > > > > Yuva (2004): If Thiruda Thiruda was a trailer of what Rahman could > do to a youthful soundtrack, > > Yuva was the full picture. While the two Vivek-Kareena songs Fanaa > and Khuda hafiz used trance > > and jazz to the hilt, the Abhishek-Rani songs Kabhi neem neem and > Dol dol had a very rustic > > lilt to them while the Ajay-Esha numbers Badal and Dhakka laga buka > rode high on percussion. > > The film didn't deliver but the soundtrack was wow! > > > > Song for the feet: Fanaa > > > > Song for the soul: Kabhi neem neem > > > > Swades (2004): Ashutosh Gowariker helped Rahman be heard in the West > with Lagaan and the two > > stuck together for more great work. Swades was another Rahman > masterpiece starting with the > > stirring title song, the spiritual Yun hi chala chal, the joyous Yeh > tara woh tara, and the > > bouncy Saawariya. > > > > Song for the feet: Yeh tara woh tara > > > > Song for the soul: Yeh jo des hai tera > > > > Rang De Basanti (2006): With new partner in rhyme Prasoon Joshi, > Rahman got super-chatty with > > RDB. From Khalbali to Masti ki pathshala, it all sounded like a gang > of guys having a lot of > > fun. The title track used Punjabi robustness to the full while Mohit > Chauhan's Khoon chala left > > us shaken and stirred. Plus the veteran Lata Mangeshkar's Lukachupi > and the newcomer Naresh > > Iyer's Rubaroo. > > > > Song for the feet: Masti ki pathshala > > > > Songs for the soul: Rubaroo, Lukachupi, Khoon chala > > > > Jodhaa Akbar (2008): Could Rahman do a Naushad was the question? > Well he perhaps went one step > > further with a soundtrack which was both tour de force and yet very > tender. From the > > sword-hitting-sword beats of Azeemo shah shahenshah to the uplifting > Khwaja mere khwaja to the > > simmered In lamhon ki daman mein to the dulcet Jashn-e-baharaa, it > was an incredible musical > > trip. > > > > Song for the ear: Jashn-e-baharaa > > > > Song for the soul: Khwaja mere khwaja > > > > Jaane Tu... Yaa Jaane Na (2008): After a slew of period films, > Rahman sunk his teeth into the > > Jaane Tu... score, peppering it with peppy songs like Pappu can't > dance saala, Nazrein milana > > and, of course, Kabhi kabhi Aditi. The title track sung by Rahman > himself again sees the > > composer go big with jazz and how! > > > > Song for the feet: Pappu can't dance saala > > > > Song for the soul: Kahin toh > > > > The magic continues... > > > > Well, the Academy and the rest of the awards honchos hopefully would > tune in to this one for > > their consideration next year, because Rahman's latest OST Rakeysh > Mehra's Delhi-6 is one of > > his best till date and that's counting the other soundtracks on > these pages. From Masakkali to > > Dil gira dafatan to Maula mere maula to Genda phool, this is clearly > one of the crests of > > Rahman's career. And Ustad Bade Ghulam Ali Khan enters Rahman's > world with Bhor bhaye... > > > > >
