India sings

India sings

Amongst all the reality shows that showcase India’s best talent — namely, Zee’s SaReGaMaPa, Voice Of India and Indian Idol 3, there is one voice, for me, that rules and rule seriously.

It’s not the versatile sweetheart Emon Chatterjee who might just be the Indian Idol, it’s not Deepali of the same who who was voted out. It could have been Amit Paul who has a unique voice even though he made a mess of things with his Omkara rendition, or rather an attempt at it. Fine, girls go ga-ga over Chang but, hello, he’s far from Idol material as far as the voice goes, and if he does get picked, it’s official — our’s is deaf nation that can just see.

Mauli impressed, totally, in SRGMP with her Mayya Mayya, immense energy and even miles away on telivision, we could only applaud in appreciation. Amanat’s soul is crystal-clear when he sings in that penetrative voice of his, and Ismail Darbar has done a really good job with mentorship on many fronts. But hey, it ain’t them.

That leaves us with VOI, with some of the weirdest judges and ironically the better talent as far as singing is concerned. Sumitra Iyer’s name comes to mind, this woman is lovely, I repeat — lovely, and she is perfectly capable of power-packed performances especially with fusion. Ashpreet is a treat to listen too, her vocals linger in the air even after she walks away.

And that brings me to my pick amongst all of them, aptly named the Voice of India. Yessir, it’s Toshi Sabri, but of course, 24 carats of Gold if you may, but a priceless voice in many ways. Listen to his ‘Piya Re, Piya Re’, that drew comparisons with the great Nusrat, but even then, that’s saying a lot.

Yours truly grew up in the Emirates, and an expat kid, I realised the importance of halaq to bring the Arabic script to life. Dude here does this effortlessly when he rendered Kaho Na Kaho.

I mean, he’s honest, he can sing like awesome, he’s firmly rooted in the basics and Sufi, will you folks please vote for him? He makes the rest of the singers sound like substandard artists, doesn’t he?

Enough talk, here”s a video that suggests what the chap’s capable of.

Don’t go by Abhijeet’s words though, making any sort of comparison between NFAH and someone else is absurd and uncalled for. Toshi is awesome, he isn’t divine. The chap is humble, the judges ought to recognize his honest humility that’s so familiar of Jaipur, and let his singing speak for itself.

And boy, that’s a voice-and-a-half.

Source: showbizia.rediffiland.com

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Absurd but adorable…why Bollywood rocks!

Absurd but adorable…why Bollywood rocks!
Yesterday I was watching Ram Lakhan. It’s one of my favourite masala potboilers. An all out entertainer, Subhash Ghai’s multi-starrer has action, comedy, romance and drama rolled in one.

As I enjoyed the implausibility of it all, I couldn’t help make note of certain traits that Bollywood narrative religiously follows. Here are a few examples:

# Notice how a character, mostly in a supporting role, will never be discreet about a shocking discovery he’s just made. Instead of surreptitiously sneaking out and informing the police or concerned authorities, he will take on the baddies single-handedly. He will actually stand there and tell them how he plans to dial 100 and expect to walk away unharmed. What do you expect? The fool is bumped off in no time.

# The dumb heroine is next on the list. Every time some serial killer goes on the loose, instead of heading for the first exit, she’ll try and find out who’s there. “Kaun hai wahan pe? Jawab do” (Who is it? Answer me!) Yeah, right! Get hit lady, you brought it upon yourself.

# The Bollywood ghost is full of polite gestures. He/She will make numerous now-you-see-them-now-you-don’t appearances, to warn our hero/heroine to maintain distance. But they refuse to take any cue and run for their dear lives. And then when they meet a tragic end or get the spooking of their lives, we are expected to sympathize with them.

# Okay so our hero accidentally lands on the scene of crime. And just when he holds the blood soaked body or tries to remove the dagger off the corpse’s chest, the housemaid, neighbors or even police show up and cry ‘murderer’! What’s more, he’ll be proven guilty too! Forensic science is yet to arrive in Bollywood. Sigh.

# Take the same scenario again. This time around, our hero got lucky. The housemaid’s on leave, the neighbors are minding their own business and the cops are traditionally late. What now? The hero doesn’t think twice before resolving to hide the dead body in the boot of a car. Does he have to unnecessarily complicate the plot? Apparently, the storywriter thinks he does.

# Have you not wanted to pull your hair every time a silly misunderstanding is dragged ceaselessly throughout the movie? Usually the heroine will see the hero and the second lead indulging in an innocent hug. She’ll see more to it followed by a ‘You unfaithful jerk’ break up sequence and melodramatic heartache song. Ultimately the dimwitted heroine will realize her folly when the second lead reveals how she considers the hero to be like her elder brother. Sheesh!

# This plot clich