6. “Aafreen tera chehra” – Film: “Red”; Music Director: Himesh Reshammiya; Singer: Himesh Reshammiya. A new entrant on the list, “Aafreen tera chehra” is a panegyric love song about feminine beauty. Reshammiya does not let you down with his copyright high-pitched crooning.

7. “Aaj ki raat” – Film: “Don”; Music Director: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy; Singers: Alisha Chinoy, Mahalaxmi, Sonu Nigam. An impressive mix of modern and traditional, the song is popular for its beats.

8. “Crazy kiya re” – Film: “Dhoom 2″; Music Director: Pritam; Singer: Sunidhi Chauhan. The fast number sets your foot tapping and is a visual treat as well.

9. “Come on come on” – Film: “Baabul”; Music Director: Aadesh Shrivastava; Singers: Amitabh Bachchan, Sonu Nigam, Vishal, Aadesh Shrivastava, Ranjit Barot. A celebration song, “Come on come on” is quite popular among the party circuits.

10. “Saaze dil” – Film: “Yaatra”: Music Director: Khayyam; Singer: Talat Aziz. The semi-classical ghazal sung by Talat Aziz is definitely worth listening.

2. Sonu Nigam

Quality took over quantity for Sonu Nigam in 2006. Though Himesh Reshammiya was clearly on a roll an entire year with stiff competition from KK, Kunal Ganjawala and Shaan, Sonu Nigam still managed to come up with the title song of ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’ which is undoubtedly the best sung song of the year. The pain, anguish and helplessness of a couple in love was brought out so well in the track that it was placed at the beginning of the album in spite of a sad theme. Sonu clearly seemed to excel in sad-n-soft songs in the year gone by as he reserved some of his best work for Anu Malik’s ‘Jaan-E-Mann’. Hear ‘Saud Dard Hai’ and ‘Ajnabi Shehar Hai’ and you would know why!

3. KK

If you can’t make out who is the singer for a particular song, chances are more than 99% that it is going to be KK! A man who has come a long way since his debut years back, he brings with him sheer variety in each of the songs he sings which makes his voice highly unique and different every time it is heard. He is the one who can sing ‘Kya Mujhe Pyaar Hai’ [Woh Lamhe] with as much aplomb as ‘Bas Ek Pal’ [Bas Ek Pal]. Also, he seems to be high UP there when it comes to singing for films coming from the Bhatt camp. Isn’t that the reason why ‘Tu Hi Meri Shab Hai’ [Gangster] and ‘Teri Yaadon Mein’ [The Killer] are enjoyed even today when months have passed since they were heard first?

4. Atif Aslam

Just one song in 2006 brings Atif Aslam in the Top-5 singers of the year. In the years before, his ‘Woh Lamhe’ [Zeher] and ‘Aadat’ [Kalyug] had been immensely successful. But the number that made him a household name in the second half of 2006 was ‘Tere Bin’, a song from a small film called ‘Bas Ek Pal’ that went on to do big business when it came to music! A perfect song that deserves 10/10 in all departments, be it rendition, lyrics or music, it catapulted Atif to such a high position in the world of music that everything that he does now would be looked at keenly. Now that’s what one calls after-effects of fame!

5. Zubeen Garg

Unlike Atif Aslam, Zubeen Garg was heard in more than just a solitary song but his ‘Ya Ali’ [Gangster] has been his most critically and commercially acclaimed song of the year! Zubeen has been struggling for years when it comes to Bollywood playback singing but ‘Ya Ali’ has been his ticket to the big league. Watch out for Zubeen as this classically trained singer has a lot more colors to show than just ‘sufi-rock’ rendition!

6. James

Thank you Bhatts. And thank you Anurag Basu and Pritam. Because if not for you all, music lovers may not have got an opportunity to hear the voice of a singer who belonged all the way to Bangladesh. One thought that ‘Bheegi Bheegi’ [Gangster] was the only kind of song that James could sing since he excelled in this painful rock rendition. But lo! Soon came ‘Chal Chale’ [Woh Lamhe] and realization struck that he had so much more to offer. If ‘Bheegi Bheegi’ was plain sorrow, ‘Chal Chale’ was akin to a walk in the clouds!

7. Kailash Kher

When Kailash Kher sung, the nation danced! And together we all said – ‘Chak De Phatte’! The song was such a huge hit that it made everyone aware about a small little film called ‘Khosla Ka Ghosla’. Smart strategy applied by UTV to promote the number extensively with a music video woven around it made ‘Chak De Phatte’ a famous song in campus fests, discs, pubs, marriages and other festive processions alike! A winner track!

8. Shafqat Amanat Ali/Shankar Mahadevan

Together they sung ‘Mitwa’ and Shafqat Amanat Ali & Shankar Mahadevan were soon a pair! The two singers brought a kind of variety that was required for this thoughtful sufi/rock/Indian classical fusion number. A superhit track that is gracing numerous year-end compilation albums of 2006, ‘Mitwa’ makes sure that ‘Love Will Find A Way’! Shafqat also had the soulful rendition of ‘Yeh Honsla’ from ‘Dor to his credit which he sung with Salim Merchant that made an interesting theme song for the movie.

9. Shaan

Shaan may have sung a dozen odd good songs this year but the one that stood out was ‘Chand Sifarish’ [Fanaa]. This was the song that made his voice almost unrecognizable as came up with a rendition that was quite different from what one identifies him with. A chartbuster of the year, it may well have introduced Shaan as Aamir Khan’s new voice!

10. Kunal Ganjawala

2006 may not have been an year where Kunal Ganjawala enjoyed a ‘Bheege Honth Tere’ [Murder], but he did have to his credit some beautiful melodies that unfortunately weren’t as successful as they deserved. Otherwise how can one explain a brilliant song like ‘Tumse Yun Milenge’ [Ankahee] going highly unnoticed while ‘Tum Jo Mile’ [Ahista Ahista] forced to abort its way up in the charts due to a premature end of the film at the box office. One hopes Kunal enjoys a much better 2007!

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Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom Music: Shankar Ehsaan Loy Shaad Ali has enjoyed successful soundtracks in his past two films ‘Saathiya’ and ‘Bunty Aur Babli’. Shankar Ehsaan Loy had a hat trick of big hits in the form of ‘Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna’, ‘Don’ and ‘Salaam-E- Ishq’. Together they come up with ‘Jhoom Baraabar Jhoom’, yet another dream project with Yash Raj Films which stars Abhishek Bachchan, Bobby Deol, Preity Zinta and Amitabh Bachchan in a special role. Will there be a ‘kajrare’ yet again?

Jodhaa Akbar Music: A.R. Rahman Think historical and the name that comes to mind is A.R. Rahman. Though Rahman has himself confessed that he has probably done a lot too many historicals, dream merchants still fight it out to rope him as the composer when it comes to making music with a difference. Also, for someone like Ashutosh Gowarikar who has worked with Rahman in his last two films ‘Lagaan’ and ‘Swades’, it was difficult to pick up any other composer for this magnum opus starring Hrithik and Ash.

Lajjo Music: A.R. Rahman When a team like Mani Ratnam, Bobby Bedi and Aamir Khan comes together, the project is meant to be BIG. And when a project is big, the only composer that comes to mind is A.R. Rahman. Working on two of the biggest soundtracks of the year, Rahman should well have some great soundtracks to offer to music lovers after ‘Rang De Basanti’ and ‘Guru’.

Metro Music: Pritam This could well be one of the defining soundtracks of the New Year! Experimenting with the very concept of song placement in a film, ‘Metro’ comes with an idea of a Rock Band being specially formed for the movie. Comprising of 3-5 members, this Rock Band would be crooning tracks composed by Pritam and would also be making an appearance in the movie multiple number of times at crucial junctures.

Om Shanti Om Music: Vishal-Shekhar, Pyarelal This may well have been third big project for A.R. Rahman but call it the good luck of Vishal-Shekhar, they were the ones to ultimately bag the project. After ‘Main Hoon Naa’, Farah Khan and Shahrukh Khan return with yet another masala fare based on the theme of reincarnation. Bonus comes in the form of Pyarelal of Laxmikant Pyarelal making a comeback as a guest composer too. For those born in contemporary times, it would be an opportunity to witness what they have missed.

Saawariya Music: Monty Sanjay Leela Bhansali has lived dreams. And he has made his dreams come true on celluloid through his projects. Undoubtedly, music has played an integral part of his films. Now he has roped in young Monty, background composer of ‘Devdas’ and ‘Black’, to handle the responsibility of an entire soundtrack of ‘Saawariya’. A launch pad of any actor is always special. And it becomes extra special when the newcomers [Ranbir Kapoor, Sonam Kapoor] belong to ‘Kapoor khaandaan’! We are sure the album would be one magical experience!

Shakalaka Boom Boom Music: Himesh Reshammiya Love or hate his movies, fact cannot be ignored that the music of Suneel Darshan films always sells. His ‘Andaaz’ is still registering decent album sales while even a turkey like ‘Mere Jeevan Saath’ sold lakhs of units. And when Himesh Reshammiya comes into picture for a film that is touted as an urban musical thriller, expectations are huge from the team. Will Reshammiya carry on the rich musical record that was held by Suneel Darshan and Nadeem Shravan?

Tara Rum Pum Music: Vishal Shekhar Any film coming from the house of YRF is an event in itself. And when a film’s title reads as ‘Tara Rum Pum’, there are all the valid expectations of a frothy entertaining score. No wonder, one has already started imagining the lead pair of Saif Ali Khan and Rani Mukherjee lip synching to the fun tunes by Vishal Shekhar.

Train Music: Mithoon Young Mithoon started his journey as an original composer with ‘Bas Ek Pal’ and ‘Anwar’ last year. And now one expects him to continue his successful journey in Raksha Mistry-Hasnain Hyderabadwala ‘The Train’. With Bajaj brothers [Narendra and Shyam] being the producers who have enjoyed one musical success after another with Himesh Reshammiya in the past, ‘The Train’ becomes an exciting musical prospect. Director duo of the film is quite confident about the music. Well, even we are! And yes, a certain Emraan Hashmi factor counts too!

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3) Zara Jhoom Jhoom – Tom, Dick and Harry

When Tom, Dick and Harry released, not many said that they were venturing into the theaters to watch Dino Morea, Jimmy Shergill and Arjun Sawhney wear their Tom, Dick and Harry caps! They said that they were going in to watch ‘Zara Jhoom Jhoom’! And if the movie turned out to be good then it was just an added bonus. Well, even the makers and the music company seemed to be in a know-how of this and that could well be the reason why majority of publicity campaign of the film revolved around this very number. Excitingly choreographed with nice moves, good lighting and stylish setting, ‘Jhoom Jhoom’ till date makes one go ‘jhoom’!

4) Humko Maaloom Hai – Jaan E Mann

Power of subtlety! That was the underlining strength of songs in Jaan-E-Mann. With an entire movie set on a Broadway theme, it was quite challenging to treat each song as different within the film’s context. For those who have been bred on Bollywood for decades, it was quite a refreshing change to see a new approach being adopted for choreographing ‘Humko Maaloom Hai’. Well, this was not all as songs like ‘Ajnabi Shehar’ and ‘Sau Dard Hai’ which may otherwise have been one of those routine background tracks, too stood out, all thanks to choreographer’s innovative ideas that made them cut above the rest.

5) Zinda Hoon Main – Zinda

How can one forget one of the most stylish songs coming from Bollywood stable? ‘Zinda Hoon Main’ may have started playing towards the end of 2005 but by the time the film released in 2006, the song had indeed caught up the heart, courtesy Ms. Lara Dutta’s sensual moves amidst a glass set! One doesn’t expect a routine job from director Sanjay Gupta and ‘Zinda Hoon Main’ was no different as experimentation and style merged to deliver one of the most international-looking music videos that has ever been witnessed in India.

6) Golmaal – Golmaal

Beach, babes and bikes – Lethal combination of each of these three formed an integral part of a great outing called ‘Golmaal Golmaal’ that played at the beginning of the film. Setting context of what’s up in store for the rest of the film, the title song is one of the glossiest numbers ever seen with some fresh dance steps that were trendy, hip- hop, sensual and never once vulgar even with 100 odd semi-clad women around. No wonder, the song still graces the music channels every now and then!

7) Guitar – Apna Sapna Money Money

If you have lived in the 80s and early 90s, you know what Govinda and Anil Kapoor used to offer in their films. If not, you would know about that it after watching the song ‘Dil Mein Baji Guitar’ from the film Apna Sapna Money Money. The song was designed in two phases – one with Riteish Deshmukh as a hero with Koena Mitra as his female partner and the other where Riteish was the female partner of Anupam Kher. While Ritiesh had a great time jiving around in red pants a la Govinda in a stage that was set in a shopping mall, Anupam Kher too didn’t miss out on action as his libido was on an overdrive with Riteish making all the right inviting gestures. Result? A masala number all the way for the masses.

Aaj Ki Raat – Don

How much can simple facial expressions and subtle body language convey through a dance? A lot if one looks, and then re-looks, at the lounge number ‘Aaj Ki Raat’. It may have been a situational track in the film but fact cannot be denied that ‘Aaj Ki Raat’ was the most defining tracks of the lot. A number where Priyanka Chopra and Isha Koppikar tried to be on top of each other with each believing that they knew the real Don, it was King Khan’s entry towards the middle of the song on the glass stage which proved who was the best of the lot. And no, we didn’t really mind the 70s style bubble effect on the frames!

9) Aashique Ye Meri – 36 China Town

Second track in the best choreographed songs to be featuring Isha Koppikar, ‘Aashique Ye Meri’ was the song that brought Upen Patel to your living room. Loads of attitude, loads of style, an innovative stage, great tune and some eye pleasing moves – each of these combined together to make ‘Aashique Ye Meri’ a song that would be remembered for many more years. And yes, there was a Kareena/Shahid/Akshaye version of the song too that rocked the show!

10) Sini Ne – Jawani Diwani

It’s a pity that the song didn’t get what it deserved! One of the best music videos ever created for a Bollywood film, ‘Sini Ne’ (although inspired) was the most rocking number in Jawani Diwani and boasted of some cool funky dance steps. Emraan Hashmi didn’t dance around the stage for this one! He just stood there and made his face, body language and last but not the least, some trendy costumes and accessories do the talking. Rest was left to a dozen odd hot bods in the background to add on the effect and lo, a sexy song was born!

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Strangely, despite her stunning versatility, Sunidhi failed to be the first choice for the heroine’s voice. That mantle is moved a bit more away from Alka Yagnik to Shreya Ghosal, who sounds like an incredibly accomplished singer in the “Barso re megha” track in Mani Ratnam’s “Guru”, which is slated for release in 2007.

Aishwarya Rai frolicking in the rain helps. But A.R. Rahman now shows clear signs of filmy fatigue.

Among the older singing divas Asha Bhosle was in peak form in “Lamha lamha” in “Corporate”. Such was her rapport with Shamit Tandon that she got together with the composer at year end to whoop it up in “Asha & Friends” with celebrity ‘singers’ like Urmila Matondkar, Sanjay Dutt and Brett Lee.

Gimmicky marketing devices don’t always mend the music market.

Among the other seasoned singers Alka did a soul-stirring job of the title song in Karan Johar’s “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”. But in this soundtrack it was the Pakistani crooner Shafqat Amanat Ali who stole the show.

Voices from across the border echoed in Sufi-rock splendour once again throughout 2006.

Director Onir’s “Bas Ek Pal” had “Tere bin” by Atif Aslam, the new pinup crooner on the block, who threatens to take over from the Udit Narayans and Sonu Nigams of our singing world.

And there was Zubin Garg winning over the entire nation with “Ya Ali” in Anurag Basu’s “Gangster – A Love Story”, Pritam’s straight-off rip-off of a number from across the border.

“Dhoom 2″ had Vishal Dadlani singing a new interpretation of a song Pritam had already done in the first film in the series.

Made you wonder whether originality had become a dinosaur. Our own singing experts Sonu and Udit had a quiet year. Kunal Ganjawala fast caught up with them with “Tere bin” in “Bhagam Bhaag”.

A uniformly hearable soundtrack?

Yes, Anu Malik’s “Umrao Jaan” had some soul-piercing ‘mujras’ written with sophistication and simplicity by Javed Akhtar and rendered with surprising finesse by Alka.

Though the tunes had a pronounced derivative dimension to them, this was perhaps the only soundtrack this year with a heart.

Unless “Chand sifarish” in Kunal Kohli’s “Fanaa” made its way to your heart. A tall order since it blended Sufi-rock elements with roadside-Romeo rhythms in a mix that made time fidgety.

“Item numbers have always been there in the movies, but suddenly I see them as, to use a military term, great force multipliers. In a crowd of film promos, where one song often sounds just like the other, I think a great item song brings more eyeballs to a film,” he said.

The “Beedi” song in Bhardwaj’s “Omkara” fits his theory well. It was one of the most talked about song of the year and as expected, the audience savoured the experience of watching Bipasha in it. Aesthetically picturised, it topped the charts and is a rage even after months.

Apart from “Beedi”, another item number from the same film was “Namak Ishq ka”, again picturised on Bipasha. It turned out to be another fantastic song though it couldn’t replace “Beedi” from the top slot.

If Bipasha became the cynosure of all eyes, Payal Rohatagi too hogged the limelight for “Mast kalandar” in “Corporate”, in which Bipasha played the main lead. But it couldn’t remain a chartbuster for too long.

When the likes of Bipasha and Payal were endorsing item songs, “Khallas” girl Isha Koppikar too jumped on the bandwagon and sizzled in “Aashiqi mein teri” in “36 China Town”.

She teamed up with newcomer Uppen Patel in this song, which continued composer-singer Himesh Reshammiya’s nasal rendition and remained a chartbuster. Reshammiya’s “Jhalak dikhla ja” from Aksar also did well.

While item numbers ensured instant fame for the strugglers and a newcomer like Uppen Patel, established actors too used it as a means to spruce up their popularity and Kareena Kapoor tops that list.

Her appearance in the seductive number “Yeh mera dil pyaar ka deewana” in “Don” came as a bonus to her popularity because 2006 too wasn’t fruitful to her.

However, her decision to step into Helen’s dancing shoes fetched her maximum attention and kept her floating in the glitzy lanes of glamour world.

Commenting on the effect of item songs Misra said: “Just as there is a `tabloidisation’ of the journalism business brought about by the live news channels, item songs have brought a yearning for immediate results among music directors. But hey, some them have great music so let us not close our minds to them like I once had.”

Another item song that rocked the nation was “Rock and roll soniye” from “Kabhi Alvida Naa Kehna”.

A last minute addition to Johar’s infidelity drama, the song was shot just few weeks before its release with the entire star cast and it was well received by the music lovers.

Also, the fact that Bollywood icon Amitabh Bachchan took to the dance floor soon after his prolonged illness made it more attention grabbing. Just like “Don”, the fate of KANK was not good but the song was a runaway success.

One more song “Where is the party tonight” from the same film became a hit among the party circuit.

Usually seen as a catchy, upbeat dance song, which has no relevance to the plot, it helps in pulling the crowd to the theatre and is not a temporary phenomenon.

“In olden days we used to have ‘mujras’ and now we have theses shoddily picturised songs. Every director wants them. Any song which is cheaply picturised becomes a dance number,” said composer Sandesh Shandilya.

Item songs contribute partially to the popularity of a star and film. Going by the current trend, it will continue to dominate the music scenario in the coming years.

There are some good items numbers lined for 2007 as well and the most talked about is Mallika Sherawat’s special song appearance in Mani Ratnam’s “Guru”.

Perched between the world within a kotha (brothel) and the outer world of growing deceit and betrayal, the story of little Ameeran’s journey from her quaint and happy family life to the Kotha is mapped in lucid, flamboyant and sometimes muted colours of utter enchantment.

J.P. Dutta, along with cinematographer Aynanka Bose, takes us on a pilgrimage through Umrao’s inner and outer landscape creating perfect visuals to portray her predicament as a ‘fallen woman’ forever rising above her destiny.

What lifts this “Umrao Jaan” far above the 1978 version is its sense of imminent historicity. While the original stopped just after the doomed woman returns to the comforting yet claustrophobic space of the kotha, Dutta’s narrative moves forward, carving a socio-historical perspective for his protagonist in a Lucknow going through a bloody turmoil, as its cultural legitimacy is questioned and mocked by the British Raj.

The film’s most memorable sequence is when the kotha’s practical and yet emotional madame (Shabana Azmi) packs off her endangered girls and stays on in the brothel – a solitary figure standing over the looming architecture as a symbol of unaccompanied bravery.

Shabana’s histrionics are awe-inspiring, comparable with her mother Shaukat’s performance in the same role in Muzaffar Ali’s film.

“Umrao Jaan” must not be allowed to be a victim of cynical readings. Its statement, comparing the woman’s heart to a railway station, where any man can stop to while away time, has a resonance way beyond the time-zones Dutta creates within his lengthy but satisfying work of art.

The ambience of the kotha is superbly re-created by art director Bijon Dasgupta. But Vaibhavi Merchant’s choreography lets down the courtesans’ tale. It fails to evoke the sensuous grace that Rai is capable of. Too much of Javed Akhtar’s evocative lyrics are expressed in hand movements.

There’s a great deal of warmth in the crisscross of relationships that the screenplay creates. Umrao’s rapport with her surrogate father in the brothel, played by Kulbhushan Kharbanda, is truly special.

Aishwarya imbues a sense of luminosity into Umrao’s all-giving nature. As Umrao, she’s remarkably vulnerable and gentle, trying to safeguard her interests emotionally rather than instinctively.

Her two key romantic sequences with Abhishek Bachchan convey a feeling of bridled anxiety but are felled by their inordinate length. They needed to be curtailed and streamlined. The same applies to the plethora of mujras (dance sequences) – all gracefully performed by the resplendent Rai, but monotonous for their frequency and genre- specificity.

Anu Malik’s music and Alka Yagnik’s singing go a long way in evoking the poetic tragedy of a woman who craves to break free from her destiny.

“Umrao Jaan” is remarkable for recreating the rhythms of a charming though lost culture through the pacy movements of the tawaif’s feet, though the choreography does restrict the Aishwarya’s swan-like agility.

The film also gives space to lesser-known actors like Puru Raj Kumar, who is splendid as Umrao’s roguish in-house suitor at the kotha, and Divya Dutta melts your heart in the one important sequence that the script allows her.

Abhishek Bachchan, as the tormented, torn and yet restrained Nawab, is a portrait of bridled intensity. That little smirk in the corner of his mouth or that almost-invisible twinkle in his eye – these nuances show how much Bachchan junior has evolved.

For creating an “Umrao Jaan”, who stays in our hearts, and for giving Aishwarya Rai yet another memorable role, J.P. Dutta must take a bow.

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