THE 10 BEST SONGS OF 2020
Aur Tanha, Love Aaj Kal | Music: Pritam | Lyrics: Irshad Kamil | Singer: KK
Of late, Imtiaz Ali soundtracks are decidedly more rewarding than his movies.
His new Love Aaj Kal may be a garbled take on millennial romance, but Pritam's soundtrack and Irshad Kamil's penmanship for the same is as profound as it gets.
Every few months, I had a new favourite from the album, but my heart is inally set on KK's sublime, melancholic expression of lonesome love.
Hardam Humdum, Ludo | Music: Pritam | Lyrics: Sayeed Quadri | Singer: Arijit Singh
One expects nothing but melodious goodies from the Pritam-Arijit Singh combination and the duo doesn't disappoint one bit in this delightful ditty from Anurag Basu's Ludo. If you are a frequent Pritam listener, the arrangement does sound a little too familiar, but Arijit lends such an infectious mood to lyricist Sayeed Quadri's alliteration heavy creation, resistance is futile.
Ek Tukda Dhoop, Thappad | Music: Anurag Saikia | Lyrics: Shakeel Azmi | Singer: Raghav Chaitanya Tears and tenderness are duly personi ied in Raghav Chaitanya's elegant singing in the lilting Ek Tukda Dhoop.
The hurt and resolve of his words encapsulate Taapsee's fragile state of mind on screen but resonate equally well with the pandemic stricken listeners off screen.
Chhapaak, Chhapaak | Music: Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy | Lyrics: Gulzar | Singer: Arijit Singh Meghna Gulzar's Chhapaak, which revolves around an acid attack survivor, is not an easy movie to watch. You get a sense of that even if it's not playing before your eyes in Chhapaak'S impactful title song.
Rendered with tremendous passion by Arijit Singh, Gulzar's soul destroying words ind a perfect balance in Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy's poignant, pulsing tune.
Kahun, Guilty | Music: Ankur Tewari | Lyrics: Kausar Munir | Singer: Ankur Tewari
Ruchi Narain's Guilty has some pertinent things to say about the misogyny women face no matter what social strata they belong to. And since there's a college band involved, the soundtrack is consistently riveting. But it's Kahun, which plays as its gorgeous end credits roll, that captured my fancy the most.
There's a strong Thom Yorke vibe about Tewari's Kahun that goes wonderfully against Munir's Mantoesque rebellion.
Mann Ki Dori, Gunjan Saxena: The Kargil Girl | Music: Amit Tridevi | Lyrics: Kausar Munir | Singer: Armaan Malik
Amit Trivedi doles out a pocketful of sunshine to go with Kausar Munir's cheerful poetry echoing pilot Gunjan Saxena's sky-high ambitions in Mann Ki Dori. And singer Armaan Malik captures every bit of its feel-good fervour to the hilt.
Sweet, genuine, just like the movie.
Ghamand Kar, Tanhaji: The Unsung Warrior | Music: Sachet Tandon and Parampara Thakur | Lyrics: Anil Verma | Singer: Sachet Tandon and | Parampara Thakur
A lavish action movie where Saif Ali Khan has a ball playing a gleeful baddie while Ajay Devgn ful ils his childhood fantasies, Tanhaji is as much a historical as Thor is about Norse mythology.
Dil Bechara, Dil Bechara | Music: A R Rahman | Lyrics: Amitabh Bhattacharya | Singer: A R Rahman
The things Rahman does only Rahman can do. And watching Sushant Singh Rajput weave his magic around this zany tune on screen one last time only adds to its appeal.
The beauty of this wayward track, high on SMS generation lingo, is it follows no rules; ergo, highlighting its youthful aura by being like that only.
Re Bawree, Taish | Music: Govind Vasantha | Lyrics: Hussain Haidry | Singer: Prarthana Indrajith, | Govind Vasantha When it comes to a Bejoy Nambiar movie, two things are a given -- sleek visuals and an exhilarating, eclectic soundtrack.
Taish delivers on both fronts.
I love, love, LOVE the affecting minimalism and smoothness of Re Bawree's semiclassical rock infusion.
Malang, Malang | Music: Ved Sharma | Lyrics: Kunaal Vermaa, Haarsh | Limbachaiyaa | Singer: Ved Sharma Funky, foot-tapping, full of addictive beats -- Ved Sharma's enjoyable cries of Malang, Malang, Malang are my biggest takeaway from otherwise forgettable drivel. Its amped-up, techno-friendly version by Asees Kaur is no less captivating.