Anand Raaj Anand

Two flops and a hit

While two new albums fail to make it, here is one with all-time greats

HINDI

Naam Gum Jayega... Anand Milind... T-Series... Rs. 50

IN THE film, the protagonist, Diya Mirza, plays a schizophrenic. But one wonders if the musicians Anand Milind also had a similar attack as they lost track of good music and scored what can be easily categorised as below average. Lyrics by Praveen Bhardwaj match their mediocrity perfectly. The choice of Anuradha Paudwal and Kumar Sanu, whose pitiable range of voice has not changed over the years, as the main singers further mar the album which has seven songs in all. The first one `Hamain Tumse Hai Pyar' sung by Anuradha Paudwal and Udit Narayan does not convey love in a beautiful way but as frivolously as today's college-going lot, do. Surprisingly, its instrumental does not sound that bad. The song falls heavy on the ear with Anuradha's shrill voice and melody-less tune. The same goes for the next song, `Kabhi Ye Na Poocha.'

Although one might not dislike `Teri Palkain Uthi' sung by Babul Supriyo in his euphonic voice, the musicians have not given him much choice of a range here too. `Us Ladki Pe Dil Aaya Hai' has made its presence felt among the young lot these days. And that is just the saving grace of an otherwise forgettable album.

Musafir... Anand Raj Anand... T-Series... Rs. 55

UNTIL NOW Sanjay Gupta and Anand Raj Anand were copying foreign flicks; here they are copying themselves. Still it fails. `Musafir' is no `Kaante.' Except for `Ishq Kabhi Kariyon Na' by Sunidhi Chauhan no other number goes with the heat being promoted by Sameera Reddy and company. Anand tries to repeat the `Mahive Ve' magic with `Rabba' but despite repeating it three times he fails to match his past. `Ek Dil Ne' rendered by Kunal Ganjawal and Shreya Ghoshal could have worked had there been some meaningful lyrics to match the soft music and smooth tone. Sanjay Dutt tries his voice again after `Khoobsurat' with `Tez Dhaar' but again falls short. The macho man should realise you can't do without malleability in singing. If one has to select the saving grace, `Saaki' by Sukhwinder and Sunidhi Chauhan is the one.

Reality shows throw up surprises, especially with results. The best always doesn’t win. This was exemplified with Delhi girl Harshdeep Kaur winning NDTV Imagines’ Junoon much to the surprise of the viewers and even the mentors.

Singer, musician Anand Raj Anand was dealt a body blow when his protege Abhas Joshi not only failed to win Junoon but finished third.

Tellychakkar caught up with the Bollywood Ke Baadshah mentor for his reactions.

Across the globe Bollywood music is on top but why is it that it failed in a reality show like Junoon?

No, I wouldn’t look at it that way. Let’s not forget that if there’s no Bollywood then our Sufi singers would have been left in their dargahs (mosques) while the folk singers would have remained in their villages. Bollywood is a source of presenting different genres of music. Sufi, folk are incomplete without Bollywood and vice versa.

But did Harshdeep deserve to win?

I’m not at all surprised by Harshdeep’s win. She won 48% votes while Malini and Abhas bagged 28 and 24 per cent votes respectively. This explains how good she was at marketing herself.

With zillion reality shows around, the viewers’ interest is likely to be divided. Thus in any reality show, it becomes difficult for a particular contestant to bag public votes in large numbers. That’s where votes from your family and friends become important.

She divested all energies more on gathering votes and she succeeded in that. I term her win as a good PR exercise. However, PR will help you win a reality show but is does little to improve your singing. In the long run, such a thing is likely to have a damaging effect.

Wasn’t it disappointing that Abhas finished third?

As far as the judges are concerned, for us Abhas was the best singer from Bollywood, Ali Abbas from Sufi and Malini from folk. I’ve always told Abhas to concentrate on his singing and not worry about the votes. Besides, he never indulged in any drama, crying or projected his background to gain sympathy votes. His entire focus was on his singing and I’m proud that he stuck to that.

Shouldn’t public voting be scrapped?

Well, it doesn’t matter to what I say. Public voting is part of a business strategy. The channel too wants to make money. Thus it’s pointless to even talk on it.

Apart from having tussles with other mentors, you also had heated arguments with host Annu Kapoor.

We enjoyed our little skirmishes. You expect such things from a reality show.

Is it right for a host to argue with a judge?

Out here, it is the director who is to be blamed. The director should ensure that there shouldn’t be any act which projects the show negatively.

Would you like to be part of more reality shows?

Yes, I would. Post Junoon, there are offers for judging as well as hosting but at the moment, I’d like to concentrate on my album. The good thing about reality shows is that it enables to you boost your personality. After all, you’re required to look good on camera thus it’s imperative that you look after your fitness.

Anand Raj Anand

Music director Anand Raj Anand became the latest contestant to hang up his dancing shoes after Bhagyashree and Ugesh Sarcar, as he was voted out of the dance reality show, Jhalak Dikhhla Jaa last week.

Anand Raj Anand was doing quite well on the show earlier. However, he got the lowest number of votes and was pitted against Monica Bedi in the deciding act, 'Dance Off.' While Monica and Javed sailed through, Anand Raj Anand suddenly froze mid-act. That proved to be his undoing, ending his journey on the show.

He spoke to Rajul Hegde about his experiences.

Are your children sad that you were eliminated?

I promised my daughter that I would last until the sixth round at least. Now I tell her that the effort each round took was equal to six episodes [laughs]. I participated in the show because my children wanted me to. They told me I won everyone's heart with my dance moves and expressions.

What went wrong during the face-off round between Monica Bedi and you?

I was not ready to be a part of the face-off round. I had prepared for the next round. That's why when I performed to my old number, the disappointment showed on my face. Plus, there was not enough place to do a particular step. I stopped for a second and continued immediately before finishing off well.

What have learnt from this show?

I discovered that I can dance! I'm also overwhelmed by the love and affection people have showered on me over the last three weeks. I was shy in front of the camera before coming on this show. But now, I am comfortable with it. It will help me to face the camera when my new music album comes out. I was comfortable with the judges, celebrities and choreographers so there was positive energy around me. Now, I'm waiting for the wild card round.

What dance forms have you learnt form this show?

I've learnt the Samba, Salsa and Govinda's style of dance.

Do you think you got lesser votes because you are not seen much on television unlike other celebrities on the show?

Some of the sympathy factors -- like Ram Kapoor dancing despite being fat or Mohinder Amarnath being a senior person, Baichung Bhutia being very innocent -- did not apply to me. Mein udhar maar kha gaya. I was regarded as a proper dancer and they were expecting more from me. Karan Singh Grower, on the other hand, has woman swooning all over him [laughs]. 

What was your equation with your choreographer Rosita Rajput?

Rosita was brilliant, an amazing teacher. We had differences only once but that was in the heat of the moment. Even if I had to train her voice, I would have reacted the same way. I respect all the choreographers for their efforts to try something new.

Female contestants with male choreographers are always at an advantage. They can lift them, do various types of steps and even cover up their flaws. It's not the same with male dancers.

Is being a judge (of NDTV Imagine's Junoon Kuchh Kar Dikhaane Ka) easier than being a participant?

As a music director and judge, I had control over everyone. But after being a participant, I understand that even participants have a valid point of view. Henceforth, I will be a better judge and boost the participant's confidence, if given a chance. As for the current judges on Jhalak, I have nothing against them. But yes, I hoped for better marks.

Who do you think deserves to win?

Gauhar Khan. She is a complete dancer.

It was hot news that renowned music composer A R Rahman composed the anthem for the soon to be held Common Wealth Games; however, the song failed to impress. Now we hear that music composer and singer Anand Raj Anand will also be composing two songs for the CWG.

If what we hear is anything to go by then the two songs titled - 'Invitation' and 'Celebration' - have a common slogan - Come out and play, with the first being a heart warming track and the second is said to be a foot tapping peppy number. Both the songs are said to have a thick Punjabi flavour with loads of energy.

What's more, Anand will also be performing the songs at the opening ceremony of the games. Two music videos will be released on September 24, while the audio CD will be released by Times Music.