RajeevKhandelwal Soundtrack-page 54 - Page 39

Movie Review: Soundtrack

Charu A Mahesh, Buzz Bureau    
Mumbai, October 07, 2011

Inspirational stories and tales of survival often touch hearts and Soundtrack is one such story that will make you believe in the power of 'will' and 'self-belief.'

An official remake of the award-winning cult Canadian film, It's All Gone Pete Tong, Soundtrack traces the life-journey of a musician who relearns the art of weaving music after he loses his 'hearing power' forever. Debutante director Nirav Ghosh tells the story of Raunak Kaul [Rajeev Khandelwal], in a docu-drama style using footage of real life technicians like DJ Aqeel, Annu Malik, RJ Malishka and director Anurag Kashyap to give an autobiographical touch to the otherwise dramatic story, which appears quite interesting.

Nirav's protagonist Raunak Kaul is a gifted musician, who comes to Mumbai to make it big. His introduction scene beautifully captures Raunak's passion for rhythm and beats. With right things happening at the right time and help of his uncle [Yatin Karyekar] Raunak lands up as a DJ at Tango Charlie club, owned by Charlie [Mohan Kapoor]. Soon the glitzy-glam world of power, fame and success entices Raunak into the murk of booze, drug and sex.

When a high on life Raunak is about to touch the pinnacle of success, career-killing hearing impairment knocks at his door. Thus, triggering off his downfall. His friends turn into foes and opportunities that once bee-lined take a U-turn and Raunak is left alone to fight his state. Clouds of frustration and desperation to bounce back engulfs him. Only thing that sticks to him now is his own devil - symbolized by Jhonny Joker. He kills this devil by quitting  his addictions and gathers himself to start a new journey, leaving behind his life of excess. Now he meets bubbly Gauri [Soha Ali Khan], who teaches him lip-reading. No prizes for guessing that love blooms between the two and how he rises back from his own ashes like a Phoenix with the help of Gauri forms the rest of the story.


Soundtrack belongs to Rajiv Khandelwal, who proves his finesse and acting prowess yet again in yet another offbeat film after Aamir and Shaitan. He is quite convincing as a wild man seduced by vices. But at the same time you adore his changed self nonetheless. Soha Ali Khan has done her homework really well. Without going overboard, she plays the character of a lisping deaf girl with ease and elan. Manu Rishi's character could have developed more. Their soft yet hot chemistry comes to fore as a refreshing breeze as compared to Raunak's sex-addiction in the first half.  Mohan Kapoor is fine and Anurag's cameo suggests that he can act well if given a chance.

Though, Soundtrack remains faithful to its inspiration but director Nirav has tried really hard to bring the quintessential Indian drama, especially in depicting the night life of Mumbai and Goa that's glamourised by sex and booze. But why do they shoot it in Pattaya, is something that bogs you down. However, director's up-close-and personal treatment of alcohol, sex, smoking and drugs looks stuffed at some points during the first half. Though the over all flow of events and narrative is swift but you miss details at some points, while at others there's an necessary focus .

For instance, the scene where a deaf Raunak learns the nuances of music once again is an important scene which is not given ample attention and lacks depth, whereas the track of Joker, which could be easily chopped off is given plenty of screen space. The camerawork is good and dialogues towards the second half leave an impact. But with a fine star cast and a direct reference material in two director could have done a better job. Last but not the least, a movie that's rooted in music definitely offers good soundtracks by Medievial Punditz.

All in all, a meaningful, enriching and inspiring story that's well enacted too, Soundtrack makes a definite must-watch!

Rating: 3/5
Directed by: Nirav Ghosh
Starring: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan

BUZZ RATING

http://www.buzzintown.com/delhi/article-review--movie-review-soundtrack/id--3657.html
http://www.buzzintown.com/delhi/article-review--movie-review-soundtrack/show--2/id--3657.html

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Review: Soundtrack hits some high notes Published: Friday, Oct 7, 2011, 19:34 IST By Aniruddha Guha | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Rajeev Khandelwal in Soundtrack

Film: Soundtrack

Director: Neerav Ghosh
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mrinalini Sharma, Mohan Kapur
Rating: ***

He snorts coke, downs tequila shots and smokes like a chimney, all in a day's work. Raunak Kaul (Rajeev) spins at a club called Tango Charlie and, among other things, mixes electronica with Hindi lyrics  an instant hit among party-goers.

Getting Midival Punditz and other independent musicians to do Soundtrack's score is a smart call  the sound is hatke, and goes well with the mood of the film. Additionally, old film songs like 'Ruk jaana nahi' and 'Khullam khula pyaar karein' bring their own charm (having record label Saregama as producer must help).

Soundtrack has quite a few things going for it: a readymade, effective plot (the film, for a change, is an official remake of the Canadian It's All Gone Pete Tong); the casting is more or less bang-on, and for a film with music at its core, the songs are good if not outstanding.

But the film, eventually, falls short of what it could have achieved. Director Neerav Ghosh keeps many scenes from It's All Gone intact, but fails to replicate the zaniness and audacity of the original. There is an attempt, yes, but that somehow gets lost in a haze of tacky production values and some unconvincing jabs at being 'cool'.

Interspersing the story with interviews of characters from the film, similar to the style adopted in the original, looks out-of-place sometimes, and the transition not very smooth. Kaul's alter ego  a joker  is ineptly presented, and is jarring.

But even with its lows, Soundtrack manages to hit some spectacularly high notes. The opening sequence  for example  where Kaul finds music in Mumbai's myriad sounds, sets the tone perfectly.

Rajeev plays Kaul well, even if a tad inconsistently. After Saheb Biwi Aur Gangster last week, where the actors shone, it's good to have a film that comes across as glamorous without conventional stars. Kaul needed flamboyance, as it needed maturity, and Khandelwal manages to bring both to the table. Mohan Kapoor, playing Kaul's loud-mouthed promoter, is a good choice too, aptly over-the-top.

Soundtrack, after a patchy first half, gets into the groove post-interval, where Kaul meets instructor Gauri (Soha) after losing his ability to hear. The camaraderie is sweet, the scenes charming, and Kaul's eventual retribution heartwarming. The finale is well-executed, too.

Incoherent sometimes, but enjoyable eventually, Soundtrack deserved to be a better film. In its present state, it's not-so-bad either. Recommended.

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/review_review-soundtrack-hits-some-high-notes_1596102

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Play it loud!

This Rajiv Khandelwal-Soha Ali Khan starrer sways to the rhythm of excess, life and love. We offer you seven reasons as to why you shouldn't give this a miss!

Seven reasons to watch Soundtrack

The soundtrack is the real protagonist of the film. Midival Punditz and Karsh Kale are killing it, Bollywood style. But you won't even need to go through the entire film to figure this one out. Just the title credits with the sound samples from everyday Bombay does it.

The last time we watched a Bollywood musician-related movie, it was a gross rip-off of the classic Amadeus. This one is not-that-gross an adaptation of It's All Gone Pete Tong and unlike the last time, the filmmakers actually give credit!

Talking heads—a new narrative device in a Hindi fiction film used well to blend reality and fiction, trying to bring the character to life. But for that to have actually worked successfully, the movie needed to be more edgy in treatment.

Justified but not OTT quantities of sex and drugs and rock and roll. Not rock and roll per se as a genre but you get the point, right? Although, those random Aronofsky-styled drug use shots were not required.

Rajeev Khandelwal. Hot. Shirtless. And vulnerable. And did we say hot?

Soha Ali Khan pulls off the role of a born-deaf girl with a sense of humour about life and her own disability with grace and excellence and a speech defect. Eat that, Black!

A beautiful love story that unexpectedly blooms with the soundtrack in the second half of the film. The love story was not unexpected but its treatment was definitely a pleasant surprise.

http://www.tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ws071011First.asp

Edited by Surya.Ravi - 12 years ago

Soundtrack Rating:  3.11/5
http://bollymoviereviewz.blogspot.com/2011/10/soundtrack-review.html

The movie has a avg rating of  3 & above 3, me happy about it..😊

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Soundtrack

Shubhra Gupta

Posted: Fri Oct 07 2011, 20:19 hrs

**1/2:

Director: Neerav Ghosh

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mohan Kapoor, Yatin Karyekar, Manu Rishi

Indian Express rating:**1/2

What is it like to be able to hear, and create music, all your life, and suddenly lose the gift? What does it feel like to be hailed as the next best thing one moment, and to be reviled the next? 'Soundtrack' gives us a story (based on a Canadian film, which fact is dutifully part of the end credits) which feels like it is about something : such a relief from the spate of nothing movies that have been infesting our theatres for a while now, even if the result is mixed.

Raunaq Kaul (Khandelwal) is one of those people who have music in their blood. And also one of those lucky ones to whom everything comes quickly and easily. He has a mentor (Karyekar), and a patron (Kapoor), and a girlfriend (Sharma), and endless rows of shrieking fans as he spins tracks in a club. It's all too much, too soon, and he doesn't quite know how to handle it. Hubris leads to serious damage, both of the ear, and the spirit, and he is cast out, looking for a way back.

'Soundtrack' starts off on a high promising note, and then slides into a middle where everything gets muddled, and excessive. Khandelwal is clean-cut, and does much better at later repentance and acceptance than he does in this part where he has to appear out-of-control on a cocktail of too many drugs and too much sex. The film falls into the 'let's do this for effect' trap where it veers between frenzied copulation and substance abuse and a leading man trying too hard to pull it off. Kaul's imaginary alter-ego hanging about in a mask and the other characters talking about him straight to the camera, both become overused devices. In all this posturing, the most important part of a film that is supposed to be about a musical genius—the music-- is forgotten.

Fortunately for the film, and for us, the second half comes along, and calms things down. As Raunaq deals with his loss, he regains some clarity, and gets some of his charm back. Mohan Kapoor goes full tilt at the rocking producer who recommends being a musician because of all the hot chicks : Yatin Karyekar gets a role which is not bite-sized. Both overplay, with a few nice moments. Manu Rishi, in a tiny part, is effective. So is Soha Ali Khan, who shows up post interval, as the girl who teaches Khandelwal how to live again. And Khandelwal builds on his promise as an actor who imitates no one (though in the beginning, he sounds irritatingly like Rajesh Khanna), and who is willing to play against his chocolate boy looks.

If only the music was better.

[email protected]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/soundtrack/857088/1
Edited by Surya.Ravi - 12 years ago

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Mayank Shekhar's review: Soundtrack

Friday box office

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Originally posted by: Surya.Ravi

Review: Soundtrack (Drama) Subhash K. Jha, Indo-Asian News Service Friday, October 07, 2011

Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mohan Kapoor Director: Neerav Ghosh Hear this. DJ Raunak loses his hearing ability and gets to hear the voice of his conscience. Great premise for an onscreen human drama? Debutant director Neerav Ghosh, with incredible support from his leading man Rajeev Khandelwal, creates an engrossing defence of anti-hedonism. Excessive self-indulgence is dumb. It can also make you deaf. So says the film's well-crafted screenplay. The message is driven home with a refreshing absence of self-importance. A lot of the film's drama, if not all, is derived from Canadian film It's All Gone Pete Tong released six years ago. That film's inspirational thrusts are transferred with fluency and virility into Ghosh's art attack on the wages of excessive pleasure-pursuit. Paul Kaye, who had played the lead in the original film, had delivered a pitch-perfect loss-of-hearing gain-of-soul performance. Khandelwal goes beyond the exigencies of his character in search of his lost character's tortured soul. In the sequences where he comes to terms with his deafness, the actor brings to his face and physique the unmitigated anguish of a man watching himself topple over the edge. It's a brilliant performance, by far the best male performance this year. Whether it's the body language of a wild DJ partying the nights away in a haze of alcohol or sharing those tender moments with Soha Ali Khan (cute, gentle, sensitive and effective), Ravee Khandelwal's face maps out the character's tormented flight into terrifying stillness. Playing a man who watches his life spin out of control, the performance could have easily toppled over the edge. It holds. The director uses a fabulous soundtrack. There are startling rock ballads punctuating Raunak's voyage into the damned. Old songs like Yeh jeevan hai iss jeevan ka yehi hai rang-roop or, for a beautifully crafted romantic interlude between Rajiv-Soha in the park, Khullam khulla pyar karenge hum donon are used to endearing effect. The narrative moves in three predictable but pulsating sections. Raunak's descent into a hedonistic hell, his shattering deafness and, best of all, the redemption that he finds through a haze of self-loathing as he takes flight into a world of idyllic love (a touch of Guru Dutt's Pyasa in the end when Raunak simply vanishes from the world of ruthless self interest) -- for a first-time director, Ghosh displays remarkable control over his scattered material on his shattered protagonist. Admittedly the storytelling device (well-known real-life DJs and VJs are roped in to talk about 'Raunak') is borrowed from the Canadian film. But what the hell! Nothing in life is original. Not heaven not hell. Not pleasure, not pain, and certainly not art. The absence of over-sentimentality and the self-mocking humour applied to Raunak's predicament imbue a wealth of mellow maturity to the storytelling. Yup, Soundtrack gets it right. In telling the story of a man who stops hearing the world outside to finally start hearing his own inner voice, the film's strong sense of drama and redemption are comparable with the cinema of Sanjay Leela Bhansali. Soundtrack is a soul-stirring tale of a musician's voyage into deafening hedonism and a quiet redemption. The director suffuses the soundtrack with snatches of a music that transports a fairly routine inspirational story to the sphere of a modern moral fable. As for Khandelwal, his performance is so accomplished that he proves, not for the first time, that he's among the most engaging actors today. For the money, time and attention, he is the true rock star. http://movies.ndtv.com/movie_review.aspx?id=659

😍 we know this very well now let the world know this 😃

Soundtrack is safe and sound! Published: Saturday, Oct 8, 2011, 9:47 IST By Akansha Naval-Shetye & Soumyadipta Banerjee | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Film: Soundtrack
Director: Neerav Ghosh
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mrinalini Sharma, Mohan Kapur
Rating: ***

The posters scream Soundtrack: Based on a true story. On watching, one is compelled to believe in the highs and lows of DJ Raunak Kaul's journey, whereas the fact is that he is actually only a fictional character. The film itself is a remake of the 2004 Canadian Indie film It's All Gone Pete Tong based on the legendary DJ Frankie Wilde — a hotshot Ibiza DJ who had fought his way to the top and then mysteriously disappeared from the music scene. The filmmakers make no bones about the film being a remake and credits are duly mentioned too.

No doubt that the groundwork is done already, but despite being a remake, the director shows sparks of creativity and talent, adapting it perfectly to fit the Indian music scene. The film's story is taken forward using 'talking head sequences' with real artists, mishmashed with a few fake characters too that spin a believable tale, and lend the film a false sense of authenticity.

Raunak Kaul's (Rajeev) passion for music is well-established in the opening shots itself. His uncle (Yatin Karyekar) helps him land a job in a popular nightclub where he starts DJing and soon becomes a crowd favourite. The owner Charlie (Mohan) impressed with his talent promises him the sky and even sets up a studio for him in Alibag where he leads the life of a rockstar with girlfriend Shonali (Mrinalini). It's as much a workplace as it is a haven for wild women and wilder parties. His ascent to the top as the most celebrated DJ in showbiz, also marks his simultaneous descent in the sex, booze, drugs and rock-n-roll kind of lifestyle.

Combined with insecurity and fear of failing like his musician dad had, see him create his own demon — (a joker replaces a badger from the original here) — that follows him around. The lifestyle takes a toll on his music and his career hits rock-bottom when he goes deaf. Frustrated, severely depressed and desperate, he locks himself in a buffered room for weeks. Finally, he decides to exorcise his inner demon and chases out the 'joker', a metaphorical way of showing him take back the reins of his life.

On his U-Turn to life he meets Gauri (Soha) a lip-reading teacher, who gives him the incentive to carry on. What follows is Raunak's struggle to not let his hearing disability keep him away from his passion of music.

Paul Kaye, the actor who played the DJ in the original won a few awards for his performance, Rajeev should be no different. It's a dream role for any actor and lends itself to some very intense moments that Rajeev does full justice to. Soha and Mrinalini do their bit well, as do Yatin and Mohan. The film's obviously made on a shoe-string budget, but the director doesn't let that affect the production quality. Clashing with a multistarrer, this one clearly proves that interesting cinema doesn't need moolah, exotic locales or mega-stars. Go watch!

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_soundtrack-is-safe-and-sound_1596299

@Highlighted Part: i'am very happy reading this...the reviewer feels Rajeev deserves awards for his performance...this makes me feel super cool...

Originally posted by: waniya_fatima

😍 we know this very well now let the world know this 😃

exactly fati...we all knew this for sure...😳😳😳

Soundtrack keeps us on track

A re-make of Canadian movie "It's all gone Pete Tong", the Bollywood version, Soundtrack,  revolves around Raunak Kaul (Rajeev Khandelwal) who comes to Mumbai in search of a dream career. Soon he becomes a famous DJ and soon falls to the vices of any city — sex and drugs.

When he looses his hearing, he meets Gauri (Soha Ali Khan), who is also hearing impaired but an expert in lip reading. The story revolves around how she instills confidence in him to produce another album with the feel of music, if not hearing it, the way Beethoven would have produced the legendary music that cherishes many admirers even to this day.

http://www.microfinancemonitor.com/2011/10/07/soundtrack-keeps-us-on-track/

Originally posted by: Surya.Ravi

Soundtrack is safe and sound! Published: Saturday, Oct 8, 2011, 9:47 IST By Akansha Naval-Shetye & Soumyadipta Banerjee | Place: Mumbai | Agency: DNA

Film: Soundtrack
Director: Neerav Ghosh
Cast: Rajeev Khandelwal, Soha Ali Khan, Mrinalini Sharma, Mohan Kapur
Rating: ***

The posters scream Soundtrack: Based on a true story. On watching, one is compelled to believe in the highs and lows of DJ Raunak Kaul's journey, whereas the fact is that he is actually only a fictional character. The film itself is a remake of the 2004 Canadian Indie film It's All Gone Pete Tong based on the legendary DJ Frankie Wilde ' a hotshot Ibiza DJ who had fought his way to the top and then mysteriously disappeared from the music scene. The filmmakers make no bones about the film being a remake and credits are duly mentioned too.

No doubt that the groundwork is done already, but despite being a remake, the director shows sparks of creativity and talent, adapting it perfectly to fit the Indian music scene. The film's story is taken forward using 'talking head sequences' with real artists, mishmashed with a few fake characters too that spin a believable tale, and lend the film a false sense of authenticity.

Raunak Kaul's (Rajeev) passion for music is well-established in the opening shots itself. His uncle (Yatin Karyekar) helps him land a job in a popular nightclub where he starts DJing and soon becomes a crowd favourite. The owner Charlie (Mohan) impressed with his talent promises him the sky and even sets up a studio for him in Alibag where he leads the life of a rockstar with girlfriend Shonali (Mrinalini). It's as much a workplace as it is a haven for wild women and wilder parties. His ascent to the top as the most celebrated DJ in showbiz, also marks his simultaneous descent in the sex, booze, drugs and rock-n-roll kind of lifestyle.

Combined with insecurity and fear of failing like his musician dad had, see him create his own demon ' (a joker replaces a badger from the original here) ' that follows him around. The lifestyle takes a toll on his music and his career hits rock-bottom when he goes deaf. Frustrated, severely depressed and desperate, he locks himself in a buffered room for weeks. Finally, he decides to exorcise his inner demon and chases out the 'joker', a metaphorical way of showing him take back the reins of his life.

On his U-Turn to life he meets Gauri (Soha) a lip-reading teacher, who gives him the incentive to carry on. What follows is Raunak's struggle to not let his hearing disability keep him away from his passion of music.

Paul Kaye, the actor who played the DJ in the original won a few awards for his performance, Rajeev should be no different. It's a dream role for any actor and lends itself to some very intense moments that Rajeev does full justice to. Soha and Mrinalini do their bit well, as do Yatin and Mohan. The film's obviously made on a shoe-string budget, but the director doesn't let that affect the production quality. Clashing with a multistarrer, this one clearly proves that interesting cinema doesn't need moolah, exotic locales or mega-stars. Go watch!

http://www.dnaindia.com/entertainment/report_soundtrack-is-safe-and-sound_1596299

@Highlighted Part: i'am very happy reading this...the reviewer feels Rajeev deserves awards for his performance...this makes me feel super cool...

lets pray for this now... aik award to banta hai ab 😃

@suri: egg jactly 😃😃

Originally posted by: waniya_fatima

lets pray for this now... aik award to banta hai ab 😃 i know re..Rajeev surely deserves awards for his acting as DJ Raunak Kaul..i hope & pray that he take some awards back home...😃😃😃

@suri: egg jactly 😃😃

The big one from Hollywood this week is 'Real Steel', with Hugh Jackman and an American science fiction plot in which robots are the star attraction of the boxing arena.

Of the movies from Bollywood, there's 'Rascals' which brings together Ajay Devgn and Sanjay Dutt in a David Dhawan caper, and 'Love Breakups Zindagi', the first production of Dia Mirza and Zayed Khan. The one with the positive reviews is 'Soundtrack', which stars Rajeev Khandelwal and Soha Ali Khan. 

Other movies released this weekend include 'Soundtrack', '30 Minutes Or Less' and 'Jane Eyre'.

http://www.campaignindia.in/Article/276052,friday-box-office.aspx