In Hindi cinema, music is not just a part of films, but it has a life of its own. They who say every film of ours is a musical, are wrong. Music is very seldomly used to aid storytelling. Every film is judged differently, for the film itself and the songs.
And yet, the impact song has on a film is undeniable. We had a time where audiences went in the theatre just to watch that one song and come back. Over the years, one may forget a good film. But a good music stays forever.
Really, what can our cinema do without music? So let’s honour the category first.
Let’s recognize and celebrate the music that made us laugh, cry, dance and fall in love.
GENERAL RULES
- There are no nominations. There are runner-ups. Since one can’t really do the drama of choosing the winner in written form.
- Winners are chosen by personal choice. Any of the runner-ups mentioned deserve the recognition equally.
- Every album for the films released in 2016 that were either appreciated by critics or featured popular charts were taken in careful consideration for each category.
- Non-film songs are not considered for the award, as he focus here is to recognize the best of cinema.
- These awards are not rigged. Seriously.
THE TOP 20 OF 2016
Out of the countless songs released this year, these are the 20 songs that stayed with us, even if the film faded away. Here are the top 20 songs (in no particular order) that made 2016 musical.
Hit the play button below and continue reading.
BEST SOUND DESIGN
A good sound designer is the one who makes your heart dance to its tunes. They are responsible for further enhancing your experience of watching the film. Here are those who did the best work this year :
RUNNERS UP
Vivek Sachidanand for PHOBIA
Ganesh Gangadharan for SULTAN
Kunal Sharma for UDTA PUNJAB
Shajith Koyeri for DANGAL
WINNER
Subash Sahoo for NEERJA
There were several goose-inducing moments in the film. Major credits for that goes to Subash for keeping its sound so real that you feel you are inside the plane.
BEST BACKGROUND MUSIC
They know how to keep your pulse racing. They are with you through the entire film, but they never make you realize it. Here are the masters of scores that elevated the film :
RUNNERS UP
Ram Sampath for RAMAN RAGHAV 2.0
Hitesh Sonik for FITOOR
Andrea Guerra for FAN
Rohit Kulkarni for WAZIR
WINNER
Karan Gour for PHOBIA
BGM is either a horror film’s weakest or strongest part. Karan made sure it’s the latter.
BEST USE OF MUSIC
Like it was said : using music to aid your storytelling isn’t everyone’s cup of tea. The director and the composer need to work in sync so that one doesn’t overshadow the other. Here are the teams that gelled well and made a masterpiece together.
RUNNERS UP
Dangal
HIGHLIGHTS : HAANIKAARAK BAPU, DHAAKAD, TITLE TRACK
Ae Dil Hai Mushkil
HIGHLIGHTS : CHANNA MEREYA, BULLEYA
Dear Zindagi
HIGHLIGHTS : LOVE YOU ZINDAGI, JUST GO TO HELL DIL
Mirzya
For its exclusively carved soundtrack
WINNER
Udta Punjab
The genius in this soundtrack was that you can’t figure out on how does the film uses music so well, unless you watch it. The opener Chitta Ve, the tensed Da Da Dasse, the near absence of Ud-daa Punjab made sure the music was only complimenting the story.
The biggest surprise was its use of Ikk kudi and relevance to the plot at that time.
BEST LYRICIST
Our cinema is always subjected to the most atrocious and absurd lyrics every year. In these times, here are the lyricist who strive hard to bring meaning and depth to the songs.
RUNNERS UP
Varun Grover, Amit Trivedi and Shillee for UDTA PUNJAB
Irshad Kamil for SULTAN
Kumaar for DISHOOM, AIRLIFT and AZHAR
Javed Akhtar for MOHENJO DARO
Gulzar for MIRZYA
WINNER
Amitabh Bhattacharya for AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL and DANGAL
The other Amitabh shined in the lyrics world as much as the legend he shares his name with. His collaboration with Pritam for both albums proved to be a gold winner! How can one write the heart-breaking Channa Mereya and the innocently funny Haanikarak Bapu with such an effect?
SPECIAL MENTION
Tanveer Ghazi for Tu Chal, PINK
Though it wasn’t written for the film and is certainly not a song, that one poem beautifully sums up what the film tried to say.
BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (MALE)
Brace yourselves as we slowly head towards the prestigious categories. Here are the men who made us swoon with their voices
RUNNERS UP
Amit Mishra
BULLEYA (AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL)
His distinct voice and Pritam’s solid composition made his talent shine through the chartbuster.
Rahet Fateh Ali Khan
JAG GHOOMEYA (SULTAN)
The song itself was an instant reminder of the melodious Dabanng soundtracks that Rahet owned back then.
Papon
BULLEYA (SULTAN)
The singer was back on the spotlight with Moh moh ke dhaage last year. And he continues to win hearts and soul this year too.
Diljit Dosanjh
IKK KUDI – REPRISE (UDTA PUNJAB)
The regional sensation was recognized by the entire nation with this heartfelt number.
Armaan Mallik
SAB TERA (BAAGHI), BOL DO NA ZARA (AZHAR)
The winning streak of the Mallik brothers continues, and Armaan’s comfortable voice was all over the charts this year.
WINNER
Shahid Mallya
CHITTA VE AND IKK KUDI (UDTA PUNJAB)
Shahid’s versatility with these two polar-opposite numbers makes him stand out from his equally brilliant contemporaries.
HONORABLE MENTION
Devu Khan
DAMADAM MAST KALANDAR (DHANAK)
The song may just be another version of the massively popular Qawwali, but the singing by this teenager is criminally underrated.
Where is Arijit in the list, you’re wondering? Scroll down for your answer.
BEST ARIJIT SONG
Dedicating an entire category for one singer might sound weird. But the fact is that his discography is the longest every year. So long, that you can’t judge him with others who have a song or two.
This category thus awards those who use his talent in the best way possible. Here are the songs with which allowed Arijit to completely mesmerize us.
RUNNERS UP
SOCH NA SAKE (AIRLIFT)
Tulsi Kumar, Kumaar, Amaal Mallik
YEH FITOOR MERA (FITOOR)
Swanand Kirkire and Amit Trivedi
BOLNA (KAPOOR AND SONS SINCE 1921)
Asees Kaur, Devender Kafir, Tanishk Bagchi
MOHENJO MOHENJO (MOHENJO DARO)
Javed Akhtar, AR Rahman
DARKHAAST (SHIVAAY)
Sunidhi Chauhan, Sayeed Quadri and Mithoon
AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL (AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL)
Amitabh Bhattacharya, Pritam
TU HI HAI (DEAR ZINDAGI)
Kausar Munir, Amit Trivedi
NASHE SE CHADH GAYI (BEFIKRE)
Jaideep Sahni, Vishal-Shekhar
WINNER
CHANNA MEREYA
FILM: AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL
LYRICS: AMITABH BHATTACHARYA
COMPOSED BY: PRITAM
There’s no denying that Arijit was in a completely different league in this one. It is what he is best known for, and Pritam and his team makes full use of his abundant talent.
BEST PLAYBACK SINGER (FEMALE)
Here are the voices who dominated the year with their hits :
RUNNERS UP
Jonita Gandhi
BREAKUP SONG (AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL), SAU TARAH KE (DISHOOM)
The two huge chartbusters were sung by a relatively new singer. Jonita is going to be an even bigger artist in 2017 for sure. For now, she gives a tough competition to her experienced contemporaries.
Asees Kaur
BOLNA (KAPOOR & SONS SINCE 1921)
It’s a rare instance where Arijit is outshone in a duet. Bolna made quiet a wave and Asees has a major hand in making it possible.
Neha Bhasin
JAG GHOOMEYA – FEMALE VERSION (SULTAN)
As soulful as the Rahet version. And yet, Neha brings a distinctive touch to the song. Her Haryanvi touch is even more authentic.
Shashaa Tirupati
SARSARIYA (MOHENJO DARO)
AR Rahman’s yet another south find went largely unnoticed, but deserves certain appreciation.
Shreya Ghoshal
TERE BIN (WAZIR)
Fresh out of the accolades she got for her outstanding work in Bajirao Mastani, Shreya shone bright even in the early days of 2016. TERE BIN makes you want to stop whatever you’re doing and relish in the wonderful duet of her and Sonu Nigam.
Kanika Kapoor
DA DA DASSE (UDTA PUNJAB)
When Kanika is not singing for Sunny Leone, one gets to see her real talent. Amit Trivedi knows this and gives her a full rustic outing. And she does her career’s best work.
WINNER
Sunidhi Chauhan
DARKHAAST (SHIVAAY), JUST GO TO HELL DIL (DEAR ZINDAGI)
While in one she proves to be yet another fitting partner to Arijit, she goes complete solo for the other. Jonita was a great find this year no doubt, but Sunidhi gains an edge somewhere.
BEST COMPOSER
The mighty brains behind the songs you loved this year. Here are the geniuses behind 2016’s most loved soundtracks.
RUNNERS UP
Amaal Mallik
His composition has been consistently impressive. There was the romantic HUA HAI AAJ PEHLI BAAR (Sanam Re), the party sensation KAR GAYI CHULL (Kapoor and Sons since 1921) and a decent M.S Dhoni – The Untold Story soundtrack to his name.
Pritam
Pritam’s work came late in the year, but made an adequate impact. SAU TARAH KE from Dishoom catched everyone’s attention. The major highlight though was the Ae Dil Hai Mushkil soundtrack, which is hailed as one of his best works. He ended the year with another winner : Dangal.
Vishal-Shekhar
The duo were at their finest this year. They composed soundtrack for the two biggest YRF productions – Sultan and Befikre. Both being completely different from one another, it was a testament to their versatility. They emerged victorious and how!
WINNER
Trivedi doesn’t create music. He creates magic. The magic that was PASHMINA (Fitoor). The extra-ordinary Udta Punjab soundtrack and the playful Dear Zindagi album only added an extra polish to his golden discography. Why do you think he is referred as “the next AR Rahman” today?
SPECIAL MENTION
The trio and AR Rahman missed their mark this year. But still, we have to applaud the three for trying something new with Mirzya. Amit met a similar fate last year with Bombay Velvet where the music takes a beating due to the film. And though Mirzya soundtrack does fall short, it will be appreciated for its uniqueness.
BEST ALBUM
You’ve heard it all. But who stands tall? Here are the soundtracks that were the most impressive this year
RUNNERS UP
BAAR BAAR DEKHO
Zee Music Company
SULTAN
Yash Raj Films Music
DANGAL
Zee Music Company
BEFIKRE
Yash Raj Films Music
UDTA PUNJAB
Zee Music Company
WINNER
AE DIL HAI MUSHKIL
Sony Music India
This was a tough call, sure (Udta Punjab almost winning it). But the album here had the grace of Arijit, and words by Amitabh Bhattacharya. Songs like CHANNA MEREYA will be remembered for a long time, for its uniqueness. Karan Johar has proved it yet again – his movies will always have the best music.
THAT’S A WRAP!
Contrary to the general perception, every year we do produce quality music. You just need to have a bull’s eye (or ear?) to filter out good from a horde of bad.
That was all from the Music section. If you haven’t gone through the Technical/Marketing you can click here.We’ll meet next with the much awaited Acting category. Stay tuned!
THE VIKHYATH TIMES 