RajeevKhandelwal Soundtrack-page 54 - Page 39

The Hindi movie 'Soundtrack', starring Rajeev Khandelwal as DJ Raunak Kaul, Soha Ali Khan and Mrinalini Sharma, was released in India and across the world on October 7, 2011.

The movie is directed by Neerav Ghosh, and is a remake of the 2004 English film 'Its All Gone Pete Tong'.

The story of the movie is about a popular DJ, who has exceptional skills to make every one groove to his tunes. But his excessive lifestyle makes him lose his focus towards his work and thus becomes permanently deaf.

Due to his sudden hearing imparity, Raunak now find its difficult to pursue his dreams to make music. This is when Gauri, played by Soha, enters his life. Gauri too cannot hear but can lip read.

Raunak slowly gets attracted towards Gauri, who becomes his tutor and slowly begins to sense sound. Finally a deaf DJ becomes a popular composer.

Ghosh has attempted to make a docu-drama and has made it look like a biographical. Overall, 'Soundtrack' is a good movie to watch.

http://www.examiner.com/india-headlines-in-national/soundtrack-movie-review-watch-online-trailer-video-and-songs

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Rajeev Khandelwal's Soundtrack review

(Indie Ideas/Saregama India Limited) Rajeev Khandelwal and Soha Ali Khan shine in the feel-good movie of the year, Neerva Ghosh's Soundtrack, which officially lit up silver screens around the world this weekend. A sanctioned remake of the 2004 cult classic, It's All Gone Peter Tong, Soundtrack chronicles the story of DJ Raunak Kaul (Mr. Khandelwal), an entertainer who skyrocketed to stardom as a deejay before alcohol and drugs brought him crashing back down to Earth. Raunak's fall is perpetuated by a sudden physical disability: he goes deaf.

Therein lies the heart of Soundtrack. Perhaps never touching a deejay console ever again, Raunak's misfortunes take a turn for the better when he meets Gauri (Ms. Khan). In Gauri, Raunak meets a lip-reading deaf person who turns out to be his partner and tutor. Even more, Gauri gives Raunak a reason to love music again and find a new way to entertain his fans: composition.

Essentially a biopic of a deejay who actually lost his hearing but became a music composer in real life, Ghosh presents Soundtrack with just the right mix of dramatic storytelling and compelling reality. Indeed, Soundtrack launches with a strong dose of reality Raunak's escalating rise as a deejay meets uncontrollable debauchery, causing him to fall down almost as quickly as he came up.

A reality check comes in the second half, where the humanity of Raunak's rock-bottom situation as a man who had everything but lost it all suddenly takes over. Yet, instead of being a sob-story of someone who did not know how to responsibly manage his fame, Sountrack ends up being an intriguing tale of how one man's love for music was so strong, it helped him overcome even the most significant of obstacles, both self and naturally created.

After all, a story featuring a deaf man triumphantly finding a way to create music for the masses is next to impossible not to feel good about.

Accordingly, Mr. Khandelwal certainly delivers a strong performance as the chief protagonist. He definitely portrays Raunak in a way that makes him easily relatable to the audience. In short, Mr. Khandelwal is quite convincing.

Directly opposite him is Ms. Khan, who is quite classy and ingenious in portraying a similarly disabled person. Quite interestingly, Ms. Khan breaks the mold of the stereotypical leading Bollywood actress who is often just a vehicle to tell a love story. Here, Ms. Khan's portrayal of Gauri convincingly gives both the lead character (Raunak) and the film's story a substantive purpose.

The supporting cast features a memorable performance by Mrinalini Sharma; the film's cinematography is above average and the music, scored by Karsh Kale and the Midival Pundits, is top-notch.

Ultimately, Soundtrack is a well-put film featuring solid acting and a qualitatively feel-good story. While it has a few minor flaws that may keep it from being one of the best films of 2011, Soundtrack is still a must-watch, and there have been very few must-watches coming out of Bollywood this year.

Fans of Soundtrack may also like: Guzaarish, London Dreams, Rock On!!

Reasons to like Soundtrack: Strong storyline, acting, top-notch score

Film Review- Soundtrack

Story- The story of Soundtrack centres on Rajeev Khandelwal, a prolific musician who inherits his taste for music from his dad. The film beautifully traces the rise and fall of Rajeev as a DJ. To make a name for himself in music world Rajeev begins his career as a DJ at Uncle Mohan Kapoor's club Tango Charlie. Luck favours him as he gets an opportunity to work in Anurag Kashyap's film. Dazzled by the glitz and glamour, gradually he loses focus towards his work as he becomes a victim to excessive drug consumption, alcohol, sex and disc consoles. To add to his misery, he also starts losing his hearing ability.

Star Cast- Rajeev Khandelwal is undoubtedly the star of the film. Whether it is his interaction with the inner self, his music avatar, his moments of mental depression or the final self-rejuvenation, he manages to keep his audiences hooked on with the diverse shades of his character. Soha Ali Khan is refreshing and does complete justice to her character of a deaf girl. Mohan Kapoor is simply amazing; Mrinalini Sharma is impressive while Yatin Karyekar delivers an honest performance.

Direction: Filmmaker Neerav Ghosh has done an incredible job as a debutant director. The film has flawless and perfect performances by the actors and an extremely appealing story without a single moment of boredom. He has narrated the story in his unique and creative style which will help audiences to constantly remain focused to the screen.

Music/ Cinematography/ Dialogues/Editing- The music forms the backbone of the film. It beautifully syncs with the subject of the film. The cinematography is innovative and one of the plus point of the film.

Verdict- Soundtrack is a well crafted film. It has a fresh concept which will surely grab the attention of the audiences. On the whole it is a must watch.

http://www.bollypatrika.com/2011/10/09/film-review-soundtrack/

Rajeev Khandelwal, Mrinalini Sharma on film 'Soundtrack'

Mehta Kya Kehta?

Movie Review: Soundtrack (2011)

SOUNDTRACK

(PVR Saket, Delhi, and other theatres)

In the season of remakes this is one more. The inspiration has come from an independent Canadian film, It's All Gone Pete Tong , where a popular DJ goes deaf because sound becomes an occupational hazard for him. First-time director Neerav Ghosh tries to Indianise the idea and succeeds in creating the atmospherics and the texture despite the fact that there is no rock scene of consequence in the country.

Rajeev Khandelwal plays a small town boy, Raunaq Arya, who comes to Mumbai to make it big in the world of music. The opening sequence, where Raunaq finds melody in the mundane, catches the eye. With booze oozing out of his veins, Raunaq captures the console at a night club deliciously called Tango Charlie.

The cocktail of music, drugs and sex that Ghosh has created to depict the rise and fall of Raunaq is heady and Medieval Punditz's music provides it the authenticity and originality that the script demands to believe in the eccentricity of Raunaq, who brings home a beggar to record his first hit.

So is the mockumentary format that Ghosh has copied from the original. The biopic style keeps the audience eager about how far Raunaq will go with his quirks. Usual suspects like Anurag Kashyap and DJ Aqeel, who patronise such attempts, make short, interesting appearances breaking the fourth wall, helping fact merge with fiction in the process.

However, the way Raunaq has handled Raunaq's alter ego is rather amateurish and bursts the bubble midway. In an attempt to create the nostalgia of Johny Joker, yes, the Shweta Shetty song, Ghosh has got carried away. Also, he could not fully justify Raunaq's stature in the industry so that we felt the thud of his fall. After all he loses his capacity to hear even before his first big project. So when he tries to present him as modern day Beethoven, it is hard to digest. But to be fair to the debutant, he doesn't have the star and the scale to work with.

Ghosh recovers in the scenes when Raunaq decides to shun his audacious ways and embraces reality with a smile on his face, courtesy a born-deaf girl, Gauri, who knows how to speak. Soha Ali Khan plays this part with conviction. Ghosh makes her modulate her voice to make her sound as real as a mainstream Hindi film can afford to show a person who has learnt speaking by reading people's lips and she has a done a balanced job as Gauri could have easily become a caricature.

We know Rajeev has the cocksure attitude that Raunaq demands, but the way he bonds with Soha in the second half shows how he has matured as an actor.

It is not an original piece of work, but definitely an effort in the right direction.

http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-newdelhi/article2522436.ece

Originally posted by: -purnima-

The drugs, alcohol and sex in Soundtrack was toned down" - Rajeev Khandelwal

Rajeev Khandelwal, whose current performance as a DJ gone deaf in Soundtrack has fetched him terrific appreciation, this line makes me feel so good...
has discovered a new passion in life. 😳😳 I'am sure whatever the passion is about Rajeev will give his 100%..😊
He loved the process of getting to understand how a DJ moved, danced, played music. 😳😳 And he now wants to carry his new passion for the grooves forward.😳😳😳 he is simply a perfectionist...😳😳😳

Says Rajeev, "I took a crash course of seven weeks as a DJ. I went with my director Neerav Ghosh to nightclubs watched the DJs at work and then began to research on them. VJ Nikhil Chinappa who was my co-star in Shaitan 😳😳😳 (the one to whom Mathur saab said 😳😳 ... kekde mein khoon nahi hota...& policewale mein imaan 😆😆😆 hahaha...i remember writing about this scene in my review too...& after watching the movie all the way home i was saying this dialogue..it was too good...loved the line...😆😆😆😆)also helped me understand the art of DJ-ing." yeh Rajeev joh bhi kartha hai, he sees to it that he gives his best & does a extensive research...😊

And now Rajeev who makes it a point to get into the skin of all his characters wants to spend time practicing the art of DJ-ing. arre wah.. now we can see Rajeev excel in DJing too...he sings, he acts, he plays musical instruments, now he is practicing DJing too...he is seriously multi talented... bravo..😃😃😃

Says the actor, "I did a 7-week crash course in DJ-ing. I can't claim to be a professional one though. But I know how to fit beats into a loop, mix two songs. We have a rather fixed image of a DJ as a guy who plays the songs and dances frantically gesticulating with his hands all the while. 😳😳 But I discovered many DJs are far more controlled in their movements." yaar if Rajeev is going to take DJing as a time pass acvivity too, if he is playing at any club or disco, i'am sure hum Rajeevians tho wahaan bhaag jaayenge...😆😆😆

As preparation for his part in Soundtrack, Rajeev also attended a workshop for the deaf. "I was coached by a teacher from the Helen Keller institute who was actually my co-star Soha Ali Khan's teacher. The thing is, I wasn't playing a guy who was deaf from birth. The body language and the quality of deafness that happens much later in life had to be different." he is a very good student..& he never hesitates from taking risks & learning new things...😊

Rajeev says he made it a point not to watch the actor Paul Kaye in the Canadian film It's All Gone Pete Tong which is the reference point for Rajeev's character in Soundtrack. "No, I purposely stayed away from that film. But I did watch some footage of the DJ Frankie Wilde on whose life the Canadian film was based. The story of that DJ who went deaf was far more bizarre and debauched than what we've portrayed in Soundtrack. The drugs, alcohol and sex in Soundtrack was toned down."
hmmm...i think it was good that Rajeev stayed away from seeing the original, as if he had seen the original then he would have been influence by Paul Kyle's acting..but now Soundtrack has Rajeev's original touch as our own DJ Raunak Kaul...😳😳😳
The highest compliment that Rajeev received for his performance in Soundtrack came from his wife. 😳😳"She said it was a good performance. 😳😳 She wouldn't bullshit me. If I am awful she would say so. So if she says I am good I must be." 😆😆😆 hyeee..hyeee..kya baat hai...Rajeev kii honesty & frankness par main qurbaan...😳