Tom O’Neil is reporting that Fox Searchlight is definitely urging voters to pick Jai Ho over O Saya in cast the two songs split the Academy vote.
[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9iZtZLKFBoo[/youtube]
Tom writes:
What’s unfortunate about this decision is that “O Saya” is written by one of the coolest music artists on the planet right now. M.I.A. is nominated for record of the year at this Sunday’s Grammys (“Paper Planes”).
Yeah, this gives the AMPAS way too much credit. This is the group that just shafted Bruce Springsteen.
49 Responses for "Jai Ho V. O Saya"
I know the idea was to infuse a little Bollywood flavor, but I found that music video style ending a little irritating. The ending of the movie isn’t exactly some “everyone’s happy” thing… I mean… you know what I mean (I don’t want to reveal any spoilers just in case).
Funny that that’s the only part of the movie I actually enjoyed watching.
Oh come on, O Saya is much better…. Even so, both songs are hugely overrated.
T.
Jai Ho really was the best one.
O Saya was the best song. But then again I am in love with MIA
MIA is great in concert. That said, Down To Earth is better than either Slumdog song.
I think O Saya is integrated in the film in a more compelling way. Jai Ho is fun, but it’s just an add on and a nod to Bollywood (and not as good as most Bollywood musical numbers). O Saya actually speaks to the content of the film. Personally I prefer it, but this doesn’t surprise me.
I submitted my predictions for the Oscar contest a while ago and swore I wouldn’t second-guess them.
But now I’m rrreally tempted to switch my Score/Song predictions from Slumdog/”Down to Earth” to Wall-E/”Jai Ho”.
Grrr!
Jai Ho is the better song. The Wrestler probably should have won, but since it’s not nommed I’ll root for the best song from the best movie. Suck it haters.
all this MIA fuss over O Saya is un-understandable, it is A.R.Rahman who composed the song, MIA just wrote lyrics and did the rap, so all credit of its music should go to A.R.Rahman, MIA has nothing to do with it.
next, musically O Saya is better, it is such an awesome song, however Jai Ho is much more popular and the best movie ending song I have seen in a while. so i think Jai Ho will win.
and i don’t think Gabriel or Bruce’s songs even come close to Slumdog’s songs, they are just ordinary typical hollywood songs i am tired of hearing since years. Slumdog’s music shall definitely win all music awards.
Go Peter Gabriel.
So I should be doing something more productive. But I thought it might be helpful to the non-hindi speakers if they knew what the songs where talkng about. So Below is a translation of “Jai Ho”. Gulzar’s lyrics are known for being a tad starnge. He uses a very differant sentence structure and the words he uses are always peculiar. His songs are usually ones you have to seriously listen to to understand casue a lot is written between the lines. Jai Ho is no differant. that said, Gulzar is THEE BEST in the industry and has the strongest hold on the Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi lanuages. He’s quiet frankly a genius. This isn’t his best work by far. But it isn’t his worst either.
The song translates decently, while some of the lines won’t make sense to non-hindi speakers. Hope you enjoy!
Jai Ho
We’ve won!
Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane Ke Tale
Come, live under the tent (of the sky)
Aaja Zariwale Nile Aasman Ke Tale
Come, under the blue ‘zari’ threaded sky (‘zari’ is a type of gold embroidery that could be equated with brocade)
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane Ke Tale
Come, live under the tent (of the sky)
Aaja Jariwale Nile Aasman Ke Tale
Come, under the blue ‘zari’ threaded sky
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
Ratti Ratti Sachi Maine Jaan Gavayi Hai
Little by little, I swear, I’ve gambled my life
Nach Nach Koylo Pe Raat Bitayi Hai
Dancing on coals I’ve spent my nights
Akhiyon Ki Neend Maine Phoonko Se Uda Di
The sleep in my eyes I’ve blown away with my breath
Neele Tare Se Maine Ungli Jalayi Hai
On fallen stars I’ve burn my fingers
Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane Ke Tale
Come, live under the tent (of the sky)
Aaja Jariwale Nile Aasman Ke Tale
Come, under the blue ‘zari’ threaded sky
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
(Verse 1)
Chakh Le
Taste it
Haan Chakh Le
Yes, taste it
Ye Raat Shahad Hai
This night is honey
Chakh Le
Taste it
Rakh Le
Keep it
Haan Dil Hai
Yes, it’s your heart
Dil Aakhri Had Hai
The heart is the final limit
Rakh Le
Keep It
Kala Kala Kajal Tera Koi Kala Jadoo Hai Na
(Your) black black coal (eyeliner), is some black magic isn’t it?
Kala Kala Kajal Tera Koi Kala Jadoo Hai Na
(Your) black black coal (eyeliner), is some black magic isn’t it?
Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane Ke Tale
Come, live under the tent (of the sky)
Aaja Jariwale Nile Aasman Ke Tale
Come, under the blue ‘zari’ threaded sky
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
(Verse 2)
Kab Se
Since when
Haan Kab Se
Yes, since when
Jo Lab Pe Ruki Hai
What’s stopped at your lips
Keh De
Say it
Keh De
Say it
Haan Keh De
Yes, say it
Ab Aankh Jhuki Hai..
Now your eyes are lowered (shyness)
Keh De
Say it!
Aisi Aisi Roshan Aankhe Roshan
These two bright eyes of yours,
Do-Do Heerein Hai Kya
Are these two bright diamonds?
Aaja Aaja Jind Shamiyane Ke Tale
Come, live under the tent (of the sky)
Aaja Jariwale Nile Aasman Ke Tale
Come, under the blue ‘zari’ threaded sky
Jai Ho Jai Ho
We’ve won!
BTW! I also think Fox did a brilliant thing by focusing the attention on one song. It increases their shot at a winner. It’s quiet obvious if you think about it.
O! Also! O…Saya doesn’t really have lyrics in Hindi. It’s only the MIA part. What sounds like A.R Rahman making noise is pretty much just that. I don’t even think Saya is a word. While Saaya means shadow, Saya i don’t think means anything. Rahman does this in songs a lot, where he’ll use either his own or other peoples voices as instruments to creat a differant texture to a song. And that’s what he did here. It’ll be interesting to see how it’s performed…
This category sucks this year. There are only three nominees, but the academy manages to get in multiple songs from the same movie YET AGAIN. Why are there only three again? Not enough entrants? So many gorgeous songs they skipped over.
That said, I think O Saya is by far a much better song. Jai Ho felt really awkward tacked on to the end of the film. It almost felt like the Dreamgirls oscar-baity credit roll at the end of their film. “Look, we sing and dance too! Pick us!”
The Wrestler wasn’t nominated for song because those dimwits hadn’t seen the movie, probably. If they had, they probably would have understood the emotional resonance of the song. I know I did. First time I heard, I thought it was alright. After the film was over, I felt like I got gut-punched.
Wall-e will win it. It deserves it. Besides, I can’t remember for the life of me when they played O Saya in the movie.
I don’t see the big deal…”Jai Ho” is the film’s signature song.
I like “O Saya” quite a bit…couldn’t get it out of my head after seeing the film, but “Jai Ho” is the one that stole my heart.
Screw this entire catagory. We shouldn’t be choosing which Slumdog song should win, we should be choosing which of the 5 songs is the best. Oh wait, we don’t have 5 songs…do we?. I can’t believe how stupid the academy and their inane voting procedures are.
Well, I hope this means Down to Earth will win. I don’t even like it that much but those two slumdog songs gives me a ¤%#”!&)”# headache.
This is a smart precautionary move by Fox, but I wonder if the advertising ever really mattered. With ubiquity of Slumdog, I’ll be predicting Jai Ho as I have been and won’t look back. But I won’t be surprised if any of the nominees win. I would never predict O Saya – thought it was forgettable compared to the closing song – but never say never. The Acad is screwy. Young voters in droves might check off M.I.A.’s name.
That’s no “unfortunate” decision…it’s common sense. Jao-Ho is infectious, joyful, and people love it. It’s the song that was played by the orchestra every time it won awards at the Critics’ Choice and Globes, for good reason.
MIA will be honored by the Grammys and has already been honored by AMPAS with a nomination. The best song will be either the Wall-E song or Jai-Ho.
A vote for Nader in 2000 was a vote for Bush. A vote for O Saya this year is a vote for Wall-E.
Bruce Springsteen sucks. Don’t understand the appeal of him. I would rather see Penelope Cruz win the Oscar instead of seeing Springsteen winning another. I laughed when I found out he wasn’t nominated. Go Peter Gabriel!!!
“O Saya” is a mediocre song so there isn’t anything unfortunate about it.
Also, the “dancing” during the ending credits was pretty poorly done too IMO. That said, “Jai Ho” is the better of the two songs.
I think that the reason why Springsteen wasn’t nominated was that the song sucked. The only reason why it was even being talked about is because it is Springsteen.
Instead of fighting about the songs check this great video spoof of Jai Ho:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8qpooyL2ynM
Wellll hold your horses there people, you also have that song by Peter Gabriel and Thomas Newman called “Down to Earth” from WALL*E and to be honest I am going with that song because Thomas Newman hasn’t won an oscar yet, and I am not baggin on the songs Jai Ho and O Saya, there great, but I think this year is finally a year they give out oscars to people who been nominated before, and haven’t won it yet, so for him to win for a song, would be great.
I’ve noticed that, at least on all of the film’s internet ads, there is the addition of “Jaiho: Victory be Yours.”
If Bruce’s Wrestler hadn’t been at the end of the credits, and integrated into the movie it would have been nominated. I was po’d that REady for Love from Sex and the City wasn’t even considered for anything! and it was a#1 soundtrack. The song is fierce with Jennifer Hudson vocals.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5b13bFjUX-o
Just goes to show that the members of the Academy still don’t get it.
#23 – I agree with you, The Wrestler theme song wasn’t the “best” and actually when I saw the movie it came at the end and the audience was walking out. Didn’t leave much of an impression as a song. A smoking song at the end always keeps the audience around to hear the full song.
Sally in Chicago I couldn’t disagree more. I thought the Bruce song was the best of the year and deserved to be recognized. Many an Oscar best song has played over the closing credits. It was a poor choice to exclude it.
Voters can vote for Jai Ho over O Saya, so long as more voters cast their votes for Down To Earth…
I just checked the Academy rules and they state that in any year with less than 25 eligible songs that the category would be limited to three nominees. And yet there were 49 songs deemed eligible for the category. So can anyone tell me why there are only three nominees instead of five? It doesn’t make any sense.
O Saya>Down to Earth>Jai Ho
Stuart, i couldn’t begin to tell you why but, i can tell you for certain that the powers that be, in the academy, must have their heads up their asses. You’d think with the level of prestige that the academy tries to put forth each year, that they would not let embarassments like this happen. Idiots! Morons! Gee, can you tell that i’m thoroughly annoyed with the academy?
O Saya really makes that scene in the movie! Its my favourite and I`d pick it over Jai Ho
2 nominations for The Wrestler were two more than the movie deserved. What a tedious movie – easily the worst movie of all the ones nominated for a major award. I haven’t seen In Bruges, but I can’t imagine it being that bad. The Academy loves a comeback, otherwise Mickey Rourke’s performance would have been passed over for a far superior one by Leonardo DiCaprio (or Clint Eastwood, for that matter). And the Academy loves some Marisa Tomei. She’s fine, but her performance in this was eclipsed by either of the supporting actresses in Rachel Getting Married, not to mention Kathy Bates in Revolutionary Road. Evan Rachel Wood was the only redeeming feature to this weak effort from Aronofsky, who knocked it out of the park with Requiem for a Dream
I think that the Slumdog campaigners did a huge mistake here. It means either a win for O Saya or for WALL-E. Remember when “Al Otro Lado Del Rio” won a few years ago. It won mostly because of the well publicized fact that its composer (and performer) didn’t get the chance to perform at the Oscars & the industry really got mad at the show’s producers. And I think that this time around WALL-E could benefit from having the big names (Gabriel & Newman) and the fact that the producers really try to influence voters in a really offensive way!
Oh, yeah! Another example: Kate Winslet showing everybody how much she prefers Revolutionary Road! So I think the campaign staff made a huge mistake here!
…and this is the group that gave the Oscar to — “It’s hard out here for a pimp”! and “shafted” A Love That Will Never Grow Old from Brokeback Mountain so what were you expecting!? I’m sick and tired of all these opinions dictating how Oscar should nominate this film/actor/song and not this one. Sheesh…
Wouldn’t it be so cool if M.I.A won an oscar? oh man, hella cool. I am kind of jealous that everyone likes M.I.A now; I use to like her when no one even knew her name. All of a sudden, the whole world is riding the M.I.A train lol lol. So happy for her success, she deserves it.
Matt,
you raise some valid points. After watching Revolutionary Road yesterday, I just don’t get how Kate and Leo were not nominated for leading roles. What makes that movie is the performances; it is weak on plot but the performances carry it through, without loosing steam, until the very end.
What is up with the academy’s bias against young, talented and handsome male actors? really, it’s so bizarre.
Stuart, I remember reading that only songs that got a particular rating out of 10 by voters got nominated. Springsteen’s song didnt make the grade
“Down to Earth” was one of the best parts of Wall-E (and Wall-E was far and away my favorite movie this year)- the emotional impact of watching the re-claiming of Earth in the ever-evolving art styles of the past, all put to a joyous song that doesn’t damn humanity, but celebrates our abilities to overcome our past mistakes and rectify them for a better future was to me the defining moment in film of 2008. It is without question the single most amazing credits sequence I’ve ever seen.
Yes, “The Wrestler” is a fantastic song and definitely should have been nominated, but “Down to Earth” was so magical and amazing that in a way I’m glad Springsteen didn’t get the nomination so that Peter Gabriel has a real fighting chance this year. Forget the faux-Bollywood dreck that’s Jai Ho- “Down to Earth” for the win!
Like the fish in the ocean
We felt at home in the sea
We learned to live off the good land
We learned to climb up a tree
Then we got up on two legs
But we wanted to fly
Oh, when we messed up our homeland
We set sail for the sky
We’re coming down to the ground
There’s no better place to go
We’ve got snow upon the mountains
We’ve got rivers down below
We’re coming down to the ground
We’ll hear the birds sing in the trees
And the land will be looked after
We’ll send the seeds out in the breeze
Thanks, OmarS – those lyrics don’t help much (you’re right that they’re somewhat confusing), but it was nice of you to post the lyrics up by line. And I think I understand the purpose of the song a little bit more.
For the record, I’m surprised that the following songs weren’t considered: “The Wrestler”, “Up to our Nex”, “Little Person”. Any one of these would have probably been better than the final nominees. But oh well… at least now David Newman will win an Oscar.
this entire category is irrelevant without “a night to remember” from hsm3. sorry, haters.
“O Saya” sounded like a piece of the score rather than a song, and “Jai Ho” was just another forcer to make you feel good in the end.
I’m voting “Down to Earth” for original song this year.
O saya is good , i dont like this ” jai Ho ” at all except for the last 10-12 seconds theme rite at the end of this track , this “eternal triumph of life ” kinda theme for which A.R. Rahman is so famous , some of which can also be found in Elizabeth: The Golden Age , another from Rahman . But for me the best track of the Slumdog OST got to be the instrumental ” Mausam & Escape” , talking about traditional instruments everybody has their own , The Chinese have the guqin & pipa , we Indians have these Sitar & Sarod , great fusion from Rahman .
For me “O Saya” track hears like “Jingo” by Santana. Does anybody feel it?
Some of you are idiotic. If you’re thinking Wall-E is better than the Slumdog songs, you’re totally insane. Much better Disney/Pixar songs have come out of the production then “Down to Earth”, which was simply mediocre. While sounding original, it surely has been bitten off from other songs to create one, supposedly, “magical” score. Not so. Slumdog Millionaire’s songs are creative, infectious, and actually match the rhythmic fast-paced fury of the movie. “O…Saya” is absolutely brilliant in the movie, I get spine-chills every time they show the kids running for their lives while the cops are chasing them. However, outside of context, while still enticing, “O…Saya” is not nearly as exciting without the gritty vivid visuals of the movie. While “Jai Ho” is truly the memorable song of the movie, both from watching the film but also just by listening to it on your CD. The fact they ended the film on a Bollywood Dance was quite interesting and I thought totally brilliant considering the gritty realism brought from the movie, which sometimes is a little too depressing. I thought seeing the cast dance, brought forth a connection to India as well as America. Very nicely done. I will say, “Jai Ho” is the best, because they came up with a gorgeously written song that not only depicts the soaring feeling of the film, but also a great catchy dance-track that must have something special if it all keeps getting stuck in our heads day by day.
I think Slumdog Millionaire deserves it with every acclaim. Neither The Wrestler, nor Wall-E, were half as memorable music-wise.
JAI HO is beautiful.. it is easy on the tongue.. and it is a celebratory song.. it s a song that celebrates life… and being alive… inspite of a million odds… It is like having crossed the cusp… or threshold of pain… to find oneself alive… and celebrate that moment. Its a beautiful thought… a beautiful moment…
Indian cinematic language is different from Hollywood’s. Indians have a 5000 year old heritage of story telling. The Indians and their cinematic language., have arrived. For all time. Jai Ho.
rehmaan bhai you rocks on. you are the best i do not have much words for you.
Leave a reply
All comments should respect the Awards Daily House Rules. If you think a particular comment breaks these rules then please let us know, quoting the comment in question.