Periyar’s soundtrack is a surreal time warp, consciously avoiding overt modern sounds. Yesudas’ Thaayum yaaro evolves from a soliloquy-styled beginning into a beautifully minimal orchestra. Thai thai and Kadavula carry out-of-Doordarshan sounds, but they work well with their clean, classy sound and thematic lyrics. The use of the stage-play sound in Bhagavan is interestingly handled while the obviously 50s sound in Idai is endearing as well! Just when I thought Gnana Rajashekaran made a historic blunder by not insisting on Ilayaraja – after Bharathi – Vidyasagar springs a pleasant surprise with an album that displays a mature understanding of the film’s theme.
Keywords: Vidyasagar, Thandhai Periyar, Sathyaraj, Kushboo, Thangar Bachan
