Saayndhu saayndhu is the soundtrack’s mesmerizing opener, straddling delightful interludes (that 2nd interlude!) and scintillating guitars! Yuvan tries his best to be the song’s weakest link, and one does wonder what another proficient singer like Karthik could have done to this charming tune! Kaatrai konjam is breezy, with orchestration that evokes, in one instant, the entire 80s in slow motion, at least for the older generation listeners. Sunidhi Chauhan gets one of the best songs of the soundtrack – Mudhal murai. She gets everything right – her accent, pronunciation… and Raja gives her a fabulously memorable hook to almost forget the older tune of the words, Neethaane en ponvasantham!
Vaanam mella opens in the best tradition of Raja’s love for grand orchestral music and the man’s aged, but extraordinarily cozy vocals mingle smoothly with Bela Shende’s, to create sheer magic. Pudikale maamu updates the composer’s numerous vintage We-Don’t-Need-No-Education tunes to gen-next style, barring that Veedhi pathaadhey breakout session by Karthik, the much-necessary ‘dhristi’ of the soundtrack. Much of Pengal yendral‘s emotional high and angst is delivered by Raja’s music and not Yuvan’s vocals, while Ramya rules over Sattru munbu‘s sprawling, imaginative tune even as Raja adorns it with the best piece of orchestral backgrounds in the entire soundtrack.
But if the soundtrack belongs to one song, it is Yennodu vaa vaa – the official knee-buster of the year, since it can easily make anyone go weak in the knees. Karthik’s pitch-perfect rendition and Raja’s majestic music across every part of the song – the backgrounds, the tune of the anupallavi… everything just works so beautifully! Neethaane En Ponvasandham is finally that soundtrack which overlaps Raja’s mind-bogglingly proficient earlier form over the best of his current form and resides in an enviable twilight zone. This is every Raja fan’s wet dream.
Keywords: Neethaane en ponvasandham, needhaane en ponvasantham, NEPV, NEP, Ilayaraja, 300, #300
Note: This is the 4th ever 300 worder on Milliblog – in 7 years, since 2005. The earlier ones included Delhi 6, Roja (yes!) and Rockstar. There is a special joy in giving a 300 worder to Raja, however!
