Originally published in The Hindu.
Thoondil meen – Kabali (Tamil – Santhosh Narayanan)
Thoondil meen, the song not part of the original Kabali soundtrack, was released recently online. It works wonderfully like a puzzle, given our familiarity with Vaanam paarthen. It starts off with the now-familiar Nadhiyena naan ododi, moves on to a completely new tune, segues beautifully into a differently pitched variant of Idapakkam thudithidum and takes off into a completely new, lively tune, in contrast with Vaanam paarthen’s feel. It makes for a highly interesting what-if listen… what if Santhosh had this in mind for Vaanam paarthen!
Seythaante cheytha – IDI (Malayalam – Rahul Raj)
Have you ever wondered how a Malayali Hercule Poirot may be? Regardless of how he may be, composer Rahul Raj gives us a glimpse of the title music of Hercule Poirot, on the lines of the famous theme composed by Christopher Gunning in the TV series that was popular in India given its Doordarshan play. Pradeep Palluruthy and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi handle the retro-style tune very well, while Rahul’s sax evokes the Malayali Poirot-style theme evocatively.
Kattale tumbida – Nataraja Service (Kannada – Anoop Seelin)
Kannada star Sharan, regardless of how his films fare, at least gets lucky in the music department. Nataraja Service is no different, with Anoop Seelin churning out a listenable soundtrack, also taking into account director Pawan Wadeyar’s musical track record. Beyond the catchy, kuthu and masala tracks, Apoorva Sridhar-sung Kattale tumbida is the soundtrack’s best, with its pleasant, almost-prayer like melody that shines with a tinge of sadness.
Joomega – Aatadukundam Raa (Telugu – Anup Rubens)
The nifty Anup is in his dependable self again, in the soundtrack of Aatadukundam Raa. Imagine Ricky Martin getting an invite from the Tollywood moneybags to compose a song for a Telugu film. Can’t imagine? Don’t worry, Anup has you covered in Joomega! Naresh Iyer and Anandhi Joshi start the song with a soft melody before taking off in a highly enthusiastic Latino-pop style, complete with Hindi phrase like Joomega dil mera, amidst a burst of violins!
Udan choo – Banjo (Hindi – Vishal-Shekhar)
The filmy situation of ‘hero sees the heroine everywhere’ (or its gender reversal) has been exploited to the hilt by directors, topped by Shankar in I, with the utterly bizarre excuse for special effects in Mersalaayitten. Udan choo is a similar exercise from Banjo and the song, by Vishal-Shekhar, is perfect for Riteish seeing Nargis Fakhri everywhere in the basti, in utterly contrasting costumes and actions. Singer Hriday Gattani rocks the dreamy, accordion-loaded vaudevillian beauty of the tune!
