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Kannamma – Rekka (Tamil – D.Imman)
Imman has been on a prolific run as far as soundtracks go, though each of his new soundtracks have just one or two decent tracks, filling the rest with middling, familiar material. This year, he does that with Rekka and Kannamma is the soundtrack’s wonderful highlight. Imman’s choice of Nandini Srikar pays him rich dividends here, and he adds to that a rich, resonant musical backdrop that sees him adding imaginative interludes featuring guitar and nadaswaram. The tune, an enchanting melody on the lines of Raja’s Karpoora bommai ondru (raaga Saraswathi, perhaps?), gets so much better with Nandini’s phenomenal rendition.
Thennal nilavinte – Oru Muthassi Gadha (Malayalam – Shaan Rahman)
The Vineeth Srinivasan-Shaan Rahman combo strikes yet again in Thennal nilavinte. The tune is so obviously and immediately likeable, with a deep and rich melody reminiscent of Rahman’s Thiruda Thiruda number Putham pudhu bhoomi vendum, not just from the tune, but also the beautiful violin and piano orchestration. Vineeth handles the rendition in his inimitable style, with fantastic support from Aparna Balamurali.
Kallumoosi – Majnu (Telugu – Gopi Sundar)
Gopi Sundar is truly on a roll… in Telugu! And this seems to have reduced his output in Malayalam recently. In Majnu, he unleashes his usual bag of tunes and they continue to sound as fresh and enjoyable as ever. The second Suchit Suresan finishes the first two lines in Kallumoosi, Gopi adds a very short burst of violins, and that is precisely the Gopi trademark! The melody is spritely and easy-on-the-ears and Suchit’s rendition makes it all the more better.
Vaat disu de – Jaundya Na Balasaheb (Marathi – Ajay-Atul)
After Sairat, if you have been aching for more Ilayaraja-style music from the Marathi composing duo Ajay-Atul, look no further… Vaat disu de is here! The rhythm is jaunty and the tune, absolutely gorgeous, with a neat itch change in the end – this is the kind of melody you would be completely at ease listening to in an 80s Mahendran film with music by Ilayaraja! Ajay-Atul pull off something interesting in the song – while the first interlude is trademark Raja-style, the second one is very Rahman’ish! Ajay Gogavale and Yogita Godbole are pitch-perfect in the vocals department.
Mai ri mai – Parched (Hindi – Hitesh Sonik)
Given the film’s plot, it was evident that it would have at least one song based on women’s emancipation. That Swanand Kirkire pens it with oh-so-beautiful verses just makes it so much better! The melody is mellow and completely immersive, thanks largely to the way Neeti Mohan sings it. Hitesh layers the song with so much, enhancing the song’s feel, with a lovely flute base by Paras Nath.
