Milliblog Weeklies – India’s only multilingual, weekly, new music playlist.
Week 293: YouTube | Spotify
Chaap Tilak – Laikey Laikaa (Faridkot – Rajarshi Sanyal & IP Singh) – Hindi: This is a huge surprise! First, would this qualify as Faridkot’s proper Bollywood debut? I know that their song ‘Jehda Nasha’ was used in An Action Hero, but it was recreated by Tanishk Bagchi. So, this may be their original Bollywood debut and it is a pulsating banger. The second, bigger surprise is Rasha’s singing! She sounds absolutely fantastic! The tune allows her a full-throated rendition and she delivers brilliantly!
Aasma Aasma – Do Deewane Seher Mein (Hesham Abdul Wahab) – Hindi: Hesham’s Hindi debut!! There’s that trademark Hesham sound written all over the song plus the soul of Rahman’s Pachai Nirame (which appears in so many songs anyway). It’s a gorgeous sweeping melody that is very easy to like. The singers, Jubin Nautiyal and Neeti Mohan do a great job even as Hesham himself sings the ‘Mangalyam Thandhunane’ portion mid-way! In comparison, the other song from the soundtrack (Tera Mera Saath) by ‘White Noise Collectives’ seemed mighty templatized and generic.
Jee Liya – Tu Yaa Main (Adarsh Gourav & Aditya N.) – Hindi: Trust Bejoy Nambiar to ensure interesting music for his films regardless of who the composer is/composers are! Here, the film’s leading man, Adarsh Gourav gets co-composer credits alongside Aditya N! Adarsh sings it too, along with Lothika! It’s a slickly produced cozy earworm of sorts with a catchy synth layer. Lothika’s vocals provide a gentle lift, creating a nice chemistry between the singers.
Aashiqon Ki Colony – O’Romeo (Vishal Bhardwaj) – Hindi: If only Sachin-Jigar hadn’t prepared us with their brand of techno-mujra style music starting with ‘Aaj Ki Raat’, this song, sung by Madhubanti Bagchi (again!) would have sounded wonderfully fresh. Still, thanks to Gulzar’s lines at least, it manages to make a mark, and Madhubanti continues to do a stellar job as well.
Thangame Thangame – Idhayam Murali (Thaman S) – Tamil: Yet another variation to what Thaman has mastered as an art already (which peaked with ‘Tum Tum‘ from Enemy). The hook is less impressive than Tum Tum, but continues to work reasonably well… for now.
Gaabara Gaabara – Couple Friendly (Aditya Ravindran) – Telugu: With ‘Naalo Nenu‘, composer Aditya Ravindran definitely made me wonder who this is… so much that the song was in my top 20 Telugu songs of 2025. Then I realized that he is a singer who often sings in Santhosh Narayanan’s compositions in Tamil! Now, he produces an encore, though not one that can top Naalo Nenu. Santhosh Narayanan is a spirited choice for the singer and the song’s feel too falls into the kind of music one expects from Santhosh – a raucously bouncy song, with even a unexpectedly somber turn at the 2-minute mark (Naake Nene…)!
Mahadeva – Chinna Chinna Aasai (Govind Vasantha) – Malayalam: Whoa! This is an absolutely unexpected stunner from Govind! It’s haunting, gripping, and immersive at the same time – a slow-burning devotional, hymnal-sounding melody that dipes into atmospheric melancholy effortlessly. Govind builds tension with minimal piano and subtle strings at first, gradually introducing choral layers and rhythmic pulse that evoke a ritualistic trance. It all works brilliantly.
Muddu Magale – Landlord (B Ajaneesh Loknath) – Kannada: Ajaneesh does something exceptionally where most other composers are reduced to utterly generic work. Consider Anirudh’s father-daughter song in Jana Nayagan, for instance – it almost plays in auto-pilot. But Ajaneesh not only had a deeply engaging father-daughter song in Maharaja (Thaaye Thaaye), but does equally well here, in Muddu Magale too! There’s a genuinely impactful and lush melody at the base of the song and Shashank Sheshagiri’s singing elevates it several notches.
Hi Jawani Kacchi, Jara Jara – Gandhi Talks (A R Rahman) – Marathi: Rahman reuses bits of Francis Lai’s Theme from Love Story (or, ‘Where Do I Begin?’. You may remember Ismail Darbar’s reuse in ‘Chaand Chup Badal Mein‘ from Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam, or even Suresh Peters’ ‘Mughilenna Mazhaiyenna‘ from his outstanding pop album, ‘Minnal’) to construct the core of Hi Jawani Kacchi and it meanders interestingly enough thanks to Bela Shende’s singing (Shreya Ghoshal in the Hindi version). Jara Jara, on the other hand, is an absolutely beauty, with exquisite singing by Anandi Joshi (and Abhay Jodhpurkar. who joins in the antara)! Even though I was reminded of S. P. Balasubrahmanyam-composed ‘Idho Idho En Pallavi‘ from Sigaram, it is at best a residual memory from the first 2 words’ melody alone, nothing more. This is one Rahman’s best in recent times.
Kya Bataun Tujhe – Vishal Mishra (Hindi/Indipop): A standard-issue Mithoon-style heartbreak ballad that makes a dent mainly because of Vishal’s thoroughly engaging vocals. The overall production is ambitious and impressive – Kandarpa Kalita’s guitar stands out easily, as also the overall production by Vishal Mishra and Vaibhav Pani.
Ini Ondraai – Nishad G./Indoencers (Tamil/Indipop): An earnest, big-hearted, symphonic Tamil indie from Nishad! Suthan Bala’s wordplay is truly wonderful, rhyming “Pazhayadhai” and “Pudhu Vidhai” with effortless charm. The tune’s ups demand a lot from Vijaynarain and he rises to the occasion impressively. Nishad G stages the song like a mini-suite – intimate piano and guitars at the start, gradually giving way to full-band heft, strings, and choir!
Kaane – Haniya Nafisa (Malayalam/Indipop): Haniya blends her intimate vocals with a warm, guitar-driven arrangement (by Raunaq), underscored by a tasteful groove. The result is tantalizingly good and hugely listenable, if only a bit too short!
Tulasi – Sumedh K (Kannada/Indipop): Sumedh K, the young composer who turned heads with ‘The Scooter Song’ in Su From So is back in his elements with his own music removed from the clutches of a movie script. He chooses a Purandhara Dasa kriti—Elamma Tulasi—to adapt and coats it in a hugely creative, ambient electronic soundscape that reminded me of Abhijit Pohankar’s musical style (remember ‘Piya Bawari Albeli‘?). The way he lands the first ‘Tulasi’ call-out and the brilliant music just after it (just after the 1-minute mark) is delightful! A special mention about the music video directed by Vishno Rao too – there’s a beautiful nuance used in the video’s idea using a little girl and the older one… you would realize it after watching the video fully!
