Music Review: Kabali

Music: Santhosh Narayanan


Label: Think Music


Quick take: A lively album that would surely rock you


Filmfare rating: 4/5



 

A Rajinikanth film album is an event by itself and Kabali’s OST lives up to the hype. The star has gone off the beaten track with the film, investing in new talent like director Pa Ranjith and music director Santhosh Narayanan. It was also an unwritten rule that there had to be a mandatory S P Balasubrahmanyam song in Rajini films but that’s also missing from this album. It’s fresh, it’s with times and it has some great music vying for your attention. What more can you ask for?


 

Let’s move straight away to the song that’s broken the internet, thanks to its popularity. Neruppu da, sung by Arunraja Kamaraj, interspersed with Rajinikanth’s dialogue, is the perfect song for the superstar’s fans. This rock based song, with its screaming guitars and pulsating vocals manage to give you the feel that you’re listening to a description of a larger-than-life person. It may be about Kabali’s character but we all know it’s really about the phenomenon called Rajinikanth.


 

Now let’s move to the other end of the spectrum. Maya nadhi sung by Ananthu, Pradeep Kumar and Shweta Mohan is a soft love ballad. Again, it’s unlike anything we have heard in a Rajini film in recent years. Shweta Mohan has sung her heart out in this melodious song and so have Ananthu and Pradeep Kumar. The latter singer excels in another soft number, Vaanam paarthen. The orchestration is minimal in this slow song and the mood is sombre. It would be interesting to watch how this Pradeep Kumar track is used in the film.


 

Ulagam oruvanukka sung by Ananthu, Santhosh Narayanan, Gana Bala with jam by Roshan Jamrock is a high octane song in praise of Kabali. Folk, rock, and rap elements combine to make it a fan anthem. One knows fans will go wild when it comes on screen. The whistle portions provide another element to the song and will add to the fan frenzy. Veera thurandhara, sung by Gana Bala, Lawrence R, Pradeep Kuma and Roshan Jamrock is heavily laced with hip hop and rap elements is another song praising Kabali, telling the listeners what a dangerous warrior he is. The treatment is fresh and aimed at the youth – a gangsta rap of sorts, keeping in mind the theme of the film, which revolves around the live of a Malaysian don.


 

All-in-all, Santhosh Narayanan hasn’t let the fact that he was composing for a Rajini vehicle get to him and made a fresh, rocking album that would be well-liked by all the old and young fans of the superstar. Can’t wait now to watch the film on big screen!