‘Aravalli’ - Velainu Vandhutta Vellaikaaran (Tamil)
Music: C. Sathya
Composer C. Sathya has been fairly consistent in his output so far that his not moving to the tier-one stars’ films is a surprise. In Aravalli, he has a pretty interesting structure up his sleeve. He opens it with Vaikom Vijaylakshmi’s lovely Tamil folk (‘thandhaane naane’), adds a layer of techno to it and eventually adds another layer of zingy techno-kuthu. It works really well, along with Mahalingam’s background vocals, and is consistently catchy and inventive.
‘Salamat’ - Sarbjit (Hindi)
Music: Amaal Malik
For a film based on the monumentally unfortunate life of Sarabjit Singh, who allegedly strayed into Pakistan from his border village in India and was sentenced to death by Lahore High Court in 1991 only to be killed by fellow inmates, it is understandable that the soundtrack is mostly sad. Amidst all that sadness, Amaal Malik’s ‘Salamat’ stands out for its melancholic lyrics about a couple singing to each other, and Arijit Singh’s heartfelt vocals (though the same cannot be said about Tulsi Kumar's singing).
‘Rang de’ - A Aa (Telugu)
Music: Mickey J. Meyer
Tamil composer Anirudh was supposed to have made his Telugu debut in A Aa for director Trivikram Srinivas, but he has been replaced by Mickey J. Meyer, for a variety of reasons. This is Trivikram’s first association with Mickey, after working with Koti, Mani Sharma and Devi Sri Prasad. ‘Rang De’ is the soundtrack’s highlight, with its buoyant rhythm and frothy tune, sung fabulously by Ramya Behara. Just when you thought the heroine-introduction song is absent in present-day films, ‘Rang de’ happens.
‘Rambo’ - Mudhugauv (Malayalam)
Music: Rahul Raj
If you look past that corny song title, this is a mighty good number. For starters, it has Vijay Yesudas handling a cool 1980s pop tune that features some lovely smattering of Ilaiyaraajaish phrases. And it also alludes to the funky Charlie’s Angels theme in the interlude. Rahul Raj layers the song with enough and more flamboyance, particularly the superb strings that accompany the song.
‘Sakhiya Sakhiya’ - Guppedantha Prema (Telugu)
Music: Navneeth Sundar
Navneeth Sundar, who made his composing debut with the Malayalam film Buddy, makes his Telugu debut with Guppedantha Prema. He is of course better known for his iPad Carnatic performance. For ‘Sakhiya Sakhiya’, Navneeth ropes in Vandana Srinivasan who is absolutely brilliant with her rendition of the gorgeous melody. Speaking on the melody, at times, it reminds one of Kandukondain Kandukondain’s ‘Kannamoochi yenada’ (Nattakurinji) and even Nadodi’s ‘Androru naal idhe nilavil’. A mix of raagas perhaps, but a lovely one, for sure.
