Rajinikanth in a still from 'Kabali'There are soundtracks, and then there is Kabali for the sole reason that it is a Rajinikanth movie. We are not looking down upon other albums, only talking about the tall order that songs of a Thalaivar movie usually becomes for the music director. Singers are yelling out through their social media accounts with pride that they have whistled for the soundtrack – that’s the level of excitement we are dealing with.
We have seen in the past that most of the Superstar’s films have a song, preferably the introduction number of the star, sung by veteran singer S.P. Balasubramaniam. In Kabali, filmmaker Pa. Ranjith and music director Santhosh Narayanan break the unwritten notion and tread an altogether different path and that, is a much refreshing move. The album wraps up five songs, which we hear, are written in link with the Panchabhootas.
Santhosh Narayanan (second from left) and team during 'Kabali' recording.Let’s lend our ears to the music of Kabali.
Ulagam Oruvanukka (Singers: Ananthu, Santhosh Narayanan, Gana Bala and Roshan Jamrock - rap)
‘Vaa Vaa… Nee Vaa…Thozhaa’, scream out the title number in the beginning, making way for lyrics that sing praises of the ageing don that Kabalishwaran is. The percussion and the bass guitar then take the song to its zone with the singers delivering their powerful best. The punch of the song comes with the whistling and is aptly accompanied by a singer going Kabaleee and the chorus following it up with ithukku paer thaan thalaivar athiradi. Santhosh Narayanan uses the rap portion that sings about ‘Kabali swag’ effectively to bring out the charismatic best of Roshan Jamrock and the chorus. ‘Ulagam Oruvanukka’ is the unavoidable hero glorification number, delivered in Santhosh Narayanan style.
Maya Nadhi (Ananthu, Pradeep Kumar and Shweta Mohan)
It could be a bit difficult to imagine 'Maya Nadhi' as a Rajini song in a film where the title character is a don, considering the scenario in which it could fit in. At the same time, this lovely melody can be easily related to the Santhosh Narayanan brand of music. The composer amalgamates the fine guitars and strings to create a marvellous, yet simple song. M.S. Viswanathan protégé Ananthu brings on board his expertise of many years and is wonderful with the sangatis. As usual, Shweta Mohan sounds fabulous. And, Pradeep Kumar – he is proving it yet again that he can melt hearts with his soulful singing. The credits tell us that this talented musician has played the slide guitar and arranged the strings for this song and ‘Vaanam Paarthen’. ‘Maya Nadhi’ sounds effortless but is musically rich in its content and is beautifully done by Santhosh and co. I am curious to see how Pa. Ranjith translates it on screen.
Veera Thurandhara (Gana Bala, Lawrence R., Pradeep Kumar and Roshan Jamrock - rap)
Gana Bala in the house, folks! He owns this number with his unique rendition on the jazzy platform neatly laid out by Santhosh. The arrangement is creative and is of superior quality – the guitars, the drums and the trumpets, all fall in perfect sync. The rap portion ups the fun quotient. Here is a sample –
“Lend me your ears
I’ll slice ’em all off
With the same pair of scissors
My mama use to cut cloth”
‘Veera Thurandhara’ is highly enjoyable and can get addictive.
Vaanam Paarthen (Pradeep Kumar)
‘Vaanam Paarthen’ is the pensive track of Kabali; Vishnu Vijay’s flute and strings of Macedonian Radio Symphony Orchestra tell us this right in the very beginning. Pradeep Kumar takes over from there and has the poignant mood written all over his affecting vocals. The guitars, led by Pradeep himself, the brilliant strings, arranged by Pradeep, again, and Vishnu’s flute are the strong points of the song. The chorus has also made its effective contribution. Pradeep’s singing makes us feel the agony in ‘Vaanam Paarthen’.
Neruppu Da (Arunraja Kamaraj and Rajinikanth – dialogues)
There need not be any arguments; ‘Neruppu Da’ is the highlight of the soundtrack. This one hits you with the wailing sirens and the killer electric guitars of Jhanu Chanthar that makes you swing your head in abandon. Arunraja Kamaraj is literally on fire as he cries his vocal cords out. The song maintains the electrifying ambience throughout, even when it’s just the whistling that plays up front. It gets even better with Rajinikanth’s dialogues and laughter being played in between. The fiery ‘Neruppu Da’ is not going to die down anytime in the near future.
Verdict
Composing music for a Rajinikanth film is no simple task. The expectation of the fans is sky-high and so is the pressure on the music director. In Kabali, Santhosh Narayanan has stuck to his flavour bringing out a fantastic album that offers a good mix of songs. It is great to see that he has not succumbed to the formulas and has worked in his comfort zone.
Rajikanth and Radhika Apte in 'Kabali'.Our top picks from the album are ‘Neruppu Da’, ‘Maya Nadhi’ and ‘Veera Thurandhara’. Magizchi!
