At first, Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti appeared to me as an out-and-out commercial film with maybe a few quality songs. Somehow, I was not expecting anything extraordinary from its music department.
'Vaathe Poothe', a fun and fast number, was the first of the six songs to be released online, and it caught the attention of many of us. Curious enough, we looked for the composer's name – Sooraj S. Kurup, a debutant, who also wrote the lyrics. When the album came out, we learned that Sooraj has penned lyrics of five songs himself. Impressive, we say.
And now, it is a delight to pen the music review, knowing that Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti has become the most talked about album of recent times in Malayalam within two weeks of its audio launch.
We will move on to the songs now, one by one.
Vaathe Poothe
(Singers: Vidhu Prathap & Sooraj S Kurup; Lyrics: Sooraj S Kurup)
'Vaathe Poothe' is the most easily likeable song of the album. An enjoyable 'kuthu' song that we usually get to listen in Tamil movies, Sooraj has craftily composed his version of the genre for Kunchacko Boban and co to dance to (we presume so). The sheer energy that singers Vidhu Prathap and Sooraj bring in to this number is immense. You'll undoubtedly burst into a chuckle listening to the racy track, thanks to Sooraj's wacky wordplay, and will be tapping your feet to the song's rhythm.
Pularkaalam Pole
(Singers: Haricharan & Madonna Sebastian; Lyrics: Harinarayanan BK)
Sooraj ropes in the ever-trustworthy Haricharan and Madonna, who is also an in-demand actress now, for this lovely duet, backed by lively nadaswaram and mridangam throughout. The singers are at their finest form and the track, the melody and tempo of which take pleasant deviations, is nothing short of an excellent trial in fine musical collusion, and we think it's quite a success. The Carnatic violin piece before the last stanza makes the already charming song even more alluring. Sooraj shows off his melodious temperament in 'Pularkaalam Pole' and wins us over.
Pooram Kaanan
(Singers: Vijay Yesudas & Sithara; Lyrics: Sooraj S Kurup)
The folk-ish 'Pooram Kaanan' is a pensive number sung brilliantly by Vijay Yesudas and Sithara. It is admirable to see the composer building the track, adding fine layers. His imaginative loops give you a musical high and you want to go back to this song. Sooraj is also bang on with the melancholic lyrics that narrate to excellent effect, a hesitant romance. The creativity applied in programming the track is exemplary. The veena towards the end is like an icing on the cake. As of now, the moody and fast-paced 'Pooram Kaanan' is my favourite track from the album.
Kannukal Kaalidari
(Singer and lyrics: Sooraj S Kurup)
'Kannukal Kaalidari' is the most innovative track of the album and is crooned by the composer himself. Sooraj inventively blends a bit of rock, folk and melody to carve out this number that can get addictive after a couple of listens. The roll of percussion after the pallavi, along with bass strings, makes it even better. A quality Santhosh Narayanan-ish number this, and we had experienced something similar in the composition 'Ta Ta Ta Tang' from Darvinte Parinamam from another debutant musician Sankar Sharma. So happy to see songs traversing different terrains in Malayalam.
Enno Kaathil
(Singer: Vineeth Sreenivasan; Lyrics: Sooraj S Kurup)
A song that depicts the yearning of the hero, Sooraj hands it over to Vineeth Sreenivasan, who sets the tone for this emotive piece. In the song's initial part, the musician makes the most of Vineeth's affecting vocals and lets him take over. The ensuing high-pitched portions are then effectively propped by an evocative chorus. This Sooraj-Vineeth number is another fine addition to the innovative soundtrack.
Are Thu Chakkarr
(Singers: Sachin Warrier, Hesham Abdul Wahab, Sooraj S Kurup & Ashwathy Krishnakumar; Lyrics: Sooraj S Kurup)
A spirited number that exploits the energetic vocals of the singers who seem to be busting some moves and having fun here, 'Are Thu Chakkar' brings a thumping end to the Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti soundtrack. The chorus that chants 'chaadi Hanuman Raavanante mathilil' (Hanuman jumped onto Ravanan's wall) is mighty good sing-along stuff.
Verdict
You got it right; I'm raving for all the good reasons. Sooraj S. Kurup's Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti is a soundtrack that I'm in love with. Sooraj's music is highly imaginative and his work here is Malayalam's best debut of a composer in the recent times.
All the songs stand out as ingenious compositions, and I would recommend the entire soundtrack. But if I were to pick, they would be 'Pooram Kaanan', 'Kannukal Kaalidari', 'Vaathe Poothe' and 'Pularkaalam Pole'. The songs and trailer of the movie do everything right and make us look forward to the movie's background score. The young Sooraj S Kurup makes a rocking, confident debut with _Valliyum Thetti Pulliyum Thetti'.