Music in Telugu films: Some sunshine amid rain

Apart from the way it markets its music, Telugu cinema continues to rely on its formula-driven approach as far as the first half of 2017 goes

June 29, 2017 03:51 pm | Updated 07:23 pm IST

Khaidi No 150

Khaidi No 150

Music in commercial Telugu cinema that has perennially been in the tried-tested -successful phase, has been in a work-in-progress mode as far as the first half of 2017 goes. Small-budget films have shown the way forward. Music continued to be an integral element of the narratives but their usage drifted away from the mould. The singles played a key role in increasing the significance attached to every song in a movie, the jukebox numbers on YouTube coasted on an all-time high. Music, on the whole, revived its importance as a tool to create pre-release buzz despite audio launches being given a miss.

Singles rule

Khaidi No. 150 , the first among movies this year to welcome the singles trend and taste success, prompted the Telugu film fraternity to change the way it marketed music. Gautamiputra Satakarni didn’t subscribe to this school. Nevertheless it had a soundtrack that set the tone for the year. Chirantan Bhatt who had shown flashes of brilliance in Kanche , proved his mettle with a historical that had an interesting blend of the classical and the contemporary with a Hindustani undertone; what aided him also were Seetharama Sastry’s lyrics where words like ekimeeda gained significance. The season wouldn’t have been complete without Shatamanam Bhavati , which brought back S P Balusubramanyam in his 80s best with ‘Nilavade’; the song’s nostalgic value coupled with its picturisation gave 2017 its first and by far the best melody number.

There was too much Annamayya nostalgia surrounding MM Keeravani’s Om Namo Venkatesaya; the film’s failure also meant that it didn’t receive its due musically despite boasting of a soundtrack that had wide range. The industry reinforced its trust on Devi Sri Prasad to come up with commercial chartbusters one after the other with the likes of Khaidi No 150, Nenu Local, Duvvada Jagannatham, Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam and he didn’t disappoint. Though Khaidi No. 150 wasn’t his best, ‘Ammadu Let’s do Kummudu’ has been an anthem among Chiranjeevi fans ever since its release, not an award show was complete without the number. The surprise was Shankar Mahadevan’s ‘Neeru Neeru’.

DSP’s Nenu Local was neither a surprise nor a disappointment, ‘Side Side Please’, ‘Arere Yekkada’ found its way into music charts but they had more instantaneous value than shelf life. Duvvada Jagannatham ’s music was in the news not for the right reasons, but the focus gave it a reach beyond expectations, ‘Seeti Maar’ and ‘Gudilo Badilo’ are tracks that can lift your spirits on a dull day. Thaman did that with the breathless ‘Rangu Rakkara’ in Sivalinga .

Anup Rubens in Katamarayudu was a surprise. Though the film’s theme didn’t give him much to experiment, he proved he can give his counterparts a ride for their money in formulaic cinema. Baahubali-The Conclusion’s album was as prestigious as the film. The song value enhanced after the viewing for many, ‘Kanna nidurinchara’ easily makes it to the top lullabies that Telugu cinema can ever boast of. There’s a haunting quality to ‘Dandalayya’ that listeners still can’t get enough of. ‘Hamsa Naava’ and ‘Bhali Bhali Bhalira’ were more situational than memorable.

Focus on background score

There was another side of the industry that embraced narratives where songs weren’t a must, something that gained momentum after Kshanam . Krishna Kumar was incredibly effective with Ghazi , so also was Achu’s work in Venkatapuram . M R Sunny despite proving his credentials time and again continued to be in the underrated bracket-his Keshava was another proof of it. Though there were six quintessential songs in the album, the seamlessness with which they blended with Prashant Pillai’s background score is stuff that many can consider emulating.

Mani Sharma’s Ami Thumi was another example of that. The song ‘Aibaboi’ brought back raw and conversational songs to Telugu cinema. Santosh Narayanan’s music was like sunshine amid torrential rain, Venkatesh’s ‘Jingidi Jingidi’ had all the swagger in it despite not falling under the conventional music bracket; equally viral was ‘O Sakkanoda’.

Telugu cinema continued in Kolaveri mode too intermittently, the select instances being ‘Break-up’ from Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam , ‘The Break-up’ song from the unreleased Arjun Reddy and ‘Badulu cheppave’ from Nani’s Ninnu Kori.

There’s a lot to wait for in 2017’s latter half, from Harris Jayaraj’s comeback with Spyder to Ghibran’s Ungarala Rambabu to Anup Ruben’s Nene Raju Nene Mantri and Paisa Vasool and a long list from Thaman (including Raju Gari Gadhi 2, Bhagmati, Jawaan and Goutham Nanda ) .

Our top picks

* Singhamu Pai Langhinchenu-Gautamiputra Satakarni

* Nilavade Madi Nilavade-Shatamanam Bhavati

* Neeru Neeru-Khaidi No 150

* Akhilandakoti Brahmanda Nayaka-Om Namo Venkatesaya

* O Sakkanoda-Guru

* Kanna Nidurinchara-Baahubali 2

* Yelo Yedarilo Vaana-Katama Rayudu

* Rarandoi Veduka Chuddam (title song of the film)

* Papi Kondallo-Fashion Designer S/O Ladies Tailor

* Gudilo Badilo-Duvvada Jagannatham

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