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
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There was too much Annamayya nostalgia surrounding MM Keeravani’s
DSP’s
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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