Here’s looking back at the songs from Malayalam cinema that struck a chord with listeners in 2017
Phenomenal hit
Entammede jimikki kammal
Fifty million views in 96 days and still counting! Entammede jimikki kammal... is unstoppable. The Shaan Rahman number from Velipadinte Pusthakam , sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Renjith Unni, is creating new records. While the music video featuring Mohanlal and actors from the movie went viral, dance video covers of the song flooded social media, it defied language barriers and crossed borders and there were several spin-offs.
American actor and television host Jimmy Kimmel tweeted that he loved it, so too did Abhishek Bachchan. The addictive tune with offbeat lyrics by Anil Panachooran had everything going to make it a rage.
Melody makers
There were many composers who kept the music playing with their soulful tunes.
The magic of Lailakame… released last December lingered on into the new year. The Rahul Raj composition from Ezra was aced up by powerful vocals of Haricharan.
Do naina from Angamaly Diaries
Prashant Pillai repeated his magic in the short and sweet Do Naina/La vettam... (multiple versions) from Angamaly Diaries and Madhumathiye... from Sakhavu. Angamaly Diaries also had three other engaging tracks — Theeyamme..., Angamaly... and Dhana Thina..., with folk singer Angamaly Pranchi stealing the show with his voice.
Udaharanam Sujatha
Gopi Sunder was on a high with many hits to his credit, the best being Kasavunjoriyumoru... from Udaharanam Sujatha with its raga-rich orchestration and superb rendition by Gayathri Varma. He also came up with peppy tracks such as Vaanam thilathilaykkanu... sung by Dulquer Salmaan in CIA , and Thechille penne... from Role Models sung by Niranj Suresh.
Gowri Lekshmy’s unique rendition accentuated the flavour of Aaro Nenjil... from Godha, composed by Shaan Rahman. Sithara Krishnakumar’s voice grows on you in the track Ponnin kanikonna... (the Wow song) from the same movie.
Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum
Bijibal was one of the most prolific composers of the year and the refreshing duet Kannile poykayil... from Thondimuthalum Driksakshiyum is among his best. The evocative lyrics and arrangement plus the voices of Ganesh Sundaram and Soumya Ramakrishnan made it a lovable track. Another memorable piece from the composer was Ozhukiyozhuki... from Oru Cinemakkaran .
Rex Vijayan sprang many surprises this year. The brilliant tracks and background score in Parava were refreshing, with Pyaar pyaar... being the pick of the lot. He rounded off the year with lovely tracks in Mayaanadhi , especially his duet Uyirin Nadhiye... with Neha S. Nair and Kaattil..., sung by the inimitable Shahabaz Aman.
A few other notable tracks of the year are:
Mohabbatin... (Take Off), Kannil kannil... (CIA), Akasham panthaluketti... (Rakshadhikari Baiju), Kavitha ezhuthunnu... and Akale oru kaadinte... (Ramante Edenthottam), Enthavo... (Njandukalude Naattil Oridavela), Kandittum... (Villain), Ekayaay nee... (Kaattu), Minunundae mullapolae... (Tharangam), and Kaayalirambile (Paippin Chuvattile Pranayam).
Musical package
Solo
Solo , the anthology of four films directed by Bejoy Nambiar, is easily one of the best albums of the year with a bunch of composers creating spectacular scores. Be it the soul-stirring Seethakalyanam... by Sooraj S. Kurup or the high-energy Roshomon... by Prashant Pillai or nostalgic Aalayal Thara Venam... by Masala Coffee or power-packed Aigiri Nandini... by Thaikkudam Bridge, it was the best any music lover could ask for.
Upbeat scores
There were a handful of songs that stood out either because of their lyrics or rendition or their flavour. Emaanmare... from Oru Mexican Aparatha , written and composed by Renjith Chittade, packed in a revolutionary feel in the voice of Shebin Mathew. Another track from the movie also became a rage — Kalippu katta kalippu... tuned by Manikandan Ayyappa and rendered by him along with Neruppuda song-fame Arunraja Kamaraj. If Nerane nummade Kochi... from Honey Bee 2 was an ode to Kochi, Koyikode... from Goodalochana sung by Abhaya Hiranmayi celebrated Kozhikode.
