‘Chillu Ranthal’
Kali (Malayalam)
Music: Gopi Sundar
Job Kurian seems perfect for the wonderfully calming tune of ‘Chillu Ranthal’ that sounds like a fantastic loungey Brazilian musical package headlined by the guitar and drums, with a tinge of jazz. But Gopi goes beyond this serene flow to include a googly—a short Shanmukapriya raaga based piece on violin that sits right in between shehnai phrases that punctuate the second interlude, followed by Gopi Sundaresque strings and uncredited female humming. It’s these nuances that make Gopi so consistently interesting.
‘Rayya Rayya’
Bhadram Be Careful Brotheru (Telugu)
Music: J.B
Jeevan Babu aka J.B has been on and off in the Telugu music scene, having impressed with his music in films like Bus Stop and Ee Rojullo. He surfaces again with the corny titled Bhadram Be Careful Brotheru and does a mighty admirable job. The earworm of the soundtrack is the rhythmic ‘Rayya Rayya’ that Rahul Sipligunj and Ramya Behara handle beautifully. It is so lilting and catchy that you’d be swaying at least one body part—if not more—to it.
‘Hudugaru Yella’
Akira (Kannada)
Music: Ajaneesh Loknath
Ajaneesh owned the Kannada music scene in 2014 with a magnificent score for Ulidavaru Kandanthe. He is back with Akira and ‘Hudugaru Yella’ sounds like a delayed companion piece to Ulidavaru Kandanthe’s best song, ‘Gatiya Ilidu’, before it morphs into something else. Ajaneesh loads so much more in this captivating commercial outing—he adds a foot-tapping kuthu part that brims with sing-alongish lines like ‘Beda beda swamy’. He also sings the song himself confidently, with all the flamboyance the tune demands.
‘Shehar Mehboob Hai Ji’
Cute Kameena (Hindi)
Music: Krsna
That composer Krsna and lyricist Rajshekhar is a brilliant combo is old news—they have produced magic in both the Tanu Weds Manu films. They produce an encore in Cute Kameena, with the soundtrack’s best song, ‘Yeh shehar mehboob hai ji’, being the shining example of the duo’s prowess. Javed Ali sings Rajshekhar’s lines that is an ode to the small town that is Bhopal (non-metro, considering Bhopal is hardly a small town). The tune is lively, recalling Krsna’s ‘Piya’ from Tanu Weds Manu, with a touch of qawali.
‘Ni sa ga ri sa’
Darling II (Tamil)
Music: Radhan
Radhan tries a faux-Hindustani style sound in ‘Ni sa ga ri sa’—similar to G.V.Prakash Kumar’s ‘Pookkal pookkum’, from Madarasapattinam—that also touches shades of a faux-sufi style. While the tune is pleasant and rhythmic, the lead singer Anweshaa would sure need some Tamil diction lessons, given the way she pronounces the word ‘kanna’. Naresh Iyer handles his part perfectly though and Radhan keeps it together with a very-Rahmanish orchestration.
