‘Chudara’ - Raja Cheyyi Vesthe (Telugu)
Music: Sai Kartheek
Telugu composer Sai Kartheek has quietly completed 50 films, with Raja Cheyyi Vesthe being his 50th. He puts together a neat soundtrack for this one, topped by an obvious Ilaiyaraaja homage in ‘Chudara’. You can't help but smile at the clever, crafty influence of Anjali’s ‘Motta Maadi’ song here—the rhythm is a mildly spruced up version of the original and the song is sung by kids. And those catchy horns are there too. They all come together for a nostalgic whiff of Raja’s cult hit, but Sai has a lovely tune in his new version to offer his own take.
‘Let’s Talk About Love’ - Baaghi (Hindi)
Music: Manj Musik
Manjeet Singh Ral is the man behind the stage name of Manj Musik who has become some sort of a specialist singles composer in Hindi films. His earlier association with Tiger Shroff resulted in a funky recreation of the Hero whistle theme in ‘Whistle Baja’. He pulls of a similar feat in ‘Let’s Talk About Love’ that is an unabashed ode to R.D. Burman’s brand of rock and roll, complete with a pulsating electric guitar signature much like Teesri Manzil’s ‘Aaja aaja’.
‘Snegidhiyae’ - Raja Mandhiri (Tamil)
Music: Justin Prabhakaran
Snegidhiyae’s melody seems like gorgeous Hamsadhwani, though the orchestration is strongly evocative of Ilaiyaraaja’s Nalinakanthi-infused ‘Enthan Nenjil’, from Kalaignan, particularly the first interlude. Composer Justin approaches the tune in a wonderfully unhurried manner, letting Naresh Iyer accentuate his tune beautifully, alongside the punchy ‘Dheem dheem’ chorus.
‘Blockbuster’ - Sarrainodu (Telugu)
Music: S.S. Thaman
No other film industry in India does kuthu like the Telugu film industry. Tamil and Malayalam films have caught up with the trend but Telugu films have consistently upped the ante. The hallmark of a great kuthu is a subconscious sign of approval from the listener in the form of foot movement and head shake. That happens effortlessly in Sarrainodu’s ‘Blockbuster’, named aptly after what the song is bound to become very soon. Thaman loads the song with a pulse-pounding rhythm and intentionally delays the arrival of the Blockbuster'ay Blockbuster-ay hook for maximum impact.
‘Nilaa Vaanile’ - Shikhamani (Malayalam)
Music: Sudeep Palanad
That ‘Nilaa vaanile’ brings together Vijay Yesudas and Shwetha Mohan points to a certain quality and kind of duet, and composer Sudeep Palanad indeed works on predictable lines. The melody is backed by some staid (albeit likeable) orchestration that eventually involves a pretty good use of ghatam, but the tune works effortlessly and keeps the song in great stead.
