Aayirathil Oruvan - Behindwoods.com - Tamil Music Review - Selvaraghavan R Ravendran Karthi Reema Sen Parthiban Andrea Jeremiah

junior artistes in the second half which, according to Reema, delayed shooting quite a bit because plenty of co-ordination was needed. G.V. Prakash Kumar composed music for this film after Yuvan Shankar Raja exited halfway through. Vairamuthu and Selvaraghavan have penned the lyrics.

Oh Eesa: Composer’s Mix---
Vocals: Karthik, Andrea Jeremiah & chorus.
Lyrics: Selvaraghavan, Andrea Jeremiah

Now, why does Snoop Dogg’s Gangsta Rap piece ‘Lay Low’ cross your mind as you listen to this? Anyway, this song has a refrain that is straight out of an old CD which goes ‘Govinda hari Govinda’ and some English and Tamil lyrics. Bad articulation leaves you guessing the contents! But could catch the fancy of the young!

Maalai Neram---
Vocals: Andrea Jeremiah & G.V. Prakash Kumar.
Lyrics: Selvaraghavan (excerpts from Siddhar Padalgal)

A song with a slight R&B touch to it, this mourns the disappearance of love from the life of a young lady. Bad articulation, again, from Andrea. Pleasant use of strings, though. We don’t get to hear anything to do with Siddhar Padalgal here! Why the mention?

Un Mela Aasadhaan---
Vocals: Dhanush, Andrea Jeremiah, Aishwarya Dhanush.
Lyrics: Selvaraghavan

Oh dear!! This song sounds so very like ‘adadaa vaa asatthalam’ from Sarvam. Were both Yuvan and Prakash ‘inspired’ by the same source? We don’t know! Anyway, Dhanush doesn’t sound bad and the instrumental interludes and the percussions are easy on the ears.

The King Arrives ---
Performed by Neil Mukherjee and Madras Augustin Choir

Soft, majestic music that hints of an imposing presence. How it translates on the screen is what we have to see.

Thaai Tinra Mannae---
Vocals: Vijay Yesudoss, Nityashree Mahadevan, Shri Krishna.
Lyrics: Vairamuthu, Vetoori Sundararamamoorthy

This song is a very dramatic piece as it incorporates varied musical pieces into it - a javali-like bit from Nityashree and a mournful solo bit by Vijay, and both dissolve into harmony at the end in a soft rhythmic melody. Stands out for the subtle use of percussive instruments. Though the song appears to be in Vakhulabarana raga, we have shades of Nattakurinji raga after the fourth minute when we hear some delicate mridangam and ghatam. A soft ‘thanam’ on the veena, three and a half minutes into the song, balances the crescendo notes of Vijay. ‘Kalambakam’ is pronounced wrongly. A well put together number.

Pemmane---
Vocals: P.B. Srinivas, Bombay Jayashree
Lyrics: Vairamuthu.

Very powerful verses that simply jolt you-especially the phrase ‘uyir kizhindhom!’ Hats off to Jayashree and the veteran singer Srinivas for investing this number with such deep pathos. Conceived with a touch of Subapantuvarali raga, this song speaks of the agonies of forced relocation. Again a very suggestive use of drums.

Celebration of Life---
Performed by Naveen

This instrumental piece that starts off pensively and then breaks out into a faster tempo has a fine ‘period’ feel to it. Very thoughtful combination of instruments.

Thaai Tinra Mannae (Classical Version)---
Vocals: Vijay Yesudoss.
Lyrics: Vairamuthu.

This song has different lyrics as it is laden with heavy pathos. Vijay, as well as the flute, tabla and other instruments (do we hear the Yaazh?) combine to bring out a certain amount of wistfulness to the song. Slow paced. Vijay would do well to polish up the soft ‘la’ and the harder ‘la’ sounds and the Tamil-specific ‘zha’ sound. An impossibly long number, at over seven minutes.

Indha Paadhai---
Vocals: G.V. Prakash Kumar.
Lyrics: Selvaraghavan

The song seems to be slightly introspective. So we have suitably subdued strings and rhythms. Doesn’t seem to hold your attention though, unless it has been shot effectively.

Oh Eesa (Club Mix)---
Featuring Bigg Nikk

Thankfully rather easy on the ears. Nicely paced.

Verdict:

The sleeve note includes a contest form which asks the listener ‘which six of these ten songs are likely to feature in the film?’ Happy guessing, then! Selvaraghavan seems to have taken great pains to bring in delicate authenticity to the music. And the songs seem suitably slotted into the story. Let us wait for this movie to unfold.