Raaton Mein Aana – Vibe (Amit Trivedi) – Hindi: Amit channels his inner Weeknd for a ambient, effortlessly likeable melody and sings it really well too!

Dil Jaaneya, Dil Jaaneya Reprise – Gandhari (Shor Police) – Punjabi/Hindi: The best way to enjoy this song is to play the two back-to-back – first the actual song and then, immediately, the reprise. The actual song is a rhythmic melody very well handled by both Ananya Sharma and Faheem Abdullah. And when you listen to the reprise by Deepali Sahay and Yash Kapoor, you hear a completely mellowed down version of the same melody and that made me go back to the previous song again, to observe the contrast again!

Muthumani – Dorothy (Ilaiyaraaja) – Tamil: Oh wow, what a stunning song! Trust Karthik Subbaraj to extract something like this from Ilaiyaraaja! The extended 2-minute+ prelude is scintillating, with a trance-like effect. When the actual singing portion lands, it is a delightfully lush melody steeped in Raja’s style. In Shwetha Mohan’s portions, the interspersing of ‘Than thana’ as the ending of words/lines is a lovely touch. And then, in the third part of the song, Raja enters with his ‘VanakkiLiye’ is simply mesmerizing. The overall mix is a terrific blend of Raja’s melodic style on top of a hypnotic rhythm. I can’t wait to hear what more this album holds.

Kalaivaniye – Meesaya Murukku 2 (Hiphop Tamizha) – Tamil: What a contrast this song is from the 4 previously released songs from this film! Hiphop Tamizha’s melody is heartfelt and very effective. His nasal singing irks within this melody, but thankfully, Sathya Prakash and Kaushik Krish are singing along, to make it better.

Ottarathiye, Puthirai Naan Irunthen – Amaram (Mickey J Meyer) – Tamil: If I ignore Inidhu Inidhu (2010), the Tamil remake of the Telugu ‘Happy Days’ for which Mickey reused his songs, Amaram feels like his debut in Tamil! That is surprising given the low-key nature of this project and considering Mickey is at least a tier-2 composer in Telugu. Ottarathiye has the hallmark of a standard-issue Mickey song, with Haricharan’s voice soaring in the most likeable manner. Puthirai is the actual surprise! It is so Harris Jayaraj’ish that I had a tough time associating with Mickey! Karthik is at his usual, impressive self, while Charulatha Mani’s portions are the ones that may remind you of Harris’s music the most!

Kannamma, Chinni Gundello Ala Sakhi – Jagamae Sangeetham (Vishal Chandrashekhar) – Telugu: Considering this is the Telugu remake of Bandish Bandits that had outstanding music by Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy in season 1, Vishal’s music is mostly very disappointing. The only two songs that stood out for me actually sound more like Rahman’s! Kannamma has a strong whiff of Rahman, reminding me of Suttum Vizhi, from Kandukondain Kandukondain and the anupallavi of ‘Thillana Thillana’ from Muthu! Ananthu’s singing is brilliant, however. Sai Vignesh’s singing too is excellent in Chinni Gundello Ala Sakhi, but this one too sounds like Rahman composing some Bharathiyar verse!

Illey Illa, Varnajaalam, Pidithara, Indrajaalam, Muttayi Vandi, Kanmaniye, Kochu Thanuppu – Bethlehem Kudumba Unit (Vishnu Vijay) – Malayalam: Illey Illa sees Vishnu make stupendous use of the kids chorus featuring Chinmayi Kiranlal, Vasudev and Nila Raj, supporting Kapil Kapilan’s lead vocals. The blend is reminiscent of some of the best in this style by Ilaiyaraja (remember Anjali?). Varnajaalam, Pidithara and Indrajaalam offer a single melody’s spectrum across 3 songs. Like the 2 songs of Gandhari, it is best to listen to the 3 songs back-to-back since they complement each other beautifully. K S Harisankar and Poornima Kannan are excellent in Varnajaalam, particularly in the anupallavi where Vishnu echoes their vocals to great effect. In Indrajaalam, Aparna Harikumar and K S Harisankar handle the slightly extended melody, where even the ‘Hey Indrajaalam’ is stretched for a nice contrast. Pidithara is the most somber of the 3, with an even more softer variant of the core melody.

Muttayi Vandi and Cha Cha Chi Chi Choo are so very Amit Trivedi’ish! Sid Sriram excels in the former, with Vishnu layering the background with the infectious kids chorus and the repetitive strings-like phrase. But Cha Cha Chi Chi Choo didn’t work for me at all. Kanmaniye is my favorite from the soundtrack, with Vishnu handling the soaring melody beautifully, with the interludes doing an almost Coldplay-style sound but without the extra-large stadium-sound amplification. Kochu Thanuppu is the easiest song to immediately like, with its smooth, rhythmic appeal. Vishnu’s most recent Athiradi barely worked for me but the man is in great form in Bethlehem Kudumba Unit, possibly because of his association with Girish AD, with whom he delivered two fantastic songs for Premalu.

Radhima – Sai Abhyankkar (Tamil/Indipop): Another earworm from Sai, featuring another top-tier recent actress… this is becoming a template and is working big time for the young composer. I like the fact that he continues to make time for his independent (non-film) singles along with a busy film music career. The song is catchy, no doubt, but feels just like the earlier songs in terms of the break-up – it almost feels engineered for Reels, with specific smaller bits being assembled together. For instance, the ‘Radhima’ part is one, the ‘Thangamana Paiyyan’ is another, and the ‘Haath Uthao’ Hindi phrases being the third. Each could be extended into a separate song on its own, but here, they are fused together!

Onna Moona – Rahul Sridhar (Tamil/Indipop): There’s a Vidyasagar’ish touch to the melody by Rahul Sridhar here that is very alluring. Pa Hariharan’s lines use just 2 words per line in the pallavi (‘Agam En, Puram En’). The word by word progression is lovely! Debaditya Naha’s Sitar and Rahul’s own electric guitar add tremendous charm to the song. The second interlude is also a wonderful detour, taking the tune into a new direction.

Kaadhal Oonjal, Devaloka Sundari, Pesamale – Siri Xander and Arra Aria Khayal (Tamil/Indipop): Chennai-based Siri Xander and Arra Aria Khayal produce an eclectic mix, skillfully fusing carnatic swaram to an ebullient electronic sound. Kaadhal Oonjal’s swaram reminded me of Nattai raaga, even as the musical envelope around it is incredibly modern and crisp. In Devaloka Sundari, the musical style seems more Hindustani, but the melody is equally captivating. In Pesamale, which reminded me a lot like a mix of the rhythm of ‘Barso Re’ (Guru) and the melody of ‘Porane Porane’ (Vaagai Sooda Vaa), there’s a surprising infusion of Marathi Abhang too (Santha padanchi jod de re Hari)! While Siri Xander’s vocal range and singing is fantastic, I’d love to see her update her Tamil diction to get the proper ‘L’ instead of ‘l’.

Mere Hero Hai Woh – Haiwaan (Pritam) – Hindi: It is so good to hear Shaan again and he seems like a perfect fit for Saif Ali Khan! The tune has a dreamy appeal, particularly with the waltz’ish backdrop and chorus. Vanika Nayak’s singing too adds to the song’s appeal.

Vaaroon Forever – Mirzapur The Movie (Anand Bhaskar) – Hindi: Anand recreates his famous song from the TV series with limited variations and it continues to sound as good as the original. But the big addition is Shreya Ghoshal’s voice (along with Romy) and what a difference she adds!

Oru Poomugam, Andhi Nilavu, Kanne Kanne, Saki – Once More (Hesham Abdul Wahab) – Tamil: After two years of writing about every single from this soundtrack, I’m pleasantly surprised there’s still more songs in the full soundtrack that released recently owing the film’s release next week A-T L-A-S-T! The shorter songs are actually very good, recalling the way Rahman used relatively shorter melodies in longer soundtracks back in the 1990s and 2000s. Of course, Aditi’s diction in ‘KaNNe KaNNe’ (as ‘kanne kanne’) is an irritant even though the melody is gorgeous. Saki, a longer song, is a solid addition to the already melodious soundtrack, with its march-past’ish propulsive energy and Ananthu’s excellent singing.

Ala Bolelo – Jailer 2 (Anirudh) – Tamil (and Malayalam’ish… not sure!): Just when I thought I had made minor efforts to understand what ‘Alaakaa Loova’ meant (from ‘Om’, with music by Sai Abhyankkar), here comes Ala Bolelo! I can tell you right off that such efforts by Tamilians would increasingly alienate Malayalees away from Tamil and Tamilians, particularly since it is happening too often these days (I’m looking at you, ‘Manasilayo’). While Anirudh’s singing seemed random, it is the backing female chorus/vocals (Niranjana Raman, Aparna Harikumar and Deepthi Suresh) that made me sit up.

Manjal Aavaro – Ram In Leela (Ankit Menon) – Tamil: While I do expect a lot from Ankit’s music usually, this soundtrack didn’t work for me as much as the first single did (Yaar Yaarival). The only other song from the full soundtrack that stood out was Manjal Aavaro with Armaan Malik’s fantastic vocals (with backing vocals by Ankit hilsemf and rap performed by Semv.iii, who also wrote the lyrics which include a odd Hindi/Tamil combo line like, ‘Dil se oNNum oNNum serndhu ippo rendu aaguthey’!).

Kalyana Virundhu – Dorothy (Ilaiyaraaja) – Tamil: I presume Karthik Subbaraj’s reference to Raaja for this song may be ‘Maama Un PoNNa kudu’ from Rajathi Raja. Raaja keeps the feel intact, from a very different period (1980s) but I did miss SPB’s (and Malaysia Vasudevan, though his son Yugendran, does sing this with Anthony Daasan) voice. At least SP Charan could have sung the song as a reminder to the veteran who has sung so many such wedding songs for Raaja. For context, listen to SP Charan sounding exactly like SPB in his prime, in this new Telugu song from EPIC First Semester!

Kotha Feeling – Sing Geetham (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: With a lovely Latin twang, this lowkey, short song from Sing Geetham is perhaps the best in the soundtrack! Both Hari Priya and DSP do a terrific job with the whispery vocals, and the backing chorus do a fantastic job too, particularly in the anupallavi.

Phir Se – Zeeshan Khan, ft. Tanishka Bahl (Indipop/Hindi): Zeeshan’s composition and even a bit of the singing style took me back to the days when I first heard ‘Piya Basanti Re’ (composed by Sandesh Shandilya, sung by Ustad Sultan Khan and Chithra). It’s a simple and easily likeable melody with a gentle lilt and the sitar phrases to keep it consistently engaging.

Valli Kanavan – Maalavika Sundar (Indipop/Tamil): Maalavika takes the famous Kaavadichindu song, ‘VaLLi KaNavan Perai’ set to Senjurutti raaga, and creates a lively, modern pop song out of it! Her singing is excellent and the adornments in the beginning (prelude) work very well too. The musical band does a fabulous job, particularly the violin and the drums.

Seri – I-POPSTAR Episode 13 (Rockzane) – Indipop/Tamil: While the overall song seemed less interesting, the music and the delivery of the ‘Ha… hmm… seri’ was especially noteworthy! Rockzane builds her song around this line with the actual (core) melody not being very different from any new Tamil film song.

Kaadhal – The Front Row (Shaan Rahman) – Indipop/Tamil/Malayalam: A soft, lilting melody that shines mainly because of the choice of singers – Chinmayi and Hanan Shah (who sing in Tamil and Malayalam, respectively). Sheen keeps the tune simple and Chinmayi’s singing at the lowest end of her range makes for a lovely listen. There’s also something that happens for about 3 seconds that completely took me by surprise!

Dekhiye Jahaan Jaiye Kahin – Batwara 1947 (A R Rahman) – Hindi: While I loved Tabassum (wrote about it last week), I couldn’t help declare that this is the weakest soundtrack that I have heard from Rahman in quite some time. And this, in a year when he already had stellar outings like Peddi, Main Vaapas Aaunga and Gandhi Talks, though, he had a turkey in Moon Walk too, to be fair. Besides Tabassum, Dekhiye Jahaan is the one song that shines with something I associate with Rahman, though it seemed to enter Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy territory more often than not. Javed Ali does a particularly fantastic job, while Aanandi Joshi sings beautifully in the antara.

Piya Ghar Aaya: Homecoming – Akhil Sachdeva (Awarapan 2) – Hindi: The only song that appealed to me in the 8 song soundtrack of Awarapan 2! Akhil’s singing and the short lines ending in ‘Mera Piya Ghar Aaya’ make it a great listen and I was thinking that this is something Mithoon could/may have composed compared to what he is churning out now that drones on and on.

Aasai Varame – Anbil Avan (Govind Vasantha) – Tamil: A wonderfully classy, lush melody from Govind that works wonders with Madrashe’s lyrical play as much as it does with Chinmayi and Govind’s own vocals. Madrashe’s verse use the ‘varai’ ending in every line, a kind of writing that was in vogue in early Rahman’s musical repertoire. And Govind’s own violin solo in the interludes adds immense charm to the song.

Ennachu – Magenta (Dharan Kumar) – Tamil: Very catchy song with the repetitive ‘Ennachu’ hook and powered by Vaaheesan Rasaiya vocals. Oddly enough, Vaaheesan Rasaiya’s voice when he is singing the opening (pallavi) sounds different from the way he sings with a raspy touch the anupallavi rap! I wonder if that was intentional.

Ayyayo Ammaadi – Sigma (Thaman S) – Tamil: Trademark Thaman song, right from the prelude and rhythm. Yuvan and Sanjana sound good enough to make it listenable.

Ennennavo – All Pass (James Vasanthan) – Tamil: James Vasanthan continues to be a one-film wonder and most people may identify just ‘KaNgaL Irandaal’ with his name (from Subramaniapuram; a totally worthy song to remember). Ennennavo doesn’t reach that song’s high, but it is still perhaps the best I have heard from James in a long time. The song does have a Vidyasagar’ish flourish though, and the anupallavi even has a Raja touch. While Vijayalakshmi V sings very well, I thought Aajeedh Khalique felt like a suboptimal choice for this song.

High On Kaadhal – Pyaar Prema Kalyanam (Yuvan Shankar Raja) – Tamil: Vintage Yuvan can be heard almost all through the soundtrack, though most songs did not work for me at all. In fact, Pyaar Prema Kaadhal (2018, an outstanding soundtrack by Yuvan) had a song called ‘High On Love’ and here we are, in 2026 with ‘High on Kaadhal’! This is the one song that seemed like Yuvan had put in some effort to showcase his musical evolution, when compared with the previous film (by the same director, who stars as hero in this film). Sanjith Hegde’s singing helps too, enormously.

Raja’s Playlist – Ilayaraja/Yuvan Shankar Raja (Tamil): No, there are no songs yet, but a teaser only so far, and even that totally captivated me! The film’s idea, that Ilayaraja’s songs enable time travel is the kind that only Venkat Prabhu can conjure! We already know that Ilayaraja’s music produced mental time travel and this film’s idea takes it to another level – literal time travel! And then Yuvan’s superbly subversive music takes the most familiar background scores from Mouna Raagam and offers a subtle twist here and there! It is fascinating to listen, almost as if Mouna Raagam’s background score from a parallel Earth (Earth 2?)! I cannot wait to hear what Yuvan has done with the songs in this film’s soundtrack!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q-ldL5678l4

Mazhavillaye – I’m Game (Jakes Bejoy) – Malayalam: It’s probably Armaan Malik’s vocals, but I first heard this song in the background while watering the plants and the lyrics faded in my active memory and I couldn’t place the song in any state or language – it felt like a pan-Indian song, and could have fit any language… Hindi, Tamil, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam, Bangla, but perhaps not Punjabi or Marathi where I still hear more ‘rooted’ music that I can identify with those states/languages, though they too heavily orient themselves towards specifically identifiable and oft-used sounds. The tune is nice in a broad, generic way, though and Embar Kannan’s violin interlude deserves a mention. Jakes does really well in the anupallavi (“Kinaavini Theeraathe En”), in fact, and that “Panimazha Pozhiyana” bridge was a lovely touch.

Tu Rehnuma – Himesh Reshmmiya/Harsh Kargeti, ft. Laqshay Kapoor (Indipop/Hindi): Originally composed by Himesh Reshammiya for Dangerous Ishq (2019), Harsh’s recreation is a gently lilting version, and Laqshay singing adding the necessary appeal too. What seemed grounded with Harmonium sounds suddenly turns a bit modern with William Koti’s guitar playing the ‘Tu hi rab’ line. It’s a nice touch, though.

Adai Mazhaiyile, Ellam Neeye, Aayiram Thalavali – Sai Prashob (I-POPSTAR) – Tamil: I have heard all the songs, from the many episodes of I-POPSTAR and the only person/singer/composer who clearly stood out with a unique talent seems to be Sai Prashob. Adai Mazhaiyile is clearly his towering highlight in the show, with a tune that seems to be based on Nalinakanthi raaga (remember ‘Enthan Nenjil Neengatha’ from Kalaignan?). Sai composes the melody very skillfully and sings it really well too, along with Sivaangi. In Ellam Neeye, Sai handles the sitar beautifully while singing what seemed like Desh raaga to me. It’s a fantastic tune too, and Sai’s solo singing fully powers the energetic melody. In Ayiram Thalavali, Sai goes for a pop outlook and handles the guitar wonderfully in the middle! Pudhu Pudhu Payaname was the only song that seemed too templatized in a generic way to me. But I clearly see a bright future for the new ‘Sai’ after Abhyankkar in Tamil music.

Kanthari – Anand Madhusoodanan, ft. Mithun Jayaraj (Malayalam/Indipop): Anand layers a lovely, semi-classical’ish melody on top of a Weeknd’ish rhythm/backdrop and the mix works surprisingly well. Mithun Jayaraj’s singing lifts the song considerably, with him alternating between slower almost classical style singing and a very-Kerala style rhythmic jadhi-like lines.

Tabassum – Batwara 1947 (A R Rahman) – Hindi: After being adequately disappointed with the first single from the movie (Kahaan Chale Gaye Ho Ram), I’m glad that the next single doesn’t fall into the same zone. With Sonu Nigam’s resplendent voice, the melody is heart-warmingly gentle while navigating the tune’s highs brilliantly. When Heer makes her entry in the antara the song becomes a gorgeous conversation of sorts.

The Full Soundtrack – DC (Anirudh) – Tamil(‘ish) – In Raga of Revenge, Faraz’s vocals seem to start almost mid-flight and the grand, almost operatic music is totally enveloping. But then Anirudh drops that catchy, mesmerizing rhythm and the song takes flight in the most unpredictable way. The core melody, though, is as pulsating and racy as the backgrounds. But in Rose, the same melody appears in a somber, less urgent, almost wistful manner! The contrast is wonderful to listen to, back to back, though I preferred listening to Rose first, followed by Raga of Revenge, even though the soundtrack sequence is the opposite.

Ain’t Nobody lives in the same world as Hangova, with the jazz backdrop coming through in both songs, though Hangova has an edge. Both have vocals (Ram Kumar, in Ain’t Nobody, while Anirudh himself—though sounding a lot different—sings Hangova) that are sweeping and loaded with deliberate swagger that amps up the song’s moods considerably.

Namaste can only be described as a mish-mash of pulsating jadhi vocals and rhythms jostling with… of all things, Shiva Namaskara Stotra! It works in a completely unique way. It has a companion piece of sorts in Jaya Jaya Shankara.

Vizhigalile is the most un-DC of all tracks, wearing its pathos too obviously, and Anirudh droning, trying to underline the melancholy too hard. But the background music, yet again, makes it more interesting than what it is.

Don’t Give A Damn is the soundtrack’s most energetic and most surprising track! This is a stupendously catchy Blues Rock track, and oddly enough, both the YouTube version and Spotify do not credit the singer!

Bum Ba Diga Diga and Malayla exist in the same musical space, with a punchy Latino Hip Hop sound connecting both. Vedan’s rap in the former adds to an interesting fusion element, while the latter plays it straight within the genre conventions.

Raga of Madness started in the most Bollywood’ish manner but Anirudh twists it almost immediately, intermittently layering Vishal Misra’s vocals and the frenetic rap to great effect.

Das And Parvathy offers the most complete, well etched melody for any song in the soundtrack. The main melody, as also the prominent interlude that appears mid-way, both took me to Seal’s outstanding ‘Kiss From A Rose’.

Echoes of DC is interesting for the way it riffed on the Spaghetti Western theme elements. Thaalam Trip and Bloody Valentine did sound good though they didn’t appeal to me as much as the others, specifically.

On the whole, DC’s soundtrack takes what Anirudh had been already doing in bits and pieces for Lokesh (in soundtracks like Leo and Vikram), that is, “English” music in mainstream Tamil movies, into a full-fledged effort. There’s no trace of a conventional or even modern Tamil movie ‘song’ anywhere in the soundtrack. The entire idiom is Western/English, borrowing from globally established genres and minimal ‘Indian’ elements fused into it. That all this is attempted for a movie set in Tamil Nadu is the most interesting part. I still recall the days when A R Rahman’s ‘village’ music was dismissed as being too modern (in films like Kizhakku Cheemayile and Karuthamma) initially. Those dismissers may be at a loss of both words and expressions after hearing DC, though I’d chalk this all under evolution. The soundtrack makes for a fantastic listen as a standalone musical album and that, in itself, is a highlight, bringing out a hugely listenable ‘background music’ album and mounting it as a blockbuster musical album.

Rasagulla – Hi (Jen Martin) – Tamil: I had said this in my take on a couple of songs from Oho Enthan Baby too, but I continue to be fairly impressed by composer Jen Martin’s steady rise. He seemed like a ‘Kavin+’ composer and Hi is a Kavin starrer too. But his sound has definitely arrived and has a distinct palette too. Rasagulla even has Anirudh singing it, with his usual panache. It’s a easy-to-like melody and has some nifty touches too, like that use of Aanandha Bhairavi raaga based wedding song, ‘Kannoonjal Aadi IrundaaL’ in the interlude.

Thoduvaanathil – Anbe Diana (Bharath Sankar) – Tamil: The only other (3rd) song from Anbe Diana that worked for me (had written about the other two in earlier Weeklies). A considerable reason for that is Sooraj Santhosh’s winning vocals. The tune is gentle uptempo pop with a neat recurring whistle element and Sooraj going falsetto too, to solid effect. Rithu Vysakh’s violin interlude was quite a highlight too!

Naa Kanti Meedha Kunuke – Ramba Oorvasi Menaka (Chaitan Bharadwaj) – Telugu: Every bit Chaitan’s template all the way… you can identify it from a mile. Dhanunjay Seepana does a great job with the singing, and makes it work, though.

Ukkiri Bikkiri, Vellamaake and Raave Cheliya – Srinivasa Mangapuram (GV Prakash Kumar) – Telugu: GV Prakash Kumar’s soundtrack for Srinivasa Mangapuram is mighty good! Of the 6 songs, except ‘Manga Manga’ all the other 5 songs worked for me effortlessly. Beyond the 2 that I have already written about, Ukkiri Bikkiri has a serene, lush melody that took me to the composer’s Veyil days and a bit of Rahman too, during the flute interlude. In Vellamaake, he delivers a hugely rhythmic number and the tune too goes in directions that I generally did not expect it to, particularly in the anupallavi. Raave Cheliya too, thanks to Kapil Kapilan’s singing, some alive as a slow rock melody. Overall, I thought GV Prakash Kumar has delivered something different from what I might have heard from a Thaman or a DSP for a similar film.

Chitti Chitti Cheema – Aakasamlo Oka Tara (GV Prakash Kumar) – Telugu: To be honest, I was thoroughly confused between the first singles from Aakasamlo Oka Tara and Sri Sri. Both have Dulquer, both are Telugu-first films with multiple other language versions, both have GV Prakash Kumar’s music and both singles released close to each other. Ramya Behara does fabulously in Chitti Chitti Cheema, though, breathing life into the sweet melody concocted by GVP even though the tune itself seems to have remnants of the gentle lilt of his uncle’s ‘Odakkaara Maarimuthu’ from Indira (from a long time ago!).

Bomma Bomma – Sri Sri (GV Prakash Kumar) – Telugu: Bomma Bomma is so very different from Chitti Chitti Cheema and that’s testimony to GVP’s versatility. Starting a bit like an offshoot of Madharapattinam’s Pookkal Pookkum, the melody evolves beautifully, with a lively rhythm to accentuate Kapil Kapilan’s outstanding singing.

Beautiful Girl – Premaku Namaskaram (RR Dhruvan) – Telugu: I have heard almost everything RR Dhruvan has composed so far but I believe this is the first entry for Dhruvan in Milliblog. To be sure, I couldn’t discern anything specific that I can attribute to him or his style of music and it sounded like a combination of Chaitan Bharadwaj and GV Prakash Kumar’s music, but what I did hear… I loved it. Keba’s guitar does it usual magic in the background and Adithya RK’s voice carries the song in great stead.

Asalayavale – Khalifa (Jakes Bejoy) – Malayalam: This is the kind of song that I’d frequently listen from Shaan Rahman a few years ago. Now, it is by Jakes Bejoy. Besides Sid Sriram’s enchanting lead vocals, Mohammed Maqbool Mansoor’s backing vocals too add to the song’s charm.

Erunno – Unmadham (Mujeeb Majeed) – Malayalam: It may be my liking for Job Kurian’s voice but it wasn’t just that Mujeeb layers the song with a surprisingly energetic and robust background rhythm that made me sit up immediately. Then, the melody it itself was very, very engaging. Job’s singing was, then, an icing on the cake.

Menada Gombege – Rukmini Radhakrishna (Sunaad Gowtham) – Kannada: I was hit with a delightful blast of nostalgia listening to this song Sunaad seems to be using Karaharapriya Raaga for the melody even though a lot of it harks back directly to Maragadhamani’s (MM Keeravani in Tamil) fantastic song from Jaadhi Malli, ‘Kamban Engu Ponaan’. But Sunaad does a terrific job with the interludes and the anupallavi where he differentiates the song to a large extent. And Sanjith Hegde is a superb choice for the song.

Patar Bashori – Coke Studio Bangla, Season 4 (Mukul Mojumder Ishaan, ft. Sunidhi Nayak) – Bangla: Lovely retro-style melody that Sunidhi Nayak handles beautifully till Mukul joins and changes the pitch and twists the tune’s nature in interesting ways.

Hangova – DC (Anirudh) – Tamil: Oh wow!!! After quite some time, something from Anirudh sounds completely unlike anything he has composed so far! To be honest, the music, generously harping on jazz, reminded me of Sandeep Chowta’s music. This is one phenomenally enticing song, with uniquely different vocals from Anirudh too (with backing vocals by Arjun Chandy).

Kattazhagi – Idhayam Murali (Thaman S) – Tamil: Thaman unlocks his Telugu-style high-energy rhythms in Tamil with the song in a film otherwise filled with some delightful melodies. And he sings it himself too (besides acting in the song and the film too!). The song is heady and catchy, and thoroughly enjoyable.

Emaatradhey Emaaradhey, Oru Naal Maaruma, Kanna Bro – Con City (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: Abhilash Venkitachalam’s vintage-style vocals power this intentionally vintage song where Sean Roldan sticks to the period-tinged musical cues and sounds. Oru Naal Maaruma is a better bet, thanks to Sean cranking up the tune’s somber mood and explores it in different shades with the interludes. Kaber Vasuki’s rendition is outstanding! But Kanna Bro hits it out of the park! The vintage sound Sean aims for here is the Chandrababu style of music, but unlike Emaatradhey, the mirroring is selective, with Sean retaining his stamp as much as emulating a specific style for effect. Ananthu’s singing works wonders in this scheme of things.

Machan Maatikittan – Anbe Diana (Bharath Sankar) – Tamil: This is Bharath Sankar erangi aduchifying in the best possible way. The chaotic lyrics and singing (by Sivam) are superbly accentuated by Bharath’s imaginative music that descends into wonderful kuthu eventually.

Chingari – VISA-Vintara Saradaga (Vijai Bulganin) – Telugu: A very pleasant melody that gets better because Vijai hands it to Sid and Lipsika who, both, do a terrific job with the ebullient melody, with Sid retaining the higher notes and Lipsika handling the same tune in the lower notes, creating a harmonious effect.

Hoyila Hoyila – Chennai Love Story (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: I wonder if the film’s director gave a brief to Mani Sharma that he wants every song to evoke pleasant memories of Ilaiyaraja’s 80s music… because almost every song from this film seems like a stupendous ode to Raja! Just listen to the strings section in this song in the anupallavi! Or the higher notes towards the end of the anupallavi. Or the solo violin bits in the first interlude! Mani does a fantastic job of bringing Raja’s musical flavor and brings a bit of himself too, admirably. Brilliant singing by both Dhanunjay Seepana and Sahithi Chaganti.

Lakshmi Puthra – Inmele (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: Very typical Arjun Janya, though there’s a lot of D.Imman’s musical cues too. Sweet melody handled in the appropriate way, with a captivating rhythm that keeps it steadily engaging. Good singing by Darshan Melavanki and Prithwi Bhat.

Kalyani – ARJN, KDS, FIFTY4, Ft. Shreya Ghoshal (Malayalam/Hindi/Indipop): The composers, ARJN, KDS and FIFTY4 remix their own 2025 mega-hit song, but this time add Hindi verse to the mix and get Shreya Ghoshal to sing those lines! It felt like a gimmick on paper, but works surprisingly smoothly!

Junoon – Ali Najih, Ft. Hanan Shah & Fathima Jahaan (Malayalam/Indipop): To me, Kalyani, Ansham, and Junoon seems to fall in the same genre within Malayalam non-film music though I’m unable to pin the genre into a convenient name. There’s a distinct Sufi’ish infusion into the song that makes it even more interesting. Hanan Shah, as usual, is very good, and Fathima Jahaan joining the song takes it to a new high.

Hegiruve – Shreyas B Rao (Kannada/Indipop): I love this recent profusion of excellent non-film music in Kannada! Shreyas B Rao’s musical sensibility in this song is straight out of Ilaiyaraja’s Agni Natchathiram soundtrack! The beautiful melody sits perfectly on top of the 80’s synth sound. That interlude is vintage Raja touch!!

Ishq Mastana, Tere Paas Main, Dheere Dheere, Dariya – Main Vaapas Aaunga (A R Rahman) – Hindi: There’s so much happening in this song that it was all head-spinningly too much for me in the first listen. This is Rahman at his showboating best in a very, very long time. After the traditional Punjabi tappe opening, the song abruptly turns into jazzy swing but while retaining a sole Punjabi folk note at the very bottom. But when the song again tries to shift genres after another short detour into Punjabi folk, things start to become muddled… in an almost ‘look how dramatically we change genres’ way. It’s definitely interesting, and I presume within the movie’s theme, there’s a place for this genre hopping (perhaps to show two households and the way they approach love through the protagonists), but as a song, it starts great, and ends up in an odd zone.

With regard to Tere Paas Main, what can I say? Oh, wow – this is an absolute gem of a song! Rahman seems to be channeling his inner Pancham in terms of the sound and feel, though the Desh raag is doing heavy-lifting effortlessly. Surprisingly, both versions, by relatively lesser heard singers—Deepali Sahay and Vipin Aneja—are outstanding! If Rahman had roped in known/often heard singers, the song may have sounded a little more familiar but the fresh(er) voices help enormously! As if challenging our appreciation of the song, the antara is even more beautiful than the mukhda!

Close on the heels of the absolutely magical Tere Paas Main, Dheere Dheere makes a terrific mark too, with Faheem Abdullah’s lead vocals, backed by Antara Nandy brilliantly. But where the song shook me was the almost ominous turn it takes mid-way with Shilpa Rao’s vocals (Antara joins too eventually)! The melody in this part seemed to be alluding to Puriya Dhanashri raaga, a complete departure from what Rahman showcased in the ‘Dheere Dheere’ portion, though he does bridge the melody back to that original phrase. The very-Bengali sounding Dariya is perhaps the odd one out in the magnificent soundtrack, though it does the double duty of sounding good enough as a song, and perhaps adding a lot more to the movie in terms of narrative movement.

After Gandhi Talks and Peddi, Rahman seems to be having one of his best years in recent times, with Main Vaapas Aaunga easily being the best of his output and overall Hindi film music too, so far, this year!

Leher – Cocktail 2 (Pritam) – Hindi: Oh wow!! After Arijit announced his retirement from playback singing, some of his best songs are dropping and this one definitely joins that list! Pritam’s melody is oh-so-dreamy, with a sedate musical background. Arijit’s vocals are swoon-worthy when he extends the ending of the lines so beautifully.

Yaar Yaarival – Ram In Leela (Ankit Menon) – Tamil: I’m assuming this is Ankit’s Tamil debut, and along with Sid Sriram’s usually and wonderfully expressive singing, he hits it out the park in the very first song from the film. The melody is easy to like, with a sweeping faux-classical aalapana that Sid excels in handling. But more than the tune it is the busy’ness of the background score that lifts the melody significantly. Ankit has assembled the backdrop in a nuanced way that, including that Hindi interlude by Sawai Bhatt, it works in tandem with the main melody and calls for attention at the same time!

Love-U Love-U Kaatteri – Immortal (Sam CS) – Tamil: Mayamalavagowlai raaga in full flow! The raaga that has given us memorable songs like Engeyum Eppodhum (Ninaithale Inikkum, MS Viswanathan) sees yet another variant by Sam CS and he produces quite a floor-stomper with the source material. And with that ‘Azhaga Pookura’ line, Sam twists the raaga’s flow even more excitingly, all the while amping up the dance-worthy rhythm. It’s only the lyrics (Shalli C) that seem utterly corny, with a severe overdose of pointless English words.

Nightu Nila – Vekkai (GV Prakash Kumar) – Tamil: Safely within GV Prakash’s familiar template and continues to entertain adequately. Gana Bala’s singing is the highlight, besides sparkling nadaswaram interludes by Mambalam Sivakumar, though it all sounds way too reminiscent of many other songs.

Vaama Vaama – Idhayam Murali (Thaman S) – Tamil: A sprightly song that bounces its way to being easily likeable. Dhanush’s singing helps too though the song doesn’t demand much. Besides the catchy ‘Vaama Vaama’ hook, Thaman layers the melody with even more catchy verses like that ‘Neram Ninnu Poche’.

Adi Podi – Meesaya Murukku 2 (Hiphop Tamizha) – Tamil: The most-Hiphop Tamizha type song yet in the soundtrack even as the earlier ones had a markedly different style (despite his singing bringing his trademark). It has a sedate sound made even more tranquil by his vocals. It does work overall though.

Doki Doki – Parimala and Co (Foxn) – Tamil: The only other song that stood out for me in the soundtrack (besides ‘Watcha Udadha’). The energetic song is built on a frenetic British underground drum and bass rhythm and Adithya RK’s vocals of the melody sails through quite well.

Magaraasi – Gatta Kusthi 2 (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: The film’s first single, Sambavakaari, didn’t work for me at all, but I’m glad Sean has a winner here in Magaraasi. The father-daughter song template has been way too predictably maudlin recently (I’m looking at you, Chella MagaLe from Jananayagan!) in Tamil movies that a rhythmically lively variation is totally welcome. Plus Vijay Narain’s (reasonably, given he hasn’t sung too many songs yet in Tamil movies) fresh voice makes a big impact too.

Pattampoochi – Vishwanath and Sons (GV Prakash Kumar) – Tamil: Passably catchy enough, and Sublahshini’s singing does the hard work. But that ‘Rough’aana aaLum tough’aana girl’um’ line seems like an obvious riff off ‘Golden Sparrow En Nenjula Arrow’!

Karigindi Kaalam – Ramani Kalyanam (Sooraj S Kurup) – Telugu: After the title song, Kallolam, and Madhuram, Sooraj has one more song from the full soundtrack that had my attention – Karingindi Kaalam! This one has an interesting rhythm and there’s much happening in the background even as the repetitive Karigindi Kaalam hook makes a mark.

Title Song – Oh Sukumari (Bharath Manchiraju) – Telugu: I do not recall hearing Bharath Manchiraju’s music before though I see that he has composed a few movies prior to this. There’s something unique about the nadaswaram usage (Mallikarjun) in the song which felt a bit more shrill than usual, and Abhijith Rao’s singing hits the mark perfectly. But what took me by surprise is the way Bharath employed the rhythm in the anupallavi! Very measured and tactical, to excellent effect!

Chilaka – Thellakaagitham (Vijai Bulganin) – Telugu: The super energetic rhythm almost made the song seem like a standard-issue Devi Sri Prasad song, so I was quite surprised that this was by Vijai Bulganin! Anurag Kulkarni does a great job, as expected.

Oriya Pilla – Comrade Kalyan (Vijai Bulganin) – Telugu: Not with any specific identifiers that I associate with Vijai Bulganin’s music but listenable enough in a broad sense. Sid Sriram’s singing helps too, though Kerala-born Mahima Nambiar being called ‘Oriya Pilla’ seemed mildly amusing

Jigithara – Chennai Love Story (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: Mani Sharma’s intentional attempt at bringing the 1980s Ilaiyaraja sound and he succeeds mostly. The sweeping strings in the interlude and the backdrop, Karthik’s singing, the anupallavi’s melody, and the unmistakable rhythm… all work towards the aim of bringing Ilaiyaraja’s 1980’s form to mind.

Gunde Pelipothondhe – Srinivasa Mangapuram (GV Prakash Kumar) – Telugu: GV Prakash Kumar continues to deliver more interesting and more differentiated music in Telugu than Tamil (where his music seems functional)! The semi-classical sound with sparse rhythm and Anurag Kulkarni’s stupendous singing make this song a great listen.

Subah Varanasi, Kanavaanathu – Chinna Chinna Aasai (Govind Vasantha) – Malayalam/Hindi, Tamil: What starts off with Shikha Joshi singing Varun Grover’s lines morphs beautifully into Kapil Kapilan’s Malayalam portion after a brief violin interlude by Govind himself. The transition is truly magical, but in a very-familiar Govind Vasantha style. When the chorus starts after Kapil ends his part, you know you are fully immersed in a Govind Vasantha song. Sachin Balu’s Mohan Veena does superb heavy-lifting in the interludes. Kanavaanathu too works effortlessly, sung with her expressive best by Chinmayi, wonderfully punctuated by the tabla. The chorus featuring Aavani Malhar, Ajmal Fathima Parveen and Sony Mohan deserve a special mention too.

Sajje Khabbe/Anthem of Nobody – I, Nobody (Jakes Bejoy) – Malayalam/Punjabi: The rap portions (I’m guessing it is sung by Bjorn Surrao) in the middle took me to Apache India’s style, but the larger song that Jakes builds on the whole is quite a different, and pulsating affair. There’s a thrumming rhythm and bass that works in the song’s favor, keeping it steadily engaging, with lead vocals by Sudhir Yaduvanshi powering the anthemic flow brilliantly.

Himashila Uruki – Derby (Gopi Sundar) – Malayalam: That Charukesi raaga magic… never fails to move me. Gopi’s music traverses through all the predictable notes of the raaga but Krishna Prasadh K Raju’s singing carries it all beautifully.

Nenjakame Nee – Aroopi (Gopi Sundar) – Malayalam: Gopi handles the musical-style flamboyance in the melody really well, even though his own singing is the only thing that didn’t work for me (while Sruthy Sivadas does a great job). The violin interludes are terrific and adds to the genre’s appeal as well the song’s.

Mudd Muddu Putlakshmi – Ayogya 2 (Arjun Janya) – Kannada: A simple, jaunty rhythm envelopes the song and makes it a pleasant listen. I thought Sid Sriram’s voice, though it sounded apt for the song musically, seemed odd for Satish Ninasam. Prithwi Bhat does a good job, though.

Nannavale – Suprabhatha (Curry) – Kannada/Indipop: The third single from Curry’s album, Suprabhatha, after Seetha Kalyana and Manase. Compared to the other two songs, the traditional/folk element here seems less pronounced and it works smoothly as a solid Afro-pop song with a very catchy synth rhythm. It’s only in the interlude that the carnatic notes enter, and even as they seem fleeting, they do sound great.

Pinjara – Bandar (Amit Trivedi) – Hindi: Good old vintage Amit Trivedi! But surprisingly, the one who steals the show is lyricist Sudip Sharma who lands some of the most poignant and provocative thoughts into startlingly simple idioms… about how so many things in life cage us! Amit singing is, as always, pitch perfect, and the enthusiastic rhythm that he envelops the melody in almost makes it a cage for the tune too!

Tujhko – Cocktail 2 (Pritam) – Hindi: As I started listening to the song, I thought it was nice enough, but not all that unique to make me add it to the Weeklies this week. But then, in the antara, I suddenly hear Sunidhi singing along with Arijit (“Tu hi toh aasmaan…”)! It’s still Arijit’s soaring melody all the way, but the way the understated way Pritam introduced Sunidhi almost like an undercurrent made a big difference to the song’s tone. Of course, Sunidhi owns a couple of lines in the end without Arijit and so well, as usual (with a lovely chorus in the backdrop, and Arijit joins in). Nicely designed melody!

Fraud Payale – Con City (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: Beyond Sean’s simple tune, Mohan Rajan’s lyrics truly stand out all through the song. When Sublahshini sings, in the anupallavi, ‘Nee vera poNNa paatha, veriyaairuven Da G…’, I burst out laughing, not just at the inappropriately appropriate usage but also the subsequent dialog that explains the usage Sublahshini’s vocal range is perfect for this song!

Aathi Raasathi – Karuppu (Sai Abhyankkar?) – Tamil: Beyond the generally too-busy/noisy songs in Karuppu, it is songs like Athu Thalore (a tout a l’heure) and Aathi Rasathi that gives me hope that Sai is here to stay in films (beyond his pop music career). The layering in this song is pretty amazing – there’s so much happening in terms of the singing itself. The place where the ‘Aathi Raasathi’ hook lands, there’s another almost contrasting background vocal layer that competes for attention. But together, they amplify the pathos element wonderfully.

Hai Re – Itllu Arjuna (Thaman S) – Telugu: Oh wow! What a delightful song with so many layers! Anirudh’s singing is excellent, of course, but Thaman truly has some hugely imaginative phrases, particularly that carnatic vocals addition by Sanjana Chinamuthevi. The flow of the tune is fascinating. It starts with a sedate music + melody combination, moves to the ‘Na Kanulu’ high, and then introduces the Carnatic layer almost like it was the end of the arc. So I was wondering where the ‘Hai Re’ hook is going to land, and then Thaman lands it with a lovely punch, as the 4th element in the already grand scheme! But even inside this hook, he offers a false closure in the keyboard and extends it brilliantly!

Vadhalane – Chennai Love Story (Mani Sharma) – Telugu: A throwback to a different time of tune-making! Mani Sharma produces a qawali’esque melody that has Javed Ali acing the delivery. It almost sounds like I was listening to something from the early 2000s!

Priyasakhi – EPIC First Semester (Hesham Abdul Wahab) – Telugu: The familiar, likeable Hesham engine pleasantly chugs along predictably without making it too much! Thanks also to KS Harisankar’s committed singing and Lalit Lalluri’s flute, of course.

Kara Kaviyaathe – Chinna Chinna Aasai (Govind Vasantha) – Malayalam: The sweeping melody that I associate with Govind’s music is on full display here! Abhijith Anilkumar’s stupendous singing lifts the song significantly.

Shatha Shathamaanagalinda – Graamaayana (Poornachandra Tejaswi) – Kannada: It’s good to hear Raghu Dixit’s voice being used so aptly in a film song after quite some time! Composer Poornachandra Tejaswi builds the tune gradually towards the ‘Nooru Devaranella’ breakout and Raghu delivers it in his customary booming voice beautifully.

Sajna Ve – Prateeksha Srivastava (Hindi/Indipop): Pretty impressive composition that starts off in a predictable manner but then infuses an almost Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy’esque soundscape. That ‘Meethi boli’ (by the male chorus) is a lovely touch!

Isharey – AtharvaMusic (Hindi/Malayalam/Indipop): There was an almost Ilaiyaraja’s quality to the backgrounds when the song started! And then Atharva introduces the ‘KaNmaNiye’ Malayalam lines (sung by Tanvi Joshi) and amps up the song’s feel considerably! More than the actual melody, the background music was the one that really drew me into the song – it feels busy enough but also in perfect sync with the core melody.

Pocha – Sublahshini (Tamil/Indipop): Good to see Sublahshini composing her own song. She’s definitely one of the most interesting new voices in Tamil (and Southern) film music and her composing on her own so early in her career is a great sign. The song is quirky enough to warrant attention, with a zany sound I associate with Sean Roldan’s musical style. In fact, I imagined Sean’s raspy voice singing this tune it seems to fit perfectly

Pattukutti – Arivu (Tamil/Indipop): Arivu’s lullaby to his to-be-born child! Though it sounds less like a soothing lullaby (despite the ‘Aarariro’ refrain) and sounds a bit too upbeat to wake up the child, it still is a nice listen. With enough verve, it actually sounds like something that the child want to dance to (when it grows up).

Kaadhal Yaathiriye – Rudh Prakash? (Tamil/Indipop): I recall writing about Rudh’s debut, Maara Makka, as a Sai Abhyankkar clone back in November (16) 2025. I continue to hold the same view in this song too – everything sounds like Sai… the singing, composition, everything! It has a Jackson-style flamboyance that keeps it entertaining, though.

Vo Nahin – Main Vaapas Aaunga (A R Rahman) – Hindi: A hatrick from Rahman (like Hiphop Tamizha, down below)! Kya Kamaal Hai was excellent, ditto with Maskara… and now, Rahman produces a worthy follow-up to those two, but in a dramatically different way. This is a heart-tugging, sweeping melody that has Rahman underscoring the musical layering so beautifully. After the serene opening by Adithya RK, the first interlude is a thing of beauty! That undercurrent continues as the song moves, constantly bubbling in the background till Rahman lands the qawali’ish phase of the song in a marvelous stretch! Equally amazing is the way the qawali phase is eased off! It’s almost as if we imagined that phase in a dream, and wake up from that dream!

Kyun Mazaa Aa Raha Hai – Bandar (Vishal Mishra) – Hindi: Vishal’s ballad-style melody is very easy on the ear, and his singing too (besides Shashwat Dwivedi’s lines) elevates the song’s appeal considerably.

Mashooqa – Cocktail 2 (Pritam) – Hindi: Given the controversy surrounding this song, it is imperative that I address that first. There’s widespread allegation that this song is copied off a 1993 Italian song, Se So Arrubate A Nonna, by the duo, Bibi & Coco. Oddly, the original is not available on YouTube (yet) but easily available on Spotify. A day after the allegation, Pritam is reported to have scoffed at it and said that the similarity is imaginary. Much as I wish to believe that denial, I do hear generous shades of the original in Mashooqa. I also hear the very, very skillful way the original has been rewired into the Hindi song. Raghav Chaitanya is especially fantastic with his vocals even as Mahmood’s Italian interludes add a distinct new flavor to the melody.

Tumhi Ko, Phir Ajnabi – Chand Mera Dil (Sachin-Jigar) – Hindi: Chand Mera Dil is definitely one of Sachin-Jigar’s better soundtrack in recent times. I already loved the title song and Khasiyat, and the full soundtrack has two more songs worth listening to. There’s so much of Pritam in both Tumhi Ko and Phir Ajnabi – a bit more in the latter, if I may add, even if it seems to start more like a Shankar-Ehsaan-Loy song. Tumhi Ko could easily fit inside the ‘Metro… In Dino’ soundtrack(s), complete with Raghav Chaitanya’s singing (who was so very good in that soundtrack) and a gently lilting rhythm. But it was Suvarna Tiwari’s singing in the antara that took me by surprise and made me sit up! Phir Ajnabi is Junaid Ahmed’s show all the way given how beautifully he owns Amitabh Bhattacharya’s lines to express a pensive longing.

Goindhamma – Meesaya Murukku 2 (Hiphop Tamizha) – Tamil: A hatrick from Hiphop Tamizha!! After Aura 10/10 and Pappali Pazhamey, this is the 3rd consecutive track from the film that is as enjoyable as the previous two! This one has a distinct 80s Hindi film music’s Jhankar Beats vibe, and the simple, repetitive lines make it into a compelling earworm even if you ignore the intentionally nasal singing by Aadhi. I do wish the composing duo had focused more on the lyrics, though. I like the fact that they use phrases like ‘Vida Kandan Kada Kandan’, but wonder why they get the pronunciation wrong as, ‘Vida Kondan Kada Kondan’.

Athu Thalore – Karuppu (Sai Abhyankkar) – Tamil: I want to know who turned the French phrase, ‘a tout a l’heure’ into ‘Athu Thalore’ for this YouTube video upload!! But, this is the song that actually made me think that Sai is not just all-multitrack-noise (like the rest of Karuppu soundtrack was, to me) and the boy (man?) can think and deliver a thematic melody too! Really good tune, excellent use of The Indian Choral Ensemble and fantastic singing by Ananya Chakraborty.

Watcha Udadha – Parimala and Co (Foxn) – Tamil: Foxn is a music duo consisting of PJ (Pradeep PJ) and Wayne (Wayne Pavey). Going by the 2 songs released so far from this film (Watcha Udadha and Tomato Thakkali), the duo’s music seems to fit under a very specific template. Watcha worked better than Tomato, for me, though both seem to be rolling entirely around a catchy hook with everything else simply leading towards that hook in a desperate hurry.

Reengara – Nooru Sami (Balaji Sriram) – Tamil: The way the song opens, possibly alluding to raagas like Amrithavarshini or Hamirkalyani felt like a considerably better proposition than the hook (Reengara) that seemed to come out of nowhere! Darini Hariharan does a particularly good job with the singing.

Ramani Kalyanam, Kallolam, Madhuram – Ramani Kalyanam (Sooraj S Kurup) – Telugu: Really glad to see Sooraj moving beyond Malayalam and Tamil film music, and I assume this is Telugu debut. The title song’s semi-classical mix works very smoothly thanks to Haricharan and Ramya Behara’s vocals. Is that Kaanada raaga I hear in this melody? Kallolam reminded me of Sooraj’s Malayalam repertoire a lot more than the title song. This is a intelligently assembled—sound-wise—song with a melody that took me to Rahman’s Dil Se Re (Jog raaga?). Terrific singing by Kapil Kapilan, and Avani Malhar, in particular. Madhuram seemed like the lesser of the three songs so far, though it has a really warm hook and both Sooraj S Kurup and Aruna Mary George handle the singing more than competently.

Hello Bossuu – Sing Geetham (Devi Sri Prasad) – Telugu: I’m not sure why this is being called the ‘Deleted song’, but it is a perfectly good song with adequate whimsy! DSP’s usual rhythmic nuance exists all through the short song (is there a longer/full version coming out too?), and the singing too (Wamcee, mainly) nails the feel of a drunk song with a 1960s style tune.

Hellallallo – Peddi (A R Rahman) – Telugu: Surprisingly, Rahman has a crackling hook in this song even as the build-up towards the song seems very ordinary! Rakshita Suresh is superb with her singing.

Andhee Andhani Andham, Vennela Thunaka – Mareechika (Ilaiyaraja) – Telugu: There is definitely a dated sound in both songs that make me cringe mildly, but the veteran has interesting and likeable tunes here. Karthik and Shweta Mohan pull the former up with their singing, while the anupallavi in the latter makes it work quite well, along with Reema’s soulful singing.

Kehdo Na – Sanjith Hegde (Hindi/Indipop): Sanjith takes his own outstanding Kannada pop song, Kareyole, and transports it to Hindi but not before sprinkling on top to make a terrific difference! You don’t hear the same serene start like in the Kannada original, but a more dramatic ‘Tehniyon se ghir chuke’ that seems completely unrelated to the actual tune… but the bridge to the ‘Keh do na’ core tune is lovely! Sanjith excels all through – the singing, the composition, and most importantly, in the way he avoids a direct reuse from Kannada to Hindi!

Bloom – Barath Dhanasekar (Tamil/Indipop): I had a tough time comprehending that this is the same Barath Dhanasekar who had earlier scored the music of the 2024 film, Romeo (starring Vijay Antony)! I don’t think I liked any song from that soundtrack (enough to make it to Milliblog Weeklies, though I recall mildly liking Thaniya Naan). But Bloom worked for me considerably better. It has a likeably energetic opening (though the forced mix of English words like Fast Forward aayache) and an even better hook that lands brilliantly. I also see that the composer features himself in the music video. Another Sai Abhyankkar in the making?

Niluvanivvade – Vijai Bulganin (Telugu/Indipop): Vijai channels his inner Weeknd here and produces a delightful song! The combination of the almost-retro synth sound with Telugu lines make for a curious, hugely listenable combination. Vijai’s raw singing too adds to the charm.

Paaykappal – Zukaboi (Malayalam/Indipop): Close on the heels of Aksomaniac’s Amsham, comes Paaykappal by Zukaboi (and sung by Zukaboi and Raaza Razak). I found a lot of commonalities between the song, though the latter amplifies a distinct Muslim-song sound, with the generous, alluring Harmonium layer and sounding closer to a Shaan Rahman composition than Aksomaniac’s.

Manase – Suprabatha (Curry) – Kannada/Indipop: After Seetha Kalyana in April, the next song from Curry’s Suprabatha album is equally good! The base of the song, I presume, is set to Reethigowla raaga, and it is magnified in the musical interludes beautifully. The composition by Ashish Palanna, Ria D’souza and Sumanth Shetty carries a unique flavor just like in Seetha Kalyana, a fusion of classical and pop, but in a far more understated and milder way than, say, Agam or Thaikkudam Bridge. Ria’s vocals carry much of the song’s weight, but Chandana Bala Kalyan’s additional vocals make an impact too.

Maskara – Main Vaapas Aaunga (A R Rahman) – Hindi/Punjabi: There are so many surprises in this song! The first, of course, is the unusual melody that Rahman concocts. It has a very Punjabi musical base, even though the tune has a faux-Western tinge all the while rooted in Rahman’s signature flute backdrop (by Ashwin Srinivasan). Then, Nilanjana Ghosh Dastidar’s stupendously confident singing! She rules the song almost all through till the 3rd surprise – Vedang Raina’s introduction in the antara, in a diametrically contrasting melody. Vedang does amazingly well as a singer! It was given that Rahman’s music would be great in an Imtiaz Ali film, but the songs so far have surpassed even that expectation!

Tera Ho Jaun – Hai Jawani Toh Ishq Hona Hai (White Noise Collectives) – Hindi: A pretty competent ‘Sooraj Dooba Hai’ (Roy) knock-off. Umpteenth knock-off, at that! Much credit to the singers for that – Stebin Ben and Jonita Gandhi.

Angdayi, Humne Wahi Lagaya Dil – Pati Patni Aur Woh Do (Tanishk Bagchi, Faheem Abdullah, Arslan Nizami; Badshah, Hiten) – Hindi: The ‘Angdayi’ hook is the one that makes this song work, besides the 3 singers, even though that hook took me back to Himesh Reshammiya’s ‘Meri Awargi’ from Good Boy Bad Boy! The specific line, ‘Tu Thaam Le Jo Daaman’! Humne Wahi Lagaya Dil fares better, though – the song’s opening that masks the catchy hook, ‘Humne Wahi Lagaya Dil’ works very well in context. The singers group, Badshah, Krish Mondal, Kishore Mondal, and Ipsitaa, all perform competently, though overshadowed by Badshah.

Khasiyat – Chand Mera Dil (Sachin-Jigar) – Hindi: While I loved the title song, the next single, ‘Aitbaar’ did not work for me. But the composing duo drop a delightful third song now, with Khasiyat. The way the tune opens with the Punjabi couplet, ‘Jachda ni, jachda ni’ is truly inventive. Raghav Chaitanya’s lead vocals that start the song offer immense charm, and Jonita amps it up significantly when she enters the song much later.

Nenjagathi, Vaadinen Malare – 29 (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: While the film is receiving mixed reviews, 29 is easily Sean Roldan’s best soundtrack in recent time. Except Mansion Kuthu, every other song stands out! Vijaynarain’s unique voice powers Nenjagathi, with a tune that shines with unpredictable flow. Observe the ‘Nee Ponaalum Pona’ break that seems to be completely different from the way the previous line ends even though it ends perfectly with a slightly different Nenjagathi! Vaadinen Malare, on the other hand, is a totally different experience, with its pensive melody that’s almost constructed like in Hindustani style. The tune reminded me of M.S. Viswanathan’s ‘Nilave Ennidam Nerungathe’ (Ramu, 1966). Since I have made peace with Sean’s scratchy singing sometime ago, let me only focus on the fact that he sings beautifully within the melody he constructs.

Sarkarey Solliruchu – Lenin Pandiyan (Ilayaraja) – Tamil: As always, a thoroughly nostalgic song from Raja that evokes memories of many of his older songs. The tune, despite the lively lilt, felt very close to his own Mudhal Vasantham (1986) number, ‘Aarum Aadhu Aazham Illa’, probably owing to a similar raaga. You can also trace Vetri Vizha’s Thathom Thalangu and Mannan’s Sandi RaaNiye Enakku in the song, by the way. And yet, despite such memory flashes, the sound and feel remains fresh and enjoyable.

Evideyo Kandathalle – DOSE (Gopi Sundar) – Malayalam: Trademark Gopi-style melody, particularly as the tabla starts in the pallavi and even more so when the interlude begins! The anupallavi too has a lush melody, and Swarna K S’s vocals are perfect for this.

Radha Radha – Brindhavihari (Hesham Abdul Wahab) – Kannada: An absolutely gorgeous song even if it falls right within Hesham’s largely familiar template. The jaunty rhythm and joyous melody, Sid Sriram and Chinmayi’s singing, and the ‘Radha Radha’ hook… everything just works so well together.

Prem Ki Leela, Mann Ki Dasha, Shyamal Sanware and Shubh Din Aayo – Krishnavataram (Prasad Sashte) – Hindi: There’s a sweeping Ismail Darbar feel all through the soundtrack of Krishnavataram! The melodies are incredibly vibrant and rich, the singing (and choice of singers) is outstanding, and the inventiveness in the orchestration is notably excellent! Prasad Sashte’s music has always stood out for me (like his 2 songs from 2018’s Mulk, or 2025’s single, Adhoora, or 2024’s Amar Prem Ki Prem Kahani) and I was wondering why he doesn’t compose more, or a full soundtrack. Krishnavataram seems like a dream project for Prasad (or any composer, these days, considering it is a solo composer album with 8 songs) and the music simply explodes in the most pleasant way! Shreya rules through Prem Ki Leela and Mann Ki Dasha. While Javed Ali joins her in the former, along with a fantastic intervention towards the end by Suvarna Tiwari, the latter is a solo where she gets flowy, expressive tune to sing, and she does a terrific job. Shyamal Sanware is my favorite from the soundtrack, with its incredibly likeable jaunty rhythm mounted specifically for the beautifully melody. Even though Neeti Mohan opens the song (admirably), it is Sonu Nigam who looms large all over it. The chorus and bridges (between the antara and mukhda) are all exquisitely layered. Shubh Din Aayo is a joyous confluence of voices shared by Abby V who leads impressively, with Shweta Mohan and Shivam Singh joining in.

Dil Waale Chor – Pati Patni Aur Woh Do (Rochak Kohli) – Hindi/Punjabi: Sounds like a dreamy Punjabi melody composed by The Weeknd! It works effortlessly because of Aditya Rikhari’s lead vocals, even as Shreya Ghoshal does her magic in the antara.

Polladha Aasaigal – 29 (Sean Roldan) – Tamil: After Poo Paadal, Sean Roldan hits it out of the park again here! The use of Darbari Kaanada raaga is exquisite, with a mild nod to Vidyagasar’s use of the same raaga at places. What makes the song stand out is the almost overpowering, energetic rhythm that carries the otherwise soft melody – the combination works wonders. Sathyaprakash seems perfect and obvious for this song, but the choice of Saindhavi is the X factor by Sean!

Kannakuzhiya – Hi (Jen Martin) – Tamil: While listening to this song, in particular to the generous flute part by Lalit Talluri, my mind started humming ‘Yerikkarai Poongaatre’, that cult classic by Ilayaraja from Thooral Ninnu Pochu (one of Ilayaraja and K.Bhagyaraj’s very best soundtracks). Jen has some imaginative musical phrases peppered through the song. For instance, the song opener, ‘KaNNukizhiya Podhakuzhiya’ features again as a standalone call-out too, while the ‘Ninna edathula’ hook is employed to great effect. GV Prakash Kumar is an inspired choice for singer and he does extremely well for this melody.

Vellichudare – Irandu Vaanam (Dhibu Ninan Thomas) – Tamil: Dhibu produces what I associate with Nivas K Prasanna’s sound! But the composer owns the song the way he introduces the nadaswaram in the first interlude and layers a chorus based counterpoint to Kapil’s vocals in the anupallavi.

Unnai Nambi – Lenin Pandiyan (Ilayaraja) – Tamil: That warm, intensely nostalgic (and familiar) sound and melody from Raja. Shweta Mohan handles the solo wonderfully. The interludes are excellent, as usual.

Alelle Alelle – Srinivasa Mangapuram (GV Prakash Kumar) – Telugu: As usual, GV Prakash Kumar seems to reserve most of his more-interesting experimenting to Telugu film music! The sound here is the most nifty I have heard from him in recent times and definitely not in Tamil! He sings it well too, with Hari Priya.

Hridhayame – Madhuvindhu (Hesham Abdul Wahab) – Malayalam: The film’s soundtrack has 8 songs! I had earlier written about Mellave Mellave and while the other songs did not register for me (En Kaathaake Nee did, but only mildly), the only other song that worked for me was Hridhayame, that too, mainly because it had the familiar Hesham sound that I often complain about

IYKYK – Athiradi (Vishnu Vijay) – Malayalam: Trust Suhail Koya to make a sound out of a social media phrase and truly own it too The lyrics include more phrases, like Sapiosexual and Sigma! Vishnu’s tune works at the level of an annoyingly compelling earworm!

Thendralil – Charulatha Mani (Tamil/Indipop): Charulatha Mani writes, composes and sings Thendralil, and her effort works wonders in all three departments. The song has sparkling, expressive lines like, ‘Kadal nurayil aazham theiyaadhe’ and Ilai nuni pol manadhu alai paaya’. Manonmani’s solo Sarangi stands out among the orchestration since it is used effectively. While the melody is lush and likeable, she does something interesting with the structure – it is essentially a single pallavi used twice. Makes the melody register even better.

Vari Vari – Dhee, Santhosh Narayanan (Tamil/Indipop): There’s a lot of Santhosh Narayanan in the composition even though it seems to be coated with a retro-ish synth melody in the background that makes a big difference from any other song from him. The leading rhythm echoes his more recent earworms like Kanima. Dhee handles the catchy tune with her usual flair.