2018 – Top 20 Tamil Songs >> Song of the Year

Song: The life of Ram
Movie: 96
Composer: Govind Vasantha
Singer: Pradeep Kumar
Lyricist: Karthik Netha

This song has monopolized my thoughts ever since its release. There have been many travel movies and songs over the years and every time they are done right, they just make us feel that it’s just the right way to go in life. As I always think that no matter how much you convince yourself that leaving everything behind and taking a long, wild trek in solitude is a pointless farce in practicality, you cannot help but feel a tinge of humility creeping inside of you when watching someone go in their own terms and actually do that. “The Life of Ram” creates that impact in a matter of 6 minutes with its stunning visuals and literary confessions in the eye of a traveler, telling a few powerful short stories along its own wanderlust. With an understated opening tune, I did not expect much on first hear. But when Pradeep’s voice soars at “Vaazha En Vaazhvai Vaazhave”, the song becomes something else, brimming me with an overloaded sack of ecstasy, which I had felt when I heard Harris’s “Moongil Kadugale” for the first time in the divine voice of Hariharan.

Who deserves the credit for this masterful creation? Is it the profound literary sense of Karthik Netha whose words of wisdom on contentment though detachment flow like the buoyant mind of an incurable romantic? Is it the director’s visual metaphors on life and love through the gorgeous shots of waters, winds, sands and hills? Is it the composer’s blatant love for dignified music and powerful notations of highs and lows matching the intensity of confessions. Is it Vijay Sethupathi’s standout performance through expressions of silence, joy, ecstasy and humility? I like to think that it is the free-spirited life force buried inside every human being. It acts as a mirror to these wonderful artistes making them produce such uplifting creative work!

Pradeep Kumar is the male voice of the year! He is in fact the lifeblood of this song. Every little shivering note he captures adds a classical beauty to the song, not to mention Govind Vasantha’s brilliance dissolved in it like an invisible musical monster. During those towering lines, “Edho Aegam Ezhudhe, Aaha Aazham Tharudhe”, his voice cuts through the soul to the core and watching Vijay Sethupathi express complete surrender to nature’s imperial wonder by looking up the gushing falls is one sublime moment that would linger in my mind forever.

“Karai Vandha Pirage” is not just another song to me. It nurtures my thoughts, pets me when I am fussy, calms me when I am restless, strokes me to sleep when I am tired and feeds me when I wish to travel. It’s a great companion. I will hold its hands and walk ecstatically like a toddler for a long time to come.

2018 – Top 20 Tamil Songs >> 2

Song: Raajali
Movie: 2.0
Composer: AR Rahman
Singers: Blaaze, Arjun Chandy, Sid Sriram
Lyricist: Madhan Karky

Though Rahman swept the National Award in ‘Roja’ for his soulful music and announced to the world that he was here to stay, it was his audacious dance beats and rampant high-pitched singing that made him an icon among the youth in urban pop culture. “Chikku Bukku Rayile”, “Urvasi Urvasi”, “Arabic Kadaloram”, “Rangeela Re”, Palakattu Machanukku”, “No Problem”, “Romeo Attam Pottaa” – all went on to be chart-busters with beats enthralling a generation of youth back then. ‘Raajali’ is a glorious trip down the memory lane for his fans back to the 90s. The anthem style orchestration here reminds me of that sensational opening music in “Edudaa Antha Suriya Melam” from Puthiya Mannargal, which at that point in my life had kept me spellbound for months. There is none better than Rahman in producing anthems on such a grand scale. Raajali brings back that enchantment in magnificent style. The track begins with a steady chorus of “Isaac Asimov Perandaa…Sundakka Size Soorandaa” backed by war-cry-like beats setting us up with such excitement. And then those thunderous beats at 0:14! Wow! Savage! It gives me the chills every time – like the rapturously thumping walk of a terminator. I could slice away the rest of the song and just listen to this loop all day long. “Isaipuyal” for no better reason! The anthem bit follows with the vocals and boundless energy of Blaaze, Sid Sriram and Arjun Chandy who with their fiery delivery (also, cleverly masking the word 3.0 with vague pronunciation to avoid spoilers) turn up the track’s heat producing inconceivable thrills, especially when I hear them explode, “Maasey…Naan Podimaasu”. Those rousing closing moments of the song when the anthem extends on a full-scale thump for 40 seconds shows that Rahman still is the king of grand music! With Raajali, Rahman comes fully loaded, all guns blazing, giving us the ultimate stormer of the year.

2018 – Top 20 Tamil Songs >> 3

Song: Vasantha Kaalangal
Movie: 96
Composer: Govind Vasantha
Singer: Chinmayi
Lyricist: Uma Devi

It is a like a painting that vibrates hypnotically. The composer has gone full Zen here! It’s a minimalist’s dream. The sheer meditative quality in Mithun Raju’s serene guitar play elevates this track to a league of its own. If guitar had a heart on its own, then its valves are the strings between Mithun’s fingers. Chinmayi is a treasure to the world of singing. Her voice of gold sways to the brilliance of the notes as though she wrote it in her mind before the composer even thought of them. When her voice soars at “Paarvayin, Paaramaiyil”, it makes you gasp in wonder for a fleeting moment. She lives through the lovely words of Uma Devi who masterfully describes the gut wrenching pain of separation. This song has the quality of a necessary evil, which can scavenge your heart for the deeply quarantined memories and then shore them up painfully until your throat and no further. On first hear, when the song ended abruptly after 5 minutes, I was let down like a kid stripped off from the first bite of a chocolate. I was even scraping the internet to see whether the full version was available anywhere. However, the song’s ending is perfect in the movie’s context as she leaves him abruptly without the strength to prolong it further as they both know it can never happen in reality. Only memories and wishful thinking can prevail. What better composition to blend with the ending! Govind Vasantha is a musical alchemist.