The reuse of Raja’s own, very-ascetic Pichai paathiram, with Madhu Balakrishnan almost doing a Yesudass and Sadhana Sargam’s divinely serene Amma un pillai (Maatha un kovilil, the original, features as a snippet) strongly echo the Raja of yore – austere backgrounds that wrap a memorable tune. Om siva om is full-on Shiva assault, treated with all the authenticity this resounding bhajan demands. Shreya’s Kannil paarvai (and the similarly-tuned Oru kaatril, by Raja), carries a thematically-apt, desolate poignancy, except for that strangely incongruous rhythm. On the whole, though, Naan kadavul gets a booster shot of expectation with this rich, atmospheric soundtrack.
Keywords: Bala, Ilayaraja, Arya, Pooja
