Originally published in The Hindu.
Oadittaanga – Unnodu Ka (Tamil – C.Sathya)
Imagine the scene of a couple of running away from a village, with hundreds of villagers on their heels, chasing them, usually to catch and skin them alive. Oadittaanga, however, adds a devious twist to that scene. It’s a highly amusing and enjoyable celebration of a couple’s eloping, as if the villagers are relieved that the couple finally decided to elope! C.Sathya’s music is loaded with manic energy, almost like signifying the speed at which the couple eloped!
Listen to Oadittaanga on DooPaaDoo.
Naa gudsi – Jigarthanda (Kannada – Arjun Janya)
Jigarthanda is the Kannada remake of the Tamil film of the same name and Kannada composer Arjun Janya has a completely new set of tunes, very different from Santhosh Narayanan’s stylish Tamil soundtrack. Naa gudsi has a strong whiff of Vidyasagar as far as the tune goes—Villadhi Villain’s Madisaaru kattindu (Bombai Maami), to be specific—but that rhythm is so very Ilayaraja! Anuradha Bhat leads the song with her sweet, teasing rendition, ably supported by Vyasaraj.
Ud-daa Punjab – Udta Punjab (Hindi – Amit Trivedi)
Udta Punjab has electric music by Amit Trivedi, who seems bent on diverting our attention from the Yo Yo Honey Singh brand of Punjabi music. The soundtrack’s best, Ud-daa Punjab, written by Varun Grover (“Rifle dikha ke mushairey luttiye; Oopar se kudd ke aj tuttiye; Kaali si botal mein rangeen bhar ke khaab… Ud-dda Punjab!”), does that very well, oozing relentless bravado, set to an insanely addictive and funky tune.
Challa – Suno (Indipop – Shilpa Rao)
Shilpa Rao has a unique enough voice that stands out and her repertoire with composers like Mithoon has produced many a gems. Her first independent album is, as she calls it, her ‘love for the legends’, an impressive reimagination of iconic songs like Mast kalandar, Ankhiyan udeek diya and Akhiyan nu rehn de. The album’s best is a new song penned by Shellee, though. The captivating tune sounds almost like an Avial song! Sharat Chandra Srivastava pulls off a Stéphane Grappelli-style (Conversations, with L.Subramaniam) violin, while Bhanu Mendiratta’s guitar too adds a fantastic layer. But it is Shilpa’s ethereal vocals that tops it all!
Listen to Challa on Saavn.
Kaav kaav – Okka Ammayi Thappa (Telugu – Mickey J Meyer)
Mickey J Meyer who produced a decidedly electronic soundtrack for Brahmotsavam, uses a similar template for Kaav kaav here. The song is a sure-shot foot-stomper that lives up to its promise of painting the town red, with a bouncy rhythm that incorporates desi elements brilliantly. Abhay Jodhpurkar opens the song perfectly, and Haricharan joins him in the catchy anupallavi, while both land the hook with absolute ease and let the feet do the talking!
