Vetri Selvan: High on melody, low on trendy tunes

Monday, November 19,

Film: “Vetri Selvan”

Music Director: Mani Sharma

Singers: Mano, K.G.Ranjith, Rahul Nambiar, Shreya Ghoshal, Haricharan, Mahathi, Bhargavi Pillai and Hemachandra

Lyricist: Madhan Karky

Rating: **/2

Mani Sharma, who is currently basking in the success of two back-to-back hits in Telugu, has finally taken out time to compose music for a Tamil album titled “Vetri Selvan”, which has a very archaic feel in its overall composition with occasional trendy tunes to impress all sections of the audience.

There are five songs in the album featuring the voices of Mano, K.G Ranjith, Rahul Nambiar, Shreya Ghosal, Haricharan, Mahathi, Bhargavi Pillai and Hemachandra. Lyricist Madhan Karky has penned all the songs.

The first in the soundtrack is called “Adidas”, and it is crooned by Mano, K.G Ranjith and Rahul Nambiar. This number sounds catchy with Karky’s fresh and welcoming lyrics, yet it fails to leave an impact because of the lack of its energetic composition.

“Megathile” by Shreya Ghosal is melodious and original. Thanks to Mani, this particular track is proof to the composer’s hidden potential that unfortunately we don’t get to witness very often. This soothing number has a very earthy tempo hitting the right notes throughout the song, and thus helps in developing instant connection.

The next number “Yennai yennai” is a romantic duet crooned by Haricharan and Mahathi. Mani has given several melodious duets over the years and this one may very likely go down that list. The masterful concoction of different ragas with sporadic Carnatic compositions pave to way to a unique experience. Seldom do you hear a song solely built on Veena notes, but this track is precisely one such song.

Rahul Nambiar and Bhargavi Pillai breathe life into the song “Vittu vittu”, which is Mani’s signature composition with strings, pads and an array few other instruments. This number oscillates between melody and classic rock, giving one a feeling of deja vu by the time one finishes listening to the song.

“Deivatha pole” is a solo number by Hemachandra. It sounds gloomy overall, but is backed by strong musical composition. Since the song is high on emotional quotient, Mani has chosen instruments with precision to perfectly fit the mood of the song.

The soundtrack is high on melody, but low on delivering trendy tunes.