Neethane Enthan Ponvasantham
Release date: 2012 (initial release)
Director: Gautham Menon
Language: Tamil
Editor: Anthony Gonsalves
Genre: Romance Film
Cast : Jiiva, Samantha Ruth Prabhu, Santhaanam
Music : Ilayaraja
There’s always a buzz surrounding a Raja album. This time even more so owing to the fact
that he’s teaming up with Gautham Menon, who is historically known to have great taste in
music. So its intriguing what he could extract from The Maestro. The promos have been
very promising. Lets check out how the songs have fared.
1. Saaindhu Saaindhu:
This is a simple melody with delicate instrumentation. A guitar strumming forms the base
of the tune. It is Instantly likeable. The song’s effectiveness could have been further been
accentuated had it not been sung by Yuvan. He sounds quirky and unstable at places.
Ramya NSK has done a great job.
2. Mudhal Murai:
Daddy’s back! Great orchestration. The string and brass layers are interwoven beautifully.
They build up some sort of tension and anguish. And when the song reaches a crescendo
and breaks into choired “Neethane En Ponvasantham” phrase , I felt goosebumps. The first
interlude is dominated by a violin piece which flows through a tortuous path and segues
back into the main melody. Sunidhi breathes life into this classic composition. Impressive.
3. Vaanam Mella:
Starts off with harmonized choral vocals. Again, great live orchestration. The interludes
could form a melody of their own. Raja plays to his strength, i.e orchestration. Typical IR
number though. Has an old school feel to it. Good but feels slightly outdated.
4. Kaatrai Konjam:
The prelude is awesome with harmonized vocals. The lyrics me reminded me of a
yesteryear Raja classic “Idhu oru ponmalai pozhudu’. But this is such a pure melody. Karthik
just glides through this song with consummate ease. The chord progressions are great with
a mix of jazz elements.
5. Pudikala Mamu:
Romba pudichirukku maamu! Wow.. This is fresh. The song starts off with a guitar solo
with power chords. The song is so peppy. Peppy, Ilayaraja style. That is, inspite of being
such a fun song, it does not compromise on the musicality. Special word has to be put in
for the mixing. Top notch stuff. Starts off as some kind of Tamil rock number then takes the
folk route. Filled with naughtiness, this one is sure to rule the hearts of teenagers and the
youth. The tempo, mood-change midway through the song is inventive. Wild and
Delightful, really. Suraj Jagan and Karthik have scorched this one. Hats off Maestro. My pick.
6. Ennodu Vava:
First when the promos came out, I was not impressed with
this one. The tune had an 80-ish feel . Now after listening
to the full song, I’m very impressed but this still is a typical
80′s melody. Karthik’s mellow vocals sound great. Orchestration meets synth in this grand
new-age Raja melody which still retains that old earthiness. Beautiful melody.
7. Pengal Endral:
A song with a lot of angst. The tune itself is kind of haunting and oozes tension and anger.
The drums and guitars keep pounding with a furious energy indicating the underlying
mood of the song. But it doesnt work for me.
8. Sattru Munbu:
Haunting. Beautiful composition and very beautifully rendered. The symphonic interlude
pieces are just magic. Extensively layered with string and brass, and so intricately arranged,
that it reflects the genius of the man. As one string layer after another unfurls, we are just
left dumstruck. Takes a genius to concieve a song like this. This is heaviest song in the
album. An orchestral feast.
Album Verdict: A great musical from Raja after a long time. All hail the Maestro.
King : Ilayaraja eppovume evergreen than. Seekiram padatha release pannunga...!!!
Venkat Prabhu has the practice of casting his standard band of boys in special cameos like he did in his earlier films. The trend will continue even in Biriyani as recently the director invited his close friends who were part of his earlier projects for a special scene in Biriyani.Vijay Vasanth, Vaibhav Reddy, Ashwin K, Aravind Akaash and Mahath, all who were part of Venkat Prabhu’s Mankatha, dropped by Hyderabad for a day to partake in the shooting. Jai too, was supposed to join the party the following day. It is believed that the scene did not involve Biriyani’s central characters, Karthi and Premgi.
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