3 years after the super hit Hridayam, Vineeth Sreenivasan is back with his new directorial titled Varshangalkku Shesham. One of the most beautiful elements of a Vineeth Sreenivasan film is the songs – his keen attention to ragas, tunes and the method of audio recording leads to truly great melodies. In Varshangalkku Shesham, Vineeth teams up with Amrit Ramnath, the son of legendary singer Bombay Jayashri. The movie has 9 songs and one theme song. Let’s take a closer look at these songs that have emerged from the Vineeth Sreenivasan-Amrit Ramnath combo.
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Varaveena
This song is a recreation of an original composition by Appaiah Deekshitar. Varaveena features vocals by Kadambari Karthik and the Sargam Choir of Dr Sudha Raja. The song uses the grand piano and a string quartet ballad, to give itself a Western touch, that goes amazingly well with the Carnatic verses. Carnatic and Western music run in parallel, creating a marriage of both forms and thereby, a magical experience. The song also generates a period drama vibe, which suits the movie perfectly.
Madhu Pakaroo
Written and sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan, this song has a beautiful rhythm and melody that makes listeners groove to it instantly. The use of a folk percussion instrument, Kartal, gives the song a Qawwali touch while the use of Rehab, a Persian instrument, along with the guitar layers adds grace. Deviating from his usual style of having fun and quirky lyrics, Vineeth chooses to go with lyrics that have deep meaning. The intricate detailing of the song, like the addition of the sounds of glasses, gives it an authentic touch, making them additional instruments to generate music in this piece. Devu Khan Manganiyar’s background vocals too help in giving Madhu Pakaroo the vibes of a Qawwali song, sung for a celebration.
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Nyabagam
One of the only Tamil songs in the songs, Nyabagam is sung by the music director Amrit Ramnath himself, along with Sindoora Jishnu. The lyrics for this song have been penned down by Bombay Jayashri. The slow and pensive music, with simple piano notes and pensive strums of the violin and cello, gives this song a heartwarming feeling and huge emotional depth. The many emotions in the lyrics give it a soulful touch and make the listener feel like they are at a critical emotional juncture in the film. As Vineeth and his team stated during the release of this song, Nyabagam surely is the soul of the film and its music album.
Jeevithagaadhakale
Sung by KS Chithra, Sreevalsan J Menon and Mithun Jayaraj, this song has lyrics penned down by Vaisakh Sugunan. The lyrics symbolise a journey towards a big goal. The singers’ beautiful voices make this song an absolute treat to the listeners. The music is quite complex, with an ensemble orchestra comprised of a mix of percussion, flutes, piano and strings, set up for the tunes. KS Chithra’s vocals, in particular, carry the whole song and outshine the orchestra. The rhythm of the song has a close resemblance to the rhythm of a moving train, making it feel like the driving force behind individuals chasing their dreams.
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Sangamam
Penned by Manu Manjith and sung by the veteran singer Balram, this song sounds like a 70s melody. Several undertones exist in the song, especially the layers of Tabla and Sitar, alongside the synths and strings. Balaram’s soulful voice and the layer of trumpets give the listener a heartwarming feeling. Though Sangamam has an ancient touch, the sound quality imparted by modern technology gives it a very different feel.
Njaanaalunna
Written by Vaisakh Sugunan and sung by Hesham Abdul Wahab, this song makes repeated transitions from minor to major scales throughout. The tunes are very catchy due to the layers of violins and the strings ensemble. This song is definitely a challenge for any singer, but Hesham seems to have pulled it off effortlessly with his soul-stirring and emotive voice making it an incredibly soothing listen. The string ensemble, being intense, gives this song a dramatic effect. The song symbolizes the build-up to something big, that may happen at a crucial juncture in the film.
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Pyara Mera Veera
Penned by Vineeth Sreenivasan and sung by Siddharth Basrur and Sanjeeta Bhattacharya, this song has celebration and mass written all over it. The tunes support the same idea, and the lyrics are quirky, much like Vineeth’s usual style. Siddharth Basrur’s powerful voice makes the song groovy. The tunes are built on marching sounds along with intense electric guitars that give the song a catchy beat. The stylish nature of the tunes is sure to make it into several celebrity edits. Built around the character played by Nivin Pauly in this film, this song celebrates his stardom. The Spanish voiceover by Sanjeeta Bhattacharya adds to the charm of this song.
Karakaana
Written by Vaisakh Sugunan, this song is sung by Vineeth Sreenivasan and Divya Vineeth. Karakaana relies heavily on strings, giving it a feel of reminiscing friendships. Vineeth’s and Divya’s voices elevate this feeling, making one think of the journey of friendship, overcoming all the obstacles that stand in its way. This breezy, feel-good song will embrace you like a warm hug.
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Varshangalkku Shesham Theme
We’ve all heard this song in the teaser and trailer of Varshangalkku Shesham. It attempts to capture the essence of the past in all its flamboyance. The strings, Indian melody influences, Irish vocals, and opera-like voiceovers, all give it a sense of playfulness, joyfulness and enthusiasm.
Joo Roo Ba
Sung by Afsal, this song is written by Vineeth Sreenivasan. Joo Roo Ba is more like an ode to the party bangers of the bygone era, where singers usually had a ball while singing the song. The tunes are reminiscent of the era of party songs that had loud disco-style music and relied heavily on percussion and strings. Afsal does exactly what is needed to take us to that era – switching effortlessly between his normal voice and a falsetto.
So these were the songs from the much-awaited Varshangalkku Shesham Audio Jukebox. The main essence of the entire jukebox has to be the strings that feature in a prominent role in almost all songs. Amrit Ramnath makes a smashing debut in Malayalam with Vineeth Sreenivasan, which is surely going to open several doors for him, just like what happened with Hesham Abdul Wahab after Hridayam.
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My favourites from this jukebox would be Nyabagam, Njaanaalunna, Pyara Mera Veera, Madhu Pakaroo and Jeevithagaadhakale. With the film releasing today, let us know if these songs generated the same feeling within the film, as it did while only listening to the audio.
