Vada Chennai which released on Wednesday marked Santhosh Narayanan’s 25th album as a music composer. After debuting alongside Pa.Ranjith in 2012’s Attakkathi, his songs have carved out a niche largely due to their unconventional nature. While other composers are caught up in the race to invent new sounds, Santhosh Narayanan’s compositions are minimalist in approach.
We take a look at some of the composer’s best songs.
‘Neruppu Da’ – Kabali
In this first Rajinikanth-Pa. Ranjith film, Santhosh Narayanan opts for electronic guitar and electronic sounds – a rather unusual choice for the music director. Featuring siren sounds at the beginning which gradually give way to Arunraja Kamaraj’s rap, the song became a rage much before the movie’s release. It has now become synonymous with the superstar, so much so that it was used in his next movie Kaala when his name flashes at the start.
‘Dhesayum Ezhundhaney’ – Jigarthanda
This is a gem that went unnoticed. Though the romantic track hasn’t been allotted much screen time in this movie, it is a testament to Santhosh Narayanan’s talent that the heartbreak of the heroine is still felt by the viewer through the song. Restricting the soundscape largely to a basic piano, Meenakshi Iyer’s rustic rendition is aided a great deal by Pradeep Kumar’s lyrics and both work hand in glove to convey the emotion of emptiness.
‘Usura Narambuley’ – Irudhi Suttru
If the previous song spoke about emptiness, this one spoke about yearning. Penned by Vivek and sung by Dhee, the composer’s unconventional style comes to play yet again. Devoid of any beat or percussion instruments, the song is sustained entirely by the singer’s powerful voice for the most part, with just an organ and a few other instruments occasionally adding character to the song.
‘Naan Nee’ – Madras
Joining hands with his regular collaborator, Pa. Ranjith, this is a song that doesn’t fit into the typical ‘Santhosh Narayanan’ mould. Unlike his usual songs, this one is laced with instruments and is as conventional as it can get. Along with Dhee, Shakthisree Gopalan breathes life into this melody that keeps simmering from beginning till end.
‘Ey Sandakkara’ – Irudhi Suttru
Santhosh Narayanan, along with Dhee, creates a beautiful song that talks about being smitten with love. What’s beautiful is that the song is structured in such a way that the crests and troughs bring to the listener’s mind the image of someone hopping around fantasizing about their love. This is what is precisely conveyed through the video too.
