Listen: Mohan Sithara's "Chanchala Druthapada" (Malayalam)

Where is Mohan Sithara? He seems to have gone AWOL completely, which is a crying shame because he has delivered some of the most euphonious melodies I have heard in Malayalam film music. Chanchala Druthapada — from the 2001 film Ishtam (more on that below) — is perhaps a good window to his discography as any, a brindabani sarang raga-based pure classical bliss (Sithara would go on to employ the same raga for the utterly spectacular Mazhayil later in 2006), accentuated further by Chithra's flawless singing and a beautiful blend of flute and traditional percussion instruments.

Ishtam has an interesting story of its own. The film went on to be remade in Hindi as Mere Baap Pehle Aap with a musical score by Vidyasagar, who crafted the gorgeous piece Jaana Hai Tujhko (as a stand-in for Chanchala...) that he later reused in the Malayalam film Geethaanjali as Koodilla Kuyilamme. What a round trip!