Music Review: Petta (Tamil)

Composer(s): Anirudh Ravichander
Listen to the songs online here: JioSaavn

Petta marks the first association of director Karthik Subbaraj and Anirudh Ravichander. It's not just that. Petta is also the first time Anirudh is scoring for actor Rajinikanth, who happens to be his uncle IRL. But does the soundtrack live up to the great expectations it set for itself? To some extent, for sure. The fact that Anirudh himself goes behind the mic for three of the six tunes is a bit of a dampener (surprisingly the album features no female singers), but on the bright side, the five instrumental themes that bookend the songs offer an interesting contrast, with Singaar Singh and Jithu Theme (the names of the characters played by Nawazuddin Siddiqui and Vijay Sethupathi respectively) working well as a brooding mix of intrigue and heavy middle-eastern percussion. Marana Mass, though catchy (due credits to Sambalpuri folk group Maa Dhakinakali Singha Baja), is Karuthavanlaam Galeejaam 2.0, with S. P. Balasubrahmanyam adding to the pep factor. (Kaali Theme riffs off the song's hook, giving it a brassy makeover.)

Petta Paraak is tried-and-tested punchy rock, if only offset by the frenzied guitars that form the backbone of the track, while Thappad Maara uses the repeated Jithu ji ne thappad maara refrain against a groovy North Indian folk rhythm, resulting in an absurdly addictive fusion. The trumpet-laden Latinate undercurrent makes its presence felt in the foot-tapping-if-forgettable Aaha Kalyanam, and more so in Ullaalla, with Nakash Aziz's spirited vocals providing the perfect accompaniment. The soundtrack's easy highlight is Ilamai Thirumbudhe, a gentle strings-plucked melody that, while evoking strong memories of his musical debut (not sure if it's the Dhanush connection, who is in charge of the lyrics), benefits immensely from Anirudh's singing. The curious Santhosh Narayanan absence aside, Petta is not the Pongal treat I was hoping for. But for a film that brings together Subbaraj, Ravichander and Rajinikanth under one roof, I sure as hell was hoping for more. Instead what we get is a bunch of songs that are fleetingly catchy, and goes in one ear and out the other.

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