Kaala music review: Santhosh Narayanan’s album evokes a sense of revolution in Rajinikanth’s film

Kaala music review: Rajinikanth starrer, directed by Pa Ranjith, has music by Santhosh Narayanan of the ‘Neruppu Da’ fame.

Kaala, meaning black, is a film starring superstar Rajinikanth and has been directed by Pa Ranjith. It is about standing up against the unjust system and for freedom; it champions the cause of labourers and fights caste prejudice. Director Pa Ranjith is known to add political commentary in his film with subtlety.

Rajinikanth starrer Kaala’s audio was released on Wednesday.

The upcoming film’s album, which was released on Wednesday, however, shows that there is little that is subtle about Kaala. There are nine songs in the album, all of which bring out the pain and frustration of being a downtrodden.

My personal favourites are Poraaduvom and Theruvilakku, which are hip hop and rap in style. It is not just the music that won me over, but the powerful lyrics that add attitude to the songs. Especially in Poraaduvom, there is a chorus in Marathi, Hindi and Tamil that convey the same emotion -- this fight is not constricted to a region, but is one that has to be fought by all.

Theruvilakku is about fighting on, even in the face of challenges. The first two lines are enough to make one smile. Here’s how they go, “We study under the streetlights, to raise to the top and grow; We may live in poverty and yet we will make history.” That hip hop as a music genre was born for revolution is proved with this song.

There is something raw about the entire album.

Kannamma, meanwhile, is simple and beautiful. Bereft of any polish, it is simply the emotion that is conveyed through music. Centred around the theme of victory, it says success is not sweet enough if there are no hurdles. This song also reminds one of Santhosh’s popular composition ’Aagayam Theepika Nila Thoonguma’ from Pa Ranjith’s older film, Madras.

Next, is a ‘mass’ song, Semma Weightu, which was released earlier as a single. The song has a zing to it, but it is nowhere close to the iconic number ‘Neruppu Da’ from Kabali, composed by Santhosh.

Urimai Meetpom and Nikkal Nikkal are an extension of Poraaduvom and Theruvilakku, and pretty much carry forward the same spirit.

Then there is the title song which rides on Rajiikanth’s powerful dialogue delivery. From, “Kya Re Setting ah?” to “Vengai Mavan Othaile Nikke (Son of Vengai stands alone)”, the song is an experience. You might not like it the first time. Hear it out again and it will grow on you...

The album has two stars -- first, being the lyrics by Arunraja Kamaraj, Kabilan, Uma Devi, Roshan Jamrock, Logan and Arivu. The rapper-songwriter crew from Dharavi, Dopeadelicz, who have rapped for four out of nine songs, is the other highlight of the album.

The film, produced by Dhanush’s Wunderbar Studios, is slated to release on June 7 and also stars Nana Patekar, Pankaj Tripathi and Huma Qureshi in pivotal roles.

Author tweets @Priyanka_S_MCC
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