The year that went by saw a slew of mellifluous and breakthrough Mollywood songs that were noted for their freshness in composition and rendering. Along with some new entrants in music, seasoned composers and singers too reigned their domains by creating a few lasting tunes.
The year opened with Rajeev Ravi’s debut movie ‘Annayum Rasoolum’ that produced some out-of-the-box tracks composed by K (Krishna Kumar). The film featured remix versions of two songs by Mehboob, ‘Kandu Randu Kannu’ and ‘Kaayalinarike’ that created much impact among listeners. The other songs were ‘Kando Kando’, ‘Vazhivakkil’, ‘Yaaname’ and ‘Zammiluni’, which too had a lyrical quality that matched the tone of the movie.
Songs of other films released in the beginning of the year, including ‘Lisammayude Veedu’, ‘Ente’, ‘Nee Ko Njaa Cha’ and ‘Maad Dad’, went largely unnoticed, while some fast numbers in movies like ‘Kammath & Kammath’ and ‘Romans’ stayed on the airwaves briefly.
‘Celluloid’ released in February and created a sensation with its brilliant story-telling. The music of this Kamal flick was also much appreciated and brought in the best director award for M Jayachandran and the best female singer award for Sithara (for the song ‘Enundodi’). However the real showstealers of the film’s music was the magic of yesteryear Malayalam songs recreated spectacularly by G Sreeram and Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, who rendered to perfection the evergreen song, ‘Katte Katte’.
The real surprise of the year came in the form of the divine comedy ‘Amen’ which released in March. The fairy tale story of Solomon and Sosanna was narrated with a judicious mix of melodies. Out of the seven songs composed by Prashant Pillai, each one stands apart for its musical charm. ‘Solomanum Sosannayum’, ‘Aathmavil’, ‘Pampara Pa Pa’, ‘Vattoli’ rendered by singers like Preeti Pillai, Kavita Mohan, Shwetha M and Lucky Ali still linger in the minds of the audience. The latter half of the year saw some melodic songs like ‘Vaathil Charumo’ by Shreya Ghoshal and Veetraag (August Club) and Etho Sayahna’ by Sachin Warrier (10.30 a.m. Local Call).
‘5 Sundarikal’, an anthology of five stories had five composers as well. The theme song ‘Ekantham’ composed by Gopi Sundar and ‘Manthara Katte’ by Yakzan Gary Pereira were well appreciated. The four songs of ‘Left Right Left’, especially the anthem ‘Kaal Kuzhanju’ (composer-Gopi Sundar) also got noticed for its rythmic music.
Some other songs like ‘Thirayum Theeravum’ from Jeethu Joseph’s Memories, ‘Thazhvaram’ from ‘Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi’, ‘Pistah Suma Kira’ from Neram’, ‘Otta Thumbi’ from ‘Pullipulikalum Aattinkuttiyum’ ‘Manikyachirakulla’ from Idukki Gold, ‘Veyil Chilla’ from Zachariyayude Garbhinikal, ‘Mezhuthiriyude’ from ‘Vishudhan’ were chartbusters on television channels and radio stations for several weeks.
M Jayachandran’s ‘Lalee, lalee’ from ‘Kalimannu’ sung by Mridula Warrier was a poignant experience for the listeners. Jayachandran and Gopi Sundar topped the list of composers who produced maximum hit songs in the year, while Ouseppachan, Vidyasagar and Biji Pal were also not far behind.
The year also saw many actors like Dulquer Salmaan, Dileep, Remya Nambeeshan, Meera Nandan, Murali Gopi and Jayasurya humming to the tunes of the music directors, some rather successfully.