After Annamali, there have been a number of attempts to revamp the ‘Superstar’ theme that’s played out at the beginning of every Rajinikanth film.
For the first time, since 2010, Petta’s music director and the rest of the crew have decided to go with the decades old theme music, instead of a new or revamped score.
Petta, Rajinikanth’s upcoming ‘Pongal Release’ film has music by Anirudh Ravichandran, who shot to fame with ‘Why This Kolaveri’, a single from the movie 3 (2011, starring Dhanush) that went viral, clocking over 170 MILLION views on YouTube alone, and spawning covers, rehashes and abominations.
Anirudh has since gone on to score for some of the biggest stars in Kollywood, The Biggest, being Rajinikanth. While the signature guitar riffs find their way into most of the five themes, and the ‘Petta Paraak’ song, the jukebox is nothing short of a heartwarming musical tribute to Rajinikanth; one that the whole team behind the film seem to be high on.
1. Marana Mass Cuts out the Bass
Officially viral, Marana Mass is a throwback to Rajinikanth’s 80’s funk. The rhythm reminds you of Mullum Malarum (1978), in which Rajinikanth plays the iconic ‘Kaali’, which he reprised in a whole new film later. There’s references to his dialogues from the movie, and of course, an S P Balasubramaniam cameo in the song. What more do you need?
Tamil cinema has perfected the Hero Entry Kuthu Paattu since then, and depends heavily on music and instruments that are born of North Chennai’s fisherfolk. Also the language, that unique dialect of Tamil that combines the best of English and the funkiest of Tamil words to form phrases that’ll punch you in the gut.
Consider this;
Sleeve-a suritti varran (he rolls his sleeves as he walks)
Collar-a thaan peratti varran (he flicks his collar as he comes)
Mudiya silippi utta (as he ruffles his hair)
Yerum ullara (something rises within!)
Special mention to the Dhekinakali Singha Baja troupe, a band of folk musicians from Odisha, who drummed their way to instant glory in this song.
2. Ullala - A Baila for the Ages
No Rajinikanth film is complete without a philosophical song. Which is why, many fans felt let down by Kaala, Kabali, Sivaji and the two Shankar Films (Endhiran and 2.0). It had Rajinikanth, but missed a few vital ingredients, including said philosophical song.
Anirudh Ravichandran revives the ‘trend’ with a Baila, a form of folk song born of Portugese colonisation in Sri Lanka, Mangalore and Goa. There’s often a guitar or an ukulele, and quite a bit of simple dancing.
Behold! I clapped and the world was born.
Hey! It’ll swirl the way I want it to
Dei! My shadow will dance with me
Within, it’s always ‘Ullala Ullala’...
Lyricist Vivek surpassed himself with this song. Very few poets are capable of depth and pithiness while keeping the language simple. The trend that started with MGR, who gallavanted on screen to the words of lyricist Kannadasan, was continued by Rajinikanth, who took it to a whole new level with his ‘Ra Ra Ramayya’ song in Baasha (1995).
Ask director Karthik subbaraj, and he’ll tell you this too, is a tribute to Rajinikanth. Baasha, Padayappa and Arunachalam; all of these movies will come to mind as the song flows by.
3. ‘Petta Paraak’ and the Themes
There’s something about retro rock and electronica that’s gaining ground since 2014. Remixes of MSV’s songs from the 60s and 70s in Tamil pop culture, the huge success of Baby Driver and Guardians of the Galaxy (based on music nostalgia) and the wider use of trombones and base guitars all seem intent on resurrecting a genre gone by.
Petta Paraak is an instant recall of Michael Jackson’s ‘I’m Bad’ and ‘Thriller’, with a generous dose of Anirudh’s favourite genre, hard metal, thrown in.
There’s another slow song in the film; Ilamai Thirumbudhe, possibly picturised on Simran who plays Rajinikanth’s female lead in the film. But it’s too reminiscent of many of Anirudh’s love songs gone by and isn’t worth mentioning.
Each of the themes though, are quite intriguing, especially the ones scored for Vijay Sethupathy and Nawazuddin Siddiqui. It kindles curiosity about the characters and is quite worth a couple of loops.
Overall, Petta’s songs are definitely better than Kaala or 2.0’s jukeboxes. The tunes are more catchy, the lyrics easier to remember and the rhyme and rhythm kick in from the word go.
There’s no ominous sense of doom or stories of hate and oppression to deal with. The music is upbeat and oozes a positive vibe from start to finish. A great start to your morning. And a good way to end it too!
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