Aaru Audio

Devi Sriprasad has so far stayed on middle ground. His albums like Maayaavi, Sachein and Mazhai have all contained some good numbers. At the same time, very few numbers have been good for repeated listens and none have reached the level where they could be called “among the best songs of the year”. He continues the same in the Surya-Trisha starrer Aaru. There is good variety and the album has a couple of decent numbers. But its nothing to be excited about.

1. Aei Thottute Thotte…
A rather catchy duet with a nice interlude in the Unkitta Maattikichu…bit. There is just too much percussion throughout the song though and the drumbeats in the two stanzas overwhelm the song. The small bit between the stanzas, with a guy sounding like he is straining real hard in the restroom, is totally unnecessary.

2. Dhrogam Dhrogam…
This intense number sung passionately by Hariharan(perfect choice) comes as a surprise in a movie advertised as a mass masala film. The Dhrogam Dhrogam… interludes add some pace and pep to an otherwise ordinary pathos number. As the title indicates, the song is about betrayal and has some nice lyrics.

3. Nenjam Ennum…
A melodious, soothing short piece that had me asking for more. Gopika Poornima sounds great. Has she sung any other songs?

4. Nenjam Ennum…
What a difference the beats make! This number has the same tune as the previous song but the fast beats and upbeat voices of the singers (especially Kalpana) make this an energetic, folksy duet. The recent trend of adding rap-like bits with completely silly lyrics continues here too. Needless to say, I prefer the other version.

5. Onnu Rendu…
Sounds like a generic intro song for Surya. As in all such songs, the lines are filled with threats aimed at the bad guys and philosophies and advice aimed at the audience. Hope Surya doesn’t start singing to the screen too.

6. Paakkaadhe Ennai…
A slow number that sounds like an 80’s number. It is a duet but is a bit too low-key. I actually thought it was a pathos number before I listened more carefully to the lyrics.

7. Soda Bottle…
The song starts with a take-off on the old number Marudhamalai Maamaniye…. But then it’s a typical duppanguthu song that goes exactly how you would expect a song starting with Soda Bottle… to go. At places, the song sounds like a more duppanguthu version of Sachein’s Vaadi Vaadi….