Rangasthalam music review: Devi Sri Prasad's soundtrack perfectly reflects rural essence of Ram Charan-starrer

The Rangasthalam jukebox is definitely Devi Sri Prasad’s (DSP) most offbeat album yet. The music composer has come up with a pretty non commercial playlist for this upcoming Telugu film, directed by Sukumar and starring Samantha Akkineni and Ram Charan. And it surely is the folk album of the year. [caption id=“attachment_4411999” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Samantha Akkineni and Ram Charan in Rangasthalam[/caption] Every song on this album is tailor-made for the movie set in a village and captures rural essence at its best. The album is also an instant reminder of many Telugu shows like Rasamayi Daruvu. And lyricist Chandra Bose and DSP beautifully present to us many Andhra and Telengana Janapadas with this out-and-out folk playlist for Rangasthalam. Here is what we enjoyed from this refreshing album of sorts: ‘Yentha Sakkagunnave’

Starting with the most addictive song of the album, ‘Yentha Sakkagunnave’s catchy chorus will endure in on our minds for a long time. DSP’s rendition of ‘Yentha Sakkagunave’, written in praise of Lakshmi played by Samantha, is not only catchy but gives us the true essence of the rural atmosphere in which Ram Charan and Samantha establish a chemistry. The folk track is subtle and DSP strings together Yeru Senaga Kosam Mattine Tavvithe Yekanga Tagilina Lanke Bindha laga Yentha Sakkagunnave oh so beautifully! ‘Ranga Ranga Rangasthalaana’

The title track doesn’t disappoint either and transcends into genres throughout its duration. Imagine fast beat Telugu kuthu gets a fusion with folk? That is exactly what we get with ‘Ranga Ranga.’ The song gets you into the groove and is one of those tracks you could imagine being played in a town fair. It is raw and a celebratory song of sorts and Rahul Sipling is perfect for this DSP composition. The song breaks into many fast beats throughout and you can’t help but do ‘dan da naka’ or rather ‘tung do tung do tungo do.’ At the same time, Rahul’s vocals dominate the more poetic segments of the song. ‘Rangamma Mangamma’

Yet another composition tailor-made for Samantha’s role in the film, ‘Rangamma Mangamma’ is peppy and MM Manasi’s vocals stand out in this one. One can’t miss the seductive tone the singer sets with ‘Rangamma Mangamma, Yen Piladu,’ which is otherwise a light-hearted and chirpy song. She dominates this traditional song filled with humorous lyrics with an extremely quirky rendition and this track also infused with ‘sannai melam’ beats among others, is our new favourite after ‘Yentha Sakkagunnave.’ While ‘Yentha Sakkagunnave’ maintains the same rhythm throughout, ‘Rangamma Mangamma’ is a rather fun track emoting a playful romance between the leads. ‘Aa Gattununtaava’

‘Aa Gattuntaava’ is for the ones who like pure folk, all the way East Godavari style. It is very rare that we come across such compositions in a mainstream film album and Rangasthalam does exactly that. If we thought the other tracks so far are folk, with Aa Gattuntaava, the makers take it to its original roots. This track is the purest form of Janapada Geethalu with loads of drum beats. Shiva Naagulu was rightly chosen to deliver this diverse song. Aa Gatapana Untava brings together many traditional elements and is a fun tune to break into. ‘Jigelu Rani’

‘Jigelu Rani’ is the ‘Diyalo Diyalo’ of the album. ‘Diyalo Diyalo’ from 100% love for the same director was also one of the few songs were we got a taste of DSP’s folk side and Jigelu takes over as one of those. This happens to the be the item number of the jukebox and makes you want to do a step or two. ‘Jigelu Rani’, by the sounds of it, has got all the village men at Jigelu Rani’s doorstep breaking into Kuthu beats, as well, every once in a while. Rela Kumar and Ganta Venkata Lakshmi’s vocals on the track are local renditions at its best. You can’t miss their strong Rayalaseema slang throughout this entertaining composition. Rangasthalam is definitely Tollywood’s hatke album of the year, with not one commercial track. It is a welcome break from routine compositions and the title track too sticks to the folk genre with plenty of interesting experimentation. And DSP gives us one more reason to trust him when it comes to blockbuster albums like this. It would be biased to say — Not one track from this album goes unnoticed; but we are going to say exactly that. We took in this pure folk so well and enjoyed every bit of it. The album is sheer joy for even the Gen X and we can only imagine how much old folk lovers will cherish Rangasthalam. We can’t wait to watch how well these songs transcend to screen with Ram Charan, Samantha and the many supporting actors who seem to have put together a revenge drama in a rather unique new way. Rangasthalam is all set for a worldwide release this Friday, 30 March.