Sarkar music review: AR Rahman delivers an adequately enjoyable album in his fourth collaboration with Vijay

After delivering a sensation album in Mersal, AR Rahman’s second consecutive soundtrack for Thalapathy Vijay in Sarkar created a lot of excitement when the collaboration was announced. The project marks Rahman’s fourth soundtrack for Vijay after Udhaya, Azhagiya Tamizh Magan, and Mersal. While Azhagiya Tamizh Magan is easily the most accessible and entertaining Rahman album for a Vijay film, the kind of impact that celebratory anthem ‘Aalaporaan Tamizhan’ from Mersal created is quite unparalleled. The song’s video has, till date, crossed 76 million views on YouTube, making it one of the most viral tracks ever produced by Rahman. [caption id=“attachment_5372541” align=“alignnone” width=“825”] Vijay in Sarkar promo. Image via Twitter[/caption] Sarkar is an adequately enjoyable album from Rahman, though it lacks the punch of Azhagiya Tamizh Magan and the pay-off that Mersal offered to music buffs after repeated listens. While Mersal was a four-song album, Rahman has churned out five tracks in Sarkar, which marks his first association with AR Murugadoss in Tamil. The duo earlier delivered a chart-buster album for the Hindi version of Ghajini, which starred Aamir Khan and Asin as leads. Simtaangaaran  The song, which was released as the first single from the album and fetched mixed reactions on social media, is indeed quite entertaining on replays. With lyricist Vivek in top-notch form with his delightfully interesting lines in Madras slang, Bamba Bakya’s commanding vocals leave your foot tapping. The second interlude, especially the “Kokkalangaa Kokkalangaa Kokkalangaa Gubeelu”, is beautifully composed! Oru Viral Puratchi Cut from the same cloth as Aalaporaan Tamizhan, ‘Oru Viral Puratchi’ is easily the best song of the album. Vijay, at the audio launch of the film, dedicated the song to an entire generation of Tamils across the world. While Rahman joined forces with Shreya Ghoshal for the sweet melody ‘Neethanae’ in Mersal, he has headlined the Sarkar album with his spirited singing in ‘Oru Viral Puratchi’. Vivek has done a fantastic job with his lyrics in the song, which talks subtly about electoral politics and the helplessness of people. Top Tucker Top Tucker is absolute fun with Mohit Chauhan behind the mic. While Rahman leaves his mark with an exciting tune, Mohit Chauhan matches it with his instantly catchy Yendae hook. This is the kind of track that will make Vijay fans go berserk in theaters with the star’s effortless dance moves. OMG Ponnu While the shades of ‘Indiralogathu Sundariye’ from 2.0 is unmissable in ‘OMG Ponnu’, the song is quite disappointing with a perfunctory tune. Even the powerful voices of Jonita Gandhi and Sid Sriram couldn’t save this track. Lyricist Vivek has collated all the frequently used conversational acronyms like OMG, ROFL, ASAP and IDK in the song in an attempt to hold the interest of listeners. CEO in the House ‘CEO in the House’ is another underwhelming track from the album. Rahman’s mediocre tune fails to live up to the energetic vocals of Blaaze and Nakul Abhyankar. Considering that Rahman is long-known for his memorable and immensely rhythmic theme tracks, especially for star heroes, ‘CEO in the House’ is one of the weakest themes produced by the Oscar winner.