Thaana Serndha Kootam music review: Anirudh Ravichander's latest album is low on romance, high on fun

Another year, another entertaining Anirudh Ravichander album hits the stand. This time round, the music director has composed songs for Suriya for the first time and the Thaana Serndha Kootam (TSK) album seems to have many hits, albeit with its share of misses. [caption id=“attachment_4291805” align=“alignnone” width=“825”]  Still from Thaana Serndha Koottam. Image from Twitter/@SaktivelThamban.[/caption] The upcoming Tamil film’s music happens to be one of Ravichander’s works which is low on romance. The usual heart warming tracks take a back seat and give way to the more fun, peppy and motivational tunes. Here is what we thought of the various tracks from the Thaana Serndha Kootam album ‘Naana Thaana’

‘Naana Thaana’ was probably the first song to hit the stands from this album and it has surely become quite a cult track. The song is aptly composed for the leads Surya and Keerthy Suresh, but is a rather quirky way of expressing their love for each other. Ravichander jazzes up this song with a very catchy chorus and the lyrics that follow are sure to make you laugh. After listening to the song, every time you read the title, you can’t help but actually sing ‘Naanaaaa Thaanaaa’ instead of just saying it. That’s how Ravichander manages to inflect his vocals with this goofy love track. ‘Sodakku’

‘Sodakku Mela’ is easily the highlight of this playlist. The Kuthu song is unlike the other songs from this genre and majorly works due to Anthony Daasan’s upbeat vocals. The singer adds oodles of local and folk flavour to this track and one can’t stop themselves from grooving to the tune. After hits like ‘Karuthanvanlaam Galeejam’ and ‘Aaaluma Doluma’, Ravichander has managed to compose yet another addictive Kuthu track with ‘Sodakku’. After watching glimpses of Surya shaking a leg to this track which is set in the suburbs, we can’t wait to watch more of this colourful composition. ‘Thaanaa Serndha Koottam’

The title track of this album might not be every listener’s cup of tea. Boasting of the feel of the movie with lots of additional vocals by child artistes, the title track ‘Thaana Serndha Kootam’ is racy yet lighthearted at the same time. What is interesting about the track is that it is rendered by the director-music composer duo of Vignesh ShivN and Ravichander. Having said that, the TSK title track is yet to make an impact like Ravichander’s ‘Maari Thara Local’ or ‘Naanum Rowdy Dhaan’. The director (ShivN) is also the man behind many of the notable lyrics that make up Thaana Serndha Kootam’s jukebox. ‘Engae Endru Povathu’

While ‘Thaanaa Serndha Koottam’ is the official title track, ‘Engae Endru Povathu’ sort of follows suit. This song too, largely depicts the context of the movie, addressing changing days, the highs and lows of everyday life and the society. The song starts off on an intense note with Ravichander’s vocals however, ‘Engae Endru’ is also accompanied by Shakhti Sree Gopalan’s melodious rendition and turns out to be a soft anthem of what Thaanaa Serndha Koottam revolves around. The song gives severe hope and inspirational vibes. ‘Peela Peela’

‘Peela Peela’ is a peppy addition to the playlist that has been put together by three talented artists. Sung by Jassie Gift, Nakesh Aziz and Mali, we are transported into a carnival as we listen to ‘Peela’. ‘Peela’ is more commercial and less Anirudh Ravichander. This is not one of those tracks that will echo in our heads like other Ravichander songs. Definitely not his best, as compared to his other peppy tracks like ‘Damaalu Dumeelu’. Thaana Serndha Koottam leaves us with mixed feelings as it is so good in some parts, and very forgettable in the others. However, the lack of romantic songs and the tilt towards a more peppy genre is probably best considering the fact that the movie is based on corruption and other problems relating to the suburbs. Thus, the Thaana Serndha Koottam album proves to be a foil for the heavy plot of the movie, with the peppy vibe counter-balancing the serious shades of the film. Also, the album is startlingly different from the last time Vignesh ShivN and Ravichander collaborated in Naanum Rowdy Dhaan. From romantic songs that will ring in our minds for years to come, to peppy commercial tracks in Thaana Serndha Koottam, the duo has had quite a drastic makeover.