Every Vijay movie has created buzz in the Telugu film industry. The Pokkiri star's Villu -- produced by Ayngaran International and co-starring Nayanthara -- is much anticipated among his fans.
Villu is said to be the remake of Hindi film Soldier, starring Bobby Deol and Preity Zinta. The music has been tuned by Devi Sri Prasad. Here's what the music Villu has to offer:
Ei Rama Rama starts with a blend of urumi melam and the mandatory rural beats. Kabilan's lyrics, with the refrain of Villu Villu, asking for people's love, clearly indicates that this will be the theme song, with a politically correct message. Sung by Amalraj, the song follows standard folk beats which change pace midway. A violin interlude sounds promising. Unlike the usual kuthu theme, the medley of instruments has been kept to the minimum. Yes, it's an oft-heard tune and the words are very sweet but it's worth a listen.
The beginning notes of Nee Kobappattal Naanum seem startlingly like Kadhalukku, another Devi Sri Prasad composition. The romantic hangover is quite obvious. P Vijay's lyrics remind you of his earlier songs. Sagar's voice is melodious and the refrain is hummable. A veena interlude is rather commonplace -- you may prefer Santhosh Subramaniam's songs instead.
Daddy Mummy begins with a steady beat in the voices of Naveen Madhav and Mamta Mohandas. Viveka's words indicate exactly what genre this number belongs to. Nothing to write home about, except that it's clearly meant for the titillation of the front-benchers.
Maybe Nayanthara's going at Vijay hammer and tongs -- either in love or hate -- but Prabhu Deva, Akhila and Ravi have clearly gone to town on the lyrics with this piece, Are you Crazy, sung by Divya. Prosaic, so-called lover's lines, set to music.
Baba Sehgal and Rita have taken turns in belting out French and Spanish in the peppy Jalsa, written by Rohini. It's better than the previous numbers when it comes to melody but even this doesn't rise above the faint déjà vu you have of other Telugu hits.
A rather neat and enthusiastic violin segment begins Vada Mappillai -- it reminds you of old Surangani songs, but it can still make you dance. It is rendered by Tipu, Rita and Vadivel with delightful abandon, even though Kabilan's words brim over with double entendre. A nice violin interlude is a pleasant addition. The light-hearted mood is carried throughout the song, and it's easily the catchiest number in the album.
Then it's back to formulaic boredom with Snehen's Dheemdhanakka Thillana, sung by Devi Sri Prasad and Divya. The composer's voice has a distinctly North Indian twang, while Divya's svelte voice fits with the exotic feel. Otherwise, there's hardly anything original in the number.
Jalsa (The DSP mix) by Baba Sehgal, Rita and Devi Sri Prasad is a remixed version, with dashes of Muqabla from Kadhalan -- and has nothing to offer except fast beats.
Taken together, barring one or two exceptions, this collection caters almost exclusively to Vijay and his director, and pretty much throws melody to the high winds. But then, what else can you expect in an Ilaya Thalapathi movie?
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