Well, the mystery has begun to unravel. First, we were given stingy glimpses of the stills of the highly-anticipated Endhiran. Right there, our imagination spread its limitless wings, encouraged by the flamboyance of the photographs. And now, it’s time to get a taste of the movie’s music. Coming from A.R. Rahman, one is already set to listen to techno beats and snazzy rhythms. When the movie is titled Endhiran (which means Robot), we know there’s no room for the ordinary. Both expectations are thoroughly satisfied.
Produced by Sun Pictures, directed by Shankar, starring Rajinikanth and Aishwarya Rai Bachchan, the songs of Endhiran are released under the Think Music label.
Click here for Endhiran songs.
The album takes off with ‘Pudhiya Manidha’ in the voices of S.P. Balasubrahmanyam, A.R. Rahman and his daughter Khatija Rahman. In keeping with the futuristic theme of the movie’ the opening notes are very techno. A robotic rendering of the first verse is followed by slow strong chanting ‘Pudhiya Manidha Boomiku Va’. The song goes on to sing the praise of the Robot and it’s sublimity. When the pace gradually picks up, SPB’s vocals overpower the others’.
The next song is ‘Kadhal Anukkal’, a poetic love song in the voices of Vijay Prakash and Shreya Ghoshal. The mellifluous opening guitar strumming is simple yet soul-stirring. This is a typical ARR melody of the 2000s with pacey beats in the background and a gentle melody in the foreground. The first musical interlude with the distinctive note of bagpipes has a soothing feel to it, but when the techno beats surface in the second interlude, we are reminded that we are still in the Endhiran album! Needless to say, Vijay and Shreya bring soul to the composition – they always do!
‘Irumbilae Oru Idhayam’ is the next number. The lyrics are quite touching and bring out ‘the Robot with emotions’ angle. ARR has sung the song himself, and as always, arouses our emotions with finesse. You can’t miss the female voice singing ‘Super Sonic Super Star’ from time to time in the background. Once she even calls him ‘Robotic Hypnotic Super Star!’ The song has a heavy dose of quirky English lyrics and to top it all , we have a medium-pace rap from Kash ‘n’ Krissy that kind of grows on you.
What follows the heavily westernized number is the theme music, titled ‘Chitti Dance Showcase’, a very techno, speedy theme. It starts off with few lines of rap in English and quickly converts into quick-paced classical notes sung to heavy western percussion, a very interesting piece repeated a few times in the composition. The song has a heavy dose of electric drums; when the drums fall silent, they are replaced by a serene violin orchestra with a divine harmony.
‘Arima Arima’ opens with the royal rhythm of drums, like it’s marking the entry of an Emperor, in this case, Endhiran. While the chorus chants his praises, calling him even the Silicon Singam, there is a tinge of pain in the voice of Sadhana Sargam. The thuds of the drums continue all through the number, with Endhiran sounding every bit the tough guy in the voice of Hariharan. This majestic composition has a shade of melancholy, bringing out the contrast in the psychological mindsets of the characters.
While all these songs have an obvious attachment to techno beats and futuristic rhythms, the next song ‘Kilimanjaro’ is completely removed from these moods. Tribal beats and tribal chanting persist throughout the number without the slightest mention of Endhiran or anything robotic throughout. The lyrics are on the sensual side. The sound of the drums overpowers all other instruments in this number sung by Javed Ali and Chinmayi.
‘Boom Boom Robot-da’ is the last number in the album. This fully techno, upbeat number (sung by Krithi Sagathia, Swetha Mohan and Tanvi Shah, interspersed with Tamil rap from Yogi B) is a mish-mash of fast techno sounds and a moderately pacey tune. The lyrics reiterate the greatness of the robot and the unimaginable avenues it opens up for the development of humanity.
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