It's probably not enough to just be a filmmaker. In Perarasu's forthcoming Dharmapuri, starring Vijayakanth, the director has turned lyricist and playback singer. With all due respect, he should have spared himself the trouble. His work, as well as that of composer Srikanth Deva, is clearly below par.

Deva's soundtrack is meant to woo frontbenchers and cash in on the current election mania. That is the exact summary for this six-track album. Targeted at the rural audience, the music wastes no time on harmony and subtlety. The resultant mix is way too loud and quite jarring. All the tracks are way too fast; there is no melody to break the monotonous rhythm. Except for Vijayakanth fans and his party sympathisers, there is nothing interesting here.

The album typically starts with the Nan yaru nan yaru, projecting the protagonist's dreams and aspirations. While modelled on the old MGR songs, the music falls flat, and the lyrics are clearly soaked with a political agenda. For example, in the line Antha kottayile kodi parakkumda;lakshiyam athu thanda.. (We will unfurl the flag in that fort; that is our aim), the lakshiyam (aim) clearly seems Fort St George. One can very well visualise theatres reverberating with thunderous applause from the party workers.

Thannambikkai (self-confidence) has a decent sound, but there should be some difference between a song and a slogan. The lyrics don't make the slightest attempt at poetry. Thankfully, SP Balasubramaniam's energetic rendering is a saving grace.

Karutha machan, sung by Reshmi and Mukesh, eulogises the hero. The background audio here is somewhat better, and Srikanth Deva has tried out all kinds of gimmicks. He suddenly switches to a folk tune, and incorporates a remixed old classic tune -- here it is the unforgettable Machane patheengala from Annakkili.

Next comes Vantha vadi, where Perarasu tries his hand at playback. Clearly, this is not the kind of thing he should be doing, and all the weaknesses in his unimpressive voice come to the fore. The song is an angry outburst, but Perarasu's singing does not click.

Now, Vanthuttaru vadhyaru is the classic election song, a sycophantic ditty projecting the hero as a saviour. Very avoidable.

And finally comes Engamma kuthamma, sung by Udit Narayan and Anuradha Sriram. A naughty number full of sexual innuendo, the song has promise but Udit might not be the best choice. Sure, music has no barriers but Hindi cinema veteran Narayan doesn't quite do justice to the language here. In the very first line engamma kuthama (is it my mother's fault?) has him singing engamma kuthamma -- a basic mistake that changes the meaning to 'my mother is kuthamma' or 'my mother, stab me!'

Other than as a propaganda tool, this album has no value.

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