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Actor Prasanna who proved his mettle in Kanda NaaL Mudhal, Azhagiya Theeyae and Kannum Kannum. is playing the male lead in Manjal Veiyil. Sandhya, the female protagonist of the recently released Kannamoochi Enada is paired with him.
Bharadwaj who has scored music has introduced a few new voices. Sandhya too is testing the waters in playback singing under his baton in this film. Manjal Veiyil is directed by debutant Raja, erstwhile assistant of director Athiyaman.
The album with half a dozen tracks starts with a liltingly melodious duet, Asai oviyum rendered by Bharadwaj and Subhiksha. The number with a Hindustani tilt has engaging lyrical content with quaint imagery penned by Pa Vijay. The young lover wants to paint the picture of his lass borrowing colours from her deep blue eyes and red lush lips. Bharadwaj's voice has a resonant timbre and Subhiksha joins him in her deep melodious voice to give a praiseworthy rendition. Percussion is almost absent except for very mellow drumbeats which perfectly suit the mood of the song.
Sandhya who has rendered the next number Gold coated poo neeya with Bharadwaj, passes the litmus test as a playback singer. But her babyish voice is not appealing. The number starting with instrumental prelude exudes a western rock & roll flavour. A touch of hip-hop, fast rhythm and playful chorus are other highlights of this piece which sound like club music. Passion permeates the lyrics and Pa Vijay's imagination runs riot. Instrumentation is non-intrusive.
Prasanna, Satyan and Suchithra Raman belt out the next number Malaruthu malaruthu in almost breathless fashion like Shankar Mahadevan. The rhythmic drum beats give a nice peppy feel to it. Catchy chorus and instrumentation with Western touch embellish this lively track with brisk tempo. The lyrical depth of this number focused on friendship, is appreciable.
The composer himself comes to the front with his emotional rendition of the next track, Unakkaga vazhgirean. Bharadwaj renders this felicitous ballad with grace and serenity. With his soft tone layered with emotion Bharadwaj establishes a pensively meditative mood which suits the excellent lyrics. Pa Vijay, using picturesque metaphors describes the self-effacing love of the young lover for his lass. The momentary pause before the ending produces a mystic feeling.
Bharadwaj's album will always invariably have one track rendered by his daughter Janani. And Manjal Veiyil is no exception. Sailalo sailalo, which comes next is a light-hearted and joyful wedding track rendered by Janani with Ranjith. Pa Vijay's lyrics have modern terms and playful innuendo. Ranjith as usual sings with gusto. Janani gives excellent support with her lively rendition.
The concluding piece College vazhgai by Bony and Jaya is as the title suggests, a campus song. Pa Vijay's lyrics present a montage of images typical of carefree college life, touted as that time of life dreams are made of. The number has mellow guitar notes, rhythmic beats and fairly good rendition by Bony and Jaya. In spite of all this it remains routine stuff.
A notable album from Bharadwaj.
Rediff Rating: 