The Tamil film Auto was rechristened Oram Po after the Tamil Nadu government made films with Tamil titles tax-free.
Oram Po starss Arya and Pooja in the main roles, while Pushkar and Gayathri wield the megaphone. The film's musicis by AR Rahman's nephew GV Prakash who has already made an impressive debut with Veyil. Muthukumar has penned the lyrics.
The album, which is totally youth-centric, starts with the title track Oram po. It is an extended Tamil rap number, by Blaaze. Muthukumar's lyrics talk about 'Triplicane auto'. The number might entice the front-benchers, especially the auto-driver segment of the audience. Other than that, there is nothing special about this track.
Ithu enna nyayam by Shankar Mahadevan and Alka Yagnik reveals Rahman's stamp on every note. Still, the sentimental and melodious love duet, is a fascinating piece. The lyrics talk of love unfolding new vistas and a beautiful world for the lovers. The instrumentation is western. Shankar Mahadevan sings with his usual fervour. Alka's voice is endearing and she sings with passion, but her stilted Tamil diction makes you cringe. True, music has no barriers. Yet when there are any number of excellent singers in Tamil filmdom, it is intriguing why composers borrow voices which cannot utter even basic Tamil words properly.
The next track starts and ends with the cock crowing, suggestive of the lyrics Kozhi kalu. The number, a mixture of Kuthu pattu and mild hip-hop, has good rhythm and restrained percussion. Though Kailash Kher and Jassie Gift put their heart into rendering this, they haven't been able to do much. The lyrics are muddled and do not make much sense.
Yaar iravinai is rendered by Sunitha Parthasarathy and George Peter. This catchy number has a western tune with fast beats and Sivamani's vigorous Indian percussion gives an additional boost. Sunitha dominates with her lively rendition, while George Peter gives adequate support.
Then comes Jigu Jickan, by Manickavinayagam. It is street folk and western instrumentation blending smoothly, with a predominant guitar. The lyrics are full of platitudes.
Prakash rounds off the album with Gum Ganapathy. Vijaya T Rajendar starts off with a monologue, followed by verses telling the saga of the college student. It is a mixture of Kuthupattu and gana. This type of song is ideal turf for Rajendar's singing style and he has vindicated himself remarkably well. Changing rhythms and instrumentation with nadaswaram predominating are added embellishments.
Oram Po is a simple album but with a lot of variety.
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