Except for Pritam releasing version after version of songs from Brahmastra (2022) — dance version, film version, reprise… it was tough to keep track after a while — Hindi film music kept it lowkey for the most part this year. South Indian film music made an undeniable impact and it wasn’t just about hit songs being re-rendered by Hindi film music playback vocalists. Composers Ajay-Atul roped in Tamil rapper Arivu for the Ram Setu (2022) track “Whatte Fun”, which was probably the most underrated hit of the year, and “Current Laga Re” from Cirkus opened with a line in Tamil. Of course, if you heard a similarity to “Dhinka Chika,” from the Salman-starrer Ready (2011) in the boisterous rhythm section of “Current Laga Re”, composed by Lijo George and DJ Chetas, I’ll have you know that “Dhinka Chika” was originally titled “Ringa Ringa” and created for the 2009 Telugu release Aarya-2 starring Allu Arjun of Pushpa fame. “Dhinka Chika” was composed by Devi Sri Prasad — the music director of Pushpa: The Rise (2021) — so now you know why it sounds like a hit.
Back to the present. Here’s my list of the best songs (and one album) of this year, arranged (mostly) in order of their release.
If not for Devi Sri Prasad and Pushpa - The Rise Part 1, a singer as young as Indravathi Chauhan wouldn’t have had a hit to her name this early in her career. The song, which was released in December 2021, featured Samantha Prabhu and was all about turning tables on the male gaze. It did nothing of that sort, unfortunately, but turned into the dance anthem of 2022. No other version except Chauhan’s original in Telugu feels fresh even after a year, not Andrea Jeremiah’s throaty Tamil rendition and definitely not Kanika Kapoor’s attempt in Hindi. Chauhan, who was on more familiar ground singing folk songs with her sister Mangli, made the leap to deliver a smash hit in the racy item song. We’re hoping both Chauhan and Devi Sri Prasad can outdo themselves for the sequel.
If you’ve heard of indie producer Kabeer Kathpalia, who goes by the moniker OAFF, chances are that you’ve heard his track “Frontline”. It sounds nothing like “Doobey,” the earworm from Gehraiyaan, the OTT release starring Deepika Padukone and Siddhant Chaturvedi. Instagram couldn’t get enough of the song when it was released, so much so that even Kathpalia was shocked at how it blew up. Composer Savera Mehta, who refashioned “Frontline” into “Doobey” deserves credit for retaining OAFF’s mellow synth-pop along with Lothika Jha’s languorous vocals to come up with the track that brings to mind the beach and swimming in the sun-dappled sea.
Did we say Hindi film music kept it lowkey? The universe of Sanjay Leela Bhansali, who has composed the music for Gangubai Kathiawadi, would be upended if he went lowkey. “Dholida,” which was out early this year, in February, is therefore an exception. You bet “Dholida” sounds like it could belong to the soundtrack of Hum Dil De Chuke Sanam (1999), but this is what Bhansali does best - look to folk music from Gujarat to create a winner. Jahnvi Shrimankar, who made her playback debut as a backup vocalist on the title track of Saawariya (2007), returned on lead with “Dholida,” and rang in Navratri early this year.
When composer Anirudh Ravichander scores a song for a film starring Vijay or Dhanush, you know that there’s a dance floor riot ahead. “Arabic Kuthu” from the Tamil film Beast, with actor Vijay in the lead, opens with Arabic lines - “Halamithi Habibo” (I dreamt of my lover) - that went on to become the title of the Hindi version. The lyrics lend a rhythm to the track that sounds way better in Tamil than in Hindi despite Ravichander and Jonita Gandhi doing a flawless job in both versions. “Arabic Kuthu” surprises you with its tempo - if you’ve heard “Vaati Coming” from Master, the last hit from Ravichander for Vijay - you’re bracing for raucous beats, but this one is a slow scorcher.
Even if we were partially tone deaf, it would have been tough to have missed the sound of Madonna’s “Frozen” in “Aafat’s” opening lines. Close your eyes and you hear it, but the song manages to make an impression, nevertheless. You can’t not move to it and Tanishk Bagchi managed to compose an original worth keeping in your dance playlist from the otherwise forgettable soundtrack of Liger.
M.M.Kreem, best known in Bollywood for his soundtrack of Criminal, has been collaborating with filmmaker S.S. Rajamouli since the director’s Chatrapathi days (2005) right through to his last big hit Baahubali. So he has delivered the brief in RRR, the music of which managed to crossover and appeal to Hindi audiences. If those who watched RRR thought it was over the top, the lyrics for “Naacho Naacho”, the Hindi version of the Oscar-nominated song “Naatu Naatu”, that featured on its soundtrack deserve a mention for matching the tone of the film. The lines “kachhe kairi jaisa khatta naacho/ bicchu kaata lage aisa naacho,” written by Riya Mukherjee will remain etched in memory forever. The song has all the elements of a blockbuster hit — banging beats, hook words and delirious build-ups that won’t stop until you drop.
One version to wish Ranbir and Alia on their wedding, another to launch the soundtrack of Brahmastra, a dance mix to make the album more fun, Pritam pulled out all stops for this one. Aside from the love-hate relationship that listeners had with the line “kitno ki love story’an,” this Arijit Singh track is easily one of his most hummable ballads.
PS - 1, like most A.R. Rahman’s albums, takes a while to grow on you. It is also the only album that one can go back to in its entirety. I’m biased towards the Tamil version, which is the original, and there’s no I can pick between “Ponni Nadhi” or “Chola Chola” or “Devaralan Aattam,” or “Ratchasa Maamaney,” all of which stand out because of their fantastic rhythm section. The track “Sol,” which is reminiscent of the soundtrack of the 1995 Tamil film Indira directed by Suhasini Maniratnam, brings back a Rahman that we haven’t heard in a long time.
The Tamil version of “Besharam Rang” from Pathaan makes a shockingly impressive shift. Lyricist Madhan Karky has made it possible for vocalists Shilpa Rao and Caralisa Monteiro to sound like the song was originally written for a Tamil audience. Yes, the Spanish bits still sound jarring, but Vishal-Shekar may have just landed a hit in the South.
In an ode to the 1940s in Qala, composer Amit Trivedi shows great ambition. There is a fine line between paying homage to great composers of a certain vintage and making a mockery of their sound. Trivedi managers to tread the line carefully in “Ghodey Pe Sawaar,” which holds all the charm and playfulness of an O.P. Nayyar-Majrooh Sultanpuri classic. Lyricist Amitabh Bhattacharya and vocalist Sireesha Bhagavatula should also take a bow for this one.