At Film Companion, we have curated playlists from noted musicians like T.M.Krishna and Varun Grover. This edition of Your Weekend Playlist, we curate songs of fertile music, lush poetry, and honeyed hammer beats.
Armaan Malik's controlled melody, when placed against Chinmayi's fragile voice which feels like it is skirting the edge of her vocal range, produces a sublime effect — you are both rooted and levitating. Towards the end of the song, written by Uma Devi, when they sing together, it feels like you are being pulled apart by two musical forces. (If you are looking for more of Chinmayi's voice, check out the haunting Yadho, from Navarasa, which was overshadowed by the empty, yet deafening noise around GVM's short film.)
Azadi Records presents Srinagar-based hip-hop duo Straight Outta Srinagar (SOS) and Ahmer, a rap that spits rage as poetry, using the pincode 190001 — which falls under the Badyar Balla area in Srinagar — as the centerpiece phrase and also the central emotional ground zero of the performers. The music video, like the music itself, produces out of rage and fear, a craft that is eerie yet rousing.
There is a stunning, versatile quality to Saindhavi Prakash's voice. The same strong, rousing call from 'Ellu Vaya Pookalaye' in Asuran is here teetering on the lower vocal ranges. While a "dance song", the visuals were disappointing because of the number of cuts which didn't let the choreography breathe, this allowed for the music to take center stage.
Pune-based Ritviz Srivastava, better known as Ritviz, known for remixing traditional South Indian marriage songs into Gen Z bangers with lyrics that mean more than nothing, less than something, like 'Udd Gaye' and 'Sage', collaborated with Goa-based Udyan Sagar, better known as Nucleya, for Baraat, an 8-track album. The third song, 'Roz' is a cherished product, almost predictable in production, yet fresh sounding — a foundational raga, that is propped by a shredded harmonium, pipes, Nucleya's electronic production, and the emotionless, deep-throated Ritviz that is easy to make fun of, but easier to listen to on loop.
As Mogul Mowgli is gearing up for release, it's a good time to look back at this Riz Ahmed rap, with words spilling out of the rhythm, resistant to the meter, exceeding its capacity to hold words.