AR Rahman. The name that we associate now with brilliance. The musical maestro has so many hits to his credit, that it is impossible to put together a list. He has shared his genius in multiple languages and we thought it would be a good idea to remind people about Rahman’s great work in Tamil. Because you will be depriving yourself of the magic of Rahman. You cannot call yourself a true fan if you haven’t heard these gems.
We put together a playlist of 15 Tamil songs, to soak in the magic of Rahman.
1. Chandralekha – Thiruda Thiruda
Amazing song way ahead of its time, it features prominently in an album which Amit Trivedi idolises. No wonder it finds a place in Rahman’s sets in most live performances throughout the world.
2. Nila Kaikarithu – Indira
Hariharan’s beautiful voice is the reason this song remains one of my favourites. The song featured in Suhasini Manirathnam’s Indira, and has since had a following of its own.
3. Malargale – Love Birds
Picturised on Nagma and Prabhudeva, this song from Love Birds remains one of Rahman’s finest melodies ever produced. Chithra’s vocals are heavenly.
4. Telephone Manipol – Indian
This one can easily be dismissed as a dance song, and yet after nearly 2 decades it sounds every bit as current and experimental. The percussion and the bass are still so interesting.
5. Snehithane Snehithane – Alaipayuthey
Sadhna Sargam’s silky vocals in Mani Ratnam’s much-celebrated love-story, made absolute sense. And both Madhavan and Shalini’s presence in the songs only lifted it much above the regular love ballad.
6. Vellai Pookal – Kannathil Muthamittal
Rahman himself lent his vocals to this song which became the soul of Mani Ratnam’s Kannathil Muthamittal. The simple acoustic arrangement encompasses the childlike wonder of the movie’s protagonist.
7. Girlfriend – Boys
One of Rahman’s shameless attempts to ‘connect with the youth’, he delivered the soundtrack of Shankar’s Boys. The movie had many interesting dance tracks, but Girlfriend stood out for being the most groovy.
8. Dol Dol – Aaytha Ezhuthu
The magic of Blaaze and Rahman as they composed this song to document the rise of a small-time henchman into a full-fledged political aide. The mixing of this song should be taught in colleges.
9. Athiradee – Sivaji
In the brilliantly colourful soundtrack of Shankar’s Sivaji, this song stands out for being a total whack job. And even though Blaaze’s Style boasts of being more experimental, this mainstream dance song just wins.
10. Omanna Penne – Vinnaithandi Varuvaaya
Benny Dayal’s sensational vocals make sure Rahman’s ambition of making this carnatic jazz sound, his own and make it something you can definitely groove to. What can the man not do?
11. Naan Vaaruven – Raavanan
Rahman’s voice once again became the soul of Mani Ratnam’s Raavanan. The song released in Hindi as Jaa Re Ud Jaa Re… is absolutely spellbinding especially with his use of the accordion.
12. Nenjukulle – Kadal
The song went ‘viral’ after the maestro unveiled the song on his maiden MTV Unplugged performance. In an album which boasts of some high quality music, this song is right up there with the best.
13. Enga Pona Raasa – Maryan
In Bharat Bala’s movie, this song perfectly captures a lover’s longing for her significant other trapped in a foreign country. The soothing acoustic only makes the heartbreak more apparent.
14. Naane Varugiraen – O Kadhal Kanmani
In what was Rahman’s another attempt to sound young, his best song came in the form of this semi-classical song. Featuring the vocals of Shasha Tirupati and Sathya Prakash, the song is one of Rahman’s biggest wins recently.
15. Azhagiye – Kaatru Veliyidai
Easy to dismiss as just another love song, this song from Mani Ratnam’s latest movie has a charm which eventually grows on you. The song doesn’t really tear any envelopes, but simply exists comfortably in its own realm.
Thank us later you guys! Soak in some Tamil Rahman, he’s equally brilliant.
