A poster of 'Aanandam' on left. Music director Sachin Warrier on right.Six years ago, when Vineeth Sreenivasan made his directorial debut with Malarvaadi Arts Club, he brought along a set of fresh talents – on and off camera. From there, all of them made it big in the industry; we saw Nivin Pauly, who debuted as an actor then, confidently pulling a front row seat among the A-lister actors and so did Aju Varghese who is now the quintessential comedian in Malayalam films. Vineeth directed three other films and all of them turned out to be hits. His buddy musician Shaan Rahman, for whom Malarvaadi was just the second film as a composer, became one of the most sought after music director in Malayalam.
There was this new singer Sachin Warrier who was credited for two songs in Malarvaadi. Sachin's fresh vocals got recognition in no time.
And now, when Vineeth is turning a producer, funding his longtime assistant Ganesh Raj's directorial debut with the campus movie Aanandam, it is no coincidence that Sachin Warrier is the music director. What a way to make his composing debut.
The movie has five songs, all composed, programmed and arranged by Sachin Warrier.
Let's see what the young musician has got in store for us.
♫ Dooreyo (Singers - Vishak Nair, Suchith Suresan, Ashwin Gopakumar, Sachin Warrier; lyrics - Vineeth Sreenivasan) ♫
Dooreyo... gets into the business straightaway on a very pleasant note, courtesy the banjo and guitar notes. The 'Ini Aanandame' portion is blissful and enhances the cheerful mood of the song and can work as a sweet melting point. The singers are in great sync, so are the musicians involved - Sumesh Parameswar on guitars and Sandeep Mohan on banjo and electric guitar. Sachin Warrier weaves in a highly effective layer of chorus-clap bit before the charanam, boosting the listening experience even better. 'Dooreyo...' is a perky number and is perfect music for a long drive.
♫ Nilaavil Ellame (Singer - Sachin Warrier; lyrics – Anu Elizabeth) ♫
Nilaavil... is the melancholy-tinged song of the album that has Sachin singing the longing of a character for his romance. His vocals go from being feathery to highly evocative. A short number that Sachin perfects in the company of strings and harmonica. FYI: Sachin himself is playing ukulele for this moving piece of music.
♫ Oru Naattil (Singers - Vineeth Sreenivasan, Apoorva Bose; lyrics - Manu Manjith) ♫
For Oru Nattil..., producer Vineeth Sreenivasan gets behind the mic to narrate a musical story of engineering students. The track sticks to the Aanandam mode and is ably propelled by horns and trumpet. Singer-actor Apoorva Bose is the female voice and she sounds as chirpy as the song demands. Another tiny, fun song from Sachin Warrier the composer.
♫ Payye Veesum (Singers - Ashwin Gopakumar, Sneha Warrier; lyrics - Anu Elizabeth Jose) ♫
There it is, the best song of the soundtrack. Sachin picks Ashwin Gopakumar, lead singer of 'When Chai Met Toast', and his sister Sneha Warrier to render this marvelous melody. The combo works brilliantly for the contrast in the singers' voices – Sneha's voice is a wee-bit raw and earthy than Ashwin's soothing vocals and the union results in great output. The composer adds quality doses of flute (Rajesh Cherthala) and sitar (Paulson) in the loops. Payye Veesum... is a melodious winner all the way.
♫ Khule Raston Pe (Singer: Raghu Dixit, lyrics: Sachin Warrier) ♫
Sachin ropes in renowned musician Raghu Dixit for the latter's second song in a Malayalam movie after Porumo... of North 24 Kaatham. This time, it's a Hindi song though. Raghu Dixit sounds flawless as he always is. A quality, short Hindustani number accompanied by harmonium, guitar and tabla – that's Khule Raston Pe...
Verdict
Sachin Warrier sure has made a dreamy, promising debut as a composer with Aanandam. And it's sheer delight when that he gets to do it in the company of pals who brought him into the industry. Payye Veesum... and Dooreyo... are our must-listen picks from the album.
'Kan Thurakkunne, ini aanandame... :)'
Onmanorama Rating: 3.5 out of 5
