Poster of the movie and Gopi SunderGopi Sunder is on a roll. The composer has at least three Malayalam movies, two Tamil-Telugu bilinguals and another Tamil movie lined up to hit the theatres soon. His success rate is directly proportionate with the numbers; he has been in top form with his compositions. His single track 'Mukkathe Penne' in Ennu Ninte Moideen has made many addicts to the song, which is still on the loop on their playlist. If we cross the border, his last released Telugu film Bale Bale Magadivoy, only his second outing in Tollywood, was a cracker of an album. Listen to it if you have not yet.
Moving on, here we take a check on his tunes in the much-anticipated Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Malayalam film Charlie, directed by Martin Prakkat. The soundtrack has six tunes.
» Akale (Singer: Malgudi Shubha)
We have not heard Malgudi Shubha for a long long time (18 years as per M3DB) in Malayalam. The owner of a unique, captivating voice, Shubha owns this track and Gopi Sunder lets her do just that with minimal, apt orchestration. Free-flowing, spirited singing that feels like a travel of tranquility towards one's self. Shubha has only a couple of lines as lyrics to deal with here, and half the song is just variations of the word 'Akale' along with her humming. Djembe and strings enhance her vocals and we have a winner in 'Akale'.
» Pularikalo (Shakthishree Gopalan, Md. Maqbool Mansoor)
Who doesn't like an earful of saxophone? Gopi Sunder uses the sax to begin the proceedings of the song, giving the instrument a leisurely 1 minute 30 seconds, letting the lovely bit capture our attention. Tabla, bass join in to set the right backdrop for Shakthishree's vocals. She does a neat job, hitting the lower and higher notes with ease. Gopi has creatively blended in Maqbool Mansoor's vocals (the Mukkathe Penne singer) for the portions in between, and it sounds good. Smart, imaginative arrangement by the composer works in favour of this track. The sax leads from the front again, in a beautiful arrangement, as the song culminates on an impressive note.
» Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal)
Shreya Ghoshal adds another Shreya Ghoshal-ish number to her repertoire in Malayalam with this song, and that's about it. The programming has the stamp of quality but the tune is nothing extraordinary. A melody that suits the fresh-sounding vocals of Shreya, who expectedly commits no damage in its rendition.
» Oru Kari Mukalinu (Vijay Prakash)
My online search says this is only Vijay Prakash's fourth song in Malayalam. The Jai Ho singer's pronunciation is commendable given that the lyrics penned by Rafeeq Ahammed are a bit tricky with a sequence of 'zha' and 'ra' sounds, (retroflex and alveolar sounds of the Malayalam lexicon), repeating at a brisk pace. The crooning hits the peak of our interest scale when Vijay takes on a high note and tackles it with ease at the portion that starts with 'aaro', incorporating the sangatis at the end of each stanza. Gopi Sunder's programming skills ensure that the instrumental pieces seek out your attention, in a good way. Another interesting piece from the album.
» Sneham Nee Nadha (Rajalakshmy)
This is probably Gopi Sunder's first Christian devotional song in Malayalam. Rajalakshmy has done a marvellous job in the singing department in the soothing company of strings and keys. No flaws here.
» Puthumazhayai (Divya S. Menon)
Same track, different singer, but this one sounds better. The very fact that Divya's voice is not as sweet as Shreya's makes this number more effective. We'll have to wait and see which one is used in the movie though.
♦Verdict
Gopi Sunder continues his top form with the album of Charlie. My favourites are the first two tracks—Akale and Pularikalo. Martin Prakkat, the director, stated that the movie gives prominence to music, and we know how good Gopi Sunder's background score can get. This is a sure-shot reason to watch out for the film's release. Great job here by the composer.
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