Ilayaraja is the Sachin Tendulkar of south Indian film music. He rarely fails. In Shivshankar, his first film in Telugu after a year (his last film was Shambu), the maestro has chosen to play safe. To be sure, he shows glimpses of his unquestionable virtuosity. But he has not exactly stretched himself and reworked some of old favorites.
1.Endirayyo
Swarnalatha and Tippu combination is a piquant one.Their partnership lifts this rhythmic number. But wait, wait..have you not heard this song before? Actually, it is Tamil Karakattakaran's Mankuiyle, Poonkuyile. The song may be a repeat. But it is unarguably sweet and makes you to tap your feet and click your fingers.
2.Krishna Nuvu Raaku
Hey, it is replay time again. This is good old Krishna Nee Begane Baro (rag Yaman Kalyani) in new attire. But Hariharan and Chitra are certainly in their elements. The nuance the duo comes up with is amazing. They simply waltz through the scales and make you yearn for more. The orchestration is vintage Ilayaraja. Listen to the violin piece, it is yesterday once more. In these days of syncopated and over orchestration, it is a major relief.
3.Neetimeeda
Hariharan is again at it in this slow but soft song. His tone is neither low nor high, but just right as he whips up the right dose of melancholy as the lyricist (Gurucharan) gives pen to some sombre philosophical thoughts.
4.Jabilamma
After the pathos of the previous number, this is a breezy romp as Tippu and Shreya Ghosal go for the jugular. But at times, the singers seem to have gone over the top with their excited singing. But there is no questioning their talent.
5.Nenemi Chetunu
Malathi is Malathi. She is never going to be a Chitra or Janaki. But she has verve and vivacity and it comes out in this mass song. You may like it or you may not, but it is bound to blare out from speakers in tea stalls all across the State.