Thiruchitrambalam (soundtrack)

Thiruchitrambalam
Soundtrack album cover
Soundtrack album by Anirudh Ravichander
Released	16 July 2022 (2022-07-16)
Recorded	2022
Studio	Albuquerque Records, Chennai Krimson Avenue Studios, Chennai Vanaj Kesav Digi Audio Waves, Chennai
Genre	Feature film soundtrack
Length	18:23
Language	Tamil
Label	Sun Pictures
Producer	Anirudh Ravichander
Anirudh Ravichander chronology
Vikram (2022) Thiruchitrambalam (2022) Jailer (2023)
Singles from Thiruchitrambalam
"Thaai Kelavi" Released: 24 June 2022 "Megham Karukkatha" Released: 6 July 2022 "Life of Pazham" Released: 13 July 2022 "Thenmozhi" Released: 16 July 2022 "Mayakkama Kalakkama" Released: 26 August 2022 "Kanneer Sindha" Released: 9 September 2022

Thiruchitrambalam is the soundtrack album to the 2022 film of the same name directed by Mithran R. Jawahar and produced by Sun Pictures. Starring Dhanush, Nithya Menen, Raashii Khanna, Priya Bhavani Shankar, Bharathiraja and Prakash Raj, the film's musical score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, and featured five songs, with four of them were released as singles prior to the album and film release, and the fifth track was later unveiled as a bonus song from the film. One of the songs in the film were written by Vivek, while Dhanush wrote the remainder of it and also sung for three tracks. Anirudh and composer Santhosh Narayanan recorded one song each for the album.

Background

The musical score is composed by Anirudh Ravichander, in his fifth collaboration with Dhanush after the former's debut film 3 (2012), Velaiilla Pattadhari (2014), Maari and Thanga Magan (2015), and also his reunion with Dhanush after seven years, since their last film Thanga Magan.^[1] It is also Anirudh's first collaboration with Jawahar.^[2] Anirudh's inclusion was confirmed by Sun Pictures in October 2020, when the film was in pre-production and under the working title D44 (Dhanush's 44th film as an actor in leading role).^[3][4]

The soundtrack to Thiruchitrambalam featured four songs, with all of them were released as singles. "Thaai Kelavi", the first single from the album sung and written by Dhanush, was released on 24 June 2022.^[5] It was followed by "Megham Karukkatha" also sung by Dhanush, released on 6 July,^[6][7] and "Life of Pazham" released on 13 July, sung by Anirudh Ravichander and lyrics written by Vivek.^[8][9] The final track from the film, "Thenmozhi", sung by Santhosh Narayanan, was released on 16 July,^[10] at the film's audio launch event happened at Jeppiaar Engineering College, Chennai.^[11][12] Dhanush and Anirudh also performed the songs at the launch event, attended by the film's cast and crew and other celebrities.^[11]

While the album had only four songs, a fifth song from the film, "Mayakkama Kalakkama" sung by Dhanush was released on 26 August 2022, as a bonus track from the album.^[13] The song was featured in the film, as a reprised version of "Thenmozhi".^[13] This song was used instead of the original version, as the former was conceived as a love failure song, but the track does not suit well with the film's storyline, hence, the track "Mayakkama Kalakkama" was written. The song portrays on Dhanush's struggles with the relationship.^[13]

Track listing

No.	Title	Lyrics	Singer(s)	Length
1.	"Thaai Kelavi"	Dhanush	Dhanush	4:19
2.	"Megham Karukkatha"	Dhanush	Dhanush	4:52
3.	"Life of Pazham"	Vivek	Anirudh Ravichander	3:55
4.	"Thenmozhi"	Dhanush	Santhosh Narayanan	2:54
5.	"Mayakkama Kalakkama"	Dhanush	Dhanush	2:23
6.	"Kanneer Sindha"	Dhanush	Vijay Yesudas	3:40
Total length:				18:23

Background score

Thiruchitrambalam
Film score by Anirudh Ravichander
Released	26 September 2022 (2022-09-26)
Recorded	2021–2022
Studio	Albuquerque Records, Chennai Knack Studios, Chennai
Genre	Film score
Language	Tamil
Label	Sun TV
Producer	Anirudh Ravichander
External audio Film Score on YouTube

The original soundtrack was released by Sun Pictures on 26 September 2022.

No.	Title	Length
1.	"Pazham and Anusha"	0:43
2.	"Thiruchitrambalam" (Title Theme)	1:03
3.	"Text Message"	2:04
4.	"Coffee Shop"	1:11
5.	"Anusha Rejects Pazham"	1:38
6.	"Senior Pazham"	0:38
7.	"Shobana Insulted"	0:51
8.	"Mothers Death"	3:05
9.	"Fathers Stroke"	1:36
10.	"Thiru Helps his Dad"	1:20
11.	"Dysfunctional Home"	1:09
12.	"Pazham and Ranjini"	1:21
13.	"Pazham Proposes to Shobana"	0:30
14.	"What is Love"	0:57
15.	"Shobana Leaves"	1:00
16.	"Pazham and Shobana Separated"	2:25
17.	"Pazham Rejected"	0:33
18.	"Pazham Realises her Love"	2:57
19.	"Thaangaadha Baaram"	1:34
20.	"Soulmates Unite"	1:29

Reception

Initially, the soundtrack garnered mixed responses from critics and listeners. Moviecrow rated 2.5/5 to the soundtrack and stated that the album "lacks freshness and the weakest album from the duo that fails to live up to the expectations."^[14] In contrast, critic Siddharth Srinivas had stated "Anirudh has a created a major impact with the songs in his earlier albums of the year, but the same cannot be said about Thiruchitrambalam. The album is a lightweight and breezy soundtrack that is in line with his other albums such as Thangamagan, and keeps us entertained for its runtime. Hopefully, it will fly bigger with the film."^[15] The songs "Megham Karukatha" and "Life of Pazham" received a more favorable response from critics.^[14]

However, following the film's release, the album and musical score received more positive response, akin to the film.^[16][17] Firstpost-based critic Priyanka Sundar wrote "This also marks Dhanush and Anirudh's comeback collaboration, but to be honest, the highlight musical moments in the film belonged to Ilaiyaraaja. Thiruchitrambalam (Dhanush) is a fan of the maestro and every important moment in his life — sad or happy — is accentuated by the maestro's music. Anirudh has captured the attention of audiences with Thaikelavi and Megham Karukkadha, but the background score does seem stale. In fact, many instances take us back to Thangamagan."^[18]

Reviewing Anirudh's score, Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute wrote "Anirudh's background score complements the subtle, unheroic tone of the film. The music director has made a name for himself for the adrenaline pumping scores of star vehicles, but in this film he shows that he can be restrained and mellow when needed." She further praised the picturisation of the song "Megham Karukatha" further stating that it "brings back memories of "Vennilave Vennilave" from Minsara Kanavu".^[19] S. Srivatsan of The Hindu opined that the score "follows the structure of Velaiilla Pattadhari".^[20]

Controversy

A social activist has lodged a complaint against the makers of the film asking them to change the lyrics of the song "Thaai Kelavi",^[21] as the lyrics of the song are shown to be disrespectful to the elders.^[22]

References

1. The Hindu Net Desk (16 October 2020). "The Dhanush and Anirudh combo is back together". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 21 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
2. "DnA is back! Anirudh and Dhanush to join hands for D44". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
3. "Dhanush and Anirudh Ravichander back together for 'D44'". The News Minute. 16 October 2020. Archived from the original on 17 March 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
4. "Dhanush and Mithran Jawahar's D44 is now Thiruchitrambalam". India Today. 5 August 2021. Archived from the original on 19 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
5. "Thiruchitrambalam: First single Thaai Kelavi, from Dhanush-starrer to be out on this date". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 23 June 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
6. "'Megham Karukkatha': Dhanush's Thiruchitrambalam second single sounds magical! - Tamil News". IndiaGlitz.com. 6 July 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
7. "Second Single From Dhanush Starrer Thiruchitrambalam To Be Out On July 6". News18. 4 July 2022. Archived from the original on 16 July 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
8. "Life of Pazham, the third single from Thiruchitrambalam to be out tomorrow". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 12 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
9. "Thiruchitrambalam's third song gets release date; Dhanush says 'It's very special'". The Indian Express. 12 July 2022. Archived from the original on 27 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
10. "Thenmozhi, fourth single from Dhanush's Thiruchitrambalam out". Cinema Express. Archived from the original on 11 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
11. "Anirudh Ravichander on Dhanush's Thiruchitrambalam audio launch: 'Get your ears ready, make way for DnA'". The Indian Express. 16 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
12. "Dhanush's traditional appearance to Vetri Maaran's speech, highlights from the 'Thiruchitrambalam' audio launch". The Times of India. 17 July 2022. Archived from the original on 26 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
13. Sun Pictures [@sunpictures] (26 August 2022). "Yes! We heard you Makkale😍 The much awaited #MayakkamaKalakkama lyric video releasing today 6 PM❣️ #Thiruchitrambalam" (Tweet). Retrieved 6 September 2022 – via Twitter.
14. "Thiruchitrambalam Songs - Music Review". www.moviecrow.com. Archived from the original on 10 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
15. Srinivas, Siddarth (17 August 2022). "Thiruchitrambalam Songs Review". Only Kollywood. Archived from the original on 17 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
16. Athimuthu, Soundarya (18 August 2022). "'Thiruchitrambalam' Review: Dhanush, Nithya Menen Deliver a Feel-good Drama". TheQuint. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
17. K., Janani (18 August 2022). "Thiruchitrambalam Movie Review: What happens after death? Dhanush, Nithya Menen film shows you". India Today. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
18. "Thiruchitrambalam: Dhanush-starrer is a soft and sensitive portrayal of overcoming trauma". Firstpost. 21 August 2022. Archived from the original on 2 September 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
19. "Thiruchitrambalam review: A wholesome, enjoyable romcom with Dhanush and Nithya". The News Minute. 18 August 2022. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
20. S, Srivatsan (18 August 2022). "'Thiruchitrambalam' movie review: Dhanush and Nithya Menon are charming in this cuddly slice of life drama". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Archived from the original on 18 August 2022. Retrieved 6 September 2022.
21. "Dhanush's Thaai Kelavi song from Thiruchitrambalam lands in trouble". 28 June 2022. Archived from the original on 28 June 2022. Retrieved 2 June 2024.
22. "Thiruchitrambalam: Thaai Kelvai song from Dhanush's next lands in trouble; Read details". Archived from the original on 13 July 2022. Retrieved 5 July 2022.