A folk refrain meets a contemporary rap beat in City Lights, with the film’s latest song, ‘Alak Niranjan’, taking an unusual musical route. Rather than leaning entirely into either tradition or modernity, the song brings together spiritual and folk elements with rap and classical vocals.

The track features voices by Malavalli M Mahadevaswamy, Veera and Vijay Kumar, alongside rapper Pasha Bhai and classical singer Keerthan Holla. The lyrics draw from a traditional folk song, while Pasha Bhai has written the rap portions, giving the composition a distinctly contemporary edge.

Music director Charan Raj MR has brought these contrasting sounds together for the song, which moves between the earthy texture of folk music and the sharper energy of rap. The combination is particularly interesting in the context of City Lights, a film about two youngsters who leave their village for Bengaluru and find themselves negotiating the pressures, struggles and uncertainties of urban life.

Directed by Vijay Kumar, the film stars Vinay Rajkumar and Monisha Vijaya Kumar in the lead. Vijay has also written the story and screenplay, with the film looking at what happens when young lives shaped by a rural upbringing collide with the demands of the city.

The music becomes an important part of that contrast. With ‘Alak Niranjan’, the film brings an old musical tradition into conversation with a younger, contemporary sound, much like its characters themselves are caught between two different worlds.

Shivasena has handled the cinematography, while Deepu S Kumar is the editor and Masti has penned the dialogues. Produced by Vijay Kumar and Vikram Arya under Duniya Talkies and Yantrouddharaka, City Lights is scheduled to release in theatres on September 18.