Spoilers Ahead:
In DC, Lokesh Kanagaraj's Devadas eliminates a brothel syndicate to free Chandra (Wamiqa Gabbi), a woman mirroring the dead lover who still haunts him. This is easily the most meaningful stretch in the otherwise hyper-stylised film from director Arun Matheswaran. Anirudh’s score acts as the film's emotional anchor, giving weight to what could have been generic spectacle. When Devadas unleashes his fury on the brothel operators, the composer goes for a propulsive score that channels his rage as much as it plays to the gallery. However, when the mayhem ends and Devadas saves Chandra, the music turns softer and melodious, suggesting the salvation of a soul from the depravity in her surroundings.
The track is titled ‘Raaga of Revenge,’ but it is also the raaga of redemption. Instead of drowning his sorrow in a bottle, Lokesh’s version of Devadas purges his guilt through violence. For him, saving Chandra is less of a rescue mission and more of a symbolic act of redemption. The track mirrors Devadas' duality, elevating him from a blunt purveyor of justice into an emotionally layered character.
Without these different musical elements, DC would run the risk of becoming a superficial action film sans the quiet resonance, which makes it a genuine genre piece. To give credit where it is due, Arun Matheswaran deserves some plaudits for giving Anirudh’s score the room to perform this heavy lifting.
With ‘Raaga of Revenge,’ we not only root for Chandra but also try to find a sense of meaning in her world. It allows us to overlook Wamiqa's lip-syncing issues while making us look at Chandra from an empathetic lens, even as she addresses a pimp with an uncharacteristic slur. Chandra may be a product of her environment, but Arun's writing slips up when he chooses to name a flesh-peddler with a double entendre. Having Chandra deliver it as a double-meaning punchline briefly undermines the dignity in her character that the rest of the screenplay ensures to build.
In a lesser film, all of this would become a major dealbreaker. However, each time you get the sense that DC is about to go on a slippery slope, the music comes to its rescue, just as how Devadas comes to Chandra's. It reminds us of the best qualities in the woman, who exists in the fragile space between the victim in the brothel and the gun-toting avenger who walks out of it. A survivor with a strong sense of identity, agency and aspirations.
Anirudh's music makes us search for and find this nuance more than the writing does. It is a counterpoint to L: Empuraan composer Deepak Dev's argument that music alone cannot save a film. With bare minimum writing, Anirudh elevates the film. He also uses silence very efficiently, as build-up to a crescendo and as a way to allow for the core emotions of the story to take over when necessary. His music redeems the film from its flaws. Without it, what remains of DC's stylish surface beyond all the sound and fury? DC marks a giant step forward in his evolution as a composer. Remember when AR Rahman told him to use classical music elements in his work? With ‘Raaga of Revenge', he shows signs of an artist who pays heed to his predecessors by venturing into unexplored territory. Long may it continue.