AR Rahman’s Ponniyin Selvan 2: An album that conveys a story of its own 

In Indian cinema, music—songs, particularly—occupies a special place in determining response towards a film. That’s why we often hear responses that go: “The film didn’t do well, but the songs were great." For decades now, AR Rahman has excelled in keeping cinema in the collective memory of an audience through his music. And when he collaborates with his OG collaborator Mani Ratnam, the results have usually been magnificent.

The album of Ponniyin Selvan 1 received mixed responses. Raatchasa Maamaney became an instant hit, and Devaralan Aattam and Chola Chola became crowd favourites after the film's release. If the past has taught us anything about his music, it’s that you either like his songs instantly… or you fall in love with them eventually.

With Ponniyin Selvan 2, AR Rahman has outdone himself. The mix of Hindustani and Carnatic roots add to the quality of every song in the album.  

The makers provided us with a hint of how the album could shape up by releasing Aga Naga ahead of the audio launch. Evoking feelings of romance, the song has shades of the raga, Maand. Transcending us to the world of Vanthiyathevan and Kundavai, Aga Naga makes you wonder if writer Kalki Krishnamurthy himself communicated this romance to Rahman. It easily joins the pantheon of this composer’s best love tracks.

The last time Rahman dabbled with the Kanada raga was in the titular song from the film Alaipayuthey. Once again, in Ponniyin Selvan 2’s Veera Raja Veera, you experience the composer playing with variations of this raga.

Pronouncing the proud victories of the Cholas, the song seeks to evoke Tamil pride. Who better than Shankar Mahadevan to sing such a song? When the song got performed live at the audio launch, KS Chithra's entry was unexpected. After a short alaap from Harini, the portion sung by Chithra left us speechless. With heavy strings of the veena transporting us to another world, the chorus of Veera Raja Veera and the ending with Shankar Mahadevan incanting make you feel like you are ready for war.

Moving on, have you ever wondered how a song can convey both heartbreak and the first flutters of love? AR Rahman gives us Chinnanjiru Nilave as the answer. What starts as a melodic poem from a man to his lover, turns into a painful melancholy. Every time Haricharan sings ‘Anname’ and ‘Sakhiye’, I got reminded of Mahakavi Bharathi’s Chinnanjiru Kiliye where every alternative word is ‘Kannamma’. The lines ‘Ettradi kuttam ettran pirivai sabame thandanaiyo’ by Ilango Krishnan has the power to melt even hearts of stone.

While the album marks the revival of the Chithra-Rahman combination after Malargal Kettaen in 2015, there’s also the return of the Harini-Rahman combination after Moongil Thottam in 2012. Aazhi Mazhai Kanna from Ponniyin Selvan 2 is the fourth song from Andal’s Thiruppavai and is a composition on Lord Krishna. While we hear this often during the Margazhi season in Tamil Nadu, it’s still anyone’s guess where it will get placed in the film. Traditionally sung in Varaali, Harini’s rendition has a touch of the Hindustani raga, Desh. Just as Raatchasa Maamaney reminded us of Krishna in Ponniyin Selvan 1, Aazhi Mazhai Kanna may perhaps highlight the prevalence of Vaishnaites during the Chola reign.

The fifth song in the album, Ilaiyor Soodar, speaks of tragedy. While the intention of the song is still unclear, the melancholic swaras of the ragas Gowla and, in some places Aahiri, communicate a haunting pathos. It’s hard not to sink into gloom after listening to this track.

There’s also a song that summarises the devotion of the Saivaites. Penned entirely in Sanskrit, Shivoham is a chorus chant by a lineup of singers including Sathyaprakash, Nivas and Shenbagaraj. Set in the raga Chakravaham just as Ullathil Nalla Ullam from Karnan, Shivoham lines up praises on Lord Shiva. The damaru in the background and the heavy chants by the male voices leave us enchanted.

Lastly, we get to Khadija’s reprise version of Chinnanjiru Nilave. In Iravin Nizhal, Khadija sang the reprise version of Kannethire, a calmer and more soul-stirring version of the song. Similarly, establishing Khadija as the reprise expert, Chinnanjiru Marumurai makes me visualise Aishwarya Rai’s Nandhini singing the song. While Haricharan’s version itself is heart-wrenching, Khadija’s version adds to it a sense of peace and silence.

AR Rahman has always reiterated the importance of traditional training in music. A commonality among all the songs in the album is the quiet Tanpura shruthi in the background.

The album of Ponniyin Selvan 2 is a story of its own; the album might well have the quality to stand the test of time. It’s going to be a long wait before we see what another magician, Mani Ratnam, has done with these quality tracks.