Sir music review: GV Prakash Kumar-Dhanush’s combo is a winner yet again

Sir a.k.a Vaathi, the Tamil-Telugu bilingual is an exciting project for many reasons - it’s Dhanush’s first straight Telugu film, the fifth musical collaboration between the star and composer GV Prakash Kumar and marks director Venky Atluri, reputed Telugu banner Sithara Entertainment’s foray into the Tamil industry. Given Venky Atluri’s impressive history with the music in his films Tholi Prema, Mr Majnu and Rang De, Sir was always going to be a ‘minimum guarantee’ album.

Living upto the reputation of the names involved, Sir is indeed a fine album with a distinctive appeal in comparison to the composer’s earlier albums with Dhanush - Polladhavan, Aadukalam, Mayakkam Enna and Asuran. This is set in a massier, familiar territory with relatable song situations and yet GV Prakash finds a way to add more zing and flavour to the tracks with impressive orchestration, terrific choice of singers and capable lyricists.

Mastaaru Mastaaru, sung by Shweta Mohan and lyricised by Ramajogayya Sastry, is the only romance number in the film and offers a pleasant start to the album. With catchy references and word play relevant to the life of a teacher, the lyrics showcase a woman’s love for the man of her dreams and how he’s won her over. Shweta’s honey soaked, expressive voice adds lustre to the rendition and expectedly enough, this is the most popular number from the film to date.

Banjara, undoubtedly the best of the album, is a spirited, foot-tapping road song with a folksy touch, elaborating on the need for optimism in life with a perfect singer-lyricist mix that feels like a match made in heaven - Anurag Kulkarni and Suddala Ashok Teja. The use of the nadaswaram and other traditional instruments fit the bill seamlessly. If matched by impressive choreography, the song could work wonders post the film’s release.

Maarajayya has singer Kaala Bhairava returning to Baahubali’s ‘Dandalayya’ zone again. Ramajogayya Sastry’s lines emphasise how much the pivotal character means to those around him (portraying the love that the students have for their master). The pathos number voices the disappointment of the students who can’t come to terms with the humiliation their ‘messiah’ needs to face. Simple situation and effective, poignant execution is how you’d like to describe it.

For a college drama, One Life is a vibrant addition to the album with the right burst of energy, enthusiasm and rebellious spirit. Thanks to Pranav Chaganty’s infectious, tongue-twisting rap segment (who’s also the lyricist), the song is off to a solid start and gathers momentum with Hemachandra’s assured, confident rendition that screams with authority. The song is likely to arrive at a situation where the students are on the cusp of a major milestone in their lives and need to prove themselves.

Sandhya Na Udayiddam is a near-perfect follow-up to One Life, also lyricised by Pranav Chaganty where the lines hint that a group of people are coming together to fight for a cause regardless of what comes their way. Anurag Kulkarni’s intense vocals aptly symbolises the spirit with which a revolution is about to begin. While it makes for a decent hearing as a standalone number, the impact is expected to be better in the context of the narrative.

Verdict:

Sir is an uplifting, chirpy album from GV Prakash Kumar and is among the composer’s best in the recent times. He makes his experience count and is aided by a right bunch of singers and lyricists to contribute to the quality.