Mollywood has some outstanding composers who have gifted us with magical music albums throughout their careers. While there have been a few hits and misses, they are the ones who are currently holding Mollywood’s musical industry strong. In this article, I shall try to point out the career-best works of Mollywood’s sensational music directors. In no particular order, here are the music directors and their best works:
NB: This list is subjective and is purely my personal choice on which album unanimously was regarded as these music directors’ best works.
Gopi Sunder (Usthad Hotel)
From trendsetting songs to romantic melodies, Gopi Sunder has given us some of the most iconic songs to which we all still groove. However, I believe his best work to date is in Usthad Hotel. The film’s music has an extraordinary touch. The intelligent usage of specific instruments pertinent to the film’s locality and setting, along with the perfect mix of goofy and intense tunes, conveys all the necessary moods effectively. All the songs in the film belong to different genres. The album has an uplifting song, a romantic number, a party banger, and a traditional Sufi-style song. Usthad Hotel, as a film, holds a special place because of Gopi Sunder’s outstanding composition, which is arguably his career’s best work.
Shaan Rahman (Thattathin Marayathu)
Shaan Rahman is one of Mollywood’s most sought-after music directors. Though he has composed in different genres, his best work to date has been in Thattathin Marayathu. The film had a magical feel due to the soothing and pleasing music. It still has an evergreen feel, due to which the music album is regarded as one of the finest from Mollywood. The album, mainly containing romantic numbers, is unique because of the intense feeling of love it conveys. From love at first sight and being in a relationship to overcoming life’s obstacles, the Thattathin Marayathu’s music album had it all covered.
Deepak Dev (Urumi)
Amongst all of Mollywood’s active top-listed music directors today, Deepak Dev is the only one to have seen the music industry’s transition over the years. His discography is filled with absolutely brilliant songs, from delivering melodious numbers and evergreen party bangers in the early 2010s to still actively giving us incredibly soothing songs. However, I feel his work in Urumi is by far his best. The music of Urumi has this unique feel, which transports the viewers to the period in which the film is set.
The Urumi album has a few folk-style songs, a melodious and heavenly song sung by the legendary KJ Yesudas and a peppy number catering to the youth. The wide range Deepak Dev showcased with the music in Urumi fetched him a State Award, and deservedly so.
Sushin Shyam (Kumbalangi Nights)
Sushin Shyam is undoubtedly one of the finest music directors we have in Mollywood. He is best known for his highly intrinsic background scores, which are a perfect mix of mass and thrill. His works in Varathan, Kurup, Anjaam Pathira, Ezra and so on speak volumes of his ability to elevate a regular action or horror scene into something fascinating to watch. However, his work in Kumbalangi Nights strongly deviated from all the heavy music.
The background score in the film sparks deep emotions and is still present in all our playlists. With this film, he showcased his true potential as a musician. The Kumbalangi Nights album is filled with mellow songs and is arguably his best work.
Jakes Bejoy (Ayyappanum Koshiyum)
Jakes Bejoy’s music has always been something people enjoy, but the recognition for the same has not been on the same level. From melodious romantic numbers to intense theme songs to some messy intro background scores, Jakes Bejoy is a musician who can single-handedly elevate an average film with his stupendous music. One film where he elevated an already brilliant film with his superb composition is Ayyapanum Koshiyum.
The film, having a very rural and folk-style setting, deserved a music and background score that fit aptly. Jakes Bejoy delivers exactly that by inculcating folk instruments and arranging them so that there is a lot of naturality to the film and its story. Another reason Ayyapanum Koshiyum is his best work is the background scores. The film is essentially a mass entertainer but is not a flashy one. Hence the intro and the face-off sequences required some stylish bgms. Jakes integrates an arrangement of folk instruments and vocals to deliver the needed mass and works wonders. Apart from the bgms, the film’s music album has three slow and mellow numbers, with two folk songs and a promo song which is a fast and catchy number.
Kailas Menon (Theevandi)
Kailas Menon has made a name for himself in the romantic genre. His prominence started with his debut feature film, Theevandi, which I would regard as his best work. The reason for the same would be because of the wide variety of songs in the film. Ranging from a highly soothing romantic song to a western style folk song, a comical track, a fast number and a mellow slow number, Theevandi’s music album had it all. Kailas made sure to create each song with a unique arrangement pattern, due to which the film’s songs still rule many of our playlists.
Bijibal (Salt n Pepper)
Salt n Pepper is a film that remains fresh in our minds. The simplistic story, very organic acting performances and the rooted making of the film are its highlights. Another reason the film remains fresh in our minds is its brilliant music and background score, composed by Bijibal. The background score of the film is not flashy and is very situational. Be it the comic scenes or the emotional, dramatic scenes; the music never becomes loud to take precedence in delivering the required emotional impact on the viewers. Instead, it’s orchestrated so well to enhance the emotional aspects of the film. The same goes for the music album of the film. It’s soothing to the ears. Bijibal’s work as a musician is highly praiseworthy and deserves a lot of appreciation.
Rex Vijayan (Mayaanadhi)
Mayaanadhi was a film with a mystical and magical feel in its story presentation. The romance and the social commentaries it made are highly bold and sparked several discussions on social media. One of the reasons why the film garnered considerable popularity was due to its haunting and melodious music album by Rex Vijayan. It is so beautifully done that the songs evoke strong emotions even today.
Prashant Pillai (Angamaly Diaries)
The impact Angamaly Diaries created is immense. Not only did it showcase to us the skills of Lijo Jose Pellissery as a director, but it also gave the industry some highly talented actors and a film we can always be proud of. Prashant Pillai‘s meticulous eye for naturality in this film’s music album is worth much appreciation and would undoubtedly be my pick for Prashant’s best work so far. The music album’s highlight is its situational songs, the introduction song and its outstanding bgms, each of which elevates the film to a new level.
Rahul Raj (Bachelor Party)
Bachelor Party is considered Amal Neerad’s all-star ensemble before the celebrated Bheeshma Parvam. This gangster saga had almost all the prominent youth stars in important roles in the film. The swag, style and ruggedness of this gangster drama didn’t resonate well with the viewers, but the music album by Rahul Raj indeed did the job. Rahul composed a music album, each of which belongs to a completely different genre, and lures the listeners to re-listen to the songs repeatedly. The film’s background score is pulsating and has a very massy touch, with the meticulous use of electric guitars and heavy metals. The songs also are beautifully arranged and composed, with a tune that is quite addictive.
These were my picks of the best works of Mollywood’s current sensational music directors. Many more music directors have been doing a fascinating job with their music. Please let us know in the comments about more such musicians and your favourite works of the music directors in this list.
