Allithamara by Anwar Sadath

Anwar Sadath has delivered memorable performances before, but Allithamara sits comfortably among the very best. The arrangement here is the work of Mohan Sithara, and it shows genuine craft in how it builds and releases.

Anwar Sadath delivers the lyrics with a nuance that turns an already strong song into something genuinely moving. The song is tied to Vinu Mohan, Bhagath Manuel, Madhupal, whose presence gives Allithamara a visual dimension that fans of the film will always associate with it.

2020 marked the release of Oru Pakka Naadan Premam, and Allithamara was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. The emotional register of Allithamara is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

The concision of Allithamara — just 5:04 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.