Chandanathin by M.G. Sreekumar

When M.G. Sreekumar recorded Chandanathin, something special happened in the studio — and listeners have felt it ever since. Behind the melody is the work of S.Kumar, whose composition choices give Chandanathin its distinctive texture.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Chandanathin, M.G. Sreekumar clearly belongs in the second group. Featuring a talented ensemble cast, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

Released in 2026, it arrived at a time when Malayalam music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

Running to 5:08, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Malayalam in recent memory — and the numbers agree.