Chembaka by Sayan

Chembaka works because it does not try to do too much — it finds one feeling and holds it perfectly. Sayan has a history of strong work, and the music on Chembaka is among the most memorable of it.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Chembaka, Sayan clearly belongs in the second group. a talented ensemble cast gave the film its soul, and Chembaka is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

In 2020, Malayalam produced many songs, but Chembaka was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. 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 4:50, 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.