Daivathinte Dhanam by Kester

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Daivathinte Dhanam, a track that keeps finding new audiences. What makes Daivathinte Dhanam musically distinctive is the composition by Joji Johns, which balances simplicity with depth.

Kester understood what this song required and delivered it without excess — the restraint itself becomes the emotion. On screen, a talented ensemble cast bring the emotional world of the song to life in a way that enhances rather than competes with the music.

2020 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Daivathinte Dhanam was among the reasons why. The emotional register of Daivathinte Dhanam is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

The concision of Daivathinte Dhanam — just 5:49 — 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.