Ilaveyil by M.G. Sreekumar, Ronnie Raphael, Shreya Ghoshal

Some songs are made for a single moment. Ilaveyil is made for all of them. The production by Ronnie Raphael is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

M.G. Sreekumar, Ronnie Raphael, Shreya Ghoshal's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. The story told by Mohanlal, Manju Warrier, Arjun Sarja, Keerthy Suresh, Suniel Shetty, Prabhu in Marakkar - Arabikadalinte Simham finds its musical expression here — Ilaveyil is where the film's heart beats loudest.

2021 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Ilaveyil was among the reasons why. There is a quality to Ilaveyil that makes it feel like company — the kind of song you put on when words feel insufficient.

Running to 5:26, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. The staying power of Ilaveyil is not a mystery. It is just what happens when every element of a song is exactly right.