Jeevana Vaahini by Vidhu Prathap, V. Devanand

Jeevana Vaahini works because it does not try to do too much — it finds one feeling and holds it perfectly. The music, composed by Vidhu Prathap, V. Devanand, Koduri Marakathamani Keeravaani, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Jeevana Vaahini, Vidhu Prathap, V. Devanand clearly belongs in the second group. Hearing Jeevana Vaahini without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Jeevana Vaahini.

By the end of 2020, Jeevana Vaahini had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. There is no right time to listen to Jeevana Vaahini. There is only the moment you press play and realise it was the right choice.

The concision of Jeevana Vaahini — just 5:42 — 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.