Karunyavan Allah by Haroon Khader

Haroon Khader has delivered memorable performances before, but Karunyavan Allah sits comfortably among the very best. What makes Karunyavan Allah musically distinctive is the composition by Haroon Khader, Osho Venkat, which balances simplicity with depth.

Haroon Khader's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. The connection between a talented ensemble cast and this song is part of what makes it resonate beyond the film itself.

By the end of 2020, Karunyavan Allah had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. It fits the playlist for almost any occasion, which is rare — most songs have a narrow emotional window. This one does not.

The 5:30 runtime feels perfectly judged — long enough to develop its ideas, short enough to compel a second play. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Malayalam in recent memory — and the numbers agree.