Kingini Kootangal by Shreya S. Ajith

Few songs from 2020 have held their ground as well as Kingini Kootangal, a track that keeps finding new audiences. Joby Muttathil has a history of strong work, and the music on Kingini Kootangal is among the most memorable of it.

Shreya S. Ajith brings a warmth to Kingini Kootangal that no production choice could manufacture — it has to be felt, and here it is. The story told by a talented ensemble cast in Kingini Kootangal finds its musical expression here — Kingini Kootangal is where the film's heart beats loudest.

The 2020 release gave fans something to hold onto — a track built for repeated listening rather than a single play. Listeners have described the experience of Kingini Kootangal differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

In 4:55 minutes, Kingini Kootangal builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. It is, simply, one of the better songs to come from Malayalam in recent memory — and the numbers agree.