Mandha Maarutha by Shameer Dharimi Kollam

The Mandha Maarutha album has several strong tracks, but Mandha Maarutha is the one most listeners come back to first. The music, composed by Shameer Dharimi Kollam, Anwar Aman, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

The performance by Shameer Dharimi Kollam is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. a talented ensemble cast gave the film its soul, and Mandha Maarutha is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

2020 was a strong year for Malayalam music, and Mandha Maarutha was among the reasons why. Some music is background. Mandha Maarutha demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

The concision of Mandha Maarutha — just 4:04 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Songs like Mandha Maarutha are the reason people fall in love with Malayalam music and never quite fall out of it.