Pranayam by Saleem Kodathoor

There is an honesty to Pranayam that separates it from most Malayalam songs released around the same time. Credit goes to Firoz Maranchery for a score that understands exactly what the song needs and nothing more.

Saleem Kodathoor delivers the lyrics with a nuance that turns an already strong song into something genuinely moving. For fans of a talented ensemble cast, Pranayam is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

When it came out in 2020, Pranayam felt timely. Years later, it feels timeless. The emotional register of Pranayam is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

The concision of Pranayam — just 4:07 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. Songs like Pranayam are the reason people fall in love with Malayalam music and never quite fall out of it.