Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal) by Shreya Ghoshal, Gopi Sunder

Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal) works because it does not try to do too much — it finds one feeling and holds it perfectly. The music, composed by Gopi Sunder, carries the song forward with a confidence that matches the performance.

The voice of Shreya Ghoshal, Gopi Sunder carries Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal) effortlessly, which is the highest compliment a song can give its singer. Dulquer Salmaan, Parvathi Menon, Aparna Gopinath gave the film its soul, and Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal) is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

Released in 2015, it arrived at a time when Malayalam music needed exactly this kind of sincerity. It is the kind of track that works at full volume with friends and equally well in a quiet room alone — the mood adjusts without the song changing.

The concision of Puthumazhayai (Shreya Ghoshal) — just 4:35 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. The song continues to find new listeners, which is the surest sign that it was made with something genuine at its core.