Puzhayoru by Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, P. V. Anil Kumar, Babuji, Chengannur Sreekumar, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi

Puzhayoru is one of those rare Malayalam tracks that manages to feel both fresh and familiar the moment it begins. The production by Babuji, Chengannur Sreekumar, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, P. V. Anil Kumar is understated in the best way — supportive without overshadowing the vocal.

Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, P. V. Anil Kumar, Babuji, Chengannur Sreekumar, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Hearing Puzhayoru without thinking of a talented ensemble cast is almost impossible for anyone who has seen Puzhayoru.

By the end of 2020, Puzhayoru had moved well beyond its original audience and into everyday playlists. The emotional register of Puzhayoru is wide enough to fit celebration and solitude equally well.

In 5:38 minutes, Puzhayoru builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. The track stands as evidence that Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, P. V. Anil Kumar, Babuji, Chengannur Sreekumar, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi and Babuji, Chengannur Sreekumar, Vaikom Vijayalakshmi, Vayalar Sarath Chandra Varma, P. V. Anil Kumar, working together, are capable of something well above the ordinary.