Vaanavillo by Jakes Bejoy, M.G. Sreekumar

Some songs are made for a single moment. Vaanavillo is made for all of them. Jakes Bejoy, M.G. Sreekumar's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

There are singers who perform songs and singers who live inside them. On Vaanavillo, Jakes Bejoy, M.G. Sreekumar clearly belongs in the second group. a talented ensemble cast gave the film its soul, and Vaanavillo is the song that most directly channels that feeling into music.

In 2020, Malayalam produced many songs, but Vaanavillo was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. There is a quality to Vaanavillo that makes it feel like company — the kind of song you put on when words feel insufficient.

The concision of Vaanavillo — just 4:56 — is part of what makes it work. There is nothing here that should not be. For anyone yet to hear Vaanavillo, the experience ahead is a good one. For those returning, it will be as good as they remember.