Varminnal by Arun Muraleedharan, Haricharan

There is an honesty to Varminnal that separates it from most Malayalam songs released around the same time. Behind the melody is the work of Arun Muraleedharan, whose composition choices give Varminnal its distinctive texture.

Arun Muraleedharan, Haricharan's vocal here has a quality that is difficult to describe but impossible to miss — it simply feels true. Featuring Asif Ali, Aju Varghese, Saiju Kurup, Bhavana, Srinda, the song carries the weight of the film's emotional arc and delivers it with conviction.

2017 marked the release of Varminnal, and Varminnal was the track that ensured the album would be remembered. Some music is background. Varminnal demands attention — not aggressively, but in the way a good conversation does.

In 3:44 minutes, Varminnal builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. Years from now, Varminnal will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.