Varumennu Karuthi by Jose Sagar

When Jose Sagar recorded Varumennu Karuthi, something special happened in the studio — and listeners have felt it ever since. Udayakumar Anchal sets the tone from the very first bar — it is clear from the opening notes that this song means business.

The performance by Jose Sagar is the centrepiece here — controlled where it needs to be, open where it counts. The story told by a talented ensemble cast in Varumennu Karuthi finds its musical expression here — Varumennu Karuthi is where the film's heart beats loudest.

The song dates from 2020, but nothing about it sounds dated — the emotions it captures are not tied to a moment. Listeners have described the experience of Varumennu Karuthi differently — romantic, melancholic, uplifting — which suggests the song is large enough to hold many truths.

Running to 3:45, the song is exactly as long as it needs to be, which is the hardest length for a songwriter to find. It is, at the end of it, a very good song — and sometimes that is the only explanation that matters.