Vennilave by Shreya Ghoshal, M.G. Sreekumar

Vennilave arrived from the Vennilave album and quickly became one of the most replayed tracks of 2020. Gopi Sunder's arrangement gives the track a layered quality that rewards repeated listening.

The voice of Shreya Ghoshal, M.G. Sreekumar carries Vennilave effortlessly, which is the highest compliment a song can give its singer. For fans of a talented ensemble cast, Vennilave is one of those songs that immediately conjures specific scenes and emotions.

In 2020, Malayalam produced many songs, but Vennilave was one of the handful that genuinely cut through. 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.

In 4:33 minutes, Vennilave builds, opens up, and resolves in a way that feels complete rather than truncated. Years from now, Vennilave will still be the track that plays at the right moment and lands exactly as it did the first time.