JI–> Starring: Ajit, Trisha   Director:Lingusaamy
Listen to Ji @ Raaga

Ding Dong Kovil Mani – Madhu Balakrishnan, Madhusree

While songs of yore like Aalaiyamaniyin Osaiyai or Kovil Mani Osai made vague references to the Kovil Mani, no lyricist until now has ventured to offer clarification on what it actually sounded like. Enter Pa.Vijay who breaks new ground in Tanglish Onomatopoeia thus answering the question once and for all. It goes Ding Dong people…Ding Dong.
Madhu Balakrishnan seems to be the singer of choice for Vidyasagar’s recent classier compositions like Vizhiyum Vizhiyum (Sadhurangam) or Kanaa Kandaenadi (Parthiban Kanavu). Right from his debut effort in Edhilum Ingu (Bharathi), Madhu B. has done justice to all his songs, both in style & pronunciation. But the same cannot be said of his co-singer, Madhushree, the AR Rahman discovery from Aytha Ezhuthu. Thanks to Maniratnam and/or Vairamuthu, her singing in Sanda Kozhi had less Hindi and more Tamizh. But in Ding Dong, she massacres the song, esp. in the saranam where she seems to challenge us Chris Tucker-like, “Do you understand the words comin’ outta my mouth?”. And what is with Tamizh composers not caring about the words coming out of their singers’ mouths?
The song is by itself a decent composition with subtle beats and neat orchestration. The chendai in the first interlude is a first in Vidyasagar songs that transitions into neat flutes complimented by the veena. The chord shift from sattru munbu nilavaram to endhan nenjil kalavaram is very pretty. The second interlude is nothing much to write about but doesn’t hinder the song’s safe passage into the final minutes. {6/10}

Kiliyae Kiliyae – Udit Narayan, Sujatha

I wouldn’t even bother to write about a song that started off kiliyae kilyae kiliyakka, kizhinju pOchu blah-blah-ka. The last part was lost on me as Udit Narayan decided it was best left for me to guess what he had spat out. But what starts out as a run-of-the-mill Vidyasagar beat-paatu springs a surprise in the saranam which rescues the song from disappearing into depths of mediocrity. Esp. the part where Udit goes vittu kudu blah-blah kodu…its the sole saving grace of this song which otherwise has nothing to offer but maybe an involuntary reaction to break out into dance if you’re sufficiently drunk. {4/10}

Thiruttu Rascal – Mano, Sreelekha Parthasarathy

Nice intro. No, really. A lead/bass guitar loop, a rowdy vocal going yaayo, background male vocals going dheem thara dheem thara dheem thara, all soon joined by a happy ghatam resulting in a really funky intro. But that’s where you need to hit the Stop button. At 00:35 seconds. Sreelekha Parthasarathi of Kalyaanam Thaan Kattikittu (Saamy) fame does all she can to redeem this song along with poor Mano. But sadly enough, all hope was lost when she went Thiruttu Rascal. :( {2/10}
Deja Vu: At 2:25, when Srilekha goes yaeni(?) pOttu yen manase, it sounds suspiciously like the part ammayappan kangalukku from Akkuthe Akkuthe (Nilaave Vaa), another Vidyasagar song.

Sarala Kondaiyil – Karthik

Probably the brain-child of some ass on the Ji team. Saar..andha Brindhavanamum Nandhakumaranum saang-e eduthu, summa lyrics ulta panni, punniya lyrisk pOtta, super-a irukkum saar. And that asinine idea resulted in this song bit. Thankfully its only a bit and for that, I’ll give it an extra 0.5 {0.5+0.5/10}

Vambae Velaikku – Kay Kay

vamba velaikku vaangum vayasu da, ulaga uranda gOli size-da begins this tortorous journey into what only seems like one of those lame hero-intro songs. And the thought of Ajit gnashing his teeth and dancing with a constipated expression is the only thing more scary than this song. *puke* {0.5/10}