Aruvi (soundtrack)

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"When we met Arun for the brief, we were really impressed with the homework he had done on us even before approaching us. He had told us that the music is an integral part of the movie. In the places where he knew what he was looking for, his clarity helped us compose quickly and in places where he was unsure, he was honest about it and this helped us as there was no beating around the bush. For those parts we brainstormed to discover what we want. We also liked the synopsis of the story a lot. The best part was our music was not just an add on to the movie."

— Bindhumalini on composing music for Aruvi [2]

Bindhumalini and Vedanth extensively researched about the film's musical landscape, with the classifications for moods, ideas, inspirations, detailed descriptions and even the duration of the tracks, and eventually planned for 33 original compositions, including the film's songs and score. [2] Unlike their usual way of composing the tune to the lyrics, they developed the melody and structure of the songs and the lyrics were written afterwards. Prabu would explain each sequence in depth that helped them to compose the tunes. Both of them employed a minimalistic approach for curating the soundscape, while having a rawness that was consistent in the sounds and tunes. [2] Prabu also wrote lyrics for two songs while majority of them were written by Kutti Revathi. [3]

Development and production

The entire soundscape of the film was offbeat and conventional, which in contrast to both of their calibre as they belonged to Carnatic music background. [3] The album accompanied various genres ranging from jazz, acapppella, rock, country, Carnatic and folk, not restricting their ideas and the flow of the music to specific genre and allowing it to take its own course. [2]

With multiple discussions on the kind of music that they composed with Arun, one of them was noted on opening with a Carnatic track when the script needed it showing her in a dance class. [3] They produced and re-arranged the song "Asaindhadum Mayil", a composition of the classical song by Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi, in the Simhendramadhyamam raga and then transmogrifies into jazz, that sticks to Hemavati raga. [2] The use of Simhendramadhyamam allowed them to move into a hardcore European folk feel, as it allowed them to naturally flow to the experimental improvisation, which demanded both classical and street music flavour. They improvised the melodies and rhythms with vocals before the song shifts to Hemavati. [3] The song "Merku Karaiyil" is based on the Mishra Pilu raga, while "Kukkotti Kunaatti" emphasizes western classical harmonies that shifts from major to minor scale. [2] [3]

At certain instances, they distanced out of music while incorporating sounds, with a key music piece being a recurring pattern in the second half was layered with multiple sounds, such as using simple mic box, rubbing textured papers and the creaking sounds of the studio door being opened and closed; [3] they also played certain instruments such as flute, erhu and ocarina, keeping it raw and used off key notes, in a non-musical way. This eventually helped in building tension for the particular scenes. [3]

Composition and recording

Bindhumalini and Vedanth started working on the film's music in 2014, and completed within 2017, taking three years for the entire music process. [3] As both of them were working in different cities—Bindhumalini in Bengaluru and Vedanth in Mumbai—the former would record a tune on her phone and sent to the latter, and vice versa. Both of them communicated virtually while working on the music, while the final recording happened in Chennai with the presence of both composers and the musicians. [3]

The score was recorded at the Voice and Vision Studios in Mumbai and the Krimson Avenue Studios in Chennai, with the featuring veteran musicians—accordionist Federick Rosario, cellist Sekar, violinists Kalyan, trumpeter Babu, sarangi player Manonmani—and younger musicians—bass guitarist Naveen Napier, percussionist Krishna Kishor and violinist Niranjan—whom, according to Vedanth, "brought in their own fresh approaches and improvised with our compositions". [3] The orchestral portions were performed by Chennai Strings Orchestra with conductor Yensone Bhagyanathan. [3] Both composers, liked the originality and suggestions provided by other musicians, while also working with veteran musicians provided them a learning experience. [3]

Release

On the occasion of World Music Day (21 June 2017), the track "Anbin Kodi", deciphered as the "Party Song", was released as a single. [4] The album consists of six tracks, was released on 1 September 2017; deciding not to collaborate with music labels, the album was released by the production company itself, while Divo served as the digital partner. [5]

Reception

Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog wrote "Bindhumalini and Vedanth Bharadwaj, given their decidedly offbeat musical inclination, add a beautiful hue to Aruvi’s soundtrack that is completely unique and highly original." [6] According to Baradwaj Rangan of Film Companion South , he reviewed: "Bindhu Malini and Vedanth Bharadwaj deliver an experimental soundtrack that works beautifully as a concept album (think Picasso meets early Pink Floyd) — it's certainly art, a free-flowing mix of a cappella choruses and ocarinas and didgeridoos. But the newness of the music, the very thing that would make it stand out as an album, is distracting on screen." [7] Vikram Venkateswaran of The Quint also praised the unconventional nature of the music and score, with the songs not following a specific style. [8]

Haricharan Pudipeddi of Hindustan Times called it as an "excellent score by Bindu Malini and Vedanth Bhardwaj." [9] Ashameera Aiyappan of The Indian Express wrote "Bindhu Malini and Vedanth Bharadwaj's music acts as another narrator for Aruvi. Each song signifies the end or beginning of a chapter in her life, seamlessly interspersing through the narrative." [10] Sreedhar Pillai of Firstpost wrote "The musical score by Bindu Malini and Vedanth Bhardwaj heightens the mood and is in perfect sync with the narration." [11] Anupama Subramanian of Deccan Chronicle called the music "fabulous". [12]

Track listing

Aruvi
Aruvi (soundtrack).jpg
Soundtrack album by
Released1 September 2017 (2017-09-01)
Recorded2014–2017
StudioVoice and Vision, Mumbai
Krimson Avenue Studio, Chennai
Genre Original feature film soundtrack
Length26:01
LanguageTamil
Label Dream Warrior Pictures
Producer
External audio
Nuvola apps arts.svg Audio Jukebox on YouTube
Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy chronology
Harikatha Prasanga
(2017)
Aruvi
(2017)
Nathicharami
(2018)
No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Baby Track (Kukkotti Kunaatti)" Kutti Revathi Vedanth Bharadwaj, Praniti, Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy 4:44
2."Teen Track (Asaindhadum Mayil)" Oothukkadu Venkata Kavi Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy3:00
3."Liberty Song (Cement Kaadu)"Kutti Revathi, Arun Prabu Purushothaman Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy4:15
4."Party Song (Uchcham Thodum Anbin Kodi)"Kutti RevathiVasu Dixit, Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy3:50
5."Hope (Merku Karaiyil)"Arun Prabu PurushothamanVedanth Bharadwaj, Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy5:00
6."Aruvi Theme (Moods Of Aruvi)" Instrumental Bindhumalini Narayanaswamy5:12
Total length:26:01

Album credits

Credits adapted from Dream Warrior Pictures: [13]

References

  1. 1 2 Naagarajan, S (13 December 2017). "Stories like Aruvi never go out of fashion: Director Arun Prabhu Purushothaman". The New Indian Express . Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  2. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 CR, Sharanya (9 December 2017). "We did not make 'Aruvi' sound offbeat deliberately: Vedanth". The Times of India . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 Venkataraman, Deepa (22 December 2017). "The sound of 'Aruvi': Meet the composers behind the film that's got everyone raving". The News Minute . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  4. "Anbin Kodi – From Aruvi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Spotify . 21 June 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  5. "Aruvi (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack)". Apple Music . 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 15 February 2025. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  6. Srinivasan, Karthik (1 September 2017). "Aruvi (Music review), Tamil – Bindhumalini and Vedanth Bharadwaj". Milliblog . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  7. Rangan, Baradwaj (16 January 2018). "Aruvi Movie Review". Film Companion South . Archived from the original on 5 October 2024. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  8. Venkateswaran, Vikram (16 December 2017). "Aruvi Review: Visual Poetry, A Kick in the Nuts, Beyond Judgement". The Quint . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 15 February 2025.
  9. Pudipeddi, Haricharan (15 December 2017). "Aruvi movie review: Aditi Balan's film is high on emotions". Hindustan Times . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  10. Aiyappan, Ashameera (14 December 2017). "Aruvi movie review: This Aditi Balan film is a must watch". The Indian Express . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  11. Pillai, Sreedhar (15 December 2017). "Aruvi movie review: Aditi Balan is pitch-perfect in this gutsy film that's Kollywood's best in 2017". Firstpost . Archived from the original on 1 September 2021. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  12. Subramanian, Anupama (15 December 2017). "Aruvi movie review: An absolute must watch!". Deccan Chronicle . Archived from the original on 17 December 2017. Retrieved 1 September 2021.
  13. Aruvi - Official Jukebox | Arun Prabu | Bindhu Malini, Vedanth | Dream Warrior Pictures. Dream Warrior Pictures. 1 September 2017. Archived from the original on 24 November 2017. Retrieved 15 February 2025 via YouTube.