The album was preceded by two singles: "Marana Mass" and "Ullallaa", released on 3 and 7 December 2018. The soundtrack was distributed by Sony Music India and released at a promotional event on 9 December 2018. The music received positive reviews from critics and audiences.
Development
On 1 March 2018, Sun Pictures announced that Anirudh Ravichander would compose music for the film marking his maiden collaboration with Rajinikanth and Subbaraj.[2] Subbaraj who usually associated with Santhosh Narayanan for all of his films, chose to work with Anirudh as the film demanded a different flavor of music.[3] Anirudh described the film as a "mix of mass and class" and further added that "Generally, Karthik’s films will have scope for music and the work is going on a full swing. I'm also planning to deliver the music as a Thalaivar fan but will ensure that it should appeal to all music listeners."[4] In September 2018, he shared a glimpse of the film's recording session where the musicians recorded the theme that featured in the film's motion poster.[5]
Composition
The soundtrack to Petta featured six songs and five instrumental tracks.[6][7] The first song "Marana Mass" featured vocals performed by Anirudh and S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and lyrics written by Vivek.[8][9] It is an introductory number for Rajinikanth's character Kaali,[10] which featured heavy arrangements of drums, percussions and parai;[11] it was also the first time Balasubrahmanyam had recorded an introduction song for Rajinikanth since Lingaa (2014).[12][13] Balasubrahmanyam had recorded few lines of the song, which led to the disappointment of music enthusiasts.[14][15] However, the singer revealed in an interview that he had no issue with it and the team felt that his voice was required for the song.[14] The song's title was also used for a 2025 Malayalam language film.
"Ilamai Thirumbudhe" is a romantic ballad number picturized on Rajinikanth and Simran.[16] Anirudh recorded the vocals for the song which had lyrics written by Dhanush; the composer and actor reunite after three years since Thanga Magan (2015).[17] "Petta Paraak" is an elevation number performed by Anirudh and written by Vivek. "Aaha Kalyanam" is a kuthu number picturized on a marriage that is showcased in the flashback portions.[18]Anthony Daasan performed the song with lyrics by Ku. Karthik; Daasan had previously recorded "Kattikida" from Kaaki Sattai (2015) and "Sodakku" from Thaanaa Serndha Koottam (2018).[18]
"Ullallaa" is a dance number performed by Nakash Aziz and Inno Genga.[19] Aziz recalled that "They say you got to keep a cool mind. I knew I was singing for Rajini sir. This is the time I’ve been waiting for in my career. I’m sure every singer is waiting for such a moment. I was just happy that God had given me this opportunity to be a part of such a nice film, and I was just celebrating the fact."[20] Subbaraj had also written lyrics for the Hindi song "Thappad Maara" which was performed by Sarwar Khan and Sartaz Khan Barna. This song was excluded from the film.[21][22] The instrumental tracks included the film's main theme, character themes for Kaali, Jithu (Vijay Sethupathi) and Singaar Singh (Nawazuddin Siddiqui) and a theme for the film's flashback portion, set in Madurai.[6][23]
Release
"Marana Mass" was the first single from the album.[8][24] It was released on 3 December 2018 as a lyrical video on the official YouTube channel of Sun TV.[25] It was then released into music streaming platforms three days later, after Sony Music India acquired the film's soundtrack and marketing rights.[26] The second single "Ullallaa" was released through YouTube and Sun NXT as a lyrical video on 7 December 2018.[27][28]
The film's soundtrack was released on 9 December 2018.[29][30] The release coincided with a promotional launch event held at Sai Leo Muthu Indoor Stadium, Sri Sai Ram Engineering College, Chennai,[31] with the cast and crew in attendance.[23][32] The event was aired live on Sun TV.[32]
Critical reception
StudioFlicks rated the album 3 out of 5, and stated "On the whole, Petta is completely a tribute from Anirudh and his entire team for Thalaivar Rajnikanth. Apart from all the other factors of analysis, Petta does an impeccable justice to the Rajinikanth fans league."[33] Sharanya CR of The Times of India wrote "Anirudh has gone all out for this Petta album, both as a fan and as a composer. Electrifying and marana mass, for sure!"[34] Vikram Venkateswaran of The Quint wrote "Overall, Petta’s songs are definitely better than Kaala or 2.0’s jukeboxes. The tunes are more catchy, the lyrics easier to remember and the rhyme and rhythm kick in from the word go. There’s no ominous sense of doom or stories of hate and oppression to deal with. The music is upbeat and oozes a positive vibe from start to finish."[35]
In contrast, Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog expressed some discontent and stated that "Karthik Subbaraj's shift from Santhosh Narayanan, for his biggest film, seems like a blunder."[36] S Subhakeerthana of The Indian Express wrote "Anirudh Ravichander’s apt background score and music also help Petta which has all the must-haves of a Rajinikanth film."[37] Srinivasa Ramanujam of The Hindu wrote "Anirudh also gets in a couple of foot-tapping numbers, though they do come across as speed-breakers in an otherwise smooth tale."[38] Kirubhakar Purushothaman of India Today wrote "Talking about music, from Mass Maranam to Petta Paraak, Anirudh Ravichander's racy numbers are exactly what the film needed. Not just the music for Rajinikanth; even the background music for Singaar Singh and Jithu are just well thought out."[39]
Commercial reception
In February 2019, the album crossed 250million streams on all platforms.[40] In January 2022, "Marana Mass" hit 200+ million views in YouTube.[40]
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