Tholi Prema Audio Review

Tholi Prema is an upcoming romantic film starring Varun Tej and Raashi Khanna in lead roles. The film is directed by Venky Atluri and music is composed by S.S.Thaman. The film is produced by BVSN Prasad who gave the blockbuster Atharintiki Daredhi earlier.

The album begins on a stylish note with Break The Rules– an energetic number by Raghu Dixit supported with power packed guitars and complimenting sitar touches. Lyrics by Srimani are quite peppy and fun to hear. Thaman uses the beautiful Carnatic fusion aspect in the interludes which give it a cross cultural feel. Interestingly, this portion has amazing percussion of mridangam which is quite pleasing to hear.

Ninnila has already won many hearts for its sublime rendition and mild trance like appeal. Armaan Malik’s wonderful vocals are quite expressive and also carry a tinge of innocence and rawness. Srimani delivers another winner once again with his poetic lyrics. The chord progression of the song is quite pleasing and wonderful to relish.

The thump of pace occurs with Sunona Sunaina which has an electronic aspect to it. The song wonderfully compliments the laid back nature of the album this point. It is like a cakewalk song for Rahul Nambiar who does a fantastic job with his powerful vocals. The interludes are feisty with trumpets, sequencing and also a bit of modern jazz in it.

Sweet nightingale Shreya Ghoshal joins this musical feast with Allasani Vari a trendy number with tremendous fun in lyrics as well as presentation. The guitars are quite pleasant to hear and do not sound loud at any point of time. However, it is the live drumming which brings more impact to the song. We seldom see the melodious Shreya Ghoshal doing a funky number and this is a straight winner! The usage of classical flute is a master stroke in the interlude which reminds us of A.R.Rahman’s 90s compositions.

Vinnane Vinnane is trendy rock number with strong guitar support and trendy electronic lead as well. The hummable tune and casual approach to the overall song is what makes it pleasant to hear. Thaman’s usual riffs are evident in this number which bring a feel of relaxing aura.

The fitting finale occurs with the title number Tholi Prema which has a retro 80s Rock feel fused amazingly with Indian melody in the form of Sitar. Kala Bhairava does a commendable job with his melancholic tone which is so perfect for this ballad. Interestingly, Thaman uses seven beat rhythm which is quite an experiment to do in usual melodies. The song also has a contrasting fiery angle to it- bringing more magic to it.

Verdict:

Tholi Prema is an outright winner and undoubtedly called as the first musical hit of the year! It is fantastic to see Thaman outgrow his image of high voltage composer to a melodious musician!

Our Picks: Break the Rules, Ninnila, Masani Vaari