Best of 2022: Kantara, Monsoon Raaga & more - Top Kannada soundtracks of the year

Kantara

It's redundant to speak of the impact that the music of Kantara had on the film's eventual success. Aside from the chartbusters such as Singara Siriye, Rebel Song, and others, Ajaneesh Loknath's soundtrack, which includes the background score, perfectly captured the nativity and vibrancy of Tulu Nadu. The composer revealed in a recent interview with a media outlet that he strived hard to match the 'folkness' of the subject matter with his music and used instruments like koragara dolu, gaggara, damaru, the carnatic flute, nadaswaram, chanda and even the kazoo and didgeridoo to enhance the drama. He is also said to have given importance to the folk songs of the region, known as paddanagalu and used singers like Mime Ramdas and Sai Vignesh.

Although the music of Kantara was later marred by the Varaha Roopam plagiarism controversy, one can still hail the composer for imbuing the soundtrack with authenticity and accentuating the narrative as a result.

777 Charlie

Dharma and Charlie's intense journey in Kiranraj K's 777 Charlie was beautifully highlighted by Nobin Paul's music. The composer delivered an eclectic soundtrack which ranged from spunky and amusing tracks like the Torture Song (sung by Vijay Prakash) to profound and emotional renditions like The Hymn of Dharma. Paul and Kiranraj K would explore varied forms of music in 777 Charlie to capture the diversity of the film's ethos and the resulting album comprises quaint numbers such as O'Ga (Konkani language folk song) along with qawwalis and melodic, chirpy tracks like the Bonding Song. The background score, in the same vein, did perfect justice to the epic nature of the narrative and elevated the film to a new emotional high. 

Monsoon Raaga

Although the film was a remake of the Telugu sleeper success C/O Kancherapalem, director S. Ravindranath had a distinct, musically vibrant vision for his rendition. With Raaga occupying one-half of the title, it is apparent that music is an integral element of this story but it's one thing to conceive the idea and another to actually create a narrative that oozes rhythm and melody. J Anoop Seelin, the film's composer would use several traditional instruments and classically-influenced tunes to create the unique soundscape of Monsoon Raaga - songs like Megharajana Raaga, Raaga Sudha, and Muddada Moothi became crowd favourites within no time. The soundtrack of Monsoon Raaga never stands apart as a separate entity and instead compliments the visuals & the ethos of the film.

Banaras

Ajaneesh B. Loknath has had quite the year with multiple memorable soundtracks to his name. While Kantara saw him tap into the roots of coastal Karnataka, Jayathirtha's moody romance story Banaras urged him to conceive a different form of fusion. The Maaya Gange track (sung by Armaan Malik), on one hand, employed syncopated dubstep-like elements against a melodic tune whereas the popular Janapada folk song Hennu Hadeyalu Beda (sung by Harshika Devanath) boasted a melancholic acoustic rendition. The Belakina Kavithe song, sung by Sanjith Hegde and Sangeetha Ravindranath, too became a major hit among listeners.

Vikrant Rona

The third Ajaneesh B. Loknath soundtrack to feature in this list, which also happens to be the composer's most opulent album of the year. Anup Bhandari's Vikrant Rona is set against the backdrop of a fictional western-ish world with elements of fantasy, thriller and action guiding the narrative. In this vein, Ajaneesh was required to add a layer of authenticity and distinction to the film through his music and the composer did just that. From chartbusters like Ra Ra Rakkamma and Chikki Bombe to moody and intense songs like Hey Fakira and Gumma Banda Gumma, and rounding off the album with simple melodies like the Lullaby Song, Vikrant Rona boasts of it all. The makers also took painstaking efforts in rendering each track in multiple Indian languages using different singers, lyricists, and chorus artists.

Gaalipata 2

Arjun Janya and Yogaraj Bhat's maiden collaboration was a sought-after one and with Golden Ganesh, Diganth Manchale, and the Gaalipata franchise associated with the project, the stakes only grew higher for the prolific composer. However, much to the delight of all the fans, the music of Gaalipata 2 did not disappoint and each track from the album became an instant success on the internet. Bhat would also serve as the lyricist on songs such as Exam Song and Devle Devle Devle while his other most favoured collaborator Jayant Kaykani penned the lyrics of Neenu Bagehariyada and Naanaadadaa Maathellava (featuring the iconic Sonu Nigam-Jayant Kaykani-Yogaraj Bhat combination).

In 2022 alone, Arjun Janya delivered a number of impressive soundtracks in the form of Ek Love Ya, Window Seat, Love 360, and Raymo, among others. He is set to close the year with A. Harsha's Vedha, Hariprasad Jayanna's college romance Padavi Poorva, and Once Upon a Time in Jamaligudda.

K.G.F: Chapter 2

Although the songs of KGF 2 weren't as successful as those of the first instalment, one can't overlook Ravi Basrur's contribution to creating the distinct world conceived by director Prashanth Neel. The opulence, the stark larger-than-life quality of the narrative were captured splendidly by Basrur's background score which ranged from operatic & thumping music to hard rock and metal. In the same vein, songs like Sulthana, Gagana Nee, and Toofan became chartbusters.

Harikathe Alla Girikathe

Vasuki Vaibhav has proved time and again his penchant for wackiness, with his music often blending a certain kind of wit & quirk with fierce emotions. While Rama Rama Re..., his debut project as a composer, allowed him to use the rustic and philosophical milieu of the narrative, the songs of Rishab Shetty's 2018 film Sarkari Hi. Pra. Shaale Kasaragodu Koduge: Ramanna Rai boasted a fusion of funk, rock and the local coastal flavour of Karnataka, all of which perfectly underlined the intimacy of the story.

In Karan Ananth & Anirudh Mahesh's Harikathe Alla Girikathe, Vasuki Vaibhav lends a sense of playfulness and still lets the philosophy and tender grief of the story find a life of their own. On one hand, there is Jr. Monalisa which uses Vasuki's quintessential vocals and Trilok Trivikrama's comical verses and it didn't take long before it became the theme song of the film. On the other, Yogaraj Bhat's masterful wordplay was again on show in the soothing Bevarsi Manasa with Vasuki using a simple acoustic arrangement to enunciate the deeper insights of the song. Harikathe Alla Girikathe also features the funky Bawarachi sung by Sharan and the emotional Helalu Hodare rendered by Pradeep Kumar.