‘Superstar’ Rajinikanth’s upcoming Darbar will be the first big Tamil film to kick off 2020 and has been announced to come out in theatres worldwide on January 9. The upcoming mass cop action film is the second consecutive occasion Anirudh Ravichander has composed for a Rajinikanth film after the blockbuster, Petta, earlier this year. Directed by A. R. Murugadoss under the Lyca Productions banner, the Darbar album has now been released and has 6 tracks in total including a theme for Rajinikanth as well as the villain, Suneil Shetty.

Song 1 : Chumma Kizhi
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander
Lyricist : Vivek
Vocals : S. P. Balasubrahmanyam & Anirudh Ravichander

The first song that was released a few days back, ‘Chumma Kizhi’ sung by S. P. Balasubrahmanyam and Anirudh has gone on to become a chartbuster. A folksy number with pulsating beats, the song is undoubtedly a theatre celebration song which will no doubt get all ‘Thalaivar’ fans on the dance floor. We can see SPB channeling his voice to the days of the late 80s to the 90s and then till the early 2000s where he would elevate himself for the ‘Superstar’. And, the end product this time has turned out to be special. With Vivek’s lyrics raising the bar once again, Anirudh too has chipped in on the vocal department in an amicable manner apart from coming up with a catchy tune and a rhythm that will want you to tap your feet no matter how hard you try to fight it.

Song 2 : Tharam Maara Single
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander
Lyricist : Vivek
Vocals : Anirudh Ravichander & Arjun Chandy

A song that is more in the zone of Anirudh’s usual song template, ‘Tharam Maara Single’ is a lot more modern and scratches the surface of being an EDM (Electronic dance music) track and includes plenty of improvised calypso verses. The track being a lilting and flowing tune, it will take time to catch on among the youth and is more on the lines of being a intimate salsa song. 

Song 3 : Thalaivar Theme
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander

We got a taste of the ‘Thalaivar Theme’ when the Darbar motion poster released sometime back and gave us a feel of what to expect in the film when it comes out next year. A track that is filled with thara local beats and the ‘Thalaivaa’ reference on a number of occasions, it will turn out to be a raising the fist and punching the air number that will be best enjoyed by fans in theatres each time we see Rajinikanth living up to his mass image.

Song 4 : Dumm Dumm
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander
Lyricist : Vivek
Vocals : Nakash Aziz

The ‘Dumm Dumm’ song opens with a chorus and teases a wedding scenario with the track then going full forward with an electronic mandolin serving as the main beat and singer Nakash Aziz taking charge from thereon. The song has all elements to become a hit with the passage of time. Perhaps the biggest drawback in the song is the use of excessive sound, which borders on turning out to become noise after a certain point of time. The reason for using the term 'noise' is in retrospect the romantic overtone get numbed down when the beats overtake the tune as well as the vocals and that isn’t always a good sign for a song that is supposed to be hopeful and passionate.

Song 5 : Villain Theme
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander

The ‘Villain Theme’ for Suniel Shetty has pizzazz and mystery as well giving us a tease of the Bollywood actor’s character in Darbar. There is a bit of menace we can deduce as well as stylish swag and a polished suave in the theme, which we can picture now already. The song will play out at regular intervals each time Suniel Shetty enters the frame and will be one that will show his evil side.

Song 6 : Thani Vazhi
Composed by : Anirudh Ravichander
Lyricist : Yogi B, Senthuzhan, Syan
Vocals : Rap By Yogi B, Anirudh Ravichander & Shakthisree Gopalan

A pure mass track, ‘Thani Vazhi’ will be a song that will best enjoyed only with the visuals that gets shown. The rap lyrics by Yogi B, Senthuzhan, Syan clearly emphasize the mass of ‘Superstar’ we have known watching Rajinikanth all over the years. The transition of the song from a western number to thara local beats and rap interludes will come as a surprise at times. On the tune front, the song is reminiscent of being a slowed down version of the ‘Petta Paraak’ track in Petta.

VERDICT: Anirudh Ravichander's attempt to bring in a mix of varied elements in his latest offering seem half-baked, but could have been so much better.

RATING: 2.5/5