The very cover of the Aascar Films Tamil album, *Ananda Thandavam*, captures you -- with its cloudy blue-grey sky, the hero on his penny-farthing cycle and Tamanna's come-hither look. Expectations are sure to rise as the King of Poetry Vairamuthu has penned the lyrics. Surely the music itself, tuned by G V Prakash Kumar, ought to match them. Let's have a listen
Merry strings of the guitar herald the start of *Poovinai*, sung by Srinivas and Shreya Ghoshal. The lyrics speak gently of the way life goes, even in the midst of a romantic number. A R Rahman's influence is quite heavy here, as the melody reminds you of the general theme of *Pudhiya Mugam*. Ironically, it's the end of the song that touches you a bit, with its refrain and philosophic lyrics. *Megam Pola* begins, as you might expect, with reverberating cloudburst and a blowing gale. Shankar Mahadevan [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=shankar mahadevan> ] starts off with a bang in an angsty voice, swift and predicting doom and heart-break -- and Vairamuthu makes his presence felt, again. You don't quite know if the composer was inspired by the evergreen raga of *Nanda Nandana* but you can't help but enjoy the respite from syrupy love songs. The interlude reminds you of A R Rahman's work in *Lagaan [Images<http://search.rediff.com/imgsrch/default.php?MT=lagaan> ].* Shankar Mahadevan's lilting voice pulls you into the melody. http://inhome.rediff.com/movies/2008/nov/05ssa.htm -- regards, Vithur
