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If film lovers are raving about the film, film music lovers aren’t too far behind. The film has score by the genius Ilaiyaraja. Grapevine says maestro was so impressed with the film that he stayed for 13 full days to complete the re-recording for the film. “Aa Dinagalu” is a period film. The film is of an incident that took place between 1985-86, a time when underworld was just beginning to show its fangs in Karnataka. So, the album has a lot of commentary and sound track too, most of which place the film in its period even as it exposes the political involvement in underworld and how dons were the creations of such a system.

Ilaiyaraja’s music, which has a generous use of piano, violin and sax has an Eighties feel too. One is reminded of all those grand scores he made for the so many Tamil films and the Kannada film, “Pallavi Anupallavi”. The film has just two songs, though in bits they keep coming back, working like a refrain, but as instrumental pieces. The violin-dominated chunk of “Sihi Gaali” is particularly haunting. The counters between the two sets of violins is absolutely remarkable with the cellos working in the lower octave and build a beautiful contrast. It’s at once flowing, lasting and evocative.

The opening of “Aa Dinagalu” has some lovely phrases on violin and piano. It’s a soft song and has a leisurely pace, soaking in nostalgia. There’s so much of the 80s Ilaiyaraja in it; the way he works his rhythm pattern and the manner in which he uses his instruments. The brief mridangam jathi that peeps in and out beautifully for the pallavi makes for a lovely effect. There is nostalgia not just in the score, but also in the lyrics which has been captured beautifully. The song is pensive, wistful and contemplative. Vijay Yesudas is good. He is quite his own man in the lower and middle octaves, but his father creeps in unmistakably in the higher octaves. Nanditha sings easily and manages well, but her voice is so light and breezy, and painfully lacks depth. Ilaiyaraja is so famous for blending styles and does it with such a surprise element in it. He does it again in “Sihi Gaali”, a wonderful Patdeep-based song. The opening lines take off with a Western, free-style improvisation. The singer (sadly, name not mentioned) is vibrant and has an amazing felicity. Ilaiyaraja, with his not-at-all perfect voice, packed with dissonances even his microtonal non-alignment to shruti is not jarring. He does a very convincing job of the song. The manner in which he links up the most unanticipated flights between phrases with casual, earthy musical idioms is brilliant.

Ilaiyaraja is a master because he works out his details with great attention. For instance, the piano link ups between pallavi and charana are outstanding. The cascading notes on the piano is also beautiful. The grating element however, is the overuse of the electronic rhythm kit. Couldn’t it have been toned down or completely eliminated? The song keeps taking you back to the poignant “Hrudaya Rangoli” from “Pallavi Anupallavi”. After the first line of the charana you quite naturally progress to sing the rest of the lines like in “Hrudaya Rangoli”, but the song takes the most unanticipated flights. Nandita does tip of the tongue singing, but Ilaiyaraja makes up for both.The songs linger for long.

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