Vishwaroopam is the soundtrack album, composed by the music trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, for the Tamil film of the same name, directed by Kamal Haasan. The album features five tracks, with lyrics penned by Vairamuthu and Kamal Hassan himself. The soundtrack's Hindi version Vishwaroop, has lyrics penned by Javed Akhtar.
| Vishwaroopam/ Vishwaroop | ||||
|---|---|---|---|---|
 Hindi album cover | ||||
| Soundtrack album by | ||||
| Released | 7 December 2012 (Tamil) 28 December 2012 (Hindi) | |||
| Recorded | 2012 | |||
| Genre | Feature film soundtrack | |||
| Length | 23:25 23:35 (Hindi) | |||
| Language | Tamil Hindi | |||
| Label | Sony Music India | |||
| Producer | Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy | |||
| Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy chronology | ||||
| ||||
Production
editInitially, Yuvan Shankar Raja was rumored to compose the film's musical score since the film was supposed to be directed by director Selvaraghavan, a frequent collaborator of Raja.[1] However, later Kamal was confirmed to direct the film himself and signed in the musical trio Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy to compose music for the trilingual, who had, in their early days, composed music for his trilingual Aalavandhan.[2] Lyricist Vairamuthu was confirmed for the Tamil version of the film,[3] after Kamal Haasan had approached him and narrated the entire plot, to which he immediately agreed to work upon. Javed Akhtar has penned lyrics for the Hindi version,[4] while Ramajogayya Shastry has done the lyrics for the dubbed Telugu version.[5]
Release
editThe audio was initially expected to release on 7 November 2012, coinciding with Haasan's birthday. The audio launch was planned to be launched simultaneously in Chennai, Coimbatore and Madurai. However, due to Cyclone Nilam, it was postponed.[6][7] The film's audio rights were sold to Sony Music.[8]
The album was released on 7 December 2012, at Chennai on a grand event at YMCA Royapettah, after launching the audio in Madurai and Coimbatore. The first copy of the audio was released by Ilayaraja, who had collaborated with Kamal on his previous productions.[9] The function was attended by various celebrities including Andrea Jeremiah, Pooja Kumar, Bharathiraja, A.R. Murugadoss, K.S. Ravikumar, Vasanth, Suresh Krishna, Prabhu Solomon, Dharani, Gautami, Lingusamy, Jayaram, Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy, Karthik, Karunas, and Prabhu.[10]
Track list
edit| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vishwaroopam" | Vairamuthu | Suraj Jagan | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Thuppaki Engal Tholile" | Vairamuthu English lyrics by Asif Ali Beg | Kamal Haasan & Benny Dayal | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Unnai Kaanadhu Naan" | Kamal Haasan | Kamal Haasan & Shankar Mahadevan | 5:35 |
| 4. | "Anu Vidhaiththa Boomiyile" | Kamal Haasan | Kamal Haasan & Nikhil D'Souza | 4:16 |
| 5. | "Vishwaroopam (Remix)" | Vairamuthu | Remixed by Shane Mendonsa | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 23:25 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vishwaroop" | Javed Akhtar | Suraj Jagan | 4:24 |
| 2. | "Jung Hai" | Javed Akhtar English lyrics by Asif Ali Beg | Shankar Mahadevan, Benny Dayal | 4:46 |
| 3. | "Main Radha Tu Shaam" | Javed Akhtar | Kamal Haasan & Shankar Mahadevan | 5:39 |
| 4. | "Koi Kahin" | Javed Akhtar | Kamal Haasan & Nikhil D'Souza | 4:19 |
| 5. | "Vishwaroop (Remix)" | Javed Akhtar | Remixed by Shane Mendonsa | 4:27 |
| Total length: | 23:35 | |||
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Vishwaroopam" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Suraj Jagan | 4:22 |
| 2. | "Thupakee Thone Jeevitham" | Ramajogayya Sastry English lyrics by Asif Ali Beg | Shankar Mahadevan & Benny Dayal | 4:42 |
| 3. | "Undalaenandhi Naa Kannu" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Kamal Haasan & Shankar Mahadevan | 5:35 |
| 4. | "Anu Vinasa Varshamidhi" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Kamal Haasan & Nikhil D'Souza | 4:16 |
| 5. | "Vishwaroopam (Remix)" | Ramajogayya Sastry | Remixed by Shane Mendonsa | 4:23 |
| Total length: | 23:25 | |||
Reception
edit| Review scores | |
|---|---|
| Source | Rating |
| Musicperk |   [11] |
| Music Aloud |  [12] |
| Behindwoods |    [13] |
| Tamil Music Review | [14] |
| Haihoi | [15] |
| IndiaGlitz | [16] |
| Rediff | [17] |
| Thamarai | [18] |
The soundtrack was met with positive response from music critics upon release. Musicperk.com noted, "SEL are one of the very few versatile composers around the country and that explains Kamal’s choice for their music. This album would rank as one of the best albums of SEL...The songs are quite ahead of its time & by the passage of time, will get even better recognition.".[19] Music Aloud's review called the album "a must listen"[20] Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff described the album as "a pleasant listening experience"[17] Behindwoods said, "[Shankar–Ehsaan–Loy] bring their A-game to the party and it’s a highly focused effort with absolutely no room for fillers. Seriously good!" [21] IndiaGlitz praised the album saying,"[The] album draws a fine line between top-notch music and director-friendly music that prioritizes the storyline above everything else".[22] Thamarai.com praised the album for its "exquisitely-penned lyrics and brilliant vocal performances".[18] Charulatha Mani describes "Unnai Kaanadhu Naan" as the "piece-de-resistance of raga Jaijaivanti" in Tamil film music.[23]
The soundtrack, within hours of its release, climbed up to #3 in iTunes Chart.[24]
References
edit- ^ "Kamal hits the gym for Selva". Behindwoods. Retrieved 29 August 2011.
- ^ "Kamal Haasan signs Shankar for next". The Times of India. 18 March 2011. Retrieved 17 August 2020.
- ^ "Vairamuthu to write songs for Viswaroopam". Sify. 29 October 2011. Archived from the original on 31 October 2011. Retrieved 4 November 2011.
- ^ "Vishwaroop: Shankar Ehsaan Loy". Amazon.com. 21 December 2012. Retrieved 22 December 2012.
- ^ Sangeetha Devi Dundoo (9 June 2012). "Arts / Cinema : An idea whose time has come". The Hindu. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Cyclone Nilam is such a 'spoilsport': Kamal Haasan". CNN-IBN. 7 November 2012. Archived from the original on 3 January 2013. Retrieved 5 December 2012.
- ^ "Sandy's Desi Cousin Nilam Alters Kamal Haasan's Plans". 1 November 2012.
- ^ "Sony bags Vishwaroopam audio". The Times of India. 14 November 2012. Retrieved 14 November 2012.
Sony Music has grabbed the audio rights of Kamal Haasan's ambitious Vishwaroopam.
- ^ "Kamal deserves to be celebrated". The Times of India. 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "AR Murugadoss at Viswaroopam Audio Launch Photos". 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ Siddharth K (7 December 2012). "Vishwaroopam". Musicperk.
- ^ Vipin (7 December 2012). "Vishwaroopam – MUSIC REVIEW (TAMIL MOVIE SOUNDTRACK)". Music Aloud.
- ^ "VISHWAROOPAM SONGS REVIEW". Behindwoods. 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Viswaroopam Music Review". Tamil Music Review. 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Viswaroopam Music Review". Haihoi. 7 December 2012.
- ^ "Viswaroopam Music Review". IndiaGlitz. 7 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012.
- ^ a b "Review: Viswaroopam Music is pleasant". Rediff. 10 December 2012.
- ^ a b "Review:Vishwaroopam — Soundtrack Review". Thamarai. 11 December 2012.
- ^ "Vishwaroopam". 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Vishwaroopam — Music Review (Tamil Movie Soundtrack)". 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
Must listen!
- ^ "Vishwaroopam Music Review Andrea Jeremiah, Kamal Haasan, Pooja Kumar". 10 December 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ "Viswaroopam Music Review". 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2012. Retrieved 10 December 2012.
- ^ Mani, Charulatha (5 July 2013). "A complex beauty". The Hindu. ISSN 0971-751X. Retrieved 5 September 2022.
- ^ "'Vishwaroopam' songs rock the iTunes chart". IBNLive. 10 December 2012. Archived from the original on 26 January 2013. Retrieved 10 December 2012.