Anirudh Ravichander, who was once the unchallenged kingpin of Tamil films’ music scene, was equated with top-scoring soundtracks that contributed significantly towards the box-office success of a film. His music drew mass attention, usually touted as a guaranteed formula for the success of a movie.
But since the past few years, Anirudh’s songs have also experienced a string of letdowns. It all started with Vettaiyan, starring Rajinikanth, where his songs failed to make that much of an impression. It followed with Vidaamuyarchi, starring Ajith, where his tunes were unable to impress the fans. Recently, Kingdom, starring Vijay Deverakonda, also received flak for its music, with people complaining that Anirudh’s songs fell short of the hype surrounding the film.
The recent setback came with the recent film Coolie, where despite the film’s functionality, Anirudh’s music didn’t create the usual effect we are used to seeing. The trend of lukewarm responses from audiences leaves the question of whether Anirudh will notice the pattern, and meet the rising demand to meet the audience’s expectations, next time. With criteria from the audience changing, Anirudh’s next steps will decide whether he can emerge victorious as the next musical sensation in Tamil cinema.