Thaman S

(This article’s English version was produced with AI-assisted translation)

Ghantasala Sai Srinivas Sivakumar from Chennai, known by his stage name Thaman S, is one of the most prominent music producers in the South Indian film industry. His work primarily revolves around Telugu (his mother tongue) and Tamil productions. [1]

He began composing soundtracks in 2009, and his work for "Guntur Kaaram," a film by Trivikram Srinivas released in early 2024, marks his 130th project. While this number may seem impressive, those familiar with the Indian scene know that music directors in the film industry have no difficulty managing around ten soundtracks per year (a target Thaman has achieved or exceeded for seven different seasons), maintaining work rhythms unmatched by any other music industry worldwide.
Another common aspect is the stylistic variety: within the realm of film music (referred to as "filmi" in India), artists are essentially free to explore any genre, even within the same project, without needing to adhere to a specific image or please a particular audience. As a result, they move from classical music (whether Western, Hindustani, or Carnatic) to contemporary popular music, including pop, rock, rap, ambient, dance, and folk.
Some composers focus solely on songs, which appear in virtually every mainstream production in local cinema, while others handle the background scores. Thaman is among those who oversee both aspects.

Determining the best work of artists with such an output is nearly impossible. To explore them, your must rely on a strong pre-selection process, often considering awards, audience and critical reception, the use of unusual musical styles or of those particularly suited to your own tastes.
"Guntur Kaaram" (translated as "The Spice of Guntur") undoubtedly marked a significant achievement for the artist, as the video of its lead track, "Kurchi Madathapetti," has amassed over 800 million views on YouTube from January to today. This comes despite the film's failure at the box office, which couldn't even cover production costs. However, another rule in local cinema is that soundtracks don't need a successful film to make an impact, especially since they are sometimes released in advance.

In this case, the music for "Guntur Kaaram" was released in two parts: an EP with six songs (lasting just under 19 minutes) and an album of eleven tracks [2] featuring the background score (lasting 38 minutes), marked as "Ost" on the cover.
Despite occasionally being a singer himself, Thaman did not lend his voice to the EP's songs, which were performed by nine playback singers [3]. The instrumental tracks, however, were largely performed by Thaman himself (like most of his colleagues, he is proficient with several instruments – particularly drums, keyboards, and trumpet).
The songs are all based on danceable rhythms, often layered with multiple percussion elements, and move between electronic dance (there's a Goa rhythm in "Ramana Aei"), local folk (especially evident in the choirs and vocal harmonies), and scattered influences from traditional music from around the world (including Latin American sounds, as heard in the Andean flutes of "Kurchi Madathapetti"). This blend of genres often makes it difficult to distinguish the various string instruments used, which blend Western, Asian, and Latin sounds – assuming they are not purely samples.

The "Ost," on the other hand, is more focused on instrumental compositions, though vocal elements occasionally appear, used like instruments to create atmospheric zones or sampled to reinforce rhythmic elements (except for "Intermission," which is essentially a manipulation of "Amma Song," the closing track of the EP).
It features orchestral textures and traditional music, with occasional appearances of accordions, solo violins, and various types of percussion, then transitioning into futuristic areas dominated by keyboards and electronic rhythms. The score shifts from Western classical-influenced film music to quirky experiments with dissonant strings and distorted pitch-programmed sounds, from sacred music of the Indian subcontinent to global influences (for example, "Heroine Intro" has a distinctly Celtic feel).

Local critics have been divided on this new work by Thaman S (who can certainly take solace in the massive public success), but it is undoubtedly a more experimental and cohesive project than his work for "Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo," which earned him the prestigious National Film Award for Best Music Direction four years ago.


[1] The Indian film industry is not just Bollywood, as many in the West believe. Bollywood refers to the commercial Hindi-language production based in Mumbai, but it should be understood that even minority languages in India have thriving film industries. Telugu and Tamil, spoken by 6.7% and 5.7% of the population, respectively, represent around 95 million and 80 million speakers. Telugu cinema is also known as Tollywood and is primarily based in Hyderabad, while Tamil cinema, known as Kollywood, is centered in Chennai.

[2] The initial tracklist included twelve songs, but "Geltain Babji" was later merged with the subsequent "The Twist."

[3] Playback singers are the singers of Indian film soundtracks. They are called playback singers because they do not appear in movies, and the actors usually lip-sync to the songs. However, the most popular playback singers become stars, often appearing on television and performing at large concerts.

24/12/2024