Regular IB visitors, am sure, know who Hari Yelleti is and are familiar with his insatiable appetite for cinema from some of the articles he has written for IB. But nothing speaks for Hari’s passion for cinema more than the fact that he quit smoking after starting to shoot his debut film Ankith Pallavi & Friends, because he now derives that high from wielding the megaphone.

It must have been an arduous journey for Hari from the day he came up with the idea of this film to the day the first trailer of APF got released but we’ll extract that out of him on a later day. Right now, I cannot stop lauding him for introducing this gem of a talent – Vinu Thomas – to Telugu cinema. I am sure you don’t want to stop reading now. Please continue.

1. Premani Premani
A pleasant love melody with an enchanting orchestration that strikes the right chord with the listeners. Karunya and Gayatri sing it mellifluously and Vanamali’s endearing lyrics are easy on ears. Sample this –

kanTi reppa ki visugu puTTadaa ninnu daachagaa prati kshanam
gunDe saitamu chOTu chaalaka alaka poonadaa anudinam

2. Dost He Dost
A potential chartbuster talking about friendship in a very cool manner thanks to Vanamali’s catchy lyrics. As Hari Yelleti mentioned in the preview, the distortion guitar strings at the end of song truly rock. Even otherwise, the way Vinu comes up with a fair mix of sprightly and melodious orchestration is commendable. This number, sung admirably by Ranjith, Geetha Madhuri and Balu Thankachan, finds a good place in the list of few friendship songs available in Telugu.

3. Leletha Puvvule
Orchestration wise, this is the best song in the album. Bravo Vinu, Bravo! This song, about making the world a better place, kinda like Michael Jackson’s Heal the world, reiterates why Karthik is turning out to be today’s SPB, singing with great ease both in Tamil and Telugu and positioning himself as the number one singer. Vanamali’s inspiring and optimistic words are soothing.

4. Tell Me Em Kaavalo
Don’t be fooled by the title of the song for it’s NOT just another fast paced song with mindless lyrics acting as mere fillers and irksome vocals. I was in for a surprise, here, by 1) Ramajogaiah Sastri’s interesting lyrics about different viewpoints of love 2) cool vocals by Ranjith, Geetha Madhuri and Balu Thankachan, each of them expressing their point consistently throughout the number with Ranjith being the rebel and 3) the confluence of various genres that Vinu manages in this number with panache. Interesting number with rap by Vineet.

5. Aalagake Allari Vayasa
This isn’t a pathos song. As Hari rightly mentioned in the preview, it’s more about redemption, understanding one’s actions and making peace with them. Excellent singing by Pranavi and Balu Thankachan, Vanamali’s lyrics that prod for introspection and haunting orchestration make this one a soulful number. Never knew I’d find myself liking such songs so much.

6. Neelo Medilina
Deepu, who’s been singing regularly for Mani Sharma, shines in this short number chiding love with some anguish filled wordplay by Vanamali. Short and soulful, this one.

7. Aaranavvulenduko
This is the only song that I found to be a notch below the other numbers in this album. Deepu sings it well, Gayatri does a good job even when she’s mouthing silly lyrics like ‘I do care you’, or ‘I do tell you’, which make no sense yet convey the point that the lyricist is trying to make. Otherwise, Ramajogaiah Sastri’s lyrics are decent, just like the tune.

Trivia: This is the fifth song that uses the idea of needa in this album, the others being songs 1, 3, 4 and 5. The thought about needa must have followed both Vanamali and Ramajogaiah Sastri like a needa for them to repeat it so much.

Vinu makes a supremely confident debut under the able hands of Hari and after listening to the songs you just cannot wait for the movie to be out. For now, its two thumbs up for Vinu and tons of good luck to Hari.

To cut a long story short, Vinu arrives and how!

Cassettes and CDs of APF are marketed by Madhura Entertainment

click here for the music preview written by Hari Yelleti

Tell Sundeep how you liked his review

audio reviews by Sundeep Reddy
Pandurangadu, Bujjigadu, Ninna Nedu Repu & Sangamam
Kantri
Jalsa
Happy Days
Shankar Dada Zindabad
Aata
Jagadam
Sainikudu
Boss
Stalin
Amma Cheppindi
Happy
Chukkallo Chandrudu

audio reviews by Sreya Sunil
Balu
Mass
Shankardada MBBS
Gudumba Shankar
Letha Manasulu
Arjun
Naa Autograph
Pallakilo Pellikoothuru
Gharshana
Sri Anjaneyam
Arya
Naani
Nenunnanu
Anji
Varsham
Andhrawala
Kal Ho Naa Ho
LoC Kargil
Shivamani
Okariki Okaru
Boys
Vasantham
Simhadri
Donga Ramudu & Party
Oka Raju Oka Rani
Nijam
Johnny
Raghavendra
Appudappudu
Gangotri
Okkadu
Manmadhudu
Thottigang
Khagam
Eeswar
Nee Sneham
Bobby
Nuvve Nuvve
Gemini
Chenna Kesava Reddy
Okato Number Kurraadu
Sontham
Baba
Holi
Avunu Valliddaru Ista Paddaru
Allari Ramudu
Indra
Jayam
Sreeram
Kanulu Moosina Neevaye
Vasu
Santosham