After Kaadhal's stupendous success, Balaji Sakthivel is back with Kalloori (College), the Tamil film which is produced by director Shankar's S Pictures.

Just as Kaadhal focussed on the stark reality of a young couple in love, Kalloori too throws light of life in college as well as the first trembling emotions of love.

Joshua Sridhar, who was the music director of Kaadhal, is behind Kalloori's music too. Na Muthukumar has penned the lyrics for four of the five songs.

The Kalloori theme music starts with a brief melodious piece of Naveen's flute, and then wafts over to a chorus. As the flute makes an appearance throughout the piece, the similarities to Kaadhal's own theme music strikes you.

Fast paced snatches of college-life in Haricharan's voice are scattered all over the song, making it an auditory feast. The rhythm is different enough to get you interested in it. A brief violin piece adds depth.

The Sariya Ithu Thavara piece is obviously a moody piece of work, exhibiting the confusion of someone about to tumble into the depths of love. Sung by Haricharan, it makes you tap your feet in enthusiasm almost as soon as it begins, with its catchy rhythm and the steady ascension of notes. Words tumble out one after the other, going through the throes of love. Violins ripple through the piece, building up a crescendo, while the flute takes over again. The song that's bound to top Kalloori charts.

June July, essayed by Krish and Susirita is your usual chorus piece about hope, joy and the trials and tribulations of friendship as soon as you step into college. It's a rather utopian fantasy -- this hunky-dory expanse of what college-life should be like -- and is sufficiently buoyed up by a succession of happy notes and a simplistic tune. There's little else to it.

The impulse and need to produce something new is obvious in Unnaruge Varugaiyil. The tune is a conscious departure from the rather fluffy theme, sung by Harini Sudhakar and Haricharan. The lyrics also give you time to savour them. However, the tune meanders along unpredictable paths as though Joshua Sridhar didn't quite know what to do make of it, and shot through with a heavy dose of synthesized music. It takes a while to get the hang of the tune.

The lyrics Vandanam Ayya Vandanam have been penned by Prakash, Ganesh and Thyagu, and performed by Thyagu, Ramesh and Logu. It is an unexpected departure from the rest of the fare; it's a modern villuppattu and bus-ride Gana song that's usually the rage among teens, all rolled into one. The theme's rather average but it has a certain rhythmic quality that sort of remains with you.

Kaadhal had a certain freshness and a sit-up-and-listen quality to it that cannot be ignored. Joshua Sridhar has tried to revive the magic, but it looks like he's exhausted his fare with his previous attempt. You'll have to wait for Balaji Sakthivel's interpretation of the music for it to make any kind of mark.

Rediff Rating: