Nayagan – Ilaiyaraaja (1987)

Ilaiyaraaja's music for Mani Ratnam's 1987 underworld epic gives the story an emotional backbone. Thenpandi Cheemayile, a lullaby-like folk melody that recurs through the film, is the heart of it, and Nila Adhu Vanathumele, sung by Ilaiyaraaja himself, is lively and playful. Choose it for a classic soundtrack where melody and arrangement carry the drama.