# Dhruva (soundtrack)

Dhruva (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) is the soundtrack to the 2016 Telugu-language action film of the same name directed by Surender Reddy. A remake of the Tamil film Thani Oruvan (2015), the film stars Ram Charan, Rakul Preet Singh and Arvind Swamy. The musical score is composed by Hiphop Tamizha in their Telugu debut and features four songs with lyrics written by Chandrabose and Varikuppala Yadagiri. The soundtrack was released under the Aditya Music label on 9 November 2016.

## Development

For the film's score and soundtrack, Surender Reddy chose to retain the original composers Hiphop Tamizha. The duo recalled that they did not plan their debut in Telugu industry and mentioned that Reddy liked the original film because of its music, which led them to be retained for this film. Even before they started working on the film, they spent over a week with the director so that they could understand his sensibilities, adding that "In every sense, this was a new film and like the original, it was not an easy arena to enter into".
With this, they composed a new set of tunes with the change in context of the Telugu version. Within their limitations, the duo worked with the lyricists Chandrabose and Varikkuppala Yadagiri to understand the meaning and ensured that the words would be native to the Telugu audience, and also considered numerous aspects like the flavor, linguistics and wide appeal. They further minimized the use of Hindi words to the best of their abilities.
The title song was performed by Bollywood singer Amit Mishra in his Telugu debut. The duo described the title song as a challenging one, and took inspiration from the song "Travelling Soldier" from the Pawan Kalyan-starrer Thammudu (1999). The song "Pareshanura" was a melody number where he experimented with Carnatic music and hip hop. The music composition was completed by October 2016.

## Release

Aditya Music acquired the film's audio rights. The film's track list was released with a 10-second song promo on 2 November 2016. Initially, the makers planned for a music launch event at Hyderabad on 9 November 2016, with Pawan Kalyan as the chief guest. However, due to the announcement of the demonetisation, plans for an audio launch was cancelled, and the album was directly released to stores and online on the same date.
The song "Theemai Dhan Vellum" from the original film was reused in Telugu, titled "Manushi Musugulo Mrugam Neney Ra" which was used for promotional purposes. It was released as a bonus track on 7 December 2016 on Sony Music India.

## Reception
### Critics

The soundtrack album received positive reviews from critics. Behindwoods rated the album 2.75 out of 5 stating "Dhruva is an impressive album from Hip-Hop Thamizha with enjoyable and experimental compositions". Indiaglitz gave 2.75 out of 5 and stated "An album that doesn't boast of formulaic songs [...] while the party-time song is a rip-off, the title track stands out for its meaningful lyrics and rendition." 123Telugu reviewed "the 'Dhruva' album is more classy, slightly different from the routine, and is an album of situations." Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog commented "Hip-hop Tamizha's Telugu debut is largely the same of what they are usually known for in Tamil." Karthika Raveendran of Bollywoodlife.com gave 2.5 out of 5 stars and commented "This album will catch everyone's interest as it marks Hip Hop Tamizha's debut in Telugu industry but it won't hold their attention for long."
Sowmya Rajendran of The News Minute wrote "Hiphop Tamizha who composed the soundtrack for the Tamil film has done it for the Telugu one too and the score is just right to complement the taut script." Srividya Palarpathi of The Times of India wrote "While the album has already claimed the attention of the Telugu audiences, the BGM in the film elevates the experience of the film to the next level".

### Audience

The film's audio jukebox crossed one million views in YouTube within a short span of its release.

## Accolades

Accolades for Dhruva (Original Motion Picture Soundtrack) :
| Award | Date of ceremony | Category | Recipient(s) | Result | Ref. |
| Filmfare Awards South | 17 June 2017 | Best Female Playback Singer – Telugu | Padmalatha and Vishnupriya Ravi for "Pareshanura" | Nominated | [23] [24] |
| IIFA Utsavam | 28–29 March 2017 | Best Music Director – Telugu | Hiphop Tamizha | Nominated | [25] [26] |
| South Indian International Movie Awards | 30 June–1 July 2017 | Best Lyricist – Telugu | Chandrabose for "Choosa Choosa" | Nominated | [27] [28] |
| South Indian International Movie Awards | 30 June–1 July 2017 | Best Female Playback Singer – Telugu | Padmalatha for "Choosa Choosa" | Nominated | [27] [28] |