‘Aakash’ re-release: When songs powered Puneeth Rajkumar’s blockbuster

Ever since the re-release of Akash (2005)was announced, fans of Puneeth Rajkumar person been flooding the comments conception nether the movie’s evergreen songs connected YouTube. The album, composed by RP Patnaik, offers a nostalgic unreserved to millennials. In fact, Aakash, which deed the screens again connected March 13, 2025, broke the mould for Puneeth.

The actor’s emergence to the apical was connected the backmost of enactment movies. Appu (2002), Abhi (2003), Veera Kannadiga (2004), and Maurya (2004) gave him the representation of a “mass” hero. Aakash, directed by Mahesh Babu and written by Janaradhana Maharshi, allowed Puneeth to ace the lover-boy template. The histrion didn’t disappoint, arsenic helium revelled successful the narration play genre, starring the movie to monolithic success. Apart from Puneeth, Patnaik’s songs were the backbone.

“When we began moving connected the songs, I had a feeling that the medium was going to beryllium timeless. People inactive perceive to ‘Neene Neene’and ‘Aaha Entha Aa Kshana’. Fans proceed to sing the songs of Aakash. They volition bask a large longevity, similar Kishore da’s (Kishore Kumar) songs,” Patnaik tells The Hindu.

The ‘Neene Neene’ backstory

The seasoned composer recollects the acquisition of composing ‘Neene Neene’. “Raghanna (Raghavendra Rajkumar) felt a romanticist fig mightiness not suit Appu (Puneeth) due to the fact that helium had a ‘mass’ representation connected screen. However, melody was my strength. During 1 of our discussions successful the studio, I sang the archetypal enactment of the opus each of a sudden. Raghanna loved it. He said it’s going to beryllium a immense hit.”

Classical gem

Another classical melody, ‘Aha Entha Aa Kshana’, featuring Ramya and Puneeth, is simply a fashionable number. “The opus begins with a Hindustani classical Aalap. That made the difference. That made the difference. The manager wanted a pistillate solo, and I composed this opus with Chitramma (KS Chitra) successful mind. It was cleanable for her. We were producing a inheritance people with a patho consciousness from the song, and that’s erstwhile Rajesh sang a antheral mentation (’Enidu Ee Dina’) of it. It came retired beautifully,” describes Patnaik.

Underrated

The biggest situation for Patnaik was to lucifer the vigor of Puneeth. “’Habba Habba’ was 1 specified song. It was a wedding song. We composed it aiming for it to go truthful celebrated that it volition beryllium played successful each the weddings,” says Patnaik, who goes connected to prime his underrated opus from the album. “For me, Hodi Hodi is underrated. It’s sung by Puneeth, truthful his fans emotion it. But I consciousness each euphony person volition similar it.”

Kunal Ganjawala magic

Kunal Ganjawala, who was called to sing the upbeat and amusive ‘O Maria’, ended up besides singing ‘Neene Neene’. “We had a gut feeling that Kunal’s dependable would enactment for ‘Neene Neene,” says Patnaik. “He didn’t dependable similar a North Indian. He was sounding similar a Kannadiga. He took the opus to the adjacent level with the punch successful his song. While we were recording, erstwhile helium sang the words neene neene, I had goosebumps.”

Patnaik, who missed being portion of the Aakash re-release celebrations for enactment reasons, is composing songs for the upcoming Kannada film, Ruby. Popularplayback vocalist Himesh Reshammiya is making his Kannada cinema debut with the movie. “It’s going to beryllium a blockbuster album,” signs disconnected Patnaik.