Karuppu (soundtrack)

The film was initially set to be composed by A. R. Rahman during its announcement in October 2024.^[1][2][3] Balaji stated that he narrated the script to Rahman prior, expressing his eagerness to work with the musician, and Rahman had eventually liked the script.^[4][5] However, Rahman opted out of the project due to undisclosed reasons and in that December, Sai Abhyankkar was announced to have taken over the scoring duties.^[6]

Balaji stated that after Rahman's exit, the team needed songs immediately as the film's production had already commenced.^[4] He then contacted Santhosh Kumar, head of Think Music to discuss about Abhyankkar's involvement and despite the team being sceptic on Abhyankkar's role as a composer as he was previously an independent musician, Balaji remained confident with his decision.^[7][8] Karuppu was one of Abhyankkar's multiple projects he signed before release, which included Dude, Balti and Benz, and also his maiden high-profile film.^[9] When Abhyankkar was roped for Karuppu, he was unaware that Rahman was involved in the project until Rahman called him that he would be composing for the film and Abhyankkar complimented the veteran musician for his generosity.^[10][11]

Balaji recalled that Abhyankkar had an "abundance of energy" which he wanted to tap it to the fullest, further adding that he had a method to his brilliance, and being accessible on delivering tunes and communicable with the crew making the process more smoothly. He further insisted the composer to approach the film in his style and vision, and compose the tunes based on the script. Balaji did not provide references as his would be based on the musical sensibilities which was unfamiliar from the musical space which Abhyankkar operates as he was from a different generation and insisted to compose the tunes based on his perspective, taste and vision.^[5][12]

The first song of the album, is "God Mode", an energetic dance number, which was sung by Abhyankkar and Gana Muthu with lyrics written by Vishnu Edavan.^[13] In an interaction with Baradwaj Rangan, Abhyankkar stated that he liked the Sambalpuri and Bengali folk music, which he consistently listened to during a trip and this led to the distinctive sounds of the track. The sequence was programmed with a "swing" rhythm laying the foundation for the score, recording the initial hook first, and built the structure including the soft, melodic version and the subsequent verses piece by piece.^{[14][15]: 14:35–15:40}

The song "Naanga Naalu Peru" is sung by Silambarasan, who recorded the vocals for the track in mid-March 2026.^[16][17] The song further featured rap vocals contributed by Asal Kolaar, while the lyrics were written by Arun Srinivasan.^[18] The song was considered to be the introductory track for Balaji's character Baby Kannan, the film's main antagonist.^[19][20] Balaji stated that, the song was not a part of the film's storyline and falsely claimed that the song was edited out due to its poor response.^[21] "Raathu Raasan" was recorded by Abhyankkar, V. M. Mahalingam and Paal Dabba, the latter of whom had previously collaborated with the composer for "Oorum Blood" in Dude.^[22] The song is a highly energetic, rustic, percussive number.^[23] "Karuppa Kooda Vaa" was described by Suriya as a song for the ancestors and the guardian deity Karuppannaswamy.^[24] It was performed by Abhyankkar and Mahalingam at the film's audio launch, and mixes the percussive beat of "Raathu Raasan".^[24]

"Verappa – Extended" is the four-minute full version of the song "Verappa" that was introduced first in the film's teaser. It was performed by Abhyankkar, Arivu and written by Arun Srinivasan, with rap by Theo.^[25] The song "Athu Thalore" is a misnomer of the original French phrase "À toute à l'heure" (transl. see you later). Lyricist Adesh Krishna had explained that the opening French verses: "La justice n'est pas là, À tout à l'heure" literally translates to "the justice is not here, see you later". Krishna assured the use of French words was an interesting choice, as have been studied French to an extent and "À tout à l'heure" instantly connected with him and when Balaji narrated the situation in the opening scene, he felt the words fit perfectly. He then suggested on opening the song with the French lines, Balaji and Abhyankkar were instantly impressed by it.^[26] The song is performed by Bengali singer Ananya Chakraborty.^[26] The emotional number "Aathi Rasathi" is performed by Dhass Benjamin and written by Pa. Vijay.^[27]

The soundtrack featuring nine songs was released on 25 May 2026, ten days after the film's release.^[28]

Bhuvanesh Chandar of The Hindu felt that though Abhyankkar's songs whose picturisation balanced the modernised take on a spiritual film, "his scores do appear to distract one from the proceedings".^[39] Yashaswini Sri of The Indian Express wrote that "Sai Abhyankkar's background score does a lot of the right things at the right times, especially around the interval block."^[40] Janani K. of India Today stated that "Sai Abhyankkar's music makes it feel like a proper commercial entertainer with great production values".^[41]

Avinash Ramachandran of The New Indian Express admitted that Abhyankkar's music makes "Karuppu sound like a rousing chant that reverberates in the air" adding that "While there are scenes where his emotional soundtrack doesn't leave the same impact, he more than compensates for it in the 'mass' moments."^[42] Balakrishna Ganeshan of The News Minute stated "Sai Abhyankkar's loud, pulsating score complements the film's heightened emotions and mass appeal".^[43]

Credits adapted from Think Music India:^[44]