Where is Gen Z's friendship anthem?

In the late '90s, while boarding a flight back from Bombay, AR Rahman handed over a walkman and headphones to director Kathir. As the filmmaker put on the headphones, he had no idea he was about to hear what would become a generational anthem. “I didn’t know the song was going to become a National Friendship Anthem, but I instantly loved the tune. Rahman had hummed it with the words "Mustafa, Mustafa," and Vaali sir decided to keep the same word,” recalls an enthusiastic Kathir. That moment would gift Tamil cinema one of its most iconic songs: Mustafa Mustafa (Kadhal Desam) — an essential song at every farewell gathering ever since. For Kathir, the inspiration to include a friendship track came from an earlier classic, Pasumai Niraintha, penned by Kannadasan. “It had the lines “Paadi thirintha paravaigalae, pazhagi kazhitha thozhargalae,” Kathir says, “I wanted to have one such song that captured that shared journey of friends – a fun, love story of two friends.”Singing the history of friendshipsA glance through Tamil cinema’s music timeline shows each decade has had its own take on friendship. If the '60s had Pasumai Niraintha Ninaivugale, the '70s gave us Andha Naal Nyabagam, while the '80s featured the classic Nanbane Enathu Uyir Nanbane. The '90s is remembered for the beautiful Kaatukuyil Manasukulla from Thalapathi along with Mustafa Mustafa.But it was by the late '90s and the 2000s, when Tamil films revolved around college life and youth culture, that Kollywood had its youngsters humming to many friendship songs – Eshwar (Kannethire Thondrinaal), Oru Nanban Irundhaal (Enakku 20 Unakku 18), Manase Manase (April Madhathil) Dosthuu Bada Dosthu (Saroja), Taxi Taxi (Sakkarakatti), En Frienda Pola (Nanban) and a lot more. Friendship songs made over decades are more than just about bonding – they’re history recorded in rhythms. If Mustafa talks about college ragging paving the way for friendships, Andha Naal likens friendship to the vibrancy of a temple festival. Lyricist Ko Sesha recalls writing for contemporary times in his song Friendship Anthem, from the 2020 rom-com Oh My Kadavule. “One of the lines in the song goes, “Sothu la kooda pangu kudupom, Samosa la pangu kedaiyaadhu' – it simply sums up our friendships, with something we all relate to.” There’s also always a certain poetry to such songs, he adds. “Why does Vaali use kaatukuyil (wild sparrow) and not oorkuruvi (house sparrow) in Kaatukuyil Manasukulla? Because Kaatukuyilu has a certain wilderness to it, it carries a carefree spirit - just like friendship.”The missing anthemEven until the early 2010s, films like Ko (Gala Gala) and Endrendrum Punnagai (Yealae Yealae Dosthu Da) still carried the torch. But somewhere along the way, these songs — and the stories that birthed them — have faded from the spotlight.“We give what the story asks for,” explains I Ahmed, director of Endrendrum Punnagai. “I wanted to show a film that had both bromance and romance, so naturally, the story needed a friendship song to depict the deep bond the three friends shared.” Ko Sesha agrees, “A film must demand a friendship song, and for that, friendship needs to be central to the narrative,” he explains, pointing out that Oh My Kadavule is about two friends falling in love. Where’s the Fren Z anthem?So, what defines the friendships of Gen Z? Where is their anthem? Kathir feels that in the past decade or so, Tamil cinema has leaned towards violence, thrillers, and action-oriented stories, and this could be why we don't have such songs anymore. “As films revolving around romance, family entertainers, and friendships have gradually reduced, naturally, the space for friendship songs has shrunk.”Ahmed points out that the way we consume cinema and songs has changed, given our social media consumption and Reel culture. “In those days, Mustafa Mustafa would be played twice or thrice in theatres on request. But I think audiences have changed now. They feel songs create a certain lag in the film. That said, friendship is an ever-relatable thing, and both songs and stories of such kind will return,” he opines. Ko Sesha, too, asserts that it’s just a matter of time before Gen Z gets its own friendship anthem. “Each generation has just one or two iconic friendship songs,” he reasons. So, a Gen Z friendship anthem? Hopefully, it’s probably just a film or two away.- Harshini SV