Chandramukhi (2022 soundtrack)

Chandramukhi is the soundtrack to the 2022 Marathi film of the same name directed by Prasad Oak starring Amruta Khanvilkar in the titular role alongside Adinath Kothare and Mrunmayee Deshpande. The film's musical score and six-song soundtrack is composed by Ajay–Atul with lyrics written by Guru Thakur. With four songs preceded the album, the soundtrack to the film released on 28 April 2022 through Everest Entertainment, to positive response from critics and audience and received numerous accolades. The songs "Chandra" and "Bai Ga" were chartbusters.

Development
Chandramukhi marks Ajay–Atul's return to Marathi cinema after four years, since their previous release Mauli (2018). Khanvilkar said that she had been a fan of the duo's work and has felt "a strong emotional connection with them as I have worked with them earlier. They have always been around to bless me on every important milestone of my life". The COVID-19 pandemic halted the film's production process, which led that the duo had more time to work on sketching the compositions and tunes.

The songs were recorded during December 2020–February 2021, with Priyanka Barve, Aarya Ambekar and Shreya Ghoshal recording their vocals for the songs in this period. The title track "Chandra" was recorded within three days, while Ghoshal recorded her vocals in a single day. The duo composed threelavani numbers based on Chandramukhi's character.

Marketing and release
The first song from the film—the title track "Chandra"—was released as a music video on 29 March 2022, followed by an official single that released a day later. Prior to the release, Khanvilkar performed the song at an event held at the Royal Opera House to launch her 35-foot tall cut out in Chandra's look. It was subsequently followed by the singles: "Tu Chand Rati", "Bai Ga" and "Sawaal Jawaab" released on 8, 14 and 24 April 2022, respectively. The music generated much anticipation among audiences. Khanvilkar and Kothare performed musical numbers while promoting the film at the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport for advertising the posters on the SpiceJet plane and in the Pune Metro train. The album featuring six-songs were released by Everest Entertainment on 28 April 2022.

Reception
Shubham Kulkarni of Koimoi stated that "Ajay–Atul create an album that is rooted in the story and folk and doesn’t really follow their USP structure". Critic-based at Pune Mirror called Ajay–Atul's music as "the hero in the film" and the songs "catchy". Mihir Bhanage of The Times of India said that Ajay–Atul's music "adds the required rustic touch to the songs and elevates the experience". the songs are "a tribute to Maharashtra's folk culture". The Week 's review praised the soundtrack as "amazing". Outlook India called the album as a "mesmermising, enthralling and immersive experience".