SIIMA 2016 nominations: Best Music Director

Harris Jayaraj: Yennai Arindhaal

The hit pair Gautham Menon and Harris Jayaraj came back together for this cop movie that had Ajith, Trisha and Anushka Shetty playing the lead. The album had a mix of romantic numbers like Mazhai Vara Poguthe to a kuthu numbers like Adhaaru Adhaaru. The album's best song was Unakkenna Venum Sollu, which is a touching and soulful number. Harris's engaging background scores brought out the best of the actors, too.

Anirudh: Naanum Rowdy Dhaan

One of the best albums by Anirudh, this movie had Vijay Sethupathi and Nayanthara pairing up for the first time. The movie directed by Vignesh Shivan was a hit and the music topped the charts for a long time. Besides just directing the movie Vignesh also wrote lyrics for the song and worked closely with Anirudh who is also his close friend. Each track in this album strikes a chord.

Hip Hop Aadhi: Thani Oruvan

This one is an unusual entry. Not many expected this young talent to come up with some mind-blowing music for this thriller. Directed by Mohan Raja, this movie had Jayam Ravi, Nayanthara and Arvind Swami playing the lead. The BGM was the biggest plus for the movie and the tracks were all well appreciated. The highlight track in this album is Kannala Kannala and Kadhal Cricket. This is a total transition for the rapper who has become a full-fledged composer with this movie.

AR Rahman: OK Kanmani

One of the most romantic albums of the year, this Mani Ratnam movie had Dulquer Salmaan and Nithya Menon play the romantic leads in this one. A R Rahman gave some youthful and memorable tracks like Mental Manadhil, Kaara Attakkaaraa and Aye Sinamika. There is also a Telugu version of the album. The Madras maestro gave some fresh and new age sounds that made this album a hit.

Ghibran: Uthama Villain

With songs like Iraniyan Nadagam, both Ghibran and Kamal Haasan brought out the entire essence of the movie. A mix of traditional and folk beats, this album has some unconventional music. In fact the album went on to do well at various film festivals and has got international recognition as well.