Though there have been films in many Indian languages based on legendary classical musicians, little has been documented on reels that does justice to the ancient tradition of music as such. ‘7 Notes to Infinity’, a 60-minute documentary film on Indian classical music, is an attempt at redressing this deficit. Set to be premiered in Thiruvananthapuram, the film explores the universality of music through compositions created from the seven musical notes.
The documentary is directed by Shrenik Rao, who has been noticed for his work as broadcaster and academician. His documentaries include ‘Mugabe’s Zimbabwe’, which explored the political and economic situation in Zimbabwe and ‘TreeCycle with Shrenik Rao’ which documented his journey on a cycle from Kanyakumari to Kashmir. ‘7 Notes to Infinity’ reveals its storyboard through a combination of interviews and songs. The film draws parallels between Indian classical music and other forms of music across the world while sprinkling the narrative with the compositions of renowned musicians.
Renowned musicians like M Balamuralikrishna, T V Gopalakrishnan, Rama Varma, Sanjay Subhramaniam, Amrutha Venkatesh, Ghatam Karthik, and a group of enthusiastic young students of music feature prominently in the film. While the musicians explain the nuances of the Indian classical music in simple language, some of the signature compositions in Carnatic and Hindustani are rendred by noted vocalists as illustrations. The film also features the compositions of Swathi Thirunal done in both Carnatic and Hindustani systems. A total of six compositions are presented in the film.
In its attempt to throw light on the contribution of Swathi Thirunal to Indian classical music, the film has been shot extensively in Kuthiramalika, the palace built by the King, where he is believed to have composed many of his kritis, Padmanabhaswamy Temple, Padmanabhapuram Palace and Kowdiar Palace. The film is produced by 7 Media Broadcasting Pvt. Ltd and is expected to have a limited theatrical release in select Indian cities. The film will be premiered in the capital city with the support of State Bank of Travancore on the eve of World Music Day on June 20.