KOCHI: There are scores of legendary men and women who have impressed with their finesse for the arts. Sreekumaran Thampy’s contribution to Malayalam, one of many in his illustrious career, has been to pen down lyrics with visual content that has left a long-lasting impression on Malayali minds. The doyen, who has spent 54 years in the industry, as a lyricist, director and producer, will be shown in a larger-than-life canvas through ‘Rithu Raagam’, loosely translated as ‘Melody of Season’, a documentary directed by Chirayinkeezhu Radhakrishnan, which is being filmed in association with the Kerala Chalachitra Academy.
According to Radhakrishnan, this is the first time that the Academy is helming a documentary. “That they chose to do their debut on Thampy Sir encouraged me to go forward with the project,” says the Thiruvananthapuram-based director. The 50-minute documentary is a trek down memory lane. “Thampy Sir has always inspired me with his lyrics. I grew up listening to his songs and his soulful lyrics like ‘Aa Nimishathinte Neeruridhiyil Nyan Oru Aavani Thinnal’, ‘Hridaya Sarasile Pranaya Pushpame’ and ‘Innu Ente Kannuneerilum Ninte Orma Punchirichu’.
For such a great lyricist, I have always felt he is yet to receive his proper due,” says Radhakrishnan, whose earlier work, ‘Ezhapathiyude Azhimughangal’ on the lives of people living in old age homes won him a state award. The first part of the documentary has been shot in Chennai where Thampy spent many years. Legendary singers K J Yesudas, S Janaki, SP Balasubramanian, P Susheela, Vani Jayaram and K S Chitra speak about working with the lyricist in the past.
“The documentary is like a memoir where the artists’ speak about Thampy Sir and his ability to be an excellent lyricist,” said Radhakrishnan. The rest was shot at the Haripad Government Boys School, Vayalar Rama Varma Smrithi and at the Haripad Sree Subrahamanya Swamy temple. “During the shoot, Thampy Sir himself reminisced about how he spent his teenage years at the Kalmandapam of the temple.
He spoke of how he wrote most of his lyrics with Haripad in his mind. Whenever there was an imagery of a temple, his mind and soul would drift to the Sree Subramanya Swami Temple. If it was a description of a boat race, the Payipad boat race was the first to strike his mind. Similarly, the paddy fields he described in the songs or poems were those from Haripad,” said Radhakrishnan.
Acclaimed cameraman M J Radhakrishnan has also zoomed his lens at the SD College in Alappuzha and at the Government Engineering College in Thrissur where Thampy studied to become a civil engineer. It was in his prime of his life, while he was working as a Town Planner at Kozhikode, that he chose to pursue his passion for songs and cinema. There are also scenes which have been shot at Vaikom. “The final part of the documentary will be shot at Thiruvananthapuram. This is where he spent a portion of his childhood. Thampy Sir will face the camera to talk about his childhood days,” said Radhakrishnan. The documentary, which took two months to shoot, is expected to be released on March 1, said the director.
2,500
The number of songs penned by the lyricist for movies
1,000
The number of festival songs he has written
177
The
number of films directed
by
Sreekumaran Thampy