THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It has been five years since Masala Coffee debuted on Kerala’s regional television. The band’s alternative take on folk songs like Kaantha has been a hit among audience across the globe, as is evident from their popularity on YouTube. Inspired by their success, the act soon ventured into the film industry with movies like Dulquer Salmaan-starrer Solo and Tamil flick, Uriyadi.
Now, Varun Sunil, co-founder and vocalist of the band, is set to make solo debut as a music director in a Telugu film, Rajdooth, which will be released worldwide on July 5. “My first stint with the movie industry was back in 2008, but the film was not released. On the bright side, I got to work with renowned contemporary artists like Hariharan and Louis Banks,” he says, continuing, “I’ve composed four songs for
Rajdooth which has a plotline revolving around a road trip and has elements of romance and humour.” We chat with the musician to know more about working for the flick which has been grabbing headlines as it stars Meghamsh Srihari, son of late Telugu actor Raghumudri Srihari and dancer Santha Kumari (popularly known as Disco Shanti).
Cinematic detail
So, being a Keralite, did he feel out of place in Tollywood? No; the answer comes without hesitation. “I have heard that Telugu people have a loving nature and working in the film made me realise that they are open to different kinds of music. I’m glad that the directors gave me the creative freedom to get my music out to the people,” says the 32-year-old artiste, about working with directors Dasari Carthyk and Arjun. Making full use of his creative license, Varun is introducing some Malayali faces to the Telugu audience including playback singer Siddharth Menon (on the track Manasuna Manasuna), Thaikkudam Bridge member Anish Krishna (on Rajanna Song) and Masala Coffee bandmate Sooraj Santhosh (with whom he shares the mic on Chusthune Unna). Having worked in independent projects throughout his career, Varun says that composing for films is a different task altogether. “As each song is placed within a certain context, you have to work with that sequence (like setting a romantic premise or to introduce the villain) within a deadline. That’s not the case with independent music,” he says.
Indie affair
Despite stepping into the limelight of the movie industry, the musician also has a solo project in the pipeline. “I am currently working on an album in the pop and world music genre under the Sony Music India record label,” says Varun. He hopes to drop seven songs in different south Indian languages this year. “The album will be more about expressing myself. Even though the music will be different from what we do in Masala Coffee, the project will feature some members from the act,” he winds up.