Gopi Sunder has always treaded an offbeat path in music. The composer, who recently turned music producer, the first-of-his-kind in Mollywood, has always had the pluck to give actors an opportunity to croon. Gopi has also appeared in some cameo roles on the screen. So, what makes his latest avatar in Mr Fraud, for which he has also done the soundtrack and background score, different? “I play myself in the movie. So that was not a challenge, as I had to behave naturally. But what makes this cameo distinctive is that I share screen space with Mohanlal,” says an excited Gopi.
Music is an integral element in the heist movie directed by Unnikrishnan B. Gopi appears in the song Khuda Woh Khuda sung by Shankar Mahadevan. “I also have a few dialogues in the film. In my first scene, I had to pat Lal’s shoulder and say a few words to him. I was so nervous that the scene was okayed only in the second take. I feel honoured to have shared screen space with him,” says the musician with enthusiasm.
Mr Fraud has four songs including the theme track sung by the composer himself, along with San Jaimt. The lyrics have been penned by Harinarayanan and Chittoor Gopi. Khuda Woh Khuda, which released on YouTube, is already making waves. The breathless singing by Shankar Mahadevan, taken in a single shot, is getting much applause. The song also has the voices of Gopi Sunder, Stephan Devassi and Balabhaskar. The composer says, “In the film, Lal’s character is a musically-inclined person. The director wanted the song to absorb that mood. The composition was a challenging experience, and there were enough chances to explore the music in songs.”
A keerthana, Sadaa Paalaya..., sung by the famous Carnatic vocalist G N Balasubramaniam is also used in the film. “We have re-orchestrated the song and given it a western touch,” says the composer. Sudeep Kumar and Sithara have crooned the song. The film also has a reggae song, Poonthinkale.., rendered by Shankar Mahadevan and Shakthisree Gopalan. Gopi says it took him very little time to complete the composing for the movie. “The director was clear about what he wanted, so he gave me a good picture about the mood of the film. This way, I could easily visualise the situation and complete it in a jiffy,” he says. Quiz him about which is his personal favourite and the composer says, “All the songs in the film are close to my heart since there is pain and pressure behind each one.” He is happy that the songs are getting good feedback from music lovers. “The challenge is to maintain this good opinion,” says the content musician.