KOCHI: The theme song, ‘We will rise’, in the English version of Veeram has made it into the final list of songs selected for the Oscar nominations. “It managed to capture the poignancy of tragedy true to the movie’s content,” says director Jayaraj. “It is also energising and has a philosophical touch. I was sure that Jeff Rona’s composition would make an impact.”
Rona, a Hollywood music director, has worked on films such as Phantom, Traffic and Prince of Egypt. According to the director, the song took three months to complete and was recorded at Los Angeles. The singer is Kari Kimmel. Five songs will be short-listed from the original list of 91. And the short list will be announced on January 24.
Easy accessibility
Jayaraj who has been in the Malayalam industry for 25 years, is surprised by the easy accessibility of actors and technicians in Hollywood.
“Unlike in India, technicians have their own agents. If you have a solid script and a good perspective in hand, you can easily approach them. You feel very humbled by their attitude,” he adds.
Make-up artist Trefor Proud who won an Academy Award for Best Makeup has also been roped in for the movie. Jayaraj is all praise for the artist. “It was great to see a Western artist intricately work on Indian makeup. He has managed to revive the original look of the Orientals of North Malabar.”
The Malayalam version of the tri-lingual movie, which stars Kunal Kapoor who portrays the warrior Chandu, will be released on January 20. The director has adapted Shakespeare’s Macbeth to revisit the story of Chandu in the sixteenth century.
“The story of Macbeth is driven by a tragedy of ambition. The play has made a mark across the world. We in Kerala also have a rich story where the protagonist is drawn by a similar tragedy of ambition. This is why I decided to make a movie based on this theme,” Jayaraj said.