The first single from Jailer, Kaavaalaa, was a surprise. Audiences, who have so far been used to massy intro numbers as the first track of a Rajini film album were in for a new experience, as a ‘glam song’ was released first by filmmaker Nelson. Where we would typically get social messages and motivational quotes, we got saucy lines topped with a liberal dose of Telugu. Arunraja Kamaraj, who previously penned the Tanglish song ‘Kutty Story’, calls ‘Kaavalaa’ a “bilingual song”. “I have sung in five languages so far, so I’m familiar with catchphrases from many languages and can develop a song around them. Nelson anna was keen that we mix Telugu lyrics with Tamil lines; so, I chose ‘Kaavaalaa’ as the hook word.”
Singer Shilpa Rao, who returns to Tamil after a decade (her last song was ‘Oru Maalai Neram’ from Naan Mahaan Alla), shares that her early exposure to tribal songs helped her get the soul of ‘Kaavaalaa’ right. “I grew up listening to music performances on the streets of Jamshedpur. I guess I borrowed some of the rawness from those songs. Listening to diverse music helps push you towards new genres and dialects. For ‘Besharam Rang’ from Pathaan, for instance, I used the knowledge I gained from ghazal songs.”
Arunraja, who has written songs in Kaala (‘Katravai Patravai’ and ‘Thanga Sela’) and Kabali (‘Neruppu Da’), reveals that Rajini wasn’t planned to be part of the song’s promo video. “The song was written only for Tamannaah. So, I approached the lyrics without the ‘Rajini’ filter but was surprised to see him being a part of the song.” This, however, wasn’t a surprise for Shilpa as she saw the visuals of the song before recording. “Anirudh showed me the footage, so I could get the tone correct. I got the tune from him a few days in advance to practise the difficult parts. As both of us share a good rapport, we were able to develop the nuances and complete the recording within an hour.”
Shilpa is particular about getting her pronunciation right. “I learnt Urudu when I was young to help with ghazal pronunciations. I got exposed to the phonetics of Tamil through Rahman songs I heard in school and college. Anirudh knew what he wanted from me and gave precise instructions. Thanks to his help, I was able to get the expressions right.”
Arunraja, a filmmaker himself, doesn’t see his lyric-writing for heroes like Rajinikanth and Vijay as a first step towards pitching a script to them. “Great things always take time; empires aren’t built in a day. Getting to direct these stars is a phone call away, but that must come from them. I would never want to give Rajini or Vijay sir a random narration just because I get the chance to work on their songs. I am preparing myself for the big day and focussing on getting suitable stories for them ready,” he says.
Incidentally, Shilpa’s other hit song from this year, ‘Besharam Rang’ is also a glam song. She, however, believes that these songs have deeper layers to them. “’Besharam Rang’ empowers people to express and celebrate themselves the way they are. Views and opinions about them are subjective. If people consumed these songs taking into consideration the character’s arc, perhaps their opinions might change.”