It's fusion on-stage of a different kind, and this time though a full-fledged show its for a film. An ensemble fit to fill an entire auditorium with amazement and cheer is what this unique song is all about. 60 artists, woven into a single song, four different styles of music and one legendary personality, this is what Paul Jacob, Bodhi Muzikk has planned for Abhishek’s film 'Kadhai'. As the lights fall on the stage it brightens with artists adorned in brightly coloured costumes with their instruments. The heroine in the background occupies the prestigious position next to Balamuralikrishna Senior. “The music is composed live on-stage and the entire sequence shot at a stretch, we repeat the entire song to cover different angles to retain the feel of the show instead of shooting it in bits”, Paul Jacob tells us. When asked about how the idea came around and what went into putting the show together Paul says, “We decided to do something different, something that would retain an essence. Bringing together the artists wasn’t a problem though we did have to go through five days of rehearsals for just one song, rehearsing and recording simultaneously. It has already taken a whole day to shoot the show and the sequence that follows after the show ends that involves the artists congratulating each other on the success of the show”
A cocktail of cultures, the song is a mix of both classical and folk music originating from different parts of the country. It begins with a few lines by Balamuralikrishna who more than consented to be a part of this endeavour, followed by a performance by the thapattam players from Thanjavur, moving onto a few lines by Mukhtiyar Ali, the Rajasthani vocalist to Raju Das Baul, the Bengali baul singer later taken over by 'Chinna Ponnu' rendering Tamil folk. The heart warming song concludes with lines by Malgudi Shubha and a concluding aalap again by Balamuralikrishna. Now that a song has been composed in the form of a show, Paul tells us he might plan on the same as a performance in times to come. “We are planning to bring down the artists again and perform live at the audio launch of the film, scheduled to happen sometime in April,” he says. expresso@epmltd.com