‘Urumi’...
It really took a lot of effort as it was totally different from what I have been doing. Songs like ‘Chinni chinni’, ‘Aarane’ and ‘Vadakku’ are not the kind of songs I get to do every day. Directors like Sathyan Anthikkad and Rajiv Anchal, whom I guess could never relate with my music before, told me that
they loved my music in ‘Urumi.’
Felt like you have moved a step ahead with ‘Urumi’?
Yes, indeed. The music in ‘Urumi’ was of a totally different genre - folk. If it is a success, that means I could prove that pure folk is also my forte. Once the album was released, the well-wishers really hailed the product for the variety in the work done. Both the good and the bad reactions were in extremes and so it was kind of obvious that I’m on to the next step and I’m happy about it.
Reaction to criticism
I am not a person who has a lot of enemies; but, then again, rivalry is bound to be there in any business. But if you really look at it, rivals are fun because they unknowingly stimulate you to do better work.
If there is any unnecessary criticism, then I simply stay silent remembering that “Coins make noise, currencies don’t!” I am thankful to God for having given me the value the world today has given in the form of love and affection for my work.
Why do you have only very few releases?
Yes, compared to other music directors. Because it’s better to give the best occasionally than give frequent shots which have higher probability of failure due to of lack of focus on the work. Moreover I have to do most of the technical stuff by myself.
You have composed different kinds of music around the same time, ie for ‘Tournament’ (contemporary rock, hip hop), ‘Christian Brothers’ (pure commercial) and then ‘Urumi’ (pure folk). Was that planned?
It was a mere coincidence.
After you came in, many sound-alikes flooded the market. Were they a threat?
Never, because, first of all, as you mentioned, if it sounds like my music, then the newcomer actually loves my stuff and is deeply addicted to it and me unknowingly. What’s the point in complaining about it? Isn’t that a better way to look at life? You can celebrate every moment if you look at everything from a good point of view! All I need to do is make sure that he always looks up to me which will happen when I do things differently. This is not arrogance but a sweet fact often unsaid.
Role of family
My family does miss me a lot due to my workaholism. I have no fixed time to close my day unlike other husbands or dads. The reason being that I find my family asleep when I reach home and they find me asleep when they are awake. I do play them my songs and get an immediate response on how it is going to work in the family market.
Are the songs ready-made or tailor-made for a movie?
It’s definitely tailor-made after understanding the director’s taste and potential. A ready-made song often grows a lot in my heart before it is played to a director. After he listens to it, if he wishes for a change, it will be uncomfortable for me.
A ready-made love song, for example, cannot match any movie’s situation if the story does not suit it. Some directors may be good at making a love song energetic than sentimental, so that’s where tailor making churns out a hit. For example, ‘Pichavecha naal’ and ‘Karale’ are love songs, but with different forms of love. One is emotional and the other a comedy.
Music reality shows
Reality shows are all about momentary entertainment. In actual life, it’s a different ball game. The contestants need to show individuality in singing inside a studio booth where they will be judged on what works best for them on the big screen.
Your signature style...
It is not something which I do intentionally. It’s something that others see from their perspective. I just stick on to one rule - make others cheerful and happy with heart-filling melodies than get paid extra with unwanted complexity in music. A typical example is Vairamuthu’s lyrics which are so simple that even a child can comprehend them. But their content will be deep.
Upcoming projects...
Well, the movie I am now working on is ‘Tejabhai and Family’ directed by Deepu Karunakaran with the newly-wed naughty boy Prithvi in the lead role. I am surely excited because from ‘Urumi’ I now shift gear to the modern era.
Young singers fill the movie with loads of energy. Music director Shaan again makes a guest appearance as my singer after singing in ‘Urumi’ for the simple reason that I am addicted to his voice. We got a remix of the evergreen hit ‘Oru madhura kinaavin’ from ‘Kaanamarayathu’ composed by the legendary Shyam sir.
A Tamil version of ‘Urumi’ is also being made which has the same songs with different singers which is interesting. Some slight modifications have been done bearing in mind the taste of Tamil movie lovers not just in the songs but also in the duration of the movie.
How do you describe music?
Heaven on earth !