KOCHI: While the mythology treats her as a goddess, most women fail to get any respect from the society around them. Malayali independent filmmaker Thanuj’s new music video, Angayar Kanni, is an ode to women who face struggles every day just to get by and take care of their dear ones. The five-minute-long track rendered by playback singer Sajna Vinish is a traditional Carnatic composition by M M Dandapani Desikar set in Raga Dharmavathi and Tala Khanda Chapu. Thanuj revisited this classic with the help of music producer Sumesh Parameswar, who created a blend of Carnatic music and Jazz with subtle middle eastern percussion to give the song a revived energy.
The song praises goddess Meenakshi, but the visuals portray the life of a woman who is struggling to survive in a new world while being haunted by her past. Thanuj has been active in the industry for a decade now, having worked many roles from an editor to a creative director. “Growing up, I used to watch my mother, who is a teacher, multitask. She was balancing her job in the school till evening and taking care of the household after that, no matter how tired she is. Many women live such a life — struggling all their lives but never complaining. The anecdotes may be different, but their spirits are the same — their individuality, inner strength, emotional resilience, and the urge to survive and nurture others along the way,” explains Thanuj.
The song was shot in Nagercoil, Tamil Nadu. According to Tanuj, the location is the protagonist of the song. The natural cobalt blue in every frame created a surreal backdrop for storytelling. “We shot mainly in daylight and took a day and a half to finish shooting with cinematographer Martin DonRaj. We have purposefully featured the transgender community in the song too since their struggles are as deep,” he says.
Sajna, an assistant professor of Music at Government College for Women, Thiruvananthapuram, says the song haunted her since the first time she heard it while pursuing her master’s degree in music. “After I studied its meaning, it stayed with me,” adds Sajna. Watch at Muzik 247 on YouTube