Pradeep Varma's directorial debut boasts of a first -- an experiment by musician Manoj George, its music director.
Manoj is known for being the choral arranger for the Grammy Award-winning album Winds of Samsara.
For Urvi, Manoj has created a song, recorded earlier this week in Chennai. The music director calls it a duet of Chithra and the violin.
"This is a pathos song, and it demanded soft music. I got ready with the tunes. I didn't want to make it heavy or go with the orchestral backing because a lot of people have done it before, and it will take time," he says.
So he began his experimenting. "I tried to use every possibility that occurred to me -- any music that could be made with a violin," he says.
An orchestra typically also has the viola, the cello and the double bass.
"Reproducing all these using just a violin was the challenging part. I used the pizzicato to pluck the strings. That helped me create 30 tracks of different frequencies with a single instrument," he says. "This way, I managed to create a chamber orchestra."
The process took him three weeks, he adds.
Manoj was happy that it all fell into place for this particular song. Most such experiments are not instantly successful, he says.
"The director gave me a free hand, and the producers had confidence in me. So the vibes were positive. Apparently, whoever heard about it said this was a first in the history of Indian music," he tells City Express.
He says popular playback artiste Chithra did the song justice, lending to it all the appropriate emotions. They lyrics have been penned by Pradeep Varma and Suvarna Sharma.
"Chithra and I have done a lot of concerts together in the country and abroad, and she was very supportive," he says. Her cooperation has also boosted his confidence.
Manoj has three more songs to record for the project. Meanwhile, the musician is coming out with another album, and is simultaneously working on documentary films.