Malayam movie magic
In the course of making Yoddha’s music, they knew very well that they were working with a contrarian who could become the next music sensation in the industry. A couple of years later, Sangeeth’s brother Santhosh Sivan who was the cinematographer of Roja, recommended him for Yoddha, after hearing the tunes that he had composed for Mani Ratnam. Yoddha’s director Sangeeth Sivan had offered quite another explanation for the Rahman-Dileep confusion in the credits: that he had worked with Rahman on a number of jingles when he was widely known as Dileep in the ad industry. With the other hits Maampoove and Kunu Kune and a fusion theme music, it’s indeed a soundtrack that could make any composer proud. The whirlwind tongue-twister song Padakali Chandi, in which Rahman gave a hilarious and novel twist to the idea of a typical temple singing competition, became a chartbuster and an internet sensation years later, so did the signature BGM bits that Rahman had thoughtfully composed for the specific characters (comedian Jagathy’s hilarious supporting role as Arasummoottil Appukuttan is the most popular among them) and situations in the film. The film’s music has gone viral over the years and became a sensation. Yoddha boasts of an ensemble cast, including some international actors, good storyline and humour, technical finesse and music. At one point, Rahman too followed his father’s footsteps when he assisted the leading music directors of the south to earn for his family and build a career for himself. His passion for music and technology gradually earned him a place among other talented musicians and shaped his career. Rahman used to earn money to sustain the family by renting his father’s music instruments and used to play in the orchestras of composers in his teens.
It’s a story that has much more substance than a Gully Boy, which richly deserves an intense biopic. His journey in life after his father’s demise has been extraordinary of sorts. Rahman had said in his interviews that most of his scattered memories of his late father are as an ailing man on hospital bed. Shekhar’s touch can’t be missed in the evergreen songs of these music directors. Apart from independently composing music for films, Shekhar, as a master orchestrator, was the backbone of the compositions of his contemporary legends in Malayalam cinema, M B Sreenivas, M K Arjunan and Dakshinamoorthy. Rahman’s father R K Shekhar used to be a music composer in Malayalam films till his death at the young age of 43. It’s no secret that Malayalees worldwide take immense pride about Rahman’s Kerala connection. The awards underline his prominence in the new wave that the South Indian film industry, especially Malayalam, has been witnessing.Aadujeevitham (Goat Life), the Malayalam film for which actor Prithviraj has been undergoing a tough physical transformation, has suddenly captured the imagination of the Kerala South audience at large, thanks to A R Rahman’s nod to compose music for the film. The film had also won Lijo the Kerala State Award for Best Director. Yau has earned him the award for the Best Director at the International Film Festival of India (IFFI) 2018, while Chemban Vinod was adjudged the Best Actor for his incomparable performance as Eesi. Various directors have been part of this movement, in particular, Lijo Jose Pellissery, who has set a standard in the industry with a style for himself. Brimming with new ideas and talents, Malayalam cinema, along with their counterparts in Tamil and Marathi, are driving the new age Indian cinema without getting stuck in the stereotypes of their own making. For the past decade, Malayalam cinema has been witnessing a certain kind of new phase like in the late 70’s and early 80’s. Cinema is ever-changing and has always been subject to experiments in terms of content and technicality.