An ode to relationships

‘Oru Nal’ is a compilation of music videos by aspiring and established musicians

August 16, 2012 08:34 pm | Updated 08:34 pm IST - Thiruvananthapuram

The team behind 'Oru Nal’

The team behind 'Oru Nal’

Taking hints from the Malayalam film industry, the music scene in Kerala is going through a paradigm shift of sorts. Talented singers are now coming forward with fresh music which is taking the State by storm. Despite an increase in the number of new songs, the amount of music videos being released is dwindling, primarily due to a lack of market for the same. In this milieu, a group of youngsters is making waves with their refreshing compilation of music videos titled ‘Oru Nal’.

“Oru Nal is an ensemble of music videos based on the central theme of human relationships,” says Prahlad Gopakumar, the brain behind the project. Prahlad, an independent filmmaker and cinematographer, has pursued film studies from the National Institute of Design after completing his graduation in Architecture from College of Engineering, Trivandrum. He has shot, edited and directed all music videos of the compilation, which features Benny Dayal, Vidhu Pratap, Swetha Mohan, Srinivas, Jassie Gift and Ranjini Haridas along with actors Shalu Menon, Sajan Surya and composer Bijibal, among others. The videos were shot over a span of two years at different locations across the country. Sandeep E. of Blackstone Pictures has produced the compilation.

“Each video in this compilation is unique,” says Prahlad. “The videos give the viewer a bird’s eye view of the different facets of human relationships. Besides, there is a colour theme for each video,” he elaborates. The title track, ‘Oru Naal’ is about a man who falls in love with a fictional character in a book while ‘Mizhikal’ portrays a person who chases his imaginary love. ‘Tic Tock’ tickles the funny bone by taking us to the world of someone who literally chases a running computer mouse! As ‘Mukilin’ explores the dynamics of a dysfunctional relationship, ‘Vegam’ takes the viewer to the world of extramarital affairs. ‘Marakkam’ paints the picture of a lady who has taken her own life and ‘Maunam’ deals with domestic violence. The late lyricist Girish Puthenchery penned ‘Marakkam’. The song is one among the last poems by the maestro. Singer Vidhu Pratap has made his composing debut with ‘Marakkam’.

‘Azhakinumoru’ speaks of a conversation between two strangers – a man and a woman, in a coffee shop. ‘Mizikal’, is perhaps the most popular song in the compilation. It was written and composed by ‘Note o’ chord’, the band from the Trivandrum Medical College, comprising Anand Binu, Anandu Mohan, Arun Jacob, Anoop S., Chandrasekhar S. and John Mathew K.

What makes this vibrant project carve its own niche in the vast ocean of Malayalam Music? “Oru Nal is not exactly a ‘music album’,” clarifies Prahlad. “It is a collaboration of seven music directors, seven lyricists, 12 singers, 19 actors and one director,” he says. “Normally, composition of the audio tracks precedes development of the music video. We reversed the process. The premise of the video was developed first and the tracks were composed based on it,” he explains. The compilation is one among the first among its kind in Malayalam to be shot in High Definition. “Unlike most music videos, we have avoided lip-syncing,” Prahlad adds.

The most interesting feature about ‘Oru Nal’ is that it isn’t a commercial album. Viewers can access all the videos in YouTube for free. You can catch all the songs from ‘Oru Nal’ at www.facebook.com/OruNaal.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.