Kunjiramayanam is all set to open in theatres this Onam. And someone who can’t wait for the release is the film’s music director Justin Prabhakaran. Having made a dream debut in Tamil with Pannaiyarum Padminiyum , the Madurai-based composer is super excited about his debut in Malayalam film industry.
The songs and videos have already garnered umpteen likes on the social media and Justin is happy with the response. “Basil [Basil Joseph, director of Kunjiramayanam ] had seen my work in Tamil short films and that’s why he approached me. He told me the story and I felt it was interesting,” says Justin over the phone from Chennai.
Basil adds: “I have been a huge fan of Justin’s work and have been keeping track of his quirky compositions. I wanted a different soundscape for the movie and felt he was the right person for the task.”
Kunjiramayanam tells the story of a fictitious village, Desham, and its inhabitants. “The first thing Basil told me was that he didn’t want typical folk tunes. The director asked for catchy numbers and gave me a free hand. Initially, it was difficult because I don’t know Malayalam. But he took pains to explain everything in detail. I didn’t feel like I was working with a debut director,” says Justin.
There are four songs in the movie. The title track has been sung by Daya Bijibal, daughter of composer Bijibal. Shankar Mahadevan lent his voice to ‘Thumba poo,’ an energetic number, while Vineeth Sreenivasan, who also plays the hero in the film, has crooned the cool number, ‘Ayyayyo.’ “I decide on a singer while composing a song. I was very nervous about working with Shankar sir. But he made me comfortable and I am happy that the song has come out so well,” says Justin.
Another number, the ‘Salsa’ song, too has won a lot of fans. It has been sung by three musicians of Masala Coffee band – Sooraj Santhosh, Varun Sunil and Gokul Eknath. “Salsa is a heady alcoholic concoction – an imaginary blend – and the director wanted me to make the tune equally exhilarating. It was his suggestion to include the sound of bottles breaking in the track. The song also had to sound like a bhajan/patriotic song,” says Justin who has spiced up the song with interesting interludes. The youngster has also composed the background score for the movie.
It was through Nalaya Iyakkunar , a reality show for upcoming filmmakers that Justin got his big break in filmdom. He was chosen the best music director in two seasons of the show. S. U. Arunkumar, another participant of the show, made the short film Pannaiyarum Padminiyum , which was later made into a feature film.
It was through a friend that Justin came to work on the short film. “Music has been a part of my life since childhood. My father used to work in a church and I spent a lot of time with him. Since we couldn’t afford to buy a keyboard then, I used to play notes on the keyboard in the church. Later, I learnt to play the guitar too. While in college I used to compose songs for our band. I worked in a studio in Madurai for sometime and then moved to Chennai to learn sound engineering. After that I worked with Harris Jayaraj as a sound engineer. Then Pannaiyarum Padminiyum came my way and changed my life. The joy of working with Vaali sir [lyricist Vaali who wrote songs of Pannaiyarum… ] and singers such as S.P.B. Charan and Karthik in my first movie, is beyond words,” says the composer.
Justin’s second film was Orange Mittai and he is now working on two Tamil movies. The 28-year-old who admires Ilaiyaraaja for his “soulful melodies” and A. R. Rahman for his “brilliant music arrangement” admits that the going wasn’t easy. “But I always look at things positively. Right now I am waiting for the audiences’ reaction to Kunjiramayanam ,” he says as he signs off.
