Be it ‘Hey Papa’ from Raja Rani or ‘Othakada Othakada’ from Pandiya Naadu , gaana songs seem to be the flavour of the season. Music director M. Rajesh hopes that his folk melody for Vadakkum Therkkum tops the charts.
The film introduces six upcoming music directors and Rajesh has composed a folk melody and a pathos number. The songs mark the debut of singer Deepika Tyagarajan, granddaughter of singer Trichy Loganathan, and lyricist Ganesh Ram.
Rajesh, who hails from Coimbatore, has been a part of music industry for six years now. He has composed music for over 15 short films, telefilms and a number of ad jingles. His music got noticed in short films such as Karka, which dealt with parenting and won awards at ‘Naalaya Iyakkunar’, and Paei Seththu Pochu, a horror-comedy. “Composing for short films set the foundation to take up film music,” he says. Some of his current projects include the love-based music album ‘Aval Pol Oru Poiyyillaiye’ made by Tamilians in Switzerland. He will also compose music for a song on parenting, for a workshop by the Rotary Club of Coimbatore Millennium.
Rajesh’s musical journey started when he enrolled for Hindustani and Western music classes at A.R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory. “I started off as a singer but the learning gave me the confidence to become a composer. Learning from Rahman was an eye-opener,” he says.
Some of his other notable works are a music album for the Tamil cause, Malaysian Tamil film Vetrivel, and Kurivattam , made in the Andamans. Folk singer Pushpavanam Kuppusamy rendered a song that highlighted the beauty of the islands.
“Technology has been a blessing. I upload all my compositions on Facebook, YouTube and Sound Cloud. My music albums ‘Coimbatoreaa Kokkaa’, and ‘All the Best’ got an overwhelming response.” He has also composed music for plays put up by Alchemy Kids Theatre Club, Chennai, and the background score for a 12-second game on Apple mobile.
Rajesh says the short film You and I made an impact on his career. “Directed by R.P. Sivakumar, it had two speech-and-hearing impaired people engaged in an SMS chat. Music carries their love forward. I also composed music for Yosi , a short film on ragging directed by Samzo Noordheen.”
Rajesh says a base in music is important for any musician. “One should also watch world cinema to understand the nuances of re-recording and music arrangements. The music industry is highly competitive but there are plenty of opportunities for those who are talented and willing to work hard,” he says.
Visit him at : https://www.facebook.com/muthupandian.rajesh
