When Bengaluru multi-lingual rock band Peepal Tree’s drummer Willy Demoz got a first look at the trailer of Kabali , he knew this was worth a dedication. Guitarist Tony Das adds, “It made him feel like this movie was going to be as awesome as two of his most favourite Rajini movies combined — Baasha and Thalapathi. Amidst rumours of this being Rajinikanth’s last movie, he wanted to give something back before the superstar decided to call it a day.”
The drummer’s excitement was apparently infectious, which resulted in a new Tamil track called ‘Magizhchi’, which released earlier this week as a salute to Rajini’s superstar-yet-humble stature. Within just a week, the band – also comprising vocalist Sujay Harthi and bassist Praveen Biligiri, who takes the lead on this song – came up a driving, fuzzy guitar riff that became the sound of the song.
Featuring lyrics written by Tamil film industry lyricist Muthamil, ‘Magizhchi’ talks about the unparalleled celebrity of Rajinikanth from the perspective of a fanboy. Turns out everyone in the band is more or less a fan of the Thalaivar. Das says, “Willy and Sujay have watched every movie he’s ever released, and Praveen has watched most of them so yes, there is some pretty hardcore fandom happening in the band.”
The music video, which features dhoti-clad members of the band talking it out over a meal, also enlists the help of everyday people who try their best to emulate some of Rajini’s classic film moves — from wearing sunglasses to throwing a cloth over their shoulder in style. ‘Magizhchi’ also features shots of the band performing at the recently-opened venue OO Heaven. Das says about the fan tributes, “Even those were spontaneous. Willy took Sumesh Nayadi and Surya Uday, from Spacebot Entertainment, and went all around Bangalore shooting anyone who was willing to perform!”
Speaking of perform, ‘Magizhchi’ might have come about impulsively, but Peepal Tree says the song will find its way into their live performances as well. Das says, “It is a great riff, and we are all happy with how the song has turned out, so we will be playing this live for sure. It is also a lot more of a hard rock song than most of our other songs, so it widens our musical canvas so to speak. We will throw in some solos, change around a transition or two for the live version, and it will be a blast.”
The band is busy completing their upcoming full-length album, with just vocals and guitar solos left to complete. Turns out in all this hubbub of writing, recording and releasing a new song, the band is yet to watch their hero in action in Kabali . Demoz says, “Well, we’ve been so busy putting the song and the video together, that we haven’t gotten to watch it yet. But we’re hoping to as soon as possible.” Watch the video on bit.ly/Magizhchi
