Madras gets many likes

Balaji Maheshwar’s video on the city is the talk of the cyber world

July 28, 2014 05:33 pm | Updated 05:33 pm IST - chennai:

The team behind the video.

The team behind the video.

An old gramophone spins merrily, followed by fishermen carrying baskets of fresh catch… then the camera moves to capture the frothy waves crashing on the majestic rocks at the Kovalam beach. These are the opening scenes of Madras is Beautiful , a video by Madras Photo Factory. Shot by Balaji Maheshwar, a 28-year-old documentary photographer, the video encompasses everything that is this city. It’s a tribute to Madras. “I stuck to the name Madras because I feel more connected to it than Chennai,” says Balaji, who left his software job to pursue his passion — photography. I wanted to throw light on the city and highlight moments and actions characteristic to it,” he adds.

The two-and-a-half minute video was shot at the century-old dhobikhana, Marina beach, Balaji Saravana Theatre, Kovalam beach, Kapaleeswarar Temple and Parry’s Corner. “The thing about Parry’s is it’s so full of life. There’s always so much going on there,” says Balaji about his favourite place in the city.

The video also features filter coffee, an old Fiat car trundling by, boys playing beach cricket, a virulently yellow cycle rickshaw and cultural elements like Bharatanatyam and Carnatic music, and a ther procession.

The tribute, however, carefully keeps away from the modern elements and the party scene of Chennai. "I feel people will not relate Madras to these things,” he says, though there are some who might disagree with this view.

It's refreshingly devoid of celebrities as well. “Celebs add commercial value. But I had faith in the emotions of the people and knew they would connect to the video.”

Madras is Beautiful was shot in a month's time. It was launched on YouTube on July 25 at 9 p.m. and at the time of going to print had garnered 45,852 views and 587 likes.

It's beautiful and nostalgic but what’s puzzling is why he chose a Bengali track for the background score and not something local? “I used Asima's theme from Apur Panchali because I felt that it has so much emotion.”

The video on YouTube has a long trail of comments, mostly congratulatory. Since there are a few who wished it was longer and had a Tamil background score, Balaji and his team that includes Mani Dante (designer and logo animator), Philomina Raj (editor), Saravana Kumar (producer), Karthik Subramanian (creative consultant), Shunder Kumar (executive producer), Sai Ram (digital marketing) and Ram Iyer (creative head) have created a new and more dramatic video, with A.R. Rahman’s ‘Unthan Desathin Kural’ playing in the background.

Titled Madras is Calling , the 4.33 minute-long footage shows a colourful merry-go-round, a funeral procession, children enjoying a splash in the sea, vendors, and more of the beach — in short, almost all the things that make every Chennai-ite realise why he/she loves the city.

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