The melody of ‘Kaatrin Kaadhal’ from an upcoming film Antony replays in my head as I talk to the 19-year-old musician Sivatmikha who composed it. “The singers are Yazin Nizar and Sinduri Vishal, but the humming is by me. I recorded it sometime ago on my Macbook Pro in my room in Coimbatore,” she explains.
Sivatmikha is making news as one of the youngest music directors to work in a full-length feature film. It was her preparatory course in electronic music production at A.R. Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory in Chennai that encouraged her. “I was blown away by the potential of music software like Logic Pro. It helps you perfect a composition. And, you can replicate thousands of music instruments. For example, if I like a native instrument from Africa or Mexico, I can create the sounds here, virtually.”
“When I told my friends about my plans to become a music director after my course, they laughed. Because, it’s not so easy to get a break. But I was confident. I shared my sample melody track with 30 to 40 film directors on Facebook. One of them liked the tune and replied. He asked me to meet Kutii Kumar, the director of Antony , and ‘Kaatrin Kaadhal’ was born. I used the social media and it worked. Otherwise, I would have packed my bags and gone off to the Trinity or Berkeley,” she laughs.
After she signed on the dotted line, she realised she was now bound by a contract and had to meet a deadline.“In the last seven months, I have hardly slept for two hours a day. It was challenging. I had to work with a team of established singers like V.M. Mahalingam, Sivam and Velmurugan besides technicians and a budget. I made Mahalingam anna sing for four hours in the studio. They never treated me as a newcomer. They co-operated till I was satisfied with the output.”
She hopes that people like the other songs too from the album. “There’s a rock song which is insane. There are design elements in it, where in we have created new sounds instead of using plug-ins. For example, we record a violin live, process it, and make it sound different. There is one folk melody that is dedicated to a father and has beautiful lyrics. Then there’s a travel based song where a father ponders about his son and the dub step number that is mixed with rock and has mass appeal.”
Award-winning film maker Pa. Ranjith released the teaser and the first song on Twitter and added a congratulatory note for the young team. The film is a Musical Emotional Thriller (MET) directed by Kuttii Kumar and has cinematography by R. Balaji. The title Antony is a tribute to actor Raghuvaran (who played the iconic Antony, the antagonist in Rajinikanth’s blockbuster Batsha ). Along with newcomers, the film has veteran actors like Lal and Rekha in pivotal roles.
“I have to thank the Antony Productions for having the faith in me. Director Kutii Kumar was so encouraging. He sat with me all through the re-recording till I got the desired effect he was looking for.”
Sivatmikha says she wants to be a change-maker.“While in class XI, I was chucked out of the school as I performed miserably in academics. My parents, Rajesh and Sangeetha Rajesh, were hurt. But, they stood by me. This is an achievement for me. It also makes me proud that I am able to break stereotypes in the film industry. It’s always men who have a track record as successful music directors. I want to change that.”
“I have millions of tunes in my head. It’s like a magic moment. I hope it stay that way, always. ‘Thalaraathey…’ the song from Antony reflects my state of mind.”
