“Every year new English words enter the dictionary. Let Swapaanam be my contribution to the Malayalam dictionary,” says filmmaker Shaji N. Karun with a laugh. His new film premièred at the Dubai Film Festival recently. It is new not just in its title. It is refreshingly unique in its music, which does not stumble on clichés and makes a sincere attempt to track the roots of Kerala’s own musical syntax.
Though on the surface level the film is primarily on the tragic relationship between Unni (Jayaram) a chenda player, and Nalini (Kadambari), a Mohiniyattam dancer, Shaji delves into various levels of culture and emotions. Swapaanam debates on music, dance, taste-counter taste, interpretation of love and more.
The word, according to Shaji, is a metaphor of an artiste. Like a wick of a lamp the artiste burns, lighting up lives around and then goes out giving way to a new wick, a new light. “The idol in a temple is the work of a sculptor. When we stand before it we think only of the idol, eyes closed, in prayer. We don’t think of the sculptor. And it has to be this way. Some of them are recognised in their lifetime, some much later, other forgotten forever,” Shaji explains.
“The relationship between man and woman is the subject of all art forms. Interpretation of this relationship of love differs between them; the measuring scale used is different. Scientists have clearly defined and interpreted day and night, but they have not yet found a measuring scale or a definition for love. Interpretations therefore depends on nations, cultures. This film is our interpretation, a visual one, that tries to redefine the concept of love,” Shaji adds.
In Swapaanam , Shaji uses music and songs to trace the meaning of this relationship. This becomes the media of interpretation. “Songs, music in general, in this film are an important ingredient. Not something to add flavour and can be dispensed with. It is an integral part of the film.”
There are nine songs that include popular kritis by Swati Tirunal and Balakavi Ramasasthrikal. The original lyrics are by Manoj Kuroor, a Malayalam lecturer-poet who had earlier worked with Shaji in his Vanaprastham . The music is by Sreevalsan J. Menon.
Very choosy about signing films, Manoj says that there were two reasons for taking up this film. One was that it was a Shaji Karun film and the other was his wish to work with Sreevalsan. “Despite being a Carnatic vocalist Sreevalsan is one who understands the music of Kerala very well. We got along well and complemented each other, with a lot of give and take. We had a clear brief from Shaji Sir. Then Sreevalsan created music that was not artificial as it usually is when classical music is blended for cinema. It is not removed from the reality of the film, is an exploration of Kerala’s own music in its ragas and talas, and is stylised emotional music that is traditional but at the same time cinematic,” says Manoj.
The music in Swapaanam is not scene related. Mythological and metaphorical interpretations in the film are reproduced through music. “Taste and counter taste are part of the musical design too. The challenge was to find the musical counter for the chenda. What do you use to fill up the space left after a throbbing pancharimelam? So the running image of rasa and counter rasa using Kerala art forms needed to be supported through music. This was the challenge,” says Sreevalsan.
With the chenda assuming a significant role, recording the melam was an elaborate process. “We recorded with around 100 melam artistes, a complete melam and recorded it with 5.1 microphone hired from Mumbai. I listened to it at Prasad Lab where we were trying out 11.1 aura for the sound track and it was amazing. Krishnan Unni, who has done the sound design, has created magic. We had to record it in the open as the studio walls would have reflected the sound. Then we had to use the melam or the chenda to create effects of a strutting peacock or war. Udayan Namboodiri has done some wonderful work here.”
Coming to the songs, Sreevalsan has deliberately avoided popular traditional ragas such as Anandabhairavi and Neelambari. “We have revived talas that were considered lost and used ragas that reflect Kerala’s musical style. Shaji Sir’s contribution was vital. He insisted that for ‘Kamini mani sakhi…’ we use a senior female singer for the ‘sakhi’ as the sakhi is usually represented as a senior. It made our job of choosing the singer easy.” Kalyani Menon and Meera Ram Mohan render this song set to Poorva Kamodari raga, with the voices providing the contrast.
The use of Kundanachi tala is another feature of the music. “I think this is the first time that this tala, which according to music scholars was supposed to have vanished, has been used in film music. Through this we have also revived this typically Kerala tala in the song ‘Antharangameevidham…’(rendered by noted violinist Edappalli Ajith, Vivek, Murali and Retish),” says Manoj.
Another feature is the choice of singers. “We decided to use the voices of regular practitioners of Kathakali and Carnatic music and of those who have not been heard much. Though it took time to choose these voices, the end result was very satisfying.”
Noted singers such as Kottakal Madhu, Shenkottai Harihara Subramaniam and B. Arundathi sing along with Lekha R. Nair, Deepu Nair, Amal Antony, Hariparsad, and Sreeranjini Kodampally. “Lekha is an Ernakulam-based, former University winner, Deepu and Hariprasad are from Kalakshetra, Amal, a reality show winner, had earlier sing for me, while Sreeanjini is an upcoming Carnatic vocalist.”
Along with leading chenda melam artistes, Kudamalloor Janardanan (flute), Edappalli Ajith (violin), Balakrishna Kamath (mridangam), Ambalapuzha Vijayakumar (thavil), Kottayam Murali (morsing), Sreejith V. (ghatam), Subramaniam Peringode (edakka), O. K.Gopi (nadaswaram) and Biju (veena) have contributed to create this magical musical.
“Good songs, I have always felt, create nostalgia. That’s why even today we still depend on songs and music of times that have gone by. I am sure that the music and songs of Swapaanam will bring back memories of those good times; of our own music,” says Shaji.
