Scoring a winner

Ramesh Narayan, winner of the Kerala State Film Award for the best music director, tells that he gives his best to each number he composes.

Composer Ramesh Narayan Photo:S.Mahinsha

Ramesh Narayan is not, by any stretch of imagination, the most prolific of composers in Malayalam cinema. But, he is one of the few who are capable of coming up with melodic numbers at a time when such compositions are becoming increasingly hard to be heard in Malayalam films. Right from his maiden composition, for

Garshom , Ramesh has been able to make music that could stand out. The other day his music received the recognition it richly deserved, as he won the State Film Award for his composition, ‘Adithya kiranangal...’, for the film

White Boys . The song also fetched K. J. Yesudas his 27th State Award for the best playback singer.

“I was delighted that Yesudas got the award for my song. When I composed the tune, in raag Kunji Kanada, which is rarely used in our film songs, I was convinced that only he could have sung it. It’s a very difficult song, but he sang it brilliantly,” says Ramesh.

It was in fact a song sung by Yesudas many years ago, that proved the turning point in the career of Ramesh. The song was ‘Oru narupushpamayi...’ from the film Meghamalhar . Over the last few years, he had composed songs like ‘Chanchadiyadi..’. ( Makalkku ), ‘Then thennale...’ ( Makaramanju ), ‘Thattam pidich...’ ( Paradesi ), ‘Bansuri sruthi pole...’ ( Rathrimazha ) and ‘Kannodu kannoram...’ ( Veeraputhran ). Those films may not have the box office on fire, but the songs certainly were lapped up by music lovers.

“Yes, it is disappointing that most of the films I composed music for did not have an extended runs in theatres. But, then, that is something I have little control on. I always try to give my best, regardless of the films that come my way,” Ramesh says.

He gave his best for Ottamandaram too. In the film released late last year, he showed his skills in tuning Changampuzha’s celebrated poem Aa Poomala (‘Aaru vanguminnaru vangumee…’), which was sung by Vijay Yesudas and Madhushree Narayan, his daughter.

He has high hopes about his songs in the forthcoming film Ennu Ninte Moideen .

“All the three songs have composed have come out rather well. I have expectations about my songs in Pattukaran too. Then, there is the Sanskrit film Priyamanasam ,” he says.

Ramesh, a disciple of Pandit Jasraj, says he also enjoys his vocal concerts as much as composing. “Tuning songs always give you gratification as you try to create something new,” says the man who always attempts to create original tunes.

“Though I am inspired by our great composers, such as G. Devarajan, M.S. Viswanathan, V. Dakshinamoorthy, M.S. Baburaj, Johnson and Raveendran, I never copy the tunes they – or anybody else for that matter – composed. To do that may be the easy way out, but I don’t think it is the right thing to do,” he stresses, before signing off.