It’s Rajesh Murugesan’s time once again on the music charts. The rookie music director, who rocked the music scene with Neram , most notably the international phenomenon that is ‘Pistah’, is back with another set of even quirkier numbers for filmmaker Alphonse Putharen’s upcoming ode to romance, Premam , starring Nivin Pauly in the lead.
Rajesh likes to call his signature style, which is retro, fun, and instrumental-heavy, with an accent on wacky lyrics and lots of trippy beats, as ‘parallel’ music. “It’s the same as mainstream music, meaning it has all its elements, but it’s not the same. I’m particular that each of my compositions has their own identity, like they each have been handpicked. When composing I like to think from an audience’s perspective on what they would like to hear and then experiment with musical genres; for example, bringing together styles as different as soul and beat-boxing. I enjoy giving my compositions a dramatic treatment, amping them up with interjections, drum rolls, clangs and the like, as one would do to heighten the narrative in professional dramas. For listeners, the songs would be like watching a drama unfold on stage,” explains the 26-year-old.
He has composed nine tracks for
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“I can’t do sad songs. I have tried several times and I ended up crying! Neither could Shabareesh for
A native of Nagercoil, Kanyakumari district, Rajesh grew up in Kochi, with a lifelong fascination for music. Following his schooling, he went to study audio engineering at SAE Institute, Chennai, and it is here that he met up with Alphonse, and Shabareesh too.
“Together we learnt the craft of zero budget filmmaking, working on short films, barely subsisting, while Alphonse
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“The very beat of our movie industry is friendship. Only when there is friendship does your creativity work at its full potential, otherwise it becomes mere work, mechanical. I am so fortunate that I have people like Alphonse ettan and Shabareesh to help me fill in my many blanks,” he explains.
Is that why he has not yet ventured beyond his comfort (read friendship) zone to work on other projects? Even his debut Hindi project, the eponymous remake of sleeper hit Shutter , is by the same team… “(Laughs) Honestly, I don’t have the confidence to step out on my own. It’s like I am still in a bubble, protected by my friends, particularly Alphonse ettan , who gives me all the time in the world [four years for Neram and one for Premam , in fact] and all the freedom to do what I want. Those are tough acts to follow and maybe when I find someone like him I will step out on my own,” he says. Till then three cheers for friendships, real and reel.