Remember, the West's rock or pop was created for their languages, not ours.
I enjoy and understand melody before I create it. But the challenge is that I've also got to satisfy the film going audience of today.
Ilaignan,' the script of which has been penned by Chief Minister M Karunanidhi, is a period film that is set in the romantic era of classical music. You will find Western classical music mixed with our Indian melodies.
Doing background score for a film is not an easy task. It requires constant and deep learning and it is the only way to create a score with finesse.
People, irrespective of the language they speak, love good music.
Of course, I can speak Malayalam.
In all the background scores I do, I take care to see that the theme enriches the storyline and does not deviate from the mood of the scenes, context, characters and the entire movie.
I joined my father for recordings when I was 11 or so. By then, I could play a dozen instruments. My first professional recording was around that time. I played the vibraphone for Shankar-Ganesh in a Tamil film.
It is disappointing to note that you no longer find enough of melodious music in Malayalam films.
Even Bollywood films set in rural areas have music with a western touch. So, this has resulted in listeners losing touch with their cultural roots.
It is disappointing to find that music in Malayalam cinema is drifting away from its strong melody-base.
Though 'KK' is an urban film and has more scope for fast-paced numbers, I've made sure that there's a bit of melody in all the songs.
I am probably the only composer in South India who has delivered many superhit songs but was not considered a success.
With time, I've learnt that personal likes or dislikes don't count a lot.
I believe in destiny. What has to come my way always does, sooner or later.
Well yes, I think melody is still my forte.
It is alright to ape Western music, but we have to ask ourselves if that is what we need in our films.
I was lucky that I could work with directors like Kamal, Lal Jose and Sibi Malayil. They understood music and gave me a free hand.
If you observe, all classic love songs have a tinge of melancholy that comes naturally with the composition.
I like philharmonic music a lot. That kind of symphonic music has always been an integral part of the arrangements in many of my songs and background scores.
