EXCLUSIVE: Soorarai Pottru lyricist Vivek speaks about Veyyon Silli

It is always a pleasure to talk to lyricist Vivek, and it gets even more special when it is 17,000 feet in the sky. We spoke today on the sidelines of the launch of the single Veyyon Silli from the Suriya's Soorarai Pottru. Given this Sudha Kongara-directorial is based on the life of Captain Gopinath, who founded India's first low-cost private airline, it is quite apt that the song was launched mid-air in a special SpiceJet flight. 

"This is my first-ever collaboration with Suriya sir, and it is wonderful that the first song I wrote began with the words Veyyon Silli, which means Suriyanin thundu (a piece of the sun)," says Vivek, who admits that he did harbour some doubts about the meaning reaching the listeners. "But when a song is featured in a film that has such a big star like Suriya, people will surely pay more attention to the lyrics. Veyyon is such a beautiful Tamil word. It will now reach places, right?" says a beaming Vivek.

Nevertheless, as a Tamil lyricist, is it disconcerting that even Tamil people ask him the meaning of words he uses? "It is not like I use these terms regularly. I did not experiment with such words in songs that are meant to reach an extremely wide audience like Aalaporan Tamizhan, Singapenne, or Maadhare. But when I get opportunities like this, I make use of it," says Vivek, still overwhelmed with the 'out-of-the-world' experience of launching the song in a special flight that also carried kids who were first-time flyers.

"I'm happy that my song has been launched among such young minds. It didn't take much time for me to be infected with their happiness, on flying the first time. I almost feel like it was my first time flying," says the versatile lyricist.

He further adds that Soorarai Pottru has been designed in such a way that the film will be hailed. "More than my song, I see this venture as the asurathanamaana valarchi (monstrous growth) of Suriya sir. Along with director Sudha, composer GV Prakash Kumar, and the Soorarai Pottru team, Suriya sir has positioned this film as something out of the world. And sharing this mid-air experience with these kids was both humbling and satisfying."