A winning debut

Adithyha and Soorya, composers of Kavalthurai Ungal Nanban, talk about their work in the recently released film
A winning debut

Kavalthurai Ungal Nanban has won quite a bit of admiration, including for its music. The composers of the film, Adithyha and Soorya, attribute this to the two-word advice given to them by the director of the film, RDM: “Adakki vaasinga.”

Now in Canada, Adithyha says he can’t wait to return to Chennai to savour, with his crew members, all the appreciation that’s coming the way of this film. The composer duo, friends from their stint at AR Rahman’s KM Music Conservatory, began their career making albums for a private television channel, during which time they were approached to make music for a ‘dark thriller ’— which, of course, turned out to be Kavalthurai Ungal Nanban.

Soorya may have already composed for a feature film, but his fondest memory yet is being part of AR Rahman’s troupe and playing at the UN General Assembly for a memorial concert of MS Subbulakshmi. “I played the piano in front of an elite audience.” Soorya says it was all made possible because of the trust his parents reposed in him and his pursuit of passion.

If Adithyha and Soorya had suffered from any lack of confidence about being able to make music for a film, a boost of confidence came when director RDM said he trusted them with going for a live recording session. They had already decided that the idea was to keep the music simple and harness the power of silences in this film — like in the lengthy montages in the police station.

Adithyha shares that actor-producer Suresh Ravi helped a lot in easing their initial doubts. The team was also constantly in conversation and adapting to changes. “Initially, we had settled for only one romantic number. After conversations though, we thought it would be good to go for another solo number, where the idea was to use montages to communicate romance.”

The most popular number from the film, Rani Theni, sung by Haricharan, was recorded in a single take, the duo reveal. “We were told that the song was about a newly wedded couple having a blast and enjoying the knowledge that the night was still young.”

Next up for the duo is Adi Medavigal, a comedy. “Here, we have the luxury of recording five numbers with no great checks in place. That’s because of the freedom accorded by the genre.” If their start is anything to go by, good times seem to lie ahead for this duo.

Related Stories

No stories found.
Cinema Express
www.cinemaexpress.com