DJ Zen, who performed viral hits for MS Dhoni at Chennai’s MA Chidambaram stadium
MS Dhoni strides onto the bottom. DJ Zen pushes a button.
Thousands of followers, all wearing yellow at Chepauk stadium, go wild.
This has been a well-recognized sight for Chennai’s cricket lovers on this version of the Indian Premier League (IPL). Playing superhit Tamil cinema tracks to go with every participant, particularly Dhoni, DJ Zen — manning the console at IPL for the primary time — has been making a variety of noise, fairly actually.
If it was ‘Once upon a time, there lived a ghost’ from Kamal Haasan’s Vikramthrough the begin of the season, it was the Vishwaroopam observe that accompanied Dhoni’s stroll to the crease within the final league part. Rajinikanth’s iconic Tamil ‘introduction numbers’ added to the goosebump-inducing moments as effectively.
Watch | DJ Zen performs Padayappa for MS Dhoni
KC Senthil Kumar aka DJ Zen is the person behind this magic. “This IPL has been most memorable for me,” says Zen over a phone name, “I’m happy that I have played a small part in enhancing some tremendous cricketing moments on the ground.”
While songs being performed on the IPL will not be new, this 12 months, MS Dhoni’s entry into the stadium has been among the many most-anticipated moments this season. DJ Zen plans for that essential 1-minute 15-seconds-long celebration with utmost element. “Dhoni takes an additional few seconds to prepare, and that provides the viewers time to cheer and then calm down, earlier than he faces the ball. When he enters, we go with music, as a result of the bottom is anyway very noisy then. When he takes to the pitch, we play the lyrics , in order that the viewers relate to him. “
DJ Zen at Chepauk
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Special Arrangement
He is referring to tracks from hit Tamil movies comparable to Padayappa, Baasha and Vikram, which not solely have peppy music but additionally lyrics that match the state of affairs that sport is poised at. So, when Shivam Dube hits a few sixes, Zen performed ‘Doobey Doobey’ from Gehraiyaan. Or when Ravindra Jadeja begins batting, he went with a melody like ‘Mannipaaya’ (Will you forgive me?), primarily based on what the southpaw stated in an on-ground interview within the final match.
From AR Rahman to Anirudh, tracks from many composers have been performed at Chepauk this season. And Chennai’s audiences, with a fascination for all issues cricket and cinema, have been having fun with the revelry.
“As a DJ, it helps if you are a cricket fan. I have, for instance, been following the sport for many years, thanks to my father’s keen interest. While I am focussed on the job at hand, I am also keenly following the match proceedings, which helps me really enjoy my work,” says Zen, who shortlisted round 100 to 150 copyright-free songs from all languages IPL started.
Watch | DJ Zen performs Viswaroopam for MS Dhoni
Zen reveals that he chooses a observe for the entry of each participant — but additionally has to shortly adapt if there’s a change in who’s strolling in to bat. The DJ staff has the staff sheet, but additionally has a cellphone with a most zoom lens prepared, in order that they’ll see which participant is strolling in, and shortly play the suitable observe. “The players themselves might not understand some of this, because they are Tamil songs, but the audiences get it, and that’s my success,” says Zen.
For Zen, who hails from Tirunelveli and can be a visible artist, IPL 2023 has been an enormous platform. “Social media has played a big role in reaching out the on-ground experience to millions who are not physically present,” he says. His Instagram video of the Dhoni entry with music from Padayappa has garnered greater than 10 million views on Instagram alone. He provides, “In the TV broadcast, the audience might miss the music due to advertisement breaks, but the atmosphere on the ground is something magical.”
