Rima Kallingal in the tune ‘Anuraga madhuchashakam’ from Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Opinion is split over whether or not director Aashiq Abu has completed justice to Malayalam cinema’s first ever horror-romantic-thriller, Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), together with his interpretation, Neelavelicham. With screenplay written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, primarily based on his personal brief story, ‘Neelavelicham’, the remake has retained songs from the unique composed by the legendary MS Baburaj. The songs have been remixed and rearranged by the composer duo of Bijibal and Rex Vijayan. In an interview with The Hindu MetroPlus, Bijibal talks about approaching the timeless songs and recreating a brand new soundscape.
The composer admits that when Aashiq recommended the undertaking, he was not enthused about remixing the compositions which are shut to each Malayali music lover. “I hesitated not because I did not have the confidence. We are used to hearing these songs in a particular way and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to create the same feel. Another aspect was that while the aesthetical thoughts of several minds are invested in a song, when you work on those songs again, that process does not happen and so the impact is less. Singers, while learning the original, go into different layers of that particular song, creating a beautiful chemistry. It doesn’t happen again,” he explains.
Roshan Mathew and Rima Kallingal in a tune sequence from Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Bijibal informed Aashiq that he would compose new songs for Neelavelicham. “I want to do originals only. I don’t enjoy working on what the masters have already done. I can use that time creatively to do my own songs. Also, having done a couple of remixes [‘Alliyambal kadavil’ in Loudspeaker and ‘Kannum kannum in Venicile Vyapari] I didn’t want to do more of it. But Aashiq maintained that these songs are part of the screenplay that Basheer wrote, that they have travelled with the writer. For instance, he had written ‘Ekanthathayude mahatheeram’ in the script, which later Bhaskaran maashu (lyricist-poet P Bhaskaran) changed to ‘Ekanthathayude aparatheeram’,” he provides.
Composer Bijibal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Of the seven songs in Bhargavi Nilayam, 4 are in Neelavelicham, ‘Pottatha ponnin’ is simply in the album and the quantity ‘Arabikkadaloru’ has not been included in the remake. Although Baburaj’s household had moved the court docket in opposition to the makers of the film for alleged copyright violation, Aashiq had put out an official assertion saying that the producers had adopted all authorized procedures and had obtained the rights to breed these songs.
Bijibal factors out that working with Rex was a satisfying expertise. “It actually helped that our musical thoughts are different. I did the basic production and handed it over to him to enhance it,” he says.
Their goal was to enhance the really feel of the film. “Aashiq had his own interpretation of the script and we worked accordingly. For example, the original ‘Ekanthathayude’ song has a layer of horror, which our version doesn’t have. For us, the song is about the character’s ekanthatha (loneliness), not Bhargavi’s. He is not afraid of the ghost; rather, he is looking for companionship. We have incorporated orchestration in the number. It is the same with ‘Anuraga madhuchashakam’, which also had an element of horror in the original. We didn’t use that aspect at all,” he says. His private favourites from the album are ‘Thamasamenthe’, ‘Vasanthapanchami’ and ‘Ekanthathayude’.
Bijibal stresses that he had “to be more responsible than while making my own songs. Each song was approached with the same dedication and devotion. Thanks to technology, the songs can even be experienced in spatial audio (360 degree sound format), which might be the first-of-its kind in Malayalam cinema.”
Selection of singers
Regarding the selection of playback singers KS Chithra and Shahabaz Aman Bijibal says: “We needed a classic voice in place of S Janaki’s and the option was always Chithra chechi. As for Shahabaz, we recorded ‘Ekanthathayude’ first, especially because there are some similarities in his voice and that of the original singer [Kamukara Purushothaman].”
Tovino Thomas in Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit:
R Roshan
For ‘Thamasamenthe’, Bijibal had thought of a number of singers earlier than finalising Shahabaz. “That is the first song I learned as a musician — my uncle had taught me the song when I was in primary school. It is one song that never satisfies you as a singer. Though Yesudas [KJ Yesudas] sir has rendered it with unbelievable ease it has some portions that are difficult to replicate, may be because of the ragas used. So we decided to present it in a different genre and we went with Shahabaz, who has a different understanding and approach to music. Also, he has presented Babukka’s [composer Baburaj] compositions on numerous stages. But when I gave him the song he said, ‘You should make me sing it.’ It was not easy and it took him three days to finish recording,” the composer says.
Having adopted Baburaj’s music for years, Bijibal says that the composer is unmatchable. “His music just flows with the lyrics. That is why his music is timeless.”
Now that the songs and film are out, how does he really feel? “I am extremely happy. Many artistes and instrumentalists have contributed towards that,” he indicators off.
