All the right notes
VIJAY GEORGE
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Alex Paul is making waves with his music. Vijay George
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MUSIC TO HIS EARS: Alex Paul is enjoying his success.
With three hits in a row - `Chathickatha Chanthu,' `Black' and `Thommanum Makkalum' - Alex Paul has made his presence felt in the Malayalam film industry. "As someone who has devoted his life to music, it's refreshing that my songs have been accepted by the audience," a beaming Alex says.
Music, he says, is in his genes. "My father A.M. Paul was involved in the formation of what was perhaps the first `ganamela' troupe in Kochi. Though `kacheris' were common , the rendition of film songs on stage was not seen often," Alex says.
After graduating in Carnatic music from R.L.V College, Thripunithura, Alex taught musical instruments at Kalabhavan, where his father was a teacher for long.
He later set up his own studio, where he composed music for several music albums and for TV serials. "I believe that music has magical powers. It is a different language altogether," he says, in the baritone voice he shares with his elder brother Lal, of the Siddique-Lal fame.
Debut as music director
Alex made his debut as music director with Rafi-Mecartin's `Chathickatha Chanthu.' "Lal, who was the producer, and the directors, came to me with the offer. It was one moment in my life that I can never forget. Soon, I began composing for the film and luckily, the music was a hit," he says.
Alex says he always thinks of the visuals for the song while composing the music. Were the visuals in the film better than what he had perceived? "They were simply brilliant and beyond my wildest imaginations."
`Black' came next. The song `Ambalakkara Thechikkavil... ' is still a chart-topper, considering the requests for the song on music shows on TV, Alex says. But his favourite is `Thingal kala... ' .
Besides composing the songs, Alex also gave the background score for Shafi's recent hit `Thommanum Makkalum.' "I have experimented with the songs in the film. The song `Punyavan Ishaq... ' has been composedwith different beats and I am really happy that the audience liked it ."
Why is it that he has composed songs only for films that his brother has produced ? "I have heard the rumour that I work only for Lal's production company. It is baseless. I have received some good offers, though it would be premature to reveal the details ." Alex says he experiments with music scores. To make things easy for his daughter, while she was in kindergarten, he transformed her entire syllabus into the format of a song .
How many tunes are available in his "music bank," at any point of time? "Though I have loads of them, I always prefer to create fresh tunes, according to the situation and the mood."
What, in his assessment is special about his kind of music? "Perhaps the variety. I want every song of mine to sound different. I try my best to make every song of mine special." After pausing for a moment, he continues, philosophically, "After all, we are all humans, right? Music, to me, is God's gift."
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