A thematic sojourn in Bangkok
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Composer Yuvan Shankar Raja was in Bangkok recently to record the theme music for `Pudupettai.'
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ABSORBED IN WORK: Yuvan Shankar Raja (standing) with Selvaraghavan behind him.
"Theme music has always been in vogue. Somewhere down the line it did lose its prominence for a while. But when I see my father's background piece for `Mouna Ragam' still making rounds at inter-college cultural meets and being used as ring tones, the reach surprises me," says Yuvan Shankar Raja. Ensconced on the sofa at Kalasa Theatre in Vadapalani, where recording for one of his forthcoming films is going on, the young man talks about his recent trip to Bangkok, where he had gone to record a 10-minute theme piece for director Selvaraghavan's next film, `Pudupettai.'
Yuvan is the taciturn type. And garnering info from him is a quite a task. But his eyes light up when he dwells on the recording. Working with the 80-piece orchestra was a wonderful experience, he recalls. "I have a friend, who told me that a symphony orchestra is available in Bangkok. So we decided to go over... but initially I was very nervous," confesses Yuvan. He hadn't worked with a symphony orchestra earlier. "And I don't know notating. So I had an arranger. Selva would explain the mood of the film and I would play the music on the piano... " he explains.
But isn't knowledge of notations essential for a composer? "Not exactly. I just have to connect my keyboard to the computer and it does the rest. But I want to learn it. Time is the only constraint," he smiles.
Why Bangkok
Though the `Pudupettai' score will go on continuously on the audio, it will be heard as one or two minute pieces throughout the film. "We wanted to match international standards in theme music and felt going abroad would help us get the colour we wanted." They laboured for week, but the result has been rewarding for Selva and Yuvan. "Theme notes give a film its identity. Even today if it goes `Paparapapa' (he sings the tune) you at once know it is `Star Wars,'" he explains. Yuvan's theme pieces in films such as `7/G Rainbow Colony' and `Raam' have won much acclaim. "Before I work on the theme music I have to get a hang of the mood of the film and the exact genre it will fit into," he says. If you notice, Yuvan's music in `Raam' is very different from say `Arindhum Ariyamalum.' This is possible only when you get the mood right, he asserts.
`Pudupettai' will again be very different, assures Yuvan. When you say `Pudupettai' the sound that you hear in your mind is a thunderous beat. "Exactly, but we have gone in for some very sophisticated sounds. Not the loud `dandanaka' kind of percussion that you'll expect," smiles Yuvan.
Yuvan Shankar Raja.
Beginning with `Aravindan' at the age of 16, Yuvan is one of the busiest composers today. And he seems to vibe very well with young makers. "Probably because I work more with them," he comments.
`Pudupettai' will be Yuvan's third film with Selvaraghavan, and after `Manmadhan' he is working with Simbhu for `Vallavan.' "Simbhu and I have known each other for years. He has music sense and I like the way he shot the `Manmadhan' songs. So also Selva's visual concept of the `Devadhaiyai Kandaen' number was fascinating," feels Yuvan.
What about songs composed after much toil, failing on screen because of the way it is filmed?
"Such things do happen. The way a couple of songs in `Pudukkottaiyilrindhu Saravanan' were shot didn't quite appeal to me," is his candid appraisal.
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