Lyrical notes
VIJAY GEORGE
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Music director Bijibal who shot to fame through his compositions in the movie ‘Arabikatha’ speaks about his tryst with tinsel town.
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Background score is the soul of the film.
Scoring on melody: Bijibal feels a song must suit the scene and characters when it is rendered in a film.
Music director Bijibal shot to fame through his scores for ‘Arabikatha,’ which had taken many Malayalis down nostalgia lane. The musician says he was lucky to begin his career with a film that demanded melodious songs.
“It felt great when strangers, mostly people working in the Gulf, rang me up to say that their feelings were reflected in the song ‘Thirike njan varumenna…,’” he says.
Music albums
A violinist, Bijibal says music has been a part of his life, right from childhood. “I started composing my own songs during my college days and then began working on some music albums such as ‘Ente Keralam.’ Later, I started orchestration and composing ad jingles, which incidentally continues to be a major source of income for me even now,” he says.
It was while working on a promotional film for Qatar tourism that he met Lal Jose, who was all set to begin work on ‘Classmates.’ “He wanted me to compose a tune for a college farewell scene. Although he liked it, he could not include it in the film. But when he started work on ‘Arabikatha,’ I was given the chance to compose the songs for the film. The lyrics, written by Anil Panachooran, highlighted the mood of the situations and the music of the film was accepted,” says Bijibal.
Bijibal teamed up again with Anil Panachooran for ‘Nasrani’ and the duo is working together in Kamal’s ‘Minnaminnikkoottam.’
Bijibal is the music director of ‘Ayudham.’ He also did the background score for two films, Ranjith’s ‘Rock N Roll’ and Johny Antony’s ‘Cycle.’
“For me, background score is the soul of the film. It requires a thorough knowledge of technical nuances to compose background scores. If the job has been done well, it syncs perfectly with the mood of the film or else, it mars the scenes,” he says.
Not averse to fast songs
Although he would love to consider melodies his forte, Bijibal is not averse to the idea of fast numbers, which he agrees often belong to the “use and throw category.” He believes that such songs that appeal instantly and fade away soon are relevant if it melds well with the situation in the movie.
“I am a great fan of the oldies. However, I feel some of the songs did not jell well with the scenes in which they were rendered. The lyrics were often philosophical and quite unlike the ordinary characters who were shown rendering them on screen. The new-age songs may not match that quality in terms of lyrics or music, but they go well with the scenes,” he says.
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