Mollywood has space for compositions from a female perspective

Be it a classical number, adipoli paattu or simple melody, Sithara Krishnakumar always feels at home and the hit songs to her credit are proof enough. The State Award winner is now expanding her horizons. With the upcoming film Udalaazham, Sithara will make her debut as a film composer. Excerpts from an interview with the musician:

####Tell us about your debut music directorial Udalaazham

About two years ago, the director of Udalaazham, Unnikrishnan Aavala, had me called to compose music for his documentary. For some reason, I couldn’t do it then. Later, he told me he is doing a feature film and offered the music director cap again. I had my share of doubts to take it up, as composing music for a film is no joke. It’s unlike the independent projects I am used to, in which the music is developed over a small theme. When I told him I can try to do it in tandem with my friend and musician Mithun Jayaraj, Unni chettan was game and said, ‘Ok, let’s all sit together and discuss the music then.’

So, we discussed the real story of transgender tribal man Raju, which the book Vipareetham deals with. We read the book and were quite moved, and decided to go ahead with the project. The film has four songs, sung by Bijibal, Mithun, Pushpavathy, Jyotsna and me. All of them have an ethnic element to suit the topic the best, but do not belong to the same genre. Mithun and I know each other for almost 15 years, so the communication part was taken care of.

The singers behind the mike are all established musicians, like the National Award winner Bijibal. How was it working with them? All of them were very cooperative and fun to work with. They even helped with their own ideas and inputs, as this is a debut project. Moreover, as composers, Mithun and I continue to be excited about the compositions that each time we hear them again, we feel like polishing the songs all over again. I guess the secret of maintaining the quality would be where we draw the line and decide the right voice to portray. The final mix is yet to be done, so there is space for changes if required.

####What is the reason for our industry not having many female composers?

I also wonder why! At the same time, we can see that there are also very few female film directors. Probably, it has to do with the pattern and nature of the work involved, in which you have to coordinate with numerous people. Moreover, it’s not a work confined to the day time either, often. The technical side to it, which is absolutely essential these days in addition to a good grasp on various genres of music, can also be a reason. Women would often have many other responsibilities to begin with and they might not wish to add to them by taking up something that is so demanding.

####But, do you think there is a space for women composers? Of course! And there are many girls who are exploring it, now. So far, we were mostly used to music from a male perspective. Be it the shruti of a song, emotions or execution… all of it is based on it. I am not saying there is anything wrong with the quality, but just that there is ample space for an alternate perspective too to strike root and flourish here. What if there is a major change in the kind of music waiting to be discovered and that it can offer a whole new set of experience to the listeners?

####Tell us about your work in independent music.

I am working on a series called Project Malabaricus, in which the idea is to compose songs based on little themes, and perform them live. For example, one of my tracks is named Lullaby Opium. It’s about how we are fed with various ideas that later form our biases, right from the stage of our childhood stories and lullabies. Another one is about rhythms and notes of music. They are mostly Malayalam songs, and a few of them aren’t confined by language too. I also want to collaborate with passionate musicians to vocalise it, who need not necessarily be professionals.

####Upcoming projects

Villain, Kinar, Pokiri Simon, Why and Pippilandry are the movies that will have my songs in Malayalam. There is also a Tamil film Vandi, in which I work with Sooraj S Kurup.