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Uttam sings a different tune

Uttam Singh.

Shobha Warrier

"Hariharan called me from Madras and asked me whether I could compose music for his new film. I had heard about him and the films he makes. So, I readily agreed. The truth is there was no chance of me to say 'no' to him.

Soft-spoken and very humble, Uttam Singh was explaining why he composes music for Hariharan's new Malayalam film, Prempoojari. And Hariharan had this to say:

"The story of the film is that of a senior music composer (Tilakan) and a young singer (the current Kerala heart-throb, Kunchacko Boban). So, the music has to be a blend of traditional and modern, with a stress on melody.

"I knew what I wanted was different from what you hear today. Suddenly Uttam Singh's music came into my mind because I felt he had approached music in a different way in both Dil To Pagal Hai and Dushman.

This approach was what attracted me. Yes, I agree that the story is about 'Malayali' music composer and a 'Malayali' singer. But has music any language? Sa, ri, ga, ma, pa, da, ni, sa, is there in all kinds of music."

A still from Dil To Pagal Hai. Click for bigger pic!

We met Uttam Singh at the VGP Recording Studio where he was involved in the final mixing of the songs while Hariharan and singer Jayachandran were enjoying the music in another room.

Son of a Carnatic musician, Hariharan had learnt music as a young boy, sang in school and college and headed for Madras intending to become a singer.

Instead, he became a film director and has been directing movies for the last 25 years. Thereafter he started producing and directing movies under his own banner. Somehow his films were all music-oriented ventures, including his award-winning Sargam, Nakhakshathangal etc.

"It gives me immense pleasure to make films on musicians," he says.

His last film, Swantham Janakikkutty, is being screened at the Indian Panorama section at the Indian International Film Festival in Hyderabad.

Uttam Singh working on the music of Prempoojari. Click for bigger pic

Sargam too was the story about a classical musician, but inPrempoojari, he wanted to tell the story of a modern singer who flies in the face of tradition.

The story deals with the traditional ideas of the old composer, the life of the young classical singer who enters the world of film music, his love life and various crises in his private and professional life. Music provides both backdrop and essence.

Hariharan said he was trying to mix love and music harmoniously in the film.

"It's about youth, their love, their trauma and their ideals. The elderly people are only supporting characters here. The music of the film is modern with an undercurrent of melody in it. Somehow I feel that melody is missing in today's music but not in Uttamji's case. His music is modern but he hasn't discarded the Indian classical base, and that's what appealed to me about his music."

Once Hariharan had decided that Uttam Singh was the composer for him, he decided to await the musician's return from an overseas tour. That, despite having planned to start shooting much earlier.

A still from Dushman. Click for bigger pic!

It is also in Prempoojari that Yesudas, after a long time, has sung some really exciting Malayalam songs.

Hariharan was aghast when asked why he chose Yesudas when the singer in the film is a very young man.

"This young man becomes the most sought-after singer in the Malayalam industry, overcoming all odds. He is not just a light music singer. His music has classical base too. Can you think of anybody else? I forgot myself when I heard him sing yesterday. I was transported to a different world."

It took Uttam Singh just four days only to compose all the songs, so charged up was he by the whole project. In fact, he has sung the cue track in Malayalam too.

"When you have talent, you don't need days or months to create something. I have worked with many music composers but working with Uttamji was the easiest. He understood the story well and identified with the character. After all, this is a story of a music composer..."

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