First, there was actor Siddharth sporting blue hair. Then we saw veteran actor Radha Ravi rapping. Coupled with a compelling hook, gibberish lyrics and catchy tunes, the trippy music video — ‘Shoot the Kuruvi’ from upcoming movie Jil Jung Juk — went viral overnight, making Vishal Chandrashekhar the talk of the town. “I didn’t expect the song to become so popular. We just hit the right notes I guess,” says the young music composer.
Vishal was six years old when his uncle’s bulbul tarang first caught his attention. His formal musical education, however, happened only in 2009, when he enrolled in KM Conservatory to major in piano. “I am a big Rahman fan; I joined in the hope that I could meet him and work with him,” he gushes.
Vishal’s penchant for music had him composing tunes since 2002, while he was still doing his undergraduate degree in Electronic Media from Anna University. He has now composed music for over 400 short films and 200 ads, including Kingfisher’s catchy ‘Oo La La La Le O’ TV commercial in 2013. His heart, however, he says, was always in films. “Getting work was not difficult. Getting the right work was the problem.”
He got his first film offer in 2003 (he was still a student); he worked on four more movies in the following years, all of which were scrapped. Two more movies — Santosh Sivan’s Inam and Vi Anand’s Appuchi Gramam — were critically well-received, but didn’t do well in the box office, and two others are still awaiting release. It was a struggle, he admits; his wife was working to support him, his parents were retired and his sister was still in college, and a pending home loan loomed over their heads ominously.
But now, after years of hard work, Vishal feels like he has finally arrived. He reveals that he composed 32 tracks for this film, out of which five were chosen.
“It was Siddharth’s idea to do single releases. A lot of work had gone into each song, so we thought it needed individual attention. It also helps with the promotion of the film.”
The offers for future projects have started pouring in, but, he says, he’s being choosy. “I need to be, because Jil Jung Juk is a big debut for me.”
Vishal is now hoping to work on films with popular heroes and movies with good scripts, but as far the music is concerned, he’s open to anything. “I don’t want to classify myself into a genre. I’m the director’s technician,” he smiles.
