‘Mujhme..khilthi hein kaliyon si tu mujhme..’ These lines are not from Bollywood but from the Hindi cover version of Malayali’s favourite song, Malare.... But what is most surprising is that the beautifully written song is not an exact translation, but expresses love, as observed by Shreeraj Kurup. Moreover, the intensely romantic lyrics have been penned by a Malayali lad with a love for Urdu. The Hindi cover, Mujhme..., was uploaded on YouTube earlier this month and has garnered a whopping 52,623 views as on May 25.
Techie by profession and lyricist at heart- that is how Shreeraj describes himself. Poetry has been his passion. He says: “I’m an IT engineer settled in Bengaluru. My family is here in Pathanamthitta, but I was born and brought up in Delhi and am more comfortable in Hindi.”
“I used to write since I was very young. Used to pen shayaris, people liked them. Then I used to write songs, which were more like poetry and they were appreciated.”
Shreeraj started off by tweaking lyrics of popular Hindi songs. His Hindi cover of hit number Nenjodu Cherthu... is also a rage on YouTube. “After listening to Nenjodu Cherthu..., I got in touch with its music director Shreejith ettan and told him my idea about doing a Hindi cover. He gave a thumbs-up and I sent him a small piece I’d done for it, which he loved."
About the Tamil cover version of Malare..., Shreeraj says “I actually wrote the Tamil cover version of Malare... first. I am a Malayali with no knowledge about Tamil, but then I took help from my friends”
How did Malare/Mujhme happen? “I’ve been a huge fan of Nivin Pauly for quite some time. I also noticed that most songs Nivin is associated with, have a Sufi touch, starting with songs in Thattathin Marayathu. I am working on those songs as well. I’ve already done Shayamambharam... and Muthuchippi... will be my next release. And this song Malare... is so melodious it has a very soothing touch. I wanted to do this for Nivin. He is such a good actor I want him to be noticed in north India.” Vibhas Purushu has lent his voice for Mujhme...
