Music videos and albums are shot these days with the grandeur of movie songs. This is not just the case of Bollywood; South Indian music videos are also creating a sensation with their splendid works. Manwah, a new Malayalam music video, has created quite a talk with its endearing concept, visuals and art work. The video, directed by Sooraj Sukumar Nair, has Anish Rehman, Roshna Ann and Vinduja as the main characters and is sung by Nayana Nair. The video has already crossed 70K views on YouTube.
The song takes us to a Muslim marriage function, where a Qawwali group and a team of youngsters are giving a musical and dance treat to the newly wed. “Most of the music videos we see in Malayalam are shot in beaches or parks. I wanted to break that pattern. I thought of doing a music video which was different in concept and creative at the same time. That’s how I landed on Manwah,” says Sooraj. The speciality of this music video is that it was shot in Hindi, Tamil and Telugu, too.
“Initially, the music video was planned in Malayalam only. Since we took so much effort in the visual and art side, we thought, why shouldn’t it be done in other languages, too? The producers of Manwah wanted a high-quality product and we are happy that we could deliver it.”
The lyrics have been penned by Dennis Joseph (Malayalam), Divyavalli Santhosh (Tamil), Sharon Joseph (Hindi) and Santosh (Telugu). Prasanth Mohanan, who is in the UK, was in charge of the music department. Nayana Nair, who had sung in movies like Bahubali 2, has also acted in the video. Anish Rehman was in charge of the choreography, too. “Anish and Vinduja are well known in Tamil movie industry. Roshna is part of the movie Oru Adaar Love. My next plan is to direct a movie. I wish to include the artistes and technicians who worked with this video in my debut movie.” Sooraj has directed short films. His work Ready won him the Best Director award in Kerala Short Film Premier League Season 1.
Manwah is enriched by Aghosh Vyshnavam’s cinematography, Manoj Greenwoods’s impressive art work and the magnificence of Chettinadu House in Karaikudi. “I and Aghosh are friends. He knows well about the frames I want and delivers it perfectly. The settings of the song are truly glorious, thanks to Manoj, who did it in a limited budget. I’ve heard that Karaikudi is a favourite location of Priyadarshan sir. That’s why we opted for that location. I wish to get the Hindi version of the song released by Priyan sir.”
Sooraj is really happy with the response he has been getting. Many see a budding film director in him. He also wants to try his hand in acting. He has completed shooting for the movie Vaakku directed by Sujith S. Nair and scripted by Madhupal. He is also scripting for Sujith’s next movie. What keeps him moving is his directorial venture Kanchanamala Kathirikkunnu, which will narrate the story of an elephant lover.
