It’s a special sort of power you expertise if you watch percussionist Shivamani aka Drums Shivamani play on stage. The famend drummer now makes use of that power for the musical rating of Atkan Chatkan. The musician who is understood for his reverberating beats within the soundtracks of movies equivalent to Roja, Taal, Lagaan, Dil Se, Rang De Basanti and Rockstar, has now composed your entire background rating and music for Atkan Chatkan, his first Hindi movie.
A nonetheless from Atkan Chatkan
The film is about kids residing within the slums, significantly one boy, who needs to be a musician and finally ends up forming a band with his associates. Shivamani says the story, in a method, displays his personal journey and that’s what drew him to it. “The story touched my heart and I saw my childhood in it,” he says, including, “Music is my life and this film is based on percussion. I got a chance to work on melodies without using any electronic synthesisers. The entire soundtrack has earthy tunes composed with raw sounds of the harmonium and flute.”
Back story
The narrative follows 13-year-previous Guddu performed by Lydian Nadhaswaram. Guddu’s father is an ex-musician and his mom, a singer, has left them. It is as much as Guddu to earn cash for the household and so he works at a tea stall. During his tea supply rounds, he watches a marriage band practise, and desires of becoming a member of them someday. But his father isn’t eager on this concept. Recollecting his childhood, Shivamani says, his father too wasn’t supportive of him studying music. “I think I had already started my riyaz (practice) while I was in my mother’s womb. As a child I spent my time learning the harmonium and violin. Appa didn’t allow me to touch his drum kit. But whenever I watched him play I used to get goosebumps. Gradually, he realised that I love music and introduced me to the work of percussionists such as Billy Cobham, Noel Grant, Trilok Gurtu, Zakir Hussain and Lewis Prakasam,” remembers the artiste.
As a baby, Shivamani used to go to the studio after college the place his father, SM Anandan, the properly-recognized drummer from Tamil cinema, could be enjoying with famend musicians. Once when his dad met with an accident, the younger boy was requested to substitute. Composer KV Mahadevan gave Shivamani his first break on the age of 11. During one of many stay reveals, he bought a likelihood to play the drums for a music from Sholay that was being sung by SP Balasubrahmanyam.
“Balu sir saw me play and asked my father to allow me to go with him on tour. He showed the world to me. He guided me and taught me to be disciplined. I picked up his quality of respecting others. He was like an institution to me. He was my Godfather,” reminisces the percussionist who was then roped in to play for many famend music administrators equivalent to Ilaiyaraaja and MS Viswanathan, as a result of he was performing as a part of the legendary singer’s ensemble.
On the best observe
Since then, the percussionist has performed for memorable songs not simply within the South Indian movie industries but in addition for Hindi cinema. But Shivamani’s journey got here with its personal set of troubles. In the 1980s when the drum machine was launched, the percussionist says he went via a tough section. “I would call friends, and they would all be busy making music on the drum machine. I didn’t want to do that. I was not getting any work. But I just kept practising, I would play for eight hours or more.”
It was throughout that interval that Zakir Hussain invited him for a fusion live performance in Mumbai. Louis Bank noticed Shivamani and took him alongside to Russia on a tour. It’s this serendipity that Shivamani remembers fondly and says, “Music is like a banyan tree and this tree has Pancham Da (RD Burman), Ilaiyaraaja, Ranjit Barot, Zakir (Hussain) bhai, AR Rahman and I am also there. We all are like different notes of this tree. We have never thought of ourselves as South Indian or North Indian musicians. Music has no language. When Chinna Chinna Aasai from Roja released, everyone loved the song irrespective of the language.”
Roja was one of many first movies during which Shivamani performed for Rahman. As the maestro’s lead percussionist, the artiste’s repertoire of labor consists of hits equivalent to Bombay Dreams, Kadhal Desam, Taal, Rockstar and Dil Se. “AR Rahman is a genius, I have seen him play music since he was very young and his programming skills even at that age were commendable. He is my friend and my teacher. The fact that he remains shy and humble just like he was in childhood is what makes him special,” provides the musician. The proven fact that Rahman can also be the co-producer of Atkan Chatkan stands as a sworn statement to the connection the duo shares.
Now, Shivamani is wanting ahead to his second Hindi movie, particulars of that are underneath wraps. At the identical time, he’s engaged on an album of Sufi songs by his spouse Runa Shivamani and on a sequel to a earlier album. “The album, Mahaleela 2, captures my journey as a musician,” says the artiste who desires of educating kids ultimately.
Atkan Chatkan is streaming on Zee5
ayeshatabassum@ newindianexpress. com
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