Malayalam composer Bijibal on recreating the soundscape of ‘Bhargavi Nilayam’ in its remake, ‘Neelavelicham’

Rima Kallingal in the song ‘Anuraga madhuchashakam’ from Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Opinion is divided over whether director Aashiq Abu has done justice to Malayalam cinema’s first ever horror-romantic-thriller, Bhargavi Nilayam (1964), with his interpretation, Neelavelicham. With screenplay written by Vaikom Muhammad Basheer, based on his own short story, ‘Neelavelicham’, the remake has retained songs from the original composed by the legendary MS Baburaj. The songs have been remixed and rearranged by the composer duo of Bijibal and Rex Vijayan. In an interview with The Hindu MetroPlus, Bijibal talks about approaching the timeless songs and recreating a new soundscape.

The composer admits that when Aashiq suggested the project, he was not enthused about remixing the compositions that are close to every Malayali music lover. “I hesitated not because I did not have the confidence. We are used to hearing these songs in a particular way and I wasn’t sure if I would be able to create the same feel. Another aspect was that while the aesthetical thoughts of several minds are invested in a song, when you work on those songs again, that process does not happen and so the impact is less. Singers, while learning the original, go into different layers of that particular song, creating a beautiful chemistry. It doesn’t happen again,” he explains.

Roshan Mathew and Rima Kallingal in a song sequence from Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Bijibal told Aashiq that he would compose new songs for Neelavelicham. “I want to do originals only. I don’t enjoy working on what the masters have already done. I can use that time creatively to do my own songs. Also, having done a couple of remixes [‘Alliyambal kadavil’ in Loudspeaker and ‘Kannum kannum in Venicile Vyapari] I didn’t want to do more of it. But Aashiq maintained that these songs are part of the screenplay that Basheer wrote, that they have travelled with the writer. For instance, he had written ‘Ekanthathayude mahatheeram’ in the script, which later Bhaskaran maashu (lyricist-poet P Bhaskaran) changed to ‘Ekanthathayude aparatheeram’,” he adds.

Composer Bijibal
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT

Of the seven songs in Bhargavi Nilayam, four are in Neelavelicham, ‘Pottatha ponnin’ is only in the album and the number ‘Arabikkadaloru’ has not been included in the remake. Although Baburaj’s family had moved the court against the makers of the movie for alleged copyright violation, Aashiq had put out an official statement saying that the producers had followed all legal procedures and had obtained the rights to reproduce those songs.

Bijibal points out that working with Rex was a satisfying experience. “It actually helped that our musical thoughts are different. I did the basic production and handed it over to him to enhance it,” he says.

Their objective was to complement the feel of the movie. “Aashiq had his own interpretation of the script and we worked accordingly. For example, the original ‘Ekanthathayude’ song has a layer of horror, which our version doesn’t have. For us, the song is about the character’s ekanthatha (loneliness), not Bhargavi’s. He is not afraid of the ghost; rather, he is looking for companionship. We have incorporated orchestration in the number. It is the same with ‘Anuraga madhuchashakam’, which also had an element of horror in the original. We didn’t use that aspect at all,” he says. His personal favourites from the album are ‘Thamasamenthe’, ‘Vasanthapanchami’ and ‘Ekanthathayude’.

Bijibal stresses that he had “to be more responsible than while making my own songs. Each song was approached with the same dedication and devotion. Thanks to technology, the songs can even be experienced in spatial audio (360 degree sound format), which might be the first-of-its kind in Malayalam cinema.”

Selection of singers

Regarding the choice of playback singers KS Chithra and Shahabaz Aman Bijibal says: “We needed a classic voice in place of S Janaki’s and the option was always Chithra chechi. As for Shahabaz, we recorded ‘Ekanthathayude’ first, especially because there are some similarities in his voice and that of the original singer [Kamukara Purushothaman].”

Tovino Thomas in Neelavelicham
| Photo Credit:
R Roshan

For ‘Thamasamenthe’, Bijibal had thought of several singers before finalising Shahabaz. “That is the first song I learned as a musician — my uncle had taught me the song when I was in primary school. It is one song that never satisfies you as a singer. Though Yesudas [KJ Yesudas] sir has rendered it with unbelievable ease it has some portions that are difficult to replicate, may be because of the ragas used. So we decided to present it in a different genre and we went with Shahabaz, who has a different understanding and approach to music. Also, he has presented Babukka’s [composer Baburaj] compositions on numerous stages. But when I gave him the song he said, ‘You should make me sing it.’ It was not easy and it took him three days to finish recording,” the composer says.

Having followed Baburaj’s music for years, Bijibal says that the composer is unmatchable. “His music just flows with the lyrics. That is why his music is timeless.”

Now that the songs and movie are out, how does he feel? “I am extremely happy. Many artistes and instrumentalists have contributed towards that,” he signs off.