The Visual Artist Behind The Music Video â€˜Thirayaiâ€™

20 Mar 2017
Sunaya
Features

Love triumphs all. Doesn’t matter if you’re miles apart, doesn’t matter if you can’t feel one another, love can overcome it all. Like the Earth and the Moon that never feels the touch of the other, but stays as lovers forever, making love each night under the stars. The music video ‘Thirayai’ starring Ketaki Narayan of ‘Veeram’ fame and Mohammed Fawas and directed by Shajeer Basheer has become the talk of the town. The video showcases two lovers never touching another, but somehow culminating their love. WtzupCity got in touch with the young director, to know more about the beautiful music video and the work that went into it.

How would you describe yourself?

I’m a Visual Artist, an observer basically. I did a course in Animation, and then worked for 7 years in visual effects & at Prasad EFX. Then I moved here, did some short films, and documentaries worked as chi where I worked on short films. I’m a part of a production company called Dravida.

What are the things in your life that influence your creative work?

I work as a visual artist basically. So I draw influence related to anything visual. There’s a collective information I draw heavily upon. I do follow a lot of artists, so maybe why I’ve always been more drawn to fine arts. That has a big influence too.

Who would you consider as your role models/influences in life and in art?

It would be impossible to point to just one person that I draw inspiration from. So there’s nothing like that. But there is a photographer that I really like and has influenced my photography, Prabuddha Dasgupta. A few others that I look upto include Rituparno Ghosh, Gaspar Noé etc, it’s a big list.

Can you tell me a bit about the music video ‘Thirayai’? How did it come to be?

‘Thirayai’ is something that took time to come together. It’s a project that I wanted to do visuals for since it first came to be which was about 6 years ago when a friend of mine first did a rough sheet of the music for it. I wanted to do this for him. I used to match many visuals with the track, experimenting things, trying out something new to see if it could work out. Matching contemporary with a melody is new in music videos here. When I found that it could indeed work out, I had an idea on the visualisations. Then around 4 years back I met Fawaz, the choreographer. I discussed the concept with him, and he agreed to be a part of it. This music video has been in the planning for a few years now, it’s just that we got the fund for it now via Dravida, and then it all just fell into place.

Was there any particular inspiration you drew on for the video?

Thinking out of the box. It’s a melody song, so people tend to visualise cliched things. I wanted something different. The lyrics revolve around the theme of lovemaking. I was trying to showcase the same in a different manner. So I thought, why not show it without the essence of touch. The Earth and the Moon are said to be lovers, but they never touch each other. The whole thing came about from the concept of Earth and Moon. Moon represents the complex male aspects, Earth represents the female complexity. They are not connected on a physical plane, but from different, independent spaces, they are making love to each other. I wanted full freedom at first, to shoot the whole video without clothes. But our society hasn’t reached that level yet, so I decided to go with an alternative.

The video showcases the ‘Veeram’ actress Ketaki Narayan and Mohammed Fawas. How was it working with them?

As I said before, I met Fawas around 4 years ago, and he’s been onboard the project ever since. I had connected with Ketaki through Social Media, this was before ‘Veeram’. I’d told her that I did have a project in the works and she agreed to be a part of it. I wanted a proper connection with the cast before we started the work as I believe a good connection can only happen with time. It wouldn’t have worked if I’d abruptly cast someone.

The costumes, the choreography, the location, the score, the lyrics, it feels each element was chosen and designed with care. Can you tell me a bit about each and how each came to be?

I started on the storyboard around the same time I got the music. Remya Suresh, who has done the costumes for films like Action Hero Biju, did the costumes.It was specially designed for the video, keeping in mind the concept behind it. The choreography had taken shape in Fawas’s mind when I first told him about the project, so that was also easy. Ketaki is not a dancer, so it took her some time to study the sequence. We finalised on Pepper House as our location a week before the shoot. At first I wanted to shoot in a single room, but then after we got the location I decided to do it in two rooms. Since it was a non-profit production, the owner agreed to give the space to us for free. The music as I said before, was the first thing that happened. A friend of mine, Dev did the music around 6 years back. The lyrics were different then. The current lyrics were penned down 4 years ago by Jubith Namradath. It revolves around the theme of lovemaking. It was a big factor in the whole conceptualisation process.

What are the challenges you’ve faced to reach where you are and while filming this video?

Since it took time for everything to come together, I had a lot of confusion along the way on whether to pursue with the project or not. One of the biggest challenges I've faced is in finding the proper funding for projects, especially this one as it was different from usual. Then we had trouble finding a good location. It was either too pricey or not a match to what I wanted. We fixed on Pepper House a week before the shoot began. But another thing that threw me off for a second was the fact that Ketaki wasn't a dancer. But she was willing enough to come down for practice for three to four days prior to the shoot. And in the end, she did much much better than what I expected.

Is this your first venture? (If no) Can you tell me a bit about your past experiences?

It's not my first venture. I've previously done camera for several short films. The first work where I handled the camera independently was for a short film called Smarana (short film) by Ambika Rao. I've also done a series of short one minute videos, which I'm currently posting one by one online. This is my first directorial venture though.

Other than directing, what are the other passions you have in your life?

My greatest passion is handling the camera. Direction too. I'm interested in all fields related to visual arts so I do try my hand in everything that I can. Photography is another passion. But it's more of a personal hobby.

What is the one incident in your life that shaped you as a person?

After the rough cut of 'Thirayai’, I'd given it to a friend, Bimal. He had loved the song and wanted to see the video as well. Anil Radhakrishnan, the director, saw it from him. He called me up and told me he loved the video, and if I'd like to work with him. That took me by surprise because I never expected this amount of success and reach for the video. And to be appreciated by someone like that, that is one defining moment.

What can we expect from you in the near future? Do you have a project you’re currently working on?

Currently I'm working on a movie by Jubith Namradath. It's called 'Abhasam’. And I'm working as the first Assistant Director. I'm also planning on doing another music video. But I had to put it off for later as the opportunity to work in a film came in.

What is the biggest goal of your life?

To make works that matter. It's not fame or making a name for myself that matters to me. It's about working on good projects that can change and evolve me as a person.

Can you give a few words of advice to others who plan to chose the same field as you?

Concepts evolve from collective information that we gather throughout our life. Observe. Don't go and make something just to keep up with the trend that's not genuine to your concepts. That kind of fame won't really last and you would be confined to something you might not even enjoy working on. Take your time and evolve. And always be true to yourself. Genuineness matters.