MUSIC DIRECTOR JUSTIN PRABHAKARAN INTERVIEW

Gokul Benoy, the cameraman of the film Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum, is known to me as we were batch mates in film institute. He was working with Arunkumar who was searching for a music director, Benoy recommended my name and that’s how I joined Arunkumar’s team.

This song was there in the short film too and we wanted it in the feature film. Hence we added the Charanam. In the short film, children had sung the song while in the feature film adults had crooned the number.

We had decided for a lesser number of songs and to lay stress on the BGM. We had also wanted the songs to be different.
 

I liked the song situation very much in Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum especially the heroine introduction which happens in a house of grief and that was challenging to me. It was also interesting to score for an old couple which again was done in two modes.

This genre is not an easy one to get to score music. This had scope and importance for all kinds of emotions like love, sorrow and joy and I enjoyed working in Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum.

Arun is music sensible and was quite clear that the songs should travel along with the story and never digress. 

I did not compose tunes and then choose the singers. I had an idea of who my singers should be as I had made tunes keeping the voices of the singers in mind. Hence it was easy. But all the singers exceeded my expectations doubly. Anu and Prashanthini brought out the expressions quite well in their songs.

I did not have any such problems as I have moved with all of them when I was working for Harris Jeyaraj sir. Of course, they were a bit surprised to see me as a music composer but they warmed up to the idea later. I know Karthik sir for a while and Balaram sir has sung for me in my short films and they have all constantly encouraged me. Generally a new music director may have such anxieties, but thankfully I did not have them.

The main challenge was to score music for the car. Usually when we score the BGM, the shot in itself will lead us for instance the facial expression of the artists or their movement but car is an inanimate subject that has no emotion or mood. Therefore to score for a still subject was challenging. In fact I got a bit jittery and started scoring for it only after I was done with the music for the old people. I used heartbeat (for the car) as I felt that could give a ‘life’ to the car. That really worked out.   

Vijay Sethupathi supported me completely. He used to keep calling me on a regular basis and encouraged. Every two reels, he used to watch and share his feedback with me. 

I am not a lyricist. When I used to compose music in my initial years, I did not know music notations. So in order to not forget the tunes, I used to replace them with words. That’s how I started writing lyrics. In the short film, I wrote Enga Ooru Vandi and continued the same in the feature film. Kaadhal Vandacho was initially set to be written by Vaalee sir but due to his unfortunate demise, I chipped in and wrote the lines. 

I want to concentrate on scoring music only.

I am much interested in BGM score. I believe in songs only when they are relevant to the story. All my favorite music directors score well in BGM especially Raja sir.

Not yet, but I have plans keeping social issues in mind like for instance child abuse, water problem and the likes. I am planning to start that in two years' time.

I love Ilayaraja sir.

I like Naresh Iyer and Balram’s voice

I am working in Orange Mittai. After Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum, I got many offers on the same rural background but I did not want to be typecast. That’s when Orange Mittai came to me and I liked its concept. It is a city based subject and the music will be western and will be quite different from Pannaiyaarum Padminiyum.

I have won the best music director for Naalaya Iyakkunar in Season 2 and 3.