MUMBAI: In 2012, MTV India launched a series focusing on a young entrepreneur’s ambition to rekindle the love for his passion and ‘with a little help from the friends’, the protagonist manages to recreate what he’s been missing. Titled ‘Bring On The Night’, the series had a relatively unknown star cast, and the man behind the camera had, more or less, a similar magnitude of recognition among the commercial masses.
In 2016, AR Rahman unveiled the poster for his latest project. The illustration depicted provides a very alluring image of the male protagonist firmly holding the two passions of his life – music (piano) and a girl – and letting neither one go. Titled ’99 Songs’, the poster contains a universally recognisable name – AR Rahman – however, the man behind the camera has a completely contrasting magnitude of recognition among the commercial masses.
But that could change in 2017. In a nation of over a billion population, the task to find an artist ‘not’ idolising Rahman would be a difficult one, and more often than not, the Oscar-winning music director ends up being surrounded with one of them, for whatever projects he associates himself with. For Rahman’s latest project, the 49-year-old maestro, through his vision and extensive homework, chose the ‘relatively unknown man behind the camera’ for the most vital responsibility towards the execution of his production house’s debut for a feature film.
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Vishwesh Krishnamoorthy – a beat-boxer, ex-vocalist for Mumbai’s post-hardcore band Scribe, director at Corcoise films – received a phone call from AR Rahman, and the subsequent Skype call ended Krishnamoorthy’s doubts about the authenticity of the caller. The two-hour long conversation began with an idea and ended with Krishnamoorthy’s dream gradually turning into a reality. The movie introduces the debutant as the director, and the screenplay writer.
The movie has reached its production phase. And the young director continues to find it difficult to come to terms with the very fact. “It feels like I am hallucinating,” jokes Krishnamoorthy. Over the years, Rahman’s contribution to the world of entertainment grew unparalleled, and Krishnamoorthy through ’99 Songs’ has the potential to be Rahman’s latest influential discovery.
Choosing Krishnamoorthy for the execution of the movie might not have had led Rahman to any sleepless nights. With an impressive filmography to his credit, Krishnamoorthy had an upper hand over any possible candidates for the job – if any. The multifaceted director has provided some of the gems in the advertising world – and brands like Fast Track, Tata Sky and Bournvita can surely vouch for the director’s refreshing ideas. Krishnamoorthy’s knowledge in advertisements does not restrict to direction. The writer, also a theatre actor, appeared in Fevikwik advertisements for the ‘Hassi Brothers’ series.
One of Krishnamoorthy’s highest points of his directorial venture so far
Krishnamoorthy was a dreamer. And he worked on chasing them. With Voctronica and then Scribe, Krishnamoorthy embarked on a journey that introduced him to the countless opportunities one after the other. Music occupied Krishnamoorthy’s larger portion of life, and the experience through ‘Bring On The Night’ opened a door that resulted into the beginning of realising another dream – Films.
The director believes departing from the metal act was a logical decision, albeit difficult one. The success of the travel-music series (or refined form of reality TV, as he puts it) ‘The Dewarists’, surely, had put Krishnamoorthy on the radar of several production houses, but Rahman’s latest ‘find’ has an interesting way to treat success. “I like to be anonymous. Most people do not know about my ads, even some people from my family. And I like it that way,” clarifies the director.
Krishnamoorthy’s musician avatar
Krishnamoorthy wants to focus on the present, and the musician-turned-director provides the people an inarguable point to put the movie into the ‘to-definitely-watch’ list for the next year. “Trust Rahman blindly,” urges Krishnamoorthy, who finds Rahman’s execution of music through right intentions an inspiring factor for whatever mode of art one wishes to excel at. The approach has helped shape Krishnamoorthy’s career as a musician, and he extends the idea to the ones waiting for the movie’s release.
Speaking about the movie, Krishamoorthy explains, “99 songs is something Rahman had in his mind for a long time. It was an idea. And the idea gradually became a movie. I wrote the screenplay with Rahman, and along with his contribution on the musical front, the film needs to achieve everything it deserves to.” Krishnamoorthy calls Rahman the ‘Evangelist of innovations’ and the enriching experience with Rahman that resulted into the love story, surely, is just the beginning.
Contacting Krishnamoorthy did not turn out to be a complicated affair, especially considering the director had safely positioned himself on the Cloud 9, since the release of the movie poster. But even that could change with the dawn of 2017. Krishnamoorthy has set trends (of sorts) with ‘Bring On The Night’ and the latest projects in the advertising universe, and the hope to convert the attitude into a habit motivates the multi-talented to relentlessly work towards erasing the thin line between his dreams and reality.
