The song ‘Malarae…’ from the movie Premam is a chartbuster. Shabareesh Varma, who hails from North Paravur in Ernakulam, has penned the lyrics and also acted in it. Having found his place in the mind of the Malayali, Shabareesh talks to The MetroPlus about Premam, acting and more.
Excerpts from a telephonic interview:
What, according to you, is the secret of Premam’s success?
The secret of the success is the friendship among the members of the Premam team. A good movie is the end-product of a good friendship .We have been friends for 12 years and this relationship is perhaps the reason behind the success of the movie
How did you develop your skills in acting and writing?
Both writing and acting were inculcated in me since childhood. During my days in school and college, I used to participate in various co-curricular activities such as theatre, poetry-recitation and poetry-writing, which helped me sharpen my skills.
‘Malarae…’ has turned into a favourite. What inspired you to write the song?
Alphonse Putharen briefed me about the characters in his story, mainly George (Nivin Pauly) and Malar (Sai Pallavi). The lyrics of ‘Malarae…’ portray the depth of love that George feels for Malar. Alphonse suggested that it sound like the song ‘Pavizhampol pavizhadharampol…’ from the film Nammuku Parkkam Munthirithoppukal. That gave me a clear idea of the kind of song that Alphonse wanted me to write. The rest fell in place quickly.
How would you describe your friendship with Alphonse Putharen and Nivin Pauly?
Alphonse was my senior in MES College, Marampally where we used to team-up for various cultural activities. Later, Alphonse and I pursued our higher studies in digital film-making and sound engineering respectively, at the School of Audio Engineering in Chennai. Among the many short films that we had made during our prolonged eight-year stay, one of them, Neram, was made into a movie. We met Nivin Pauly at a local tea-shop in Aluva through a mutual friend, who had cast Nivin in one of his short films. We have been friends ever since.
Is the song ‘Scene Contra…’ in Premam based on your personal experience?
No. I wrote ‘Scene Contra…’ a long time ago. Later, it found it’s a place in Premam.
Which is your favourite song in the film?
Well, that is like asking me to choose a favourite among my ten fingers. All the songs I wrote for Premam are important to me. So, no favourites.
Do you prefer to be known as an actor or a lyricist and what are your new projects?
Fame is not my priority. In the future, I would prefer to write songs for more films and work in various capacities in the movie industry. For the time being there are no new projects.
