Express News Service
A sense of relief courses through Amitash Pradhan as he begins talking about his latest single, Corona Kannala, in which he has also turned singer. Written by director Vignesh Shivan, choreographed by Sathish Krishnan and co-starring Indhuja Ravichandran, the song that released on Friday has been widely shared on social media.
“The reception has been overwhelming. I made it a point not to open the video even once after it got uploaded. I knew that we put in a lot of work and didn’t want anything to spoil the magic of the moment,” says Amitash. “Friends were calling me as the video got closer to one million views and I requested them to tell me once it happens, and not stress me out about the numbers (laughs). The response on Twitter and Instagram has been great too. People have even made memes from it. The reception to this video has made me realise the value of people.”
Amitash, whose last film was Vaanam Kottatum, was to begin work on a new film after shooting for an upcoming film called Thalli Pogathey. “But then the lockdown happened; and I am not one to stay silent at home,” says Amitash, who collaborated with composer Anirudh Vijay to release a track in May called One/2. “It got a positive response and people asked us to make it into a full song.
I then got to discussing it with Vignesh and Sathish, who are close friends of mine,” adds the Velaiyilla Pattathari actor who has much praise for his crew. “Vicky has a good musical sense and Sathish being a choreographer for more than 100 songs, understands how a song should be framed. I also wanted to do something in the music space. Slowly, our concept got bigger, and we got director Enoc on board and George C Williams’ erstwhile assistant Manikandan as the cinematographer.
The team came together organically. It was beautiful.” The objective of ‘Corona Kannala’, which took two months to make, is to make people forget about the pandemic, he says. “We wanted to create happiness during such difficult times. That’s why the visuals are breezy too,” says Amitash, who adds that finding a female lead for the song was the most challenging task. “It’s difficult to get people to agree immediately. Many actors have kids or old people at home and are wary.”
It was Sathish who recommended Indhuja. “She came to the location well before she had to, to understand the energy of the shooting spot. I think her to be a lovely addition to the team,” adds Amitash. Naturally, the song was shot, keeping lockdown protocols in mind, with minimal crew. “There were routine temperature checks; everyone wore gloves. Even during the recording, the studio was being sanitised every half hour,” he says.
“Shooting this song helped me realise that all it takes to get the job done is hiring the right people.” Amitash realised his talent for singing when he sang a song at the audio launch of Vaanam Kottatum and found admirers. “I was then asked to sing at other promotions of the film. I enjoyed the feeling. Later, Anirudh Vijay and I were jamming during our free time, singing some hits.
I am glad this song worked out.” On the feature film front, Amitash is awaiting the release of Thalli Pogathey, costarring Atharvaa and Anupama Parameshwaran and directed by Kannan. “It’s a remake of the Telugu film, Ninnu Kori, and I play the role Aadhi played. The character is an introvert and quite the opposite of the role I played in ‘Corona Kannala’ (smiles),” says Amitash, who shares that he’s open to working on OTT content. “This is the new normal, after all.”
Source: The New Indian Express