Thiruvananthapuram: When a legendary poet’s pen meets a passionate composer’s tune, history is created. That history is ‘Ente Keralam’.
Released on October 31st as a tribute to Kerala on its 70th anniversary, the musical album brings together two generations of artists – the veteran poet P K Gopi, known as a historical songwriter, and the dynamic music director and filmmaker Rajesh Babu K Sooranad.
P K Gopi’s lyrics are the foundation of this album. He writes: “Amma kadal petta theerangal ente bhoothalam, Nanmathira pattil neeradum ente poovanam, Pande charithrathil vaazhunnu annum Keralam, Chundil pavithramayi cherunnu innum Keralam…” These lines speak of Kerala’s origin from the sea, its history, its purity and its everlasting presence on the lips of its people.
Giving life to these words is the music and visual direction of Rajesh Babu K Sooranad. Rajesh Babu is not new to art. He has given music to over 15 albums and has produced Malayalam films like Perfume, Binary and Zha which were noted for their artistic value. He is now directing his first feature film titled ‘Ennum Ennum’, which is ready for release.
For ‘Ente Keralam’, Rajesh Babu envisioned a complete cultural document. He decided to shoot in all 14 districts of Kerala, spending one full month with three cameras, to capture the state’s most beautiful locations. The result is a visual journey that includes the famed Nadhaswaram and Panchari Melam, the Pooram festivities, the misty mountains, valleys, forests and the cool breeze that defines Kerala.
The album’s biggest strength is its inclusion of Kerala’s native art forms. The team has meticulously shot Sopana Sangeetham, Kathakali, Mohiniyattam, Kerala Natanam, Margamkali, Oppana and Thiruvathira. In addition, the powerful ritual art forms of Theyyam and Thira were choreographed by Louna & Abitha and performed by Louna, Abitha, Ashwini, Aswathi, Niranjana, Lajmi, Anaika and Adithyan.
The musical layer is enriched by ten singers from various districts – Madhu Balakrishnan, Biju Narayanan, Anwar Sadath, P K Sunil Kumar, Ganga, Sindhu Premkumar, Vinitha, Dilna. Music arrangements, mixing and mastering were done by Shimjith Sivan, with keyboard and rhythm programming by Ajmal Basheer and Suhas Bachu. Sound engineers Ajmal Basheer, Suhas Bachu and Athul worked at Shivam Sound Studio, Calicut.
The album was produced by Justin A Ambalan. The production was controlled by Shanoop, a well-known actor and production controller. Co-producers are Kalamandalam Narasim and O K Ahammedkutty. The technical team includes DOP Shobin C Johny, Editor Sanal Kumar P S, Project Designer Anju Mukundan, Creative Director V M Anil, Chief Choreographer Kalakshethra Aniyan T S, Second Unit Cinematographer Ragesh Cheliya and Featured Dancer Vaiga K Sajeeve. The album is a production of VOKS Studios.
The album is now streaming on
