Composer Raamnaath on his track in the upcoming Malayalam movie ‘Parannu Parannu Parannu Chellan’

Composer Raamnaath discusses his journey and his song Charusheele in the Malayalam movie Parannu Parannu Parannu Chellan

Jishnu Harindra’s sophomore movie Parannu Parannu Parannu Chellan, which releases on January 31, is special in many ways for composer Raamnaath. Ever since the lyric video of the soulful love track, ‘Charusheele’, sung by Hariharan and Reshma Raghavendra came out, the composer is elated about the appreciation coming his way.

 “The movie holds a special place in my journey as a music composer,” says the musician, who has scored for one movie each in Hindi (Anya, 2021) and Malayalam (Prathibha Tutorials, 2024). “In the latter, I did a Hindi track. So ‘Charusheele’ is my debut Malayalam song. I was given the creative freedom as a composer and arranger and was allowed to choose the singers as well,” says Mumbai-settled Raamnath, who has been in the industry for over 10 years now. 

The composer adds, “To top it all, I could collaborate with one of the finest singers in the industry, Hariharan sir. I debuted as a composer with the project, Experience the Feel of India in 2011 in which he was one of the singers. Jishnu, the director of this movie, had produced that album. After that I worked with Hariharan sir in a few independent productions. This song gave me the dream opportunity to work on a song that showcased his artistry and my vision as a composer.”

Raamnaath says that Reshma, who rose to fame with her song, ‘Neeye en thaaye’ in Marakkar: Arabikkadalinte Simham, was chosen after he heard her singing with Hariharan at a stage show. “The song was ‘O dilruba’ and I liked the clarity in her voice,” he says. The Tamil version of ‘Charusheele’ also features Hariharan and Reshma.

A highlight of the melody is its rich orchestration. Raamnaath adds that he wanted a different soundscape for the song and therefore featured a lot of instruments that are not commonly used in Malayalam songs. “There is sarangi, shehnai, harmonium, ukulele, mandolin, strings, flute etc. I travelled to different parts of the country to record the artistes,” says Raamnaath.

The song is written by Din Nath Puthenchery, son of Girish Puthenchery, one of Malayalam’s celebrated lyricists. “He wrote the lyrics after the tune was ready. His lines were perfect for the composition; we didn’t have to make any changes,” he adds.

Raamnaath, who hails from Vaikom in Kottayam district, moved to Mumbai after studying audio engineering and music production in Chennai. Besides Hariharan, his debut project, Experience the Feel of India, had singers Shankar Mahadevan, Naresh Iyer, Chinmayi, Harini, Palakkad Sriram and Roopa Revathi. After that he brought out several independent productions. He currently runs a music academy, Voice Culture Academy, in Mumbai.