Malayali rapper ThirumaLi on ‘Nonsense’, his new music video against substance abuse
The Hindu
Malayali rapper ThirumaLi discusses his impactful music video 'Nonsense', addressing substance abuse
ThirumaLi is back, crooning against substance abuse this time. His latest music video, ‘Nonsense’, makes a powerful statement about how drug abuse, smoking and alcoholism are breaking down families, relationships and society at large.
The video zooms into the life of a youngster who has fallen into these addictions, and reminds us how the habit is robbing a generation of several things beautiful and can even lead to crimes, including murder.
The delightful part of the production is how ThirumaLi plays with the Malayalam usage, kili poyi, a playful slang which means ‘on a high’, and then blends the popular Ilaiyaraaja composition, ‘Kiliye kiliye’ from the film Aa Rathri, into the number.
The artist has worked around the literal translation of kili poyi, that is ‘the bird flew away’, to reflect on the predicament of the character who is not in his senses any more. “I have used the bird as a metaphor in the video,” he says.
As for the reason for taking up the theme, ThirumaLi explains, “Everyone knows that substance abuse, especially drug addiction, is increasing among today’s youth. I thought it will be interesting to create awareness about drug abuse among Gen Z kids through rap because they make the largest fanbase of this genre.”
Rap musician ThirumaLi | Photo Credit: SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
