I am more of a melody maker than a peppy tune creator: Bijibal

When his debut movie Arabikkatha was released in July 2007, composer Bijibal told the film’s director Lal Jose, “I’m happy with this work.

And I guess I will continue to be, even if I don’t get any more movies.” However, 10 years and umpteen hit compositions in many movies later, the much-loved melody maker of Malayalam is still a sought after ‘tunesmith’ with many awards to his credit. We speak to Bijibal about his decade-old career and upcoming projects:

As you complete a decade in Mollywood as a composer, what are your thoughts?
I am happy that I have come so far, and could work with quality filmmakers and talented teams, also making some hit music. I am also aware that it’s not a lot of composers who are blessed with the opportunity to compose for so long or handle these many projects either.
So far, I haven’t done much of a scrutiny regarding the quality of the work that came my way. Regardless of the overall merit of the movie, I have taken up projects. I have put in my best for them all.
Cinema is an industry that has all kinds of people, some land in it driven by talent and others, out of sheer curiosity and admiration. This means not every movie is qualitatively good. Despite this, I got to work in a variety of quality movies too, big or small.

How would you compare the Bijibal who started out and the person you are, now?
A lot of my views about film music have changed. I have never believed or taken interest in formula composing and have always wished for the situations to inspire me to do a song. Regardless, the way I approach the musical situation has changed and I’m a lot more open about it now. As for the production of a song, thanks to the easy exposure to world music, production strategies and quality awareness, I continue to be in the process of learning a lot more.
Henceforth, I will be selective about the work that I do. Either the project should be good script-wise, or the people I am getting to associate with, should be good. For instance, I got the opportunity to work in Adoor Gopalakrishnan’s film and it was a chance that helped me also gain from the kind of experience he has.

Many of your melodies haven’t enjoyed popularity since the films tanked, for instance, Rajamma@Yahoo and Nellika.
The strain, pain and importance I give for all the films and songs are the same. However, sometimes, because of the way the songs are placed, they wouldn’t get the right impact. I am not saying the films weren’t good, but the kind of space they were given didn’t work. And unlike in the past, your work is also swimming alongside a large number of creations and if it sinks, it can’t expect to resurface easily. There are others staying afloat and getting the attention.

Melodies are your forte and when you attempt fast numbers, they aren’t working well enough. Why do you think that is happening?
Actually, even I don’t know (laughs). May be in me, there is more of a melody maker than a peppy tune sound designer. I will, however, go on trying.

Even your hit melodies aren’t easily hummable either…
What’s more important to me is whether the song is in sync with the situation in the movie. Yes, there are times when people say ‘This song is too tough to be sung at ganamela and so it won’t be a hit,’ but all of that is secondary, isn’t it? A song is, primarily, for listening and enjoying. I definitely try my best to incorporate something novel into the tune pattern, though it might not be always evident.
One of the reasons why we can’t sometimes hum is that your mind is tuned to a handful of familiar patterns. So, you feel the new one is tough. Let those who can hum the song, do it (laughs).

You work repeatedly with directors like Dileesh and Ranjith Sankar. Is being familiar with the filmmaker an important aspect?
Yes, that is also important. If you get the right connection with the director, it is very easy to work. They will have a certain degree of trust in us. When filmmakers ask for modifications that you are not comfortable making, purely due to lack of conviction, and you compromise, music making becomes a tough process. The end product, in that case, would be a forced one from the composer’s point of view, not genuine.

Upcoming films?
My upcoming movies are Thrissivaperoor Cliptham, Sarvopari Palakkaran, Matchbox, Sherlock Toms and Pippinchuvattile Pranayam.