Lyricist Vinayak Sasikumar and Tamil musician Sai Abhayankkar collaborate

It is a collaboration that is almost like saying ‘aasa kooda’ (too much desire). Malayalam lyricist Vinayak Sasikumar, whose recent hits include Illuminati, Ey Banane and Sthuthi, and Tamil singer-composer Sai Abhayankkar, are coming together for a new film, with a cross-cultural flavour.

Speaking about working on their first track, a romantic number, Vinayak, says, “We will reveal more details of the film soon, but each of the songs are from different genres. I am trying for a mixed-culture vibe for the songs, because the characters, situations and casting are all cross-cultural. I’m trying to address the geography and culture through the lyrics.”

The lyricist says it has been a different experience to work with Sai, a 20-year-old, whose Aasa Kooda and Katchi Sera tapped into the youth romantic vibe and became a rage. “When doing the first song, we sat together to see what we can try on it and how to approach it. He was very open to lyrical suggestions and at every step, he was keen to get feedback. We moved step by step, through the instrumentation in each line. It was a very relaxed and comfortable working style. We had a good give and take. As far as I am concerned, his approach is different from the music directors I’ve worked with here. He does Tamil indie music, so his approach to a style and situation is different, so that novelty would be there for me, too, while writing. As the son of singers Tipu and Harini, he has a classical and Carnatic grounding, and because of his age and the generation he belongs to, he mixes it with a contemporary vibe,” shares Vinayak.

‘Sai is a keen follower of Malayalam music and cinema’

Vinayak points out that Sai keenly observes and follows Malayalam films and music, both contemporary and classics from the ‘70s. “He likes Johnson Master, and he knows our music directors and lyricists. He is fairly fluent in Malayalam. I have been in Chennai for a decade, so I’m familiar with Tamil, too,” he says.