For Trisha's song, I had to write about things that scare us

He is someone who hasn't let disability come in the way of going after his ambition. Since his school days, Karunakaran had always wanted to be a lyricist. And today, he is one, and has written songs like the chartbuster Bad Boy from Alex Pandian, the title track of Damaal Dumeel (which was sung by Usha Uthup), and recently for Trisha's turn as a playback singer in Nayagi.
Talking about his film career, he says, 'I made my songwriting debut with Vallavan, in which I wrote the song Kadhal Vandhale.But Bad Boys gave me my big break. Currently, in addition to writing all the songs in Nayagi, I am also working on films like Vaa Deal, Chennai 28 II, Yakkai, the untitled Arya film directed by Ragava, and the next film of Damaal Dumeel director Shree.'
A native of Chengelpet, Karunakaran has graduated in economics from Madras University, and considers Kannadasan as his 'maanaseega guru'. 'His songs are attractive and are relevant for any era,' he says.
'For the Trisha song,' he says, 'I had to write about things that scare us.' He considers himself a specialist when it comes to writing opening numbers and philosophical songs, and feels that the current practice of many lyricists writing for a film is a good trend. 'Sure, it has made the film competitive, but it is also healthy one because it creates space for everyone,' he explains.
His dream is to collaborate with three people ' Mani Ratnam, AR Rahman and Ilaiyaraaja. 'I believe working with them will enable my work to reach more people, and give them a chance to realise my prowess with the language,' he says.