Krishand’s web series The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang (Sambhavavivaranam Nalara Sangham) is an out-of-the-box, quirky gangster drama. Adding to the madness of the narrative is the music, scored by Varkey and Sooraj Santhosh — 25 tracks in addition to scores of short pieces, which make it a musical.
The six-episode series is a comic ride that narrates the story of a gang of criminals living in Thiruvananthapuram. “We had a blast,” declare the composers, who have packed songs for all moods and in different genres.
“Besides the 25 tracks, there are over 110 music cues spread across the episodes,” says Varkey, adding that it was Sooraj who roped him into the project. Sooraj, a State award-winning singer who has also been composing indie songs, adds, “I felt that Varkey should also be part of this having worked with him for many years now. I knew that it was not going to be easy to work alone on such a content since there was so much to do in it.”
The duo had first worked together in an episode of Music Mojo on Kappa TV eight years ago, when Varkey and his team (then called Varkey and Friends) brought in Sooraj to sing their compositions. Varkey says, “Before that, in 2012, Sooraj chettan gave me my first opportunity in programming when I was in Chennai. Though we both are from Thiruvananthapuram we had not met often. Years later, when I got the chance in Music Mojo, I wanted him on board.”
Sooraj adds, “I have admired the kind of music he makes, and we went on to collaborate in several projects, not just as a singer and composer. Our rapport is such that I have the freedom to criticise him.”
The duo is all praise for Krishand’s vision about the music he wanted for the project. “Not all filmmakers follow alternate music or independent music but Krishand does. There is a musician in him. In fact, he has even heard our indie tracks, which many people may not have, including those uploaded on Soundcloud. Perhaps, that might be one among the many reasons why he gave me the opportunity,” says Sooraj.
Krishand was also aware that Sooraj could connect with several incidents and people in the story as he is from Thiruvananthapuram. “More than that he wanted to give a chance to artistes he trusted rather than go with the proven names. He had faith that we could deliver what he wanted,” Sooraj says.
Given Krishand’s unconventional approach to storytelling and filmmaking, it took time for them to understand the narrative. “I read the script several times to get a clear picture. The visuals helped us eventually,” Sooraj adds.
The two worked as separate units, Sooraj says. “We don’t think alike. I haven’t touched genres that are Varkey’s forte, like the jazz portions. The beauty lay in blending our styles seamlessly.” Varkey adds, “Sooraj chettan did the soundscape-based numbers; he used foley sounds and some explorative stuff that were beautifully integrated into the scenes.”
But 25 songs is huge. Varkey says with a laugh, “It just happened. We had that synergy having jammed for so many years. Among these are tracks such as ‘Premamathi’ and ‘Thummalpattu’ (sneeze song) that we had composed long ago and had shelved wondering where to place it.”
‘Thummalpattu’, picturised on Hakkim Shahjahan’s character Pookkada Valsan, was composed by Sooraj for a theatre production. “The funny thing is that it was after listening to the track that Krishand decided to make the character sneeze often! I had sent it to him thinking it would make the scene more theatrical. He took it to another level through some quirky visualisation and choreography. Krishand did not want Valsan to be ‘massy’ and so he made him sneeze!”
(From left) Varkey, Jassie Gift and Sooraj Santhosh at work
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
The mix of singers, a combination of known and up-and-coming artistes, is also interesting. The evergreen Jassie Gift has crooned ‘Premamathi’. “It is a groovy love song and we felt that his voice would give character to the song. He was our first choice and we had an amazing experience recording with him,” they say.
‘Kanika Vedante chamayam’, featuring rapper MC Couper is a standout track. “It is the tweaked version of a folk song and when he heard the first version, Krishand suggested that we should bring in Couper. Krishand placed it beautifully in the series,” says Varkey.
Besides Sooraj and Varkey, the singers’ list includes actor Anoop Mohandas, who was involved in scoring as well, Parvathy AG, Darshana Rajendran, Ashtaman Pillai, MXRDERROR (formerly Rap Kid), Andre, Souparnika Rajagopal, Saju Sreenivasan, Anil Lal, and Malavika MS. Two tracks by other artistes are also featured in the project. One is ‘Senthil’s swag’, crooned by MC Valluvar, that was created by Vighneshwar Suresh who plays the character and MC Valluvar. “V3k put beats to it and we did the mixing, mastering and contextualisation to fit into the series. The song came out of their excitement for the character. Chitra Pradeep’s ‘Dingaling’ is another track like that. Since the crew was democratic we were able to feature two originals.”
Varkey (left) and MC Couper
| Photo Credit:
SPECIAL ARRANGEMENT
Both composers gush about the lyricists as well, which include Aleena, Anil Lal, and some of the singers. “Basically, we have people with different artistic backgrounds coming together,” says Varkey, who is also the creative sound designer of the project. “I explored how music and sound design complemented each other.”
Varkey points out that Krishand created magic with the odd pairing of situations and songs, referring to the use of English songs. “It is just like listening to sourced tracks in fight sequences in Hollywood films. He was the one who suggested having operatic music in the scene where Darshana’s character identifies her husband’s killer and it did not feel out of sync!”
When it came to placement of the songs, the duo says that it was a collective decision. “Krishand had given us song references but most of what we created were the exact opposite. However, we both enjoyed the process. With so much freedom at our disposal, he opened up the space for us. If either of us were to do it individually, the output would not have been the same.” Varkey adds, “We both could arrive at a common point and our thinking aligned.”
Sooraj says they are not disappointed when such a humungous effort goes unnoticed. “People have not heard many of my indie songs and so I am used to this situation. Also, I am hopeful that they will eventually listen to this album at some point of time, especially because the tracks are streaming on all platforms. Even if they don’t, I am fine with it.”
Varkey says he is grateful to have worked with Krishand and Sooraj. “They gave me the space and I am happy that I was part of this,” says the musician, who is working on Krishand’s next production, Masthishka Maranam.
The Chronicles of the 4.5 Gang is streaming on SonyLIV
