Text credits: Silpa Anil                             

Mohanlal and Nadia Moidu pairing on screen after three decades has already got the fans excited for the release of Ajoy Varma’s debut Malayalam film Neerali. But this is not the only specialty of the film. The movie’s music has been handled by the man with swift fingers on keys, Stephan Devassy. The film also includes a duet sung by the legendary actor himself with the young nightingale of India Shreya Ghoshal. The audio launch of the film was held on Monday at Crowne Plaza, Kochi.

Neerali is a dramatic comedy thriller produced by Santosh T Kurivila under the banner of Moonshot Entertainments. The film also happens to be the 333rd film of the legendary actor Mohanlal. The cast of the film also includes Parvathy Nair, Megha Mathew, Suraj Venjaramoodu, Dileesh Pothen and many other talented artistes. Mohanlal plays the character Sunny George in the film which is scheduled to hit the silver screen on July 14, 2018.

The audio launch function of Neerali commenced by the screening of the film teaser. The evening was graced with the presence of various celebrities in the industry. Special invitees of the evening were renowned Marathi actor and filmmaker Sachin Pilgaonkar and famous Bollywood film critic Taran Adarsh.

The film has a total of four songs composed by Stephan. “Some parts of a song in the film have been recorded at Poland,” said Stephan. Representatives of the cast and crew of Neerali and Mayanadhi together launched the audio of Neerali.

Mohanlal won the audiences’ hearts with a live performance of the song Azhake Azhake from Neerali along with Stephan on the piano. MG Sreekumar and Vijay Yesudas also performed at the event. Sachin, Nadia, Parvathy, and Suraj addressed the gathering. Famous mentalist Nipin Niravath amused the gathering with his skills and tricks and the humorous collaboration with Suraj added colour to his act.

The celebration of the successful 125 days screening of Aashiq Abu’s film Mayanadhi was marked with cake cutting. Aashiq, Tovino Thomas, Soubin Shahir along with various other crew members of Mayanadhi cut the cake with Mohanlal to celebrate the achievement. Mohanlal spoke highly of Tovino‘s performance in Mayanadhi. It was also announced that Mayanadhi is soon going to be remade in Hindi.

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Words by FWD Media    Photographs by Toonus

FWD Life Style Awards 2016 was the premium red carpet event of Kerala bringing together the stylish Mollywood insiders and the style makers of Bollywood. The event doubled as the cultural evening for India Fashion Summit 2016 that had fashion pioneers of national recognition in attendance. FWD Life Style awards were meant to identify trendsetters and stylemakers in the field of business, fashion, acting, music and lot more.

Of all good things

The FWD Life Style Awards started off by awarding popular actor Dileep as the FWD Icon of the year. This was followed by a fusion performance by Kerala Tourism department incorporating elements of Kathakali and Kalari. Leading designers Sabyasachi Mukherjee, Shantanu & Nikhil, Beena Kannnan and Sreejith Jeevan, Fashion Retail Heads such as Narendra Kumar (Creative Head, Amazon), Gautam Kotamraju (Creative Head of Private Brands, Amazon) Pernia Qureshi (Founder of Pernia’s Pop Up Shop), Jaspreeth Chandok (Vice President and Head of Fashion, IMG Reliance), Fashion stylist and consultant Prasad Bidapa , fashion journalists Neena Haridas (Editor, L’Officiel) and Vinod Nair (Former Fashion Editor,Hindustan Times and Times Of India) who were speakers at India Fashion Summit 2016 were honored with a traditional kerala “ponnada” and a token of honour by Mr. U.V.Jose IAS Director of Kerala Tourism.

Best of all worlds

The lifestyle award categories included Stylish Actor, Stylish Actress, Stylish Makeover, Stylish VJ, Stylish Singer, FWD Stylish Cover of the Year, Celebrity Entrepreneur Male, and FWD Icon of the Year. The awards honored the stylish celebrities to grace the pages of FWD Life magazine. The awards were won by Unni Mukundan for Stylish Actor, Isha Talwar as Stylish Actress, Tovino Thomas as Stylish Makeover, Vinay Forrt as Stylish VJ, and Vijay Yesudas as Stylish Singer.

In addition to these categories selected through public voting, three additional categories were selected by the FWD Media House Senior Editorial Board. These awards- namely FWD Icon of the year, FWD Celebrity Entrepreneur and FWD Life Popular Cover of the Year were presented for their exemplary excellence in their respective category. Popular actor Dileep won the award for FWD Icon Of the year for his continuing popularity and capability to don many hats. Sunil Kumar V, MD of Asset Homes won the award for Celebrity Entrepreneur for his persevernce in the field of entrepreneurship. Finally, Sijoy Varghese won the award for the FWD Life Popular Cover of the Year award with respect to the mass social media response to his FWD Life Cover.

Night of music, style and fashion The event also included enthralling musical performances by Violinist Shabareesh Prabhakar as well as a musical treat by singer Sujith Suresh. The eventful night also saw the Max Fashion Show that showcased their Autumn/Winter 2016 collection. The launch of the FWD Life September Issue Cover featuring Unni Mukundan and Vinay Fort as well the unveiling of the poster for the movie Avarude Ravukal featuring Unni Mukundan, Vinay Fort and Asif Ali and directed by Shanil Mohammed was also a part of the night of music, talent and fashion.

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When Vijay Yesudas made his entry into Malayalam film music with the 2000 popular movie, “Millennium Stars”, about two decades ago, one question loomed largely. Did this charming, young man have it in him to live up to the legacy of his father, and eminent singer Dr K J Yesudas?

At that point, Vijay embarked on a musical career that has seen several ups and a few downs. But 17 yearsafter “Millennium Stars”, having aconversation with him makes it hardnot to appreciate how he outgrew the shadow that was once cast on him, even before he took to the battleground. Vijay Yesudas has most definitely made a place for himself in music and cinema; one that is unique and irreplaceable.

Everyone knows a good deal about Vijay Yesudas, the singer. Let’s begin with the unknown – Vijay, the actor. Tell us how “Maari” happened.

I still don’t know if I should be acting (laughs). “Maari” happened out of nowhere. I was vacationing with my family in Spain. Dhanush (Tamil actor, and a good friend) randomly calls me up and tells me he would want me to play the role of a villain in his next movie. He said the role was of a cop. I was shocked, I asked him if he was serious. And, apparently he was.  This phone call was followed by a series of discussions with him and the director Balaji Menon, and that is how I eventually decided to do “Maari”. It was a not an easy role to play as the character had both positive and negative shades.

But even with all the doubts and apprehensions, I still wanted to do it. I should thank Dhanush and Balaji Menon, the director of the film, for  helping me get into the skin of the character with workshops and some very valuable inputs.

Truth be told, I have always wanted to give acting a try. But I had decided that I would not venture into acting  before I cemented my position as a singer. But where it would go from here, I still do not know.

Many of your songs have grown to become anthems, such as gone on to be anthems, be it “Malare” (from  the movie Premam) or “Maangalyam” (Bangalore Days)? Do you know how big these songs would when you are singing them?

This is sort of clichéd, but the truth is when a singer or an actor, performs he/she is not thinking of awards, accolades or even acceptance. When I record songs, it’s just about the studio, the music and about rendering  the song the way the music director and the lyricist want it. Even if it’s not a good song, you still record it and come out. When I recorded “Malare”, it did not feel any different from my  earlier songs as far as its acceptance was concerned. Yes, I may have had a hunch but one can’t gauge the scale of success from the recording booth. So when you get an overwhelming response like in the case of say, “Malare”, you enjoy the glory. When that doesn’t happen, you simply move on.

Actors talk about the art of picking good scripts, is there an art to picking great songs too?

Sadly, in our industry singers don’t have the luxury of choosing songs unless you are a Yesudas. And even with Yesudas, it was only recently  that he started choosing his songs.  Otherwise, it is the music director calling you, and you singing for him – that is playback singing. That is how it has been happening historically and  that’s why you could say it is more like the song choosing the singer.

What is your opinion on actors taking to singing?

There are quite a few actors who have taken to singing and most of them do a decent job. The audience love  listening to their stars singing and so more and more actors are willing to wield the mic. Honestly, I am totally for it. I believe all artistic expressions and experimentation should be encouraged. That’s how I do it too. As a person, as an artist, as a musician, I am constantly experimenting. So when I hear scornful remarks aimed at these actors, I honestly don’t get it. It is not like they are going to rob us of our chances.

Is there something that your father and legendary musician Dr. K J Yesudas is constantly reminding you?

He doesn’t always remind me of it, it is more like me picking it from his work ethic; the need to focus singlemindedly once you have picked up a task. When you are constantly multitasking and with eggs in so many baskets, even the slightest slip can have you labelled as lazy or lackadaisical. So when I am at something, I give into it totally; be it at the recording studio, a shoot or spending time with family. It is now a golden rule, to focus intensely on the task at hand, get it done and move to the next.

What is music for you? How would you define it?

Music is what moves me – literally and figuratively. Wherever I am, in a car, at the studio or on stage, I am always connected to music. It transports me to a different world, a world of my  own. On a flight with my headphones
plugged in, when I look at the clouds, it feels like it is the music and not the flight that is taking me from Kochi to Chennai.

Music lets me run my imagination wild and aids me in my day-dreaming. I have always been a shameless daydreamer. If you talk to someone from my schooldays, they will have stories to tell about the kid who was always
lost in his own world, drumming on the benches or humming a tune. I have made sure that part of me has stayed alive.

You are part of celebrity cricket teams in both Chennai and Kochi. Tell us about your love for cricket.

I love all kind of sports, not just cricket. I think I have always been a sportsman at heart. I am a die-hard basketball fan and have also trained tennis when I was younger. But unlike many of my teammates at C3 (Celebrity Cricket League), I have not played cricket at competitive levels in school or college. I just do it for the love of the game. It all started with the Madras All Stars Club and then C3 followed. I enjoy playing the game as well as spending time with the guys.

When you entered the industry, you had a legacy to live up to. How have you been able to handle that? What plans for your future?

See, I am a vagabond, in many ways. Five years ago, I had no clue that I would be where I am right now, the same holds true now. I have no agenda and am someone who doesn’t plan too much, nor do I have humongous expectations. The first seven years that I spent in the Malayalam industry, success was sparse. but then things took a turn and I can call myself ‘fairly successful’ now. Tamil, on the other hand, was more welcoming right from
the beginning.

I love my music and enjoy working with multiple generations of musicians – from Illayaraja to the newest music director in town. I am a fan of what I do and so I am not one to be worried about the future.

Model: Vijay Yesudas

Photographer: Toonus

Styling: Lakshmi Babu

Makeup & Hair Styling: Jeena

Costumes: Lulu Fashion Store, Lulu Mall, Kochi

Retouch: Jemini Ghosh

Location Courtesy: Camleon Studio, Palarivattom, Kochi

Words by Varun Kannan

Transcription by Aswati Nambiar

Production: FWD Media

Digital Version Available on :http://goo.gl/utB6z9

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Anjali Uthup

RJ and Singer

Just like a time machine, that’s what music is, Anjali Uthup, told me over the phone. It takes one back to the places, the times and even the smells of the old. So where does her favour­ite old tracks take her? They take her back to time to the city of Calcutta. She was a George Michael-smitten teenager who listened to him crooning Baby and his other hits spiced with occasional comments from her Mom and Granny that they will have to get him to sing her school lessons too.

Vijay Yesudas

Classical Musician and Playback Singer

For most Malayalis, Yesudas defines music. So as the son of the legendary singer, Vijay Yesudas, naturally grew up on a musical diet that mostly had his dad’s songs as the main course. But as a teenager growing in the USA, Vijay also remembers being struck hard by a documentary aired after the death of Frank Sinatra. He says after the documentary, he got hold of all of the Frank Sinatra repeats, put them on repeat and listened to them endlessly.

Anjali Menon

Film director and Screenwriter

Anjali Menon, the amazing storyteller whom we adore, wrote to us saying, “Teenage is a long period- often the people who enter it are almost un­recognisable when they exit it.” She remembers having spent her entire 12th-grade preparation with UB40 albums constantly playing around her. What’s more, to celebrate their friend­ship and their love for UB, her and two girlfriends from school went to a rock­ing concert by UB40 ten years later.

Ranjini Jose

Playback Singer

Ranjini Jose has fond memories of watching her parents dance to the tunes of Boney M and Abba. ” It was so much fun watching them dance”, she says. An ardent MJ fan, she says that Michael Jackson meant more than a musician to her. She looks at him as the very inspiration for her musical career.

Stephen Devassy

Pianist and Composer

Stephen Devassy, the man with the golden fingers, has memories of grow­ing up, listening to what many of his fellow Keralites, including me, listened to only on calling bells and car indica­tors. Yes, the western masters- Bee­thoven, Mozart, Fryderyk Chopin. He says that he is thankful to his gurus who introduced him to Western clas­sics a very young age. Singer Hariha­ran asking him to be his solo accom­paniment for a live performance when he was just seventeen is one memory that Stephen holds close to his heart.

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