‘Many songs now promo material for films, not emotion’: Govind Vasantha gets candid at Hortus

Kochi: Music director Govind Vasantha didn’t hold back when the conversation veered into the current state of film music today. Speaking at Manorama Hortus on Sunday, he said songs in mainstream cinema have increasingly become marketing tools rather than emotional anchors. “Songs are more of a promotional material rather than a tool for emotional conveyance. Many tracks are created simply to ensure the film runs in theatres,” he said.

Though initially uncomfortable, he has accepted it as part of cinema’s changing reality, even though he added that in several films, “many songs were not at all needed.”

The post-lunch session ‘Pattile Navarasangal: The Alchemy of Music and Life’ at Hortus began with singer Sithara Krishnakumar taking the audience on a journey along Kochi’s breezy backwaters with her viral number ‘Chaipattu’. She was joined by composer Govind Vasantha, with RJ Manju moderating. Only later, as the discussion deepened, did Govind speak about the shifting purpose of film songs.

From there, the conversation slid into his creative process. Govind explained how some of his most celebrated tracks were not even conceived as songs. ‘Kathale Kathale’ from ‘96’ was originally part of the theme ‘Anthaathi’. While scoring a scene of Janaki imagining an alternate past with Ram, he said he placed the tune “casually, without any proper recording or editing". "And it worked like magic because of the genuineness of the product”. A similar instinct shaped ‘Parimitha Neram’ in ‘Madhuram’, where he felt vocals conveyed love more effectively than background score.

Sithara described the emotional negotiations behind playback singing. “Our voices are just tools to embellish the film’s story. Most times we simply have to trust the composer, who knows at what level we should emote while singing,” she said. Some days, the personal mood is at odds with the song’s demand, like when she recorded the exuberant ‘Mohamundiri’ from ‘Madhura Raja’ while feeling anything but cheerful. “At such times, singing becomes vocal acting,” she said.

Govind agreed that not every singer can express every emotion perfectly. "Cinema is a collective art form built on compromise. Yet personal experiences seep into the music," he said. 

Asked why his songs evoke a sense of yearning, he dismissed the idea that heartbreak and love failures are essential. “Those of my songs which people say are painful actually make me happy. They give me a kind of euphoria,” he said, adding that melancholy is a space he finds creatively fertile. “Contentment never inspires me as melancholy does as a music composer,” he said.

He revealed that despite his image as a violinist, his favourite instrument is the flute. He also spoke about using the Andean instrument Ronroco, not violin, to capture childlike excitement in the cycle sequence from ‘Meiyazhagan’. “I wanted that moment to feel rooted and to be filled with excitement like a child, so I avoided electric instruments,” he said.

Govind recalled his collaboration with Kamal Haasan on ‘Yaaro Ivan Yaaro’ in ‘Meiyazhagan’. When the director suggested Kamal’s voice for an elderly character’s emotional send-off, Govind feared the star might decline. “But he liked the song and let me do my job patiently, even when I asked for retakes. It was Kamal Haasan’s voice that boosted the song and made it popular,” Govind said. 

The composer also shared how a collection of raw, unpolished recordings of MS Baburaj transformed him. “Those renditions hit me like an explosion. I love them more than the original cinematic versions, which were too perfect for me,” he said. 

The session ended with Govind singing ‘Life of Ram’ from ‘96’ in a stripped-down style, which resembled his admiration for Baburaj, closing the afternoon session.