While independent versions of a film song have been in vogue for long, social media is now witness to immense rise in covers that rework popular songs in terms of unique choreography. The latest addition to the list is the cover version of Yantralokapu Sundarive, the song from Shankar’s 2.0 by director, choreographer Venkatesh Kedari and team, who’ve rose to prominence after similar, successful, attempts with songs like Swing Swing, Bombhaat and Deo Deo recently. Though made on a shoestring budget, this version of Yantaralokapu Sundarive boasts of rich visuals and VFX work that have elicited comparisons to Shankar’s films.
Working as a content head as part of a digital movie promotion firm, Portal Apps Media, Venkatesh breathes and swears by films. You could term the GITAM passout, a Youtube kid for many reasons. “I tried to understand the shot division and dynamics of every film song that I used to watch on television since childhood with online tutorials. From learning about a wide angle shot to understanding the rhythm and the choreography of a song, film education happened to me online. Though I haven’t been trained in it, dance is an aspect I’ve been passionate about. I see it as an entry point to make a mark as an actor/director in films.”
Yantaralokapu Sundarive was shot in five days across various locations in Visakhapatnam, including the cricket stadium, beach and a resort.
“Dance covers have become the norm today, but we wanted to be unique. There might be better dancers than me, but we wanted to be creative in our presentation. The underwater visuals are the first of a kind for a cover version in India. Deo Deo was more experimental, we hadn’t invested any money in it; the attempt was to affirm that we weren’t one-time wonders. That success gave us confidence in putting together a budget.”
Portal Apps Media has been instrumental in backing his talent.
Meanwhile, the VFX elements in the video weren’t part of their initial plan, it was a last-minute addition to spring a tribute to the grandeur of Shankar’s songs. “What we were wary of are the trolls, especially because it’s a Rajinikanth film. My good friend Vamsi Srinivas (also the DOP of the song) and I doubled up as the VFX team. And we were particular that the video wasn’t meant to be monetised, this was a channel to express our creativity.”
Copyright issues with music labels have often spelt trouble for the makers of dance covers. Venkatesh clarifies, “These issues surface when you try to make money out of it. I am trying to convince music labels of an alternate model where the video remains in my channel and the revenue is routed to them.”
Venkatesh has next set his eyes on original independent covers and is also in talks with several actors for a web-series that he plans to direct.