While the Hollywood elite have already been getting together to put out light-hearted content amid lockdown, notably John Krasinski’s Some Good News, it is now Tamil cinema’s turn with actor Kamal Haasan leading a host of stars, composers and singers to front a song he penned and directed, ‘Arivum Anbum’.

Touted to be a track to “spread positivity and hope”, the track features Anirudh Ravichander, Yuvan Shankar Raja, Devi Sri Prasad, Shankar Mahadevan, Bombay Jayashree, Shruti Haasan, Andrea Jeremiah, Bigg Boss fame Mugen Rao, Sid Sriram, teenage prodigy Lydian Nadhaswaram and actor Siddharth besides Kamal Haasan.

The musical score is by Ghibran. Edited by Mahesh Narayanan, the track will be released online via Zoom call by Haasan, Ghibran and the music label Think Music tomorrow, a first in the case of Tamil cinema where a music video is launched with participants sitting at home.

Stated Kamal Haasan, “This was truly a democratic process; each participant recorded his/her part themselves as none of us could meet. It is a collaboration in the truest sense and since everyone shot and recorded it themselves from their homes, I don’t know whom to credit cinematography to. Everyone individually sent us their portions which we put together. This collaboration has made me so proud of my tribe, not just locally but internationally,” adding, “Artistes are continuously trying to inject optismism in the masses since they look upto us. The song is a reminder of all that we are capable of and also the fact that tough times don’t last, only tough people do.”

Ghibran, who credits the end product to a “united effort” says, “The difference we can create by being together is all that matters. This song is dedicated to the new world that we all are going to live in after this pandemic is gone!”