A Tamil song written by a poet in Chennai, composed by a musician in Malaysia, and sang by a Carnatic vocalist based at Kochi has found beautiful expression in dance through a Frenchwoman living in the central Kerala town of Vaikom.

The song about man’s fight against COVID-19 was released by actor Mohanlal on his Faceook page on Monday. Watching the superbly choreographed and executed piece of dance by Paris Laxmi, a Bharatantyam dancer and actress who has made Kerala her home, one would hardly think that the whole thing was put together during the lockdown.

Not that Kalaiselvi Puliyur Kesikan imagined that somebody would turn her song – Odi poyidu coronave – into a dance. Neither did Bhagyalakshmi Guruvayur when she recorded the song on her phone and posted on it her Facebook page, though she accompanies leading classical dancers as a singer.

Laxmi is one of those dancers Bhagyalakshmi often sings for. “I have been thinking of choreographing a piece on the theme of this pandemic for a while and then I came across this song from Bhagyalakshmi,” Laxmi told The Hindu. “I straight-away felt this song can be just right for me.”

As Bagyalakshmi had recorded the song without any music, Laxmi got the orchestra added by Vinod Chandra, who also plays the flute. During the lockdown, getting a new costume made was well-nigh impossible, so she delved deep into her wardrobe for the two characters she wanted to play.

“I had this old, orange blouse, which I paired with a Kerala sari for the role of the woman and I chose a black sari to portray the virus,” she says. “I got Umesh P. Nair to shoot the film. It was shot at my home.”

The video opens with the virus entering the body and ends with the visuals of Laxmi dancing away happily in the hope of brighter days. Her skills as a dancer and actress – she is still remembered for her cameo in the 2014 Malayalam blockbuster Bangalore Days -- along with a pleasing screen presence, make the video a most enjoyable watch.

It has elicited positive feedback. “I was happy to find it was liked by actor Mohanlal and dancer Rachana Narayanakutty and many others,” she says.

Bhagyalakshmi loved it. “I don't think anyone could have done a better job,” she says. “When my aunt, Guruvayur Usha Dorai tuned the song and sent it to me, I didn't think that Laxmi would be giving it such a lovely interpretation through dance. The song was based on a concept suggested by Thanesh Balakrishnan to my aunt.”