Keep the hope burning

KOCHI: Though the state led India’s fight against Covid-19 initially, the recent increase in the number of positive cases has caused apprehension in people. As normalcy begins to seem like a more distant memory with each passing day, the world is struggling to stay optimistic. But expats definitely have it worse, with the lives at stake and families far away.’Hope’, a musical album by city-based musician Vishnu Ashok is an ode to the perseverance and bravery of expatriates and a subtle message for the world to never lose hope. 

The song narrates the story of a young couple expecting their first child. The husband wants to reach Kerala as the due date is close. But the pandemic-induced lockdown rattles all their plans.“So many Malayalis go abroad to make a living. Expats and their families are struggling the most because of this pandemic. In this narrative, the wife is distraught at the thought of her child’s father being stuck abroad. The song depicts her emotions and feelings. And, there is a light at the end of any tunnel. So, she remains hopeful that her husband will be back when the situation gets better,” says Vishnu, who also worked as story editor for the Malayalam reality show Big Boss.

Arul Pragasam and Sowmya Rao are the singers. Aashams Ravi and Anju Roy are the faces of the song. “Aashams is my close friend and I have spent many evenings with their family. I wanted to do something creative during the period and even Anju encouraged me. I remembered how I always notice their wedding photos while visiting them. This formed the inspiration for our story line. Then the screenplay was by Manosh Mohan. Another interesting fact is that the entire cast comes from a single family,” adds Vishnu.

The song was shot in April with a limited crew. “Shoot was challenging because the lockdown was quite strict then. We shot with less than 10 people at a time. All precautions were taken, like the use of sanitisers, masks and gloves,” adds Vishnu. Lloyd Sagar penned the lyrics and lent his tune, while Renjith Murali cranked the camera. Boby Rajan handled the editing and Arul Pragasam scored the background music. Vishnu has been getting a tremendous response for the song since its release.” Actress Shilpa Bala said she could relate to the song as she was away from her child during lockdown.  Music director Shaan Rahman appreciated him for the concept too. Many people from Tamil Nadu, messaged after watching the song. I’m overwhelmed.”