“Did you actually do it?” Actor-anchor Govind Padmasoorya has been hearing this question ever since he released his single, ‘Nirmana’. “I have never shared this side of me on any platform and so every one is surprised. The response has been overwhelming,” says Govind, known as GP in the film industry. With appreciation coming in from colleagues, musicians and friends, he is on cloud nine.
Trained in Carnatic music during his school days, GP says that music took a backseat once he started focusing on his studies, acting and anchoring. “Even when my father kept telling me to practise, I was not keen about it,” he says.
The pandemic-induced lockdown changed his mind. “After the success of Ala Vaikunthapurramuloo, my début Telugu film, I got a lot of offers from Telugu. I was all set to stay back in Hyderabad for a year. But COVID-19 brought everything to a standstill and I had nothing to do but stay at home in Pattambi!”
The trigger to go back to music were some of his online sessions with Malayalis in Australia and Italy during the lockdown. “I asked them to make the best of the phase and revive some artistic activity they had given up. That’s when I felt that I also should do the same. Thus music was back in my life,” he says.
Govind Padmasoorya in a still from the music video ‘Nirmana’ | Photo Credit: Special arrangement
It was a coincidence that composer Sudeep Palanad, his “good friend”, came to know about his decision. “He had called me up for a phone number and asked me what I was doing at home. When I told him that I was doing ‘saadhakam’ (music practice), he laughed, thinking that I was joking. But, eventually, when he knew about my music background, he suggested that we should work together. That’s how ‘Nirmana’ happened. The process was not easy. The scale was high and so I had a two-week training session to get the right pitch. What helped was that Sudeep composed it in my favourite ragas, Jog and Natta,” he says.
Sudeep Palanad is known for the track ‘Alhamdulillah’ from Sufiyum Sujathayum and several soulful independent music productions such as ‘Baale’, ‘Charulatha’ and ‘Manumalayalam’, among others.
The video is a reflection on the times we live in. “We all have been in a pupa stage during the lockdown. However, it was also a phase for most of us to explore and learn new things. Now is the time to come out as a butterfly. In my case, it has been learning music and making ‘Nirmana’. Also, I devoted more time to my YouTube channel and started vlogging,” he explains.
Looking back at his roller-coaster journey in the industry, GP says that he has always been lucky to start with good projects. “I started my acting career with Adayalangal, which won five Kerala state film awards. My début projects in Tamil (Kee) and Telugu also were appreciated. So, I am happy to have started off my music career with a superb project. I know that it is not going to be viral. But I feel proud to have done it. Music is definitely going to be an integral part of my career from now on,” he signs off.
‘Nirmana’ is directed by Aravind Venugopal with whom GP runs an ad agency, LotusRays Studios.
The song is available on YouTube.