Striking the right chord

The entertainment industry, predominantly occupied by men, is now witnessing a phase of change, with the emergence of women behind the camera. Although it’s an appreciable change, the numbers are still very scanty, especially in the mainstream music composing field. As a beacon of hope and inspiration, the 25-year-old Sivatmikha, who got her breakthrough in Vetri Maaran’s episode (Oor Iravu) in Paava Kadhaigal, is once again in the news for her impressive composition in the recently released Burqa, directed by KM Sarjun.

“This male-dominated workspace is gradually changing. Now, we have some notable directors like Sudha Kongara, Zoya Akthar and Anjali Menon, among others. Likewise, in the coming days, we will hopefully see many more musicians like me making a mark,” says a hopeful Sivatmikha. One of the most impressive facets of Burqa, starring Kalaiyarasan and Mirnaa, is its meditative background score and soulful tracks. It elevates this heavily conversational film that touches on topics like religion, societal conditioning, regressive norms directed at women and the detrimental effects of taking away one’s autonomy.

About the choice of the music genre, Sivatmikha says, “Since the two protagonists come from two different cultural backgrounds, I decided to blend Sufi, Arabic and Hindustani for the film’s soundscape.” She further adds, ”For Burqa, I composed the songs after going through the script. I also researched to understand the film’s concept and the culture to get a better understanding of the required mood and tonality.” 

Oh Meri Kwabidha song from Burqa has been receiving lots of love from the audiences for its freshness in the tone, and Sivatmika shares that she took inspiration from a memory close to her heart to create this track. “I used memories of beautiful moments I shared with a person who was once so close to me. I think, my signature style—playing with silence in between and then hitting the crescendo in the end—has enhanced the song,” she shares.

One of the most important aspects of her process is how she methodically collects feedback from the audience. She gets strangers in public places to listen to her songs and records their feedback in a spreadsheet. Recalling how her experiment has worked, over the years, she says, “For my first film and The Gaana Song I got middling responses. For Kanne Kanmaniye, I got favourable responses from people, above the age of 30. And for Burqa, the response was unanimously positive. Hence, we decided to retain the duration—5 plus minutes. Through this, I also realised how the attention span, which is very less these days, wouldn’t matter if a song can thoroughly entertain them.”

While breaking into the industry is certainly an arduous task for women, Sivatmikha also draws attention to another obstacle they face: A stereotype that women are only capable of composing music for romantic or light-hearted films. “I want to explore all genres of films. In fact, I also have sample tracks for a potential action film ready to pitch. This mindset of typecasting based on gender should change,” she states. Meanwhile, Sivatmikha also believes in not confining herself to one field and yearns to explore varied creative horizons. “I have now donned the writer’s hat. I have signed a Tamil film as a screenwriter and I am looking forward to embarking on this new journey,” she signs off, beaming with an optimistic smile.