Singer Sudheesh Sasikumar warms up with a conversation in the Chalakudy dialect before launching into a gritty number about what the pandemic has done to musicians and artistes all over Kerala.
‘We are human being’, from the album 19, which was released by filmmaker Lijo Jose Pellissery on his Facebook page on July 23, pulls no punches while painting the grim situation most artistes find themselves in today and how they are gearing up to face the music. Sung in the blues style, the track speaks of the fear, anxiety, sadness and uncertainty that have beset the world. However, the lyrics, written by Sudheesh and Steve Bell, also speak of resilience and determination to outlive the pandemic that has struck at the livelihood of hundreds of artistes all over the world.
“In Kerala, we outlived the Ockhi cyclone in 2017, the floods in 2018 and 2019 and the Nipah virus outbreak in 2018. We were finding our feet when the lockdown was enforced following the outbreak of COVID-19. It has come as a terrible blow,” says Sudheesh.
Framed predominantly in black and white with lashes of red and a bit of colour here and there, the video of the song was shot at different locations in Chalakudy, Sudheesh’s home town.
Song for artistes
He points that out that while skilled labourers and other workers have started going about their work, artistes of all kinds are still struggling for want of shows and programmes. “Singari melam performers, instrumentalists, percussionists, light and sound technicians etc are all in the same boat, trying desperately to stay afloat,” he says.
One of the finds of the fourth edition of the reality show Idea Star Singer telecast on Asianet in 2009, Sudheesh says he was looking forward to the season of festivals in Kerala when the pandemic struck in early March. The singer and his team MJ Creations, a tribute to his idol Michael Jackson, were a popular choice of organisers of temple fêtes and cultural events. But with the lockdown in place, Sudheesh, like every other artiste in Kerala, has seen his earnings vanish with concerts and programmes cancelled or postponed indefinitely.
“I am surviving but there is hunger and despair in many homes. It is as if the pandemic has wiped away all arts from our midst. I felt I had to do something and that is when I wrote the lyrics of the song with my friend,” says Sudheesh.
When his friends gave him the green signal, Sudheesh requested his wife, Niviya Sudheesh, to write the dialogues that open the song and got in touch with his friends. “They are all in Chalakudy as there is no work. All of them agreed and in adherence to COVID-19 restrictions, Aneesh Surendran shot the video at my home and near the railway station and hospital here. It was directed by Ragesh E2DC. Whether it be associate director Lithin KT or the editor Ansar Majeed, we are all good friends and they were happy to help me,” says Sudheesh.
An admirer of the late actor Kalabhavan Mani, Sudheesh recalls accompanying him to his concerts and learning from him. Although Sudheesh was learning classical music during his school days, he had to stop his music lessons due to financial reasons and drop out after Plus Two. “Many of us were earning a living as musicians before the pandemic. At present, some of us have become fish and vegetable vendors to make ends meet. I am also planning something on those lines. We have to overcome and survive this before getting back into the groove,” says Sudheesh.
And while the pandemic has temporarily stopped the music, Sudheesh asserts that it will soon be heard again, loud and clear.
