It’s not often that you find an independent musician jamming with a grandparent. Mali aka Maalavika Manoj took this a step further. The 24-year-old convinced her 79-year-old achacha (grandfather) MC Rammohan to feature in her new music video 'Play' which released earlier this week. The song is a tribute to her first musical inspiration as a child. “My grandfather is actually the one“ who introduced me to Pink Floyd even before I was a teenager,” she recalls with a smile. This is apart from sessions on the harmonica, where he regaled her with everything from Malayalam folk tunes to yesteryear Bollywood.
Soft, emotional and a tug-at-the-heartstrings sort of listen — the video takes you from a train station to Mali’s 200-year-old ancestral tharavaad (home) in Kannur, where the video was shot. “While my grandfather got comfortable playing a harmonica solo in front of the camera for the first time, my grandmother doubled up as a line producer and local guide to help us with our locations for the shoot,” the singer says with a laugh. Fun fact: Achacha used to be in a band back called Black and White back in the day before he decided to become an industrialist and start a family later on.Documenting her grandfather playing music (hence the title Play) has been a long time dream for this Mumbai-based artiste who hails from Chennai. Those who follow the independent music scene may remember her very first band while still in Chennai, Bass-in-Bridge, when she barely out of school. Now playing for festivals like Orange Festival in Arunachal Pradesh and soon to be touring with music director Anirudh Ravichander in London and Paris later this year — she’s all grown up.
With a much-loved family member in the mix, hearing that the release has been an emotional rollercoaster for parents, cousins and aunts alike, comes as expected. “My dad took the day off from work the day it released and cried all morning when he saw it,” Mali tells us. Even more heartwarming, however, is the fact that musicians and fans seem to be posting comments about the track triggering nostalgia of their own grandparents and original mentors in music.
A fun segue from family trees, it turns out her next single is titled Mango Showers. “I am planning a monsoon release,” reveals the singer. After that, there is a third single in the pipeline for this year, while she curates tracks for her upcoming full-length album, slated for 2019.
Listen to Play on Mali’s Facebook page or YouTube. Listen to Play on Mali's Facebook page or YouTube.
sonali@newindianexpress.com | @brightasunshine