All new talent hunt, a big hit
DC takes a look at this emerging trend in Kollywood
By : s subhakeerthana
Update: 2015-08-23 23:36 GMT
Recently, renowned Kollywood music composer Ghibran had put a status message on his Facebook page that he’s scouting for lyricists to pen the lines of a song for three situations, in his upcoming film Chennai Singapore. If everything goes well, he will be picking four lyricists to work with him.
Speaking to us, Ghibran says, “It was actually a contest for lyric writers,” and explains he keeps receiving at least seven to eight e-mails from lyricists asking for an opportunity to prove their mettle. “I wanted to help them and therefore convinced the Chennai Singapore crew, who were in fact happy with my idea. Only I know the amount of difficulties I went through when I tried entering the film industry,” Ghibran adds.
Ask him how it is possible to identify the best ones, and Ghibran says, “When I see an e-mail, I can tell you if it’s genuine or not. It comes with practice. From the format, resume and details and the way a person sends it, we can filter accordingly.”
Vijay Antony, music director, observes that the trend is gaining momentum. “I think Tamil cinema is undergoing a sea change and everybody has started experimenting. Be it the way they cast heroes in their films or absorb technical crew,” he says.
Vijay tells us, “When I began my career as a music composer, I remember calling up AV Ramanan, the host of the popular musical show ‘Saptha Swaran-gal’, which was aired on Sun TV. And then, he referred a few singers to me like Sangeetha Rajeswaran and Vinaya who’re quite popular now. We didn’t have Facebook then; but now, it has become easy, so that the interested party can directly approach us for opportunities.”
For instance, take Victor Jayaraj, mime artiste-cum-filmmaker. When he wanted to hire assistant directors for his films, he couldn’t think of a better place than social media. “I come from a mime background and I give preference to those who’re from that area. Using social media saves a lot of time. Social media is a tool to communicate anything to any class of people. It is perfect for changing attitudes and perceptions. For many, social media also lets them to have a glimpse of who the candidates are outside the confines of a resume. One’s social media profile could reveal a lot about him,” says Victor.
So, contrary to the popular perception that social media is not a credible platform for people to scout for talent, Victor also adds that the very basis of social media stands on the credibility of a person with a genuine profile. “Online acquaintances and relationships are very fragile and we need to be careful. Of course, like how everything has downfalls, choosing talent via social networking sites also has its share of negativity,” signs off Victor.