Rahul Subrahmanian: Building his own realm

Initially, when Rahul Subrahmanian took baby steps in the Mollywood music scene, he used to be known as Remya Nambeesan’s sister. Today, he is getting recognised for his talent in his own right. These days, he is on cloud nine after composing a nostalgic song for the movie, 1971: Beyond Borders, directed by Major Ravi with Mohanlal in the lead.

“The song features the main characters of the film, Mohanlal and Asha Sarath. Sung by M.G Sreekumar, its recording is over,” he says. During the audio launch of Philips and the Monkey Pen, which had Rahul’s music, Major Ravi had appreciated his compositions. “Later, I was part of the discussions for 1971: Beyond Borders. Major Ravi gave me a situation of the movie and asked me to compose a song, that was how it happened,” he says. “With Major Ravi, if he is convinced with a tune after the first time he hears it, then that will be the final one.”

At the shooting set in Suratgarh, Rajasthan, Rahul met Mohanlal who  not only appreciated him for the tune he created but also chipped in with suggestions. “I consider it as a matter of pride that I could compose a song that features Mohanlal. The final stages of movie’s shooting is going on at Georgia,” he adds.

It was his passion for music that drove him back to Kochi after “a seven month mechanical life in Bangalore”. He made his debut as a playback singer with Shaan Rahman for the movie Thattathin Marayathu and stepped into the shoes of a music director for the film Philips and the Monkey Pen which earned him praise for its melodies. He also worked as a creative director for Philips and the Monkey Pen and Akasavani, directed by Rojin Thomas.

He considers Johnson master as one of the major influences in his musical career. “It is this influence that prompted me to try out a song Mayum Sandhye for the movie Akashavani which was a western style song restructured using strings and flute to create a melody,” says Rahul, who will be composing songs for the second part of Philips and the Monkey Pen. Another project will be a concert with sister Remya that will feature his own compositions and some signature songs.