How do you welcome foreigners to your land? The majority would answer ‘with a garland of flowers and a glass of coconut water’. But here the foreigners, all celebrities mind you, were welcomed with a song specially composed for them. Tansen Berny, son of music composer Berny, decided to welcome the members of the FIFA U-17 World Cup teams with a welcome song, Kick Off, that is amassing a round of applause from audience. The song which begins with the lines Oru pandinte thalam, oru nenjinte thalam has some foot-tapping music and visuals merging the rustic and the modern, the young and the old. The football fever in the state is apparent in the visuals which show kids playing football in the mud, migrant laborers gleefully chasing a ball, a small girl kicking a ball and school students playing the game.
Nothing to make a song and dance of, says Tansen when asked about the reasons for composing and singing this song. “I am not a huge football fan, but when I learnt that such a huge international and prestigious event was happening in my city, I wanted to do something for the game of football through music and that is how Kick Off happened!” The brainstorm to pay a musical tribute to the football theme was Tansen’s idea, but it was the unflinching support of his friends and family that encouraged him to go ahead with it.
At a time when making a music album is not a novelty, Tansen was determined to make his song stand out. He did not make any compromises in the technical department and got his brother Subin Ignatius too on board as a singer and an advisor. The song with a two-minute-seven-second run time was completed in two days and has students from the St Albert’s school team, the Maharaja’s girls football team and some kids – all friends, he says.
The shoot of the video happened over just two days, but there was a big challenge. “I am one of the finalists of a TV reality show and I composed and sang Kick Off in between the shoot and preparations of the reality show. In fact, the camera men of the show helped me with suggestions.” The time constraint and funding were also hurdles. But the challenges proved to be a blessing for the young music composer and singer, “I had to sit in for the edit and the shoot portions which were all a new experience for me since I have only done the music part till now.” Tansen also had the help of his father and uncle.
This song has spurred Tansen’s hopes and desires, “I want to do a Tamil music video as well as a devotional album soon.”
