In Conversation With Niranj Suresh, The Voice Behind Thoppil Joppan's Rock Title Song
- 28 Oct 2016
- Fathima AbdulKader
- Features
If you heard the title song for Mammooty starrer “Thoppil Joppan”, you probably made a double take at how similar it is to being a classic 80s rock song. This was infact the intention behind music director Vidyasagar doing the composition and roping in Kochi brewed singer Niranj Suresh. Niranj is the lead singer for the progressive experimental rock band Blank Planet. Before singing the Thoppil Joppan title song, Niranj had also sung in movies like Anuraga Karikkin Vellam, Two Countries and Rockstar.
What's your Kochi element?
Well, I am a true blue Kochiite. I stay in Edapally,with my younger brother, mom and dad. I did my schooling at Bhavans, engineering at MA College Kothamangalam and my B.Sc Visual Communication from Bharathiyar Universtity.
Maya is the song that shot you to fame, right?
Yes Maya is the first single that gave us a good start. It put us on the map and now people in the independent music scene know that there is a band called Blank Planet. We’re planning to release our next composition in January and hopefully do albums somewhere down the road.
So how did Blank Planet start off?
I was actually the vocalist of a band called Two Decades and After, a djent metal band. My current band members saw me performing at a college and invited me to be a part of their band called Blank Planet. Soon we started working on our songs and compositions. The battle of the bands, Decibel was a great stepping stone for us even though we could not make it all the way through. Somehow everything started falling into place after that.
How did you land the title song in Thoppil Joppan?
Deepak Dev Sir suggested my name to Vidyasagar sir. He had a long list of names and my name was also in it. So I got a call and I sent in my demos. Later, I went to Chennai and Vidyasagar sir told me to start singing and about what the song is like and all that. We finally got a version that satisfied all of us after trying for 3-3.5 hours. I’m really happy with the song as it was an experience in itself working with Vidyasagar sir. He was very cooperative and so comfortable to work with and he gave me the space to do my own thing, at the same time advising me how to sing and what voice culture the song required.
Are the band members shown in the Thoppil Joppan title video, your actual band mates from Blank Planet?
Sadly that’s not the case. My actual band members could not all make it to the shoot and I roped in my friends from in and around Kochi as stand in for the shoot.
What response has the song received?
Oh, it’s amazing. This is the first time I have received such a response. It’s been received so well than I could ever have imagined. It’s very catchy and the tune stays on in the mind. It’s a classic rock song and I’m very happy have worked for such a great music composer. It’s a dream come true for me.
If you still haven't listened to the song, we highly suggest you do:
What’s the path forward?
I’ve sung for Shaan Rahman on a movie called Krodha which will probably be released by March. I have also sung for another movie that is untitled, but whose music direction is done by Ashwin Sivadas and Sandeep Mohan and is directed by Joshi Thomas.
I hope that everyone listens to the songs after Thoppil Joppan and it keeps them coming back. My voice is unique compared to the other singers in the industry now, as it is best suited for rock songs. But maybe I can find a place for myself like Benny Dayal and Vishal Dadlani did for themselves with their unique voices.
Words by: Fathima Abdul Kader
