Composer Hesham Abdul Wahab from the Malayalam film industry made his Tollywood debut with 'Kushi' last year. He followed it up with Nani's 'Hi Nanna'. 'Manamey', starring Sharwanand in the lead, is his upcoming release. Ahead of the Sriram Adittya directorial's theatrical release on June 7, he shares his insights about the movie.
'Hi Nanna' had a father-daughter bond at its core. 'Manamey' has a father-son bond as an important element. The similarity between the two films ends there. 'Manamey' is not a feel-good, emotional film. It's more in the commercial space. It's a lot more than the parent-child bond. It is about a couple. 'Manamey' is an all-rounder. There is a bit of 'Kushi'-like musical flavour and a bit of 'Hi Nanna' in it.
We began by composing only ten songs. Suddenly, we realized that we were getting to more number of songs. In total, there are 16 songs in the film, including four full-fledged songs. The scale of the film decides the kind of technical output a technician has to give. Midway into the project, I realized that this project needed more from me. I supported the director through and through. I worked in close tandem with him.
I have put all my cards on 'Manamey'. The success of this film is crucial and will decide my career graph in Telugu cinema. I spent so much time and energy in getting it through. The sheer additional number of songs, including montage songs, makes it my biggest project in Telugu. The director kept motivating me to give the maximum output. The ball is now in the audience's court.
Songs in a movie shouldn't be exhausting. At the end of the day, the audience are watching a story. The music has to be subservient to the story. If the music is overwhelming, it will backfire. Usually, the tune is composed first and the lyrics are written later. In the case of 'Manamey', for a few songs, it was the other way around. By God's grace, I have never been forced by my directors. I have been allowed the freedom to bring my voice and express my originality.
At this point, I personally love all the songs in 'Manamey'. I leave it to the audience to figure out which one they like the most. The musical flavour will give the audience a new experience in Telugu. I have no doubts regarding that. The BGM is another magical experience I had composing. We spent a long time on the score, which is nothing like what you saw in 'Hi Nanna' and 'Kushi'.
Sharwanand's performance is the classiest so far in his career. Krithi Shetty and the child artist, Vikram, too, have done a great job.
I am very blessed to be a part of the Telugu film industry. I must thank my directors for the opportunities. There is space for every sort of talent here. Hyderabad is my second home after Kerala. If not Kerala, I would like to live here with my family. People are lovely here.
I consider myself as a student of music. I look up to senior music directors like Mani Sharma garu and Thaman garu. I happened to receive a hand from the latter's hands recently. These talents are a source of inspiration.
I am currently doing Rashmika Mandanna's 'The Girlfriend', which is directed by Rahul Ravindran. It is a very unique project.
