South African songbird Shashika Mooruth has scored a song on the soundtrack of a Bollywood blockbuster.
The Sama award-winner has been in the Indian music industry for over five decades and has several accolades to her name but lending her enchanting voice “Kaali Maa” on “Salaar: Part 1–Ceasefire”, tops her list.
Last year, when the singer was travelling through North India, she was approached with the offer to sing the Hindi and Bengali versions of the devotional song.
“Salaar: Part 1–Ceasefire” is written and directed by Prashant Neel and produced by Vijay Kiragandur of Hombale Films.
Since its cinematic release in December, the film has been dominating the global box office. It is also scheduled to release in Spanish and Japanese later this year.
“This is a Telegu movie but it has been dubbed in various languages. A lyrist called me up to say that a composer is looking for someone with an emotional voice.
“He linked me up and I headed to their studios in Bangalore and heard the song for the first time. I dubbed two versions, the Bengali and the Hindi.
Mooruth said that she really enjoyed the experience.
“I’m an old school thinker. I am familiar with the style of movie-making in my times. Everything was so holistic. Everyone would work towards that goal of making the movie. When you watched a film, you wouldn’t be able to tell that it wasn’t the actor that’s actually singing.
“Times have changed. Now it’s just a sound that they record and sometimes they don’t even know who it’s going to be pictured with it. It was a new experience for me. It wasn’t easy to do.
"Kaali Maa" is a song that captures the spirit of the movie with its emotional journey.
The song is based on the theme of justice, redemption, and resistance to injustice, as represented by the revered Goddess Kali.
The song addresses the oppressive empire of Vardharaja Manna, the main antagonist of the movie, by addressing the misery of the oppressed through her screams for liberty.
“I had to bring these emotions as close as possible to match the scene. I had to sing in a tribal voice, which is not my natural voice, so I thought it was very interesting.”
“For me, this is what I always wanted, when I came to India, I thought to myself that I’m still doing shows, but I’m singing the same songs that are coming out of movies, and I would like to have my own songs.
“I wanted to do something different. I stopped doing shows and focused on recording in the studio. I wanted to see myself as a recording artist.
After years of work in studio, Mooruth has several albums to her name and has dubbed various dialogues in TV shows, including Pamela Anderson’s voice on the ever-popular American drama series, “Baywatch”.
“I compose and arrange music, so I create my own songs, but it’s also very exciting when you have to sing to somebody else’s composition. You have to know what they want and expect out of you.
In “Kaali Maa”, she worked with renowned music composer Ravi Basrur, who guided her throughout the process.
“It’s was a big challenge and a fantastic growth point. You also learn to follow what you have inside you that, maybe you never knew. I relish experimenting with my voice, treating it as my instrument. I embraced the challenge of infusing the required emotion into the scene.”
“I’m happy with the whole project and its success. I watched the movie twice at the cinema and it was lovely to see the audience leave after having enjoyed the story.
“From the comments I’ve received, they said that the song gives them goose pimples, and that it’s the most highlighted scene in the movie. I feel so grateful to the Almighty,” said Mooruth.