RAP BRINGS RAPTURE

How indie artistes, especially hip-hoppers, are driving the phenomenal rise of Malayalam music

- NIRMAL JOVIAL

In the 2012 Malayalam blockbuster Thattatthin Marayathu, the protagonist is a hopeless romantic who makes desperate efforts to woo a girl. At one point, he and his sidekick encounter a slender youth in dark glasses who delivers the bad news that they have competition—a stud named Imthias is also trying to woo her. “He is gonna screw you guys,” the youth warns them.

The youth was played by Sushin Shyam, who is now a rockstar music director in the Malayalam film industry. Two years after Thattatthin Marayathu, he began churning out hits—from soulful melodies to straight-up headbangers—that have been heralding excellent news for the Malayalam music industry.

Sushin is a former member of the thrash metal band The Down Troddence, popularly known as TDT. As music director, he has come to be an important bridge between two streams of Malayalam music—film-driven work and indies. Songs composed by him have helped obscure artistes achieve mainstream recognition. They have also been attracting millions of listeners across the globe every month on platforms like Spotify.