The Hindu Business Line : <I>Morning Raga</I> — a film that blends Carnatic and Western music

CARNATIC music with Western instrumentation; purists may complain, but the film Morning Raga probably aims to capture the imagination of a younger generation.

The English film, which is slated for an all-India release on October 29, is all about coming together of three people from completely diverse worlds.

"The music plays an important role in the film. It is a metaphor for the meeting of different worlds,'' says the film's director, Mahesh Dattani.

In terms of music, the film draws on Carnatic as well as Western music with a good measure of fusion music.

Music directors, Mani Sharma and Amit Heri, have put together original compositions from Carnatic maestros with Western instrumentation in a tempo and orchestration that is meant to enthuse today's listeners. Some of the original Carnatic compositions that figure in this film are Oothakadu Venkatasubbaiyer's Thaye Yashoda in Raag Todi; Muthusami Dikshitar's Mahaganapatim in Raag Natai; Muthiah Bhagvatar's Maate in Raag Khamas and Sadasiva Brahmendra's Pibare Rama Rasam in Raag Yamankalyan.

The music, which has been acquired by Music Today, is slated for release on October 15.

The story of the film is played out by three protagonists — Swarnalatha, Abhinay and Pinkie. Swarnalatha, a singer, loses her child and friend in an accident. She holds herself responsible for the tragedy and confines herself to a village life. Abhinay survives this accident.

He becomes a music composer and prompts Swarnalatha to join him. Pinkie, an urbanite, is also drawn to the village where Swarnalatha lives.

The lead cast includes Shabana Azmi, Perizaad Zorabian and Prakash Rao.

"The film was shot in a village in East Godavari and Hyderabad. The story necessitated a river running adjacent to a village and a bridge. We found an old abandoned bridge in a village in East Godavari,'' says Prakash Rao.

The film, which is being distributed by UTV, will be released with 17 prints across Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad and Kochi.