American clarinist and music composer Shankar Tucker, who rose to fame due to his compositions on social media platforms, is busy working on a Tamil film! Four songs from the movie, directed by debutant Vignarajan, are already complete and the musician is working hard to get the rest of the numbers done.

"It's been a good experience," starts off Shankar, "Though I'm based in Mumbai, my work on this film brings me often to Chennai these days. The film is a romantic drama and we've worked out four compositions that'll be montage songs in the film. We're currently in the process of finalizing the tune ideas for the rest of the songs."

Considering his Amercian background, will his musical work in the film have Western influences or will it incorporate Indian elements of sound as well? "It'll have a lot of Western influence in it as the director wants it that way," he smiles, "I've used the piano extensively in the compositions, something that doesn't usually figure prominently in film music. However, in terms of song structure, it'll follow the same format that Tamil songs follow."

To get the format and sounds right, Shankar has been listening to a lot of Tamil songs of late. "I've always been a big fan of A R Rahman and his compositions," he says, "Once I landed this project, I did hear quite a few albums done by Harris Jayaraj and Yuvan Shankar Raja."

Will his lack of knowledge of the local knowledge prove to be a hindrance while composing for a Tamil song? "I don't think so," he says, "Even when I listen to music, whichever language it is in, the lyric isn't much of a barrier. I've got a lot of flak for not paying attention to lyrics. Perhaps I should," he chuckles.

So, how did he bag this Tamil project in the first place? "I got a query through the Shruti Box, the online platform in my website, and the minute I saw that it was from a filmmaker in Chennai, the land of A R Rahman, I got excited. I heard the subject and it sounded interesting and well, here I am!"

Shankar's favourites Album: Rockstar Song: Ghanan Ghanan... (Lagaan) Indian instrument: Tabla Raga: Charukesi

(TimesofIndia)