Docu on musical saga of Chembai Bhagavathar hit screens

Thiruvananthapuram: A documentary, tracing the life and music of legendary carnatic vocalist Chembai Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar, struck a chord with music buffs here today.

Helmed by actress-anchor Soumya Sadanandan, the documentary titled "Chembai: My Discovery of a Legend" explored the late maestro's unparalleled musical saga through the memories of his disciples and villagers.

The vivid memories of his iconic disciples, especially of legendary vocalist and playback singer K J Yesudas, T V Gopalakrishnan, and K G Jayan, helped viewers get a glimpse of Chembai's personality as a great musician as well as an affectionate teacher. Soumya said the 30-minute-long docu film is the result of her attempt to learn indepth about a master singer who has been the key inspiration behind the the Chembai Parthasarathy Music festival that has been going on for over 100 years now.

"My only aim is to bring the life and personality of the great musician before music buffs and common man. It is happy to know that the entire village of Chembai in Palakkad district still cherishes his memories and music life," she told PTI.

She said a recent journey that started out as a trip to watch Yesudas's live performance at the Chembai concert had prompted her to learn more about his guru Vaidyanatha Bhagavathar.

The young filmmaker, who took seven months to complete her maiden documentary, has plans to screen the work at film festivals and other venues in the coming days.
While Manu Chandran and Vinu Janardanan penned the script of the docu, P S Jayahari composed the music.