Kerala Strikers

Not letting his superstar status come in the way, ignoring the scorching sun, and going in for repeated takes, is what one saw of Mohanlal at Jawaharlal Nehru International Stadium on Wednesday. The place sparkled with glitz and glamour, as 18 Mollywood stars gathered for the shoot of Kerala Strikers’ theme song. Many younger stars like Asif Ali, Bala, Vinu Mohan, Nikhil, Bineesh Kodiyeri, Nivin Polly, Manikuttan, Rajeev Pillai, Saiju Kurup and Rajat were present for the shooting.     

The shoot that began in the morning went on till late the evening, but that didn’t fag the spirits of the actors, perhaps because their captain, Lal was especially gung-ho. Clearly, the stars want to put their best foot forward for the sporting event, and have been taking it no less seriously than their on-screen acts.

During the shoot, Lal pointed out the absence of a leg umpire in the frame, which not only displayed the actor’s keen presence of mind but also the perfectionist streak in him.

Lead guitarist for A R Rahman, Sanjeev Thomas, has sung and composed the theme music for the Kerala Strikers. The one-and-a-half minute song that will be aired by the end of this month on television, will encompass all the striking features of Kerela, but will be equally appealing to the national audience. “The lyrics have a mix of both English and Malayalam keeping in view the non-Malayali audience,” says Lissy Priyadarshan, yesteryear actor and co-owner of Celebrity Cricket League (CCL).    

The Malayalam actors have great observation power and that is what enables them to slip in so easily in the role of a practised sportsmen, adds Lissy. Coach Chandrasenan is all praise for the actors. “They are very professional and dedicated...they arrive for practice regularly. Apart from being actors, they have an inborn sportsman in them which just needed a push. So it was quite an experience to train them,” says Chandrsenan.

Director Vijay of ‘Kireedam’, ‘Madrasapattinam’ and ‘Deiva Thirumagal’ fame is directing the theme song, while R Rathnavelu of ‘Vaaranam Aayiram’ and ‘Enthiran’ is the cinematagrapher. Hence, naturally the expectations are sky high. The sensuous Lakshmi Rai who is the brand ambassador of the CCL was also present for the photo shoot. We saw her bubbling with excitement over the event and gushed that she loved being a part of it. “My co-stars look great in this new avatar. Their performance on the ground is as good as it is on screen. I am glad about being one of the brand ambassadors of CCL,” she exclaims.

While speaking about the captain of the Kerala Strikers, Lakshmi Rai says about Lal, “He is a multi-faceted personality. Be it in films, or as ordinary man or now sports... he merges into any role very easily.”

A major portion of the shoot is complete. “Prithviraj’s part is the only remaining one that will be completed in Chennai,” says Lissy. She also adds that the actors will not let down the hopes of people and are striving hard to win the cup.