Report by Sanjana Chakraborty, Photos by Sriram N
The audio launch of upcoming Tamil film, Chennai To Singapore stood out amongst other ‘grand’ audio launches for its adventurous plan. Apart from the quintessential red carpet and film banners, there was also a Ford Endeavour parked in the vicinity, that looked like it was straight out of MTV’s Pimp My Ride show. Curious passersby stealthily took pictures of the car, unaware of the intention behind the words ‘Chennai 2 Singapore’‘ etched on its doors.
The team of Chennai To Singapore intends on launching each song from the film in a different country. Embarking on a road trip, the team aims to eventually reach Singapore and finish its ‘Audio Drive’. True to the film’s title, five members of the team will traverse through India, Bhutan, Myanmar, Thailand, Malaysia, and eventually reach Singapore. “We know it sounds crazy but it’s an idea that just came to me,” said Ghibran, the music composer of the film and the mastermind behind the Audio Drive.
The song Vaadi Vaadi was launched without a huge cardboard cut-out of a CD, that most launches have. The speeches were short in anticipation of the next and final segment of the event: the actual Audio Drive. Arriving in style 30 minutes later, Tamil actor Suriya flagged off the drive. Seconds after his arrival, there was utter chaos. Fans brandishing their phone cameras came running from across the street. The security’s attempts at holding people back were futile. Kids sang “Singam Singam” excitedly, and a few adults joined in. Suriya’s presence had evidently overshadowed the launch but everybody was in good spirits to care.
Flagged off, with engines revving, the director of the film, Abbas Akbar started the drive, accompanied by the co-producer Shabir, and Ghibran. Before driving off, the team asked aloud, “Could someone tell us the way to Singapore?”
