‘Pookie Ponnamma’: Sasi Master’s London-shot album song unveiled

CHENNAI: The album song ‘Pookie Ponnamma’, which has been shot entirely in London, was unveiled at a grand event in Chennai on Wednesday (October 8).

Produced by Story Culture and released by Saregama India Limited, the song features Balaji Thirumal and Madhumitha, with choreographer Sasi Master making his directorial debut with the project. He has also choreographed the song.

AJ has composed the music, with GV Prakash Kumar and Sneha lending their voices. The lyrics are by KU Karthik. For Balaji Thirumal, ‘Pookie Ponnamma’ marks his introduction as a lead actor and his first step towards a career in cinema.

Speaking at the event, Balaji said he had nurtured an interest in entering the film industry for nearly a decade, but family responsibilities had delayed his plans. He said the album was created as an introduction to his entry into cinema and revealed that the team would soon announce a feature film.

The director-choreographer said shooting in London came with its share of challenges. Despite temperatures dropping to around minus five degrees Celsius in some locations, Madhumitha continued to shoot in sleeveless costumes for several sequences.

The team also travelled extensively between locations, including Edinburgh and central London, often working with limited shooting time.

Sasi added that dancers from Belgium, Spain, Africa and other countries were part of the project, giving the song an international flavour. The visual treatment of the song received praise from several guests at the launch.

Cinematographer Mathesh Manickam and editor Praveen Bhaskar were appreciated for their work, while the choreography, particularly the song’s hook step, was highlighted as one of its key attractions.

Madhumitha, who makes her album-song debut with the project, thanked the team for presenting her in a different Western look from what audiences have generally seen her in.

Music composer AJ said the song marked his third independent track with GV Prakash and expressed his gratitude to the singer and the entire team. Singer Sneha, meanwhile, said recording the female vocals alongside GV Prakash was a special experience.

Several celebrities who attended the launch praised the chemistry between Balaji and Madhumitha, the London locations and Sasi Master’s choreography. Many also expressed hope that the same team would collaborate on a feature film in the future.

The song was also a deeply personal project for Sasi Master. At the event, he dedicated ‘Pookie Ponnamma’ to his late mother, who passed away 37 days ago. He said he believed she would be happy watching the song and that he felt she was still watching over the project.

With its international locations, contemporary music and dance-driven presentation, ‘Pookie Ponnamma’ aims to bring a larger-scale treatment to the independent album-song space.