Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju’s ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ has found an audience for its story, relatable characters and music. The songs have also emerged as a notable part of the movie’s reception. Lyricist Vinayak Sasikumar has now explained the creative idea connecting several tracks in the film. According to him, the concept of magic became a recurring theme while developing the songs.The explanation comes as ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ continues its theatrical run with good reviews.
Vinayak Sasikumar explains the idea behind ‘Manthrikam‘
Vinayak Sasikumar revealed in a chat with Samakalika Malayalam that ‘Manthrikam’ was the first song created for ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’. The lyricist said he wanted to use the idea of magic to describe the emotional changes experienced by the central character.“’Manthrikam’ was the first song created for ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’. It was written with the idea of presenting the concept of magic. The feeling of first love or the excitement of something new is magical, isn’t it? From Nivin Pauly’s character’s perspective, someone’s sudden arrival brings about several changes in his life. The feeling of wondering what is happening to me is what we describe as magic. I initially wrote it as ‘Mayikam’. Later, it was changed to ‘Manthrikam’.”
How first love became a magical experience
Vinayak Sasikumar further described the emotional state that inspired the lyrics. The song captures a character who begins experiencing ordinary things differently after someone enters his life.“Words and actions begin to feel mechanical. Your imagination starts running wild. The wind that you breathe every day suddenly carries the fragrance of lilies. Her eyes, like a shooting fish or a meteor, smile at my pain. It is a state of not knowing what is happening. I thought of addressing that feeling as magic, which is how ‘Manthrikam’ was written.”
‘Varnajaalam’ and ‘Indrajaalam’ continued the theme
The idea eventually extended beyond the first track. Vinayak Sasikumar said composer Vishnu Vijay suggested maintaining magic as a connecting concept for the songs.“Then Vishnu Vijay suggested that we could make this a common theme and use another word related to magic for the next song. That’s how the song depicting their journey was titled ‘Varnajaalam’. Later, when Suhail came up with another version of the climax, I continued the same idea and wrote ‘Indrajaalam’.”The titles themselves therefore continued the association with magic while allowing each song to approach the idea differently.
‘Muttayi Vandi’ presents magic differently
Vinayak Sasikumar also discussed ‘Muttayi Vandi’, which follows the same broad concept through a different lyrical approach. He explained that the song uses simpler expressions and a perspective distinct from Nivin Pauly’s character.“The song ‘Muttayi Vandi’ is also fundamentally about magic, but it approaches the idea differently. Its vocabulary is closer to the way children would speak. That song is also about what is happening around me, but it is not from Nivin’s perspective. Instead, it is from Mamitha’s perspective or perhaps the perspective of someone watching from outside.”
‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ sees box office growth
Meanwhile, ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ registered a strong improvement in its theatrical collection on Saturday. The film reportedly earned Rs 1.90 cr in India net on Day 30, according to Sacnilk. It had collected Rs 1.03 cr on Friday, meaning Saturday’s figure was 84.5% higher.The movie was screened across 1,003 shows on Day 30. On the previous day, ‘Bethlehem Kudumba Unit’ had recorded 29% overall occupancy from 935 shows. The occupancy climbed to 43% on Saturday.The total India Net collections for the Nivin Pauly and Mamitha Baiju starrer stands at Rs 155.13 cr in 30 days.