Shankar Mahadevan: Never thought my life’s story could be shown on screen
When she (Deepti Pillay Sivan) narrated her idea, I was amused. But, when I thought about her idea, intention, belief and research on me, the project began to make sense. SHANKAR MAHADEVAN, Musician
Composer-singer Shankar Mahadevan has many hit soundtracks to his credit over the years. But now, the musician finds himself associated with laurels of a different kind. A documentary on his life, titled Decoding Shankar, has won two awards at the Cannes World Film Festival. Directed by Deepti Pillay Sivan, it won in the Best Indian Film and Best Biographical Film categories.
Asked if he saw this coming, he says, “We did not think it will make such a massive impact on audiences and critics alike. I never thought my life’s story could be captured in a book or on the screen.”
When the director reached out to Mahadevan with the idea, he wasn’t sure how it would shape up. “But as the film started taking shape, I knew it would be one of the greatest experiences of my life,” he says.
While he had to play himself in the project, he is open to more acting offers. “I’m used to being in front of the camera. Years of music videos, reality TV shows, and cameos have taught me that. I’ve acted in a Marathi film, Katyar Kaljat Ghusali (2015),” he shares.
It took Sivan two-and-a-half years
to complete the film, which has won at nine festivals so far. “It’s every filmmaker’s dream to win at Cannes, Berlin or Oscars,” she says.
Besides Mahadevan and his family, the film also sees actors Amitabh Bachchan and Aamir Khan, former cricketer Sachin Tendulkar, writer-lyricists Javed Akhtar and Gulzar, actor-filmmaker Farhan Akhtar, and musicians Zakir Hussain and Louis Banks speak about their association with him. “I am grateful to them,” Mahadevan adds.