KUALA LUMPUR, Feb 22 — The Indian music concert fever in Malaysia this year continues with the announcement of Santhosh Narayanan — the music composer of two superhit Rajinikanth movies titled Kaala and Kabali scheduled to perform at the Axiata Arena.

Kabali was fully filmed in Malaysia and was a hit with local audiences — the song Nerupada and the theme song of the movie became an all-time favourite for many fans worldwide.

This time Santhosh who predominantly works in the Tamil film industry for the first time will be performing for his Malaysian fans on March 18 in his first international concert titled: ‘The Sounds of the South.’

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To ensure a standout show, concert organisers Reacch Production Sdn Bhd will be creating a unique stage where a one of its kind three-directional ramped centre stage will be set up.

“The unique stage will give fans a 360-degree view that comes together with a three-musician pit to give the audience seated around the stadium a better view of the show,” said B. Yugeswaran and S. Suresh, the directors of Reacch Production.

The duo told Malay Mail that they are collaborating with renowned concert director Deepak Gatani from Rapport Global Events from Mumbai, India who have done over 2,000 shows worldwide.

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They said the sound design, lighting programmes and screen work for the concert has been well planned to ensure an international show standard is achieved to impress the concert attendees and to give them a memorable experience.

Santhosh will be performing with a vibrant group of singers — among them would be Dheekshitha Venkadeshan known professionally as Dhee, an Australian singer of Sri Lankan Tamil descent who became famous for her Enjoy Enjaami song, that garnered 433 million views worldwide since the music video was released on YouTube on March 10, 2021.

Dheekshitha Venkadeshan known professionally as Dhee, an Australian singer of Sri Lankan Tamil descent who became famous for her song ‘Enjoy Enjaami’, which garnered 433 million views worldwide will be performing at the concert too. — Picture courtesy of Reacch Production
Dheekshitha Venkadeshan known professionally as Dhee, an Australian singer of Sri Lankan Tamil descent who became famous for her song ‘Enjoy Enjaami’, which garnered 433 million views worldwide will be performing at the concert too. — Picture courtesy of Reacch Production

Actor and singer Dhruv Vikram who had starred in hit films such as Adithya Varma and Mahaan have also been confirmed to be part of the line-up.

Besides Dhee and Dhruv, other performers will be Haricharan,‘Super Singer’ Priyanka, Vijaynarain, Anathu, Gana Muthu, Meenakshi Ilayaraja and many others.

Santhosh will also be performing with Malaysian singers and dancers during the concert in a move to recognise the local talents here where there will be an estimated 13,000 fans.

Suresh confirmed three local choreographers with 20 local dancers of different races will also be part of the concert. Meanwhile, other top local singers are expected to join the line-up later on.

The composer has also roped in Canadian-born Tamil-speaking rapper Shan Vincent de Paul @SVDP to perform for the first time in Malaysia.

The music director will be showcasing his versatility as a composer by performing and featuring some of the most popular songs from his discography, along with never-before-heard extended tracks.

“I'm thrilled to be performing live in concert for the first time outside India, and I can't wait to share my latest work with my fans,” said Santhosh who was born in Trichy, Tamil Nadu, India.

“I believe music has the power to bring people together and to create a sense of community, and I hope this concert will do just that,” he said, adding he has put together a fantastic list for the concert.

Santhosh (in white) during his recent press conference in Kuala Lumpur to promote his upcoming concert. (From left) Co-founder of Ticket2u Wooi Chang Tan and show organising partners B.Yugeswaran and S.Suresh. — Picture courtesy of Reacch Production
Santhosh (in white) during his recent press conference in Kuala Lumpur to promote his upcoming concert. (From left) Co-founder of Ticket2u Wooi Chang Tan and show organising partners B.Yugeswaran and S.Suresh. — Picture courtesy of Reacch Production

Santhosh, fondly known as SaNa by his fans and for winning many awards in the Indian film industry, is known for his musical background and his enthusiasm in engaging folk traditional musical instruments in his song composition which gives a different feel of sound to the listeners.

Santhosh shot to fame after he showed his musical prowess by working on different genres and coming up with equally flamboyant scores.

In 2014, he scored music for Cuckoo a romantic drama, Jigarthanda, a black comedy, Madras, a political drama, and Enakkul Oruvan, a Tamil psychological thriller.

Tickets for the concert are on sale now and are expected to sell out fast as the artists’ lineup is revealed.

For more information about the concert and to purchase tickets, visit www.ticket2u.com.my.