Chennai, India – Multi-hyphenate artiste Hiphop Tamizha Adhi’s directorial debut, 2017’s Meesaya Murukku, might have been a commercial potboiler, but it interestingly captured one of the most pivotal stories in the history of modern Tamil indie music. The film was a partly fictionalised biopic of how Adhi became a pioneer of Tamil indie music, but through his story, it also reflected the reality of the indie scene. And now, almost a decade later, Tamil indie music is riding a high tide, and Adhi has returned with a sequel, Meesaya Murukku 2, set to hit theatres on September 25.
The second film is a spiritual sequel that follows three generations of musicians. Adhi says the film tries to speak about some personal experiences that affected him, particularly his journey with gaana music. “For quite a few years, I have been working with gaana artistes and trying my best to promote gaana. Every time I tried gaana in the mainstream, the feedback made me wonder why this street art form hasn’t been getting the recognition that other styles of music get,” he says. Exploring that question and the lessons learnt along the way form the foundation of Meesaya Murukku 2.
All that said, Meesaya Murukku 2 also brings together three aspects that Hiphop Tamizha Adhi is popularly known for: promoting upcoming artistes, upholding the spirit of friendship, and Tamil cultural advocacy. Over the decade, Adhi has paved the way for many budding talents and continues to work with younger generations of artistes through his hip-hop collective, The Underground Tribe. “When the Internet was a free medium, the playing field was level. But now, labels pump in money for views and campaigns. It is a sad time for them,” he says. The collective is now gearing up for #Bars2, a sequel to their popular rap battle and freestyle poetry series.
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Adhi, through his cultural and social initiative, the Tamizhanda Movement, has been spearheading projects that aim to promote the Tamil language, heritage, and history. After the 2019 documentary series Tamizhi, the initiative is now coming up with Porunai, a documentary nominated for this year’s Foca Film Days, a Turkish festival dedicated to archaeology-related films. Porunai, set to release in 2027, is one of the few documentaries shot during the archaeological excavation, says Adhi. “It shows how a civilisation flourished along the Thamirabarani river earlier than previously believed, and how its people used iron extensively.” Meanwhile, Tamizhi is now being made into a book, and the Tamizhanda Movement is actively involved in the UN’s refugee programme regarding Sri Lankan refugees in India.
