It is safe to say that MS Dhoni is one of the most loved cricketers of all time. Everywhere he goes, he gets the loudest cheers. The former Indian captain has a fan following that exceeds all boundaries. Indian Premier League
As far as the Indian Premier League (IPL) is concerned, he is arguably one of the greatest players to have played the league, having won five titles as a captain for the Chennai Super Kings (CSK), alongside being one of the middle-order batters in the history of the Indian T20 League. He recently passed on the responsibilities as CSK’s captain to Ruturaj Gaikwad.
Star Sports recently released a song named “Vaa Thala” as a tribute to MS Dhoni. This song has been sung and composed by Achu Rajamani. The musician’s song has managed to do wonders as fans of the legendary cricketer have been vibing to this song that celebrates the legacy of MS Dhoni ever since its release.
During an exclusive interview with Arvind Kalyana Krishnan, Achu Rajamani opened up about the song and his thought process behind the making of the same. He stated that he was honored to do a song associated with the legendary keeper-batter. Further on, he also said that he too is a fan of Dhoni. Below is the entire interview with Achu Rajamani:
Could you draw light on the creative process behind composing and producing “Vaa Thala”?
So when the initial idea was proposed to me, the first thing that came into my mind is this word, celebration! So what are the layers to add to celebrate the song? It has to be loopworthy and it has to be rhytm-heavy. It needs to have these solid elements that everyone can groove to. So those were the initial creative thinking that I had when the song was proposed.
How does it feel to have your music associated with such an iconic figure in cricket like MS Dhoni?
I was ecstatic when the idea was proposed. I was motivated during the composition and the programming and the live-making process of this song. I was humbled by the output. To sum it up, I’m extremely honored to even say that I did a song for Mahendra Singh Dhoni because the name itself will say a lot of good things. So yeah, what more can you ask for?
What elements did you focus on to capture the essence of MS Dhoni’s journey and persona in the song?
So the name “Thala” means he is the head or the chief. So any stadium in India or even abroad for that matter, the second you see Dhoni, you should see that cheer and that vibration he holds. Instead of all that, the man is cool and calm. I wanted to capture that essence of his calmness but he also has that mass or fire within him. I mean we call him Thala for a reason and I wanted to capture the way he bats. He’s very explosive when he bats and he’s very calm when he commands the field. But his calmness is very intimidating as well. I wanted to capture all of this and put it in this song. That’s how I went about making this song.
What do you hope listeners take away from “Vaa Thala” after experiencing it?
Like I said earlier, I want people to experience the same what I experienced because I’m also one among them and the takeaway is very simple, happiness. We will celebrate him come what may forever. This song will stay, must stay the way it is. It will always and forever be a song dedicated to our Thala.