The lively rhythm and enthusiastic vibe of Neelkanth Shankara commence with Mukesh Ghatwal, a talented artist from Goa, strolling through a waterlogged field portraying Lord Shiva. He adorns a half-man-bun hairstyle, an oversized hoodie, and harem pants, while holding a trishul and rapping the song's lyrics.
Poet and writer John Aguiar has penned the lyrics of Neelkanth Shankara, while Mukesh took charge of both the music composition and vocals. Kalpit Gaonkar directed the video the music of which encompasses three distinct genres, namely EDM, rap, and meditative-devotional.
“We were looking for some unique places to shoot and decided on Loutolim where we shot in the beginning of this month,” says Mukesh. Being a musician who is swamped by work, he says he loves to take up projects which challenge him.
While he delves deep into the composition of songs, he says, “When I start working on a project, I like to go with the flow and I pick up inspiration from there and just like that things happen – it’s not done on purpose.”
The song portrays a combination of different feelings associated with Lord Shiva, which can be categorised into two aspects - spiritual and fearless. “I tried giving it a spiritual feel using rap and fearless emotions through modern music,” says Mukesh, who is seen with a keytar in place of the trishul in the video.
John, who is filled with excitement, mentions that he has recently released another song in addition to Neelkanth Shankara.
“Neelkanth Shankara was released by advocate Atmaram Nadkarni, former Attorney General of India and it was a great moment for me. On the same day, we released another bhakti geet, Har Har Deva Gomanteshwara, which was also written and produced by me.”
Neelkanth Shankara was released on the occasion of Maha Shivratri and has been well accepted by the public. “The response from both elders and youngsters is amazing,” says Mukesh, as he is kept busy replying to text messages and phone calls.
“People from different religious groups have complimented the music and its peppy beats. I received much praise for the music composition, singing and of course my new look in the video,” he quips.
Watch the video to see how this talented singer from Goa always manages to leave a lasting impression.
