Champion Songs’ Massive Response Is Truly Heartening – Mickey J. Meyer
Swapna Cinemas has always been at the forefront of presenting compelling and content-driven films. Their upcoming movie Champion has already created strong buzz with its intriguing promotional material. The film stars Roshan and Anaswara Rajan in the lead roles and is directed by Pradeep Advaitham. Presented by Zee Studios, the film is jointly produced by Aanandi Art Creations and Concept Films.
The songs composed by Mickey J. Meyer have already turned into chartbusters. Champion is scheduled for a grand worldwide release on December 25. On this occasion, music director Mickey J. Meyer interacted with the media and shared interesting insights about the film.
Champion is set in the pre-Independence era. How was the experience of composing music for such a film?
Many films have already been made with an Independence-era backdrop, mostly focusing on the struggle against the British. However, Champion is very special and different. The film is largely set against a Nizam-era backdrop, portraying villages, people, and emotions in a very distinctive way.
I personally love working on period films because traveling from one era to another and experiencing a different time period is always fascinating. Mahanati also gave me a similar kind of emotional and creative experience.
Coming to Champion’s music, the story allowed me to blend Telangana folk music with Western influences and create a fresh genre altogether. I truly enjoyed composing this kind of music. The emotions in the film will strongly connect with the audience.
What was your reaction when director Pradeep narrated the story?
Director Pradeep narrated the story to me over the phone. Even then, I liked it instantly. I was confident that this film would turn out to be very special. The core idea of the story is extremely unique. After watching the film, audiences will feel that no one has attempted a film with such an idea before.
Though it has a sports backdrop, the narrative treatment is completely different. The hero hails from Secunderabad, and his slang is very distinctive. I grew up in Secunderabad myself, so I am quite familiar with that culture.
The song “Giragira” received an excellent response. Can you talk about that situation?
The overwhelming response to “Giragira” made me very happy. It is a proper commercial song and also serves as the hero’s introduction number. It has a strong melody, and when we added an energetic beat, it gave the song a fresh and exciting flavor.
Roshan is an all-rounder—he is a very good actor and dancer. His dance moves in the song are quite unique. We designed the song keeping commercial appeal in mind, and it delivered the success we hoped for.
“Sallangundali” also received a very good response. That song falls perfectly into my comfort zone. There are four songs in the film, and two more tracks will be released soon.
You proved yourself commercially with Mr. Bachchan. Do you feel pressure to prove yourself again?
I never feel the need to prove anything. Whenever a project comes my way, my focus is only on delivering music that suits that particular film and genre. I have been in the industry for about 20 years now and have composed many memorable albums during this journey. That itself gives me immense satisfaction.
How will the love track and background score be in this film?
This is a very unique story, so there is no regular love track. However, the film has a beautiful emotional moment, and we composed a special song for that situation. It’s a haunting melody and very close to my heart.
Do you feel pressure about how a song reaches audiences, especially with the current reels trend?
How a song connects with audiences is not entirely in our hands, so I don’t carry that pressure. I have never composed music specifically for reels. If people like a song, they themselves decide which part works best for reels. That’s why I never worry about it.
How was your overall Champion experience?
Opportunities to compose songs like these are very rare. Every situation in the film is unique, and visually too, audiences will get a completely fresh experience. I’m truly happy that I got the chance to create such new and distinctive music.
How was it working with Swapna Cinemas?
Being a part of their journey is very special for me. Producer Ashwini Dutt garu is extremely experienced and listens to every song carefully. His taste in music is remarkable, and his suggestions are always very valuable to me.
Are you satisfied with your career so far?
I am very happy with my journey. I have delivered many good albums and worked with legendary lyricists like Balu garu, Seetarama Sastry garu, and Veturi garu. I’ve also collaborated with diverse and talented filmmakers such as Sekhar Kammula, Harish Shankar, Srinu Vaitla, Srikanth Addala, and Trivikram Srinivas. I have truly enjoyed every phase of my journey.