When I ask actor-musician Neeraj Madhav about the edginess and the underlying note of anger in some lines of his recent hip-hop numbers, he explains that braggadocio is a part of hip-hop music. “Hip-hop has an element of flexing or boasting. It is self-uplifting and about embracing the self. It can also be an outlet to vent anger.
As hip-hop artiste NJ, he has cemented his place in Kerala’s rap-heavy indie music scene. His latest single is ‘Ballaatha Jaathi’, in collaboration with homegrown hip-hop artistes Dabzee and Baby Jean. The earworm has garnered 14 million views on YouTube and has been streamed more than 20 million times [at the time of writing] via several audio streaming platforms since its release in June. The song will be part of his album, Padakuthira, tentatively scheduled to drop later this year. He intends to collaborate with musicians across language and regional barriers for the album.
“Nothing [films] exciting came up after RDX (Robert Dony Xavier). I am a right-brained guy, and if I am not enjoying the process [of creating] then I cannot do it. I’d rather not do something if it does not excite me!”
Belonging to an industry where one’s relevance is measured by how often one is ‘seen’ on screen, Neeraj actively chooses to push boundaries. He also refuses to be complacent, does not try to fit in, and prefers to be picky rather than take on projects to rack up numbers. He will be next seen in Vaashi director Vishnu Raghav’s web series, Love Under Construction , scheduled to stream on Disney Hotstar.
Music focus
He chooses to focus on his music, which, he agrees, has given him access to another audience. His musician persona attracts “a younger, cooler audience.” Music gives him the space to experiment as an artiste; his repertoire includes, besides hip-hop, melodies and pop songs too.
The 34-year-old’s first rap number, which came out in 2020, was Jungle Rap.; Panipaali followed, and there was no looking back as a musician for Neeraj. The indie music scene has evolved exponentially and is financially viable for musicians, unlike in the past.
Of the contributory factors to the success of ‘Ballaatha Jaathi’, the most important is the familiarity with what Neeraj calls the ‘Malabari’ slang. Films located in the region and the popularity of musicians such as Dabzee and Baby Jean, who hail from North Kerala, are factors that have mainstreamed the dialect and slang of the region.
“I wrote the hook for the song in 2020, but I did not attempt it then as I felt, at the time, that people would not get it. It is the right time now to collaborate with Dabzee and Baby Jean; we are from that part of Kerala,” Neeraj says.
While he belongs to Kozhikode, Dabzee and Baby Jean hail from Malappuram. Rapper-producer Rzee, who hails from Kannur, completes a combination of artists best equipped to reflect the culture of Malabar. Three different styles of the genre come together effortlessly in the song. The video is slick, and the song is an earworm, the kind you listen to in a loop.
Making Ballaatha Jaathi…
Rather than create a video with aesthetics typical of the original hip-hop style, Neeraj wanted something rooted in the local culture owing to the vibrant subculture around Malayalam hip-hop music and musicians. “American hip hop draws from hood culture and gun violence, which we cannot relate to. We can only take the essence of it and add local and ethnic elements, with some cultural integration. Since Malabar has a strong Arabian influence, we discussed the concept of Arabian Nights and reimagined it for the video!” The concept and direction is by Pranav Sasidharan. He has spared no expenses in the making of the single, with the intent of creating a ‘benchmark’ for indie music.
“Unlike films, one has creative liberty as a musician. There are no strings attached. There have been hits and misses, but it has been an exciting journey in music.” He finds live performances invigorating ‘euphoric’ experiences.
That being said, he likes both his jobs — as an actor and a musician. “The gratification in acting is not instant, unlike, say, a live performance. That said, you can continue being an actor at any stage. Films give you a larger space for storytelling. As does music, where you get, say, five or 10 minutes. I am a fan of storytelling.”
Storyteller first
He made his acting debut in 2013, the notable role being Drishyam’s Monichan. He has been part of films such as Apothecary, Oru Mexican Aparatha, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, Kunjiramayanam, Charlie, Adi Kapyare Kootamani, Enkkilum Chandrike and, most recently, Varshangalkku Shesham. Neeraj was one of the first actors from the Malayalam film industry to appear in a web seriesThe Family Man (2019) on Amazon Prime and later Feels Like Ishq on Netflix. He had been working in other language industries, like Gautham Menon’s Tamil gangster film Vendhu Thanindhathu Kaadu (2022), when RDX came calling.
Neeraj Madhav
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The 2023 film, directed by Nahas Hidayath, which he headlined with Shane Nigam and Anthony Varghese, was the kind of comeback-with-a-bang film any actor would dream of. Xavier was vindication and proof that he could do different types of roles, even action-hero roles. He wanted a comeback vehicle because “you do character actor-type roles in other language industries, chances are you will get the same kind of roles again.”
In more than 10 years since his acting debut, Neeraj has worked his way up in an industry that is still largely driven by camps and connections, unless you are an A-lister. Some of the angst of having to struggle finds expression in his music. “Yes, there are autobiographical elements in my songs. I have had my share of problems trying to cope with the system, but I am still standing.” These feelings find expression in his music, where he writes about, among other things, being an outsider and not feeling welcome.
Neeraj is now co-writing a couple of scripts that he intends to produce. “Fortunately, today I am in a position to orchestrate projects for myself. Look at what Rakshit Shetty and Rishab Shetty are doing. Rather than wait for exciting projects to come my way, I want to make them happen.”
