‘Spirit of Chennai’ is a tribute video directed by Kollywood star ‘Chiyaan’ Vikram. The song was composed by C. Girinandh and his band Oxygen, and several prominent singers are part of it. The video too features many biggies from the southern film industries, all of whom came together to show solidarity with the relief efforts and to express their gratitude to the volunteers and relief workers.
The city was subject to torrential rains in December 2015, resulting in floods that left several hundreds dead. Many more were rendered homeless, and the crisis quickly escalated to unprecedented levels. While the army was called in to helm relief operations, the spirit of the city shone through its citizens, who came together to help each other, despite being in dire situations themselves. It was a time that saw ordinary people turn heroes – with people opting to stay on in the inundated city to lend a helping hand, refusing to find higher ground themselves. It was also a tragedy that saw very effective use to social media to drive relief operations. Tamil star Siddharth was leading from the front, personally visiting affected areas and co-ordinating non-stop over social media to ensure distribution of supplies thorough the city. The large-heartedness of Chennai was something that caught the attention of the whole world as the city tided through the crisis.
In a fitting tribute to the city and the large heart that Chennai and its citizens are blessed with, actor-director Vikram has come up with a video that is all about, well, heart. Staying true to the spirit of the concept, the video focuses on people coming together – be it star or commoner. The camera journeys thorough the city and its beaches with a group of children holding red paper hearts – a nice touch, given how kids themselves wear their hearts on their sleeves. You have to watch out for the familiar faces of the actors in the crowds, for they too, are commoners now. Nobody is accorded special status when tragedy strikes. The video features many actors from the Tamil, Kannada, Telugu and Malayalam movie industries, as well as about 30 prominent singers from the film industry. Blending soulful melody with the spirit of koothu in true Chennai style, the touching video also features actual footage from rescue efforts. The video leaves the viewer with a pertinent question in the voice of Vikram – why does it take a disaster to bring us all together? Also read:
