City’s Qutub-E-Kripa makes it to Oscars

Composer Gopi Sundar’s compositions for Malayalam film Pulimurugan starring Mohanlal became the only other Indian presence on the list. Other contenders include legendary names such as Hans Zimmer for Dunkirk, Alexandre Desplat for The Shape of Water, John Williams for Star Wars: the Last Jedi and so on. 

Chennai musician Alisha Thomas, who sang and wrote the lyrics for one of the songs in the list – We’ll Party All Night – composed by ND Santhosh, said, “It is a fantastic recognition for a brilliant group of talented musicians; I know many of them through my association with Mr Rahman, and we are thrilled.” The singer first rose to fame with the song Don’u Don’u Don’u in Dhanush’s Maari. 

Rianjali, who is originally from New York, but has spent the last year and a half working with Rahman in Chennai, is also happy that the track she sang and wrote – I’ll Be Gone – finds its place among the other heavyweights. “Rahman’s nephew AH Kaashif composed the song, and it actually took shape in less than 20 minutes. The experience was very quick, and I’m just grateful for the honour,” says the youngster, who has worked in upcoming projects such as Fakir of Venice and Le Musk. 

Have You Ever Wondered is the third song by Qutub-EKripa on the list, composed by Jerry Silvester Vincent, and sung by Arjun Chandy and Lavita M Lobo. 

The Academy’s music division will be presented with a reminder about all the contenders when the nomination ballots are released on January 5. On January 23, the Oscar nominations will be announced – featuring only the top five.