Was Alankrita Menon Sukumaran paid for the L2: Empuraan song?(Photo Credit –Instagram)
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Do you remember the theme song of L2: Empuraan? Well, most of us already knew that it was sung by Alankrita Menon Sukumaran, the 10-year-old daughter of actor-director Prithviraj Sukumaran. Although she only sang a single word twice, its impact on the audience was huge.
Deepak Dev, the music director of the film, recently gave an interview with the YouTube channel Originals. The interview was hosted by Veena Mukundan. In the interview, he mentioned that he was the one who introduced Prithviraj as a singer and also introduced Prithviraj’s daughter as a singer as well.
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During the recording, Alankrita asked for remuneration by saying, “How much will you pay me?” Deepak’s answer was, “I didn’t even pay your father.” In response, she said, “No, no, I will need money.” He responded by saying that she would first have to complete the recording, then turn back, and he would give her the money—but she shouldn’t turn back until the recording was complete.
When she finally looked back, she was happy because Deepak had already figured out her preferences and bought the things she liked, including Harry Potter toys. She had liked J.K. Rowling’s Wizarding World novels. Along with the gifts, he also gave her flowers, a gesture he knew would be appreciated, thanks to his experience as a father of two daughters. The idea of getting Harry Potter toys had actually come from Prithviraj.
The recording was held in a Mumbai studio, with Deepak and Prithviraj joining via Zoom call. Deepak remarked that she was truly her father’s daughter, as she instinctively understood how to convey emotions. He only needed to mention a feeling once, and she grasped it immediately, delivering effortlessly.
When the host asked if he had known Alankrita had such a sweet voice before the recording, his response was unexpected, he hadn’t. He cast her without ever hearing her voice, yet everything fell perfectly into place.
During the Zoom call, as it was his first time meeting Alankrita, he knew he had to make her feel comfortable. To that end, he started with small talk, but Prithviraj quickly intervened, saying, “Ali, this is Deepak Dev. He is the music director, and he is my enemy. Be very careful of him.”
Alankrita simply looked at Deepak, who responded, “Prithvi, don’t backstab me.” He worried that she might hesitate to learn the song out of fear. However, she glanced at her father as if to say, I will deal with him. I have dealt with even worse. Deepak read this from her facial expressions. There is a possibility that she might have a career in acting as well, just like her father.
