Indie singer MS Krsna on landing the Jailer 2 song with Rajinikanth and Anirudh

MS Krsna, an independent musician who until now worked largely outside the film industry, sang the theme track and the 'One Moon, One Sun' number featuring Rajinikanth in Jailer 2. He recorded the track alongside the film's composer, Anirudh, according to an interview with Srinivasa Ramanujam in The Hindu.

Krsna, 27, has been building a reputation in the indie scene with songs such as 'Odathey Oliyathey' and 'Piravi'. By The Hindu's account, none of them has approached the popularity of his Jailer 2 work. "My DMs have been flooded with texts that I'm unable to respond to all," he said.

How the call came

Krsna was planning a video for a track from his upcoming album Nejama when a text arrived from Ananth, Anirudh's violinist and close aide. He knew Anirudh was working on Jailer 2 but did not know whether the invitation concerned that project.

That became clear when the scratch version played. "When the scratch played and I heard the famous 'Hukum' horn, I had goosebumps as I realised that this was a song for Rajinikanth," he said. A few days later he was called in to record, and he finished within an hour. Krsna described Anirudh as "a genuinely nice person" who encourages singers to give their best.

He did not frame the booking as a career plan. "It's about being in the right place at the right time," he said, adding that the biggest thrill was being able to tell his grandchildren he sang the main song in what could become one of Rajinikanth's biggest superhits.

A fan's view of the Rajinikanth theme

Krsna told the paper he realised what the work meant twice: first when he heard the track, and again when he watched it unfold on the big screen. He offered his own reading of why the song lands. In the film, he said, Rajinikanth is a subdued figure with "an army of people ready to do everything for him the second he removes his glasses". After years of Rajinikanth theme songs, he feels that in Jailer 2 "the emotional arc of the Rajini fan in you gets amplified".

His first Rajinikanth film on the big screen was Padayappa (1999), which his mother took him to when he was a baby.

Nejama and a family of musicians

Krsna comes from a line of musicians on both sides of his family. His great-grandmother was the late Seetha Doraiswamy, a noted jalatarangam exponent, and he learnt from her briefly as a child. On one Nejama track he plays jalatarangam using the bowls she once used.

Nejama is a six-track album that includes 'Ennama Thozhi', 'Creatures' and 'Paati song'. It collects songs he wrote between the ages of 18 and 23. He said releasing such personal material was difficult, and that John Mayer's album Continuum helped him make the leap. He also named AR Rahman's 'Kun Faya Kun' as a personal song that resonated with him.

Krsna will soon make his debut as a film composer with Kaagangal, which stars Yogi Babu.

The Hindu also notes that actor Namo Narayana has drawn attention in Jailer 2 despite the film's big names.

This report draws on reporting by thehindu.com.