Special Interview with Santosh Logandran.
By Aki Uehara
Santosh Logandran, the music director for the Malaysian blockbuster film ‘Mat Kilau’. He is a Malaysian musician active both domestically and internationally, including participating in Japanese theater productions. He learned the singing and tabla playing of Indian classical music, on which he traces his roots, during his childhood. He has now built a career as a composer, singer-songwriter, and sound engineer. Drawing on the musicality cultivated within Malaysia’s multi-ethnic society, Santosh weaves a unique musical tapestry that blends diverse musical influences with modernity. In this interview, Santosh tells us about his activities that transcend genres.
『Soul of ODYSSEY』
Experience on the Theatrical Production in Japan
I, Aki Uehara, the editor of WAU, first experienced Santosh’s music live in February this year, when five artists from Malaysia participated in the stage production “Soul of ODYSSEY” (in Tokyo) by world-renowned director Hiroshi Koike. Santosh was invited to perform music along with the Japanese musician Yutaka Ota.
“ Mr. Koike creates works centered on the grand theme of life while highlighting social issues. Whether it’s the acting, visual expression, or music, everything takes shape from clear images in his mind. He was very detailed about the music too, specifying the exact length and the sounds he wanted. This work was a major challenge for me and taught me many things,” said Santosh.
Koike’s theater productions are characterized by meticulously calculated visuals, physical expression, music, and spatial design, creating an impactful experience where the stage seems to manifest outer space itself. I became deeply curious about how Santosh, who plays the music that draws the audience into the story within that world, came to walk the path as a musician.
The Path from Indian Classical Music to Becoming a Musician
Santosh grew up in an Indian family and began learning to sing at a young age under the same master as his father, who practiced Indian classical music. From age 15, he took tabla lessons for about five years at the Temple of Fine Arts (TFA), an institution teaching Indian traditional performing arts including music and dance. There he mastered the fundamentals of Indian classical music by learning to play the tabla, a pair of large and small drums used in North Indian classical music.
I self-taught other musical instruments like guitar and piano through the internet. My start as a musician began by DJing at friends’ birthday parties and creating self-organized events to perform music. By the age of 19, I was playing alongside my master while learning Qawwali, Pakistan’s traditional religious music deeply connected to Islamic Sufism. Music has always been present in my environment since childhood and occupies a large part of my life, so building a career as a musician felt very natural to me,” says Santosh.
After that, he studied sound engineering at the Ocean Institute of Audio Technology (OIAT) in Kuala Lumpur, a specialized school for audio engineering and music production, and earned a Diploma. He then began building his career as a sound engineer.
Over the past few years, Santosh has also been active as a music director and composer for films and stage productions. His distinctive musical style—featuring songs and percussion rooted in Indian classical music blended with contemporary sounds—is clearly shaped by his experiences from childhood.
Latest Music Video
“VA ANBEY VA“
Santosh, aside from performing and music production, also paints and edits videos, and he edits his own music videos.
“My latest music video, [Va Anbey Va], is a song I created with the heartfelt desire to be a better person for those I love and for myself. It’s sung in both Tamil and English. I thought I was held back against my will until I understood that true “freedom” comes not from fighting life, but from embracing it as it is. This song calls for letting go of our inner negative and disruptive thoughts, feelings, and actions, and living life to the fullest. My vocals are set to music that blends elements of blues with more contemporary lo-fi pop.”
Sound engineer, Musician in the World of Film
Santosh, who also works in film productions as a sound engineer, participated in the Malaysian film “The Garden of Evening Mists” (*1) (directed by Tom Lin, 2019) as a sound engineer. This film features a collaboration between Malaysia’s Lee Sin-je and Japan’s Hiroshi Abe. (*1. A fantastical and mysterious historical love story that explores the romance between a Japanese gardener and a local woman in Malaysia (then Malaya) during World War II.)
““The Garden of Evening Mists” was a truly remarkable ‘Asian film’ directed by Taiwanese filmmaker Tom Lin, featuring actors from Malaysia, Japan, and Taiwan, and produced by a multinational team of artists from diverse backgrounds. It was also a film that allowed me to appreciate the beauty of Japanese gardens, making it one of the most memorable works I’ve encountered,” he reflects.
After that, he became the music director responsible for creating the entire film’s score, but he says he struggled at first, having very little knowledge of the film scoring process and having very little experience with it.
“Film music involves grasping the overall theme of the story to create a motif melody, then arranging that melody to match the emotions of each scene. Since film music production differs from the work of a sound engineer, I’ve spent the past decade or so experimenting through trial and error.”
He then served as music director for the highest-grossing Malaysian film in history, “Mat Kilau: Kebangkitan Pahlawan” (directed by Syamsul Yusof), released in 2022.
This action film depicts the battle between Malaysia’s historical figure Mat Kilau and British colonists. Initially, the director requested music with a Hollywood-like feel, incorporating Western-style strings and such. However, since the film portrays traditional Malay culture and the people’s ‘Semangat’ (spirit), including martial arts like Silat, I proposed incorporating sounds from Malaysian ethnic instruments: the suling (reed flute), rebab (stringed instrument), gendang (double-headed drum), and suling (bamboo flute). I believe this approach truly captured the essence of Malaysia.”
After the film’s release, he was surprised by the high level of attention it received, as the song “Pencak Silat” from the soundtrack—used in the silat scenes—was widely adopted by many younger people in TikTok videos.
What impressed me even more was an episode where Mr. Santosh, who had been interviewed many times about this work, repeatedly answered the question, “Why could an Indian musician compose music for a Malay film?” He said, “Of course, Indian classical music is what I first learned and forms the foundation of my music, but before that, I am a Malaysian. I grew up surrounded not only by Indian friends, but also Malay and Chinese friends.” In Malaysia, one encounters diverse cultures and hears various music even in daily life. Santosh’s musicality was cultivated within this multicultural Malaysian society.He also participated as a composer in the Malaysian film ‘Legasi: Bomba the Movie’ (directed by James Lee and Frank See), which was released on August 21, 2025.
“HINOTORI” Project,
Music Woven withDiverse Artists from around the World
Santos is currently preparing for the stage production “HINOTORI Phoenix of Mountain & Phoenix of Sea”, which will be staged in Kyoto and Tokyo this fall. This production is the culmination of director Hiroshi Koike’s “HINOTORI Project,” which he has been developing worldwide as the four-year international collaboration since 2022. Diverse artists from Japan, Poland, Malaysia, Brazil, and Indonesia have come together across borders to depict the “HINOTORI,” embodying the fundamental themes of ‘death’ and “rebirth.”
“HINOTORI can be described as a “global palette” gathering colorful music from around the world. Through Koike’s direction, traditional and contemporary music from across the globe blend masterfully, creating a groundbreaking sound that unites into a single theatrical performance. When I think about this work, the words of the Tamil poet Kaniyan Poongundranar come to mind: ‘ Yaadhum Oore Yaavarum Kelir. It means ‘This world is everyone’s home and all are my kin. This is what this project represents for me.”
“I want to broaden my creative horizons by participating in music productions across genres, including film and theater. I also want to expand the richness of my musical approach by collaborating with various traditional instruments. Furthermore, I aim to pass on my skills to the next generation and nurture young musicians.” He concluded by sharing his vision for the future.
For now, I look forward to the September and October stage performances of ‘HINOTORI Phoenix of Mountain & Phoenix of Sea’.
【Information】
京都公演『HINOTORI 火の鳥・山の神篇』※前半部のみ
■ 日程： 2025年9月13日（土）全2回公演
■ 会場：ロームシアター京都 サウスホール
東京公演『HINOTORI 火の鳥・山の神篇／火の鳥・海の神篇』
■ 日程： 2025年10月11日（土）～14日（火）全6回公演
■ 会場： なかのZERO 大ホール
KYOTO- “Phoenix of Mountain”
September 13 (Sat), 2025
Venue: ROHM Theatre Kyoto South Hall
TOKYO- “Phoenix of Mountain & Phoenix of Sea”
October 11 (Sat)- 14 (Tue), 2025
Venue: Nakano ZERO-large hall
「HINOTORI 火の鳥プロジェクト」Official site： https://kikh.org/2025/03/05/hinotori-phoenix-of-mountain-phoenix-of-sea/
【Film ‘Legasi: Bomba the Movie’】
The film ‘Legasi: Bomba the Movie’ (Director: James Lee), where Santosh participated as a composer, released in Malaysia on August 21, 2025. This action drama depicts the trials of firefighters confronting a fierce blaze threatening the lives of civilians and firefighters within a skyscraper.
