Sushin Shyam

Sushin Shyam received his early education at St.Joseph's Higher Secondary School, Thalassery, and Mambaram Higher Secondary School in Thalassery. Under his father's guidance, a musician himself, Sushin learned to play the keyboard from an early age, even performing on stage at the tender age of 3.[5] Throughout his schooling years, he was an active participant in youth festivals, winning numerous state awards. Initially enrolling in an engineering course at Sri Sidhartha Institute of Technology, Sushin later opted out to follow his passion for music. He relocated to Chennai in pursuit of new prospects within the music industry.[6] He honed his skills during a two-year stint working with Music Director Deepak Dev.[7]

Sushin's contributions as a keyboard programmer for composer Rasheed, particularly for the popular album song "Akalukayano," garnered him a loyal following among the Kerala audience. Sushin also joined The Down Troddence, a home studio project initiated by musicians Varun and Munz in 2008, as their keyboardist. By 2010, The Down Troddence[8] evolved into a six-member live band with Sushin as a vital part. Their debut album, How Are You? We Are Fine, Thank You, was launched in 2014. This album led to Sushin's nomination for the Best Keyboardist award (both critics' choice and popular choice) at the Rolling Stone Metal Awards in 2015.[9][10]

Sushin Shyam commenced his film career at the young age of 19, with Deepak Dev serving as his mentor. Over a span of four years, he assisted Deepak Dev in programming background scores for more than forty-five Malayalam, Tamil, and Telugu movies. His composition skills were showcased in the 2012 short film Oru kutti chodyam, directed by Ganesh Raj. The following year, Music Director Rex Vijayan enlisted Sushin's talent for programming the background score for Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi. Sushin also lent his voice to a song, "Thaazhvaram," for the film.[11]

Sushin's encounter with Rex proved to be a major turning point in his career. Encouraged by Rex, Sushin composed the background score for his next film, Sapthamashree Thaskaraha, in 2014, marking his first solo venture as a composer. In addition, he also sang the track "Kayi Ethum Doorathonde" for the film. Sushin's subsequent projects included composing the background score for Lord Livingstone 7000 Kandi in 2015 and for Kismath, directed by newcomer Shanavas Bavakkutty. He also created a song, "Kissa Pathiyil," for the latter film, both of which were well received by audiences.[11][12][13][14][15][16][17][18]

In 2016, Sushin Shyam composed music for the short film Vicky, directed by Manu Joseph. The following year, he contributed to the score and two songs, "Thambiraan" and "Irulu Neelum Raave," for the horror mystery film Ezra directed by Jay.K.[19][20][21][22] He then worked on the background scores for Villain and The Great Father the same year.

In 2018, he was responsible for the songs and score of three films: Maradona, Lilli, and Varathan. Notably, his work on Varathan received significant attention.[23][24]

Sushin continued to make his mark in 2019 with releases like Kumbalangi Nights and Virus.[10][25][26][27] In 2020, he collaborated with Jackson Vijayan to co-compose the background score for Anwar Rasheed's Trance.[28] During the same year, he composed for Kappela and also created the background score for Kilometers and Kilometers, featuring Tovino Thomas.

In 2021, Sushin had several notable releases including Malik, Kurup, and Minnal Murali. The track "Raheemun Aleemun" from Malik, performed by eight-year-old Hida Chokkad from Malappuram, achieved significant popularity and virality on the internet.[29][30] Both Sushin's music and Hida's rendition were met with high praise.[31] Another song from the same film, "Theerame Theerame", also charted highly in the year's hit lists.[32]

The crime thriller Kurup received mixed reviews, but Sushin's music and score were widely acclaimed.[33][34] The soundtrack for the superhero film Minnal Murali also gained considerable popularity, with Sajin Srijith of The New Indian Express describing it as "instantly addictive" and reminiscent of "western retro hits".[35] All four songs Sushin composed for this film were also well received.[36]

In 2022, Sushin's first release was Bheeshma Parvam, directed by Amal Neerad and starring Mammootty. The soundtrack was highly successful, particularly the track "Parudeesa" which received outstanding reviews.[37][38] A review in The New Indian Express praised the soundtrack's varied genres, stating, "Sushin Shyam’s instantly immersive music alternates between various genres, from classical to contemporary and, at one point, evokes one of the spaghetti-western scores of Ennio Morricone."[39] The critic Veeyen[40] wrote, "Sushin Shyam’s arresting musical score leaves an extensive impression, and the upbeat track Parudeesa stands out from among the lot."[41]

Sushin has appeared in short or guest roles in movies including Grandmaster, Thattathin Marayathu,[42] Da Thadiya,[43] Honey Bee, Guppy and Mayaanadhi.

• Kerala State Film Award for Best Music Director
• Bheeshma Parvam (soundtrack)
• Kumbalangi Nights (soundtrack)

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