Darbuka Siva returns to the stage with a special live concert in Chennai

Darbuka Siva is no stranger to the stage. A part of independent music bands before plunging into films full-time, Siva has seen several Chennai stages as a percussionist and musician; his last appearance was is 2012.

More than a decade later, Siva — now armed with multiple film album hits as a composer, besides his acting and directorial ventures — returns to the stage. This Friday, he is presenting an “intimate live concert experience” that will be built around the emotion and nostalgia of his familiar songs, along with his larger musical world beyond film tracks.

Presented by The Madras Collective, the concert has been aptly titled ‘Maruvaarathai Pesaathey’, after one of his biggest hits. “It’s exciting and nerve-wracking at the same time,” he says, “I feel free when I’m on stage, and when I see an audience in front of me, it helps me to push myself more.”

While Siva will perform his hit tracks like ‘Mudhal Nee Mudivum Nee’, ‘Visiri’ and ‘Hey Nijame’, he also hopes to share details about the varied world musical influences that made him explore the arts. “It is going to be an intimate setting aimed at making it an immersive experience, rather than a usual large-stage concert style show.”

The evening will also feature Grammy winner Tanvi Shah and other Siva’s frequent collaborators like Gautham Vasudev Menon, Kishen Das and Meetha Raghunath. “He (Gautham) has been following my work since my independent music days, which led to me working with him on film projects as well. He has always supported me and kept enquiring about a live performance,” reveals Siva.

With some surprise performances and an evening packed with musical arrangements and storytelling, this concert comes at a time when Chennai is already basking in a lot of music, thanks to the ongoing Margazhi season. “This city’s audiences have always been receptive to new music styles; I hope they will discover something new during this show too. I’m excited to start the year with a live performance, which you’ll see more of,” says Siva, who is currently busy with the music score of director Dayal Padmanabhan’s Lakshmikanthan Kolai Vazhaku, director Umapathy Ramaiah’s satire, and a couple of other projects.

‘Maruvaarthai Pesaathey’ is on January 2 (3:30 PM and 7 PM) at Museum Theatre, Egmore. For tickets, log on to district.in