Lyricist Anu Elizebeth: It's not about gender, writers tend to go unnoticed unless a song becomes a chart-topping hit

Mollywood is home to incredibly talented women across various fields—whether it's acting or direction, there's no shortage of accomplished names to celebrate. However, when it comes to the realm of music, particularly music direction and songwriting, the list grows noticeably shorter.

While Malayalam cinema boasts legendary female singers, the presence of women as music directors and lyricists remains limited.Despite having iconic women poets in Malayalam literature, the transition to songwriting in cinema has seen only a few names rise to prominence. Much like Tamil cinema has Thamarai, Malayalam too has its own hidden gems and one of them is Anu Elizabeth Jose. As the popular Malayalam phrase goes, she’s the valayitta kai (adorned hand) behind the evergreen romantic hit "Muthuchippi Poloru" from Vineeth Sreenivasan’s Thattathin Marayathu.We caught up with Anu Elizabeth Jose for an exclusive interview to delve into her journey, her creative process, and her experience working in a field that deserves more recognition for its women contributors.

We began with the classic question, how did she become a lyricist? Anu took us back to the early days of Thattathin Marayathu, reminiscing about the unexpected call that changed everything: a call from none other than Vineeth Sreenivasan.

"I had never written a single poem in my life," Anu admitted with a laugh. "It was actually a random farewell song I wrote in 12th standard that unknowingly paved my way into Malayalam cinema. Ganesh Raj, the director of Aanandam, is a close friend of mine, and he recommended my name to Vineeth when he was specifically looking for a female lyricist for Thattathin Marayathu."She recalled being completely caught off guard by the opportunity.

"When Vineeth called, I honestly thought it was a prank. But things got serious when he started narrating the situation of the song. He wanted something fresh, from a female perspective. His narration was so vivid, and the music blended so beautifully with the mood, that the lyrics just flowed naturally," she shared.Anu calls it a natural connection between music and her words, something that just clicks when she sets out to tell a story through lyrics.

Interestingly, the now freelance interior designer openly and unapologetically admits that she doesn’t come from a literary background."I'm not a voracious reader, and my knowledge of literature is quite limited. But I've always been an ardent fan of film songs. Do you remember those ₹5 Paattu Books—the ones with lyrics of popular songs? I used to collect all of them as a child and copy the lyrics into my notebook. Maybe that played a part in shaping me.

Every time I work on a song, I replay the music multiple times. It honestly feels like the lyrics are already hidden in the tune, I just have to write them down," Anu shared.

Anu isn’t just the lyrical voice behind Thattathin Marayathu’s iconic “Muthuchippi Poloru.” She’s also penned the soothing lines of several beloved Malayalam songs, including “Payye Veeshum Kaattil” from Aanandam, “Omal Kanmani” from 32aam Adhyayam 23aam Vaakyam, “Theerathe Neelunne” from Thira, and many more.While her Wikipedia profile lists “Uyarum Manjalayil” from June as her most recent work, Anu reveals that she was, in fact, the lyricist behind nearly all the songs in the Mukesh-starrer Philip's.Curious about her relatively low profile despite such an impressive portfolio, we asked Anu why she’s stayed away from the limelight. Here’s what she had to say.“No, I’m not on a break. I take up projects whenever they come my way. I got married in 2016, and since my husband is a sailor, I had the opportunity to travel a lot. During that time, I was almost unreachable for a while, and maybe that’s why people assumed I had stepped away from the industry. But that’s not the case at all. I’m very much here, happily balancing my interior design work along with the film projects that come to me,” she saidWhen asked about the lack of female presence in the Malayalam songwriting industry, Anu acknowledged the disparity but noted that there are indeed a handful of talented women lyricists working in the field.

While they may not always be in the spotlight, their contributions are significant and growing steadily.

“It’s not that women aren’t part of the industry, it’s just that they often don’t get the recognition they deserve. In fact, it’s not even about gender. Even when it comes to male lyricists, how many can people name off the top of their heads today? Lyricists, in general, tend to go unnoticed unless a song becomes a chart-topping hit,” she shares.She pointed out that there are incredibly talented writers like Dhanya and Sasikala Menon whose work is truly beautiful, but those songs or the films they’re part of rarely get the spotlight they deserve. “Take my own work, for example. People may remember Muthuchippi or Shyamambaram, but what about the rest? It’s not about being male or female/ it’s just how the industry works. Recognition often comes not with the quality of the song, but with how well it performs,” she said.Addressing the common debate about the declining quality of lyrics in current songs, Anu emphasized that lyricists can only write what the movie’s narrative and mood demand. She pointed out that the creative direction often shapes the kind of lyrics required, and writers work within those boundaries to best serve the film’s story.“You can pour all your creativity into a poem, but when it comes to a movie song, your canvas is much smaller.

It depends on the situation, the character, and the film itself,” Anu explained. “A song like ‘Kallipoonkuyile’ came to life because the movie’s narrative called for it. Just as movies have evolved, songs need to evolve too. Movie songs have always faced scrutiny at the time of their release. The songs we celebrate now weren’t always recognized immediately. Maybe today’s songs will gain appreciation years later, when they become nostalgic.

Besides, how many new songs do people actually listen to nowadays? Most of us stick to the same playlist, and the frequency with which new songs are heard is very limited.

Today, songs are often reduced to just a 15-second hook line you hear on Instagram,” she adds.

With a handful of memorable songs and a steady place in the industry, Anu is content and proud of her achievements.“Recently, a content creator made a video featuring my songs, and it went viral. Since then, I’ve received countless DMs urging me not to stop creating. Although I haven’t always taken my work too seriously, hearing that my lyrics heals is the greatest reward I could ask for. Even when I’m no longer around, I hope my work continues to resonate with music lovers, that’s truly a blessing,” she concluded.

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