Sumedh K watches films, shows, and goes out with friends, as most 21-year-olds do. But not many, especially in the Kannada film industry, start as young as this music composer. It turned out to be a dream debut for the Bengaluru boy as his songs were one of the pillars of the 100-crore box office show of Su From Soin 2025. Apart from cinema, Sumedh has made an impression in the Kannada independent music space with Thulasi, a soulful song based on the verses of Purandara Dasa. It’s been two weeks since the video was released on YouTube, and it has raced to 2.8 million views, and counting.
“It’s not fair to say I am disturbed, but I am definitely overwhelmed,” Sumedh tells The Hindu about the continuous attention on him over the last few months. I agree that music has become a semi-occupation. Yet, I still see it as a hobby,” adds Sumedh, who is pursuing a User Experience Design course at RV College.
Thulasi was born out of Sumedh’s immense respect for Purandara Dasa, the legendary composer hailed as the father of Carnatic music. “I am glad that a music video was made out of my song,” says Sumedh, thanking the production companies Rectangle Film Productions and Lightbucket Film Productions.
“It was a collaborative process, and there was no ego involved. It’s great to see how people have responded. Many have mistaken this to be produced by a film production team, looking at the superior quality of the video. I am thankful to all those who made this happen.”
The success of Thulasi has put the focus on the Kannada indie music scene. “Sumedh feels there is a shift in attitude required to succeed in the genre. “The way we approach independent music in Karnataka has to change. People want to make a video, and for that purpose, they want a song,” he explains.
“The issue here is that they are approaching indie music as films. Music videos should be made after the song is composed. The video must be a visual representation of the music. Independent music is a lonely effort. You are making music from things that have influenced you. It’s an honest expression, and you aren’t even thinking if this will work with the audience,” adds the youngster, who loves listening to Indian fusion bands such as Agam and Thaikkudam Bridge.
Thulasi spurred a passionate and acrimonious discussion on social media, thanks to the presence of Sanskrit words in the song. The chatter led to the argument of how Kannada has its own ancient history and grammar, and how it isn’t derived from Sanskrit.
“I didn’t claim that Sanskrit is the mother of Kannada. The problem I had was with people who had an issue with songs of Purandara Dasa having ‘too much Sanskrit.’ I felt it was a malicious attack on the cultural treasure we have. If we go on doing this, we will lose everything we treasure.
Sumedh K.
| Photo Credit:
Ravichandran N
“Simplification of language is important. But I don’t agree when you say you will remove everything and purify a language. Culturally, we have borrowed from various languages. Languages aren’t static entities. They are dynamic and evolve. You can’t look at languages as a lab experiment,” he opines. The episode has taught Sumedh not indulge in discourse on social media. “I should let my work speak.”
From 2020, Sumedh has released several singles on Instagram andYouTube, gradually building a following for his work.His song ‘Daaha’ impressed filmmaker-actor Raj B Shetty, who approached Sumedh for Su From So. “They brought me into the project very early. All songs were composed before the shoot. The team exuded the spirit of an indie project.”
Sumedh cherishes working with Raj. “He is very sorted as a person. He understands that music is a collaborative process and there is no room for patronising. He suggested several ideas in arrangements that worked well. Raj has a very good sense of music,” he says.
Su From So was set in the Dakshina Kannada region. The film’s music had to reflect the rootedness of the setting. “My inspiration for the music was the existing material from the Mangaluru-Udupi region. I have enjoyed Rakshit Shetty’s movies such as Ulidavaru Kandante and Avane Srimannarayana. So, I was exposed to the cultural aspects of the region through these movies. I was mindful that my work doesn’t become an imitation of what was already out there. I used percussion instruments in my music to provide an authentic feel to the viewers.”
Sumedh admires the music of Kannada’s Charan Raj and American singer-songwriter Charlie Puth. He aspires to work with Rakshit. “I just love the man,” he confesses. “There is a sense of innocence and purity in his work.” Sumedh also dreams of working with SS Rajamouli, the most sought-after filmmaker in India today. “It’s a wild dream. I like his vision, and music is crucial to his stories. Topping Keeravani (MM) sir will be a task,” he says with a chuckle.
That said, he is very clear about taking it step by step in his career. “There is an assumption that I immediately want to work on multiple projects. I have my own ideas. I need time to work on them. It’s too early in my life to take on plenty of projects. I will burn out.”
Published – February 11, 2026 01:03 pm IST
‘ The preceding article may include information circulated by third parties ’
‘ Some details of this article were extracted from the following source www.thehindu.com ’
