Basil C J
Basil C J | |
|---|---|
ബേസിൽ സി ജെ | |
| Born | Basil C J Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district, Kerala, India |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2012–present |
| Musical career | |
| Genres | |
| Instruments |
|
| Label | Think Music |
Basil C J (Malayalam: ബേസിൽ സി ജെ) is an Indian music composer, lyricist, singer and poet who works primarily in the Malayalam film industry. He has worked on several Malayalam films across different genres, including Aattam (2023), 1956, Central Travancore (2019) and Ithiri Neram (2025).[1][2]
Early life and education
Basil was born in Perumbavoor, Ernakulam district, Kerala. He began writing and composing songs from his high school years and started learning the flute during his college days.[2] After completing a bachelor's degree in Commerce, he moved to Chennai to pursue further studies in music. In Chennai, he continued learning Carnatic flute and also began studying the piano. He completed a diploma in audio engineering from the SAE Institute and subsequently worked with various musicians in Chennai. He has been working as an independent music composer since 2014.[2]
Career
In 2012, Basil published 12 Little Piano Pieces, a piano score book comprising Western classical piano compositions. He made his debut as a film composer in 2014 with Oraalppokkam.
Basil composed the background score for Aattam (2023), directed by Anand Ekarshi, which won three National Film Awards including Best Feature Film, Best Screenplay and Best Editing.[3] The film also won the Grand Jury Award for Best Picture at the Indian Film Festival of Los Angeles (IFFLA) in 2023.[3]
In 2025, he composed the songs and background score for Ithiri Neram, directed by Prasanth Vijay. He also wrote the lyrics for all the songs in the film.[4][5]
He received a Jury Mention for Best Soundtrack at the 32nd Cinema Jove – Valencia International Film Festival in 2017 for the music of Sexy Durga.[6]
In addition to his work as a composer, Basil is also a lyricist who has written lyrics for various Malayalam songs. His song "Neeyorikkal" from Ithiri Neram was noted for its poetic quality. His other lyric credits include "Nee Vasantha Kaalam" and "Indheevarangal", among others.[5][7]
Filmography
As composer
| Year | Film | Language | Songs | Score | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Oraalppokkam | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Credited as Basil Joseph |
| 2015 | Ozhivudivasathe Kali | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Credited as Basil Joseph |
| 2016 | Avalkoppam | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2017 | Ayaal Sassi | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Eli Eli Lama Sabachthani | Multilingual | Yes | Credited as Basil Joseph | |
| 2017 | Athisayangalude Venal | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | |
| 2017 | Vith | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2017 | S Durga (Sexy Durga) | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | |
| 2018 | Udampadi | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2019 | Chola (Shadow of Water) | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2019 | 1956, Central Travancore | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | Cameo appearance |
| 2020 | Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2022 | Freedom Fight | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2022 | Sreedhanya Catering Service | Malayalam | Yes | ||
| 2023 | Family | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | |
| 2023 | Aattam | Malayalam | Yes | Yes | |
| 2025 | Ithiri Neram | Malayalam | Yes | Yes |
As lyricist
| Year | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|
| 2014 | Oraalppokkam | Malayalam |
| 2016 | Avalkoppam | Malayalam |
| 2017 | Athisayangalude Venal | Malayalam |
| 2017 | S Durga | Malayalam |
| 2019 | Chola | Malayalam |
| 2023 | Aattam | Malayalam |
| 2025 | Ithiri Neram | Malayalam |
As playback singer
| Year | Song | Film | Language |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019 | "Athimodham" | Chola | Malayalam |
Discography
| No. | Song | Film | Year | Lyrics | Singers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | "Cells and Consciousness" | Oraalppokkam | 2014 | Basil C J | Rinu Sreenivasan |
| 2 | "Karimegham" | Ozhivudivasathe Kali | 2015 | Sanal Kumar Sasidharan | Nidhin Lal |
| 3 | "Shappu Kariyum" | Ozhivudivasathe Kali | 2015 | Sanal Kumar Sasidharan | Karinthalakkottam |
| 4 | "The Late Night Girl" | Avalkoppam | 2016 | Basil C J | Anju Brahmasmi |
| 5 | "Shashippatt" | Ayaal Sassi | 2017 | Vinayakumar V | Vineeth Sreenivasan |
| 6 | "Akkane Thikkane" | Ayaal Sassi | 2017 | Vinayakumar V | Sreenivasan |
| 7 | "Olichoraakasham" | S Durga | 2017 | Basil C J | Jayakrishnan S |
| 8 | "Vinodha Jeevitham" | S Durga | 2017 | Basil C J | Jayakrishnan S |
| 9 | "Kaadu" | S Durga | 2017 | Basil C J | Jayakrishnan S |
| 10 | "Athimodham" | Chola | 2019 | Basil C J | Basil C J |
| 11 | "Nee Vasantha Kalam" | Chola | 2019 | Basil C J | Harish Sivaramakrishnan, Sithara Krishnakumar |
| 12 | "Malpriyanadha" | 1956, Central Travancore | 2019 | Kocheeppan Tharakan | Vijeesh Lal |
| 13 | "Erum Vadiyum" | 1956, Central Travancore | 2019 | Sherin Catherine | Various artists |
| 14 | "Pakalukal" | Santhoshathinte Onnam Rahasyam | 2020 | Sherin Catherine | Sithara Krishnakumar |
| 15 | "Chatteem Panem" | Freedom Fight | 2022 | Rahel | Vaikom Vijayalakshmi |
| 16 | "Mind il Pint" | Sreedhanya Catering Service | 2022 | Suhail Koya | Sannidhanandhan |
| 17 | "Indheevarangal" | Aattam | 2023 | Basil C J | K. S. Chithra |
| 18 | "Neeyorikkal" | Ithiri Neram | 2025 | Basil C J | Viswajith C T, Sithara Krishnakumar |
| 19 | "Akalunnu Melle" | Ithiri Neram | 2025 | Basil C J | Sooraj Santhosh, Chithra Arun |
| 20 | "Nishayil" | Ithiri Neram | 2025 | Basil C J | Veetraag |
| 21 | "Theeram Thodaathe" | Ithiri Neram | 2025 | Basil C J | Sooraj Santhosh, Mridula Warrier |
| 22 | "Madhuramoorunna" | Ithiri Neram | 2025 | Basil C J | Kapil Kapilan |
Awards and nominations
| Year | Award | Category | Film | Result |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2017 | 32nd Cinema Jove – Valencia International Film Festival | Jury Mention for Best Soundtrack | Sexy Durga | Won |
References
- ^ "Basil C J". IMDb. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ a b c "ബേസിൽ സി ജെ – Basil CJ". M3DB – Malayalam Movies and Music Database (in Malayalam). Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Anand Ekarshi's 'Aattam' wins Grand Jury Award at IFFLA". New India Abroad. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "ഓർമവച്ച കാലം മുതൽ പാട്ടുകൾ ചെയ്യുമായിരുന്നു". Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam). 10 November 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ a b "Composer-lyricist Basil C J: We wanted Ithiri Neram's music to reflect nostalgia". The New Indian Express. 21 November 2025. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "32nd Edition". Cinema Jove. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
- ^ "Interview with Basil C J". Malayala Manorama (in Malayalam). 10 December 2019. Retrieved 3 March 2026.
External links
- Basil C J at IMDb
- Basil C J at M3DB
- Basil C J on Apple Music