Neeraj Madhav: ‘When I Started with Music, It Was Not About Making It Big’

Even if you’re actor Neeraj Madhav, it’s not every day you get to dress up as a genie. Making music under the moniker NJ since the pandemic in 2020, the artist’s latest single “Ballaatha Jaathi” has all the makings of a grandiose hit, with complete with Malayalam hip-hop artists Dabzee and Baby Jean adding solid presence.

Madhav says over a call about playing a suave, fully kitted genie in the video and how it was different from what he gets to do on shows and movies, “We have more realistic characters [in Malayalam cinema].” Seen in films like Varshangalkku Shesham and RDX: Robert Dony Xavier in recent times, Madhav builds his own universe in the music video for “Ballaatha Jaathi,” directed by Pranav Sasidharan.

Madhav, who raps under the moniker NJ, says they were pitching different ideas when Sasidharan came up with a spin on the folktale Arabian Nights. The song is produced by Madhav’s go-to beatsmith Rzee, with the two working together on this year’s previous releases like “Chetharu” and “Dracula.”

The actor turned to writing and recording hip-hop songs during the pandemic lockdowns, finding more time on his hands and more ways to “find creative liberty.” He adds, “I started making mixtapes and stuff like that. And then one fine day, one of the songs like really took off.” He’s referring to the 2020 single “Panipaali,” which came after his debut collection of songs, Jungle Speaks, Vol.1. With several more hits along the way and appearing on songs like Netflix’s “Namma Stories” in 2021 with fellow South Indian rappers Arivu, Hanumankind and Siri.

In 2024, with a project like “Ballaatha Jaathi,” the intent was very much to “go big” even if he hadn’t treated his music that way with previous singles. “This particular song, I knew the potential,” Madhav adds. To that end, he’s putting together an album called Padakuthira (which translates to “war horse” from Malayalam). “We are looking at an album that is very pan-Indian, and I want collaborations from the North, from the other languages in the South, and maybe being even more ambitious, and have somebody who’s International,” the artist says.

Thematically, Madhav says the album will explore his journey as an artist in music and acting and “the whole underdog journey of not having any background in the industry.” It starts with “Ballaatha Jaathi” having a hyperlocal flavor, enlisting Dabzee and Baby Jean to heighten the North Malabar regional slang in the lyrics. “These two artists, they hail from Malabar and they also write and sing in Malabar slang. That was the particular reason why they were like proper fit into the song,” Madhav says.

The hook sung by Madhav was something he wrote in 2020 itself, but felt that people weren’t ready for it. He proudly counts himself as one of those hip-hop artists who wanted to explore Malayalam rap, more so in movie soundtracks where it especially thrives now. “It was very new, so people were not used to this genre, and I was always excited by it,” he adds. With the rise of Malayalam rap leading to more movie soundtracks incorporating hip-hop and making stars like Dabzee and Baby Jean among several others, Madhav says “this is the right time” for his album Padakuthira to come out. “I’ve been even taking a break from acting for the last couple of months to finish it,” he says. With most of the demos for the album out of the way, Madhav says he’s putting together the final recordings, bringing in more featured artists and plan to release it at the end of the year.

Watch the video for “Ballaatha Jaathi” below.