Avial Band: Members, Songs, Albums and Story

Avial band guide: the members, the 2008 album, Nada Nada and the other songs behind Kerala's pioneering Malayalam rock band.

Key facts

Avial formed in Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, in 2003 and broke through with the single Nada Nada.
The self-titled album Avial was released on 8 February 2008 with eight songs.
The album sold over 45,000 copies even though it is entirely in Malayalam.
Avial won six of the seven Jack Daniel's Rock Awards in 2008, including album, song and band of the year.
Tony John, Rex Vijayan, Mithun Puthanveetil and Binny Isaac.

Avial is a Malayalam alternative rock band from Kerala, formed in 2003 and known for the song Nada Nada and the self-titled 2008 album that won six Jack Daniel's Rock Awards. The current members are singer Tony John, guitarist Rex Vijayan, drummer Mithun Puthanveetil and bassist Binny Isaac. Their only studio album so far is Avial (2008), though they have also released film songs such as Aanakkallan and Ayyo.

The band calls its sound "Alternative Malayali rock". It mixes rock guitars, electronic textures and turntables with Malayalam folk songs and poetry, and it helped show that a rock band in India could sing in its own language and still find a national audience.

How Avial started

The roots of Avial lie in one song. Nada Nada was written by the lyricist Engandiyur Chandrasekharan and first tuned by John P. Varkey for his Thrissur band Jigsaw Puzzle. Rex Vijayan, then a guitarist with the Kochi rock band Motherjane, told The Hindu that he lived in Varkey's house in Thrissur for two years, learning from him and reworking the song. Tony John and Rex Vijayan were also musicians with the Daksha Sheth Dance Company in Thiruvananthapuram.

The turning point came when Pradeep Kalipurayath, then a producer with SS Music, heard the song and encouraged the musicians to shoot a video. In a 2025 interview with Musicunplugged, Tony John said it was Kalipurayath who suggested they name the band, and that Rex "randomly came up with 'Avial', and it just clicked." The name comes from avial, the Kerala dish of mixed vegetables served as part of a sadya, which fits a band built from many different influences.

The Nada Nada video spread online, and fans pushed the band to make a full album. Tony John told The Hindu in 2016 that singing in Malayalam was not a planned decision: "All of us had worked with English bands. We felt there was something missing and started singing in Malayalam."

Avial band members

The early line-up that recorded Nada Nada included singer Anandraj Benjamin Paul, Tony John on turntables and backing vocals, Rex Vijayan on guitar and percussionist Jophy, with John P. Varkey involved as a songwriter. Bassist Naresh Kamath of the fusion band Kailasa joined for the album, and drummer Mithun Puthanveetil joined later.

Before the band's first live shows in 2008, Anandraj Benjamin Paul moved to the United States, so Tony John took over lead vocals. Naresh Kamath returned to Kailasa, and Binny Isaac became the bassist. That line-up has stayed together since.

Current members

Tony John, lead vocals and turntables
Rex Vijayan, guitars and synthesiser
Mithun Puthanveetil, drums
Binny Isaac, bass

Former members

Anandraj Benjamin Paul, lead vocals
Naresh Kamath, bass
C. I. Joffy (Jophy), drums and percussion
John P. Varkey, guitar and songwriting in the early years

Tony John is the singer most fans know today, and he is famous for performing in a lungi. Rolling Stone India once wrote that he "would only speak in Malayalam wearing his identity with a cool arrogance, and the audience shared his pride."

The album Avial (2008)

The band spent about a year looking for a record label. Naresh Kamath, who was based in Mumbai, helped them sign with the Mumbai label Phat Phish Records. Rex Vijayan told Musicunplugged that the label was looking for regional bands that sang in their own languages rather than English, and that the deal "helped us break the language barrier and introduced us to a national audience." On Apple Music, the album carries the line ℗ 2008 Avial Music Production.

The album came out on 8 February 2008 and has eight songs:

Nada Nada
Chekele
Njan Aara
Arikuruka
Aranda
Karukara
Aadu Pambe
Ettam Pattu

The lyrics come from poets and songwriters close to the band. Karukara is a poem by Kavalam Narayana Panicker, first heard in the Malayalam film Kummatti, and the band got his permission to use it. Sudhi Velamanoor wrote Aadu Pambe and Ettam Pattu, Engandiyur Chandrasekharan wrote Arikuruka, and Chekele is a Malayalam folk song.

The songs deal with social themes. Aadu Pambe is about the culture of tribal communities and their exploitation, Aranda mourns the state of the world, and Chekele tells the story of a farmer and his wife whose crops are destroyed in a flood.

The album sold over 45,000 copies and won six of the seven Jack Daniel's Rock Awards in 2008, including song, album and band of the year in both the popular and critics' categories. NH7 later placed it among its top 25 albums of the 2000s. Vijay Nair of the label Only Much Louder wrote in Rolling Stone India that the album "was phenomenal" and that Avial "made the language itself incredibly cool," which he felt opened doors for bands singing in other regional languages.

Avial band songs

Most listeners start with the album, but Avial also wrote several songs for Malayalam films. Here are the songs fans ask for most often.

Nada Nada

The signature song and the one that launched the band. The Hindu notes that part of its appeal is the ambiguity of its lyrics. Tony John sees it as a song "about carrying on and moving forward," while Rex Vijayan has said he was hooked on its sounds and its satire.

Chekele and Karukara

These two folk-rooted songs from the album are the ones crowds still demand. Rex told The Hindu in 2018 that "the audience always clamours for the songs that made our album famous, Chekele, Karukara and of course, Nada, Nada."

Aanakkallan

Avial composed Aanakkallan for the 2011 Malayalam film Salt N' Pepper. It is a reworked folk song about fake holy men and liars, with a lighter sound that draws on jazz and funk.

Ayyo, Thithithara and Arambath

These three songs were made for the 2012 film Second Show. On Spotify, Ayyo, Thithithara and Arambath sit among the band's most played tracks alongside the album songs.

Chillane

Chillane, which means broken, was written for the 2012 film 22 Female Kottayam.

The band has said it later cut back on film work. Tony John told The Hindu that film timelines were too short for the band's way of writing, which he described as "more of the organic kind, which flows when inspiration strikes us."

Live shows and life after the album

Avial played their first full concert at the East Wind festival in New Delhi in March 2008. That year they were the only Indian band chosen to play the Sakifo world music festival. In 2009 they recorded Chi Me Sape with the Italian band A67, with Rex Vijayan playing sitar. They have played clubs and college festivals across India, including Blue Frog in Mumbai and Kyra Theatre in Bengaluru, and in August 2025 they were part of the line-up for Red FM's South Side Story festival in Delhi.

Rex Vijayan has also built a career as a film composer, with work on films such as 22 Female Kottayam, Neelakasham Pachakadal Chuvanna Bhoomi and Mayaanadhi. In 2013 the band said its second album would come out on Mal-Function, a label it set up with the Kochi company Papaya Media. As of the 2025 interview, no second album had been released, but the band continues to play live. Tony John told Musicunplugged that "events like these give independent bands a powerful stage."

Why Avial still matters

Kerala now has one of the busiest rock and indie scenes in India, and Avial's influence on it is easy to hear. The Kerala thrash metal band The Down Troddence has named Avial as its main influence and inspiration. Rolling Stone India summed them up as "the band that shunned all norms," because they released an all-Malayalam debut and turned to their roots for inspiration. For more on the bands that followed, read our guide to the Kerala indie music scene, our history of Motherjane, where Rex Vijayan played before Avial, and our list of regional rock bands in India.

FAQ

Who are the members of Avial band?

The current members are Tony John (vocals, turntables), Rex Vijayan (guitars, synthesiser), Mithun Puthanveetil (drums) and Binny Isaac (bass). Former members include singer Anandraj Benjamin Paul and bassist Naresh Kamath.

Who is the singer of Avial band?

Tony John has been Avial's lead singer since 2008. The band's first lead vocalist was Anandraj Benjamin Paul, who sang on the early Nada Nada recordings and moved to the United States before the band's first live shows.

What are the best Avial band songs?

The best-known songs are Nada Nada, Chekele, Karukara, Aadu Pambe and Ettam Pattu from the 2008 album, plus the film songs Aanakkallan from Salt N' Pepper and Ayyo from Second Show.

How many albums has Avial released?

Avial has released one studio album, the self-titled Avial, which came out on 8 February 2008 with eight songs. Since then the band has released film songs and singles rather than a second album.

What is the meaning of Nada Nada?

Nada Nada was written by Engandiyur Chandrasekharan, and The Hindu notes that its lyrics are deliberately ambiguous. Singer Tony John reads it as a song about carrying on and moving forward whatever comes your way.