Sethupathi- is good. Vijay Sethupathi has tried a full length mass movie this time and it has worked out very well. He has a tremendous screen presence and a charismatic body language which makes this movie enjoyable. It has a very good first half, second half starts off slowly,but later the movie gains momentum and ends up as a good entertainer.
The romance portion should appears a bit stretched. The supporting cast(including the children), villain and the heroine are good enough to keep up the momentum. It has enjoyable dialogues( the one like 'innum konja emotional ah sollunga' by a media person :D ) and mass scenes, especially handling the rowdies when they surround the hero's family. Songs,by music director Nivas K. Prasanna, are good too, 'naan yaaru' both the versions are terrific with visuals. Throughout the movie audience were clapping and whistling and the movie is sure to attract family audience as well. Director S. U. Arunkumar who made his debut through Pannaiyarum Padminiyum, is back with Sethupathi and the movie is most likely to become a commercial super hit.
Sethupathi - an enjoyable Vijay Sethupathi show B|
M S Viswanathan, popularly called as MSV,is no more.Ofcourse he is 87,so one can say 'its not a young age'.May be true.But there are people who grew up listening to M S Viswanathan's songs.If I say, 'MSV's music made my childhood awesome',it can't be an exaggeration.It doesn't mean I haven't listened to other music directors,but only some people find a special place in our hearts and MSV is one such person.
MSV refined music in Tamil cinema and now he is like a library to all the music directors. Prior to MSV,music followed a 'drama' style.The movie will be full of songs,infact dialogues will come in between songs.That was a trend.But MSV has given a new dimension to music in Tamil cinema.It is not like before MSV music was bad,but only means MSV was a trendsetter.The number of instruments used,the way background music was given,singers were chosen etc, all changed with MSV's arrival.May be there were legends like K V Mahadevan who were good at it too,but MSV was still someone special.Along with Mr.T K Ramamoorthy,MSV has composed lot of memorable songs.
One important quality of MSV is the amount of respect he showed for lyrics and also lyricists. There were instances of MSV composing music for lyrics and also lyrics being written after the tune was composed.He had a golden run in the industry with veteran lyricists like Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram, Kannadasan and Vaali. I have read lot of incidents about MSV. Once Kannadasan came to studio early while MSV has not turned up and he was not picking up the phone call too. Then it was understood he was still sleeping.But Kannadasan had to go, so he wrote the lyrics starting with the lines 'avanukenna thoongi vittaan,agapattavan naanallavaa'(meaning he slept happily,but I was caught here).After MSV came to studio,he had a smile on his face and as the lyrics matched the tune perfectly,he went ahead with composition with the same lyrics.
There was an argument between Vaali and MSV while composing a song.MSV challenged Vaali for a song and said if Vaali could impress MSV,he would give him his gold ornaments.Vaali accepted the challenge and gave the lyrics to MSV,in return MSV gave his gold chain to Vaali as he was highly impressed with the lyrics,which then Vaali politely refused.So much respect he had for lyrics. Vaali himself has struggled a lot to establish himself in industry.Vaali was highly talented,but he was waiting for the right opportunity.After he wrote for the MGR starer 'Padagotti' for which MSV was the music director,Vaali became a 'star' lyricist.Infact,MSV has recommended Vaali's name to many producers and Vaali himself has written this.Not only to Vaali,MSV gave break to great singers like SPB,Vani Jayaram etc.
People said with Ilaiyaraja's entry into Tamil Cinema,MSV's domination ended.But the reality was different. With Ilaiyaraja's entry, Tamil people's love for Hindi songs faded away as Ilaiyaraja's tunes were fresh.Undoubtedly Ilaiyaraja went on to become a trendsetter and rightly he is being called as the 'Isaignani'(musical genius).With time,people's taste changes and trend changes accordingly. Ilaiyaraja could only create a place for himself(which none can replace),but his rise could not sideline MSV.Viswanathan continued to compose music and gave memorable songs. Just like that one cannot compose 16 songs for a movie - Ninaithale Inikkum and make all the 16 as super hit songs. Once MSV was invited as chief guest in a college.Ilaiyaraja was at a peak at that time.When MSV went to stage,students started screaming 'sing Siva Sambo'(Sambo Siva Sambo is a song from the movie Ninaithale Inikkum).MSV said,'wait wait I will definitely sing Siva Sambo' while going to stage. Even after Ilaiyaraja's entry, MSV continued his golden touch with movies like Ninaithale Inikkum,Billa,Simla Special,Thillu Mullu,Varumayin Niram Sivappu,Thirisoolam,Ranuva Veeran etc.
MSV worked with Ilaiyaraja too in the movies 'Mella Thirandhadhu Kadhavu' and 'Vishwa Thulasi'. He is not only a great music director,but also a great singer.He sang many songs for other music directors.'Unakkenna kuraichal' from Velli Vizha music by V Kumar,Vidaikodu Engal Naade from Kannathil Muthamittal and AalaalaKandaa from Sangamam music by A R Rahman,Megame from Madrasapattinam music by G V Prakash etc.Madrasapattinam released in 2010. MSV's voice had the magic till his last breath.God's gift.
MSV was one among the very music directors who used the instruments perfectly. The piano usage in songs like 'Paaduvor paadinaal aada thondrum'(Kannan en Kadhalan),'Enakkoru Kadhali Irukkindraal'(Muthana Muthallavo),'Ellorum nalam vaazha'(Enga Mama),Saxaphone usage after every line in the song 'Kalyana naal paarkka sollalama'(Parakkum Paavai),violin usage in 'Engey Nimmadhi'(Puthiya Paravai) etc. are genius work by him.These are all just samples.
MSV along with T K Ramamoorthy has given 'n' number of hit songs.T K Ramamoorthy was a master in Violin while MSV was a master in Harmonium.The song 'Engey Nimmadhi' held the record for using more number of violins those days.Puthiya Paravai was an altogether different experience. It was a thriller and the song 'Paartha Nyaabagam Illayo' with a haunting humming and terrific instrument usage would have definitely frightened some people those days.I didn't have the privilege of watching it in theaters as the movie released 23 years before I was born.Last month Jaya TV telecasted Puthiya Paravai,still the movie has not lost its charisma to attract new age audience too. You should watch this song to understand this :
Many songs like Koduthadhellam Koduthaan(Padagotti),Athai Madi Methayadi(Karpagam),Ullathil Nalla Ullam(Karnan),Nenjam Marappadhillai(Nenjam Marappadhillai),Sonnadhu Neethaana(Nenjil Or Aalayam),Senthamizhthen Mozhiyaal(Maalayitta Mangai),Manaivi Amaivadhellam(Manmadha Leelai),Kadavul Amaithu Vaitha Medai,Deivam Thandha Veeda(Avaloru Thodarkadhai), Vetri meedhu vetri vandhu(Thedi Vandha Mappillai),Odum Megangale,Adho andha paravai pola(Aayirathil Oruvan),Kettadhum koduppavane Krishna Krishna,Deivame(Deiva Magan), Madhavi Pon Mayilaal thogai viriththaal(Iru Malargal),Puthiya Vaanam,Rajavin Paarvai Raniyin pakkam(Anbe Vaa), Manithanenbavan(Sumaithangi), Paramasivan Kazhuthilirundhu(Soorya Gandhi),Pazhamudhir Solayile,Anbulla Maanvizhiye(Kuzhanthayum Deivamum),Adisaya Raagam,Yezhu Swarangaliley,Kelviyin Nayagane(Aboorva Raagangal) etc etc etc. I can keep typing his hit songs. To list out his hit songs itself I can write atleast 5 blog posts.
He has composed music for devotional songs like Pullanguzhal Kodutha Moongilgale.He has composed music for the song 'Allah Allah nee illadhe idame illai neethaane ulagin ellai' and he himself sang this song. This song was composed for the movie 'Mohammed Bin Thuglak'.The lyrics for this song was written by Vaali.The then CM MGR was not happy with MSV composing music for this movie as it was a political satire.MSV was very close to MGR,but that didn't stop him from working for this movie.
He has composed music for over 1700 movies in Tamil,Malayalam,Kannada and Hindi.The nation should have celebrated him like anything and he should have got a Bharata Ratna during his lifetime itself.Unfortunately,he was not even honored with a Padma award.Not sure what was wrong with the juries.Vani Jayaram got national award for the best playback singer category for the movie Aboorva Raagangal(music by MSV),but M S Viswanathan did not get the award.Ofcourse Vani Jayaram deserves it,no doubt about that. During a felicitation function(I think it was for A R Rahman),people raised the concerns of MSV not being honored with national/padma awards.But Mr.Viswanathan gracefully said,'the love and affection of fans is my biggest award.I could see so many people getting award in the industry,I am so happy about it.'.So what if the successive govts didn't give him any award? That will not degrade him,that has only made those awards meaningless. Today a leading Tamil daily mentioned about MSV's proximity to MGR and Kalaignar Karunanidhi,but still he has not got an award.Had he considered these awards so important,easily he could have 'got' it by making MGR or Kalaignar to recommend his name.But he didn't do that,man of self-respect. Ms.Jayalalithaa is the only Chief Minister to recommend his name for Padma awards,but the central govts as usual ignored a legend from Tamil Nadu.If MSV doesn't deserve these awards then who else deserves them? MSV is on par with legends like Naushad Ali.Because MSV was not given these awards,only the awards lost its respect.
M S Viswanathan was not only a great music director but also a nice person.He has never spoken anything against anyone.MSV took care of his Guru Mr.S M Subbaiah Naidu(he was a great music director as well) and his wife till the end of their life.Royal Salute!!!
The song 'Vaaraayo thozhi vaaraayo' is a common song in marriages happening in Tamil Nadu and also for some other happy occasions. Music was composed by MSV.So MSV will be behind the happiness of people of future generations too.MSV composed music for 'Thamizhththaai Vaazhththu'(தமிழ்த்தாய் வாழ்த்து) and even today school children sing Thamizhththaai Vaazhththu in the same tune. As long Tamil is alive,people will sing Thamizhththai Vaazhththu and as long as people sing it,MSV will be remembered.Tamil is immortal and so is MSV.
The most expected movie of the year - Bahubali,directed by S S Rajamouli, has finally hit the silver screens.I watched the Tamil version.Rajamouli gained popularity all over India after his fantasy flick Magadheera - starring Ram Charan.The dubbed version itself was well received among even non-Telugu speaking audience.Then he went on with Eega(Naan-E in Tamil and it was not a dubbing, but a bilingual),which again went on to become a super hit.Now he has made Bahubali as a bilingual again(some say its trilingual - Tamil,Telugu and Hindu,but not sure).What's Bahubali all about? I can answer in one word - Grandeur.Ofcourse Bahubali has more to offer. Well in the name of review,I don't want to reveal too much about the story. Infact,more than story it is the narration and the visuals that keeps us engaged till the end.This is how the movie goes on - the tribal people see a hand carrying a kid in water,asking for help.The kid is brought up by Rohini and she names him Shivudu. The boy keeps asking whats there in the hills behind waterfalls and he attempts to climb that hill many times,but he fails.Needless to say,who that kid is - hero Prabhas. One fine day he sees an angel like girl calling singing and dancing at him,Somehow he climbs the hill and finds out a rebel group.Who are they?What's their goal?How Prabhas joins them and what he finds out? This is what Bahubali part-1 is all about. Rajamouli's screenplay has more scope for 'mass' scenes than any suspense element.Performance-wise everyone has done their part very well.Tamanna as Avantika, has tried her best to act as a rebel.Her angry expressions and fights justify her casting.Other heroine Anushka as Devasenai, has less footage compared to Tamanna, but its a powerful character.Anushka's make-up and dialogues are well received by the masses. The very first scene when Anushka was shown,people started whistling.Glad to see a heroine having such a mass appeal,especially when her character is not an usual glamorous one.Sathyaraj rocked as Kattappa - the loyal slave.In one scene Sathyaraj fights with 'Kicha' Sudeep.It was choreographed very well.The energy shown by Sathyaraj in that scene makes it a treat to watch.Sudeep as Aslam,comes in just 1 scene.He may get more footage in second part it seems.Still I doubt it as he gets a special 'Thanks' in the title card. Palvaalthevan(Rana) is a ruthless king.He kills his own people,tries to kill his cousin,doesn't mind people dying when his 100 feet gold statue is raised.Such is his lust for power.He looks good and has a good screenpresence.He had to work really hard to be accepted as a villain.His hard work paid off. Prabhas as Bahubali and Shiva fits to the character perfectly.He is not such a big mass hero, but his tall and strong physique is appealing.His physqiue makes some scenes like lifting the Shiva statue believable.There are mass scenes for Prabhas.His entry into the Magizhmadhi kingdom is the best sequence. Theater erupted to a thunderous response for the golden statue scene.There are more mass scenes like his walk after chopping off the head of a prince,lifting the Shiva Lingam,fighting in battle field etc. Rajamouli has shown the quality called 'Rajabakthi'(people's devotion towards the king) very well.I have read this in novels as well,how a 'good' king will be treated by the people of his country.In one word - he will be treated like a God.We can see that from the expressions of people.It was so natural especially in the statue lifting scene. CGI work was ok,not bad.It could have been bit better,but with an Indian budget,we have to compromise on this aspect.Flying scenes,the snow ride etc were bit amateur.But the battlefield scenes are the highlight of the movie.It was picturised so well that one could feel as if he is returning from real battlefield. Of course, one can argue that there are better Hollywood movies.Always there will be a better option,without comparison I can say the battle scene was marvelous.The funny language of 'Kalakeyas',the competition between Rana and Prabhas to outsmart each other in defeating the enemy to get crowned,Prabhas' inspirational speech and the grand sets and CGI work makes the battlefield scene a mind blowing experience. There will be comparisons between Magadheera and Bahubali.The question of whether Bahubali is better than Magadheera is unavoidable.Magadheera cannot be called as a period film as only the flashback portions involve all those wars and kingdoms.But Bahubali is completely a period film. Magadheera had a reference to Sagapthiya Vamsam, people of which will kill atleast 100 people before their death in wars to save the country, with the hero Ram Charan himself playing a warrior from Sagapthiya Vamsam. Bahubali has Kattappa,a strong and bold warrior,who is capable of saving the entire kingdom,but remains a slave to kings due to the promise of his ancestors.Magadheera had electrifying scenes like confrontation between Ram Charan and SriHari,RamCharan and DevGill etc. Bahubali doesn't have such confrontation scenes with villain directly.Probably I should say till now we didn't see such a scene as the movie is still not over.The director gives a clear lead to second part in the climax.Otherwise both the movies follows the 'mass template' faithfully. There are scenes of head chopping,item song etc in both the movies.Magadheera had better songs compared to Bahubali. But Maragatha Mani's BGM gives the much needed mass feel.
I have written about almost all the important characters except Ramya Krishnan.She deserves a special write up.16 years ago,her Neelampari character was a huge hit among masses.Her acting had such a reach that people teared off the screens in some theaters because she insulted Rajni(in movie). In these 16 years she has done many movies,but her Sivagami character in Bahubali creates the same impact.You get goosebumps when she feeds both the babies and says both are her sons(Rana and Prabhas), runs the kingdom in the absence of an able king,fights the traitors,brings up the children. The crowning scene was terrific.Ramya understood the character very well and has given what it actually needs.She stands up tall,with a proud smile on her face praises one prince and crowns the other.If I remember correctly only Ramya speaks punch dialogues,ex 'adhuve en kattalai,enadhu kattalaye Saasanam'.Splendid performance.If you ask me to watch it a second time,without any second thought I would go mainly because of Ramya Krishnan.She has lived as Raj Mata. I am sure Ramya will have a part in second part too. We should ignore people who sit in home and say "my uncle's sister's friend's brother's daughter texted me 'Bahubali' is average,so its average".We have seen movies like this since black and white days.MGR's 'Adimaippen' had somewhat similar script.But that we can say for any movie. Bahubali is a tested and tried formula script with grand visuals and soulful performances.Royal salute to Rajamouli for making the characters speak proper Tamil.Credit goes to Karky(dialogue writer) as well. Its not only a visual treat but its epic. Go for it!!!
Its a song about sister.A loving elder brother sings for his younger sister.Meaning goes something like "My sister is a golden moon in a golden chariot".It was Kannadasan who penned lyrics for this song.This song comes in the movie "Dharmayudham".It is one of the best sister sentiment songs in Tamil Cinema.In India brother-sister sentiment has immense value.In Tamil Nadu,if we don't know someone,we will call them annaa-akkaa only.In North India it is "bhayya"..Like this the word varies from place to place..But the meaning remains the same. After all in our pledge,we say,all Indians are my brothers and sisters. So here we consider everyone as our own siblings[now don't come and ask me,then whom to marry :D,that is a different discussion :P].The point I wanted to mention here is whenever one listens to this song,he may think about his sister.Such a nice meaningful song it is.
The song was sung by late Mr.Malaysia Vasudevan.He is a very good singer and he was a successful playback singer to superstar Rajnikanth.His voice suited Rajni pretty well.Songs like "Podhuvaaga en manasu thangam","ennoda raasi nalla raasi" were huge hits among the masses.Still his "Vaa vaa vasanthame" from Pudhu Kavithai and "Vaa vaa kanna" from Velaikaaran remains my personal favorite.The lines "En vaanile oru deva minnal vandhadhu,en nenjinai adhu killi vittu chendradhu" from that Puthu Kavithai song are still running in my mind.
பாடறியேன் படிப்பறியேன்
பள்ளிக்கூடம் தானறியேன்
Hope you would have guessed whose entry it is going to be.Its none other than "Isaikuyil" Chitra madam.God has gifted this sweet lady with such a sweet voice.Can't stop listening to her songs.Just listen to the above song.Maestro Ilayaraja's music,K J Yesudas singing the male part of the song,Vairamuthu's enjoyable lyrics.. Still Chitra madam scores in this song.She has so many songs for her credit.Ovvoru Pookalume is another good example of Chitra madam's song.It is one of the most inspirational songs.You will get a romantic feeling when you listen to "Yaaro Yaarukkul Ingu Yaaro" from the movie Chennai-28.Just listen to this song. It is "Vizhiyile en Vizhiyile" from the movie Vellithirai.For some reason this song was not included in the movie. Lyrics were penned by Pazhani Bharathi. Just listen the way she sings this song.Especially the lines, "Naan saambalaanalum en kaadhal vaazhume" and "en indha saabangal naan paavam illaya,vidhi kannamoochi vilayaada naan kaadhal bommaya".It was like expressing her deep sorrow for her guy.For her voice modulation itself,I used to hear this song like a mad fellow,during the time it released.Daily atleast 20 times,I used to listen to this song.May sound crazy,but doesn't matter...
Actually there are so many songs of Chitra madam has to be shared,but am winding up with this..Am planning to write an exclusive post about Chitra ji soon.At times I used to think God is so mean.He has given such a great voice to this lady.Simply awesome singer.Hope many could have come across this news.Her daughter died recently.It was the most unfortunate thing to happen to anyone.Why such horrible incidents happens to good people like Chitra?Whenever I think about such incidents,I want to scream loud "enna maadhiri kadavul idhu" like how Madhavan does in Anbe Sivam.Anyway let us hope God gives her enough strength to overcome this deep sorrow and let us hope she starts singing more no. of songs again.
Well the discussion started off with music and its going somewhere else.Already in my first part of this series I have mentioned about Yesudas sir and about S P B in my 3rd part.There so many songs sung by these people, which can be discussed.I would like to mention the song "Agaram ippo sigaramaachu" here.Whats so special about that song?Music director of this movie is S P Balasubramaniam sir himself and the singer of this song is K J Yesudas sir.Many thinks that Ilayaraja composed music for this song.But it is SPB.Soulful composition.Don't wait,just watch the song here.
ஒரு இனிய மனது
இசையை அனைத்து செல்லும்
இன்பம் புது வெள்ளம்
அந்த சுகம் இன்ப சுகம்
அந்த மனம் எந்தன் வசம்
I would like to write about another singer here,whom,not many(in our generation) will be knowing I guess. Yes she is singer Jency.She is the playback singer for the above mentioned song,from the movie Johnny.Many thinks that these songs were sung by Janaki madam.There is another song in the movie,En vaanile ore vennilaa, was also sung by her only.Most of her songs in Ilayaraja sir's music were super hits.Like Kaathal Oviyam from Alaikal Oivathillai,Meenkodi theril from the movie Karumbu vil,Ennuyir Neethane from the movie Priya etc. Meenkodi theril is a different song.I would suggest everyone to listen to that song. Click hereAayiram Malarkale from the movie Niram Maaraatha Pookkal.She is an awesome singer,who should have got a long career is what I feel.
Well I would love to discuss Yesudas sir's classical songs,SPB's mass intro songs to MGR,Rajni etc and the duet songs of all the above mentioned people for some months continuously.So much is there.Anyway have to proceed to the next 'era' in music.
Before that,I also would like to write about another person.If I write his name here,people might laugh.But honestly speaking,he is a good music director.Leave alone his funny actions in the movie.Listen to the song Vaigaikarai kaatre nillu from the movie Uyirullavari Usha.Its a great composition.Well you might have guessed who that music director is.Yes he is T Rajendar @ TR.Had TR concentrated only on music,he would have had a great career as a music director is what I believe.Also don't miss this song,a simple and soothing melody from the movie Oru Thalai Raagam.
His Naanoru Raasiyilla Raja,Noolum Illai Vaalumillai,Vaasamilla malaridhu from Oru Thalai Raagam and Vasantham Paadi Vara from Rayil Payanangalil are real classics.Don't forget to watch this Vaasamilla Malaridhu Song here:Honestly speaking TR is a very talented person.And he deserves lot of respect for his heart melting compositions atleast.Regarding his acting - no comments.
Rise of A R Rahman is something special I would say.Because when Ilayaraja sir was at his peak,no music director could survive in the industry.Now don't think that Raja sir spoiled their chances.None could beat Raja sir is the fact.But it was in 1992,one man turned the attention of the entire state,infact the entire country towards him.Yes it is A R Rahman with his music for the movie Roja.It is said that Manirathnam listened to 140 tunes composed by ARR and selected the songs,which he felt 'the best' to the movie.I don't know how far this is true,but if true,its amazing stuff from Rahman.With his trendsetting music,he announced his arrival in style and his entry marked a new era of music in Tamil Cinema[One can't compare Ilayaraja's entry in 1976 and Rahman's entry in 1992,both are different and both has their own significance].He is the first music director to survive in the industry when Ilayaraja was in top.Note the words carefully,I am saying "survived" and not "outshined",because Ilayaraja sir is still actively composing movies and many directors still prefer him. Nandalala,a movie released last year,was highly spoken about for its background music.Music director of the movie is Ilayaraja and songs too were good.
Am not going into the comparison between Ilayaraja and ARR.Both are different and can't be compared. Rahman worked with some great directors like K Balachander,Bharathiraja,Maniratnam etc.Songs in the movie "Duet" can be considered an ever-green classic.Songs in the movie Sangamam will remain in my memories forever.Especially the "Sowkiyama Kanne" song is an awesome song.
He has reached great heights now.He got one of the so called world's precious award Oscar.He won Golden globe too.But I would have been happy had he won those awards for an Indian movie.Instead these awards were given for a movie about India,a movie which portrayed India in a bad light.Anyway that is a different topic.Now am not getting into it.But I have a different kind of disappointment with Rahman.He has reduced doing music for Tamil movies.Even if he does,I feel like something is missing in it.His recent releases like Enthiran,Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya,were good though.I would be happy to see Rahman scoring music for more no. of movies in Tamil too.I want him to do songs like this :
Also like this :
Also like Kathalar Dhinam ,Alaipaayuthe , Jeans , Love Birds etc.. Whenever I listen to the Roja Roja song and Sowkiyama Kanne song, some flashbacks runs in my mind.Memories travel some 10-11 years back. Simply love those days and songs too.This is the unique specialty about songs.When we listen to certain songs,some incidents will flash in our mind. When I was in my 7th standard,we(me and other 2 friends) used to tease one girl by singing the song "Kaasu mele kaasu vandhu" from the movie Kadhala Kadhala..We will sing these lines "Ramalingam kaila kaasu" repeatedly,as her father's name is Ramalingam.Missing those days badly.I just dont want to get into it too deep,because again I will start cursing God :-(.
Anyway coming back to Rahman,in his recent releases,the song that made me mad means, "Mannippaya" from the movie Vinnai Thaandi Varuvaaya.Shreya Ghoshal's voice is one of the main reasons for the success of that song.Awesome song it is.I would love to hear the lines "Oru naal sirithen maru naal veruthen unai naan kollaamal kondru pudhaithene mannippaayaa" repeatedly.At times I have cursed Rahman for bringing people like Udit Narayanan to sing Tamil Songs(he may be a good singer,but he simply kills Tamil),but, for giving more songs to singers like Shreya Ghoshal,I have to praise him only.Her Tamil pronunciation is also pretty good.Moreover her voice is awesome awesome simply beautiful.
And there is also another genre of music,without which the music itself is incomplete.Folk songs. When people are in joyful mood,they love to dance.To dance,you need some fast beat songs.Deva provided such songs to us.Of-course every other music director has composed fast beat,gana songs.But I would call Deva as the trendsetter in Gana songs.His Vidha vidhama soupu seepu kannadi,kothalsavadi lady,vaanga da 420B da,Salomiya,Sirippu varudhu sirippu varudhu sithappa,Kavalaipadaadhe sagodhara etc are my favorite Gana songs.He is also a good singer.His voice suits for such fast beat songs and some philosophical songs too.His recent song Modhi Vilayadu in the movie Modhi Vilayadu(Music by Colonial Cousins) is one of the best examples for this.Deva also composed some excellent melodies like "Konja Naal Poru Thalaivaa","Mudhal mudhalil Paarthen" etc..Undoubtedly Deva is an excellent music director,who deserves lot of respect and deserves to be mentioned whenever someone speaks about music.
Above I was typing Konja Naal Poru Thalaiva and Mudhal Mudhalil Paarthen.The music director may be Deva,but the singer for this song is Hariharan.There was a period when I had lot of craze towards his songs.
Those days there was no broadband internet,online downloads,infact CD players were also a matter of luxury those days.I used to select songs from all the movies and will write it down in a paper and will give to an audio shop called "Arun Prakash Audio Videos",when I was in Tindivanam.Cost of an empty cassette is Rs.20 and Rs.25 for recording. So total Rs.45 and I will get 12 songs(6 songs per side).Still I have those cassettes,but I don't have the tape recorder now.What a period it was!!!Would love to go back to those days!!!!
Mostly I will be listening to songs like Ennai thaalatta varuvaala,Enakkoru Snegithi,Konja Naal Poru Thalaiva,Sollamal Thottu Sellum Thendral,Semmeena,Naalai Kaalai neril varuvaala,Nee kaatru naan maram,Nilavu Paattu etc. All are Ajith-Vijay songs right?Yes his voice suits these actors pretty well. His songs to these actors will remain in my memory for a long time.
Recently Vidyasagar,Harris Jeyaraj,Yuvan Shankar Raja,G V Prakash are giving hit songs.Of-course Vidyasagar is in the field for quite a long time.And his Run is my favorite album and I also like his Gilli,Chandramukhi,Dhool,Anbe Sivam songs. Whenever I think of Harris,Ullam Ketkume and Unnalae Unnalae comes to my mind immediately.His melody songs has some magic for sure,so many times I have felt that he is repeating same tunes,but still I couldn't resist myself from listening to those songs.Yuvan means I remember Katradhu Thamizh,7G,Kadhal Konden etc.Yuvan has been a main reason for the success of so many movies.His songs have given the much needed opening to so many movies.Also the recent entry Sundar C Babu is also doing good.
When it comes for modern day lyricists,I feel Na.Muthukumar and Thamarai are the best.Kabilan,Pazhanibharathi,Viveka writes good songs,still Muthukumar and Thamarai are class apart.
But still we have to wait for some more years to see how long the modern songs lasts for.
That's it.I am completing my musical journey with this post.I believe it was a happy journey.To share some videos and audio links here,I searched for some songs in google and fortunately I got those songs,which I couldn't get before.Also I forgot to mention about so many songs like Kelviyin Nayagane from Aboorva Raagangal, Oru Naal Iravu from the movie Kaaviyathalaivi etc.Also I couldn't write in detail about so many personalities like singer Harini,Karthik,Naresh Iyyer etc.But still,I feel the journey was quite cool and I believe the readers too feel the same.Feel free to give your honest comments here.
இன்னொருவர் வேதனை இவர்களுக்கு வேடிக்கை இதயமற்ற மனிதருக்கு இதுவெல்லாம் வாடிக்கை
எத்தனை பெரிய மனிதனுக்கு எத்தனை சிறிய மனமிருக்கு எத்தனை சிறிய பறவைக்கு எத்தனை பெரிய அறிவிருக்கு
This is a song which comes in the movie Aasai Mugam,an MGR starrer.Lyrics were penned by Vaali.Vaali has just taken a dig on mankind,in this song.The meaning of the song goes like this.Only people without any feelings and heart will make fun of others problems.Its quite usual for them.Man(also woman),who is God's superior creation,has lot of cheap thoughts and his heart is just too small whereas a small bird is sensible.There will be a stanza in this song explaining the good qualities of some birds.This is the lyrics :
கோழியை பாரு காலையில் விழிக்கும்
குருவியை பாரு சோம்பலை பழிக்கும்
காக்கையை பாரு கூடி பிழைக்கும்
நம்மையும் பாரு நாடே சிரிக்கும்
Whenever I am angry on someone and not in a position to do anything against them due to situations and circumstances(sometimes the anger will be towards politicians),I will listen to this song only.It gives a sense of satisfaction to me.
பாசமுள்ள பார்வையிலே
கடவுள் வாழ்கிறான்
அவன் கருணையுள்ள நெஞ்சினிலே
கோவில் கொள்கிறான்
These meaningful lines are from the song "Idho Endhan Deivam" from the movie "Babu".The lyrics were penned by,again Mr.Vaali.This is the best possible simple explanation about God.Meaning of these lines - God lives in our affection and love and the heart in which there is love and sympathy,becomes temple.
Well there is some magical touch in this man's words.Again its all pure gift of God.After a great struggle, he got a chance to write songs in Tamil Cinema in late 1950s and he is still the most preferred lyricist in Tamil Cinema.The most recent Harris Jeyaraj,Yuvan Shankar Raja and G V Prakash also prefers Vaali. Not only movies,he has written so many other poems.Once veteran director K Balachander called Vaali and told a situation and asked him to tell a poem for the situation through phone itself.This was the situation,a mother is writing a letter to her baby which she is carrying.Vaali started off with the following lines and told a complete poem through phone itself.K Balachander,a man who has directed 100 movies,himself told this in an interview.These were the lines :
தாய்ப்பால் வருவதற்கு முன்
தபால் வருகிறதே என்று
திகைக்கிறாயா?
There is another incident which I would like to share here.While looking for an opportunity to write songs in Tamil Cinema,Vaali wrote a song and was waiting for the opinion of a music director M P Srinivasan.After a deep thought,M P Srinivasan sir replied to Vaali that the song didn't impress him.Vaali didn't give up the hope.Infact once the great MSV sir himself,on seeing some of the poems of Vaali sir, told to Vaali's friend that, Vaali can better do someother useful job, instead of trying for a chance in cinema.Vaali didn't lose his hope.He was confident about himself.He always had the hope that he can make it big in cinema one day or other day.Later on,same MSV sir,during a composing, asked Vaali that where he was all these days, that Tamil Cinema has been badly missing this great poet.Vaali wrote the same song,which was earlier rejected by M P Srinivasan,to another movie.The song became a super hit and now it is regarded as an evergreen classic. Later on even MPS regretted missing this great song.The song is :
கொடுத்ததெல்லாம் கொடுத்தான்
அவன் யாருக்காக கொடுத்தான்
ஒருத்தருக்கா கொடுத்தான் இல்லை
ஊருக்காக கொடுத்தான்
Why I narrated these incidents here means,we should never lose hope as long as we have perfect knowledge about what we are doing.As Vaali himself says,only his words has been a visiting card for him always.If I start writing about Vaali,this will not look like a blog post,it will go on like a novel.I have written a detailed post about Vaali sir in this link[CLICK HERE].If you want to know more about him,go through that link.
This is how the songs were in black and white period.Lyrics had equal importance as that of tune.And the Tamil Cinema fans were able to get a Kannadasan,Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram,Vaali,Pulamaipithan etc.
In the meantime,Hindi songs started dominating in Tamil Nadu.The Hindi songs had a great response and people started giving more importance to Hindi songs.The Tamil songs were also influenced by Hindi tunes.The scenario changed in 1976.The entry of one man, gave a new lease of life to music in Tamil Cinema. His songs had a great impact that once again Tamil songs started becoming chart-busters.This man didn't enter cinema just like that.He struggled a lot to get an opportunity.Once veteran director Bharathiraja said,he along with this music director, struggled a lot that they didn't even have enough money to buy food for them.He worked in some orchestra troops.He is a master in playing guitar.He is a complete music director who gave a new dimension to music in Tamil Cinema - he is none other than the musical genius,legend - 'Isaignani' Ilayraja sir.
He is a creator of close to 4500 songs and he has scored music for around 950 movies.His musical hits speaks volumes about him.I can very easily quote the songs from the movies like Uyarntha Ullam,Padikkathavan,Thamibikku Endha ooru,Oru Kaidhiyin Diary etc.These movies had Superstar Rajnikanth and Ulaganayagan Kamalhassan in the lead roles.But there are lot of movies in which Ilayaraja's music alone can be considered as a real hero.There was a hero in Tamil Cinema,who gave consecutive blockbuster movies.Though he had some fans,he was not a kind of hero whose movies will do business only because of fans.It was Ilayaraja sir's music which was one of the main reasons for the success of his movies. The hero is none other than 'mike' Mohan :D.His movies like Idhayakoil,Udhayageetham,Payanangal mudivadhillai(Ilayanila is enough to show what kind of genius Ilayaraja sir is) etc and all had songs of exceptional quality.
There was also another hero who gave some huge hits.There are many comedy scenes from various movies which made fun of his dressing sense and also some fans will mock him for the kind of 'shining' dresses he wore.His name is Ramarajan.The movie 'Karagattakaran' in which he was the hero,was a huge huge hit.It ran successfully for 1 year.Ilayaraja's music is one of the main reasons for such a resounding success.Of-course the comedy track in the movie is an evergreen one,thanks to Koundamani-Senthil(who can forget the 'Vaazhapazham' comedy :D).The reason for mentioning these details is not to ridicule the heroes,but to stress the fact that Ilayaraja sir's music was able to create heroes.
Not only in cinema,he also has a great command in 'Shastriya Sangeet'.Kanchi Mahaperiyava Jagadguru Chandrashekarendra Saraswati Swamigal himself praised Ilayaraja sir.He asked Ilayaraja sir to sing saying that he wanted to listen to his songs.This swami is considered to be an incarnation of God(don't confuse yourself with some fake babas who claim themselves to be Gods,this Swamigal never claimed himself to be God and all).Such a great Kacnhi Mahaperiyava himself praised Ilayaraja sir means,that says what kind of gift Ilayaraja is for us.Even one of the greatest music directors had a lot of affection and respect for Ilayaraja and his music[Ilayaraja has praised R D Burman sir in so many interviews].One of the greatest personalities in Carnatic musical world,Shemmangudi Srinivasa Iyyer,also has praised him.Imagine what these people are going to gain by praising this music director?Its a comment from their heart - I respect it :-).
I can keep on mentioning names of so many great personalities who praised Ilayaraja like anything.But then, that itself will take quite a long time.
The combination of Ilayaraja-Bharathiraja-Vairamuthu was a terrific one.A musical genius with one of the greatest directors and an intelligent lyricist(Vairamuthu).Alaigal Oivadhillai is an excellent movie.Directed by Bharathiraja sir.It was a bold movie and it had a path-breaking climax.But music is the heart and soul of this movie.The aaiyiram thaamarai mottukkale song bgm is still fresh in my mind[in the minds of many].
The movie Mudhal Mariyadhai is the best.I was watching this movie last month.Couldn't even move here and there,its such a fantastic creation.Bharathiraja's brilliant portrayal of the characters,Vairamuthu sir's meaningful lines and Ilayaraja's magical music and Sivaji Ganesan - one of the greatest actors in India[in my opinion he is the greatest] playing the lead role(hero) - everything put together made the movie an evergreen classic.
என்ன சொல்லுவேன்
என் உள்ளம் தாங்கல
மெத்த வாங்கினேன்
தூக்கத்த வாங்கல
How meaningful these lines are!!!Vairamuthu is an excellent lyricist.Such a meaningful lyrics with the soulful composition of Ilayaraja will definitely leave an impression in the mind of the listener.After listening to these songs,Sivaji sir himself praised Ilayaraja and said one can't score music better than this.
His Raakkamma Kayyathattu song, from the movie Thalapathy, ranked 4th in BBC radio's top ten songs of the world.Just listen the way violins has been used in this song.He is rightly called 'Isaignani'.Ilayaraja has found (I don't whether the word 'invented' or 'discovered' should be used here,because I don't know much about music) some new Ragas - heard this from veteran Carnatic singer BalaMuraliKrishna. Ilayaraja was the first person to introduce Reethigowla raaga in cinema.The song 'Chinna kannan azhaikkiran' from the movie Kavikuyil, is based on this raaga only. Source of this information - lyricist-poet Vaali.He has mentioned this in one of his books.Just listen to the song.It was sung by BalaMuraliKrishna sir.Just observe the flute part in the song..I have just one word - AWESOME.
Ilayaraja has composed almost all genre of songs.Carnatic,Western,Folk,Devotional etc..Infact his Thiruvasagam symphony oratario is a fusion of Indian classical with western classical.In his initial stages he didn't get many awards.To be honest,he was not given awards in India.Dirty politics can be the only reason for this.He was awarded just 3 national awards for best music direction,out of which two awards were for Telugu movies.A man who scored music for more than 900 movies was awarded just 3 national awards and that too just 1 for Tamil cinema.Can there be anyother reason than crap politics?He is the first person to win a national award for Best Background Music.I consider,its an honor to that award,that it goes to Ilayaraja.As A R Rahman said, Ilayaraja's music is something bigger than oscars and awards.
One interesting information I would like to share here.The oscar award winning music director A R Rahman was a keyboard player in Ilayaraja sir's troupe in his initial days.He played the keyboard for Punnagai Mannan theme music and it is said that he used the synthesizers for this theme music.Its a great theme music,composed by Ilayaraja and played by A R Rahman.
KamalHassan starrer 'Sagarasangamam' was a huge hit in Telugu.Again its a product of legends - K Viswanath,the director,Ilayaraja the music director and Kamalhassan - the hero.It was dubbed in Tamil and the movie went on to become a huge huge blockbuster in Tamil too.In Tamil,the lyrics were penned by Vairamuthu and they have used some songs Thyagaraja swamigal.But for Ilayraja's music,I don't think the dubbed version might have become such a huge hit.I have seen this movie so many times and I will watch it again and again hereafter too.This is my favorite Kamal movie.His expressions and dance still remains in my eyes.Marvelous acting by Kamal sir.Watch this video friends.Especially when Jayaprada says,'ivarum periya dancer thaanga',Kamal will cry,holding her hands,emotionally.While watching this scene,many times I was moved to tears.Also listen to the song which comes after the scene. Absolute masterpiece.Infact I would recommend you people to watch this movie fully(if you have not seen this movie before).The directorial touch can be felt in every scene,especially when the end card appears as "NO END FOR ANY ART".
I would like to stop with this about Ilayaraja sir.Imagine what will happen if I start describing about all his 950 movies.
Again this is not the end of the musical journey,it will continue in my next post too.Will come up with some more informations.
P.S. : In my previous post,I have mentioned that I was not sure about who wrote the song "Enakkoru Kaadhali Irukkindraal" and also have mentioned that it must be either Vaali or Kannadasan.I got the answer for this.It is Vaali.Got this info from veteran singer L R Eswari.She said this while presenting a program in Captain TV.
எனக்கொரு காதலி இருக்கின்றாள்
அவள் ஏழு ஸ்வரங்களில் சிரிக்கின்றாள்
கீதம் அவளது வளையோசை
நாதம் அவளது தமிழோசை
On seeing the above lines don't think that I am describing about my lover here[Meaning of the song is something like I have a lover,she smiles in my tunes].Actually I don't have any lover or lovers :P.Well this a Tamil song tuned by veteran music director M S Viswanathan(MSV).The song was sung by again MSV and S P Balasubramaniam(SPB). Well this is an ultra-cool song which many might not have heard.If you listen to this song carefully,you can observe the way the instruments,violin and piano,used. The song comes in the movie,"Muthana muthallavo",I still have a confusion on who wrote the lyrics for this song.I have checked with some sources,some say its Kannadasan and some say its Vaali.So couldn't come to a conclusion on this.But it is one among these 2.Lovely lyrics is what I feel.Listen to this song here.
This is the speciality of MSV sir.Using a single instrument throughout the song in the background.If you listen to the song Kalyaana Naal Paarka sollalama from the movie Parakkum Paavai,you can feel the usage of Saxaphone and a "tak tak" music playing in the background right from the beginning of the song till the end.He is a master in using instruments.While describing about MSV one can't ignore Mr.Ramamurthy. Viswanathan-Ramamurthy - this was a great pair those days.That's why they are called as "Mellisai Mannargal"(king of melodies).Mr.Ramamurthy is a master in playing violin.This song,for which the musical score was by Viswanathan-Ramamurthy, became a huge hit and the no. of violins used for this song was a record those days(of-course after that Rakkamma Kayyathattu came).The song is "Enge Nimmadhi".
Viswanathan-Ramamurthy has worked together for so many songs,but unfortunately they parted ways due to some personal issues.Working individually MSV sir became successful in the beginning itself,but Ramamurthy sir couldn't shine immediately,but he too tasted success after some struggle in the industry.But individually, MSV was more successful as a composer compared to Ramamurthy.
MSV has composed music for so many movies.The movie Ninaithale Inikkum is a genuine musical hit.The movie had around 15 songs and all the 15 are hit songs. Imagine a movie with so many songs nowadays.Will the audience have patience to hear so many songs?But MSV's music made it possible,those days.The songs were such a huge hit that one song from this movie has been remixed(to be precise,it was rehashed in a little amateur manner) recently.The song is Engeyum eppodhum from the movie "Polladhavan".
Once Ilayaraja and A R Rahman themselves said in an interview that travel in the path shown by the legend M S Viswanathan sir. He is also a nice singer.Some of his popular songs as a singer include Enakkoru Kaadhali,Sambo siva sambo, Vasantha kaala nadhigalile(he was the play back singer for Rajni in that song),Aalalakanda aadalukku thagappa,Meghame oh meghame(from the recent movie Madarasapattinam).His voice has still not lost the magic. Its too difficult to list out the popular movies which had the musical score of MSV sir,as the number is too large.Still I would like to list out some movies Ninaithaale Inikkum,Moondru mudichu,Thillu Mullu,Simla Special,Varumayin niram sivappu,Billa(Rajni starrer),Enga Veetu Pillai,Avan thaan manithan,sumaithaangi etc.
Though I don't belong to the era of music,when MSV was at his peak,I am still happy that his songs still attract people of the current generation too.
This is a very small description about the legends MSV-Ramamurthy.It is possible to publish a series of books describing their works.Now let me get into 'Mama' Mahadevan.The song "Mama mama mama" from the movie Kumudam was a huge hit and till today it remains one of the most popular songs of Tamil Cinema.The music director of this song is none other Mr.K V Mahadeva.As this song became such a huge hit,he was fondly called as 'Mama' Mahadevan.K V Mahadevan was also equally popular as MSV.He too has composed for so many MGR-Sivaji movies and all.
He is also a very popular music director in Telugu cinema too.His works with director K Viswanath are absolute masterpiece.His Shankarabharanam is my favorite.The songs in Shankarabharanam like Manasa Sanchanare , Shankara Naadha shareeraaparaa are evergreen classics.Shankarabharanam is a movie based on music.All the songs are in Carnatic style and all the songs were sung by man with golden voice Mr. S P Balasubramaniam.Point to be noted is,SPB sir didn't learn Carnatic music formally.But the songs are simply awesome and none will believe that this man didn't learn Carnatic music formally.Pure hard work.When we listen to such songs in a relaxed mood,we will feel like living in heaven(atleast I felt like this so many times).
He has scored music for lot of Tamil movies too viz.,Vivasayee,Thiruvilayadal,Kandhan Karunai,Thiruvarutchelvar etc.His "Mannavan Vandhaanadi Thozhi" from the movie Thiruvarutchelvar is a song which I would recommend everyone, who likes good music, to listen.What an extra-ordinary composition it is.This song has an important space in my personal life too.In my school days,when I was in town,I used to watch lot of cultural programs in schools,temples,halls etc.Atleast 2-3 girls will dance for this song in every function.Simple love this song.Whenver I listen to this song,I just want to go back to those good old days.Am sharing the video link for the song below,don't hesitate to listen the complete song.The song exactly starts at 1.52sec..What a brilliant dance performance by Padmini madam.Do watch it friends :-).
Still so many singers and music directors like Seergazhi Govindarajan,S Varalakshmi(singers) and V Kumar,Papanasam Sivan,Sudharsanam,Vijayabaskar etc.But am not getting in depth about them,if possible will try to add up some info here and there about him.This doesn't mean that these people are not so popular or they don't have such a great reputation and all..I like all the above mentioned music directors and singers too.But I just want to cover up some more things related to music,so only I am not writing much about these greats.
Well after so many years,these songs are able to attract even the current generation.One of the main reasons for this success is the space given for lyrics.Lyrics and tune had equal space those days.Music never dominated the lyrics.Sound never suppressed the song those days.That's why these songs never fade away. Sometimes a song can bring about a change in our personal life too.This is one such song,which was written by a great lyricist.
மயக்கமா ? கலக்கமா ? மனதிலே குழப்பமா ? வாழ்க்கையில் நடுக்கமா?
வாழ்க்கையென்றால் ஆயிரம் இருக்கும் வாசல் தோறும் வேதனையிருக்கும் வந்த துன்பம் எதுவென்றாலும் வாடி நின்றால் ஓடுவதில்லை எதையும் தாங்கும் இதயமிருந்தால் இறுதிவரைக்கும் அமைதியிருக்கும்
One man was looking for an opportunity to become a lyricist in Tamil Cinema.But he lost all his hopes at one stage(its no mean task to get a chance in any field in cinema).He packed all his luggages and he has decided to return to his native,out of frustration.Singer P B Srinivas came to his room exactly when he was all set to go.This man had a good contact with so many cinema personalities,but still he couldn't get a chance.He didn't reveal his plans of going back to his native to PBS and instead,he asked PBS to sing some good song which he sang recently.PBS started singing the above song 'Mayakkama kalakkama'.This person after listening to the song completely,dropped his plans of going back.This song gave him a new hope and he decided not to go back without achieving in Tamil Cinema.He worked hard,he faced lot of obstacles,but finally he achieved it.He is none other than the evergreen young lyricist Mr.'Vaali' A meaningful song written by a legend,has created another legend.
I will translate the meaning here in the best possible way.'Are you depressed?Are you confused?Are you scared of your life?In life there will be thousands of issues.Problems are there in every house.Whatever be the problem that you are facing,it will not run away from you,just because you are depressed.If you have a heart to accept everything,your life will be peaceful forever".Reason for translating this song is,this song might give a new lease of life to some depressed soul,who is reading this blog.As I mentioned earlier,the translation is only for people who doesn't knows Tamil.
கம்பன் ஏமாந்தான்
இளம் கன்னியரை
ஒரு மலரென்றானே
கற்பனை செய்தானே
What a meaningful lines written by Kannadasan sir again :D.Every male reader will like this song from the movie 'Nizhal nijamaagiradhu'.
Always one has to be careful in dealing with poets and lyricists.God's greatest gift to them is their powerful words.Once Mr.Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram wrote a song and gave it to a producer.That producer told him to get the payment for that song the next day.His(Mr.Kalyanasundaram's) economical condition was very bad at that time.When he went to get the payment,he delayed it purposefully.The producer asked his watchman to tell him that he was not in the house.Pattukottayar wrote the following lines in a paper and kept it on the bench and left the place.The next day ,the producer settled the amount without any further delay and also apologised for what has happened.This is what Pattukottayaar wrote :
தாயால் பிறந்தேன்
தமிழால் வளர்ந்தேன்
நாயே நேற்றுன்னை
நடுவீதியில் சந்தித்தேன்
நீ யார் என்னை
நில்லென்று சொல்வதற்கு
This is the best example to show his self-confidence.Even when his economical condition was too bad,he never gave up his self-respect.கெட்டாலும் மேன் மக்கள் மேன் மக்களே!!!
When you are going to play with the self-respect of someone,be prepared to get back nicely something like this.Pattukottayaar was highly influenced by Communism.That's why he wrote songs like,
கொடுக்கற காலம் நெருங்குவதால் இனி எடுக்கற அவசியம் இருக்காது இருக்கிறதெல்லாம் பொதுவாய்ப் போனா பதுக்குற வேலையும் இருக்காது ஒதுக்குற வேலையும் இருக்காது உழைக்கிற நோக்கம் உறுதி ஆய்ட்டா கெடுக்கிற நோக்கம் வளராது மனம் கீழும் மேலும் புரளாது [from the song Thirudaathe paappa thirudathe,movie Thirudathe]
This song will be surely in my playlist if am listening songs in night.This song is one of the best lullabies I have ever heard.A lullaby with a strong meaning.This comes in the movie Needhikku Thalaivanangu.The situation will be like this,MGR will come out of his home to prove himself.He will work as a servant in heroine's home and she will ask him to sing a song.He will sing this song and will make her sleep.Actually there are 2 versions of this song.The female version was sung by S Varalakshmi madam and the male version by K J Yesudas.The lyrics of female version will be something like a mother describing the powerful character of her son while singing the lullaby.Specialty of the female version is that,the lyrics will appear as if it was not only written for the character but also to MGR personally.Yes it is the song,"Intha pachaikilikkoru sevvandhi poovil".I am sharing the male version here.
இந்த பச்சைக்கிளிக்கொரு செவ்வந்திப்பூவைத்
தொட்டிலில் கட்டிவைத்தேன்
அதில் பட்டுத் துகிலுடன் அன்னை சிறகினை
மெல்லென இட்டு வைத்தேன்
நான் ஆராரோ என்று தாலாட்ட
இன்னும் யாராரோ வந்து பாராட்ட..
எந்த குழந்தையும் நல்ல குழந்தைதான்
மண்ணில் பிறக்கையிலே
பின் நல்லவராவதும் தீயவராவதும்
அன்னை வளர்ப்பதிலே..
பாதை தவறிய கால்கள் விரும்பிய
ஊர் சென்று சேர்வதில்லை
நல்ல பண்பு தவறிய பிள்ளையைப் பெற்றவள்
பேர் சொல்லி வாழ்வதில்லை
The meaning goes like this.I made a cradle for my kid using flowers and singing this lullaby.Every child is good at the time of its birth.Whether the child becomes good or bad in the future depends on how he/she brought up by his/her mother.If you chose the wrong path,you can't reach your destination.When a person deviates from a moral life and indulges in immoral activities,his/her mother will live in humiliation and the activities of the person will bring only bad name to his mother.Watch this song in the below link :
What a meaningful lyrics!!!If we hear such songs daily it will influence our habits for sure and we might also give up some bad habits.And the above song was written by Mr.Pulamaipithan.
The post has become too lengthy it seems.But no other go,whatever am sharing is just 1%.Many information are there to be shared.So it will continue in my next post too.
P.S. : The English translation for the songs might appear childish.As I said already,the translation for people who find it difficult to read Tamil and people who doesn't know Tamil.
"அந்த நாள் ஞாபகம் நெஞ்சிலே வந்ததே
நண்பனே ! நண்பனே !
இந்த நாள் அன்று போல் இன்பமாய் இல்லையே
அது ஏன் ஏன் நண்பனே "
What a song to start with the second part of this musical journey!!.Now if you don't know Tamil,don't get puzzled,am translating it.Am just cherishing the memories of our olden days my friend,but the present days are not as happy as those days.This song was composed by 'Mellisaimannar' M S Viswanathan and the lyrics were written by none other than our evergreen young poet Vaali.Today we have so many new instruments.Lot of facilities in composing a song,recording etc.But those days,these many advancements were not the songs just remain immortal.Even after almost 40-50 years of its release,MGR's Naan Aanayittal song remains the favorite for many music lovers(preferably fans of Tamil movie songs).This is not the case with Tamil songs alone,in every language we have such songs.Mohammad Rafi's songs remains evergreen classics.
If these songs are able to attract the people of this modern era too means,its not only because of the music director or singer.It is a teamwork.Of-course,every achievement is a result of team work,that is different,but here I would like to share some of the incidents and the factors responsible for the success of these (g)old songs.Nowadays we have the facility to mix the music separately,the track can be sang separately and everything can be mixed together later.But that is not the case during those days.
Once recording was going on for a song.And the composition itself took lot of time to get completed.To bring a co-ordination in everything,the chorus section,instruements,the main song etc itself, it took a long time for this particular song.Everyone were already hungry.After the composition was over,everyone started moving out, but suddenly the person who was incharge of the recording part stopped everyone and said that there was some error while recording,so the entire song has to be recorded again.And they didn't have anyother option than to redo the recording and they did.Unfortunately I don't remember the song but the singer was veteran Tamil singer,T M Soundararajan.
This kind of hardwork and man-work is one of the main reasons for the success of these songs.And I have quoted a song at the top of the post,andha naal nyaabagam,a unique incident is associated with this song.The visuals of the song is such that the hero just runs in a joy and he breathes heavily and sings the song.To make it natural,the singer ran from steps in the studio and sang this song with a heavy breathing.Again the singer is Mr.T M Soundararajan.Just watch the song with visuals,you will understand how perfectly the visuals and the audio matches.
This is a unique quality of TMS.By listening the song itself(without seeing the visuals),we can identify whether its an MGR song or a Sivaji's.For Sivaji,he will sing in high pitch and for MGR he will sing with a relatively soft voice.Something like this.Watch these 2 songs,you can easily identify the difference.
MGR's :
Sivaji's :
Not only like this,he has differentiated his voice to suit the mood of the song in different ways.In a movie called "Gnana Oli",see the way he sings for the younger Sivaji and just observe the way he has modified his voice to suit the oldman character of Sivaji in the same movie.Just listen these songs,amma kannu summa sollu and Devane ennai paarungal below.
Amma Kannu :
Devane ennai paarungal
He sang for a variety of heroes and he worked for a variety of music directors including the legends like M S Viswanathan,K V Mahadevan,Ilayaraja etc.He also has worked with T Rajendar,who is a very good music director.Also he sang for heroes including MGR,Sivaji,Gemini Ganesan,Jaishankar,SSR,Rajnikanth etc.The combination of MGR/Sivaji+Kannadasan/Vaali+M S Viswanathan and/or Ramamurthy + TMS/SPB was a terrific one those days.Just watch these songs,TMS sang for Jaishankar and SSR respectively.What a voice it is!!!.Its all God's gift.
Jaishankar in Naan Malarodu Thaniyaga :
SSR in Gnyayiru enbadhu Kannaga :
One suggestion,watch these songs with little less volume.It will be an awesome feeling.
I am a huge fanatic of TMS' voice,that's why when I started off with black and white songs,I started focusing on him bit more.Well so many great singers are there apart from TMS like C S Jayaraman,P B Srinivas,T R Mahalingam , A M Rajah etc. If you want to listen their voices,just click on their names,I have shared a song sang by these people.You people must listen to the voice of C S Jayaraman,its such a unique voice and it might also appear bit funny to fans of modern day songs,still give a try,he is a great singer.In the link,listen to the "Kaaviyama Nenjil Oviyama" song of C S Jayaraman.
If I leave with this,then people might accuse me that am a male chauvinist :D.To be honest,I simply love the voice of so many female singers like P Susheela,S Janaki,Vaani Jayaram,Chitra,Jensi etc.
Just watch this song, Maalai Pozhuthin Mayakkathile.Singer is P Susheela madam.
This song is a true masterpiece.When a private channel(I think Vijay TV or Raj TV am not sure of this) conducted a felicitation function to Susheela madam for her 50th year in cinema,Isaignani Ilayaraja sir requested Susheela madam to sing this song only.Its not only his favorite,but also my favorite.Amazing voice.Especially observe when she sings "kanavil vandhavar yaarena ketten kanavarendraar thozhee kanavarandral avar kanavu mudindhadhum pirindhadhu en thozhee".It is not only Susheela madam's voice,but also 'Kaviyarasar' Kannadasan's meaningful lyrics and Viswanathan-Ramamurthy's soothing music has given life to this song.This what happens when great people work together in a song : the song remains immortal and it attracts more and more generations.She has sang so many popular songs like Nenjam Marappadhillai,Naalai Intha Velai Parthu,Sonnadhu neethaana etc.
Also watch this song,which is yet another masterpiece.
It is from the movie "Nizhal Nijamaagiradhu".What a voice these people are gifted with.Vaani Jayaram madam and SPB sir.Beautiful voice and meaningful lyrics is what again made this song a huge hit.Just listen to the lyrics too."Maniyosai enna idi osai enna edhu vandha podhum nee kettadhillai"[meaning : "you haven't heard either the sound of bell or thunder",that is he has not heard any sound] - these lines itself indicate the artiste who takes care of the heroine is a deaf person.Also just listen the lines,"thalladum pillai ullamum vellai thaalaattu paada aadhaaram illai Deivangalellam unakkaaga paadum paadaamal ponaal edhu Deivamaagum" -[meaning: you are like a kid with pure heart and there is no evidence for singing lullaby for you. God will sing lullaby for you,if not then nothing can be called God] these lines describes the good nature of the character.Man what a genius this Kannadasan is.
Just watch this song,you can know the power of Janaki madam's voice.I am not sharing the video song from the movie,this is a stage show performed by her some yrs ago I think.See how beautifully she sings even at an old age.Simply love her voice.
Stage show:
Original song :
I really regret for not writing much about the legend P B Srinivas.His songs for Gemini Ganesan are popular even today ex: Manithanenbavan Deivamaagalam etc.As I am writing about music in general,couldn't write complete details about all the singers.And it will be meaningless if I don't write much about the "Mellisaimannargal" M S Viswanathan-Ramamurthy , "Mama" Mahadevan etc.Now don't confuse yourself for the reason associated with the prefix "Mama".I will tell that in my next post.In my next post,I will be dealing with M S Viswanathan-Ramamurthy,Pattukottayaar,Kannadasan,Vaali etc.
P.S. : Pardon me for a pathetic translation.As I am posting the translation of a song,I couldn't phrase the sentences properly.The translation is only for people who don't know Tamil.Others feel free to ignore it :-).
