While many of Bharathidasan’s verses have become part of Tamil film music history, he also wrote lyrics specifically for a few films in the early years. His first film as a lyricist was Sri Ramanujar (1938/ Yessel Films), though Balamani (or Pakka Thirudan/ 1937/ Sri Shanmugananda Talkies), released a year earlier was the first to carry his lyrics. He wrote both the script and lyrics for Kaalamegam(1940/ Sri Dhandapani Films). He then joined the Modern Theatres and wrote for films like Subadra-1946, Sulochana-1947, Aayiram Thalai Vaangiya Aboorva Chinthamani-1947 and Ponmudi- 1950.
The last film for which Bharathidasan penned lyrics was Valaiyaapathi (1952/ Modern Theatres), for which he wrote the dialogues as well. And when his line ‘Kamizhnthidum poovillelaam’ was altered to ‘Kulungidum poovillellam’ without his consent, Bharathidasan is said to have stormed out in indignation from the Studios, never to return.
Meanwhile, the trend of using verses from Bharathidasan’s poetry collections for film songs had caught on. Or Iravu - 1951(‘Thunbam nergayil yaazheduthu nee’) set the trend. And R. Sudarsanam used Bharathidasan’s lines again in Parasakthi-1952 (‘Vaazhga vaazhga vaazhgave’). Over the years, both while Bharathidasan was alive and afterwards, many MDs have set his verses to tune: MSV-TKR did it in their very first film Panam-1952 (‘Pasiyendru vandhaal oru pidi soru’) and later in among their last films together- Panchavarnakkili –1965 (‘Thamizhukkum amuthendru peyar’); Govindarajulu Naidu (‘Andha vaazhvu thaan endha naal varum’/Andaman Kaidhi / 1952), S.Dakshinamoorthi -of course he was the composer for Valaiyaapathi as well- (‘Adho paaradi avare en kanavar’/ Kalyani/1952), G.Ramanathan (‘Pandian en sollai thaandipponaandi’/ Thirumbippaar/ 1953 & ‘’Neelavaan aadaikkul udal maraithu’ /Gomathiyin Kaadhalan/1955), Aadhi Narayana Rao & M.Ranga Rao (‘Thaayagame vaazhga thaayagame vaazhga’/ Poonkothai/ 1953), T.G.Lingappa (‘Vennilavum vaanum pole’ / Kalyanam Panniyum Bhramachari/ 1954), C.S.Jayaraman (‘Aalaiyin sange nee oodhaayo’ / Rathakkaneer/ 1954), T.R.Papa (‘Thalaivaari poochootti unnai’/ Rangon Radha/ 1956), T.R.Ramnath (‘Aadarkkalaikkazhagu thedappirandhaval’/ Naane Raja/1956), R.Sudarsanam again (Vetkkamillai vetkkamillai’ /Kuladeivam/1956 & ‘Valiyor silar eliyor thamai’ / Manimagudam/1966), S.Rajeswara Rao (‘Paadi paadi paadi vaadi’ & ‘’Orey oru paisa’/ Petra Manam/ 1960), Kunnakkudi Vaithyanathan (‘Engengu kaaninum sakthiyada’/ Namma Veettu Deivam/1970), Shankar-Ganesh (‘Chithira Cholaigale’/ Naan Yaen Pirandhen/1972), Ilayaraja (‘Kaalai ilam parithiyile’/Kannan Oru Kaikkuzhandhai/1978) and Vidyasagar (‘Thoongum puliyai’/ Puratchikkaran/2000). And at times the same song has found place in more than one film: ‘Sange muzhangu’ was heard first in En Magal (1954/ composed by C.N.Pandurangan) and later in Kalangarai Vilakkm (1965/ composed by MSV). ‘Pudhiyadhor ulagam seivom’ was heard first in Chandrodhayam (1966/ composed by MSV) and again in Pallandu Vaazhga (1975/ composed by KVM), though in the earlier song, the lines after the opening were from other works of Bharathidasan.
Tamil film music has thus been gloriously enriched time and again by the immortal verses of the great Paavendhar.
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Out of all the works of Bharathidasan that were used in Tamil film music, my particular favourite is a forgotten song from a forgotten movie-
Amma unthan kai valaiyaai from Nijangal.
Sung by Vani Jairam. Bharathidasan’s verses set to music by M.B. Srinivasan.
These verses form part of a longer poem by Bharathidasan that was published in a collection of his works called ‘Oru Thaaiyin Ullam Magizhgirathu’.
Nijangal (1982) was directed by K.S Sethumadhavan. I have not seen the film, but recollect reading somewhere that it was an off-beat venture, narrating the events subsequent to the breaking-down of a bus, and the varied experiences/ responses of the passengers therein, punctuated with riveting recapitulations of some of their stories.
I recall watching the song many years ago in OLiyum Oliyum: The sequence is that of Menaka taking care of her mentally deranged mother Anandi. As she lovingly nurses her mother, combs her tresses, feeds her a few morsels, and patiently does all that her mother would have done for her when Menaka was an infant at her bosom, this song is the wondrous backdrop that multiplies manifold the melancholy of this reversal of the mother-daughter roles.
MBS bases his composition largely on Behaag, rightly harnesses Vani’s voice to bring lilting lustre to Bharathidasan’s lines, and as is his wont, intelligently intersperses chorus voices to enhance the poignant emotions that the song evokes.
Vani’s eyes brimmed with cascading memories as I asked her about this song. ‘It was just then that I had lost my mother’ she said softly. ‘And it was a disquieting co-incidence that the first song that I was called to sing after her demise was this one. Though I finished the recording in a single take, I was moved by the lyrics, and had to control myself from breaking down…’
- Saravanan
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