Aaduvom Varungal - Savithri 1941

Kumaraswamy Sundar writes:

கேதாரம்…da

‘Kabaalida’ – the hype and hoopla for ‘Kabali’ film have subsided with the release of the film… but some thing was gnawing me for quite a while. Whenever I got a glimpse of the lead actress of the film or read her interviews or just heard the name Radhika Apte I began to ruminate on another Apte , a totally forgotten versatile yesteryear actress, Shantha Apte. What interest I will have in ‘Kabali’ or Radhika Apte or its music! But sure I will have interest in Shantha Apte for this quaint melody,’ ஆடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே ‘ that she sang for the film ‘Savitri’ (Royal Talkie Distributors/1941).

‘Savitri, a mythological, though remembered mainly for M S Subbulakshmi, Shantha Apte , who played the eponymous role, a Hindi-Marathi legendary singing star those days, is no less a celebrity. She was classically trained in music and dance and an acclaimed actress in Marathi and Hindi cinema.

M S Subbulakshmi was cast in a male role, playing the character of sage Narada! This unique casting was the idea of the filmmaker Y.V. Rao. This project is also said to have raised funds for ‘Kalki’ , the Tamil weekly launched by M S Subbulakshmi’s husband, Sadasivam. This was the first time in South Indian cinema that Narada was played by a female.

It was very difficult making Apte act in a Tamil film for Y V Rao for she did not know the language but insisted on speaking and singing in Tamil! The dialogue-writer T.C. Vadivelu Naicker with a Tamil woman, settled in Poona, taught her the lingo. To hoodwink the curious onlookers, Apte, disguised as a maid would visit the tutor's house through the rear door! The project was put on the backburner for nearly a year until Shantha Apte learnt to speak and sing on her own! She sang 7 to 8 songs in the film. Apte was apt for the role.

The film’s music was credited to Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sarma, and noted Bengali film music composer Kamaldas Gupta who was in charge of orchestration and arrangements. Papanasam Sivan wrote the lyrics. It is pertinent to mention here that Thuraiyur Rajagopala Sarma scored music for MS’ ‘Sakunthalai’ also.

Set in captivating Ketharam, probably the first full song in a tamil film in that raga, the tune suits the situation- where Apte merrily spends her time with her friends in the garden and where the hero Y V Rao tries to woo her.

Listen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=YkSfZQmAp8A


ஆடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே
விளையாடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே
ஆனந்தமாக உல்லாசமுடன்
விளையாடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே

சிந்தை தீரவே மந்தமாருதம் சிந்தை தீரவே மந்தமாருதம்
வந்து வீசும் இந்த நந்தவனம்தனில்
ஆடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே

வண்டு மொண்டு தேனுண்டு பாடுமே
குண்டு மல்லிகை செண்டு கொண்டறிந்து
ஆடுவோம் வாருங்கள் பாங்கியரே

Though not so good-looking Shantha Apte looks bubbly and vivacious. Just look at her singing…such a flawless rendition in her dulcet voice. She simply proves her mettle through this song. I find U R Jeevarathnam style of singing in her. Her enunciation of words is also fine.
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Ketharam- either Sivan’s or Thuraiyur’s idea, it is just brilliant!

If subconsciously I have had an affinity for Ketharam it is because during my school days we had this prayer song- ‘சகலகலா வாணியே சரணம் தாயே!’. We used to sing this song very mechanically those days with utter disregard for its lyrical or musical values. By the time I understood it was a Suddhanandha Bharathi’s kriti, the beauty of the lyrics and its raagam, Ilaiyaraja came out with a stunning melody in ‘Ponmaalai pozhudhu’ for the film ‘Nizhalgal’ which gave Ketharam a new dimension altogether with its off-beat prelude and interludes.
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In this MS’ birth centenary year it should go to the credit of Radhika Apte in a way that we remember Shantha Apte today whose 100th birth anniversary also falls in this year. She was also born in 1916. I wish some mention about this forgotten actress be made in the Doordarshan series ‘Kurai ondrum illai’, a weekly programme currenly being aired as part of MS centenary celebrations.
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How I wish MSV had composed the line ,”Nee enak’kethaaram’ endrirukka unnai en vasa(m)thaa vena naan kaetka” in the song ‘Nee oru raagamaalikai’ (Penn ondru kanndaen/1974) in raga Ketharam itself (instead of his usual ‘Karaharapriya’)!

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