ஒரு ஓசையின்றி மௌனமாக உறங்குதவள் மனது...
As I was about to go to bed late Wednesday night, Jaya TV’s Thenkinnam cajoled me to stay awake, for songs from movies directed by Muktha Srinivasan were being featured…. Songs that I have loved, grown up listening to, and tug at my heartstrings making sigh with wistful memories… And while the venerable Muktha Srinivasan has worked with other composers such as K.V. Mahadevan, T. K. Ramamurthy, V. Kumar and Chandrabose, encouraging them to come up with memorable albums, it was with MSV that he seems to have shared a very special rapport… MSV’s tunes for the Muktha movies are precious testaments of an enduring and endearing bond.
And even when even the producers and directors who had reaped enormous successes with MSV were moving away from him one after another in the late 70s and early 80s, Muktha Srinivasan was one director who remained a staunch MSV loyalist and retained the Mellisai Mannar to score the music for his movies.
Presenting here a song from the early 80s that has remained close to my heart from the very first listen. ஒரு ஓசையின்றி மவுனமாக from பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு. Sung by P. Jayachandran. Lyrics by Vaali. Music by MSV.
பரீட்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு (14.11.1982/ Mukta Films) starred Sivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Y.G. Mahendran, Poornima Jairam, ‘VA’ Moorthi, Manorama, V. Gopalakrishnan and others. It was produced by Muktha Ramaswami and directed by Muktha Srinivasan.
The film was based on a play having the same name, staged by United Amateur Artistes. Founded in 1952 by Y.G.Parthasarathi and his versatile friend Pattu, UAA is among the oldest surviving Tamil theater troupes today. Varadakshinai (1952) was the first play that was staged by UAA, and over the years, besides Pattu, others who wrote plays for UAA include PYV Raman, Vietnam Veedu Sundaram, Mouli, Venkat, Visu, and YGM. Nagesh, Cho, Jayalalitha, Lakshmi, Srikanth, and V. Goplakrishnan were some of the many artistes who learned the basics of acting at UAA. Many of UAA’s landmark plays are remembered to this day - It happened at midnight, Oh, what a girl, Dial Mr. Sanjeevi, Under Secretary, Imperfect murder, நலந்தானா, Flight 172, ரகசியம் பரம ரகசியம், Paatti & The Naughty Boys, செய்திகள் வாசிப்பது UAA –the list goes on…. YGM revived பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு for the stage anew in 2014 to resounding success. Even this summer, I was fortunate to witness a hilarious stage adaptation of the epic காசேதான் கடவுளடா scripted afresh by the talented Chitralaya Sriram for UAA.
பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was not the first instance of a UAA play was being adapted for a Sivaji film; it was UAA’s play பெற்றால் தான் பிள்ளையா written by Pattu, that became பார் மகளே பார் and கண்ணன் வந்தான் written by Vietnam Veedu Sundaram that became கவுரவம். பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was a play jointly written by Venkat & YGM and first staged in 1978.
* * * * *
Venkatachari Ramaswami (1925-1988) and his brother Srinivasan were born into a pious family near Nagappattinam. Forced by circumstances to to eke out a living at an early age, Ramaswami found a job as a typist in Modern Theatres, Salem. Winning the confidence of the legendary T.R. Sundaram by his diligence and honesty, Ramaswami rose to become Sundaram’s executive assistant. Following the footsteps of his brother, Srinivasan started working in the accounts section of Modern Theatres. Later drawn towards filmmaking, he had an enriching stint as assistant to stalwart directors such as K. Ramnath and S. Balachander. He turned director with முதலாளி (1957/ MAV Pictures).
Sensing his brother’s keen inclination, the enterprising Ramaswami came to Madras and formed his own company called ‘Muktha Films’. Starting with பனித்திரை (1961), over a period of nearly 40 years, 40 films have rolled out from the Mukta banner. And though generations of actors from Gemini Ganesh to Vikram have acted in the Muktha ventures, it was with Sivaji that the Muktha brothers shared a special relationship. Ramaswami, like Balaji, remained a Sivaji loyalist till the end, and was counted among Sivaji’s closest friends.
* * * * *
பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was a family drama, revolving around the upright Narasimhachari (Sivaji), his understanding wife Vedha (Sujatha), and their dunce of a son Varadhu (YGM). Ragothama Rao (VA Moorthi), his wife Subhadra aka ‘Noon Show Mami’ (Manorama) and their daughter Jayanthi (Poornima Jairam) are their immediate neighbors and close friends. How fate repeatedly deals the same cruel bow, first by snatching their beloved Varadhukkutti, and then his look-alike whom they adopt, forms the crux of the tale.
Those were the years of decline for the thespian; even his ardent fans were filled with indignation at most of the insipid films and ludicrous roles that came his way, roles that were ill-suited considering his advancing age and girth. However, there were a few instances where the ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ could still cast his unparalleled spell and rekindle the magic a bygone era.
In 1982, a year which unleashed a series of unmitigated miseries like Hitler Umanath, சங்கிலி, ஊருக்கு ஒரு பிள்ளை, கருடா சவுக்கியமா, தியாகி, நெஞ்சங்கள் and ஊரும் உறவும், two movies came as welcome breaths of respite: Durai’s துணை was one and Muktha’s பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was the other; in both movies Sivaji enacted roles that suited his age and stature, and he played them with majesty.
In பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு Sivaji’s heartwarming performance had riveting moments of sheer brilliance- inviting his boss (Goplalakrishnan) for lunch while secretly hoping to lure him into offering Varudhu a job; trying to procure a question paper illegally for Varadhu’s forthcoming exam though filled with misgivings, and then the humiliation at being caught red-handed; valiantly coping with the twin calamities of losing Varadhu and Vedha becoming a living corpse; going to a ‘military’ eatery shamefacedly to buy ‘Chicken-65’ for the new Varadhu—oh, the King was in his elements here, and seemed to ascend his throne for a brief while again, after years of mortifying exile!
October 1st marked the birth anniversary of Sivaji Ganesan. Let us remember the great ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ and how his magical presence lit up the screen for decades. We salute his revered memory.
* * * *
‘சுமைதாங்கி சாய்ந்தால் சுமை என்னவாகும்?’ fretted an anxious Inspector Choudhary as he attended to his ailing Lakshmi. The same scene is enacted again, here Narasimhachari has lost his only son, and a benumbed Vedha is but a living corpse. Putting aside his own sorrow resolutely, he takes care his wife; like a mother would tenderly nurse her infant, he attends to Vedha’s needs with solicitude and fortitude--தாரம் என்னும் ஆதாரம் சாய்ந்திடும் நேரம், அதை தாங்கும் பாரம் பெரும் பாரம் தலைவனை சேரும்...Vaali’s evocative lines find moving, compassionate delineation in Jayachandran’s honeyed, mellifluous rendition.
The late 70s and early 80s were some exultant years in Paliyathu Jayachandran’s unfairly unfulfilled tryst with Tamil film muisc; MSV, Ilaiyaraja Shankar--Ganesh, Gangaiamaran and T. Rajendar reaped repeated successes in his enchanting voice in that brief period. When I met him earlier this year for a leisurely tête-à-tête, his worshipful reverence for MSV was a joy to behold. Hark at his rendition of this song- the astute Master restrains the orchestration to a bare minimum, just adequate to accentuate the melancholy of the sequence and allows the singer and lines to bask in the prominence that the sequence demands…
* * * * *
In a recent post, Muktha Srinivasan sir revealed that his first choice for the role of Vedha was Jayalalitha. Before the casting could be finalized, Jayalalitha became preoccupied with her political commitments and it was then that Sujatha was picked for the role. No doubt Jayalalitha with her sagacity would have surely elevated the proceedings to a sublime level of perfection; nonetheless Sujatha essayed the role with her characteristic dignity and empathy-indeed her performance in this movie would rank among her best ever.
Cutting across party affiliations and unmindful of his own frail health and advanced age, Muktha Srinivasan sir went to the temple to offer special prayers for the speedy recovery of the Chief Minister, his beloved Ammu. I join him and countless others in the same prayers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTKXo8twf3k
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1347852055246517/
Saravanan Natarajan writes:
As I was about to go to bed late Wednesday night, Jaya TV’s Thenkinnam cajoled me to stay awake, for songs from movies directed by Muktha Srinivasan were being featured…. Songs that I have loved, grown up listening to, and tug at my heartstrings making sigh with wistful memories… And while the venerable Muktha Srinivasan has worked with other composers such as K.V. Mahadevan, T. K. Ramamurthy, V. Kumar and Chandrabose, encouraging them to come up with memorable albums, it was with MSV that he seems to have shared a very special rapport… MSV’s tunes for the Muktha movies are precious testaments of an enduring and endearing bond.And even when even the producers and directors who had reaped enormous successes with MSV were moving away from him one after another in the late 70s and early 80s, Muktha Srinivasan was one director who remained a staunch MSV loyalist and retained the Mellisai Mannar to score the music for his movies.
Presenting here a song from the early 80s that has remained close to my heart from the very first listen. ஒரு ஓசையின்றி மவுனமாக from பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு. Sung by P. Jayachandran. Lyrics by Vaali. Music by MSV.
பரீட்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு (14.11.1982/ Mukta Films) starred Sivaji Ganesan, Sujatha, Y.G. Mahendran, Poornima Jairam, ‘VA’ Moorthi, Manorama, V. Gopalakrishnan and others. It was produced by Muktha Ramaswami and directed by Muktha Srinivasan.
The film was based on a play having the same name, staged by United Amateur Artistes. Founded in 1952 by Y.G.Parthasarathi and his versatile friend Pattu, UAA is among the oldest surviving Tamil theater troupes today. Varadakshinai (1952) was the first play that was staged by UAA, and over the years, besides Pattu, others who wrote plays for UAA include PYV Raman, Vietnam Veedu Sundaram, Mouli, Venkat, Visu, and YGM. Nagesh, Cho, Jayalalitha, Lakshmi, Srikanth, and V. Goplakrishnan were some of the many artistes who learned the basics of acting at UAA. Many of UAA’s landmark plays are remembered to this day - It happened at midnight, Oh, what a girl, Dial Mr. Sanjeevi, Under Secretary, Imperfect murder, நலந்தானா, Flight 172, ரகசியம் பரம ரகசியம், Paatti & The Naughty Boys, செய்திகள் வாசிப்பது UAA –the list goes on…. YGM revived பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு for the stage anew in 2014 to resounding success. Even this summer, I was fortunate to witness a hilarious stage adaptation of the epic காசேதான் கடவுளடா scripted afresh by the talented Chitralaya Sriram for UAA.
பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was not the first instance of a UAA play was being adapted for a Sivaji film; it was UAA’s play பெற்றால் தான் பிள்ளையா written by Pattu, that became பார் மகளே பார் and கண்ணன் வந்தான் written by Vietnam Veedu Sundaram that became கவுரவம். பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was a play jointly written by Venkat & YGM and first staged in 1978.
* * * * *
Venkatachari Ramaswami (1925-1988) and his brother Srinivasan were born into a pious family near Nagappattinam. Forced by circumstances to to eke out a living at an early age, Ramaswami found a job as a typist in Modern Theatres, Salem. Winning the confidence of the legendary T.R. Sundaram by his diligence and honesty, Ramaswami rose to become Sundaram’s executive assistant. Following the footsteps of his brother, Srinivasan started working in the accounts section of Modern Theatres. Later drawn towards filmmaking, he had an enriching stint as assistant to stalwart directors such as K. Ramnath and S. Balachander. He turned director with முதலாளி (1957/ MAV Pictures).
Sensing his brother’s keen inclination, the enterprising Ramaswami came to Madras and formed his own company called ‘Muktha Films’. Starting with பனித்திரை (1961), over a period of nearly 40 years, 40 films have rolled out from the Mukta banner. And though generations of actors from Gemini Ganesh to Vikram have acted in the Muktha ventures, it was with Sivaji that the Muktha brothers shared a special relationship. Ramaswami, like Balaji, remained a Sivaji loyalist till the end, and was counted among Sivaji’s closest friends.
* * * * *
பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was a family drama, revolving around the upright Narasimhachari (Sivaji), his understanding wife Vedha (Sujatha), and their dunce of a son Varadhu (YGM). Ragothama Rao (VA Moorthi), his wife Subhadra aka ‘Noon Show Mami’ (Manorama) and their daughter Jayanthi (Poornima Jairam) are their immediate neighbors and close friends. How fate repeatedly deals the same cruel bow, first by snatching their beloved Varadhukkutti, and then his look-alike whom they adopt, forms the crux of the tale.
Those were the years of decline for the thespian; even his ardent fans were filled with indignation at most of the insipid films and ludicrous roles that came his way, roles that were ill-suited considering his advancing age and girth. However, there were a few instances where the ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ could still cast his unparalleled spell and rekindle the magic a bygone era.
In 1982, a year which unleashed a series of unmitigated miseries like Hitler Umanath, சங்கிலி, ஊருக்கு ஒரு பிள்ளை, கருடா சவுக்கியமா, தியாகி, நெஞ்சங்கள் and ஊரும் உறவும், two movies came as welcome breaths of respite: Durai’s துணை was one and Muktha’s பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு was the other; in both movies Sivaji enacted roles that suited his age and stature, and he played them with majesty.
In பரீட்ச்சைக்கு நேரமாச்சு Sivaji’s heartwarming performance had riveting moments of sheer brilliance- inviting his boss (Goplalakrishnan) for lunch while secretly hoping to lure him into offering Varudhu a job; trying to procure a question paper illegally for Varadhu’s forthcoming exam though filled with misgivings, and then the humiliation at being caught red-handed; valiantly coping with the twin calamities of losing Varadhu and Vedha becoming a living corpse; going to a ‘military’ eatery shamefacedly to buy ‘Chicken-65’ for the new Varadhu—oh, the King was in his elements here, and seemed to ascend his throne for a brief while again, after years of mortifying exile!
October 1st marked the birth anniversary of Sivaji Ganesan. Let us remember the great ‘Nadigar Thilagam’ and how his magical presence lit up the screen for decades. We salute his revered memory.
* * * *
‘சுமைதாங்கி சாய்ந்தால் சுமை என்னவாகும்?’ fretted an anxious Inspector Choudhary as he attended to his ailing Lakshmi. The same scene is enacted again, here Narasimhachari has lost his only son, and a benumbed Vedha is but a living corpse. Putting aside his own sorrow resolutely, he takes care his wife; like a mother would tenderly nurse her infant, he attends to Vedha’s needs with solicitude and fortitude--தாரம் என்னும் ஆதாரம் சாய்ந்திடும் நேரம், அதை தாங்கும் பாரம் பெரும் பாரம் தலைவனை சேரும்...Vaali’s evocative lines find moving, compassionate delineation in Jayachandran’s honeyed, mellifluous rendition.
The late 70s and early 80s were some exultant years in Paliyathu Jayachandran’s unfairly unfulfilled tryst with Tamil film muisc; MSV, Ilaiyaraja Shankar--Ganesh, Gangaiamaran and T. Rajendar reaped repeated successes in his enchanting voice in that brief period. When I met him earlier this year for a leisurely tête-à-tête, his worshipful reverence for MSV was a joy to behold. Hark at his rendition of this song- the astute Master restrains the orchestration to a bare minimum, just adequate to accentuate the melancholy of the sequence and allows the singer and lines to bask in the prominence that the sequence demands…
* * * * *
In a recent post, Muktha Srinivasan sir revealed that his first choice for the role of Vedha was Jayalalitha. Before the casting could be finalized, Jayalalitha became preoccupied with her political commitments and it was then that Sujatha was picked for the role. No doubt Jayalalitha with her sagacity would have surely elevated the proceedings to a sublime level of perfection; nonetheless Sujatha essayed the role with her characteristic dignity and empathy-indeed her performance in this movie would rank among her best ever.
Cutting across party affiliations and unmindful of his own frail health and advanced age, Muktha Srinivasan sir went to the temple to offer special prayers for the speedy recovery of the Chief Minister, his beloved Ammu. I join him and countless others in the same prayers.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DTKXo8twf3k
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1347852055246517/
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