Saravanan Natarajan writes:
கேட்பதெல்லாம் காதல் கீதங்களே…..
October 31 marked the death anniversary of the voice of the 50s- P. Leela.Remembering the chanteuse with a scintillating instance of her magnificent vocal skills- கேட்பதெல்லாம் காதல் கீதங்களே from இல்லற ஜோதி. Lyrics by Kannadasan. Music by G. Ramanathan.
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இல்லற ஜோதி (1954) was a Modern Theatres venture, produced by T.R. Sundaram. It had Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini and Sriranjini as the lead actors. It was the first film for which Kannadasan wrote the story and dialogues as well, besides the lyrics. The story was that of a talented young poet struggling for recognition, finding a beautiful patroness and the havoc that this relationship brings upon his marital life.
With Illara Jothi, the Wordsmith of Tamil Cinema had finally arrived, for the dialogues (including the scintillating Anarkali drama) sparkled with exceptional literary luminescence. And as for the songs, Kannadasan sat with the virtuoso GR, and they worked painstakingly to create 11 songs--immortal instances of exquisite éclat.
We find that besides A.M. Raja, Jikki and P. Leela, GR had also employed some little-known singers of the 50s such as Gajalakshmi, S.J. Kantha and Swarnalatha.
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Modern Theatres was the bastion of Thiruchengodu Ramalinga Sundaram B.S.C. (Leeds); and he ruled over it with an iron hand, discipline being his watch word.. He was a trail blazing filmmaker and a visionary far ahead of his times.
In 1949, when TRS started a magazine called ‘Sandamaarutham’, he appointed Kannadasan as its editor at a princely salary of Rs.120! Kannadasan is said to have accepted the job, as he was strongly attracted to the well-stocked library at Modern Theatres. He worked assiduously at his duties, and gradually the circulation of the magazine touched 65O. Piqued by a small issue of permission being denied for publishing an article written by Nedunchezhiyan, Kannadasan dashed off his resignation letter. But TRS, who didn’t want to let him go, transferred him to the Story Discussion Crew, giving him a raise of Rs. 30/- to boot!
In 1953, Modern Theatres produced Thirumbipaar, which had story & dialogues by Karunanidhi, and lyrics by Kannadasan (save a Bharathidasan song). And இல்லற ஜோதி, with Kannadasan at the helm, came the subsequent year. Sadly for Kannadasan, he was in prison when இல்லற ஜோதி was released- he was incarcerated for taking an active part in the Dalmiapuram agitation.
However, Kannadasan had a great experience of working with G. Ramanathan. It was an honour to sit with the revered master, and watch him coming up with captivating tunes and adorn them up with pristine orchestral notes. For this song in particular, GR worked on a Bhimpalasi base to construct an edifice with layers and layers of lilting passages each one returning to the Pallavi. And Kannadasan filled the lines with verses of poetic perfection.
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‘Krishna Krishna Mukuntha Janardhana, Krishna Govinda Narayana Hare’- at daybreak, in the temple town of Guruvayoor, it is this divine call that rouses the inhabitants from their slumber, and day after day, the voice that brings them to this serene awakening is that of P. Leela.
‘Kalaimaamani’, 'Padmabhushan' Porayathu Leela (1935- 2005) started training in classical music as a child in Cochin, first under Tirubhuvanam Mani Bhagavathar and later under Vadakkancherry Rama Bhagavathar.
Sensing a bright future for her, her father V.K. Kunjan Menon shifted the family to Madras, where she commenced rigorous training under Pathamadai Krishnan and Maruthuvakodi Rajagopala Iyer. Her father ensured that the child attended concerts by the great doyens of classical music and observed in person the brass tacks of concert performances. Leela was soon singing in concerts, though the opportunities were few and far between. Her performance in a concert organized by Dr. Durgabhai Deshmukh for the Andhra Mahila Sabha caught the attention of some leading personalities from the film world.
And when she did get her first offer to sing for Cinema, her reluctant father accepted with misgivings, for he was not sure if this was a respectable receptacle for his daughter’s talents. Leela’s first film song when she was just 12 years old was for music director Padmanabha Sastri in the film கங்கணம் (1948). The song ஸ்ரீ வரலக்ஷ்மி is said to have been popular in its time. She made her debut in Malayalam, Telugu and Kannada cinema shortly thereafter, and rose to dizzying heights of popularity. Her father now watched with pride as Leela’s vocals filled each year of the golden 50s with a prodigious output of immortal songs…
When hardly in her teens, she came under the tutelage of the great C.R. Subburaman, who coached her to sing some breathtaking songs, before his untimely demise. ‘எல்லாம் இன்ப மயம்’ (மணமகள்), her dazzling duet with the formidable MLV is a brilliant illustration of the faith that Subburaman reposed in her. Soon she was singing for all the reputed composers in the South and gradually became the most sought after singer in the 50s. S. M. Subbiah Naidu, S.V. Venkataraman, S. Rajeswara Rao, V. Dakshinamoorthy, M.S. Gnanamani, Pendyala Nageswara Rao, T.G. Lingappa, T.R. Papa and even Viswanathan- Ramamoorthy…they all came to Leela for challenging or classical based compositions and she exceeded their expectations at every instance with an endearing nonchalance.
However, special compartments in Leela’s portmanteau ought to be reserved for her works for three composers and each one of them collaborated with her to come out with some immortal works that stand the test of time. The first was the talented singer-composer Ghantasala who could not think of an album without Leela- Can we ever forget the songs of Paatala Bhairavi or Maya Bazar that Ghantasala reserved for his prima donna? The second composer who kept aside for Leela some of his best compositions in the 50s was K.V. Mahadevan. He was so enamoured of her voice that when he chose to don the singer’s hat himself for Madanamohini, he insisted on Leela singing along with him. Even as late as 1959- 1960, when her innings was all but drawing to a close, KVM ensured that some choice compositions came Leela’s way- Thai Piranthaal Vazhi Pirakkum, Padikkatha Methai, Engal Selvi, Aada Vantha Deivam were brilliant flashes from the dying embers.
The third composer who considered Leela as his lucky mascot was the great G. Ramanathan. G.R reserved some of his best compositions for Leela, and she justified his choice by bringing to beguiling life his intricate creations—‘Naadhar mudi melirukkum’ (Dhigambara Saamiyaar), ‘Pandiyan en sollai thaandi ponaandi’ (Thirumbippaar), ‘Sundari Soundari’ & ‘Vaaranamaayiram’ (Thookku Thookki), ‘Kaadhal konda poovil vandu’ (Puthuyugam), ‘Thaen suvai mevum senthamizh geetham’ (Dr. Savitri), ‘Kundruthoraadivarum’ & ‘Vaanga machaan vaanga’ (Madurai Veeran), ‘Vizhiyodu Vilaiyaadum’ (Karppukkarasi), ‘Niththirai illaiyadi’ (Kaathavarayan), ‘Sri Saraswathi maatha’ (Rani Lalithaangi), ‘Kaathirupaan Kamalakkannan’ (Uththama Puthiran), ‘Ennamellam inbakkathai pesuthe’ & ‘Aada vaanga’ (Chakravarthi Thirumagal), ‘Aththaane aasai aththaane’ (Arasilankumari), ‘Endru thaniyum intha sudhandhira dhaagam’ (Kappalottiya Thamizhan), ‘Nilave nee indha seithi sollayo’ (Pattinathaar)…
The exacting taskmaster GR is said to have demanded several retakes of கேட்பதெல்லாம் காதல் கீதங்களே before Leela sang it to his satisfaction. In between Leela is said to have shed copious tears at the master’s curt insistence at repeated retakes. Yet she persevered, and the final take showcases Leela’s singing prowess in full. The spellbinding progressions where the Veenai and the Violin seem to obey each minute wave of GR’s baton, and Leela’s spectacular Swara passages ensure that this song is worth cherishing.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZOF4N21uECQ
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/1373672945997761/
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