In celebration of the birth anniversary of Salil Chowdhury today.
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It was the genius Ramu Kariat who brought Salil Chowdhury down south in 1965 to compose music for his magnum opus Chemmeen. And sitting in Room No. 28 in the old Woodlands Hotel in Chennai, Salilda diligently crafted the landmark album. The rest, as they say, is history. The besotted Malayalis now acquired one other common passion, besides communism and football, to share with their Bengali brethren.
With his scintillating compositions marked by rich orchestration in film after film, Salilda went on to carve a hallowed niche for himself in Malayalam film music. His albums such as Swapnam, Nellu, Ragam, Raasaleela, St. Thomas, Ee Gaanam Marakkumo and Air Hostess are a discerning collector's delight even to this day.
Unfortunately, contemporary Tamil cinema just did not have the catholicity to embrace this genius and celebrate his music. The first timid foray that Salilda made into Tamil Cinema was Uyir (1971/ TVS Productions), for which he composed only the background music, while the songs went to actor/singer/composer Ramana Sridhar (alias Vijayaramani) more popularly known by his real name T.S. Raghavendra.
The next opportunity came in 1973 when Ramu Kariat got Salilda to compose 3 songs for his Karumbu, an ambitious venture planned in rich magnificence and grand cinemascope. The movie was scripted by none other than the great Tamil writer Thi. Janakiraman. 3 songs were recorded by Salilda featuring the vocals of Yesudas, P. Susheela and Sabita Chowdhury. Sadly, for reasons unknown, the project was abandoned.
Happily, the songs remain with us. Radio Ceylon played them ever so often in the 70s. Even I who
started listening to the radio only in the last years of the decade recall these songs finding abundant airtime. And then...., they disappeared, pushed relentlessly by the swirling mists of time. These songs lay submerged deep in my heart, even when I had forgotten them in course of time. All they needed was a spark to get back into conscious memory, and this spark was provided by a Sri Lankan friend, a kindred soul whose passion for Tamil film music knows no bounds, who was visiting from London.
We sat one afternoon, deep in joyous recollections of songs from the 70s…He sang suddenly the first line of this song, and I joined him excitedly in the second line, brimming with the ecstasy of discovering a long-lost treasure…my voice choked with rapture as we commenced the third line ‘Gangai thannai punarndhaalum’. He waited for me to regain my composure and patted me understandingly... We then spoke wonderingly of Salilda and discussed his memorable works in the southern languages…
My hunt for the Karumbu songs in all the recording centers I knew in Madras and even all over the South was in the vain, the songs remained stubbornly elusive…Imagine my pleasurable surprise when the same Sri Lankan friend gave me a CD full of obscure songs that I had requested from him, and these songs were part of that precious lot!
Presenting here the Yesudas version of Ilango Adigal’s Kaanalvari verses from the Silappadhikaram, tuned by Salilda for Karumbu. If you haven’t listened to it earlier, you are in for a rare treat. And even if you have, it is bound to bring goosebumps at every listen… Yesudas sounds ruminative and wistful as he renders the ancient lines from the first epic poem in Tamil (circa 5th century AD)… Cannot but salute anew the genius of Salida and at the magic that he has wrought…
Sung by P.Jayachandran, S.Janaki & Chorus. Lyrics by Kannadasan. Music by Gangai Amaran.
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Another hidden jewel from the GA casket. From the EP record I gathered that the album was released in 1980. வலம்புரிச்சங்கு (Art creations), with Subhashini and Malayalam actor Jose in the lead, had some amazing songs by GA. ‘சிப்பிக்குள்ளே முத்துப்போலே' (GA) is a folksy feast by Vani. ‘காத்தாடப்போகிற' (Pulamaipithan) is an archetypal Malaysia Vasu solo.
‘என்ன சுகமோ’ (Pulamaipithan) is an enticing Yesudas solo and was at one time a great favourite of Radio Ceylon. Stylish and suave in inception, with caressing humming bits, GA works with Pulamaipithan to craft a dreamy song of joyous romance. Yesudas sheds his melancholic moods and sets our hearts aflutter as he hops, skips and jumps with the sheer ebullience of being in love and the physical intimacy.
'இது காலாக்காலம்', of course, is the delightful pick of the lot. Bringing in a whiff of the salt air, the song tells the story of a seaside romance. The dancing waves provide the merry backdrop throughout the song, and GA comes up with a simple, instantly captivating tune. With memories still fresh of rendering ‘சித்திரச்செவ்வானம்’ for Raja, Jayachandran stays on at the shore to do similar honours to GA. After the initial stifled giggle, Janaki joins Jayachandran later in the first charanam, singing her lines with élan.
We continue our stroll down memory lane, pausing to dwell upon works of the talented Gangaiamaran- works that never got their due…
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How many of us are aware that one of the stories of celebrated writer D. Selvaraj was made into a movie? Daniel Selvaraj, winner of the Sahitya Akademi award for his novel ‘Thol’, a detailed look at the plight of tannery workers in Tamil Nadu, is a lawyer by profession and an active member of the Tamil Nadu Progressive Writers Association (TNPWA). After writing several short stories in various literary magazines, Selvaraj came out with his first novel Malarum Sarugum, based on the farmers’ agitation in the Southern districts.
He then wrote an engrossing novel spanning generations of workers in tea estates. Selvaraj’s parents were humble plantation workers laboring in the tea gardens of Munnar. He had grown up seeing their oppression under the owners and managers, and the dismal conditions they worked and lived in. The first part of his novel was set in the early 40s and revolved around a courageous young worker in an estate who dares to oppose the brutal British overseer. He gets killed during an agitation, leaving behind his lover pregnant with his child. She then moves to Kasturba Gram at the time of independence and brings up her son. Some years pass by in that tranquil sanctuary and the boy grows up. However, when she suspects him of a theft that he was innocent of, he runs away in anger.
The second half of the novel shows him grown up and now a manager in a tea estate. He has become hardened and is greedy for wealth, power and position. When there is a labour uprising in his estate, he resorts to devious means of bribery and violence to quell the revolt. However, when he gets beaten up by hirelings of the owners who had planned to blame his death on the workers, he has a change of heart. He is, in fact, rescued by the very workers he was planning to kill. He then joins the workers in their quest for betterment.
The novel was titled ‘Theneer’ and published by New Century Book house in 1973 to widespread acclaim. Selvaraj had encapsulated in the pages of his work the sweat and toil of the tea plantation workers. Their daily lives- their hopes, disappointments, joys, sorrows, dreams and disillusionment came alive in its pages as filigrees to the frame of the lead protagonists.
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Fresh from the critical approbation elicited by his pioneering ‘Kudisai’ (1979), Renaissance director Jayabharathy embarked upon a celluloid adaptation of ‘Theneer’. He retained the name of the novel for his movie. He got famed writer Prapanchan to script the dialogues. R.M. Ramesh handled the cinematography. Jayabharathy got Bhagyaraj, newcomer Preeta, Saratbabu, Uma, Chandrashekhar and Gopalakrishnan to play the main roles.
Jayabharathy picked Gangaiamaran to work on the songs. Yes, though Kudisai worked despite the absence of songs, Jayabharathy felt that the sheer seriousness of the proceedings of ‘Theneer’ called for the tedium to be lightened by music. However, he was firm that the songs would not appear imposed on the narrative and they would instead streamline and nurture the flow.
The lyricists that Jayabharathy introduced to Gangaiamaran- Pulavar Sokkar, Thanigai Selvan & Semmalar Selvan, were all newcomers to movies, yet they brought in a distinct poetic appeal in their lines set to tune.
The songs were:
Adippadavum idippadavum- Sung by T.L Maharajan & Vani Jairam. Lyrics: by Thanigai Selvan
Ennavo seidhi- Sung by Jayachandran & S.Janaki. Lyrics by Semmalar Selvan
Vegu kaalam ingu- Sung by Malaysia Vasudevan, Poorani & Chorus. Lyrics by Thanigai Selvan
Unadhe ilamaalai pozhuthui- Sung by K. J. Yesudas. Lyrics by Pulavar Sokkar.
The movie ‘Theneer’, produced under the banner ‘Vaigarai Films’ and completed in 1980, did not see the light of the day. Even for ‘Kudisai’, Jayabharathy had to resort to crowd-funding to raise the Rs. 90,000 needed to distribute the movie for commercial release. And now again, he faced the same piquant predicament for ‘Theneer’. He could find no takers for this dream project.
Meanwhile, the HMV album containing the songs of ‘Theneer’ had reached Colombo. Radio Ceylon fell in love with the beautiful compositions of Gangaiamaran and went to town with the songs fetching them fleeting popularity on either shore of the Palk Strait.
Presenting here two of my favorite songs from ‘Theneer’-
The first is the caressing duet ‘Ennavo seithi’- crafted by Gangaiamaran to painstaking perfection, gentle and caressing in its appeal. Janaki and Jayachandran flavor their rendition with the delicious innocence of the young lovers… she expresses her tremulous apprehensions and he soothes her with his cheerful resoluteness. Semmalar Selvan’s lines portray both this ache and hope with endearing empathy.
Now, we come to the pièce de résistance, the pick of the album- the haunting ‘Unadhe ila maalai pozhudhu’. GA conjures a tune that is nothing short of a marvel and his orchestration rich with flutes, violins, sitar, veena and the mesmerizing tabla enhance the allure to ethereal heights. Yesudas weaves magic with his dreamy mellow interpretation, as the song ushers in the beauty of the evening in the hills, with the sylvan trees swaying in the balmy breeze, the brook bubbling along placidly and the sky painted in brilliant hues, while the heart is athirst with unfulfilled love, and waits anxiously to see it succeed....
GA’s yet another gem- a gem that was never displayed, never sold, never donned, and never admired….
Listen and be enchanted:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=sGBbLQbsOZY
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Tailpiece: Jayabharathy did find distributors for ‘Theneer’ after giving up on it, four years later in 1984. The movie now titled ‘Oomai Janangal’ was released in few centers under the banner Kavithyuga Creations. It was sent back to the cans without much ado. Vividh Bharathi, of course, ignored the songs.
The late 70s and the early 80s were the most prolific ones for Shankar- Ganesh. They had consolidated their position as the second line MDs, and were thus flooded with opportunities to compose for many quick ‘cash- and carry‘ ventures. Not surprisingly the fare that they churned out was, by and large, mediocre. Yet they did strike the right note at times, and such occasions are worth celebrating.
P. Susheela continued to have memorable outings with the duo during these years- Aatukkara Alamelu, Sorgam Naragam, Thaai Meedu Sathiyam....the songs were heard on radio all day long. Albums such as Palabhishegam, Rowdy Rakkamma and Uyarndhavargal went to Vani Jairam. Thus between themselves, these two singers pretty much cornered most of the albums composed by S-G during these years.
Ironically, though ignored by S-G, these were the very years in which the Janaki juggernaut that was set rolling by Ilaiyaraja sped on in regal majesty. Magnificent collaborations, each one of them, with Janaki lending the voice to Raja’s muse. Janaki won her first National Award in 1977 for her rendition of ‘Senthooraapoovey’. Myriad miracles such as ‘Matha un kovilil’, ‘Poovarasampoo poothachu’, ‘Kanden engum’, ‘Veenai meetum kaigale’, ‘Vasantha kaala kolangal’, ‘Adada maamarakkiliye’, ‘Vaazhkkai odam sella’ hogged the airwaves in 1978.
Despite these top-notch successes with Ilaiyaraja, and also with other composers, all that Janaki got to sing for SG in 1978 were 3 solos and 2 duets. We shall dwell on one of those 3 solos in this part.
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For some years in the 80s, we were living in Tripoli, as my father was deputed to work for the Libyan Government-owned Petroleum Company. Far away from Chennai, and a far cry from the internet and Cable-TV age, I had to be content with the few audio cassettes that I could get recorded on our annual vacations in India. As for movies, oh, the excitement that filled the Tamil families whenever someone returned from India bringing video cassettes of the latest movies! Multiple copies were made and distributed widely.
I still remember the thrill when Appa came home with the cassette of Moondram Pirai. We sat to watch the movie that very evening. But as the story unfolded, even as everyone seemed riveted by the moving narrative, the beautiful frames and the brilliant performances, I was filled with an agonizing déjà vu – Haven’t I watched the same story before? I tried in vain to concentrate on the proceedings, for this nagging doubt kept pricking me…It came to me just when I was going to bed that night- Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi!
When we were in India, part of our holidays was always spent with my grandmother in Adayar, and Patti being an avid film-goer, we would look forward to multiple visits to Thyaragaraja & Jayanthi in Tiruvanmiyur and Eros in LB Road. One such movie that we watched with Patti at Eros was a B&W Jaishankar movie ‘Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi’. And now, few years later, in Tripoli, while I could not recall the movie scene by scene, I was almost certain that Moondram Pirai shared its basic premise with that of Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi- of the male lead rescuing the female who has lost her memory and behaves like a child (Sripriya, it was in UK) and the heartwarming relationship that develops between the two.
Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi (ACV Combines) was directed by veteran K.S Gopalakrishnan. Fresh from the success of his Palabhishegam the previous year, KSG must have launched this project with same lead pair. Besides Jai & Sripriya, I have vague memories of Thengai Srinivasan & Pramila as well in the movie. I cannot fathom why, but I always seem to recall Kalaignar Karunanidhi’s picture adorning the wall posters of the movie.
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S-G were assigned the sound-track, and KSG invited his old friend, the revered veteran Maruthakasi to pen the lyrics. KSG was perhaps the only director to work with Maruthakasi all through the 70s, and the veteran lyricist wrote memorable songs for these ventures.
The song that was heard often during the time was ‘Kannukku neeyoru kannipponnu’ by Seergazhi Govindarajan & Vani Jairam. I remember watching the song in Oliyum Oliyum; Thengai Srinivasan & Pramila sing, cajoling a sulking Sripriya to come and eat. Vani Jairam had a jaunty solo as well ‘Kannalam kattama, kadhava thaappa podaama’.
The third song was, again a female solo, and could well gone to Vani. Inexplicably, S-G summoned Janaki to render this one, and the blessed chanteuse filled the lines with the dainty embellishments that only she can. Maruthakasi, known for his felicity with rural slangs and word-usage, scintillates in his flow. The song has a rustic lass singing to her man, the lines replete with naughty barbs and mischievous innuendos.
‘Playback singing is more than mere singing; it is playback acting, actually’ averred Janaki, once, famously, when pondering aloud over her craft. How true! Take this song as a case in point- the roguish spikes find their target unerringly, each one them. There is, of course, the taunt and the tease, the mock and the malice, yet how judiciously does the diva temper them with a whiff of wistful longing, a whimper of neglect…Added to that, it is always a matter of ceaseless wonder that hailing from a far-off Andhra village, the lady manages to get right every delicate nuance of a southern Tamil slang… Listen to her mouth that endearing ‘en chandaala’…. Goose-bumps!
I have in my collection 3 songs from Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi, songs that I had sent to me by a Srilankan friend after years of hunting for them in Tamil Nadu proved futile. I uploaded mp3 versions of 2 of them years back when tracing the Vani Jairam chronology. From there, the songs then found their way to various sites, and have been put even in YouTube. However Janaki's ‘Mambuttiya tholila vechu’ has remained with me all these years, and today we are putting it up for the first time here.
Song: Mambutiya tholila vechchu
Film: Ullathil Kuzhandhaiyadi (1978/ ACV Combines)
Vocals: S. Janaki
Lyrics: A. Maruthakasi
Music: Shankar-Ganesh
Passing through the foyer of a shopping mall here some years back, I came across a group of small children listening in rapt attention to a story being narrated. And as I passed the crowd, I stopped suddenly, for it was a very familiar voice that was keeping the kids engrossed. And sure enough the raconteur was a woman in a bright Kanjeevaram sari, with her trademark pottu and flowers in place. I became aware then that besides the wide-eyed kids, there were many adults too who seemed drawn by Usha Utup’s spell. Needless to say, I too found myself inexorably inching into the circle, and soon I was lost happily in the world of the cobbler Kalia. I sighed at his poverty, empathized with his prayer for a genie who would make him rich, was wonderstruck at Bootram’s sudden materialization, and filled with a vague foreboding at his seemingly innocent rider…. And at the end of the narration as I clapped unabashedly along with the thrilled kids and the equally pleased adults, I was struck at the instant rapport that Usha managed to strike with her audience….Children and adults from vastly diverse cultures and nationalities all seemed transfixed by her scintillating narration of the popular Karadi tales.
When the young Usha Iyer made her bow on stage in 1969, singing at the famed ‘Talk of the Town’ in Bombay, (now ‘Not Just Jazz By The Bay’ and Mumbai respectively), she found herself becoming the talk of the town. For at that time it was something unheard of that a sari clad girl from a conservative South-Indian family should croon at a nightclub, and become an instant hit with the crowd at that! But that that’s Usha… a bindaas trendsetter, who has never permitted stereotypes sway her. She had eyebrows raised in conservative Madras when she sang in a nightclub called ‘Nine Gems’ wearing a traditional silk sari!
Usha was born in a close-knit family, with three sisters and two brothers. Her Police Superintendent father, Sami Iyer was a strict disciplinarian, and made sure his children were inculcated with good principles and morals. Usha studied in the Convent of Jesus and Mary in Bombay and later at the JJ School of Fine Arts. The entire Sami household was passionate about music. The children grew up listening to film music from Radio Ceylon along with albums of an incredibly wide range of great artistes like Mozart, M.S.Subbulakshmi, Begum Akhtar, Beethoven, K.C. De, Frank Sinatra and Kumar Gandharva. Usha’s elder sisters, the talented Uma and Indira were her role models, and it was not long before Usha became the highest paid crooner in India. Singing popular numbers like ‘Scotch and Soda’, ‘Green Back Dollar’, ‘Beautiful Sunday’, ‘ Jambalaya’, ‘Ding a ling’, ‘White winged dove’, ‘Killing me softly’, ‘Hotel California’, ‘We’ll meet again’, ‘Shai Ra Re’ and ‘Lemon Tree’ etc, and tempering them judiciously with a liberal dose of varied desi fare like ‘Haal kaisa hai janaab ka’, ‘Mera naam chin chin chu’, ‘Bekaraar karke hamein’, ‘Ina meena deeka’, ‘Dum maaro dum’ and the rollicking ‘Kali teri gut te paranda tera lal ni’, Usha was a true trailblazing pioneer, the original diva of Indian Pop Music.
Her fabulous repertoire includes popular numbers in Russian, Spanish, French, Italian, Sinhalese, Hebrew, Chinese and even Swahili, Zulu and Creole! In fact, Usha is a well-known name in Kenya, where she is invited repeatedly to perform. The entire country swings with her as Usha renders with nonchalant aplomb popular Kenyan songs like ‘Majengo Siendhi Tena’, ‘Jumbe Nipelekke Kwetu’ and ‘Harambi Harambi’!
Though her husky resonance wasn’t found quite suitable for archetypal film heroines in song sequences, Usha Uthup has sung some memorable film songs in various languages over the years. In Hindi, for instance, her film songs like ‘Good times and bad times’, ’Listen to the pouring rain’, I love you’, ‘Ramba ho samba ho’, ‘One two cha cha cha’, ‘Hari om hari’, ‘Doston se pyar kiya’, ‘Tu mujhe jaan se bhi pyara hai’ and ‘Koyi yahaan aaha naache naache’ are bestowed with an appeal that transcends generations of listeners. In recent years, she has sung in movies like Daud (for ARR), Godmother, Boot, Jogger’s Park, 99.9 FM, Fun2ssh, the children’s film Jajantaram Mamantaram, 7 Khoon Maaf, Don2, Kahaani, and Rock On 2.
It was Kunnakkudi Vaithyanathan who brought Usha into Tamil Film Music. ‘Life is a flower’ (notwithstanding the apparent resemblance that the line ‘come along hand in hand sing along with me’ bears to ‘listen to the pouring rain’) found unprecedented airtime and was a very popular song. M.B.Srinivasan called her next to render the ‘Mango tree’ song in Madhana Maaligai (MBS had earlier made Usha sing ‘Peethambara, O Krishna' in Malayalam). Some other Tamil works of Usha are ‘Men may come and men may go’ (Vaanga Sambandhi Vaanga), ‘Hello lover’ (Idhayakkani), ‘Catch me if you can’ (Oorukku Uzhaippavan), ‘Dial me dear’ (Nadagame Ulagam), ‘Raathiriyil thookam illai’ & ‘Silai silai thaan’ (Unnai solli kutramillai) and ‘Vegam vegam pogum pogum’ (Anjali). In all, the tally of Usha’s film songs in various languages would come close to 150.
Usha married Jani Utup, who was her fan in Calcutta. In an interview, she recalled their first meeting- how on her very first night at Trinca’s in Calcutta, a dashing Jani walked up to her and complimented her on her performance. Usha has since made Calcutta her home, and her inimitable rendition of popular Bengali songs like ‘Preme pore jai’, ‘Aami jani tumi aashbe’, ‘kachhe eso raja babu’, ‘Kokatate bati nei’ and ‘Mano, mano na’ have ensured her a loyal fan following in Bengal. Usha and Jani have a daughter, Angeli and son, Sunny.
Usha is now a grandmother, and four decades have passed by since she started singing. And clichéd though it may sound, age has not withered her charm even a wee bit. Her infectious enthusiasm is undiminished and her enviable energy as indefatigable as ever. She is busy every day, enthralling crowds in various corners of the world, and in many cases in aid of worthy charitable organizations. The lines from her song seem succinct enough to sum up Usha Utup’s joyous stance- ‘Men may come and men may go, but I go on forever..’
Presenting today, two of my favourite songs by Usha Utup, so why don’t we smile and sing along too? :)
‘Life is a flower’ from Melnaattu Marumagal (1975/ CNV Movies). Music by Kunnakkudi Vaithyanathan. Lyrics by Nellai Arulmani.
The bustling Luz Corner in Chennai is always an ideal place for hoardings and wall posters, and from my early childhood I have always paused there awhile, glancing in fascination at the numerous garish notices. It was during one such walk that a hoarding atop the Luz Lodge caught my attention. The name of the film ( என் தங்கச்சி படிச்சவ), or the picture of a beaming Prabhu did not catch my fancy so much as the accompanying caption: “கங்கை அமரனின் 100வது படம்!" Honestly, I was startled at the thought that 100 films had come by with Gangaiamaran’s music.
Musing over what initially seemed to be an exaggerated claim, I realized presently that it could be true, as many of GA’s albums were for films that were packed off to the cans within a week of their release, or even worse, for films that had never been treated to even that one week’s outing. And the magic figure might have been arrived at after taking all these abandoned albums into reckoning. GA was truly unfortunate on this score- so many, oh so many of his wonderful compositions were wasted on nonstarters. Like ‘மலர்களில் அவள் மல்லிகை’, for instance.
The record sleeve of மலர்களில் அவள் மல்லிகை (V.S. Cine Creations) shows a bespectacled Master Shekar along with Sangeetha. Lavanya played the other female lead. Dialogues were by Sirumugai Ravi, and the story and screenplay were by the director of the movie, R. Anand. The producers of this ill-fated venture were Vijayakumar & Sukumar. The year mentioned on the record is 1979.
1979 was the year when Gangaiamaran made his debut as a Music Director, and from all accounts the first movie to be released in his music was கரை கடந்த ஒருத்தி. And the same year saw the releases of two other albums of GA too- சுவரில்லாத சித்திரங்கள் and ஒரு விடுகதை ஒரு தொடர்கதை, all boasting of some bewitching numbers. But I vaguely recall reading somewhere that மலர்களிலே அவள் மல்லிகை was the first album that GA bagged and he could never get over the disappointment at its accursed fate.
His frustration is quite understandable, for the songs in the album are incredibly good for a debutant composer. But Radio Ceylon’s munificence must have brought him some cheer, for even as Vividh Bharathi feigned ignorance of the album’s existence, good old தமிழ்ச்சேவை இரண்டு went to town with the songs of மலர்களிலே அவள் மல்லிகை.
GA had crafted 5 songs for the film, and each one is a treasured classic. ‘நானும் நீயும் இன்று இளைஞன்’ (Vaali) is nothing short of bottled ebullience, sung with joyous zest by SPB and Malaysia Vasudevan. In the haunting ‘இசையினிலே ராகம் பல நூறு’, P. Susheela, Poovai Senguttuvan and the piano vie with each other for the top honours. 'வானம் பூ சிந்தட்டும்’ (GA) has an archetypal GA beat, with Malaysia Vasudevan and Poorani giving a fair account of themselves.
‘பூவே மல்லிகைப்பூவே’ (Kannadasan) has a mesmerizing violin as the invisible third singer accompanying Jayachandran & S. Janaki. The song was hugely popular and found regular airtime in Radio Ceylon.
‘சிந்து நதியோரம், தென்றல் விளையாடும்’ is of course the first among these equals, and was anointed by Radio Ceylon as its pick of the lot. I can vividly remember being drawn by its melodious magnetism at that time. Gangaiamaran gives an early illustration of his abundant talent in the song’s masterful arrangements. The Charanam, with its lilting flow, is structured with intricate perfection. And Jayanchandran and Susheela render the high-pitched lines with characteristic felicity.
Unfortunately, the audio in the link available in YouTube tends to gallop at a pace that besmirches the sedate sweetness of the song:
These two were among the songs I mentioned to Jayachandran when we met him last year, and he was delighted at the recall. He expressed his angst that such gorgeous songs remained buried deep in the remorseless sands of time…
Let us, on our part, resurrect them to rightful glory…
I am not bound to win, but I am bound to be true. I am not bound to succeed, but I am bound to live by the light that I have.
- Abraham Lincoln
I do not understand the lyrics wholly, yet each time I listen to the tender strains of ‘Aayiram kannumaai kaathirunnu ninne njaan’, I am overcome at the fragility and fleeting ethereality of human relationships that the song manages so effortlessly to convey across barriers of language. Is it the studied leisurely gait of the song, or the melancholic magic of Yesudas, or the dreamy interludes, or the insistent choral refrain ‘painkili malar thenkili’, or the invigorating effect of the combined concoction- I cannot fathom. Yet the song leaves me shaken at every listen, and I offer a mental salute to the composer who crafted such a jewel.
And even within my limited knowledge of Malayalam film songs, many of this composer’s creations rank high in my list of favorites- the caressing gentleness of ‘Kannodu kannoram ni kani malaralle’ and ‘Aalorungi arangorungi aayiram therorungi’ (Ente Maamatti Kuttiyammaku), the fun and frolic that reverberates throughout ‘Minnum minna minni’ and the hushed angst in ‘Thilangum thingale’ (No.1 Snehatheeram Bangalore North), the stylish prelude with which ‘Neerkili neendhivaa’ (Punnaram Cholli Cholli) opens, the silky warp and waft of ‘Dhevadhumdhubhi saandralayam’ (Ennennum Kannettante), the euphoric empathy that ‘Vanambaadi edho theerangal thedunna vanambaadi’ (Deshadanakili Karayarilla ) evidences…. Scintillating signatures of an unsung genius.
Luck has always played a capricious game of hide and seek with Jerry Amaldev (born Jerome Thomas Veelaparambil). The man studied for years in a seminary with the intention of becoming a priest, but realizing his true calling, gave up his religious aspirations without much regret. His inherent gift for music, and years of learning Hindustani classical, tabla and the piano made him approach the legendary Naushad. Deeply impressed at the young lad’s enthusiasm, Naushad took him on as his assistant. After 5 years with Naushad, Jerry went to US and completed a Bachelor’s degree in Music in New Orleans, followed by a Masters in Composition at Cornell University, Ithaca, New York. He even taught in Queen’s College in New York, before returning to India to try his hand at film music.
He could not have wished for a better opening. Manjil Virinja Pookkal (1980/ Navodaya) by Faazil, starring Shankar, Mohanlal and Poornima Jairam was a thumping success, aided strongly by Jerry’s brilliant score. The awesome interludes in Janaki’s ‘Mizhiyoram’ were of a kind never heard before. The State Award was his, and he looked all set to be the composer of the decade in Malayalam Film Music. But things did not turn out quite that way, and despite coming out with stunners in the ensuing years, Jerry Amaldev found himself slowly, but surely sidelined.
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1986. Jerry Amaldev was approached to compose music for a Tamil film, and he set about the task, excited at the prospects that this album could summon up. Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Scorpio Creations) was produced by K. Ajit and directed by ‘Uchchakattam’ fame N.S. Rajbharath. Rahman was the hero. Vairamuthu wrote the lyrics for the songs.
And what wonderful songs they were! ‘Then kudiththa thendral’ (SPB/Chitra) must be the among the softest romantic duets ever. ‘Endhan kanne’ (Yesudas /B.S. Sashirekha) is made for the mellifluosness of Yesudas. ‘Muththam enge’ tantalizes despite the innate limitations of S.P. Shailaja. 'Kaathalikka katrukkol’ might have made Raj Seetharaman really famous, if only the song had ever been aired.
And as for the SPB solo, do I really need to dwell upon it? Vairamuthu writes with his pen darting as cupid’s arrow, Jerry Amaldev conceives a tune that casts a beguiling spell, and our SPB takes charge nonchalantly to make Amaldev’s Tamil debut unforgettable.
I imagine Rahman singing in a cloudy night, perhaps under the window of his beloved (a la Gemini in ‘Kaadhal nilavE kanmani Radha’) trying to get her to sleep. (Or is he singing to her on the phone?) The overcast sky opens up, and the sudden showers, instead of cooling his ardor, end up kindling the flame of passion! And then would you suppose sleep would ever beckon the eyelids of one whose heart bursts with longings wrought by love, and whose ears thrill to the passionate wooing of her suitor? Yet he sings his lullaby, and when she does sleep exhaustedly in the end, her eyelids would surely be heavily laden with delicious dreams.
Jerry Amaldev’s famed orchestral brilliance is evident in the flowing interludes- they urge the listener to try flapping imaginary wings and soar exultantly high in the air. I have seldom listened to operatic passages of this class in film music! SPB must have sensed the extraordinary beauty of the composition, for he unleashes his magic in all its potent strength, and gleefully cloaks each line with his endearing nuances.
Listen to this delight here:
Song: En Kanmani
Film: Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Scorpio Creations/ Unreleased)
Vocals: S.P. Balasubramaniam
Lyrics: Vairamuthu
Music: Jerry Amaldev
How much Jerry Amaldev must have looked forward to this album!
Unfortunately for him, Ninavo Oru Paravai was never released. But Radio Ceylon did air the songs, at least for a brief while in 1986-87. And then the songs disappeared forever. Much later, (yes, in Virudunagar!) I chanced upon a record of the film (with Rahman on a bike featured on its sleeve), and got those cherished songs recorded.
I presented this song first way back in 2004 as Song of the Day to ecstatic responses. Like me, they were many who had fallen in love with the song when it was aired by Radio Ceylon in the 80s and were excited to listen to it again after many years. From dhool, this song was then widely downloaded and has now found its way to YouTube as well- Listen to the link- the record at the audio center in Virudunagar from I got the song had a deep scratch in a particular place, and hence the ‘etta’ in the line ‘un pattu meni ettavillai’ was cut- Not surprisingly, most versions you now find of this song in the net suffer from the same blemish!
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Poove Ilam Poove (1987/ Vijayakala Pictures) did manage a release, but was a prompt failure, notwithstanding the then successful pairing of Suresh and Nadia. Despite this, Jerry Amaldev’s songs therein like ‘Paattu paada vandhen’ (Vani Jairam), ‘Gangai nadhi’ (Janaki) and ‘Puththam pudhidhu’ (SPB/Chitra) did get a deservedly generous airtime.
I don’t know if Jerry Amaldev scored for a Tamil film ever again. (A project titled Vandhadhu Vasantham shared the stillborn fate of Ninaivo Oru Paravai.)
Offers and Awards did come sporadically. He was awarded the Amritavarshini Puraskaram for music in the Sangeetha Nataka Akademi Awards 2001. In the year in which Ilaiyaraja won the Kerala State Govt’s Award for the Best Music Director (song) for Kaalapani, Jerry Amaldev bagged the Award for the Best Music Director (Background music) for his work in Kazhakam.
At that time I chanced upon an interview with Jerry Amaldev at a barber’s shop in Sharjah- I requested attendant to read it out as it was in Malayalam- Jerry had said that he was leading a quiet, contended life in Selaiyur, a Chennai suburb. He was engaged in composing music for Christian devotional songs and teaching music in a school. He averred that he harbored no bitterness at being forgotten, and accepts his fate with a philosophical shrug.
Jerry formed a choral group ‘Sing India, with Jerry Amaldev’ in 2010 and performed all over the country. Last year, Jerry was back in the news when he composed music for the Malayalam movie ‘Action Hero Biju’. The director Abrid Shine said he went to Jerry as he was tired of ‘computerized’ music and wanted someone who would bring back the magic of orchestration into the songs. More than a year later, The song ‘Pookkal panineer pookkal’ which Jerry got veterans Yesudas & Vani Jairam to render remains a chartbuster.
Jerry Amaldev is currently working as a Professor in the History of Music at the Asian Christian College of Music at Kottayam.
When asked about Amaldev (Sangeetha Sagaram/Asianet), Vani Jairam spoke glowingly about his “beautiful orchestrations”. She ended her panegyric saying ‘Oh, he’s a very nice man”. And that perhaps is an ultimate tribute to this neglected composer!
As part of the SOTD series, I had presented many years back a string of noteworthy songs from movies that never got to be released. Let us look back at some such songs again, for they are surely worth resurrection.
In his ‘என் ஜன்னலின் வழியே’, Vairamuthu refers to such songs as ' உறங்கி கிடக்கும் மொட்டுக்கள்’. I am not too sure if that’s a fitting description, for though the films these songs were composed for were nonstarters, the songs did come alive and they still live vividly in our memories, thanks to Radio Ceylon. Good old தமிழ்ச்சேவை இரண்டு was never unduly perturbed about the film itself. Thumping successes, dismal failures, straight Tamil movies, dubbed debacles, released and running new films, soon to be released hopefuls, unreleased losers… all candidates were on equal footing on Radio Ceylon’s scales and were given an impartial hearing. And as long as a song was found meriting airtime, Radio Ceylon went all out to celebrate and propagate it.
And the worthy station went an extra mile by coming with a programme called 'மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை', an exclusive 15 minutes a day devoted to lovingly adopt, nurture and pamper orphaned gems from films languishing in the cans, never to light up the silver screen, never to revel in the excitement of the marquee.
For today, let us listen to the SPB marvel 'மங்கை ஒரு திங்கள்’. When I first shared this song as ‘Song of the day’ some time in 2003, there were many who responded with incredulous delight at reconnecting with a long-lost treasure. Since then the song has been widely circulated, and we now have it (only the audio, of course) even in YouTube.
Searching for hidden treasures in an unobtrusive recording center in Virudhunagar sometime in the early 90s, I had almost replaced a dusty vinyl record of ‘முன் ஒரு காலத்தில்’ back to its hibernation when my eyes fell on ‘மங்கை ஒரு திங்கள்’ listed in the tracks. My heart leapt in delight as memories came of the summer of 1983 when this song found regular airtime in Radio Ceylon. The song had captivated me at the very first listen, for the arresting word play, MSV’s astuteness in keeping the orchestration minimal, and of course, SPB! Kannadasan, MSV and SPB collaborated to create some priceless keepsakes where the alliterative lines were sheer poetry, they ensconced snugly onto MSV’s tantalizing trellis, and SPB understood the nuances and the notes, and went all out to immortalize them- Remember ‘தேரோட்டம்’ and 'வான் நிலா நிலா அல்ல’?
I had not heard it in all the intervening years, and to rediscover it now in Virudhunagar was a indeed pleasurable thrill. I lost no time in getting all the songs of the movie recorded. Besides this one, they were Kodaiyilae pachchai thanni’ (Kannadasan/ Vani Jairam), ‘Nallaarukkum nallaarukkum namma mala thenu’ (Kannadasan/ P. Susheela & Chorus) and ‘Otta paanaiyila nanda vitta’ ( Udhayanan/ P. Susheela). The record sleeve showed Malayalam actor Sudhir and Alam in an embrace. ( At circumstances such as these, it is a blessing to have only the audio!)
Listen on to this forgotten song, a quintessence of the craft of the great Kannadasan. A song where the imaginative lyrics take the center stage- and MSV wisely makes the music so inconspicuous with just the guitar providing an encouraging backdrop, and gives SPB a free hand with the song, and how SPB has enjoyed himself in this almost unplugged outing!
Song: Mangai oru thingal
Film: Mun Oru Kaalathil (Sajitha Creations/ Unreleased)
Vocals: S.P. Balasubramaniam
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Music: M.S. Viswanathan
It was the genius Ramu Kariat who brought Salil Chowdhury down south in 1965 to compose music for his magnum opus Chemmeen. And sitting in Room No. 28 in the old Woodlands Hotel in Chennai, Salilda diligently crafted the landmark album. The rest, as they say, is history. The besotted Malayalis now acquired one other common passion, besides communism and football, to share with their Bengali brethren.
Happily, the songs remain with us. Radio Ceylon played them ever so often in the 70s. Even I who 
