மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை- 4

Saravanan Natarajan writes:

மலர்ந்தும் மலராதவை- 4

உனதே....இளமாலைப்பொழுது.....

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.

Listen here:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fMT5NECWJxk

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.

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