Saravanan Natarajan writes :
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The summer day is closed, the sun is set:
Well they have done their office, those bright hours,
the latest of whose train goes softly out in the red west…
-Bear Bryant (An Evening Reverie)
It is never easy trying to chronicle the years that ushered in the end of a glorious career, the dusk that finally enveloped a dazzling day. The 80s were, on the whole, not a happy decade for the Mellisai Mannar.
MSV had enjoyed a long uninterrupted reign as the absolute monarch of Tamil film music. Growing from strength to strength in the 50s along with TKR, MSV found the 60s opening the doors of fame and fortune. The duo outshone and outdid the great puritans in the field, and rode on a light-music wave of trail-blazing glory. His split from TKR saw MSV rising to greater heights with all the top banners firmly under the spell of his baton. He experimented with music of every genre, engaged the listeners with classy preludes, added innovative touches in orchestration, ensured refreshingly different interludes and did not release the singers until they came up to his expectations, at least in part. Attending a recording session of MSV, Naushad was said have been amazed at the nonchalant speed in which the song was born. There was absolutely no competition for MSV- V. Kumar, Shankar-Ganesh, and later Vijayabhaskar made their entry and did commendable work, but they could never reach the league of MSV. KVM found greener pastures in Telugu. And so the master remained, perched in snug invincibility, till 1976 and Ilaiyaraja came along..
In the beginning of the 80s MSV was still in much in demand, but as the decade progressed, the offers dwindled to a mere trickle. The rough graph of MSV’s score vis-à-vis the total films released in each year of the 80s looks like this:
1980: 21/107
1981: 25/104
1982: 23/119
1983: 17/96
1984: 11/117
1985: 10/130
1986: 10/ 110
1987: 11/ 102
1988: 4/ 97
1989: 5/ 99
MSV did try to adapt to the changing trends, he used the synthesizer, he worked with younger singers, and being very much in possession of all his creative faculties, did come up with some worthy numbers. But these were not sufficient to stem the tide. Even the last few loyalists like KB and Mukta Srinivasan, who had stood by MSV all these years, switched camps now….‘The king has lost his crown’ as a popular ABBA number goes. The big door was closed with a resounding bang, but God, in His infinite wisdom, quietly left a small window open, and MSV got to work with R.C.Sakthi and S.A. Chandrasekar, crafting unforgettable songs for some small budget movies.
Like a sudden gust of wind that in a delightful drench blows down the drops of water remaining on the leaves long after it had stopped raining, these albums seemed to resurrect the Mellisai Mannar to his erstwhile throne, albeit for a brief reign…
I had once written a series on MSV’s albums in the 80s….Picking up today a jewel crafted by the master music-smith in the twilight of his brilliant innings…
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Writer/ Director Netaji had always been one great fan of MSV. That comes as no surprise, considering Netaji was an avid film music enthusiast during his college years in the early 70s when MSV was still the absolute monarch of Tamil film music; and for anyone who harbored even a passing fancy for film songs in those times, MSV was an icon worthy of awe and veneration. However, his interest in film music notwithstanding, it was his literary passion and pursuits that Netaji was more known for. He was hugely popular in the campus circles for his repeated successes in debates and elocution competitions, and his ability to come up with spontaneous poetic lines to suit the occasion. Soon afterwards, he wrote a serial story in Dhinamani Kathir. All this led to him to him even assuming the editorship of Navasakthi for a while.
It was during Netaji’s tenure at Navasakthi that he caught the attention of ‘Mukta’ Srinivasan and A.S. Prakasam. And so it was Srinivasan who brought Netaji to cinema, by inviting him to write the lyrics for a song in his ‘அந்தரங்கம்’. Thus Netaji made his debut in tfm, writing the arresting 'ஞாயிறு ஒளி மழையில்’; the song, tuned by Devarajan and sung by Kamalhasan, zoomed to the top of the charts. But this song remained Netaji’s sole claim to fame for a while; bereft of an enthusiastic patron, it wasn’t so easy for an aspiring lyricist to get continuous opportunities. Kannadasan and Vaali pretty much divided all the work that there was amongst themselves. Pulamaipiththan, Na.Kamarasan and Muthulingam subsisted for most part only on MGR movies. The coming of Ilaiyaraja then saw the rise of Panju Arunachalam and Gangai Amaran.
R.C.Sakthi and Shyam gave Netaji his next outing - 'அட மாமா’ (Kamalahasan/ Ceylon Manohar) for மனிதரில் இத்தனை நிறங்களா. Shyam was impressed by the enthusiastic youngster and persuaded the producer of his next album தேவதை (1979) to give Netaji a chance to pen the lyrics. Thus Netaji got to write the lyrics for one of Shyam’s best tunes ever, ‘களீர் களீர்'. The song, sung by a soulful S. Janaki is a sensitive soliloquy of an unmarried weaver woman whose youth is already waning…she works away on the loom, and she ruminates on her passing years, the hurdles that stand in the way of happiness…she sings wistfully of her uncertain future. Netaji mirrored the entire gamut of her emotions in this one song. ‘மாந்தளிரே மயக்கமென்ன' is another scintillating Janaki solo that Netaji wrote for the same film, but this is a complete change of scene, here it is a girl singing bashfully of her love.
Netaji next found place among the list of lyricists (the others being Pulamaipiththan, Muthubharathi and Poonkuyilan) in S.A.Rajkannu’s ‘கன்னிப்பருவத்திலே’ (1979/Sri Amman Creations). ‘நடைய மாத்து’ (MV/SJ) tuned by Shankar-Ganesh was a delectable folksy feast. The same year saw a prized offer coming Netaji’s way- an opportunity to write lyrics to MSV’s tune! The song, ‘எந்தன் கற்பனைத் தேரில்’ was a duet sung by T.L. Maharajan and B.S. Sasirekha in the movie ‘ஸ்ரீராமஜெயம்’ (1979).
However, to Netaji’s disappointment, this did not lead to a flurry of further opportunities. He bade his time, all the while filling little known literary magazines with his poetic outpourings. He had got into the good books of S.A.Rajkannu, and 1980 saw him drafting the screenplay for ‘சின்னச்சின்ன வீடுக்கட்டி’, produced by Rajkannu and directed by Yuvaraja. S.A. Rajkannu then decided to direct a film himself in 1981, and summoned Netaji to write the dialogues; but ‘அர்த்தங்கள் ஆயிரம்’ (1981) fetched neither of them any glory. Netaji next wrote the screenplay and dialogues for the Vijayakanth starrer ‘தீர்ப்பு என்ற கையில்’ (1984), which was directed by J.V.P.Sundar. None of these movies were noteworthy successes, and Netaji was still waiting for that elusive break.
It was in 1984 that Netaji cultivated the acquaintance of Jeppiar. Jeppiar perceived a spark in the multi-talented Netaji, and within no time, agreed to produce a movie for Netaji. And the MGR devotee that Jeppiar was, the movie was titled ‘உன்னை விடமாட்டேன்’, borrowed from the title of the movie that was touted as MGR’s comeback vehicle after he became the CM, and given up later due to various reasons. Besides writing the directing the movie, Netaji acted as the hero as well! Poornima Rao was his pair. And his favorite MSV was the Music-Director. Thus a full decade after Netaji entered cinema, 1985 dawned finally as a year of realization of his dreams. Among the Pongal releases of that year was ‘உன்னை விடமாட்டேன்’ (Jeppiar Pictures), and it did moderate business.
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Later in the same year came the movie that gave Netaji a fleeting hour of glory under the arc lights.
As we know the ownership of the legendary Gemini Studious had passed from S.S. Balan in the aftermath of ‘எல்லோரும் நல்லவரே’, and later in the sprawling premises came up the Parsn Complex, one of the first and at that time the finest commercial and residential address in the heart of the city. A magazine called ‘Gemini Cinema’ with the famed bugle boys as its logo came out in the early 80s and quickly gained circulation. And in 1985, there was widespread publicity that ‘Gemini Pictures Circuit’ under its new owner, Pazhaniappan Ramaswami, was back into filmmaking, and that the comeback venture was titled ‘ஜனனி’.
I remember vividly the hoarding put up in Luz Corner proclaiming the return of Gemini to filmmaking. Similar posters sprung up all over the city and this publicity evoked substantial interest in ‘ஜனனி’. Netaji scripted and directed the movie, besides penning the lyrics. Newcomers Udayakumar and Bhavya played the lead pair. Ilaiyaraja’ s கீதாஞ்சலி was being made around the same time, and the heroine, a Kannada import, was also called Bhavya. Hence our ‘Janani’ Bhavya re-christened herself ‘Gemini’ Bhavya! The other actors were Charlie, Murugesh, Prabhakar and Manimala. Somendhu Roy handled the camera, T.Karunanidhi was the editor. Netaji was assisted by an eager youngster called R.V. Udayakumar, who would soon rise to fame as a successful director in his own right.
‘ஜனனி’ (Gemini Pictures Circuit) was released on September 29, 1985. It was during the school
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And, of course, the songs! Shrug off the irksome Malaysia Vasu/Saibaba inanity, ‘நாட்டு சரக்கிது’, and what wonderful songs remain! I guess that it was Netaji who insisted for and got his favourite MSV to compose the music. And providence was never so propitious, for MSV set Netaji’s lines to enticing tunes, and the songs brought back to MSV the glories of his heyday…..they were aired on Radio Ceylon all day long even before the movie’s release. I remember listening to the nightly trailer on Vividh Bharathi, and once the movie was released, the songs flooded the ‘Ungal Viruppam’ requests and were the toast of the season. The Mellisai Mannar had not called it a day yet… no sir!!
The movie opens with fun-filled sequences of campus capers. Hilarious ragging scenes and practical pranks filled the frames. Janani defeats Venkat in the college elections and insults him at a college function. He bides his time and then spikes her drink during a college picnic. In an inebriated state, she lets off a blood-curling yell, shakes her hair loose, and dances as though in a trance. The fun waxes fast and furious even as a priest from a nearby temple is brought in to exorcise the evil spirit that seems to have possessed her!
I remember Udayakumar and Bhavya being quite nimble on their feet, and the song being an absolute riot. Half the crowd in Thyagaraja that afternoon were on their feet, whistling, clapping and swaying to the song!
MSV opens his account with the udukkai as the exorcist’s weapon, and the ever-obliging SPB draws a cloak of youthful mischief and merriment over the proceedings. Janaki is the obvious choice to counter each missile from the man with characteristic confidence and gives back cheerfully all she gets and more! As in many of the master’s intricacies, there is a marked difference in the pallavi as sung by SPB and Janaki- he sings the lines hurriedly, as though eager to end her drama and impatient to bring her to her knees; while she sings her pallavi with unhurried nonchalance, as though to accentuate her cool insolence- there are even subtle variations in pitch in her second repetition of the pallavi. MSV alternates between the udukkai beats and the drums and gives the song a catchy, contemporary cadence. Netaji’s fun-filled lines such as ‘அடி கட்டிலுக்கு தூக்கம் வருமா, கள்ளு bottleலுக்கு போதை வருமா’ add to the amusement.
Song # 1: ஆடுறது எந்த அம்மனோ
Sung by SPB & S. Janaki
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KOOBeEOqIcs
And as it so often happens, and in no time at all, antagonism turns into affection; spite and wrath find themselves vanquished by love. Unlike poles attract, it is said; he had found her headstrong and arrogant, but aren’t these the very qualities that he finds so intriguing now? And ‘he is so brash and foolish’, she had ranted, only a little while ago. And now…. ‘oh, he’s so delightfully impulsive and charmingly naïve!’ she gushes! Cupid rubs his hands in glee, for it’s all in a day’s work for him. But for the young lovers…oh, delicious is the ache and sleepless are the nights….he yearns to be with her and cries out in despair. She is similarly afflicted, but counsels patience till the dawn of that auspicious day that would unite them forever…
MSV strings together a semi-classical treat, a scintillating Shanmugapriya that transcends time in its tantalizing allure. The pulsating prelude offers a teasing glimpse of the treat that is to follow. SPB, of course, is at hand to act out this piece of lusty longings. And who else but Vani to bring to life the splendor that MSV envisaged and more in this intricately crafted classical fare! She makes a dazzling entry in the charanam, and the bashfully lowered voice in ‘நூலாக எந்தன் இடை மெலிந்து போகும்’ shows class tact in this classical act. Netaji the poet immortalises himself in that unforgettable parallel ‘இடையென இறைவனா, உள்ளதா இல்லையா’ And SPB, of course, has to give that sardonic snigger while singing it! How much frustration is encapsulated in that ‘அந்த நாள் தேடி நான் வாடவா!’ And hark at Vani usher in so many subtle variations in that ‘வாராயோ நீ என் உயிரே’ – I can imagine MSV sigh in contentment!
The song ranks high in my list of favorites from the 80s, and I am certain it would in most of yours as well…
Song # 2: கொஞ்சும் மலர் மஞ்சம்
Sung by SPB & Vani Jairam
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0cs5lubaQNg
However, all this was merely a wistful dream of a besotted Venkat. Janani cannot bring herself to forgive him for the incident at the picnic. She thwarts his advances with anger, derides his penitence as pretense, dismisses his affection as affectation… At a college function, he sings…his song is a fervent, forlorn plea for forgiveness….
MSV must have thought of Yesudas as soon as he saw the lyrics, for this was the time soon after their own rapprochement after years of not working together, and these words seeking pardon for past mistakes perhaps reflected the unsaid thoughts of both the stalwarts… And of course, Yesudas was just the person to do justice to this song with a patina of pathos!
Netaji’s lyrics need special mention here, what heart-rending, evocative lines he has written! ‘உன்னருகில் வாழ உந்தன் நிழலுக்கு இடமில்லையா’, and what poignant lines does he sign off his supplication with: ‘என் இதயம் உன் உடமை, உனக்கது புரியாதா? இன்னுமதை நீ மிதித்தால் உனக்கது வலிக்காதா?’ Surely, Netaji must have experienced first-hand the anguish of remorse and a failed love to write heartfelt lines such as these…
Song # 3: மன்னிக்க மாட்டாயா
Sung by K.J. Yesudas
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Mwwqu8lKtsE
In order to keep Vankat away, Janani agrees to get married to Jagan….Venkat is shattered, but even then he wishes her well and he sets about reforming the Jagan, who is a habitual gambler and drunkard… In the process, he gets wounded by Jagan’s sidekicks and even ends up in prison on a trumped up charge….. When the truth is revealed, a chastened Janani perceives the innate goodness in Venkat…
It is now her turn to beseech his pardon, and like him, she chooses a public platform to do it…on Doordarshan, no less! Her ‘உன் இதயம் உன்னிடமே, நீ நல்ல முடிவையெடு’ perhaps as a poignant rebuttal of his earlier declaration is filled with so much angst, even while tempered with tremulous hope. Bravo, Netaji!
MSV calls Susheela this time around; and that veteran whose fortunes at that time were on the downslide after a long and magnificent innings, returns to recreate the magic of the past when as the reigning doyenne of Tamil film music, she sang stunner after stunner for the master. The gentleness and grace that Susheela brings in her delineation warms one’s heart at every listen. MSV keeps the orchestral support to the bare minimum, for he knows fully well the strength of Susheela’s vocals. Nevertheless, the guitar in the short interludes seems to mourn in empathy with the mood of the song.
Song # 4: மன்னிக்க மாட்டாயா
Sung by P. Susheela
The song does not appear in fill in the movie; here is the audio:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u7Zrnf5AD10
Things then move towards a swift climax; All is well that ends well.
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‘ஐனனி’ however, didn’t do as well as expected, despite being a fairly entertaining movie, and despite being blessed with the bounty of a rejuvenated Mellisai Mannar. Bhavya shrugged off the ‘Gemini’ prefix and went back to Calcutta. Finding no further takers, the handsome Udayakumar sunk to abysmal depths appearing in Malayalam movies of dubious distinction and few TV serials.
All the same, MSV had made a fetching statement, his work won widespread appreciation; the songs were immensely popular in their time. His detractors who had earlier trumpeted his decline were silenced at this sudden success. His loyal fans were delirious with joy…they believed that the king has returned from exile to stake his claim to the throne… But sadly, ‘ஜனனி’ remained only an iridescent tongue of flame from the dying embers….
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The lack-luster performance of ‘ஐனனி’ must have hit Netaji hard. But putting the disappointment of ‘ஐனனி' behind him manfully, Netaji went on direct few movies more in the coming years. Before that, he was one of the lead actors in ‘உன்னிடத்தில் நான்’ (1987). Scripted by Sujatha, produced by a NRI called Shankar Ramani and directed by Arun Veerappan, the movie was a modest success.
Netaji next scripted and directed two movies produced by Trichy A. Chandran under his National Movie Makers banner, but both சொல்வதெல்லாம் உண்மை(1987/Vijayakant & Rekha) and கோயில் மணியோசை (1988/ Pandian & Abinaya) failed to fetch commercial or critical dividends. In an attempt to resurrect her declining career, the aging K.R.Vijaya produced ‘சிலம்பு’ (1990). The movie was scripted and directed by Netaji, and had in its cast K.R.Vijaya, Saratbabu, Vijayakumar, Murali, Rohini and Chadrasekar. I have seen the movie, and found it surprisingly engrossing, tackling an inventive theme. However, the cinefans of the 90s had no patience to watch a புன்னகை அரசி past her prime, and the film was sent back to the cans without much ado.
I am unable to trace Netaji’s career post ‘சிலம்பு’. I read somewhere that he tried his hand in some TV shows, but don’t recall watching any of his works on TV. An avid film enthusiast called Vijayakumar, whom I came know through good friend Sundar, happened to meet Netaji a few years back in Kundrathur. Apparently, Netaji had chosen to settle in the suburb, far from the tinsel town, and was enjoying being the owner of ‘Motilal Ice Cool Bar’ in a quiet street in Kundrathur.
Perhaps he is even now hopeful of another turn behind the camera. Even if that doesn’t come to pass, I wish some of the current music-directors would harness Netaji’s infinite and proven capabilities in writing poetic lyrics. Who knows, this may happen yet, for life holds a surprise at every bend…
Discussion at:
https://www.facebook.com/groups/1018417744856618/permalink/2079560915408957/
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