இளையராஜா முதன் முதலில் பாடியது 1977 ல் வந்த 16 வயதினிலே படத்தில் " சோளம் வெதக்கயில". எழுபதுகளில் சோலோவாக அவர் பாடிய பல பாடல்கள் பிரபலமடைந்தன. ருக்குமணி வண்டி வருது, என்ன பாட்டு பாட, வாட வாட்டுது...போன்றவை.
இளையராஜா எஸ்.ஜானகியுடன் பாடிய பல டுயட் பாடல்கள் ....." பொன்னோவியம்( கழுகு ) ", பூமாலையே ( பகல் நிலவு ) போன்றவை பிரபலமானவை. ஷைலஜாவுடன் முதலில் 1979 ல் (பொண்ணு ஊருக்கு புதுசு ) சாமக்கோழி, ஜென்சியுடன் 1980 ல் காதல் ஓவியம் ( அலைகள் ஓய்வதில்லை) , சசிரேகாவுடன் விழியில் விழுந்து ( அலைகள் ஓய்வதில்லை)... உமா ரமணனுடன் 1984 ல் , மேகம் கருக்கயிலே ( வைதேகி காத்திருந்தாள்) .சரி ! ராஜா பாடிய முதல் டூயட் என்னவாக இருக்கும்? படம் வெளிவராது பாடல்கள் பிரபலமான மணிப்பூர் மாமியார் படத்தில் ஷைலஜாவுடன் " சமையல் பாடமே"? இருக்கலாம்.
என் யூகம், அவர் பாடிய முதல் டூயட் ...அந்தப்பாடகியுடன் அவர் அதற்குப் பிறகு டூயட் பாடவேயில்லை.....இன்னும் சொல்லப்போனால் அந்தப் பாடகியுடன், மற்ற பாடகர்களுடனும் ( மனோ) சேர்ந்து அவர் திரைப்பட வாழ்க்கையில் இன்னும் ஒரே பாடல்தான் பாடியிருக்கிறார், தேங்காய் ஶ்ரீனிவாசன் தயாரித்து நடித்து அழிந்த கிருஷ்ணன் வந்தான் படத்தில்.
அந்தப் பாடகி..பி.சுசீலா. பாடல் 1978 ல் வெளியாகி , 1979 வெளியான லட்சுமி படத்தில் " தென்ன மரத்துல தென்றலடிக்குது" . சுசீலாவை வேகமான பீட் பாடல்களுக்கு கேட்டேளே ( பத்ரகாளி), செவ்வந்தி ( 16 வயதினிலே) பயன் படுத்தியிருதாலும் இந்தப் பாடல் ஜெட் வேகம். கங்கை அமரனின் குயிலே, மயிலே, தென்றல் அபத்தங்களைத் தாண்டி ஹிட்டான பாடல். ஆரம்ப இசையிலேயே தென்னந்தோப்புக்குள் கூட்டிப் போகும் லாகவம்! கிட்டத்தட்ட கிராமத்து " தகிட ததிமி" ( சலங்கை ஒலி) போல் வேகம். அப்போது இந்தப்பாடல் ஒலிக்காத நாளோ, டீக்கடையோ கிடையாது.
இங்கேயும் ஒரு கங்கையில் வரும் " சோலை புஷ்பங்களே" கங்கை அமரனுக்குப் பதில் ராஜா , சுசீலாவுடன் பாடியிருக்கலாம். ஒன்றும் வித்தியாசம் இருந்திருக்காது!
படத்தில் ஒரு குரங்கும் , மற்றும் பலரில் ஶ்ரீதேவி, ஜெய்கணேஷ், மாஸ்டர் ஶ்ரீதர் போனவர்கள் நடித்திருந்தனர். குரங்கு பாகிஸ்தான் தீவிரவாதிகளைச் சுடுவது தவிர்த்து அனைத்து வீரதீர சாகசங்களும் புரியும். ப்ரொஃப்ஷனல் காதல் குரியராகச் செயல்பட்டு விசில் பாராட்டுகளை வாங்கியது. நான் சிலுக்கு ஸ்மிதா தெலுங்கு கற்றுக்கொடுத்து புரிந்துகொண்டதுபோல் ஶ்ரீதேவி தமிழில் பேசுவதை குரங்கு கவனமாகக் கேட்டு செயல்படும் நகைச்சுவைக் காட்சிகள் உண்டு. இந்தப்படத்தில் உள்ள மற்ற பாடல்கள் சசிரேகாவின் மேளம் கொட்ட நேரம் வரும் ( 2 முறை) , ஜானகியின் " வேலாயி வீராயி வெட்கமென்ன பூவாயி" .
பாடலாசிரியர்களில் ஆலங்குடி சோமு...மற்றொரு இனிய ஆச்சரியம்! மேளம் கொட்ட நேரம் வரும் பாட்டை திருமணத்திற்கு ஏங்கும் பெண்ணின் ஒருமித்த குரலாக சொல்லப் போய், ஒரு திருமணம் செய்து கொள்ளாத ஒரு ஆண் நண்பரிடம் செமையாகக் காய்ச்சி எடுக்கப்பட்டேன் பழைய தூள் தளத்தில்!
மாஸ்டர் ஶ்ரீதர் , ஏவிஎம் ராஜனைப் போன்று " சார்! போஸ்ட்" என்ற வசனத்தையே உணர்ச்சிப்பிழம்பாக, காது கண்கள் சிவக்கச் சொல்லக்கூடியவர். நடிகையின் பெயர் மீரா அல்லது பவானி என்று நினைக்கிறேன். நடனம் என்ற பெயரில் ஒரு மானாட மயிலாட அந்த நாளிலேயே.
ராஜா தன் படங்களில் வாணி ஜெயராமுடன் டூயட் பாடல்களை பாடவேயில்லை! ஈஸ்வரி...ம்ஹூம், ஒரு பாட்டைத் தவிர...ஈஸ்வரியே பாடவேயில்லை.
இந்தப்பாடல், எந்தவித வியாபார நிர்பந்தங்களும் இல்லாத உற்சாகமான கிராமத்து ராஜாவையும், சுசீலாவின் வித்தியாசமான முயற்சியையும் கொண்ட புதையல்.
The early 80s had Ilaiyaraja the monarch of all he surveyed in Tamil film music. Friday after Friday, movies were released with his music...How did he manage such a prolific output, even while maintaining the high standards that he had set for himself... Recalling those heady years, S.P. Balasubramaniam once said that Janaki and he rarely went home even for a few hours rest...
Vairamuthu, Vaali and Gangaiamaran had work around the clock... magical collaborations that filled the listeners with delirious joy, even when the sheer volume of output defied imagination... many of the movies found themselves buried hastily in the sands of time...yet if they linger on in our memories, it is only because of the Maestro and his magic...
Take this song as case in point... How many of you, even the most ardent Tamil film enthusiasts, would remember a 1983 movie called 'முடிவல்ல ஆரம்பம்?' If I add that it had in its cast Rajesh, Jyoti and Saratbabu, would that help? No?
But when I mention the bewitching தென்னங்கீற்றும் தென்றல்காற்றும்...
Yes!!! You give a pleased smile of recognition... the bustling mornings when you got ready for school and this song featuring in Radio Ceylon's பொங்கும் பூம்புனல், the sultry afternoons when you curled up with Agatha Christie and this song (now on Radio Ceylon's புது வெள்ளம்) making you pause following Miss Marple for a while, the laborious late evenings when you were engrossed in your homework and the welcome distraction when Shanthi Thanikachalam announces this song in her crisp voice on Vividh Bharati’s தேன் கிண்ணம்... So many wonderful memories come gushing... you remember a long-forgotten classmate who would whistle this tune, you recall a hair-cut in a village saloon when the barber tapped his scissors in enjoyment as this song was played on the radio, you even recall the taste of the spicy milaga bajji that you relished at a roadside eatery in Burliar on the way to Ooty where you heard snatches of this song, you would remember the Akka in the next house who was dismayed that it was Rajesh and not the handsome Saratbabu who appeared in this song when it was featured in ஒளியும் ஒலியும், you will now recall the Kumudam review that wailed 'முடிவல்ல, ஆ....ரம்பம்!'....
How cunningly has the man woven himself inexorably into our memories... the maestro was, is and forever will be an integral part of our lives!
Malaysia Vasudevan and P. Susheela have come together for some boisterous Ilaiyaraja carnivals like செவ்வந்திப்பூ முடிச்ச சின்னக்கா, மதனி மதனி and கன்னிப்பொண்ணு கை மேலே and have rendered some catchy Ilaiyaraja creations like பல நாள் ஆசை, ஆப்பக்கட அன்னக்கிளி, பொத்துக்கிட்டு ஊத்துதடி வானம், சீனத்து பட்டுமேனி and மாப்பிள்ளைக்கு மாமன் மனசு, but my leanings are towards the softer duets that they rendered for the Maestro such as ஆசை நெஞ்சின் கனவுகள், அத்தமக தங்கத்துக்கு, அழகே உன்னை கொஞ்சம் and பவழமணி தேர்மேலே.
Vasu, the unabashed rustic reveler of the loud and the racy, has sprung some surprises of gentler, mellifluous kind as well. And with the silken chords of Susheela lending grace and gloss at the other end, Vasu transforms into a dashing, suave gentleman! Listen to this song- note how the earthy tone of Vasu is so caressingly complemented by the honeyed Susheela. The Maestro weaves the notes around a mesmerizing Mayamalava Gowlai trellis and the result is sheer enchantment….
இந்தத் தொடரில் இன்று நான் தேர்வு செய்திருக்கும் பாடல்.... கண்ணதாசன் , சுசீலா, இளையராஜா என்ற மூன்று உன்னத கலைஞர்களின் கூட்டில் உருவான ஒரு மறந்துபோன பொக்கிஷம். தமிழ்த் திரையிசையின் முடிசூடா ராணியாக திகழ்ந்தவர் சுசீலா. தன் இனிய குரலால் கோடானு கோடி தமிழர்களின் நெஞ்சமெங்கும் நிறைந்தார், நிறைந்திருப்பார். நாளை இந்த வேளை தன் பிறந்தநாளை அவர் கொண்டாடுவார். அந்த இனிமையான கொண்டாட்டத்தை நாம் இன்றே தொடங்குவோம்...
வலுவான கதை, அற்புதமான நடிப்பு, செவிக்கு இதமான இசை - இது எல்லாம் இருந்தும் சில படங்கள் ஜெயிப்பதில்லை. 1978இல் வெளிவந்த 'மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா' என்ற படம் இதற்கு அத்தாட்சி. ஒரு பெரிய பண்ணை வீட்டில் திருமணம் செய்து கொண்டு போகிறாள் ஒரு பெண் (சுஜாதா). அங்கு தன் அன்பாலும் பண்பாலும் எல்லோர் மனதையும் கொள்ளை கொள்கிறாள்.
குறிப்பாக தன் கணவனின் தம்பியிடம் (சிவகுமார்) தாயைப்போல பரிவு காட்டுகிறாள். அந்த இளைஞனும் அவளது அன்புக்கு கட்டுண்டு அவளிடம் பெற்ற மகனைப்போல் உரிமை கொண்டாடுகிறான். இந்த உறவு அந்த வீட்டில் சிலருக்கு எரிச்சலூட்டுகிறது....நாளிடைவில் கேட்போர் பேச்சைக் கேட்டு அவளது கணவனே (டெல்லி கணேஷ்) அவளுக்கும் தன் தம்பிக்கும் உள்ள புனிதமான உறவை சந்தேகப்படுகிறான்...அவள் உடைந்து போகிறாள்...அந்த மூவரின் தவிப்பும், நெஞ்சை நெகிழவைக்கும் இறுதி கட்டங்களும் திரைக்கதையின் மிக அழகான தருணங்கள்...
சிறு வயதில் இந்தப் படத்தை தொலைக்காட்சியில் பார்த்த ஞாபகம் ..என் அபிமான நடிகை சுஜாதாவின் மிகைப்படுத்தாத, கண்ணியமான நடிப்பு என் மனதில் இன்றும் நிற்கிறது. Subtle and heartwarming performances in challenging roles were always her forte! இன்று இப்படத்தின் பிரதி எங்கும் கிடைப்பதில்லை... கோலாலம்பூரில் உள்ள கொலம்பியா ரெகார்டிங் சென்டரிலும் எனது தேடுதல் ஏமாற்றத்தையே அளித்தது.
இந்த படத்தில் இடம் பெற்ற ஒரு பாடல் சிறு வயதில் கேட்ட உடனே என் மனதிலும் இடம் பிடித்து விட்டது..
அந்தப் பெண் தன் குழந்தையை உறங்க வைக்க ஒரு தாலாட்டு பாடுகிறாள்...அந்த இரவு வேளையில் அவள் பாடலில் எத்தனை அர்த்தங்கள்...தன் நெஞ்சின் குமுறல்களை அந்த தாலாட்டின் வரிகளுடன் இணைத்து தன் பக்க நியாயத்தை எடுத்துரைக்கிறாள்...இது போன்ற கட்டங்களில் கண்ணதாசன் இயக்குனரின் வேலையை எளிதாக்கிவிடுவார்...இந்தப் பாடலிலும் அவரின் வரிகளில் எத்தனை அழகுகள்...தாலாட்டினூடே அந்தப் பெண் தன் புனிதத்தை எவ்வளவு ஆணித்தரமாக பதிவு செய்கிறாள்!
தந்தைக்குத் தான் இந்த முந்தானை...
தந்தை கொடுத்தார் செந்தேனை
தாய் அறிந்தே வரும் பிள்ளையடா...
தாரம் தரம் கெட்டதில்லையடா
இளையராஜாவின் மெட்டில் இந்த வரிகள் எவ்வளவு சுகமாக அமர்கின்றன...பாடல் வரிகளை முன்னிறுத்தி மெல்லிய சோகக் கீற்றுகளை சுமந்து வரும் இடை இசையின் நேர்த்தி பாடலுக்கு எவ்வளவு மெருகு சேர்க்கிறது! சுசீலாவின் குரல் இனிமைகள் இந்தப் பட்டுப்பஞ்சணை மேல் தூவிய அன்னச்சிறகுகள் ...அவர் பாடலில் தான் எத்தனை புரிதல்...வேதனையின் விளிம்பில் ஒரு வியாஸம்...தாலாட்டுப்பாடலுக்கேற்ற கனிவு, காயப்பட்ட நெஞ்சின் குமுறல், பொய் களங்கத்தை எதிர்கொள்ளும் ஒரு பத்தினியின் கோபம்...அத்தனை உணர்ச்சிகளும் அளவிற்கேற்ப வெளிப்படுகின்றன. திரையிலோ சுஜாதா...சுசீலாவுக்கு சற்றும் சளைத்தவர் அல்ல...மடியில் தவழும் குழந்தையை நோக்கும் போது வாஞ்சையை வாரி வழங்கும் விழிகள், தனிமைப்படுத்தப்பட்ட தன் நிலையை எண்ணும் போதோ அதே விழிகளை சூழ்ந்திடும் வாட்டம், விரக்தியான புன்னகையை உதடுகளில் சுமந்து வலம் வரும் அந்தப் பாங்கு...அந்தப் பாத்திரத்தின் பரிதவிப்பை எவ்வளவு நளினமாக, நெஞ்சைத் தொடும் விதமாக உணர்த்துகிறார்...
"நெருப்பினையே அவள் சாட்சி வைத்தாள்" என்று சீதையைப் பற்றி பாடிவிட்டு, "நானே நெருப்பல்லவோ!" என்று முத்தாய்ப்பாக முடிக்கும் போது சுசீலாவின் குரலில் ஒலிக்கும் அந்த கம்பீரம்...ஆஹா....சுஜாதாவின் தீர்க்கமான பார்வையில் மிளிரும் அந்த தன்னம்பிக்கை...மின்னலென வந்து மறையும் அந்த நொடிப்பொழுதில் அங்கே கலை அற்புதமாக வாழ்ந்துகொண்டிருக்கிறது!
பி.கு: 2007இல் விடுமுறையில் சென்னை சென்றிருந்தபோது ஒரு திருமண வரவேற்பில் சுஜாதாவை சந்திக்க நேர்ந்தது. மகன் மற்றும் மகளுடன் வந்திருந்த அவர் அடக்கமாக ஒரு மூலையில் அமர்ந்திருந்தார். திரையில் பார்ப்பதை விட இன்னும் அழகாக இருந்தார். The years had been kind to her….She had aged gracefully. மிகுந்த சங்கோஜத்துடன் அவரிடம் சென்று 'நான் உங்கள் தீவிர ரசிகன்' என்று என்னை அறிமுகம் செய்து கொண்டேன். ஒரு அன்பான புன்சிரிப்போடு என்னைத் தன்னருகில் அமரச் செய்தார், தன் மகனையும் மகளையும் அறிமுகம் செய்து வைத்தார். அவரின் படங்களைப் பற்றி பேசிக்கொண்டிருந்தோம். அப்போது நான் இந்த 'மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா' படத்தில் அவரின் நடிப்பை புகழ்ந்தேன். அந்த அழகான கண்கள் ஆச்சிரியத்தில் விரிந்தன. பின்பு கலகலவென நகைத்துவிட்டு சுஜாதா கூறினார்- "மாரியம்மன் திருவிழா படத்தை நீங்களும் நானும் தான் ஞாபகம் வைத்திருக்கிறோம்!"
Continuing to remember the giants whose birth anniversaries fell on June 24th, let us dive deep into the MSV/Kannadasan ocean one again, and see what pearls we come up with this time…
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Two versions of ‘Vasanthangal varum munbe’ from Lalitha (1976)
Ashutosh Mukohopadhyay (1920-1989) was a popular Bengali writer and journalist many of whose engrossing stories have found celluloid adaptation. The most famous among them perhaps is the story ‘Nurse Mitra’ that was adapted by the brilliant Asit Sen as Deep Jwale Jai (1959). Asit Sen remade the classic in Hindi after 10 years as Khamoshi (1969).
Another of Ashutosh Mukohopadhyay’s stories that was made into a successful movie was Saath Pake Bandha. The story was fairly simple. The wealthy Archana falls in love with a principled college professor Sukhendu, despite the considerable differences in age and status. She goes ahead and marries him, unmindful of her haughty mother’s opposition. However, the idyll does not last long, the dream turns into a nightmare. Archana’s domineering mother sows the seeds of marital discord by her constant disdainful gibes at Sukhendu’s impoverished circumstances.
The hurt Sukhendu becomes cold and aloof. Archana remonstrates with her mother, but her entreaties fall on deaf ears. Things reach a point of no return when Sekhendu demands that Archana severe all ties with her family. Caught between the two, she suffers and watches her marriage collapse. Sukhendu and Archana separate. Years roll by and finally when they meet, they find their defenses crumbling, and reunite with an understanding that the long years of separation had bestowed them with.
The movie ‘Saath Pake Bandha’ (1963) had the legendary Suchitra Sen playing Archana, with Soumitra Chatterjee as her Sukhendu. Chaya Devi portrayed with aplomb the snobbish mother and Pahadi Sanyal performed with restraint the role of the affectionate but helpless father. Hemanta Mukherjee scored the background music for the movie which did not have any songs. Directed by Ajoy Kar, ‘Saath Pake Bandha’ was a great success with Suchitra Sen walking away with the Best Actress Award at the prestigious Moscow Film Festival in 1963.
Anil Ganguly remade this movie in Hindi 11 years later, and ‘Koraa Kaagaz’ (1974/ Shreeji Films) remains a celluloid masterpiece of eternal appeal. As the piteous Archana torn under divided loyalties, the petite Jaya Bhaduri stands tall in her sensitive, delicately nuanced performance. Vijay Anand’s portrayal of Sukhesh was marked by dignified subtleties. Achala Sachdev was perfectly cast as Archana’s meddlesome mother, while A.K. Hangal was the natural choice for the father. Kalyanji-Anandji’s compositions such as ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz’ and ‘rootE rootE piyaa’ have acquired the status of cult classics over the years.
Our Valampuri Somanathan was drawn to this story of marital discord and decided to tell it anew for the Tamil audience. He drafted the screenplay and wrote the dialogues, besides producing and directing the movie. Lalitha (1976/ Girnaar Films) had Sujatha and Gemini Ganesh essaying the lead roles. While Sujatha was an apt choice to bring forth the tumultuous suffering of the character, Gemini Ganesh looked aged and tired. Perhaps the choice was intentional, for even Vijay Anand had looked old beside the vivacious Jaya, and the story itself was that of a mismatch in age and wealth. Sukumari and Calcutta Viswanathan played Lalitha’s parents. The surprise however, was Kamalhasan in the role of Lalitha’s brother. The episodes relating to his love for Sumitra and the scenes involving veteran Thangavelu who played Sumitra’s father temper the somber proceedings with some light moments, even while leading to a startling twist.
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M.S. Viswanathan’s music was a delectable highpoint. Armed with Kannadasan’s bounty, the Mellisai Mannar composed a set of scintillating songs. Besides lending his own mystic mystique to Vasanthangal varum munbe, MSV summoned all his favourite singers to do the needful and then called upon the venerable Thevaram singer of the Kapaleeswarar Temple, Lalgudi Swaminthan to render a few traditional verses. Thus we have the folksy ‘ennamma aaththOra kuruvi’ rendered by TMS & L.R. Eswari with characteristic gusto. Vani Jairam sings the endearing ‘kalyaaNamE oru peNNodu thaan’, the equivalent of Lata’s ‘rootE rootE piyaa’ in the Hindi version. SPB and Vani team up for that unforgettable ‘sorgathilE mudivaandhu, sondhathilE nilaiyaanadhu’, where Vani’s lines sum up the growing disillusionment of Lalitha. P. Suseela and MSV sing two versions of ‘vasanthangaL varum munbE’, MSV’s fitting answer to Kalyanji-Anandji’s touted ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz’. MSV further springs a surprise by getting Lalgudi Swaminathan to chant the Thevaram verse ‘maNNil nalla vaNNam vaazhalaam’ which flows into ‘Oradi kadavutkaaga’, where Kannadasan’s lines glitter as veritable treatises on marriage vows and the spiritual union that the seven steps enshrine. K. Veeramani and Sripathi join Lalgudi Swaminathan midway and whole song takes on the aura of a benedictory hymn.
* * * *
I walked a mile with Pleasure,
she chattered all the way;
But left me none the wiser,
for all she had to say.
I walked a mile with Sorrow
and ne'er a word said she;
But, oh, the things I learned from her
when Sorrow walked with me!
- Robert Browning Hamilton (Along the Road)
The deed is done, the estrangement complete. She is left only with memories, a handful of them sweet, most of them bitter. She distances herself from all that is familiar by taking up teaching in an obscure school, with solitude her sole companion. Time is relentless in its march, and as each year comes and goes even loneliness becomes a way of life. And as she walks one day along her usual pathways, a thousand thoughts come cascading, even as this song is heard in the background.
The Hindi version had the haunting ‘mEra jeevan koraa kaagaz, koraa hi reh gayaa’, easily among Kishore Kumar’s best efforts.
Kannadasan, as his wont, gives a précis of the entire proceedings in poignant lines.
vasanthangaL varum munbE veyil vandhadhE
mazhaik kaala mEgankaL kalaiginRadhE
pon aanaaL….. vilai illai
kaN aanaaL….. imai illai
Her life seems to be a travesty of nature…she has never danced in the sheer rapture of spring, for her the scorching summer had arrived early. As she walks along paths full of rain that remains unshed, her thoughts within are as bleak as the landscape without…
ilai uNdu malar uNdu kani illaiyE
kani onRu kai vandhum kiLi illaiyE
avaL veeNai tharum paadal orE raagamE
anandham adhil illai orE sOgamE….
She had on her side beauty, youth, wealth, intelligence and unending love, yet all these could not help her hold on to her marriage. Time, they say, is the best healer; but again, absence, they say, makes the heart fonder. So she walks along the same paths as she has been walking, thinking the same thoughts as she has been thinking…. Hers is a penance in grief….
kavi onRu varum enRu yEdaanavaL
sila naaLil veRum thaaLil kOdaanavaL
panikkaalam kuyil paada koodaanavaL
padikkaamal mudikkinRa paattaanavaL
The lines in the Hindi version sum up the lonely life of Archana as ‘kOraa kaagaz’, meaning a blank sheet of paper. Our bard ushers in the same reference in ‘kavi onRu varum enRu yEdaanavaL, sila naaLil veRum thaaLil kOdaanavaL’, and goes on to describe her wretched life as an unfinished song.
maNachchinnam kazuththOdu sirikkinRadhE
manakkinnam neruppaaga kodhikkinRadhE
ninaikkinRa manam mattum ninaikkinRadhE
thadukkinRa vidhi yEnO thadukkinRadhE
MSV designs a ghazal-like ambience for the soliloquy, and keeps the orchestration to an austere minimum, as if to accentuate the desolate undercurrent of the song. The opening guitar that continues as an unobtrusive presence all through the song, the tabla nodding in hushed empathy to the lines, the santoor and the lone flute in the interlude paint the canvas with shades of sorrow…
Who else but Susheela to bring in the gamut of brooding introspection… Her lines are soaked in sorrow, her honeyed tones drenched in grief, as she brings to life the master’s painstaking work.
Listen to P. Susheela singing ‘vasanthangaL varum munbE’
And here is the elusive version sung by the master. It has been many years since I saw the movie on TV, and if I remember right, it was Suseela’s version that made it to the screen. I wonder then at MSV’s version… and at the different placement of the charanam endings, at the flute singing a slightly different note here… MSV’s arresting voice was made surely for songs such as these… his voice here is the weary howl of the soul… The late ‘Santoor’ Vishweshwaran once revealed that MSV would sing each of his compositions hundreds of times before the recording, coaching the singers with infinite patience on each note, each nuance... He would not give up until he had extracted what he had wanted…. Truly that was a golden age of film music…
My FB friend Vazhikarai Vadivelan yesterday sent a post with a slide show of this song with a note..”Indha paadalai virumbaadhavargaL yaarum irukka mudiyaadhu”-
It is true that no person could not only dislike this song but would also love the song for its melting melody.
If it is "Neela vanna kanna vaada" for R Balasaraswathy Devi, then it is definitely this song for P Susheela. Always songs composed for lullaby will be very special and particularly this song is a marvel. I would rate this song among the top 20 of her tamil songs of the 1950s easily. She paints a mesmerizing lullaby right from the opening humming, the sheen in her voice captivating. Just listen to the way she sings …the caressing touch she gives to ‘si' in “sirippai sindhi valarum”. PS enjoys and sings every bit of the song with the required bhavam.
Listen to the song here:
'Alibaba' fame Susarla Dakshinamurthy is the brilliant composer of this song. The violin piece before the pallavi is awesome. S. Dakshinamurthy employs clarionet throughout which enhances the vintage appeal besides bulbultara. See how a wonderful humming precedes every charanam wherein SD establishes it is a lullaby. Further, a touch of Bhimpalas makes the song sweeter. One more interesting feature about this song is that every time I listen to this song, I am reminded of many enchanting melodies that came years later …in the second charanam ending 'urimai ellam tharuvaar'…….directly transports me to …'kannin manipola maniyin nizhal pola kalandhu pirandhomada' (malarndhum malaradha-Pasamalar) and on listening to the opening lines of the first or third charanams , viz., 'mannil ulavum nilavey en vayittril udhitha kaniye' or 'ezhai kaNda dhanamey manam ilaga cheyyum azhagey', many a time invariably and inadvertently landed me in 'endha kuzhandhaiyum nalla kuzhandhaidhaan mannil pirakkayiley avar nallavar aavadhum theeyavar aavadhum annai valarppiniley' (indha pachaikkilikkoru – Needhikku thalai vanangu) . Must be a creative influence on other MDs.
The lyricist of this song is A. Marudhakasi known for lullaby songs. Even the lyrics for ‘Neela vanna kanna vaada’ is his.
There is a Tiruchy Loganathan version of this song which M R Radha sings in the film- a pathos and equally lilting, no, melting.
When we gave a programme in April 2005 at Dakshinamurthy auditorium, P S High School, Mylapore, Chennai music director S Dakshinamurthy’s family graciously brought the aged music composer on our invitation to the programme and stayed till the end. We cherish the memories.
Gemini Vasan saw the Telugu tearjerker Samsaram doing brisk business and lost no time in remaking it in Tamil and Hindi in 1951. Having M.K.Radha & Pushpavalli in its cast, the movie was a runaway success. Valampuri Somanathan decided to launch a fresh edition (!) of this story in 1977. SPV Films’ Thunai Irupaal Meenakshi had Sivakumar & Sujatha playing the lead roles.
A salaried middle-class householder runs away abandoning his family, unable to bear his ever-increasing financial burdens multiplied with the malevolent machinations of his step-mother. The testing travails they undergo over the years, all the while steadfastly up holding honesty and integrity in their daily life, and the contrived climax wherein the family unites in Madurai (the justification for the title!) forms the rest of the tale.
Those were the early years of Ilaiyaraja, and he was weaving magic in film after film- he was the King of Phrygia newly fortified with the power granted by Dionysus.
Thunai Iruppaal Meenakshi was no exception--It was Ilaiyaraja and his score, which added polish to the plebeian proceedings, and to this day, it is the songs,(and this song in particular) which retrieve the film from total obliteration in the relentless mists of time.
For the salaried middle-class, each month is an exacting endeavour for dignified existence. However, the immense love and perfect understanding that Ramu and Seetha share brings sweetness in midst of this struggle too, and the family is happy, even in its poverty…It is then that Seetha discovers that they are soon to have another addition to the family. When she breaks the news to Ramu, he is worried about the financial implications- this added burden to their already hand–to-mouth existence looms threateningly in his mind. She understands his fears, and puts them to rest by her song- she takes the veenai in her hands….and the enchantment starts…. music is the food of love and she plays on...
How tenderly she brings peace to his troubled mind! And even while applying a soothing balm to his mental torment, she gives a fetching lecture on how life is to be lived in its fullest sense. Like the moon that waxes and wanes in its inexorable cycle, she reminds him, life too has its ups and down. One has to have the resolve to face the trying tribulations that life, as its wont, keeps springing at every turn. And one should meet these hardships with a hardy smile. When they have each other, sharing so great a love cemented by perfect understanding, wouldn’t they together overcome all adversities with ease?
The simple, yet apposite lyrics, the gracious presence of Sujatha, the spellbinding skills of Gayatri on the veenai, the voice of Susheela-liquid of vowels, kind to consonants, dainty and dulcet in every note - the song is the treasured apotheosis of vintage Ilaiyaraja in euphonious flow...
If the pallavi, just consisting of four words, is ethereal in its execution, the almost continuous charanam gathers grandeur in its glide. And if Susheela’s caressing voice is the hearbeat of the song, Gayatri’s nimble fingering on the strings and adept actions on the frets hasten the pulsating pulse of the prelude and interludes.
This song was very popular in the late 70s. It was among the earliest film songs that I heard as a child, and ‘Sugamo aayiram’, along with ‘Thenil aadum roja’ (another wonderful Ilaiyaraja / Susheela collaboration) takes me back to ‘Then Kinnam’ at 7.45 of the 70s…
However, years later, when I was trying to get this song recorded, none of the recording centers in Chennai had it. Worse, many of the staff were completely unaware of the song… ‘Enna sir, kindalaa, Thunai Irupaal meenakshi-nu oru padamaa?‘ was the derisive question one of them asked me. ‘Swami padama?’ another one added insulted to injury. It was a Srilankan friend who finally came to my rescue by getting me a CD having many songs that I had been desperately seeking for years. When I featured this song as ‘Song of the Day’ way back in 2003, there were many who responded that they were listening to this treasure after ages. Today, thanks to youtube, many of these forgotten gems are back in popular circulation..
Presenting today the unusual ‘Vanakkam’ from Agni Saatchi (1982)
Sung by SPB & P. Suseela.
Vaali's verses set to tune by MSV.
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Deepavali fell on 14th November in 1982. And true to tradition, a host of movies were released, sending film crazy fans into feverish frenzy. Pareetchaikku neramaachu, Pagadai pannirendu, Adhisayappiravigal, GopurangaL saaivathillai, Oorum uravum, Nizhal thedum nenjangaL, Vaalibame vaa vaa, Kanmani poonga, Deviyin thiruvilaiyaadal and Darling Darling Darling were all unleashed on the public that day. Some were hits and many were misses at the box office, but Deepavali, ever associated with firecrackers, new clothes, sweets and new movies (not necessarily in that order), lived up to its expectations!
Also among the Deepavali releases was Agnisaatchi (kavithalaya). The film starred Sivakumar, Saritha, Arundhathi, Sivagami, Poornam Viswanathan and others. Kamalhasan and Rajnikanth chipped in with special appearances. K.Balachandar was at the helm, with his trusted B.S.Loknath and N.R Kittu lending reassuring support.
The story was stark and shocking; the theme heavy and heartrending; the handling sensitive and skillful. And Saritha, in the complex role of a woman carrying the baggage of a childhood trauma, stole the show with her splendid performance. Her character had a plethora of ramifications.a devotee of Tamizh in general and Bharathi's verses in particular, a connoisseur of creativity, a woman madly in love with her husband, a humane human whose indignation at the wrongs she witnesses comes in for derision, an innocent mind irreparably harmed. Saritha was awe-inspiring, frightening, brilliant, revolting, enthralling, puzzling, irksome, wonderful..in the end, leaving behind a lingering impact.
The film did not do too well commercially, though. The seasoned KB ought to have foreseen the fate of such a solemn saga. Years later, in a candid chat, he would express his hurt thus: “In my characterisation I like to paint the grey areas. Ideal women, like ideal men, do not exist, do they? I struggle with the character and situation. But often this is not appreciated. In Agnisaatchi, the heroine's righteous anger at the denigration of women was misunderstood as madness!"
But all was not lost. Agnisaatchi was adjudged the Second Best Film of 1982-83 by the TN Govt. (Engeyo ketta kural and Ezhavathu manithan won the first and the third places respectively). Saritha rightfully walked away with the Best Actress Award (Another honour that came her way that year was the Kalaimaamani citation ) and Sivakumar bagged the Best Actor Award. N.R.Kittu was pronounced the Best Editor, also for Agnisaatchi.
* * * *
One more award of the TN Govt. went to Agnisaatchi The Mellisai Mannar also scored. His score, worth many an encore and more, fetched him the Award for the Best Music Director of 1982-83. Stringing together the prose-like poetic lines of Vaali into simple and soulful songs was no mean task, and MSV proved his mettle even as his detractors were writing him off. 'Kanaa kaanum kangal mella' crooned by SPB, with Saritha reciting poetry in between, was the dazzling jewel in the crown. 'Adiye Kannamma amaithi ennamma', in the ageless allure of P. Susheela, was another winner. Saritha half-sang,half-recited some pudhukkavithai lines 'Aam. Bharathi pudhiya thamizhukku podappatta piLLaiyaar suzhi'; 'Kosuve unnakku kodi namaskaaram' , 'En thalaiva, en peyarai oru paper-il ezhuthi adhai thadavi paar', 'Aarambam, silapaadhigaarathin mudivil oraarambam' was another novel attempt, sung by MSV, L.R.Eswary and Vani Jairam. SPB's 'Unnai enakku pidichirukkirathu', originally composed for Agnisaatchi, was used later in Poikkaal Kuthirai.
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As far as my limited understanding goes, Pudhukkavidhai is all about letting the words flow, free from the shackles of grammar, rhyme or even meter. The choice of apposite words, the felicity of expression, the imagination strewn in the similes, the metaphors, the analogies are all what go into a good Pudhukkavithai. And the abrupt breaks in the lines store surprises in their very unpredictability. Such lines are generally not ductile enough to be set to tune, and hence do not find place in Tamil film music, where the lyricists write what is generally known as Isai Paadalgal. Hence to find a pristine Pudhukkavidhai form in Tamil film music is a rare treat.
Vaali and KB were old friends; they had worked together for the first time in Major Chandrakanth, way back in 1966. And in the years that followed, Vaali wrote the songs for many KB movies. However, after 1973, KB worked only with Kannadasan, till Thanneer Thanneer, where he got Vairamuthu to write a couple of songs. In the aftermath of Kannadasan's demise, KB returned to Vaali and it was a grand reunion indeed. Vaali's Pudhukkavithai efforts were intelligently harnessed by KB, for the Agnisaatchi’s heroine is shown to be a poetry enthusiast. And so Vaali's lines filled the frames, and lent a poetic touch to the poignant proceedings.
An adapatation of a Pudhukkavithai such as ‘Vanakkam…mudhal variyai ezhudhumun’ is remarkable in the annals of Tamil cinema. (MSV did it again in 'Oru indhiya kanavu'- he took a Pudhukkavithai from Vairamuthu's 'Thiruthi ezhudhiya theerppugal' and tuned the wondrous 'Anaamika'. When Vairamuthu expressed his amazement on listening to the song, MSV is said to have remarked smilingly that there was nothing in this universe that cannot be set to music!
Take this song as a case in point. The song is more of a musical recitation of the poetic prose. The music blends into the background unobtrusively. Vaali has let his imagination soar in the romantic lines (Remember Emily Dickinson's "Going to him! Happy letter!') That 'Uppukkadal karpukkeda' imagery is a stunning revelation of Vaali's poetic capabilities. Susheela has shown scintillating sagacity in her delineation of the convoluted lines, and I always thought her voice was well suited for Saritha. SPB is in his usual "make merry" mood and interprets the lines with perfect understanding. MSV strikes gold in this one, even while playing from the sidelines…..hark at the auspicious percussion in the end as she dreams of marital bliss. Bliss!
Sumati En Sundari (1971) was a Tamil movie directed by C.V. Rajendran and starred Sivaji Ganesan, & Jayalalitha. It was an adaptation of the 1967 Bengali movie Nayika Sangbad that was written by Prasanta Deb with Uttam Kumar & Anjana Bhowmik essaying the lead roles.
Interspersed with hilarious moments, the movie was a breezy narration of a film star called Sumati who is poised at the pinnacle of glory. Fame and fortune are hers, but so is an aching emptiness and loneliness. She longs to lead the simple life of a normal woman, but society does not permit her these simple pleasures. While traveling to an outdoor shoot, she gets down from the train in a small hillside station to get into another compartment, but the train speeds away before she could clamber in.
She seeks refuge in the house of a surly young estate manager who is a misogynist to boot. Thankfully, he has never watched her movies, has never traveled far from his beloved tea gardens, and is unaware of the celebrity status of his sudden guest. Sumati introduces herself as Sundari, and persuades him to put her up for the night. How she gradually enters his heart and keeps evading the reach of the film crew form rest of the reels. Sivaji as the ill-tempered estate overseer undergoing a change of heart and Jayalalitha as Sumati pretending to be Sundari played their roles with characteristic panache. The movie had a successful run of over 100 days in most centers.
One of the chief reasons for the movie’s success was M.S.Viswanathan’s wonderful album, a veritable treasure. Kannadasan penned the lyrics for all the songs, save ‘Oru tharam ore tharam’, which was written by Vaali. ‘Pottu vaitha mugamo’ was the first song that SPB sang for Sivaji Ganesan, and the song was a runaway hit. The gently tantalizing ‘Oru tharam ore tharam’, recorded but not used in an earlier movie, was included in this album. ‘Or aalayamaagum mangai manadhu’ is a rhapsody of marital rapture.
Presenting here the song that reflects Sumati’s unbounded joy….she has, at last, found the shelter that she was longing for…..Carefree as a bird, she explores the sylvan tea gardens. The grouchiness of her unwilling escort does little to dampen her enthusiasm as she gambols amidst the tea bushes….the azure sky, the balmy breeze, the silvery cascades, the verdant greenery that covers the slopes, the industrious women cheerfully plucking tea leaves…… all beckon to her, and she responds with joyful abandon… she had donned several roles earlier, but this tea garden is miles away from that tinsel town,….. This is life… and she intends to live it to the fullest, as she fears that it is not bound to last long…
How much elation is encapsulated in MSV’s tune, and how does the singer Susheela manage to coat each word with such buoyant happiness! The sheer joy of living tumbles down the lines. Listen to that breathtaking humming before each ‘Oraayiram’…. Isn’t it akin to an unfettered bird spreading its wings and soaring gracefully in the sky?
