Thilakan-End of an Era!

One of Indian cinema's supreme talents, actor Thilakan, breathed his last today. The man who breathed life into every role that he played (despite the multiple politics that he was in the middle of) leaves behind quite a number of memorable characters that will be etched in the minds of Malayali's and movie lovers for long.

One of those roles, that remains inimitable is that of Thampi, a retired lawyer and doting grandpa, who takes the ultimate decision when his grandson dies accidentally, in the critically and commercially acclaimed film, Moonaam Pakkam.

Written and directed by the legendary P.Padmarajan, this movie had some outstanding songs tuned by Maestro ILaiyaraaja.

'Thaamarakkili Paadunnu' is a famous track from this film.

But the song that is as legendary as Thilakan himself, "Unarum Ee Gaanam"-where the grandpa is shown, reminiscing the time he spent with his grandson, is my humble tribute to this genial actor.

Thilakan-during his early theatre days

Beautifully picturized, the song starts with Thilakan browsing thru a photo album, as the piano leads you to the flashback (notice how the piano resembles a toddler's walk!) and the memories come flooding.

G.Venugopal's voice is an apt choice as he glides through the song with utmost ease. Watch out for Thilakan's reaction when the assistant (played by another great talent Jagathy Sreekumar) puts his hand on the furniture being made. The doting, possessive grandpa stands tall!

The humming in the first interlude showers affection as the watchful grandpa oversees the 'apple of his eye' swim.

The second charanam shows the pain as the grandson is separated from the grandfather. Time passes by. His wife is no more now. 

The grandson is grown up (Jayaram) and the bespectacled grandpa is awaiting his return. As he glances thru the greeting cards and letters from his dear 'Pachu', written to his one and only 'Appooppan', tears roll down his cheeks..

An emotional avalanche accentuated by outstanding music and phenomenal acting!

Unarum Ee Gaanam

Unarpiccha Oru Nadan!

RIP Thilakan!

Aaro Paadunnu from Kadha Thudarunnu

Check out this lovely track from Sathyan Anthikkad's latest (and 50th) "Kadha Thudarunnu" starring Jayaram and Mamtha Mohandas.

Hariharan and Chitra sing this beautiful composition of Maestro ILaiyaraaja.For my review of Kadha Thudarunnu songs, click here.Watch out for the lilting piano bit towards the end. Happy Listening.

Kadha Thudarunnu-Music Review

Sathyan Anthikkad is back with his next and so is Maestro ILaiyaraaja. The film stars Sathyan's favorite Jayaram with Mamta Mohandas.

Much like 'Bhagyadevatha', their (Sathyan-Ilaiyaraaja) last outing, 'Kadha Thudarunnu' also has (only) 3 songs.

1. Aaro Paadunnu Doore in the voices of Hariharan and Chitra is mellifluous. The piano bit towards the end is beautiful. I am not sure of Hariharan's malayalam diction. Took me a couple of listens to get used to it. But its his voice that adds value to this song. If it were Madhu Balakrishna or Vijay Yesudas this song may not have had the impact it ends up delivering. The next track suffers precisely coz of this reason.

2. Mazhamekha Chelin Pooram sung by Vijay Yesudas and Swetha is the typical duet you have heard often in the Sathyan-IR combo in recent times. One for the music channels. The heavy synth doesn't help much either.

3. In his last outing for Bhagyadevatha, Karthik got the brilliant "Aazhi Thira Thannil". Here he gets the peppy "Kizhakkumala Kammalitta". He does a neat job. A decent listen this.

The quality of recording is poor and is quite obvious. Takes away a lot of sheen.

Despite that 'Aaro Paadunnu' is my pick of the album.

The audio cd also features karaoke versions of these tracks apart from some of Sathyan-IR hits from Bhagyadevatha (Allipoove, Thira Thannil), Innathe Chintha Vishayam (Kando Kando, Manassiloru), Rasathanthram (Thevaaram).

A routine fare from the Maestro.

Addiction...on its way!

An addiction according to the english lexicon can either be positive or negative. A positive addiction is one that enables a beneficial habit, that outweighs the cost involved.

Music to me is a positive addiction. 'Addiction' because invariably there is something or the other playing in my system or in my 'system'. The positivity aspect is something that every music fan can relate to and I believe needs no elaboration. Trust me, this habit invariably outweighs the cost involved.

Language has never been a barrier to me when it comes to choice of music. I enjoy anything and everything, whether it is MalayaLam, Goan, Telugu or Kannada, as far as there is 'music' in there. As a matter of fact, I never knew a word of Hindi, leave alone Urdu, when I first got addicted to the music of 'Shahenshah-e-Qawwali' Ustad Nusrat Fateh Ali Khan Sa'ab.

Of late I have been exploring a lot of MalayaLam film music. MFM has been a favorite ground for Maestro ILaiyaraaja and more often than not he has been in swashbuckling form here (a la VVS Laxman at the Eden Gardens). The song I plan to share today is as magnificient as VVS' 281, one that is quite classy and stylish too.

Guru (1997) directed by Rajeev Anchal, starring Mohanlal and Kaveri, had some amazing compositions from the Maestro viz., Aruna Kirana Deepam and Deva Sangeetham Neeyalle, which are immensely popular too. For a long time I believed that these are the only 2 songs in that album (I have not seen the film yet) until, in 2007 I chanced upon a collection of Raaja's MalayaLam compositions titled 'Deva Sangeetham' (how apt!) that contained all the songs from this film.

"Minnaaram Maanaththu Mazhavillodinjallo" sung by Sujatha is an irresistible piece of work that triggered another round of the now familiar positive addiction. This song is not so popular even among the hardcore MalayaLam music followers that I have met.

It all starts with the guitar in the prelude that leads to a refreshing Santoor bit. The rhythm section make a seamless entry and the violins playout a scintillating melody before a brief rhythmic pause. What ensues is a spell binding treat in Sujatha's honey fresh voice ably supported by a equally vocal bass guitar. I suggest you grab your headphones to make the most of this bass guitar marvel.

The first interlude is melody personified with the violins and the flute. From the lyrics (as much as I can understand) it appears to be a song glorifying mother nature and its pristine beauty. Watch out towards the end of the charanam. Is that the bass guitar that plays that Mandolin like sound? Awesome!

The Veena and the violins engage in a conversation mediated by the guitar in the second interlude before the flute passes the baton back to Sujatha and the bass guitar... and the feast continues.

I have read somewhere Sujatha stating that this is her favourite song. I am not surprised!

The addiction begins here...



I am not sure if this song was picturized as I have never seen a video of this song anywhere. If you know of one, please pass it on.
Got the answer..
Here is the video link to Minnaaram Maanaththu….
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xaET21Mv1IY&feature=related
Cheers!

Silent Night...Holy Night...

"Silent night, Holy night,
Shepherds quake at the sight,
Glories stream from heaven afar,
Heavenly hosts sing alleluia;
Christ the Saviour, is born!
Christ the Saviour, is born!"

Its almost 24 hours since Xmas day passed and I am a little late in putting this up here. But the blame goes to Jim Reeves and Boney M. Yes, I ushered in Christmas with Carols sung by these 2 legends and for once I didn't miss going to the church for the midnight mass this year.

In the last few years, I have had the good fortune to visit churches quite frequently, thanks to my friends in Bangalore. For me a visit to the church for a mass is synonymous with music. I have always been enchanted by the Choir, the Hymns and the Prayers. After all, music as a means to reach out to the divine is an age old concept in our country, isn't it?

To reach out to the divine through music is one thing. Instances are abundant. Saint Thyagaraja, AaNdaaL Naachiyaar, Maanicka Vaachagar and the list goes on. But there is this man, who through his music has reached out to an entire generation of music lovers, to the extent that he is treated no less than god by a sizeable population of his fans. Irrespective of what one feels, he is undoubtedly blessed and so are we, to be born in an era of such greatness. The one and only Maestro Isaignaani ILaiyaraaja!

"Unaroo" is a 1984 MalayaLam film directed by Mani Rathnam starring Mohanlal and Deepa (aka Unni Mary). This only direct Malayalam movie that Mani Rathnam directed, dealt with trade unions and labour party issues in Kerala.

The song that I wish to share is sung by "Gaana Gandharvan" Dr.Kattassery Joseph Yesudas. The song starts with a jazzy saxophone followed by a peppy humming by Dr.Yesudas. The sax now picks up the pep and leads us to the rendering of "VeLaankanni PaLLiyilae Kanni ThirunaaLu".

Towards the end of the Pallavi the chorus pitches in wishing 'Mary's Little Boy Child' a Happy Birthday! The guitar and the saxophone interwine in the first interlude as we rejoice the birth of the king.

The CharaNam is pure bliss. The fun continues with Dr.Yesudas singing "PaavanangiLi PoovanangiLi" which is repeated by the chorale. In the second interlude, the tabla and the Gada Singaari beats give way to the flute that belts out a fabulous folkish melody. The celebration continues with the yummy second charanam that goes, "Thaen Ozhuganam, Paal Ozhuganam, Paayasam Venam".

The bells chime, the angels sing and the celebrations continue into the wee hours as it is joy to this world!

"Jingle bells, jingle bells, jingle all the way!
O what fun it is to ride in a one-horse open sleigh"

Merry Christmas and a Happy Holiday Season!

Listen to it here!

ஞாபகம் வருதே! ஞாபகம் வருதே!

"Memory" in psychology is "an organism's ability to store, retain and recall information". (Thanks Wikipedia!)

I referred the wikipedia page thrice atleast before I wrote the above properly. (Ability to store, retain and recall! huh!!). But I have this uncanny ability to remember names and phone numbers (no one asks me any definitions these days!).

'To Memorize' (Dabba adikkaradhu-nnu solluvaangale) has always been an integral part of our educational system, irrespective of whether one understood the essence of what he/she is studying (rather 'reading' in most cases).

I vividly remember my elder brother trying to memorize the Silappadhigaaram poem (தேரா மன்னா செப்புவதுடையேன்!) during his 10th standard (Thamizh was not his most favorite subject then). I used to pick up those poems quite effortlessly and as a matter of fact remember that till date. (Its a different story that his grades were always better than mine. He scored good marks in all other subjects unlike me!).

In 2005, Blessy adapted a short story by Director Padmarajan and made Thanmaathra, a movie that depicted the effects of Alzheimer's on an individual and his family. The movie starred Mohanlal (in a stellar and what I consider his best performance till date), Nedumudi Venu and Meera Vasudevan. The short story was aptly titled 'Orma'.

The same year, Sanjay Leela Bhansali made 'Black', starring Amitabh Bachchan, Rani Mukherjee and Ayesha Kapoor, that also dealt with Alzheimer's.

Both movies had great performances, but somehow the former has managed to stay closer to my heart for a stupendously realistic portrayal of the sufferings of a middle aged man who aspires and prepares his son (with emphasis on memory techniques) for the administrative services exams. Needless to say, it is one of my all time favorite movies.

So what?? Yes, I 'remember' that this post is supposed to be about Raaja's music. Ormai undu! :)

Hence without much ado (ennadhu?) let me divulge the song. It is "OrmagaLaai Koode Varoo" (Idhukkuthaanaa!!) from Oomakkuyil, starring YG Mahendran and Poornima Jayaram (Bhagyaraj). I had earlier posted the song "Thaazhampoo ThaaLil" from the same movie. This movie as many might know is the remake of Kokila, which was subsequently remade in Hindi as "Aur Ek Prem Kahani" starring Ramesh Arvind and Heera.

A beautiful duet by KJ Yesudas and S.Janaki, this song depicts the heroine reminiscing the beautiful days she shared with her beloved (who was a paying guest in her house), after he absconds and all efforts to trace him remain futile.

Picturized in typical Balu Mahendra style, the Piano at the very beginning coupled with the strings, capture the girl's misery simultaneously transporting the listener to the flashback portion. The violin conversations in the prelude say it all!

The flute makes a brief and beautiful entry, in the first interlude dominated by the guitar. The charaNams take a splendid turn at the phrase, 'snehikkyuvaanaai' to complete the cycle. awesome stuff! Yesudas and Janaki are at their best, as always.

Great Composition! Happy Listening!

Listen to it here!


Youtube Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GWeXKRrcvUc

A 'Bit' of Bliss!

My mobile has been chiming non-stop since last night with “Happy Friendship Day” messages. It didn’t stop there. Scraps, status updates, offline messages and what not!

Oh yes! It’s the first Sunday of August. (Did you know, that this tradition(?!), first started in the US in 1935 and ‘Winnie the Pooh’ is the UN Ambassador of Friendship?)

This was a non-event in India a few years back, when I was in college and has grown leaps and bands (oops! bounds..) in the last few years. Again, one of those sure-fire hit formula for the service providers, gift shops, fancy/novelty stores. Marketing Gimmick?? Too much commercialization of a noble relationship??

Either way, the only thing that we need is a reason to celebrate..Celebrate Maestro’s Music!

This concept has been a favourite recipe for our film-makers too (albeit with a bit of added masala) for years. Be it ThaLabathi, Pithaamagan, Nilave Mugham Kaattu, Kuselan or the most recent Naadodigal, the friendship band has held a lot of scripts together and also has helped drag the masses to the theatre. One of my personal favorite depictions of a friend is, enacted by Ben Affleck, in the highly acclaimed Hollywood flick Good Will Hunting. (Examples are abundant. I have listed only the movies that came to my mind as I was writing this paragraph).

In 2001, Vijay & Surya starred in ‘Friends’, a remake of the Malayalam blockbuster ‘chala chithram’ of the same name. Jayaram and Mukesh (alongwith the super talented Sreenivasan) played the lead roles in the 1999 original. Siddique (of Siddique-Lal fame) and ‘Maestro’ Isaignani ILaiyaraaja, respectively, directed and scored music for both versions. True to his genius, the tunes and feel that Raaja provided were totally different in each of the version to suit the tastes of the targeted audience and fans.

There is a hilarious sequence in the movie, where the friends go as ‘apparasandigal’ (apprentices) for the renovation work of a palatial bungalow. Our hero breaks into a song while working (or whiling away) and that is enough for cupid to strike! Jayaram crooned while Vijay had to hum. The song that Jayaram lip-synced to is what I term “a bit of bliss”. (Yes! It lasts just over a minute and twenty seconds)

Sreekuttan (as MG Sreekumar is fondly addressed in the music circle) sang this mind blowing piece that leaves you craving for more, precisely the reason why you will invariably end up playing it again (Like ‘No one can eat just one’-you just can’t stop after listening to this once!).

Right from the beautiful humming, the song engulfs you and you just lose yourself, as I am currently lost….for words!

It’s on loop and I am lovin’ it!

Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZzNkMwIAD2o

Isn’t this a reason to celebrate? Happy Listening!

Aettande Nenjin Thaaraattu!

I guess the above means "The Lullaby of a Brother's Heart". Yes. This song as you would have guessed by now is another gem that epitomizes the Brother-Sister relationship.

Raj had recently dedicated the lovely "Oru Thanga Radhatthil" and had written in detail about how Raaja has captured varieties of 'Paasam'(affection) in his compositions. The song I plan to share here adds another dimension to this entire discussion.

Brother-Sister paasam has been one of those sure-fire success formulae of our film makers till about a few years ago. Starting from Paasa Malar (ஏதோ எனக்கு தெரிஞ்ச வரைக்கும்!) to Chinna Thambi it has raked in the moolah time and again.

It has impacted our daily lives so much that we use the term 'Paasa Malar' synonymously with a brother-sister relation. (I tease my Dad and Aunt all the time with this!).

The filmmakers of Mollywood have also churned out movies woven on 'this' sentiment thread. .I personally feel that some of the best scripts written these days (or for quite sometime) are from God's own country (Its strictly a personal opinion. No offence meant).

In 1997, a movie starring Mammootty and (Baby) Shalini was released that depicted the relationship of a Brother and his Sister who is sick and disturbed.Shobana played Mammooty's love interest in the film. Needless to say Raaja helmed the music department. The movie is Kaliyoonjal.

This movie had some brilliant songs, the most famous being "Saaradhendhu Paadi" (one version by G.Venugopal & another by KJ Yesudas) and "Varnna Vrundavanam" by Chinnakuil Chitra (There is also a male version of the latter sung by the Maestro himself).

"Manikkutti Kurumbulla" in the golden voice of Dr.KJ Yesudas is picturized on Mamootty and Shalini and drips with the affection that we are talking about.

The song starts off with KJY's voice followed by a crisp flute bit that reflects the beckoning of the brother. The guitar shows you glimpses of the siblings as they sway and swing (along with us!) holding each other's hands.

The next 10 seconds summarize the mood of the song, by way of the humming, as you sit up and take note.

The first interlude is typical Raaja, that starts of with the serene piano bit followed by the divine veena that merges into a sea of violins.

Listen to the flute bit that follows the first line of the CharaNam (if possible with a pair of headphones). Goose Bumps!

The CharaNam's drip with affection (பாசத்த பிழிஞ்சு குடுக்கறதுன்னு சொல்லுவாங்களே!) as the brother sings paeans of his darling sister-his world-his everything.

What a composition!(again!).

In the first CharaNam there is a line "Nee Ende Aathmaavin Aanadha Madhuram". How true!

Raaja! Nee Ende Aathmaavin Aanandha Madhuramalle!

Link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FXRr93Xlmqo

Happy Listening!

P.S.: Thanks to Sriram, without whom I wonder when I would have discovered this gem.