SOTD #602: Radha kaadhal varaatha from naan avan illai

[bb]

Song of the Day: Radha kaadhal varaatha from naan avan illai.

http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/602.html

- Saravanan writes:

Sung by SPB & Chorus. Lyrics by Kannadasan. Music by MSV.

For more on the movie:

http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/288.html

* * * *




Baths, wine and Venus bring decay to our bodies;
but baths, wine and Venus make up life!

- epitaph in Gruter's Monumenta

Ramaswami ‘Gemini’ Ganesh (17.11.1920- 22.3.2005) will live on in our hearts as the eternal romantic, the kaadhal mannan. He has passed on peacefully, content with the life that he led to the full. As his daughter Kamala Selvaraj put it with quiet dignity, “He lived well. And he died well, with his loving family around him, praying for his soul to rest in peace”

And as Gemini Ganesh was bid adieu with a solemn state salute, curtains have been drawn on a glorious era of Tamil Cinema. He started as a chemistry tutor at Madras Christian College and switched over to becoming a casting assistant in Gemini studios; and after frustrating years of waiting for a good break, he found success in the tinsel world. His understated, yet brilliantly evocative performances in films like missiyamma, peNNin perumai, kalyaNa parisu, thEn nilavu, meeNda sorgam, kaRpagam, sumaithaangi, iru kOdugaL, kaaviya thalaivi and punnagai will forever be held in awe. And ‘naan avanillai’ which Gemini Ganesh produced is bestowed with one of his finest performances ever.

“True to life” was the widely heard snide comment at the time naan avanillai was released. But then Gemini Ganesh was never furtive, even in his personal affairs. In fact, apropos his personal life and relationships, he probably would have procliamed 'naan avanthaan!' Accepting candidly that “Gemini Ganesan is not a Rama, he is a Krishna”, he is known to have said that while he never went about in pursuit, if it was offered to him on a salver he with savor it readily, and with relish! In another interview, he said, with a roguish twinkle, that he would often remark to his image on the mirror: “dEi Ganesa, nee koduthu vechavanda!”

In the recent film adidhadi, Tirupathi (Satyaraj) a 50 year old underworld don who falls in love with a girl half his age, is seen going to Gemini Ganesh to seek advice on how to go about wooing and winning the girl! That is the kind of an icon of romance that Gemini has become!

Gemini Ganesh’s philosophy was simple, to quote: “I believe man is made to live a good life and enjoy it”. And he did enjoy it, every bit of it!

- An incomplete list of Gemini Ganesan songs in SOTD:

Konjum Salangai - Singaara vElanE dEva http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/23.html

Ramu - NilavE ennidam nerungaadhE http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/72.html

manithan maaRavillai - inbamaana iravidhuvE http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/203.html

veLLi vizha - kaadhOdu thaan naan paaduvEn http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/225.html

Ganga Gowri - aadhi naathan kEtkindraan http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/254.html

KappalOttiya thamizhan - kaatru veLiyidai kaNNamma http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/255.html

Bhagyalakshmi - maalaip pozhuthin mayakkaththilE http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/345.html

meeNda sorgam - thuyilaadha peNNondru kaNdEn http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/327.html

Parthiban kanavu - andhi mayanguthadi http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/323.html

Manamaalai - nilaiyaaga veesudhE http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/290.html

naan avan illai - manthaara malarE http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/288.html

Sumaithaangi - manithan enbavan dheivamaagalaam http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/280.html

iru kOdugaL - punnagai mannan poovizhik kaNNan http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/363.html

meeNda sorgam - kalaiyE en vaazhkkaiyin http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/439.html

Kalyanap parisu - thuLLatha manamum thuLLum http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/488.html

kaNavanE kaN kaNda dheivam - anbil malarndha nal roja http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/494.html

punnagai - naaLai naamoru http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/583.html

Ganga Gowri - andharangam naan aRivEn http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/425.html

unakkaaga naan - iRaivan ulagathai padaithaanaam http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/533.html

[rajeshkrv]

Thanks Sara,

a Great way to remember this King of Romance!!

[aruvi]

Some of his films had very good music. My favourites are Paasamalar and Kalyana Parisu.

[Guest]

Both AM Raja's and PB Srinivas's voices suited Gemini very well...

[GUEST]

May Gemini Ganesh's soul rest in peace. My prayers for his family and friends, and his fans (including my father) who would all miss him from the bottom of their hearts.

[Guest]

It always hurts to see famous people depart this world. I am not sure if I miss GG but wish that his soul rest in peace. Amen.

[OISG]

SPB sings “idayNi irukka udai mattum nazhuvum” – erotic! But the way he sings he brings a boyish touch that cunningly camouflages. Kavingar,at that time, must have been thinking about rewriting Jayadevar’s Ashtapadhi in Tamil :wink: MSV’s II song for “Fake” samiyars following the riot of a song “JambulingamE”. :D


Cupid must be now relaxed for it has worked overtime and had stuck GG countless number of times and with scintillating results! 90% the snide campaigns against GG had sheer jealousy as their object….count me in too! ( I had written earlier in TFMpage” Kamala Selvaraj kashtappatu seyyaradha GG sarva sadharanama seivaar!”).I am sure GG knew of the ulterior motives of all slanders and the thought must have pleased him all the more!

CV Sridhar made ,KalyaNaparisu, Then Nilavu,Sumaithangi with GG and in 1964 did not think about GG for “Kadhalikka Neramillai” –rather the title might not have been to GG’s liking :wink:

SOTD - A perfect sayanora!

[Da Vinci]

I always used to think if Gemini Ganeshan was a 'Mohan' of a previous generation, by the songs that appeared in his films and because of which, he appears to me to have been popular. Probably I haven't seen many movies and I go by whatever I have seen now and then in Television. If not by his acting, he will still sure be remembered by so many wonderful songs associated with him. I also think that the comparison with Mohan ends with their being associated with great songs, for Gemini had the natural face of the 'lover' and portraying the face of the lover in distress came to him so naturally (probably that is the reason so many women fall for him :) ). I can still remember his 'lost lover' looks in songs like 'idhaya vAnin...' and 'nilavE ennidam...' , 'odam nathiyinilE...'. And the black and white photography did beautifully augment the effects of the lover in distress, that could be observed only with a very few actors. (the ‘ilatchiya nadigar’ :) would appear funny to me in a similar scenario)

I saw him in person once at Hotel Pandyan, Madurai. He must have been around 70 at that time. He looked remarkably smart for his age, though I could see he was tipsy.

I understand that he was a harmless man, probably a lucky-go guy. May his soul rest in peace as it seems to have in his life too.

[rajesh]

The last time when i saw Gemini Ganesh was in 2004 ,April in Hotel
Sangeetha opposite to tank in Mylapore.

He was heading towards the family restaurant. He was agile and active at that time.

It seems Rekha skipped her fathers funeral. Is that justifiable??

[geminisridhar]

I moved with him very closely as a fan for the past thirty nine years, . Though there are many who liked him and his actings, myself and a few friends like me always think about him and his welfare apart from mad of his films. It is just because of his enjoyable movements. Frequently he used to take us to the shootings. Sometimes we had affectionate quarrel with him for not concentrating on major role. In seventies when asked why he was allowing his films to release without time gap, he at once narrated the producers' problem and commitments when not released. Once he advised me and the same i follow still. "Don’t cheat the poor and illiterates". he willingly attend almost all the domestic functions of his fans. He never bothered whether the importance given to his role or not.
Once in a function organized by his fans to honour his 50yrs achievement in the film world, the great director Sri.Balalchandar praised Gemini for his excellent action in Punnagai. The Director also added amid the laugh Gemini was telling to him in the last day of that shooting "now only I understood the story" that means his non committal of anything other than his job.
To Seetha, wherever Rama is available that place is heaven, to me wherever Gemini lives that would be my heaven.
Mejestic in look-magnificient in romance-matchless in movement -Gemini
The great actor is no more with me. Where i go for another Gemini!
with tears


Gemini sridhar (sridharsulochana@yahoo.com)

[R KUMARAN]

I liked the comparison (for all its limitations) of GG with Mohan . What amazed me repeatedly about Mohan, and this by extension applies to late GG as confirmed by my father's memory, is that both commanded little vocal fan following and registered fan clubs, yet stayed on majestically for longer time than the ones who seemingly had fans to beseech them around.

Perhaps the time they arrived in Tamil filmdom was such that there was strong polarization of fanbase between unmistakable heavyweights such as MGR and Shivaji, in the case of GG, and Rajini and Kamal, in the case of Mohan, that they had to remain content with secret admirers, many among them were women.

Unfortunately fan clubs are male domains. If perhaps there were spaces for visible demonstration of female affection for these actors, they could have counted a healthy fan base. Additionally no one can deny their performances, despite the repeated singular manner of their casting as loverboys.

It is sad that GG is no more with us. His departure means that our last rope of connection with the Tamil films’ past is gone, as he was the last of the trinity (MGR Shivaji and GG).

[Guest]

pasa Malril Naditha intha kathal malar kan moodi vittatho,
Kan thiranthu katahlikka katruthariveera
kathala Manna

[Guest]

condolence meeting on Sunday 10.a.m will be organised by Gemini Fans Club. Venue -Naradhar Ghana Saba Mini Hall. you are invited

gemini sridhar

[Guest]

the condolence meeting on 10th Apr.2005 at mini hall Naradhar Gana Sabha, TTK -10.a.m sharp, organised by Gemini Fans Club. Gemini Fans are invited

Gemini Sridhar

[Guest]

:( :lol: :cry: :arrow: :idea: :?: :P :x :shock: :D

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[Guest]

Hello Site Admin. ,
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[Guest]

Very nice song
Unforgetable song !

the saranam of this song is wonderful

[Guest]

He was a pervert who ruined a few womens life,after using them..like Savithri for example..and u guys r talking about h im as if he was a magaaan..shame...i wish he was dead long time back itself..

[kkcanada]

Leaving his personal life aside, he has done some very difficult roles with ease. Naan Avanillai is one among them. Well the song!!!! Another gem from MSV.