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From: bb (@ 12.234.176.52) on: Wed Mar 10 23:21:34 EST 2004
Song Of The Day hits # 400!
Two landmark songs to celebrate this occasion:
paadum pOthu naan thendral kaaRRu from nEtru indru naaLai.
http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/paadumpOthu.rm
madai thirandhu from nizhalgaL.
http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/madai.rm
- Vengayam writes:
S.A.Asokan BA would have rued the day he decided to make a movie with MGR. It was to alter his life - what was left of it forever. Anyhow “Netru Indru Naalai” was conceived with MGR in the lead - the title probably spelling out MGR’s nascent aspirations- under the banner of Amalraj Films (Movies/ Productions?). MGR, three heroines, the best Music director Asokan could have been excused for thinking he had a winner all the way! But things couldn’t have been farther from truth. What transpired behind the scenes we are not privy to. Suffice it to say that MGR fell out with Asokan mid way through the film, the movie got delayed and Asokan had to endure all sorts of financial hassles before the film was canned.(SAA was luckier than Chandrababu & Maadi veetu Ezhai!) Releasing it was also a big problem. The dates were changed two three times before the movie hit the theatres.
I should have been around 10 then. I was on a bus from Pondy to Madras. The bus had reached Pallavaram; There was a crowd in front of Janatha Theatre which was getting unruly by the minute. The conductor looked out and said “MGR rasigarkallukulla sandaippa. Thalaivar indha padathey parkavennamnu solli irukkaru, athanala than galatta”. I could not make head or tail out of it. But sure enough the movie bombed.
Asokan lost his last shirt in the movie. Makkal Kalaignar was moved by his plight & for the next two years almost all Jai’s movies had Asokan in some role or the other. The two would also act together four or five years later in Vandikkaran Magan where Asokan would get back at MGR with his version of MGR "cheri kuzhandai yai konjiyapin kayil soap pottu kazhuvuvaar”. At best a phyrric victory.
But for all Asokan’s problems this movie features one of my all time favourite songs.
“Paadum Bothu naan thendral kaatru”
Ostensibly a love ballad between MGR & Rajashri( Saroja Devi hangover?) with the setting reminiscent of Vaarai nee vaarai (Manthirikumari) the song is a perfect blend of simple lyrics, melodious music and stylish singing gelling to leave an indelible impression both on the discerning listener and layman.
Looking closer at the lyrics, you feel that if you leave out the paruva mangai bit - or even with it - the words seem to fit MSV to the tee.
“ellaigaL illaa ulagam
en idhayamum athu pol viriyum
...
yaarum vaazhap paadum paattum
naanum onru thane inba naalum indru thane”
SPB is at his youthful best, his Tamizh very good but traces of Telugu still evident as he rolls the 'thane'. As I close my eyes, it is sheer bliss.
This song at least for me has a counter point in IR’s Nizhalgal.
While IR started his career with Annakilli, he really arrived with Bharathi Raja’s 16 Vayathinile and the opening strains of 'Senthoorap poove'. Audiences broke into spontaneous clapping and whistles when the theatres lit up to Sridevi do a simple pendulum practicals! Being bosom buddies helped. They forged a partnership that went from strength to strength. Barathi’s narrative held by a compulsive score. This went on from '78 to the film in question: Nizhalgal.
The film revolved around the existence and aspirations of three young men in an urban milieu. Bharathiraja as is his wont filmed it from his heart. By a strange coincidence(?) KB had also wrapped a movie on a similar subject. The star cast at first look was better - Kamal, Sridevi. Bharathiyar was thrown in for good measure. The audience lapped it up.
Barathiraja’s effort was brooding, morose and there was no glimmer of light at the end of the tunnel. The audience gave the movie a cold shoulder. Having watched both the movies at the time of release and subsequently today I would rate Barathiraja’s product to be vastly superior both in intent and execution but that is small comfort to Barathiraja. History will rate Nizhalgal as a flop.
Ilaya Raja bestowed this movie with three of his best efforts - Poongathave thall thiravaai, Ithu oru pon maalai pozhuthu and the song in Q, Madai thiranthu.
Here the song is a direct allegory of Ilaya Raja . The gay abandon of the composition and the joy and the supreme confidence bordering on arrogance are all poignantly brought out.
Sample this:
“puthu raagam padaipathaale naanum iraivane!”
SPB had by now become numero uno and reels off the song nonchalantly.
This song has been murdered by my friend S3Rajan & me a number of times. We would bellow together and blame each other for singing out of tune. We were helped by the fact that there were no donkeys within earshot of the hostel. Our excuse it perked us up!
Thankfully that was pre Isai gnani days and so he stuck to singing title songs. Had this song come in the mid eighties he would have sung it himself and it would not have made it to my SOTD.
It is no coincidence that SPB is the bridge through whom our magical journey from one era( MSV) to another( Ilayaraja) has been made so seamlessly.
PS:- Coming to think of it ARR can come in with ... thamizhukku illai kattupaadu Oru Sarkkirrukku ... mettupoddu. And doesn’t SPB feature here too!
But we will leave it for another day ;-)
- A bunch of BGMs from NizhalgaL : http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/102.html , http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/103.html . This has a clip that comes just before the madai thiRandhu song. This is what I wrote at that time, looks like I felt the same way as Vengayam:
9. http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/niz9.rm
The director explains the situation to chandrasekar. This is the part before madai thirandhu. I can imagine IR in this, composing madai thirandhu (which is a landmark song in tfm, IMO). In fact, IR could have done chandrasekar's role with ease!
11. http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/niz11.rm
The recording for chandrasekar's song is going to be the day after, and chandrasekar is in high spirits. Again, lively humming by IR, based on the charanam of madai thirandhu. The movie's name is "nijangaLin dharisanam". Of course, the movie never gets made and chandrasekar turns mad in the end.
- Dhooraththil naan kaNda un mugam from NizhalgaL: http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/68.html
- Notes for madai thirandhu: http://www.tfmpage.com/notes/ir/ma_niz.txt
- paadum pOthu naan thendral kaattu was written by Pulamaippiththan. madai thirandhu was written by Vaali (?).
http://tfmpage.com/forum/18009.20880.03.21.22.html
http://tfmpage.com/forum/2213.20880.03.21.22.html