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From: bb on: Sun Dec 23, 2007 11:28 pm
Song of the Day: A Hundred Songs of Bhanumathi - Part XV
http://www.dhool.com/sotd2/916.html
- Saravanan writes:
ippadiyum oru peN
~ A Hundred Songs of Bhanumati ~
Part XV: annai
It is two years today since Bhanumati passed on, and in observation of this anniversary, let us remember the remarkable artiste by listening to her songs from one of her best movies ever.
‘nadippu endRu vandhu vittaal Bhanumathi avargaLukku matRavargaLai eppadiyaavathu than thiRamaiyaal “overtake” seithuvittu thannai nilai naatti koLLa vENDum endRa eNNam yERpattu vidum. avar nadikkum kaatchigaLil avarudan nadikkum kalaignargaL rombavum gavamaaga irukka vENdum. konjam asandhaalum Bhanumathi engEyO uyarathukku pOi viduvaar…..’
- AVM. Saravanan in an insightful observation on Bhanumati.
In this chapter of the Bhanumati story, we are taking up Bhanumati’s only Tamil movie in 1962, and this is a movie that is enshrined forever in the annals of Tamil cinema as an immortal ode to motherhood. And it is all the more special, for it was for her awesome performance in the title role that Bhanumati won the coveted National Award for Best Actress, the first of the three that came her way, and the only one for her performance in a Tamil movie. Interestingly, like ‘kaanal neer’, this movie too had its origins in Bengali.
30. annai (15.12.1962 / AVM Productions)
“Kolkatta Theater gutted in a devastating fire” mourned an inconspicuous headline in the inside pages of few Bengal dailies on August 29, 2001. Old-timers read the news with utmost regret, for the blaze had not only devoured the Rangmahal Theater, it had put an end to a glorious chapter of the Bengali theater movement. The Rangmahal Theater signified the last tottering link to a magnificent era when Bengali theater, fuelled ever further by the enthusiastic ardour of IPTA, was a vibrant mass movement that saw the celebrated works of acclaimed dramatists being staged to housefull shows day after day, year after year.
Like in Tamil, Bengali too boasts of a glorious theatre movement that served as the launching pad of many artistes who went on to win laurels at the national level. Built in 1795, The ‘Bengali Theater’ at what is now known as Ezra Street is said to have been the first hall to screen Bengali plays. Soon there were halls like The Hindu Theatre, Oriental Theatre, Jorasanko Natyashala, Banga Natyalay, Belgachchiya Theater, Emerald etc. With the emergence of IPTA, this vibrant movement flourished further with many talented dramatists staging their works to housefull shows of enthusiastic audience. Clustered in the same vicinity, theater halls such as Star, Bijon, Minerva, Mahajati Sadan, Biswaroopa and Bidyamandir ensured that Hatibagan in North Calcutta emerged the nerve center of the thriving theater movement, and the hub of this hullabaloo was the formidable Rangmahal Theater.
Founded in 1931at Cornwallis Street (now Bidhan Sarani) by Rabi Ray and Satu Sen, the Rangmahal Theater staged plays of noted playwrights of the time and it was considered an exalted honour if a slot in Rangmahal could be secured. ‘ulka’ written by Nihar Ranjan Gupta was staged continuously for 500 nights. Another story by Nihar Ranjan Gupta that was dramatized at Rangmahal and became immensely popular in its time was ‘maya mriga’. With a spectacular opening on 14 April 1958, ‘maya mriga’ elicited wholesome praise from even exacting critics for its sensitive look at a childless woman’s possessive love for her sister’s child whom she adopts.
The story was fairly simple. Sabitri is a rich woman with a loving husband. She supports hordes of indigent relatives in the sprawling confines of her house; she is charitable and is well-known among the elite of Calcutta’s social circles for her beauty, accomplishments, intelligence and munificence. However, fate had dealt Sabitri a cruel blow, for she is pronounced barren by even the best doctors. This blow strikes her with searing agony and gnaws at her day after day. It is then that her younger sister Seetha who had eloped to marry a man much lower in status comes to her with her newborn son and a heart-rending account of her indigent state. Sabitri makes arrangements for Seetha and her husband to eke out a livelihood far away and takes the infant into her arms, after extracting a promise from Seetha that she would never reveal that she was his real mother. Years roll by as the child Rajat grows up thinking Sabitri is his mother. Sabitri lavishes all her love on the boy and attends to his every need- indeed he becomes the very centre of her existence. Rajat is now a student of medicine when Seetha returns to Calcutta with her husband who is now a cripple. Sabitri accommodates them in a suburban house belonging to her, and arranges for proper medical attention. However, she lives in constant dread of Rajat and Seetha meeting each other…. and what she fears does come to pass. But Seetha remains true to her promise, even though her heart yearns for Rajat to recognize her as his mother. On the other hand, Sabitri’s growing sense of insecurity makes her lose all sense of truth, fairness, and even normal humane considerations…. When Rajat does learn the truth, he is shattered… But all is well in the end…
A story such as this, with motherhood as its fascinating fulcrum, could not but engage the indulgence of the bourgeoisie and the proletariat alike and the normally staid bhadralok turned misty-eyed at this sentimental saga. The story had all the ingredients for celluloid adaptation and director Chitta Bose was the one to make the movie. ‘maya mriga’ (1960/ Emkeji Productions Pvt. Ltd.) had Sunanda Banerjee in the role of the possessive Sabitri and Sandhyarani essaying the wretched Seetha. This movie marked the celluloid debut of Biswajit who played Rajat. Biswajit had earlier appeared in insignificant roles in the plays staged at Rangmahal (including ‘maya mriga’ where he appeared in a single scene!), and in few movies as well. But it was by playing Rajat in the movie adaptation of ‘maya mriga’ that the actor was launched as the romantic star of the 60s. Interestingly, Uttam Kumar appeared in a cameo as Mahim, the happy-go-lucky youngster who is among the hordes of dependants living in Sabitri’s house.
Our AVM Chettiar saw the movie while on a visit to Calcutta and perceiving its worth, secured the rights for its Tamil adaptation. He got K.S. Gopalakrishnan to work on the screenplay and dialogues and appointed Krishnan and Panju to direct the movie. Bhanumati, of course, was the natural choice to play the pivotal role of Savitri. ‘maya mriga’ was screened to Bhanumati and her opinion sought. Our femme formidable found the part she was to play ‘slightly stupid’ and ‘vampish’. She minced no words in telling her opinion to AVM. Chettiar and the directors. Sensing irrefutable logic in Bhanumati’s well- argued points, Chettiar granted her complete freedom to bring about the amendments she wished in the script. Bhanumati worked on the script and came out with a treatment that would show both Savitri and Seetha in sympathetic light.
On the experience, Bhanumati has this to say, “To play that role realistically, I had to struggle a lot.... Because I am a writer, if there were any deficiencies in the screenplay, I would set them right, and try to polish it a bit more…. The changes that I suggested for ‘Annai’ were very well appreciated by Sri Krishnan and Sri Panju. With their support, I made major changes in the screenplay, pushing them like a bull-dozer. It was a strange role to depict. The woman knows that she cannot have children. She adopts her sister’s son, and her extraordinary love for the boy hurts her sister and husband. She lives in the constant dread that her son would reject her saying, “You are not my mother!” Adoring him, she lives in perpetual fear. My handling of that role won me great name and accolades from the discerning, as well as the common man….”
Sowcar Janaki played the role of the pitiful Seetha, while S.V. Ranga Rao essayed the role of Savitri’s understanding husband Venugopal. A young graduate called Haranath was chosen to play the son Selvam, and he was rechristened by Chettiar as ‘Raja’. Sachu played his romantic pair. Chandrababu played the role essayed by Uttam Kumar in the original. Nagesh, Muththiah, P.D. Sambandham, R. Balsubramaniam, MSS. Bakiam and Radhabai performed the supporting roles.
AVM. Chettiar took personal interest in making the movie. He had miniatures of the sets made, and sat for hours in his office, discussing the minute details of each scene with the directors. Reminiscing on the movie, AVM. Saravanan once said that even before the shooting commenced, his father had noted down the entrance and exit of the actors in every sequence… such was the meticulous preparation that went into the making of the movie.
Sowcar Janaki and Ranga Rao essayed their roles with understanding and empathy. But it was Bhanumati who walked away with the honours – the sheer brilliance of her performance was such. Like the essence of her name, Bhanumati dazzled like the sun that eclipses all lesser stars…. It has been years since I have seen the movie… yet entire sequences unfold in my memory, solely due the mesmerizing performance of Bhanumati…. I will mention just a couple of them here..
Selvam slips and falls headlong in the staircase, and sustains some injuries. Savitri is stricken with grief and nurses him to recovery with utmost care. Bhanumati’s performance in the sequence is simply outstanding…With no spoken words, she conveys the despair of a mother with her eloquent eyes and evocative gestures… Sitting at his bedside, she attends to his every need with solicitude.. Seeing him tossing and turning in his sleep, she even switches off the fan for the sound it makes, and fans him gently with a hand-held visiRi… hearing the whistle of a far-off train, she shuts off the window… even the ticking of the pendulum in the clock seems ominously loud to her ears, and she stops the clock forthwith… when absolute silence reigns and the boy seems to settle to a restful slumber, in walks the nurse, with her heels clicking and making a minor racket… with wrathful chagrin written all over her face, Bhanumati gives the nurse a well-aimed wallop on the posterior with her visiRi!.... The short sequence is a veritable textbook for any aspiring actor as to what acting is all about..
In another sequence where her sister claims her rights over her son, Savitri breaks down and gives way to a passionate outburst… Each word uttered by Bhanumati here was pregnant with the possessiveness of the foster mother…. ‘piLLai.. yarukku piLLai.. avanukku thalai valichchaa yEn valikkuthunnu theriyumaa.. avanukku pasikkalenna yEn pasikkalEnnu theriyumaa.. avanukku ennenna pidikkum.. yEthEthu saappiduvaannu unakku theriyumaa.. unakkum avanukkum uLLa uRavu 10 maasam thaandi, enakkum avanukkum uLLa uRavu 20 varusham.. 20 varusham… nee vayithila sumandhE… naan nenjilE sumandhEn….. avana izhakka ennaala mudiyaathu….’ Interspersed with gasps, sobs and sighs, and with anger, fear, pride, insecurity and determination passing by her face in fleeting parade, Bhanumati conducts a crash course on dialogue delivery..
In a heartfelt acknowledgement, AVM. Saravanan says, “It was a difficult role (of a mother who bestows all her love on her adopted son to the extent that she does not even allow the natural mother near the boy even after he grows up… "It was like walking on a razor's edge. We felt only she could do it and she did it with great maturity. We would not have done the role with any other person..” In another interview he said, “Bhanumati avargaL konjam overact paNNiyirundhaal avarudaiyathu ‘vamp’ character pOla aagivittirukkum… satRum pisagaamal migavum gavanamaagavum, aRputhamaagavum avar nadiththu koduththaar!”
* * * *
Coming to the songs, ‘maya mriga’ had some enticing numbers composed by Manabendra Mukherjee. Sandhya Mukherjee’s ‘O bak bak bak bakkum bakkum paayira’ filmed on the beautiful Sandhya Ray and Hemant Kumar’s ‘orE shOn shOn gEro baaz’ filmed on Uttam Kumar bring out a nostalgic sigh in any Bengali who grew up in the 60s. The music of ‘annai’ was assigned to R. Sudarsanam. It was among the last movies of AVM that Sudarsanam would compose music for.. ‘nanum oru peN’ that came out the next year marked the exit of the master from his home of over 2 decades. For ‘annai’, Sudarsanam composed a set of marvelous songs. While ‘O bak bak bak bakkum bakkum maadappuRaa’ by P. Suseela was a straight lift from the Bengali original sung by Sandhya Mukherjee, the remaining songs were original compositions of Sudarsanam. Besides the songs sung by Bhanumati, the other songs were the lilting duet ‘azhagiya mithilai nagarinilE’ (PBS/P. Suseela), the jaunty and irreverent ‘buddhiyuLLa manitharellam vetRi kaaNbathillai’ (Chandrababu) and the hilarious parody of popular songs of the time ‘orE oru oorilE orE oru laila’ (TMS/A.L. Raghavan/ L.R. Eswari). All songs save the last were penned by Kannadasan. ‘orE oru oorilE’ wherein TMS sings for Chandrababu and ALR for Nagesh, was written by Koththamangalam Subbu.
Lets us listen to Bhanumati’s songs in the movie. The first is the philosophical ‘poovaagi kaayaagi kanindha maram ondRu’.
With his sparkling analogies, Kannadasan introduces the two sisters thus…
poovaagi kaayaagi kanindha maram onRu
poovaamal kaaikkaamal kidantha maram onRu…
kidantha maram onRu
Having established the barren state of Savitri and the motherhood attained by Seetha, he then sighs at the economic disparity between the two… He goes on to wonder at God’s wisdom at granting the destitute Seetha a child and denying the same to Savitri who is blessed with an abundance of wealth… He applauds Savitri’s charitable disposition that ensures hordes of dependant relatives a secure sanctuary in her house, and sheds tears at her not being able to furnish the house with a cradle to caress a child of her own..
kaaikkaadha maraththadiyil thEnaaRu paayudhadaa
kanindhu vitta chinna maram kaNNeeril aadudhadaa
kaNNeeril aadudhadaa
peRRedukka manamirundhum piLLaikkani illai
peRReduththa marakkiLaikku maRRa sugam illai
suRRamenum paRavaiyellaam kudiyirukkum veettil
thottil katti thaalaattum pERu mattum illai..
pERu mattum illai
vEndumenRu kEtpavarkku illai illai enbaar
veRuppavarkkum maRuppavarkkum aLLi aLLiththaruvaar
aaNdavanaar thiru uLaththai yaar aRinthaar kaNNE
yaar vayiRRil yaar piRappaar yaar aRivaar kaNNE
yaar aRivaar kaNNE…
Thus in a few succinct lines, Kannadasan gives us a insightful introduction to Savitri and Seetha, and then goes deep into the thoughts and feelings of Savitri, coming up with some incisive meditations on the irony that is life… Interestingly, years later, Kannadasan expressed the same thoughts, but employing completely different analogies so fetchingly- ‘kOttai kattum rajavukku piLLai illaiyaam, kuppai thotti mattum oru pillai eendRathaam’ [/i[i]](‘yaarO neeyum naanum yaarO’- pattakkathi bhairavan- 1979)
Bhanumathi brings out the anguish of being childless so feelingly in her song. Many singers have, over the years, sung songs that portrayed this angst – T.S. Baghavathi while singing the line ‘petROrE selvangaL petRaar, oru piLLai illaar enna petRaar’ moves the listener to tears (‘kaNNOdu viN pEsum jaadai’- kavalai illaadha manithan). Other songs expressing similar thoughts are ‘illaatha piLLaikku naan enna solli thalaatta’ (Soolamangalam Rajalakshmi in ‘Appa Tata’), ‘nee puNNiyam seithavaL thOzhi’ (Vani Jairam in ‘puNNiyam seithavaL’), ‘enakku neeyum unakku naanum’ (P. Suseela in ‘thaali dhaanam’), ‘kaNNa unakku enna kuRai’ (S. Janaki in ‘poo pooththa nandavanam’), ‘ezhuthugiREn oru kaditham’ (Chithra & Anuradha Sriram in ‘Kalki’).
Nevertheless, singing for herself on the screen, Bhanumati stamps her class all over the song. Her singing reflects with a wry grimace the subtle ironies that Kannadasan has tempered the lyrics with.
Listen to the song ‘poovaagi kaayaagi’
The next song is the sharp rebuke of the soul… Her sister’s husband is on his deathbed… by all that is fair and right, Selvam should perform the final rites of his father… but that would mean revealing to Selvam that she is not his real mother… This is something that Savitri cannot even dream of doing… Stifling her conscience with overriding selfishness, Savitri takes Selvam on a sudden journey to Rameswaram to ensure that he is not present in Madras when his father dies… As the train chugs along in the night, Savitri’s conscience awakes, and lashing at her with one question after another, pushes her into a whirlpool of guilt and penitence… She may run away for miles, but can she run away from her misery?
thaai paRavai thavikka vittu
thandhai uyir thudikka vittu
sEi paRavaidhanai eduthu selgindRaayE
peRum siramam indRi piLLai petRa periya thaayE
annai enbavaL needhaanaa
avanum unakku magandhaanaa
matRoru piLLai peRuvaayaa- adhai
utRavar kaiyil tharuvaayaa
kooda pirandha kuyil endRu
nee kodutha selvam pala uNdu
maaRi vittaaEe nee indRu-
mayangugiRaayE magan endRu
thookki vaLarthavaL thaaiyendRaal
adhai aakki koduthavaL pEr enna
vaangiya thaaikkE magan endRaal
adhai thaangiya thaayin uravennaa
thaangiya thaayin uRavenna
kaadham kadandhu sendRaalum- perum
kadalai kadandhu paRandhaalum
idhayam unnudan thodarndhu varum-
adhil innoru uyirum nadandhu varum
innoru uyirum nadandhu varum….
Listen to ‘annai enbavaL neethaanaa’
The last is a sad(der) version of ‘poovaagi kaayaagi’…
poovaagi kaayaagi kanindha maram onRu
poovaamal kaaikkaamal kidantha maram onRu…
kidantha maram onRu
kaaikkaadha maraththadiyil thEnaaRu paayudhadaa
kanindhu vitta chinna maram kaNNeeril aadudhadaa
kaNNeeril aadudhadaa
oorukkellaam naan koduthEn, thiruppi kEtkavillai
uRavaiyellaam vaazhavaiththEn, kadanai kEtkkavillai
enakku thandha selvathaiyE thiruppi kEtkka vandhaar..
indha selvam thiruppiththarum selvam illai kaNNE..
selvam illai kaNNE
How astutely does our bard play with the word ‘selvam’ here… Selvam being the name of the boy! Bhanumati brings out a stark contrast between both the songs.. In the earlier version, though the lines are filled with brooding introspection, Savitri is seen playing happily with the child, secure with the knowledge that he is hers…. and the expression there is at most a sardonic shrug at the imponderable ways of God, and an unperturbed acceptance of His will… This version is heartrending in its appeal for mercy, a plaintive plea for her purchased motherhood not to suffer the loss of its status…
Listen to the song ‘poovaagi kaayaagi’
* * * *
‘annai’ the movie was a critical and commercial success, enjoying a run of 100 days in most centers. AVM dubbed the movie in Telugu as ‘penchina prEma’. AVM. Saravanan remembers that years later when his father was lying sick in a hospital room, he was watching ‘annai’ on television and commented wistfully, ‘ippadi kadhaiyil mattum nambikkai vaiththu ippO indha maathiri oru padam edukka mudiyuma?’
Bhanumati’s brilliant performance, of course, elicited widespread acclaim. AVM celebrated the success of the movie with a magnificent function, presided by no less a personage than S.S. Vasan. Vasan, who was among the pioneers years ago to harness the diverse talents of Bhanumati in his ‘apoorva sagOtharargaL’, showered glowing encomiums on Bhanumati’s performance in ‘annai’, and Bhanumati was blessed to have the two Mughals of South Indian cinema singing her praises.
Even the formidable AVM. Chettiar salutes the artiste in his ‘enadhu vaazhkkai anubhavangaL’ thus, “thaai paasathin ellai varai sendRu Bhanumati indha padathil nadiththu thanakkendRu uLLa nadippaatRaalai veLippaduththikkaattinaar.” He even goes a step further in a remarkable admission- “ ‘annai’ padam Bhanumati nadipinaalEyE vetRi petRadhu!” This statement proved to be true, for when AVM remade ‘annai’ in Hindi with Nirupa Roy (AVM’s efforts to rope in Nargis to play the role were in vain) as ‘laadla’, the movie came a cropper at the box office, forcing the taciturn AVM. Saravanan to admit, “enna irundhaalum Bhanumatiyai pOl Nirupa Roy-yaal nadikka mudiyavillai endRa uNmai nirubaNam aayitRu.”
The crowing glory was, of course, to come… Bhanumati was honoured with the National Award for the Best Actress in recognition of her scintillating performance in ‘annai’. And when she went to receive the award from President Sarvapalli Radhakrishnan, her cup of joy overflowed when the erudite President confessed beamingly that he was her fan!
Let me end this chapter with two letters, one written decades ago by a celebrity addressed to Bhanumati herself, and the other by a member of a general public written to a newspaper two years back when Bhanumati passed away…
‘Upon my request, ‘annai’ was screened again last evening. I am acting in its Hindi remake. This is the second or third time that I am watching the movie. Even though I do not understand Tamil, I will watch it a dozen times more - all for the sake of your splendid performance! You might have performed even better in some other of your movies, I do not know about that. But as far as ‘annai’ is concerned, your performance is simply outstanding! Eschewing the spoken word, the myriad expressions that you have conveyed in yout glance, gait, garb and gesture merit an entire book to be written by a discerning critic. Leave alone the movies made in our country; I have seldom seen performances of this caliber even in movies made in the west!’
- Balraj Sahani, actor
‘Among the accolades pouring in from all quarters, I would like to say a few words about her acting prowess in the film Annai. To say she lived the role of a mother in it would be a cliché; she taught mothers about motherhood! Bhanumathi, through her sterling performance, overshadowed her peers. Her demise has truly created a void.’
- K.R. Chidambara Kumarasamy, Tiruvannamalai, T.N. (The Hindu dated 28.12.2005)
* * * *
~ The Bhanumati saga be continued ~
Tags: Banumathi
Categories: ippadiyum oru peN - A Hundred Songs of Bhanumathi
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