Valhalla and Ilayaraja

It's 11 in the night. I am about to make my bed. Mom and Dad are already asleep. I keep the TV volume to a nearly inaudible low. I go to my room to check if my laptop has been shut down. From the living room, the sound of guitar repeatedly strumming a set of notes emanates. From the Idiot Box. I know the tune. One whiff of the music and I know what's being played. I rush to the living room with the glee of a child rushing to meet its Christmas presents from Santa. The concern for my parent's need to catch some Z's vanishes in thin air as I accelerate the volume up. After all, even if they wake up, they wouldn't mind listening to this; I console the angel in me.

The Pallavi begins shyly, giving glimpses of the genius to come. Almost like a shy bride, singing for her in-laws and fiancee when they have come to her place to see her and judge her worthiness. Like how she starts coyly, but within that demure cantabile, she impresses them. The would-be groom expectantly looks at his father, who is overjoyed. The mother is unmoved, however is waiting to hear how the song unfolds.

The first line is simple. Has only 1 Swara. Anyone who randomly places the bow of a violin to a string in the middle would get the sound. 1 Swara. Only Sa. 1 Swara.

As the song plays out, the violin faithfully accompanies, giving an almost aching end to the otherwise cheerful lines of melody.

There is no fuss about the song. There are no layers of music. No fancy digital sampling. No unheard-of-instruments captured by a synthesizer. The beats don't beat down the lyrics. There are few instruments. The violin, the Veena, the flute, the keyboard and drums. Nothing fancy. For most of the song, they don't try to overshadow the singer. SPB. No one could have sung it better. Even if it were sung better, it wouldn't have sounded like SPB. And it wouldn't be the same song.

The interlude flows by. The Carnatic extends its hands to the Western in a dignified manner. Starting with the flute, it progresses to the keyboard till the violins take over. All the while, known only to the discerning listener, the background beats is provided by Drums! In an unassuming way, no grand Thani Avartanam for the drums here. And with that, a whole generation was introduced to the composer's brand of East-meets-West music in a subtle way.

In the semi-classical Charanams that follow, the music also pushes the lyrics into the frontstage. Few composers have been gracious enough to give an equal importance to lyrics in the song. As the Charanam reaches a crescendo towards the end, the lines become bolder :

"Kaigal idaithanil nuzhaigayil idaiveli kuraigaiyil
eriyum vilakku siriththu kangal moodum "

(As the hands clasp and the gap between the lovers reduces, the burning lamp laughs and closes its eyes in shame). Incidentally a similar imagery is used in the Charanams of "Nenjinile Nenjinile" from "Uyire".

Sample this in the next Charanam :

"Viyarviyin mazhailae payiraagum paruvamae"
(In the rain of sweat that arises out of sexual tension, the youth gets fructified and harvested)
Bold lines for 1982. And till date, our lyricists keep harping around similar ideas about love.

Probably the only sore note about the song is its picturization. The beautiful melody is reduced to an amateur gymming session in the garden between the hero (a young Karthik, who desperately tries his best to save the choreography gone horribly wrong) and the heroine (a deadpan Jikki, Gemini Ganesan's daughter who thankfully disappeared after this film) who seem content playing Catch-Catch with each other. And that this was directed by none other than Sridhar, who gave us great movies like "Kadhalikka Neramillai" and "Kalyana Parisu" with great songs picturized beautifully, just shows us how bad a swansong a great auteur can get.

The song is "Panivizhum Malarvanam" from "Ninaivellam Nithya (1982)". I always have loved Ilayaraja. My early childhood was spent astonishing relatives with renditions of "Sundari Kannal Oru Seithi" (Thalapathi) and "Innum Ennai Enna Seiyya Pogirai" (Singaravelan). All this before I was 5. When I was 5, "Roja" happened. A.R. Rahman became the rage of the day. I was swept off my feet. Ilayaraja faded away into the dark corners of my grey cells. When I was in 9th Std, I heard this song for the first time. But I was so mesmerized by its beauty that I could only half retain its tune and its lyrics. So I couldn't search the song out in the net. Then 2 years later, in my 11th Std, I heard it again. And this time I made sure to note the first lines. And I got the song. It was an eye-opener for me. It opened me to a world of music beyond Rahman. It introduced me to the beauty of Raja songs. The songs were a brilliant mix of light carnatic music with glimpses of western classical and contemporary pop. For a guy grounded in Carrnatic Music, but thankfully without any shackles preventing me from having a myopic vision towards other styles of music, this was perfect. With "Panivizhum Malarvanam" I had found my Valhalla in the music of Ilayaraja.

The Seventeenth Year of 'Rahmanaddiction' - A Tribute

I remember. I was six years old. I was in Hyderabad. I watched Roja in theatre. I remember. I remember remembering only 3 to 4 scenes from the movie. I remember the super strong music that goes in the background when Arvind swaamy is kidnapped and later when he falls to put off the burning Indian flag. However , there are so many things that I don't remember. I don't remember how the teenagers and the twenty thirties of the early ninetees were pissed off with mani ratnam for breaking the golden combination with Ilayaraja. I don't remember how half of the other mentioned crowd and the rest of everyone else fell flat listening to what probably will be the best debut album ever composed. I don't remember how some one that year had got into every home in Chennai on an aeroplane called music. On an aeroplane called scintillating Music.

In fact, my first memory of properly (i mean proppperly) appreciating a RAHMAN album was as late as in 1995. Rangeela. That cassete with yaayi re, hai rama, the theme and the tapori song on its "A" side and tanha tanha, hai rama again and two more songs on side "B". Imagine how much of Rahman i had missed by then. In that gap of 3 years this man had made kollywood music his OWN. He had composed absolutely unforgettable tracks for Gentleman, Thiruda thiruda, Duet, Kadhalan, Bombay, May Madham and Indira. Each of these albums is a masterpiece on its own. Kadhalan had 6 songs and all six were individual chart busters. They were the only reason for the movie being a giga-hit. In that one album Rahman had composed 1)A national award winning carnatic classic, 2)An ultimate dance number which even till this date is the first choice of participants in any dance competition,3) A super cool jazzy duet and above all 4) A rap song in tamil that would be played day and night every week that year in all radios and TV channels. What versatality. The man was just 29 then. In the above mentioned albums Bombay and Thiruda thiruda are ample proofs of how brilliant the RAHMAN background score can get. Thiruda thiruda especially. The pulse of the crime thriller is completely captured by the music.

I have just decided that this tribute is now gonna go through Rahman's glorious career three years by three years. The next three years (from 1996 to 1998) saw Rahman's already super duper career go a huge step higher. He reigned both bollywood and tamil cinema like no one has ever done. Infact no one has actually ever ruled over both the worlds of film music . In what happened to be the starting of an absolutely DEADLY combination, Rahman joined hands with super star rajinikanth to compose Rajini's best opening song TILL DATE. Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalali from Muthu in S.PB.'s timeless voice gives maximum goose bumps to any rajini fan around. Unfortunately in Muthu Rahman did one bad thing to tamil music. He introduced Udit Narayan to tamil cinema and the latter went on to cut,butcher and burn Tamil - alive!! . On the music front Rahman made rapid strides this year. He gave an exhilarating score in Shankar's most powerful film ever - Indian - the Kamal Haasan starrer which required very powerful music and got just that. We also got some super-soothing melodies in Kadirs Kadhal Desam, HAUNTING tracks in Deepa mehtas FIRE, fresh musical fragrance in Rajiv Menons Minsara kanavu /sapne and to top it all we had IRUVAR- Mani Ratnams most technically SOUND film and that technically sound part of it is also thanks to the sound sounds that rahman created. Rahman went on to win the hearts of all youngsters with peppier than the peppiest numbers in JEANS, DAUD and Rakshagan. Then came the masterpiece. From his heart. Dil Se - Oh what tracks. The best of singers collaborating with the best music director in the country to give the best songs Krish King Nishanth and his countrymen have heard in years. Sukhwinder Singh is all soul in chaiyya chaiyya, Lata Mangeshkar is all poise in Jiya jale, Udit Narayan is all melody in Aye ajnabi and sonu nigam is all pain in satrangi re. Add to all this we have the Rahman himself in a stunning title track.

The goose bumpy combo of Rahman and Rajinikanth returned in Padayappa - formula intact - had one opening song, one 'hero rises from ashes' song, one sad number and two duets. A mind rattling combo of class and mass. We had more magic in Taal, Takshak, Mudhalvan, Kadhalar dinam and tajmahal - a film which even Rahman's music could not save from being a flop. Thanks to this star-son called manoj.B....

Then in the year 2000, Rahman did the UN-DO-ABLE. He composed absolute gems of albums on a trot - Pukar, Alaipayudhe, Kandukondein, Rythm and Zubeida - ALL IN A TIME OF A FEW MONTHS!!! - BELIEVE IT? No other Indian composer has ever been in such a music making form. Rahman was. This was the GOLDEN ERA for sure. This was the time when people totally fell in love with him. WE surrendered to the GENIUS.

2001 , for RAHMAN had a bang on brilliant start in Lagaan. The movie which almost made it to the oscars had a collection of very "made for the situation" songs - again of all genres and also had a 'well researched and made' back ground score. After a dull year Rahman struck back with the most patriotic album ever made in India- THE LEGEND OF BHAGAT SINGH. THIS album remains the "most played album ever" in Krish King Nishanths tape recorder history.
Kadhal Virus And Boys were hip and very very hot on the market. They made more money for the audio company than all their previous albums put together. Then came the super BGM and international glory in WARRIORS of heaven and earth. Followed by more hip songs for unfortunately undeserving movies like Meenaxi, e20u18, Yuva and New.

Then began a slight slide downwards in touch and form but Rahman kept bouncing back every other film with mind boggling chart busters like RANG de basanti, Sivaji the boss, Guru.
More international glory with Elizabeth:- the golden age. And more show of sheer versatality in Jodha Akbar and Jaane tu ya Jaane Naa - how different the two of them and how satisfying - both.

And finally ALLAH RAKHA RAHMAN - NOW JUST 42 years old - Has truly arrived on the International stage. A dozen awards for his soul-stirring scores in SLUMDOG MILLIONAIRE iced on top with the GOLDEN GLOBE and high chances of being the first INDIAN to win an OSCAR award in a live category - Rahman has made it bigger than what anyone could have ever imagined.

But guess what? - This is just the beginning.

Pure Rahmaninan Magic with Just One Minute and Thirthy Two Seconds of MUSIC

eh masakalli masakalli. ud matakalli matakalli

eh masakalli masakalli. ud matakalli matakalli

eh masakalli masa masakalli. ud matakalli matakalli

masakalli masakalli. ud matakalli matakalli

Zara pankh jhatak - gayi dhool attak

aur lachak machak ke door bhatak

ud door dagar dagar kasbe kooche nnu

kar basti me yaay yaay

ikdi se mud. Adaa se ud.

kar le poori dil ki tammanna.

hawa se ud. adaa se jud

bur burr burr tu he heera panna re

masakalli masakalli. ud matakalli matakalli

masakalli masakalli. ud matakalli matak matak.

(laughs)


Even as I listen, eyes closed, to this thoroughly high spirited piece of excellent music with lyrics that are totally language independent and burst with freedom of expressions, I stop just short of thinking that Rahman is now probably one step ahead of Ilayaraja.

This song ( yes, even this one minuter) is as rahmanic as it can get - meaning one needs to listen to it exactly 4 times to start loving it and totally 6 times to completely fall in love with it.

One doesn't even need to watch the video to realize that this song is to describe a person who has complete license to do what he/she wants and is composed by some one who is also in a similar frame of mind.

Open is the word to describe the song. The song is sung absolutely open-throated ( no technicalities i no :P) and is super-spirited.An Absolutely mood uplifting act by Rahman in his complete elements.

WE bow down to the MADRAS MAESTRO

WE can't wait till we see him with the OSCAR in his hand

WE also can't wait for jan 14 when the audio of 'Dilli-6' releases.

WE just can't yet call him better than Ilayaraja but we can be confidently lock kiya jaaye that He is right on track.

Naan Kadavul Ke Audio Ka Review

Sincere and Regular followers and readers of ishallReview would know that every work reviewed is categorised under only three categories - good, bad and super. But while reviewing Ilayaraja's songs in the album- Naan Kadavul, i wanted to add a category called "not competent enough to review".

I watch Airtel super singer on Vijay TV every night at nine and most of the time my judgement of a performance is diametrically opposite to that of the judges. When i like the way Vijay Narayan sings, Unni Krishnan says that the sangadhi was not right. When i feel Ravi was absolutely tasteless, Srinivas says that the shruti in the pallavi was brilliant. I don't understand what Shruti Haasan and Pallavi Joshi are doing in ravi's song. More than Unni and Srini its Sujatha chechi whose definitions of feel,voice,pitch,gamagam,etc, are my major source of nightmares.

This was just to say that I am the vijay/ajith/mass movie fan equivalent of music. I can appreciate a song only if its catchy/emotional/funny and only if it appeals to me in the first or the next two "hearings" ( what other word would you use? "listening" ?) I can't get into the aesthetics or the real carnatic magic involved in a song. Therefore this music review of Naan Kadavul says the album is as a bad one but also confesses that the review is not written by a person competent enough.

Coming to the actual review of the Naan Kadavul audio. We'll make it short and sweet. There are six songs out of which song(pichai paathiram) is repeated from Ilayarajas album "Ramana Malai" - This one is just OK.

The two songs Madha un kovinil and Amma un pillayil sung by madhumitha and sadhana sargam respectively are completely similar in tune and are melodies ranging from average to good. The former runs only for 42 seconds but makes a mark.

The catch of the album and the only one that is gonna be retained in ishalleview's iPod is "Om Nama Siva" - The divine dholak to begin with and the mystifying sanskrit chanting later- it leaves the listener charged with raw energy.

The rest of the album is unlistenable as far as iReview is concerned.

But, as the world knows, in NO film does Ilayaraja's work end with just the songs. The bigger and the better role is obviously played by his masterful BGM bits. His are probably the best background scores in Tamil cinema history.

With the movie being made by the 'King of tragic endings' - BALA himself and being shot by some one as talented as Arthur A Wilson, there is a lot to expect from it regardless of the music album being a dampener of sorts.