Malaysian Deepavali Show - RAJANNA RAJA THAAN - From Annak..

[M Madhanraj]

Dear Mr Manisekaran

Thanks for making (as usual) us more delighted with your writings and information abour IR's GOLDEN songs. WELCOME BACK to IGNITE MUSIC FIRE IN ALL IR FANS.

You have touched IR's one of fantastic song and even after 20 years it is very fresh. I have few things to mention about this song and me.

1. When it came in 1985, I was so crazy about this song and its lyrics (Even though NOT fully understanding) and I used to write this song's lyrics in my school note and in some of my friends (matching the same taste) notebook too. We used to sing this song and enjoy it.

2. I have enjoyed IR singing lively in 2 concerts. One is Pannaipuram (in his native place) and another in Madras.

3. Very appropriate lady voice (may be Janaki) has been blended so nicely to take the song to another elevated level.

4. This was the last movie for Motherland movies and IR worked together. (that time) Later they have joined after 2000 days (I still remember Daily Thanthi News paper Ad.) for their UNIFICATION in one of Parthiban / Kushboo movie and it also had music feast.
'ORU MAALAI CHANDRAN ...'
'VARAATHU VANTHA NAAYAGAN ...'
'JODI KUYIL ORU PAATTU PADIKKALIAYA ...'
Sorry I don't remember the movie Name.

Now with your GREAT write up and it has added more and more flavour to me personally.

Thank you so much

Regards

M Madhanraj

[M Madhanraj]

Dear Mr Manisekaran

There are so many movies like 'IDHAYA KOIL' where it did not do well in BOX OFFICE , but it's songs , still it is mesmorising and that's one of the reason IR has become UNIQUE even today. He does his BEST in all the movies.

One of the movie is 'SOLLA THUDIKKUTHU MANASU' What a variety of songs in this movie and all was class on its own. In the posters only IR and his songs were mentioned.(Hero - Karthika and directed by Nivas - if I am not wrong)

1. KUYILUKKORU NIRAM IRUKKU KOO KOO - MV
2. VAYAKKATTY VAYITHA KATTI - IR
3. YENATHY VIZHI VAZHI MALAE - JAYACHANDRAN & SJ
4. POOVE SEMPOOVA - KJY

It is very difficult to choose which is best.

Sorry for the digression.

M Madhanraj

[Manisekaran]

nkv,

Sorry that pugazhendhi has passed away. Rajaraman emailed me, and I have shared some of my thoughs with him.

Madhanraj,

You have not digressed. You are very much in tune. You hve mentioned songs which seem to be your favourite. But I am listing some songs that are unique in one way or another, making them landmark songs of Raja. We have to be careful on the selection of songs, otherwise all his songs would be listed and clogg up the thread.

Thanks for welcoming me back. But I am not going to lead any more, as mentioned earlier. Someone has to take centre stage and lead.

Manisekaran

[jaiganes]

Hi all!
Since Mani sir is going to be an active participant and not a driver of this thread, we can form a group of people who can receive selections for landmark songs by raaja from fellow hubbers and select the songs based on merits and then post it for analysis with write up. The names of the panelists to whom hubbers can pm their selections can be chosen by Mani sir and RR sir. what do you guys say?

[Manisekaran]

Dear jaiganesh,

Thank you. This is free for all thread. I am aware that there are people here who are personal friends of Raja. Raja has even written to them. So they could take the lead. Of course RR would be another qualified person. I shall chip in off and on.

Regards,

manisekaran

[senthilv.com]

I'm sooo tempted... but sorry, I'm busy for couple of weeks. I'll try to post when I get time.

Senthil

[akuppa]

Puzhalenthi's death is a big loss. I remember once SPB mentioned in an interview that Puzhalenthi was the reason he got to sing all those great numbers in Shankarabharanam, which eventually got him a national award. Its truly a sad event.

Anand

[eden]

Team,
Since Manisekaran has asked us to continue, let's first identify a few landmark songs (that have not been covered already)...which should be a relatively easy talk for most of us...Then, we'll request an `insider DFer' to post the story

A few of my choices
-idhu oru pon mAlaippozhudhu (or one song from nizhalgaL, which is among IR's top rated albums by TFM connoisseurs, despite for an utter flop movie)
-pani vizhum malarvanam (from ninaivellAm nithya, alternatively any one song from a Sridhar movie - may be `orE nAL unai nAn nilAvil pArthadhu' /`nAnE nAnA, yArO dhAnA' /`ennadi meenAchi' /`thaNNee karuthiruchu'/`thendRal vandhu ennaiththodum'), I feel each film by IR/Sridhar was a trendsetter in TFM
-`azhagiya kaNNE, uRavugal neeyE' from udhirippookkaL or `kAtRil endhan geetham' from Johny - the former being part of a top class movie, one of the best ever movies made in Tamil, adding value and the later standing head and shoulders above many songs of the period on musical richness
-'pAda vandhadhO gAnam' or 'isai mEdaiyil' from iLamaikkAlangaL - the second film by Kovai thambi where the director probably got changed after songs were composed (from R Sundarrajan to Manivannan)...there may be an interesting story behind...or `pAda vA, un pAdalai' when RS came back to the team delivering all those gems in nAn pAdum pAdal, another landmark album by Raja
-`sOlai pushpangaLE, en sOgam sollungaLE'- a lovely song composed for a film called oomai veyyil (SLBC used to broadcast making the song immensely popular along with `vadakkuththeru vaNNakkiLi')...the film could never be released (the reasons could form the story) and Manivannan `bought' the rights for the songs and used them in his moderately successful `ingEyum oru gangai', enabling the song the be aired by AIR

....there could be many more such memorable numbers with interesting stories behind

[kiru]

Dear Mani,
I would like to thank you for enthralling us with your series. There were also interesting tidbits and additional info/analyses from friends like Senthil, Jaiganesh, Madhanraj, eden and others. Even though I could not contribute the last few weeks, I did manage to read all your posts.
'idhayam oru koyil' is surely music soaked with emotion. IR, even gives us the reason - uyiril kalandhu paadum pOthu ethuvum paadalE' for any artistic license he might have taken with the lyrics.
Jaiganesh, I remember 'saalai Oram, sOlai onRu paadum' being danced on stage by two little girls, one dressed in boys clothes when I was in school. I guess this was a popular song too.
BTW, the music of 'my dear kuttichathan' is ground breaking. It was almost symphonic. I feel it needs a place in 'Mani's Picks' .
I think any song we would discuss here should have Mani's consent, that is why I call it 'Mani's Picks'. We just save him the research and write up time.

[rajdes]

The lyrical controversy raised by Kumudam with Idayam Oru Koil was as follows: THe claim was porutkutram rather than sorkutram.
There is a line that goes
"Paadhai ondru aana podum disaigal veramma
Unadhu paadhai veru enahdu p[aadhai veramma"

The question ws if the paadhais are ondru as per first line, how come it becomes veru veru in second line.
My take was that the paadhai in first line means "Road" (the physical entity) and the second line means "Path" (the abstract entity) as in the Career-path etc.

I still think the same - what do tamil experts think?