The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[genesis]

The reason for giving the background above is to emphasize how, in a way, the rise of IR helped SPB to get into that formidable position in TFM.

1) It is totally unacceptable to attribute Balu's success in TFM to Raja's rise. Even if a magic called Raja had never happened in TFM, SPB would have have been as successful as he is today. Already Chitra's success has been completely attributed to IR by many here, now there is attempt to bring SPB in to that fold.
2) It is true when IR entered, it was almost end of TMS. So I would not say IR was the reason for TMS's end in TFM. But PS was still going great guns and for some reason IR never utilized her properly. As fas as I know, when Janaki was number uno in TFM, PS continued to be #1 in TeFM for a long time after IR's arrival.

SPB has been a singer of choice from KVM to GVP. Do not try to attribute his success to Raja in any way.

[app_engine]

1) Even if a magic called Raja had never happened in TFM, SPB would have have been as successful as he is today.

genesis,
You're talking hypothesis, like அத்தைக்கு மீசை மொளச்சா .

OTOH, I'm talking about what has actually happened in history. Also, you're trying to attribute things to me that were neither told nor meant (that I've tried to equate SPB with KSC etc).

Your aim seems to be discrediting IR (TMS-ஐ ஒழிச்சார், சுசீலாவை ஓரங்கட்டினார் etc) while mine is trying to see what +ve contributions he made to TFM.

So, we're not going to meet

Let historical facts such as the following stand:

a) Raja became a powerful force in TFM for many years

b) IR's rise, in a way, helped SPB get into a formidable position (this is what I've told and I didn't say IR was 100% responsible for SPB's success or something like that. That SPB enjoyed IR's patronage / friendship is a fact he himself will acknowledge)

c) KSC was intro'd in TFM by Raja and enjoyed considerable success under his baton

This is my understanding based on whatever history I know of.

If you have other theories, well, this is a free country

[app_engine]

Also, nobody can be somebody simply by promotion i.e. without stuff.

In other words, SPB's stuff is the main reason for his huge success! (This is applicable to even Yuvan though he got his initial chances because of his initial).

All that is being done here is acknowledging the role others had in getting such stuff manifest to the world.

[Plum]

app, missed noticing this thread. Good job

I think the consensus(after the dhool and SOTD discussions) was that Paalotti valarththa kiLi was the first SPB song for IR. "nAn pEsa vandhaen" also being symbolic of SPB coming into IR's fold.
The second film of IR is generally considered to be the one where Kannadasan wrote out his welcome letter to IR - "Raja vaa" (i.e.) paalootti vaLarththa kiLi

[Plum]

App, KS Chitra herself never tires of repeating that IR played the biggest role in shaping her career. And it is not lip-service like cine personalities usually do - going to each vizhaa and claim that the vizhaa nayagan/nayagi were their greatest influence(see also: R Parthiban, specialist in pAratturais. See also: Vaali) or the greatest. This is genuine and she keeps talking about the influence Raja had on her in sources where Raja doesnt even have a chance of noticing. Like random Malayalam channel interviews or Malayalam publications.

And when her daughter was born(RIP, terribly cruel fate), she took her to *exactly* two people for blessings. One was Saibaba(RIP). I dont remember who the other person was - can you remind me?

That should speak enough about who Chitra's major benefactor in her career was. What other people talk - be they nemesis, paranthesis or dennis the menace - about that doesnt matter.

[app_engine]

This is genuine and she keeps talking about the influence Raja had on her in sources where Raja doesnt even have a chance of noticing. Like random Malayalam channel interviews or Malayalam publications.

Exactly!

Add to this the fact that praising IR today is not going to help anyone commercially. Proof that such praise comes out of genuine appreciation. Definitely not flattery!
(I'm also reminded of the youtube of Manivannan's emotional praise for IR on a TV show).

[app_engine]

ok, one small concession (again, based on whatever history I know and not hypothesis) :

SJ was a much bigger beneficiery of the IR phenomenon, i.e. in the TFM context, than SPB

[app_engine]

Well, it looks like there were 3 gems in the IR-SPB combo in Raja's debut year in TFM (1976). According to internet discographies, Raja composed for 4 TF movies in 1976 - annakkiLi, bhadhrakALi, palootti vaLarththa kiLi & uRavAdum nenjam - and I've posted about the three well-known SPB songs from these. (nAn pEsa vanthEn, nenachchathellAn nadakkappORa, oru nAL unnOdu oru nAL). So I need to move on to 1977 now.

It's interesting to note that two initial patti-thotti hits of IR -annakkiLi & bhathrakALi- didn't have SPB's name on the disk The male singers were TMS for annakkiLi & KJY , SeerkAzhi Govindarajan & MV for bhathrakALi.

From the beginning, there seems to be a mental bias for IR to promote SPB as a "mEl thattu" singer.

[app_engine]

#4 விழியிலே மலர்ந்தது உயிரிலே கலந்தது
பெண்ணென்னும் பொன்னழகு
அடடா எங்கெங்கும் உன்னழகு
அடடா எங்கெங்கும் உன்னழகு

(புவனா ஒரு கேள்விக்குறி, 1977)

Perhaps the first TFM solo by SPB in IR's music. Please correct me if another song preceded it.

By the time this song was getting popular, my cousin has already become an IR-addict and kept talking about him a lot. (16 vayathinile was one movie that he perhaps talked the most about, mimicked the dialog etc all the time around that period).

Me too started reading about this phenomenon called IR here and there and started paying attention to the name of the MD when they announce songs.

Interestingly, it was a couple of years before this year that I resolved not to watch movies for a while. That time-off lasted for 5 years (with just one exception of watching dharam-veer in Madurai during a scout camporee under peer pressure - not comfortable sitting in that "tent" alone. Other than that, no movies from 8th to 12th standard)! However, the interest in TFM only multiplied many folds during this time period

In any case, my cousin was bubbling with a lot of enthu for vizhiyilE, describing the 40 violin thingy for the last interlude etc Ofcourse some schoolmates -who weren't IR lovers- immediately told back "MSV used 80 for engE nimmadhi" Thus started a long, never-ending story of arguing in favor of favourite MD!

Personal experience apart, what a song! Even the Panju Arunachalam lyric is a beauty! (There had been movies with names uyirile kalanthadhu, vizhiyile malarndhadhu etc). The chords, lead guitar, percussion arrangement, flute and ofcourse the strings were all something that I've never experienced before and this song is heard often even now while driving!

One can comfortably say that SPB enjoyed himself with this number!

[Sureshs65]

app_eng,

What a superb song, 'vizhiyile malarndhadhu'. This is one song which came to all states I think. I used to hear this even in Hyderabad. The Madras AIR used to air it often and we used to hear it on short wave radio. Sunday 4:30 to 5:30pm used to be dedicated to new songs. It was here that I noticed that slowly the number of MSV songs and TMS songs were becoming less and Raja and SPB songs were becoming more.