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Vanijayaram - The most neglected singer.

Topic started by V. Balaji (@ webproxy04qfe0.sbi.com) on Fri Aug 20 10:55:02 EDT 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Vanijayaram(VJ) who has sung in all Inidan Languages (very few have done that), and some wonderful songs in the four South Inidan Languages is sadly the most neglected singer in the film industry.
After being shunned by Hindi Filmwallas due to Lata's pressure, this excellent singer did a wonderful job in Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam and Kannada films , thanks to the likes of MSV, KV, Vijaya Bhaskar etc.
Though some industry wallas felt SJ has more versatality than VJ, there were others like KV who were ready to vouche the opposite.
She was blamed of belittling IR's greatness and was often chosen by IR only in the absence of other singers or due to Director's pressure.
(Example, Sridhar's pressure led to Illamai OOnjaladugirathu, Azhage...; SJ's brief exit in 1985 to Hindi led IR to offer VJ with some good songs).
VJ has often answered that she never commented nor felt that IR is not a genius. However the stigma still remains. Sadly she was the choice of the mediocres like Sankar Ganesh & Chandrabose in the 80s.

The politics in the film industry has forced her to hybernation and she seems to be busy with her recording company.

I feel she still has the energy to render her voice to film songs; but alas the MDs do not feel so. Even in this forum hardly we see mention of this great singer, while all the accolades for the great female singer always go to SJ, PS or Chitra.
(No doubt, the above three are very very good singers.)

I would like to know if she has sung any film song lately

Any comments, for or agianst, would be appreciated.

V. Balaji

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: aruvi (@ spc-isp-tor-uas-71-67.sprint.ca) on: Mon Aug 23 10:59:31 EDT 1999
  
  VJ has a good knowledge of both hindustani and carnatic music. Not many musicians have this asset. BTW, I have been hearing a lot about how VJ was pushed out of HFM by Latha. Can someone give some details because I don't believe that Latha is that kind of a person.
  
  
• From: Ramki (@ pm540-33.dialip.mich.net) on: Mon Aug 23 11:00:23 EDT 1999
  
  Balaji its swathi kiranam and not shruthi layalu
  
  
• From: aruvi (@ spc-isp-tor-uas-71-67.sprint.ca) on: Mon Aug 23 11:04:52 EDT 1999
  
  Hi
  
  VJ shared her experiences in the industry in an interview for Intamm music magazine. You have to download the font to read. Here is the link.
  
  http://www.intamm.com/back/musicworld/musjun/vani.htm
  
  
• From: V. Balaji (@ webproxy04qfe0.sbi.com) on: Mon Aug 23 11:29:20 EDT 1999
  
  Aruvi,
  
  Though I have no hard facts, I am writing this out of what I have read earlier. Lata & sisters decided not to sing to any MD if they allow VJ to sing for their songs. They used to use their clout to change MDs for films if they found the MD started giving chances to other singers. VJ becoming very popular after Guddi, it seems Jaya Bhaduri started liking her voice, was the prime victim.
  We have recently seen Anuradha Poudwal used to dub other singer's songs (in early 90s) when she had her clout with T-series casette company. When asked why she did so, she always reiterated that she & other singers always met with the same fate from lata in their early years and that was well accepted then.
  
  MDs like Madan Mohan who gave chance to Vj for few films failed to resurrect until they went back to the Lata finally for Gulza's 'Mousam'. Gulzar who at Pt.Ravi Shankar's insistence gave VJ all the songs for 'Meera' and was totally neglected and finally had to crawl back to Lata's sisters to earn some reputation.
  
  I am not trying to project Lata (I consider her as the second best HFM singer, Asha being the first) as a monster, but she used to manipulate the MDs to maintain her supreme position.
  
  Vj fed up with this kind of politics, and having no God father, left the Hindi cinema and accepted the chance given by 'Shankar Ganesh' to sing in a Tamil Film; though her first Tamil release was 'Malligai..'.
  
  Though it is sad that Vj had to leave Hindi, It is also a boon in disguise as we may never have heard her singing those wonderful songs otherwise.
  
  Ramki:
  
  I was not sure of the movie; I just new the actors and it was K. Vishwanath's movie. Thanks for correcting
  
  
  V. Balaji
  
  
• From: karthi (@ 1cust231.tnt1.chi1.da.uu.net) on: Mon Aug 23 16:45:27 EDT 1999
  
  It is only true that Vani Jayaram was unjustly neglected in the Tamil Film World. Her voice was her forte - sila samayam thannaiye marakka vaikkira sugamaana voice.
  
  Once arasu had this to say about Vani Jayaram's voice: "Nilavaik Kuzhaithuch CheidhadandrO Vaaniyin Kural?"
  
  Her voice was very youthful till the early 80's. Isn't the song "Megame Megame" a milestone in the TFM industry? I can't imagine any other singer (even my favourite P Suseela) to have sung that song so beautifully!
  
  Romba high pitch illaamal, nalla (inimaiyaana) raagangaLaik konda songs koduthal, VJ will do wonders to those songs. Infact, I have always liked only VJ's version of "KandEn Engum" for its melody and clarity. (SJ's husky voice though rendered the song, its eerie quality, I felt it lacked the melody).
  
  There are people like Sriram Lakshman and RajaG who feel that she's bad in her improvization or say "avvalO pOdhaadhu", but I feel her voice stands beyond all this! She outclasses SPB in the song "Maamadurai Naattinil" and KJY in the song "Andhamaanai PaarungaL Azhagu".
  
  MSV could not have had a better choice for "Naadhamennum KOvililE" and "Ezhu SwarangaLukkuL"!
  In comparison, the latter sounds even better than "SingaaravElanE Deva". She is versatile, too: How can you forget "Nitham Nitham Nelluch ChOru"?
  
  As someone rightly put it: Vaani is a class in herself.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.27.21) on: Mon Aug 23 18:50:30 EDT 1999
  
  Karthi,
  I agree with u. Even though the song 'megame' is supposed to have been a lift from a ghazal, still credit is due to VJ for singing that song so well. I go through a gamut of emotions whenever I listen to that song. 'sugam sugam' by ARR also brought out her voice well.
  
  
• From: vasant (@ brassica.cc.umanitoba.ca) on: Mon Aug 23 20:15:17 EDT 1999
  
  More on VJ..
  sometime back there was an article in one of the Hindi film mags. regarding the domination of Lata and the way VJ, Runa laila(who became famous after one song in Gharonda) were chased out of Bombay. Infact for the film Guddi-MD Vasant Desai had some problems with lata so he introduced VJ. The song was a phenomenal success. She also sang the other song -hum ko man ki shakti dena in the same film (a melodious devotional song). But since the producers didn't want to offend lata the song from Madhumati (AAjare pardesi.) was inlcuded in the film. Similarly vani sang for the film Pakeezah, with naushad (MD) but the song never made it to the film. At the same time VJ also sang in Marathi films and even had won a state award. But still frustrated by the lack of recognition she moved south.
  Some of her best songs - her solo in samsaram adhu minsaram, her song in achamillai achamillai, in vaidehi kathirundal.
  I think that she msut have sung the maximum songs for shankar ganesh. Almsot every film of theirs had a VJ song.
  
  
• From: yvs mani (@ 164.100.8.55) on: Tue Aug 24 03:16:48 EDT 1999
  
  Ilaakanam marutho song il pronunciation of VJ is excellent. Really, I miss her songs in tfm nowadays. But, listens to her may of her songs and I feel happy with those songs like:
  nadamenum kovilile, Ilakkanam marutho, Maan kenden maan kenden,Ezhu swarangalukkul, ithu sugam sugam, Kavithai kelungal, romba nalaga enakkoru aasai,bharathi kannamma, muthu muthu therottam, naana paduvathu naana, sugamana ragangale,kelviyin nayagane,poonthendrale, fantha maanai paringal azhagu, megame megame etc
  
  
  
  
• From: vasant (@ brassica.cc.umanitoba.ca) on: Tue Aug 24 14:26:47 EDT 1999
  
  Thanks to this thread, I seem to remember more of VJ's songs
  like
  Aala marathkilli -from aatukkara alamelu
  Va van un veenai than -sattam with spb
  Devi sridevi -in Vazhve maayam
  Gangai nadhi oram raman nadanthaan - a melodious duet with KJY
  sridevi varam ketkiraal -? movie (solo)
  katti karumbe kanna - samsram adhu minsaram
  yen ullil azhagan vellithirai -cinema paithyam(remake of Guddi-her singing debut)
  amudha kadalil -some MGR film
  va va pakkam va-thanga magan
  varuvan vadivelan
  She was just fabulous in all these songs.
  This also brings back to my days in Madras when almost daily in the vivdhbharati, they used to play VJ's bhajans (sometime in the morn.) and the song bolure papi (from guddi) in man chahe geet (afternoon 1-2.00pm). Also the song kagaroon sajini -of yesudas(film -swami) used to be a regular number in this prog.
  
  
• From: yvs mani (@ hub.nic.in) on: Wed Aug 25 00:34:47 EDT 1999
  
  Another best song from VJ is
  Kattrinile varum geetham from Rasigan oru rasigai.
  Ganapathiye ganapathiye varuvai - Maragatha veenai
  Gangai yamunai ingu thaan sangamam - with KJY in imayam
  
  
• From: yvs mani (@ hub.nic.in) on: Mon Aug 30 00:23:45 EDT 1999
  
  Gangai amaran has used VJ in many of his films, it seems.
  Sattam, Vazhve mayam etc.
  Ammamma saranam saranam un padhangal with SPB in sattam,
  vaa vaa en veenaiye with SPB.
  
  ABC nee vasi ellam un kairasi with KJY ( I think) in oru kaithiyin dairy
  
  
• From: maithu (@ dynamic25.pm17.san-jose.best.com) on: Fri Sep 3 17:25:21 EDT 1999
  
  In sun tv, they host a program called vanakkam thamilagam, during the mroning hours and each day there would be a interview of some celebraty and once it was VJ and the same question of being betrayed by Hindi flim musicians was asked , her only anwer was, " ellorukkum therinja vishayathai patri naan onrum adhigamaga solla virumbavillai"
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.231) on: Sat Sep 4 08:42:19 EDT 1999
  
  One of my favorite VJ songs is:
  Yaaradhu Sollamal Nenjalli POvadu
  Kaanadha PeNmai NaaNume....
  
  from the film, 'Nenjamellam Neeye'.
  
  Fabulous melody (probably is another Ghazal-inspired number from Shankar Ganesh) and her rendition is superb. And as for pronunciation, she is one of the few singers who can render songs with great clarity.
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: yv smani (@ hub.nic.in) on: Mon Sep 6 00:35:09 EDT 1999
  
  Some more songs which I like rendered by VJ:
  Sapthaswaram punnaigaiyil kanden - with SPB - Nadagame ulagam
  Samuthra rajakumaara from Ezhai vathiyaar.
  
  
  
  
  Pachapulla azhuthuchunna pattu padalam - with SPB in Pudhiya paathai
  
  
• From: vasant (@ brassica.cc.umanitoba.ca) on: Mon Sep 6 14:34:52 EDT 1999
  
  More of Vj songs-
  Kunguma kolangal koil kondada from Annan oru koil. This is a beautiful a kind of an eerie solo sung effortlessly by VJ.
  Paruthi yedukayile -from Aatukkara Alamelu
  Naalamo ena naan keten -from Nenjil oru raagam (solo)
  Her song from the malayalam film -Manjil viringha pookal - manjalaam koombil....
  
  After a long gap she sang a Hindi song - Dhire dhire subh ... in the movie haisiyat. This is a melodious no. - the song describing the morning /dawn hrs. Though yesudas aslo sang an other version of the same song,I liked VJ's version.
  
  

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