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WE MET IR

Topic started by cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on Thu Jul 20 06:52:03 EDT 2000.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Hello friends,
It's me again. And this time, I met IR alongwith another newtfmpage regular, CSG. Unlike the previous occasion, when there was no scope for a chat, today we sat and talked with IR for about...god knows, time stood still, guys. We have no clue.
There were so many things we wanted to ask him, but in his presence, both of us were tongu-tied. Finally CSG found his voice and complimented him on his latest album, Bharati.
He's so incredibly down-to-earth and accessible. And he doesn't spout profundities, but speaks just like you would expect any layman to. That's his greatness. I'm still on a tremendous high....

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: suresh (@ dedicated-149.chn.vsnl.net.in) on: Thu Jul 27 01:24:24 EDT 2000
  
  I'm pleased we've had a reasonable argument without going up in flames. You would've understood my anguish better if I'd told you I had a chance to watch 'Moonam Pakkam', 'Yathromozhi', and 'Salangai Oli' (not for the 1st time) recently, and also had the ignominy of suffering a 15-minute sit-through of 'Vanaja Girija'. And of also listening to a masterpiece in "Bharathi" and a very-average "Ilayavan"..
  
  Srinath and rajaG, thanks..
  
  Nanban
  
  I won't agree with your statement that "most" of IRs song picturisations were pathetic during the 80s. As you've agreed, Mahendran/ Balu Mahendra/ MR etc.. canned some songs reasonably well. In fact, I think Mahendran's picturisation of "Metti Oli kaatrodu" in Metti with a very average song-cast of Vadivukkarasi, Radhika and Vijayakumari, was as best as a Tamil song could be, in its fleeting moments of lyrical beauty.
  My point is that, given that Tamil film-making is a temple of cliches, what joy does IR derive out of consistently creating for a Keyaar (the greatest killjoy Director ever - just view Vanaja Girija's "Unnai Vida matten" picturisation, and you'd want to descend on Chennai from wherever you are with a tonne of RDX) or KasthuriRaja, while continuing to create an atmosphere of mistrust with directors who can atleast give him a decent exposure..?
  
  And again, by default, if he has given consistently great music for a set of Directors - BR, Mahendran, Balu Mahendra, Fazil, Sridhar, MR, KB, Kamal..- then there should've been something in them that inspired him to rise above the mundane and create extra-ordinarily, don't you think?
  
  Anand
  
  I agree with you 100%, humans have to earn a living…
  
  Athi
  
  From a contemporary perspective, I feel Diamond writes better lyrics than most others (barring the sporadic surprises..ex. Pulamaipithan's excellent "Ethilum Ingu" from Bharathi). You will agree that I wasn't trying to diminish IR's inarguable genius as a musician one bit, it's just that I wonder if only he learnt to be temperate, he could still be in a position of strength to choose a good portfolio of films to work on.
  
  You got me wrong, I never said he mustn't take risks as with 'Sethu'; in fact, I believe that he should make an approach and even at the cost of charging less, work on projects like 'Vaanaprastham' and 'Saasanam'. As for "obscure" films like "Ilayavan" and "Karisakkattu Poove" are concerned, even a layman can discern just from the cassette cover that this was a guaranteed wash-out, and IR with his decades of experience must know better to avoid them like plague..
  Vijay
  
  It's not as though IR scores only for 'non-commercial' Mal movies. 'Friends' and 'Kochu Kochu Santhoshangal' were purely commercial, with arguably poorer music compared to a 'Guru' or 'Kaalapani'.
  
  Shibu
  
  Not always do 'art' films fare well in Kerala. We just need to look at the recent case of Vaanaprastham vs. Narasimham.
  
  Udhaya
  
  If you read carefully, I never mentioned "Manjolai Kilithano" as a creative masterpiece from the director's angle ( I agree it was a crappily-picturised song, like a lot of BR's, made worse with interminal close-ups of Sudhakar's nostrils). I made a specific reference to "Pon Maalai Pozhudhu" and "Uravugal Thodarkathai", where I have some reason to believe that the Director and the Lyricist provided sufficient inputs to enthuse IR to create magic.
  
  luxury of hindsight? well, if we didn't enjoy liberal licenses such as these, wouldn't most of TFM content just dry out??
  
  Senthil
  I need your bank details
  
  Eden
  :)
  
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Thu Jul 27 06:15:36 EDT 2000
  
  great to see this discussion remaining on track.
  
  i didn't entirely agree with everything that IR said. he had mentioned in a sun tv interview, on hey ram's music, that kamal has "excavated" (thOndi eduthaar) the film's music out of him. i mentioned this to him, and asked whether he turned to spiritualism in an effort to dig out the music latent in him, discover his inner strengths (knowing very well that very few people in TF could possibly inspire him). his reply surprised me, because it seemed a contradiction: "thOndi edukkarathellam kidayathu, appo thonumpothu podarathuthaan." clearly, he was trying to avoid talking about the musicmaking process ("ellam sapthaswarangalthaan"). possibly because of our age and becaue he saw us as to awestruck fans.
  as Udhaya rightly pointed out, he was just having a casual chat (in the middle of the chat he suddenly asked me if all this was for an interview, as i work for the hindu group. i said no, and he continued). obviously whatever he said was not meant for the general public.
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Thu Jul 27 06:18:31 EDT 2000
  
  eden
  
  :-)))))))), maybe he should opt for VRS and focus on non-film albums!
  
  
• From: Srinath (@ 205.252.37.3) on: Thu Jul 27 10:56:44 EDT 2000
  
  rajaG:
  It is no longer available and I don't know why, but a couple of years back I started a thread listing songs that were picturized beautifully. Yes, my natural affinities are more towards music, but I am not totally impassive towards what's going on screen :-) AND...while IR is arguably the greatest MD in India (your words) and a certifiable all time great all over the world (mine), the same cannot be said of any Movie Director in India. I've NEVER seen a Satyajit Ray movie and so reserve my comments on him. I do know that he received an honorary Oscar shortly before his demise and I am also aware that you probably know a little bit more about him considering where you come from :-) Personally, I consider Fazil and Vasanth (for directing Keladi Kanmani and making SPB act) as good Directors in the South.
  
  Why Vasanth ? If you have watched the movie Keladi Kanmani (I actually heard uncontrollable sobbing from several women in the movie theater soon after the movie was over :-)), there is this one scene where SPB's daughter runs away from home. He goes looking for her on his scooter and when he returns unsuccessfully, Radhika asks him "Anu Kedachala". SPB shakes his head in the negative, choking for words - a far superior performance to the so-called full time actors, superstars and supreme stars and what not. My, my, I really do seem to watch movies closely, don't I ? :-))) I may not be the most discerning movie-goer ever but, more often than not, I know exactly when and why I like a movie/director ! :-) Believe me, nobody in India matches up to IR's genius !
  
  OTOH, I saw this crapaholicacious movie called Alai Paayudhe (there's a wonderful review called "Alai 'Neer' Paayudhe" at chennaionline.com, if anyone's interested). There is this beautiful song, "Pachai Nirame", and there's bb's favourite verse, "bhoomi thoda pillaiyin paadham". Mentalrathnam actually made the actor jump into the air for this line !!! I nearly threw up my dinner ! For all the gloss and hype, Shankar did a far better job with the Mudhalvan songs ! Yeah, I am not half as influenced by movies as I am by music ! But I think I can identify good from bad, and consequently, great from good and genius from great !
  
  
• From: fan (@ 216.190.255.35) on: Thu Jul 27 11:43:32 EDT 2000
  
  sri, we know you well, anything else happening ? :))
  
  
  
• From: anban (@ 139.85.161.162) on: Thu Jul 27 12:51:23 EDT 2000
  
  i just wanted to ask cram this question
  
  raja sonnaru "yar dhan copy adikale en patta ellarum dhan copy adikarangannu "
  appo raja kuda dhan copy adichirukaru, adhellam sollita senjaru
  
  Cram i feel raja is very down becos of his current status in film industry and i feel all the statements he has said might be becos if this
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 64.160.43.2) on: Thu Jul 27 12:57:55 EDT 2000
  
  In general it is a nice change to post on IR and not create mortal enemies.
  
  suresh,
  Though the lyricists did a fabulous job to lift the songs "Pon Maalaip Pozhuthu" and "Uravugal thodarkathai" they were both lyrics written for tune. So the tune came first from IR. With "Pon Maalai" he may have had some juice to work with, "a poetic youth enjoys the sunset and sings an ode to nature" gives you more juice than, the average movie situation, "Annae, vayakkaatukkulla namma herovum heroinum oadi pudichchu velayaduranga annae. Adhukkappuramaa aruviyila nanayiraanga. Uththamapaalayaththula rendu naalla shoot pannanum." IR takes a big shovel to go digging within himself to come up with something for situations like this.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.23.161) on: Thu Jul 27 14:14:46 EDT 2000
  
  Suresh,
  where did I say that IRr scores only for non-commercial Malayalam movies? My argument is on ana average any Mallu film from him seems to better than its tamil counterpart and Iam curious to know what is that that 'inspires' IR more in Mallu as compared to Tamil. Asking IR, Iam afraid, would only fetch us a philosophical lecture.
  
  
• From: rjay (@ 206.152.113.169) on: Thu Jul 27 14:27:48 EDT 2000
  
  
  If Raja reads this thread and sees so much
  argument, next time you meet him, he will
  ask, "Yaaruppa, TFM Page-la irundhu varreengala?
  Eththanai paer ippadi kilambi irukkeenga?"
  So let us not pick and analyse his casual remarks
  and blame the genius.
  
  Most genius-es are highly devoted to themselves.
  
  If Mansur Ali Khan is arrogant we would not care
  a bit. With Raja, when he was the Raja of TFM,
  we used to respect not only his music, but his
  world view and philosophy and he was most of
  the times the only role model.
  
  To see him feel like he has not had his success,
  and recognition, is uncomfortable. We would have
  loved to read him say, "Rahman romba nalla panraru-
  enga kalathula sound quality ambience kkellam
  avvalavu technology vasadhiyillae; ivar nalla
  katthtukittu panraru. Melody-um nallavae irukku.
  " and things like - "Naan 70s-la field ukkulla
  varappo, nalla thiramaiyana directors Bharatiraja
  Balu, Mahendran ivangalum appadhan vandhukkitrundanga, avangalukkum munneranum-nu oru
  veri irundhuchchu. Niraiya teamwork panninom.
  Nalla vandhuchchu. Amaran enakku nalla
  supporting-a irundhan. Balu-voda
  abaramana talent enakku romba pakkabalama
  irunduchchu.
  
  Pirpadu, Balachander, Manirathnam apparam niraiya gramathu pasanga kooda
  nalla ennai velai vaanginanga..."
  
  Hmmm......
  
  On comparison, MSV talks like these! Someone
  told him now songs dont stand for even a week.
  He said, "IT is not the song, you jump like that.
  If you listen to the same song for a week, it will
  stick with you!"
  
  
  
  
• From: Diwakar (@ 206.175.177.136) on: Thu Jul 27 17:50:44 EDT 2000
  
  cram :
  
  "obviously whatever he said was not meant for the general public."
  
  Do we, at TFM, qualify for being the general public? Moot point. :-) One wonders if IR's responses would have been any different if this were to be an interview. Not that that would redeem him in any way ; to the contrary, it would smack of double-speak.
  
  Udaya :
  
  !
  
  

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