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Malaysian Deepavali Show - RAJANNA RAJA THAAN - From Annakkili to Azhagi

Topic started by Manisekaran (@ 202.156.2.8) on Sun Nov 7 05:23:27 EST 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Last year I did a show on Ilayaraja for Deepavali. IT was so great a hit that the ASTRO Private TV Station is repeating on 9 NOvember at 4.00 pm Malaysian time. This is called RAJANNA RAJATHAAN- covering 25 years of Raja's music contribution. From Annakkili to Azhagi. A great hit. If you can, pls do catch it. You can post your comments on the show here, and I'll respond to them.
Thanks.

Archive of the older songs: http://forumhub.lunarpages.com/hub/f13.html .
If you want to post comments on older songs, pls go to this archive. There you'll find the previous songs/episodes indexed as separate threads. Post your comments on the appropriate thread.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: enabler (@ 68.75.178.174) on: Sat Dec 11 00:50:21 EST 2004
  
  Manisekaran Sir, I can personally say one thing upon reading Kanne Kalaimane: Strange yet Purposeful are the Ways of the Divine. (Didn't notice you are at song 17 already!)
  
  
  Happy Weekend.
  
  
• From: Anand (@ 83.216.154.253) on: Sat Dec 11 05:15:37 EST 2004
  
  A great song, Mr.Manisekaran ! I can still visualise Balu Mahendra's cinematography as the song starts - Night enveloping the mountains and slowly becoming darker.The song, a beautiful "thaalattu", rendered by Yesudass's soothing voice and to top it all this, the great poet's haunting lyrics.... Mr.Maniskaran, i heard somwhere that kannadaasan wrote this song for his daughter, vishali kannadaasan. Is that true? Also, is that a solo violin playing as the singer sings? It adds to the pathos and churns out a deep emotion of love, loss and despair...Brilliant performances by Kamal and sridevi through this song... Putting all this togeher, I think this song perfectly fits the profile of a "LANDMARK IR COMPOSITION"
  
  The other briliant song from this movie is : "Vaan engum thanga vinmeengal..."
  
  Anand
  
  
• From: ravi ks ravichandran (@ 128.110.251.35) on: Sat Dec 11 19:08:49 EST 2004
  
  Anand:
  
  Some years ago, I indicated in one of the topics in TFM, that.."Kannae Kalaimane.." song has a solo violin that closely follows KJY's soulful rendering. I did not discover this until I had a high end music system and a good recording of the song in a Chrome oxide Type II tape.
  
  I wonder how IR probaly could have written notes for violin that follows he violin piece. Or was it composed without notes? It could be.. May be someone knowledgeable can throw some light..
  
  
• From: CSR (@ 202.131.115.148) on: Sun Dec 12 00:30:01 EST 2004
  
  Violin track which you listned in Kanne Kalaimane might have been the one that was recorded for the track recording before Jesudos voice recording. Usually, such instrument tracks are erased and superimposed with the voice track later, and in this case it might have been left out as such (may be due to recording/mastering error or deliberately left out.
  
  
• From: Manisekaran (@ 61.6.39.139) on: Sun Dec 12 19:44:10 EST 2004
  
  Dear Enabler,
  
  Very well said.
  
  In 1962 Kannadasan in Ratha Thilakam wrote a song and added a line:
  
  NAAN NIRANTHARAMAANAVAN
  ENTHA NILAYILUM ENAKKU MARANAM ILLAI
  
  Perhaps he is kept alive by such discussions.
  
  Anand,
  
  Now that Kannadasan is no more alive, many new and unbelieveing stories tend to be circulated. This is the most commone and cancerous disease in the cine field.
  
  This song was written for the movie.
  There are people who claim that this is not the last song of Kannadasan. I want to know wchis is that last song.
  
  All I know is that this was the last movie song by Kannadasan. Seergazhi Govindarajan told me that Kannadasan wrote him a poem (last peom) when he visited Kannadasan in Chicago. I have not seen that poem.
  
  
  
• From: Manisekaran (@ 61.6.39.139) on: Mon Dec 13 19:34:33 EST 2004
  
  18. MAATHA UN KOVILILE
  
  An unprecedented event took place in the history of Tamil films songs, and that has been very close to the heart of Ilayaraja. When Ilayaraja composed music for any song, he paid much attention to the singers that he selected. As he entered the cine field, he had concluded to use singers like P. Suseela, S. Janaki, SP Bala, Jesudass and Malaysia Vasudevan. He was right, as these were the singers who brought out the best of Ilayaraja’s imagination. The female singer who was able to capture and reproduce the imagination of Raja to almost perfection was S. Janaki.
  
  While composing the song MAATHA UN KOVILILE in Mahalakshmi Coimboines
  ACHAANI, something unexpected took place. The song was practiced once and the next was to be the final take. The band was ready, and as soon as the cue was given they started to play the prelude. Things went well. Then S. Janaki started to sing. As soon as she went into the first charanam, the melody went haywire and the tune was off tangent. Then all of a sudden the musicians stopped playing. S. Janaki was blinking in shock. Raja was furious! They wanted to know what went wrong. From the recording room, he enquired as to why they all had stopped playing the music. As Raja approached the musicians, he was informed that they were completely mesmerised by the golden and most enchanting voice of Janaki that they forgot themselves and finally forgot the tune as well. Raja just smiled at S. Janaki and she very politely smiled with acknowledgement. This time they were set to record again. In the second recording all of them- S. Janaki and the musicians went one more scale higher to do a better job!. That song became a super hit.
  
  (Such an event had never taken place in the history of the Tamil films. It was only in Samboorna Ramayana an event quite similar to this did take place. When CS Jayaraman was singing the song “INRU PI NAALAI VAARAAI” the sound engineer was completely at loss with the beauty of the tune and the emotional presentation of the singer, that he forgot to switch off the engine even seconds after the singing was over.)
  
  Listen to 'maadha un kovilil'

  
  I have three songs where S. Janaki is simply at her best. Violin and Veena seem to blend almost perfectly well in this great song. It seems Ilayaraja himself had taken a liking for this song. One may also remember that Raja had composed few songs on Christian theme and this is about the best, along with Devanin Thiruchabai Malarkal in Avar Enakke Sontham. Apart from the above, PAADAVAA UN PPADALAI from Naan Paadum Paadal was an excellent piece. The other is KATRIL ENTHAN GEETHAM from Johnny. We booked a female singer to sing the Johnny Song. She did well at the rehearsal, but could not perform on the actual day, as she admitted that the song is indeed and impossible piece for singer, let alone newcomers.
  
  My personal opinion is that Kaatril Enthan Keetham is still a better song. So I chose this song for the show. I find three elements contribute to the success of the song- the musical works, meaning the tune, the background music which is simply and exceedingly haunting, and the full emotions with which S. Janaki sang this song. After the song Singara Velane Deva in Konjum Salangai, this song, I believe must have been the most difficult for Janaki. Again it is my opinion that S. Janaki was the most appropriate choice for this song. Johny shall always be remembered for this song. The song is a crowning glory for the movie.
  
  As the rehearsal was on, I was mesmerised and this time I forgot myself- honestly. It is such masterpieces that have made Raja an immortal figure in the arena of Tamil film music. My question is who gets the credit for the super performance of the song- Raja or Janaki. It is quite difficult to divide the credit. I see it as a perfect combination of a team effort.
  
  I hope TFM Team could provide all the three songs.
  
  
  Kaatril enthan geetham
  kANAtha ondrai theduthey (2)
  Alai poley .. ninaivaaga
  chillendru veesum maalai neyra
  (Kaatril)
  
  Engengum inbam adhu kolam poda
  EnnuLLa veenai oru raagam theyda
  AnbuLLa nenjai kANAtho
  Aanantha RAgam pAdAtho
  Kangal Yengum
  Nenjin sogam .. MEylum yEtrum (Kaatril)
  
  Nillendru sonnal manam nindral podhum
  Neengatha nenjil Alai Oyinthaal podhum
  Mounaththin RAgam kELAtho ..
  Mounaththin ThALam podatho ..
  Vazhum kAlam yavum ingey nenjam ThEdum
  (Katril)
  
  
  Listen to 'kaatril endhan geetham'

  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Mon Dec 13 20:20:32 EST 2004
  
  Mani sir,
  who is the lyricist for 'maadha un kovil'. This song really rends your heart when Janaki 'thaayendru unnaith thaan piLLaikku kaattinEn'. There are not that many songs in which people are emotionally/personally involved with Divine figures (somebody post if they know better, this is an interesting cultural phenomenon). The only other song that comes to my mind is KVM's gangai karai thOttam ..though less serious, but equally moving considering the helplessness of a lovestruck woman with Lord Krishna.
  
  
• From: Bala (@ 68.38.80.142) on: Mon Dec 13 20:51:54 EST 2004
  
  Mani Sir
  
  Thanks for the write up
  
  Madha un Koyilil is by 'Vaali'
  
  Bala
  
  
• From: MumbaiRamki (@ 63.186.32.178) on: Mon Dec 13 21:20:11 EST 2004
  
  Maatha un kovillale -entha padam sir ??
  
  
• From: manisekaran (@ 61.6.39.139) on: Mon Dec 13 21:28:13 EST 2004
  
  Mumbai Ramki
  
  maatha Un Kovilile in ACHAANI
  
  
• From: RR (@ 192.122.134.249) on: Mon Dec 13 21:37:00 EST 2004
  
  I can't seem to locate 'paadava un paadalai' in my collection. If anyone has an .mp3, pls send it to rrprivate-tfm at yahoo dot com. The other two are up.
  
  
• From: jeeves (@ 203.101.40.22) on: Mon Dec 13 23:27:28 EST 2004
  
  Naan Paadum Paadal - Paadava Un Paadalai is available here
  http://web.music.coolgoose.com/music/song.php?id=102225
  
  
• From: Manisekaran (@ 61.6.39.139) on: Mon Dec 13 23:31:31 EST 2004
  
  jeeves
  
  Thank you so much. Now the list is complete.
  
  manisekaran
  
  
• From: Ras (@ 194.170.246.121) on: Tue Dec 14 05:35:43 EST 2004
  
  Manisekaran,
  Thanks. These three are definitely great numbers, especially "Maatha Un Kovilil" and "Kaartil Endan Geetham". However amongst the many real complex songs composed by IR and rendered excellently by Janaki, I would rate "Pon Vaanam Panneer Thoovudu Inneram" from "Indru Nee Naalai Naan" (forget the pathetic picturisation of the song showing the widowed Lakshmi dancing in the rain in 'viraga daapam', with Sivakumar doing his trademark senseless, distorted, facial expressions, again trying to portray his version of viraga daapam) and "Sangeethame En Jeevane" from Kovil Pura as very important numbers that appeal to both the lay person and the technically-tuned listener. In my opinion, not many singers (amateur or professional) can do justice to these songs.
  
  I'm not sure if these do feature in your pick, but thought I'd highlight them nevertheless.
  
  
• From: M Madhanraj (@ 82.194.62.9) on: Tue Dec 14 05:42:04 EST 2004
  
  Adding to the Listing of Ras
  'AZHAGU MALAR AADA , ABHINAYANGAL KOODA ...'
  from VAIDHEHI KATHIRUNTHAAL.
  
  Manisekaran, Also I remember faintly, SONG 'MAATHA UN KOVILIL' brought IR and Kannadasan more close. Also I remember that BELL sound in this song has some story. While recording IR created some news about this BELL. If somebody knows, pls throw some light on this matter.
  
  
  Regards
  
  M Madhanraj
  
  

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