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Who is patronising Ilaiyaraja still..

Topic started by Mahesh (@ 203.200.21.66) on Thu Oct 4 04:20:35 EDT 2001.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

These days we see that the city based people
(Chennai/Bangalore/Coimbatore..etc) are patronising
ARR/Haris Jayaraj (and Deva to some extent).... younger
generation is popularising these MDs' music among
elders also by repeat play at home and at TV,,

While IR's songs are typically played/requested in
AIR or some FM stations in Singapore/Malaysia etc.,

But I see that cities/towns like Trichy, Madurai,
Thanjavur dist are still playing IR songs in most
of the buses/tea shops/public programs/places
and even local tv channels like Vaigai etc are
playing IR's compositions regularly..

Even 5-10 years back it is the districts which
brought such a fame to IR songs.. even now they
are sticking to IR.. while City culture is changing
the prefs to ARRs and HJs..

these are all IMHO..

any views..

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Responses:

• From: eden (@ 210.214.4.207) on: Thu Oct 4 05:31:16 EDT 2001
  
  Mahesh,
  Your opinion seems to closely reflect the actual status with a couple of differences IMO. Even in cities, there's a group patronising IR (please watch SCV channel which has a good percentage of IR)...Till recently, Cbe too had a reasonable amount of IR patronising (`bus'cast, better run of IR movies compared to other cities -Bharathi, Kutti, KN etc.)
  
  
• From: Karthik S (@ 164.164.82.29) on: Thu Oct 4 05:36:47 EDT 2001
  
  http://cinemaa.indya.com/ips35/html/cinemaa/south/ammailayaraja.html
  
  Ilayaraja - a monumental genius
  
  Genius is a much-misused word, probably as much as love and friendship. I have interacted with one genius (T R Mahalingam, Flute Mali to his fans) and admired from afar another (John McEnroe). Both were mavericks with a rage for perfection. Their constant fear was not living up to the stringent standards they had set for themselves. A genius is one who doles out equal doses of the sublime and the ridiculous. If you want to experience the former, you had to endure the latter.
  Another genius whose career I have watched closely is Ilayaraja. The first time I saw him at work was at the song recording of Payanangal Mudiyuvadhillai, a film that catapulted him and the hero, Mohan to the top.
  
  His talent was never in question. The first time I listened to fusion music ( Carnatic and Western) was Raja's violin solo in Raja Parvai. It was not just the tunes but the use of instruments and the orchestral arrangement. None can match Raja's prolificacy at his peak. There would be nearly eight to ten releases on Diwali or Pongal in the 80s and sometimes all the films had music by Raja. So as D-day neared, there would be a clamour for Raja's dates for re-recording.
  
  He was the first music director whose name on the title card evoked applause. He was also given pride of place in the hoardings. Kamal Hassan would insist on Raja and directors like Balu Mahendra and Bharathi Raja swore by him.
  
  What is it that sets him apart? I believe that the real test for a music director is not a tune, but the background score. In this department, Raja is non-pariel. He has enhanced many an ordinary scene with his score. Sometimes his use of silence is stunning.
  
  You will realise Raja's genius only if you have watched him in the re-recording room. At his peak, I had to use the influence of his mentor, G K Venkatesh for an interview. At Prasad Studios, Raja first asked me to watch him work.
  
  The theatre darkened and a reel with only the talkie portion was shown. Just one viewing and Raja started scribbling musical notes in a book. In a few minutes, the musicians crowded around him for directions. One rehearsal and the take was okayed. With just one viewing, Raja had imbibed not only the mood of the scene but also the timing of his score to the second.
  
  So when did the slide start? Why is the industry shunning him today? Rahman's rise had nothing to do with Raja's downfall. It is just as if Raja suddenly suffered from creative constipation. His tune bank was overdrawn and the torrent of musical notes had been reduced to a drizzle. The saddest sight is a genius groping in his vocation.
  
  Industry hawks who thought he was arrogant pounced on him and started highlighting his negative attributes. Failure is fatal in the film firmament.
  
  Rahman, for all his talent should thank Raja for his entry into films. It is only because Mani Ratnam and Raja had some disagreement during Dalapathi that Mani started hunting for an alternative. Rahman has succeeded in changing the "sound" of music. There is no doubt about his talent, but there is something synthetic about the sound, however crisp and sharp. And he has a long way to go in the background score department. A music director who takes refuge in his tunes for the background score is shirking and is someone who cannot create a theme.
  
  It is all a cycle. Rahman did to Raja what Raja did to M S Vishwanathan. Meanwhile, Raja is not too old. All he needs is the trust and inspiration of talents like Mani and Kamal. Till then, we will listen to the avalanche of lilting tunes from the 80s.
  
  --S Shiva Kumar
  sshivu@indya.com
  
  
• From: rf (@ 64.12.106.29) on: Thu Oct 4 11:23:02 EDT 2001
  
  Avalanche of tunes, that is right. i am reeling from exasperation at the new discoveries of many songs that i ignored because of favoritism to a few songs!
  
  Mahesh, this is a good point i noticed too, because i remember when i was travelling around outside of Chennai, IR still is the sentimental favorite. He is still played and at any time a songs comes out it is still the 60s, 70s and 80s! thank god for the goodness of heart of our people back there. cities yes, it is ARR and other new guys, last year comletely it was HJ. but, chinese restraunts and military hotels, ARR is eating us up.
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.230) on: Thu Oct 4 11:54:37 EDT 2001
  
  rf,
  "He is still played and at any time a songs comes out it is still the 60s, 70s and 80s! thank god for the goodness of heart of our people back there."
  
  People living in cities who mostly listen to ARR have a bad heart, is it?What's heart got to do with music?Curious to know!
  
  Regarding the article from S Shiva Kumar:
  
  I'm surprised he chose John McEnroe as a genius over Pete Sampras or Rod Laver or Bjorn Borg.
  "A genius is one who doles out equal doses of the sublime and the ridiculous."
  Now I understand what he means by his "valid" definition of genius.I think,he expects or longs for the genius(IMO, McEnroe is not at all compared to other giants) to be ridiculous at times.
  IMO,IR has been a lot lot ... lot more sublime than being ridiculous.I also don't like the way he terms IR's 90 music as creative constipation.Though, how much ever one can be obsessed with IR's 80s music he should have given some credit to his 90's music.
  I get the feeling the writer is in the dream-world of IR's 80s music and should come out of it and atleast listen to IR's 90s music with a little more heart.:)
  
  All,IMO.
  
  
• From: Mahesh (@ 203.200.21.66) on: Thu Oct 4 23:55:58 EDT 2001
  
  Friends,
  
  thanks for opinions.. I do not want this thread to be
  pulled into IR vs ARR issue.. I would like it to take
  the direction of Cities vs towns - music preferences..
  Towns play not only IR music.. they still support
  MSVs and older ones.. basically because the B & C
  audience' preference to music with lyrical importance and melodies.. while cities are going
  along with dance and hep numbers of ARRs and HJs..
  
  It is not that the towns are playing only village(?)
  songs of IR.. even IR's non-village songs are patronised highly simply for the tune and melody
  and the composition....
  
  IMO, another reason could be that the cities are
  being populated nowadays by more north indians
  coming into IT industry.. bcoz of which the whole
  tamil culture (food, dress, festivals..) is changing
  to accomodate these people or trying to become
  part of that.. therefore even music in cities are
  oriented towards pleasing the north indian
  audience without much importance being given to
  traditional tamil culture. and the intro of
  singers/voices like Udit Narayan, Sukwinder(sic),
  Sadhana Sargam etc., in tamil. These voices and pronounications may look alien to typical tamil
  people in towns... hence they are happy to stick to
  SPBs, KJYs and others of yesteryears who have sung
  maximum under IR and others like Shankar-Ganesh,
  MSV etc.,
  
  any takers ????
  
  
  
  
• From: mahabs (@ 203.197.138.163) on: Sun Oct 7 06:34:57 EDT 2001
  
  intersting observations!
  
  but, in chennai also people still clap for ir's name. this, i watched in bharathi, friends and kutti. i happened to overhear two +2 students' discussions about the music of kutti. they praised the bgm. i was really surprised. one said ir may not become no.1 again, 'cause his music in not current trend. but he other one refused and said he is capable and the friends song thendral varum is of current trend.
  
  in many restaurents in chennai, kathalukku mariyathai and kanuukul nilavu songs were played.
  
  anbudan
  
  mahabs
  
  
• From: Agassi (@ 66.75.179.76) on: Sun Oct 7 15:11:51 EDT 2001
  
  Only someone who has watched McEnroe play can appreciate his genius. Whether it was serving, receiving, playing at the net, the volleys, the angles of returns and the passing shots, the forehand or the backhand, the drop volleys - oh! well, everything - John McEnroe stood head and shoulders above his peers.
  
  Someone who likes to just name-drop and choose, at random, three other highly successful tennis players, will miss the woods for the trees. And that someone will find it equally impossible to appreciate Raja's genius.
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.231) on: Sun Oct 7 17:21:46 EDT 2001
  
  Agassi,
  
  Mostly digression:
  
  I have watched McEnroe play.Many critics claim that McEnroe has a faulty pose while making shots and he has an inherent weakness while playing groundstrokes from the baseline(cannot sustain long rallies).Most people say they watch McEnroe's game b'cos he is exciting(I think you know what that means?).Irish woman wouldn't come to watch Wimbledon if he is playing.
  
  The main reason he is appreciated is he brought American crowd to watch Tennis with his on-court antics.
  
  "Whether it was serving, receiving, playing at the net, the volleys, the angles of returns and the passing shots, the forehand or the backhand, the drop volleys - oh! well, everything - John McEnroe stood head and shoulders above his peers. "
  In each category above ,I can show you someone who is better than him(even drop volleys),if you are interested.In terms of all-round game,there are atleast 5 players I know who are better than him.
  
  All IMO.Sorry for this long posting.
  
  If you believe that kind of excitement is essential then I'm making a blunder posting here and trying to tell you that Sampras is a much superior genius than anyone (maybe)except Rod Laver.
  
  And if you think this puts you in a better position to appreciate IR's genius then this is a day of blunders from me.My argument is IR is still producing good music and calling it creative constipation is something that is difficult for me to tolerate.
  
  BTW,McEnroe is the guy who accuses Sampras of not showing emotions on court while at the same time he says(appreciates) Agassi's volleys are improving(Gimme a break!).This is the same guy who calls Ivanisevic as a one-shot player
  Advise him against going to Croatia by any chance.:)
  Does he consider himself a versatile player ?:)
  Boris Becker is a more versatile player than John McEnroe any day.
  If you want to talk more comprehensively about McEnroe I'm game.
  
  "Someone who likes to just name-drop and choose, at random, three other highly successful tennis players, will miss the woods for the trees."
  
  Looks like I'm missing a great deal of woods here.I get more satisfaction watching a strong tall tree like Sampras than a branch swaying excitedly.
  
  
  
• From: rf (@ 205.188.197.54) on: Sun Oct 7 19:03:36 EDT 2001
  
  appappa... yamazing
  
  

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