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Death of Tamil identity in Tamil cinema

Topic started by Ramakrishna (@ 209.179.214.237) on Thu Jan 3 22:23:11 EST 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

In the 80's and before, Tamil movies and songs had a flavor that made them unique. But in the 90's, there has been a slow but sure trend in Tamil movies where they have become more and more North-Indianized or even MTVised (if there is such a term).

Songs don't feature south Indian instruments like Nadhaswaram or the mridangham any more. Even the days of rich violin orchestrations of Illayaraja or Viswanathan Ramamurthy are over. Instead, the music has become more techno/pop and were it not for the lyrics, one cannot even recognize a lot of songs as being Indian, let alone Tamil.

Speaking of lyrics, the less said the better. Apart from being nonsensical, the heavy use of English phrases makes one wonder if these lyricists have secret desire to start a career with Motown.

Also why do most dance seqences feature Punjabi attire? Hello, these are supposed to be TAMIL movie about TAMILIANs.

How many times these days does a lead actress wear a saree and has a pottu? I mean, other than in Vijayakanth films.

Even other things insignificant ranging from background score to rolling credits at the end are blindly copied from Hollywood.

For me in my youth, a major portion of my cultural exposure to south Indian culture was through Tamil movies. I am afraid the current and future generations may not have that opportunity. Instead they would be stuck with watching dubbed Hindi movies because that is what Tamil movies these days essentially are.

I am not a Hindi basher but it is sad that regional language films are losing their identities to this relentless MTVisation.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.137) on: Sat Jan 5 11:44:57 EST 2002
  
  >>I applaud your self-awareness.<<
  Like i said Naaz, don't feel so obliged to commend me...my 'awareness' also helps me to detect cheap applause from insecure parties ;-)
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 11:52:43 EST 2002
  
  Commending you comes "naturally." I am always awestruck when people find different ways to let the world know that they are "morons." Keep it up!
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.133) on: Sat Jan 5 12:00:12 EST 2002
  
  >>I am always awestruck when people find different ways to let the world know that they are "morons."<<
  
  Ooooooh... Naaz resorts to name-calling and mud-slinging...now r 'we' trying to portray something to the world ;-)
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 12:07:20 EST 2002
  
  It was a name you gave yourself, WhyNot:
  <>
  Look it up. The dictionary has two one-word options for that phrase: Moron or Imbecile. Take your pick.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 12:09:00 EST 2002
  
  Here's your self-proclaimed status:
  "Did I make any pretences of being intelligent or informed?" (Context for the above)
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.133) on: Sat Jan 5 12:18:37 EST 2002
  
  :-)))
  Naaz, r u losing sleep over me?
  I never cared to check ur name up in the dictionary, or for that matter, my own id i use in this df...:-))
  
  Not making 'pretences of being intelligent or informed' is a sign of humility...and humility is a good thing, as i was brought up to believe.
  Heard the saying
  "Nirai kudam neer thalumbaathu"
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 12:33:05 EST 2002
  
  Yes, I have. Have you heard this one:
  Nalla Maattukku Oru Soodu?
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.133) on: Sat Jan 5 12:37:13 EST 2002
  
  I've explained what I understood from my saying and how I apply it to myself.
  
  Now Naaz, what do u understand from your saying
  "Nalla Maattukku Oru Soodu?" Why haven't u started applying it to uself yet? ;-)
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 12:39:23 EST 2002
  
  How can I apply it to myself when you are the moronic cow (metaphorically, of course)
  :-))
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.133) on: Sat Jan 5 12:40:46 EST 2002
  
  >>How can I apply it to myself when you are the moronic cow<<
  We see in others what we are ourselves really are.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 12:44:11 EST 2002
  
  That's deep. There's hope for you, already!
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.137) on: Sat Jan 5 12:53:44 EST 2002
  
  dear dear Naaz... I only have one thing to say to you...to quote voltaire: "The road to the heart is the ear." Please listen to the songs before judging them.
  
  I apologise if i offended u with the 'dinosaur' statement as looking back, that seems to be the only likely thing that cud have agitated u so much.
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.98.40.99) on: Sat Jan 5 13:31:58 EST 2002
  
  MDs, singers and lyricists were talented enough to meet the expecations and the volume of demand before the 90s. Since the early 90s TFM has become the domain of half-baked MDs, singers and lyricists. Many of them have no formal training in music or knowlege of poetry. Naturally no respect or reverence for traditional music and poetry. They have to cover up their lack of talent and knowledge with borrowed, copied and "inspired" stuff. And when they borrow or copy exotic stuff and modern nonsense, it becomes "very cool" among the half-baked listeners. Taste is acquired and cultivated. If you are fed with crap you acquire a taste for crap and then that becomes the norm. I listen to Oli 96.8 almost everyday. I cant hear any listener requesting for "thirumaNa malargaL" a song with beautiful lyrics, beautiful tune and great diction. But there are plenty requesting "achchachO punnagai". I guess I have to just live with it. I cannot turn back time, except in my own living room.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 14:36:02 EST 2002
  
  Yes, NeelD, you are quite right. Just the way you can't turn back time, you can't make morons intelligent, or genetic losers winners. This is not bias. Just an impirical fact.
  
  It's good to hear a voice of reason and thought like yours in this forum. People who can't string together a few coherent sentences somehow assume that they can mount a thought-provoking argument. Why bother with a discussion when one has nothing pertinent or informed to contribute to the issue at hand? Empty provocation is just that - empty - and thoroughly infantile.
  Many thanks to your posting for addressing the original question posed by the person who started this thread. I look forward to your other insights.
  
  
• From: Mr. Observer (@ 64.105.35.163) on: Sat Jan 5 15:48:30 EST 2002
  
  Neel D, are there any good new songs that you can suggest ?
  
  
  
• From: Neel D (@ 24.98.40.99) on: Sat Jan 5 15:49:51 EST 2002
  
  Mr. Observer,
  
  Is that a trick question?
  
  
• From: Mr. Observer (@ 64.105.35.163) on: Sat Jan 5 15:56:45 EST 2002
  
  Neel D,
  No serious. I am sure there a few good ones out there that have gone unnoticed. Please check out this related thread
  http://newtfmpage.com/forum/13750.17723.15.43.14.html
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Sat Jan 5 16:03:09 EST 2002
  
  Folks, and especially people who feel seriously about the degrading quality of music should join together and discuss how this trend could be arrested. (Personally, I beleive, the quality of lyrics, pronounciation and even quality of music at times in very bad in TFM).
  So to help discuss this among like minded people (but maybe with opinions of varying degree) I have created a yahoo Group. Access to this is restricted. But I will approve any requests to join this group. I will only remove people if they are affecting the productivity/constructiveness of others. All posts to the group are unmoderated. So think of me as somebody who is doing the admin work rather than 'moderator'/'owner' of the club. I would like people like Naaz/Ramakrishna (and even WhyNot !!) to come up with some constructive action items. I will try to contribute as well but I have a hectic job(or probabl I am not that smart :)) , a dad with a 6 month baby and a working wife, life is hectic.(Yeah, being a dad I am conscious of what my kid hears/will hear :)) So I will not be around that much. But please use this group effectively and put all your energies there.
  
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BetterTFM/
  
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 17:43:57 EST 2002
  
  Mr.Observer - although the request was not addressed to me, I have a suggestion for your discerning ears. If you understand Hindi/Urdu Poetry and are familiar with the Ghazal genre, then please give "Visaal" a shot. It is a beautiful album, lovingly composed, soulfully sung (by Ghulam Ali) with inspired words by Gulzar. A truly melodic and sensory experience.It is by far the best album I've heard in the last few years.
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Sat Jan 5 18:02:14 EST 2002
  
  kiru - thanks for the invitation. I signed on to the yahoo group you have initiated. I am new at this "group" thing and will have to learn by making a few mistakes...so please be patient. I am glad to be part of the discussion, though, and thanks for asking me to join. It is a good initiative! Good Luck!
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.131) on: Sat Jan 5 21:05:50 EST 2002
  
  >>I listen to Oli 96.8 almost everyday. I cant hear any listener requesting for "thirumaNa malargaL" a song with beautiful lyrics, beautiful tune and great diction. But there are plenty requesting "achchachO punnagai".<<
  
  Neel D, are u talking about the Singaporean MediaCorp Radio station? I believe u r not in Spore right now, so I don't know how much u know about the internal tickings behind the station.
  But it's true that a few years ago, the station had a change of management. Since then, they have this 'target youth' mentality. Bcos i guess they were scared youth these days r not interested in listening to Tamil radio anymore and this may result in the demise of that station.
  
  What followed were lots of experimental programs, irritating comperes, and quite a few blunders. I don't know if they really got more young listeners, but it definitely achieved the discontent of old-timers who were put off by many of the 'new' things they tried, and well, did not quite succeed. (but i guess it's all part of learning)
  
  This may be the reason behind deterioration of 'listenership' that u r talking about.
  But if u look out closely, there may be programs that you may actually find worthwhile. All hope is not lost yet.
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.137) on: Sat Jan 5 21:25:18 EST 2002
  
  btw, no one has answered my query regarding the "MUMMY" trend in Tamil Nadu.
  The reason I asked this, was becos, if we want to analyse 'Death of Tamil identity in Tamil cinema', we may want to analyse if this is a result of the 'Death of Tamil identity in current Tamil society'.
  How we address our mother is a fundamental part of who we are and as far as I'm concerned, this "MUMMY" trend is an unforgiveable death of a fundamental aspect of our culture.
  (Please don't tell me the word 'amma' has taken a whole new meaning in Tamil Nadu today. I wudn't know whether to laugh or cry if i hear that)
  
  
• From: AVR (@ 203.199.158.117) on: Sun Jan 6 02:59:48 EST 2002
  
  Naaz and whynot:
  
  Whats all this name-calling going on,eh????
  
  Naaz, I fully concur with you, on your feelings about the present state of music, but then thats what the people want. Answer me honestly - what would sell more today??? An album of Surdas bhajans or a "rukmini rukmini"??? The film people have to worry about the "sales part" of their work, coz stakes in the film industry run into millions and millions. Answer me again - did the music of Bhaiaravi ever make it big, although it was excellent. The answer is no. Technology along with it myriad advantages - brings in a lot of disadvanatges too. We have to expect everything as a package - you dont get only the plus points of everything, do you? In a way, what WHYNOT says is not fully wrong.
  
  Have u ever tried convincing people about the benefits of traditional music and its diversity. I have tried doing it, and I have faced many an embarassing moment on account of my attempts. Its no use, the "aam junta" is not going to listen. Our only choice is to listen to the old ditties or to the few good albums we have today.
  
  Thanks
  AVR
  
  

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