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Is TFM in a vicious cycle of degeneration?

Topic started by rajaG (@ 208.24.179.211) on Tue Sep 26 15:43:14 EDT 2000.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I have checked the archives and for some reason a topic with a similar heading is gone!
So here's is some food for thought.

1. Actors like Ajith, Vijay, etc commanding MDs to copy from "English CDs" and set them to Indian lyrics.
2. MDs like Deva, Sirpi copying left, right and center, in situations excluding item 1 above.
3. Bad pronunciation of singers.
4. MDs like SAR repeating the same tune over and over and over......you get the point (and many times in the same film)
5. ARR not putting any effort in re-recording at all- merely playing the songs in the movie with slower/faster versions.
6. ARR, Srikanth (Deva's son), etc blatantly indulging in lip-synch activities. Other lesser known artists, engaged in karaoke singing. While this does not directly affect TFM it speaks for the lack of confidence in the talents of the artists.
7. Many occurences of really stupid lyrics - though most of them may be blamed on the director/producers adamant insistence or same boring situations.
8. Absence of thespians who could inspire Kannadasan, TMS, SPB, PS etc to give their best.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.28.53) on: Wed Sep 27 19:03:55 EDT 2000
  
  Udhaya,
  Melody will live long, no doubt about that. thats why even after 50 years or so lata is still being glorified and rediff carries an article about her today. But my worry is about the
  present diminishment in this aspect of music as compared to yesteryears. I hope all this rock and jazz mogam u talk about are just a passing phase and soon we'll see a young genius taking TFM to its past heights with his sheer melodic compositions and no-nonsense work ethics.
  
  
• From: fan (@ 216.190.255.35) on: Wed Sep 27 19:10:34 EDT 2000
  
  Ayya sami --- "copied from another thread(ARR's concert) by lev mirlas (@ 32.97.110.69)"
  
  please dont post the same news here too.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.28.53) on: Wed Sep 27 19:10:59 EDT 2000
  
  Srikanth,
  I agree to an extent. Iam just thinking, here we are discussing about TFM coming a full circle, losing quality etc.. imagine the plight of HFM lovers;)) What a fall from the days of SDB and RDB to anu-malik and anand-milind;)) HFM has been going in circles for a few years now;)
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.28.53) on: Wed Sep 27 19:12:22 EDT 2000
  
  srikanth,
  u said u talked to new musicians. are they bu any chance VS or bharadwaj or someone like that? good to know that. unfortunately of late, VS has been reserving his good songs for mallu films like ilayaraja ;))
  
  
• From: Karthik S (@ 12.10.193.122) on: Wed Sep 27 23:48:58 EDT 2000
  
  I respect those of you who want to sit back and take note of the proceedings in TFM. Sorry for claiming its pessimistic. Honest.
  
  But the fact of the matter is that TFM has increasingly become more of a financial proposition than about art per se. Theres absolutely nothing we can do about it 'cos the artists have to earn a living too to feed themselves.
  
  They cannot live like Bharathy feeding their scant grains to sparrows. So if producers consider ARR as a good source of parallel revenue, our only hope is thet ARR tries to juggle a bit of art and innovativeness in his revenue generating TFM. Same for every other MD.
  
  Reg. the proliferation of singers, its merely a question of demand and supply. Agreed KJJ and SPB were the best of the best but how many songs can they song. With so many movies being made and with age catching up with them they gotto limit their work somewhere along the line aint it? So obviously we would have new singers cropping up every now and then. The better ones will of course stay.
  
  And the myth that melody is the only thing that'll stay. Thats purely a matter of personal opinion being harped to death. Partly 'cos our classical forms of music are based in melody and they've sustained for so long. I loved the song marugo marugo long back and I still stop to listen to it when it appears on TV. Same for raja raja in agni natchathiram. Yes, I also love thoongatha vizhiga in the same movie....but not more than raja or vice versa.
  
  --Karthik S
  
  
• From: eden (@ 61.1.250.203) on: Thu Sep 28 00:25:15 EDT 2000
  
  'cos the artists have to earn a living too to feed themselves
  
  That's not so much of a truthful observation (it's not making a living but greed in most cases). Even if so, stealing from others (copying) is not the right way to earn a living:-(
  
  Even after a century we talk about Bharathy and admire him as `mahakavi', why? If he had stooped down to the attitude `make money somehow', no one would care today. What one leaves behind is more important, IMHO!
  
  
• From: SL (@ 63.253.230.21) on: Thu Sep 28 00:28:55 EDT 2000
  
  Vijay, any system/industry that looks to cater to a wide audience will generate sufficient revenue to catch the eyes of businessmen who will not necessarily be art oriented. HFM was the first victim of this trend and even during the days of the greats (between 40s and mid-70s), suckers like Raj Kapoor would "extract" mediocre, simple songs out of Shankar-Jaikishan that would sell but wouldn't please listeners with discerning taste. TeFM and TFM generate enough revenue in the South and thereby imbibe the same trend albeit to a lesser degree. MFM has been surviving the onslaught to some extent probably due to the fact that KJY was the real superstar there till his self-imposed exile:-).
  
  The true revolution will happen in TFM when the film directors become superstars. Only then can the side-tracked talents of the likes of Balabarathy and Vidyasagar come to the fore.
  
  
• From: SL (@ 63.253.230.21) on: Thu Sep 28 00:31:42 EDT 2000
  
  Karthik, Deva has made enough 'bread' already. What stops him from being selective and quality oriented ? If you are referring to his poverty stricken past, no MD has experienced that more than MSV (who started off with dusting instruments) and IR (we his story :).
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Thu Sep 28 03:33:37 EDT 2000
  
  good thread. tamil cinema itself is in serious danger of extinction (no jokes), and this could happen sooner than later. cost of production has gone through the roof, satellite television has dealt a near-fatal blow, theatre tickets are up, studios are rotting for want of demand and cinema halls are making way for shopping complexes. the paradox is that cinema remains the most popular entertainment medium. in such a scenario, tfm is in dire need of good films to pull audiences back into theatres. unlike the 70s and much of the 80s, people today have other amusement to turn to, at least in the cities. browsing centres, snooker parlours, booze joints, bowling alleys, go karting, para sailing, theme parks....tell me how can junk films compete with these? it's a complex situation, and unless someone blazes a new trail, i see little hope.
  
  
• From: cram (@ 206.103.12.102) on: Thu Sep 28 03:35:36 EDT 2000
  
  pls read "theatre tickets" as "cost of theatre tickets"
  
  
• From: kanthimathi (@ 202.177.162.91) on: Thu Sep 28 06:51:56 EDT 2000
  
  I don't think TFM is going towards extinction - even today, it is so vibrant, with so many talents coming up in so many fields! The cost going up is all part of a cycle, and films will go on if it adapts to changing times.
  
  As regards to music, i have one point to make. Have you noticed that Tamil films are becoming more and more visually superior? Have you noticed the trend that a song from any Tamil movie nowadays is a treat to WATCH? International quality is reflected in choreography, camera, lighting, costumes, sets etc. (Did you guys see that 'thodappakattai' cameo in 'pudikkale, pudikkale, intha ponnukku enna pudikkale?') Tamil music is CATERING to these visuals, and hence definitely would be of a typical genre.
  
  TFM has evolved, and I don't think it is any great loss. It has just taken on a new, interesting form.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.28.53) on: Thu Sep 28 10:14:47 EDT 2000
  
  "MFM has been surviving the onslaught to some extent probably due to the fact that KJY was the real superstar there till his self-imposed exile:-). "
  
  SL, it cannot be better illustrated than by comparing IR's songs in Mallu Vs his latest tamil songs. what a sharp contrast!
  
  "And the myth that melody is the only thing that'll stay. "
  
  Its not a myth. its a proven scientific fact that melody makes a lasting impact. i have read articles on this before. but what is melodious to u need not be to me and son.
  
  and also its not true that only classical or carnatic based songs be melodic. IR has many non-carnatic based songs that have an equal dose of melody in them.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.28.53) on: Thu Sep 28 10:21:15 EDT 2000
  
  where is RajaG?;))
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ 208.24.179.202) on: Thu Sep 28 10:39:50 EDT 2000
  
  Vijay: ingayE thaan irukkEn! I am going through everybody's posts and also posting tongue in cheek one-liners in other threads:-)
  
  
• From: fan (@ 216.190.255.35) on: Thu Sep 28 11:55:31 EDT 2000
  
  Vijay,
  Infact The most points rajag put apply to HFM more than TFM. Just replace deva and co with anumalik and co.:)
  
  Mallu songs are better: the reason is simple, for mallu movies music is done by the MD, not by the producer or the hero or misc.
  There is no hero worship there. Music is treated with respect hence more discipline is maintained. I would thank your roomie for putting me into that form of music.
  I also found there are 2 (types or) groups of mallu film music, one is really sober we cannot tell if it is a love song or a pathos song, romba slow and dull. There is another group who do wonderful music. VS, Ir falls in this group,
  I will email when I get time about these meetings with various MD's.
  
  out of topic...
  Rajag and others: one question ,
  who was first to do light music shows on stages singing tamil film songs ?, whos idea was it ?
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ 207.43.195.201) on: Thu Sep 28 11:59:56 EDT 2000
  
  Fan: Start a page called hfmpage.com. angEym ennOda views a post paNrEn!
  
  For your quiz question the answer is ragaravi:-)
  
  
• From: MS (@ 129.252.23.185) on: Thu Sep 28 12:00:50 EDT 2000
  
  Mallu songs are better. I told you :-)
  
  
• From: fan (@ 216.190.255.35) on: Thu Sep 28 12:04:16 EDT 2000
  
  ms
  thanks for adding songs after mallu :)))
  G: even before that ?
  
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.149.4) on: Thu Sep 28 13:25:13 EDT 2000
  
  >>Mallu songs are better: the reason is simple, for mallu movies music is done by the MD, not by the producer or the hero or misc<<
  This could be one reason. But on the average the keralite audience is much more music savvy, IMHO. My wife who headed a nursing college which had a majority of Keralite studends tells me that almost all the keralite students there could sing or dance. Many male students were also good bharata natyam dancers. Also note, historically, the Travancore maharAjahs were avid supporters of music. And we all know of great vidwans, bhagavathars from Kerala.
  Because of this the heroes and other professionals there also know the importance of music. Mohanlal gave a free hand to rAja in Guru and also spent money on bringing musicians from Hungary. Kamal later went to the extent of taking rAja himself to Hungary.
  
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.22.221) on: Thu Sep 28 13:41:49 EDT 2000
  
  Kiru,
  I had suspected that(knowledge of mallu audience) for quite some time;)) Another reason maybe would be the better quality of films on an average and different stories, not the same boy-meets-girl type stories that we see in tamil these days which would make even the young MDs compose uninspired.
  
  

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