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Kamalahaasan - A very talented singer

Topic started by RajaG (@ 207.43.195.201) on Thu Jan 28 13:33:06 EST 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Kamalahaasan IMO is a very good light music singer who has not fully exploited his talents because of his diverse interests and efforts. If playback singing is defined as 'singing with expression' then, Kamal justifies it by adding histrionics to his singing. Ofcourse, SPB is the king of this art. Kamal's laugh in the phrase 'punnagaiya Endhi' in the song 'kaasumEley' from KK is an example.

Can somebody attempt an exhaustive list of Kamal's songs.

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Responses:

• From: M (@ gaff155.watstar.uwaterloo.ca) on: Thu Jan 28 15:51:48 EST 1999
  
  sure Raja!
  1. Pon maanai Theduthey En Vee...(Oh Maaney Maaney) (IR)
  2. Potaa vadiyuthu thuninj...(Sathya) (IR)
  3. Sundari Neeyum Sundaran...(MMKR) (IR)
  4. Raja Kaiya Vacha....(Apoorva Sagotharakal) (IR)
  
  
• From: nakkeeran (@ inet-fw1-o.oracle.com) on: Thu Jan 28 16:01:18 EST 1999
  
  few i remember are,
  
  - ninaivo oru paravai ( sivappu rojakkal)
  - gnaayiru oli mazhaiyil ( ? )
  - raja kaiya vachaa ( apoorva sagotharargal)
  - then paandi seemaiyile ( naayagan)
  - muthe muthammaa ( ullaasam)
  
  i'm sure the list is lil' longer.
  
  
• From: SM (@ 208.236.83.26) on: Thu Jan 28 16:20:19 EST 1999
  
  
  Hi,
  
  How about the famous "Inji iduppazhagi" song that Kamal sang with SJ in the film "Thevar Magan"? Also, in "Apoorva Sagodharargal", there are two versions of the song "Raja Kaiya Vacha" (one by SPB and the other by Kamal himself). I think, only the SPB version was there in the film, right?
  
  RajaG,
  
  I can't agree with you more. I wish Kamal continues to sing more songs, not only in his films, but also in other films, like the 'Muthae Muthamma' song he sang for Ajith in the film 'Ullasam'. He has a good voice modulation and I feel that if he continues as a playback singer, then he will be a force to reckon with among other playback singers, now that SPB and KJY are also not singing much.
  
  
• From: Sree (@ tarka.cs.concordia.ca) on: Thu Jan 28 18:04:18 EST 1999
  
  few more:
  "Marugo Marugo" Sathileelavathi (IR)
  "Saravanbhava " Kadhala Kadhala (KR)
  "Pottu vaithya" Singaravelan (IR)
  "Peykalai nambathe" Mahanathi (IR)
  
  
• From: Sree (@ tarka.cs.concordia.ca) on: Thu Jan 28 18:04:30 EST 1999
  
  few more:
  "Marugo Marugo" Sathileelavathi (IR)
  "Saravanbhava " Kadhala Kadhala (KR)
  "Pootu vaithya" Singaravelan (IR)
  "Peykalai nambathe" Mahanathi (IR)
  
  
• From: bb (@ schubert.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Jan 29 00:25:39 EST 1999
  
  aaha, thalaivar pathina thread eppadi paakkaama pOnEn:
  1.vizhiyorathu kanavondrinai- rajapaarvai
  2.kokkarakko kozhi - kalaignan
  3.thenpandi cheemaiyile - nayagan
  4.rukku rukku rukku - avvai shanmugi
  5.vikram - vikram
  
  
• From: muthax (@ user-38ld8p6.dialup.mindspring.com) on: Fri Jan 29 01:28:17 EST 1999
  
  aha!!!
  en saaarbaga thalaivaroda paatu onnu
  1.Paneer pushpangalae paadal paadu (Aval appadithaan)
  2. munathoru kaalathila murunga mara kaatukulla(moondraam pirai)
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ pool020-dwan1x2.800.dialup.earthlink.net) on: Fri Jan 29 03:33:20 EST 1999
  
  Was gnaayiru oLi mazhayil, Kamal's first playback song in TFM ? Has he performed in other languages (possibly Telugu, Malayalam)?
  
  BTW Kamaloda pugazhapaththi dhinam poora pEsinaalum enakku alukkaaadhu. Greatest movie talent of the century (all languages included) endr avarukku oru award kuduththaa nannaa irukkumE!
  
  
• From: Shankar (@ webgate0.mot.com) on: Fri Jan 29 03:43:12 EST 1999
  
  SM,
  It was kamal's version of rAja kayya vacha that was there in the movie.
  
  BTW, kamal is the only Indian actor to be in the top 100 of the people of the century survey.
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.138) on: Fri Jan 29 04:59:59 EST 1999
  
  Some more songs:
  
  Kanmani Anbodu (Guna)
  Singara Vela Singara Vela (title song)
  Megam Kottattum Aattam Undu (Enakkul Oruvan)
  
  He has also sung the Hindi version of Raja kayya Vecha in Appu Raja.
  
  My favorites are:
  Panneer Pushpangale and Gnyayiru Oli Mazhayil (very professional singing)
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Jan 29 05:04:16 EST 1999
  
  megam kottattum by kamal?? it is by SPB.
  
  
• From: rs (@ sungold7.uk.ibm.com) on: Fri Jan 29 08:15:28 EST 1999
  
  Sonna padi kelu makkar pannathe is also from KH
  
  
• From: Kamal-basher (@ master.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Fri Jan 29 08:30:54 EST 1999
  
  Kamal has sung the telugu version of "Saravana bhava ", too.
  Greatest movie talent of the century?Appo, chaplin, Dustin Hoffman, innum matra "inspirations" of kamal ellam irukkangalae...avangalai enna solradhu?
  Sari, awardungaradhu romba cheapa pochu. So, kuduthuduvom. Appadiye, engal thenisai thendralukku kooda musical talent of the centurynu oru award kudukkalaamae, enna solreenga?
  
  
• From: Neels (@ 202.54.125.138) on: Fri Jan 29 08:42:42 EST 1999
  
  Hi,
  
  SM just said that he is ONE of the 100 listed, and not the only greatest.
  
  By the way, as for Megam kottattum, there exists a version by Kamal.
  
  Neels
  
  
• From: Raj (@ master.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Fri Jan 29 08:57:13 EST 1999
  
  Before my words are misinterpreted and I am bashed for something I didn't mean, let me make my position clear.
  Neels, I have no objection to Kamal being in any top 100 survey. I was not reacting to Shankar's info(BTW, it was shankar, not SM, who posted that info).
  I was reacting to Raja.G., who seemed to suggest that Kamal was the greatest talent of the century.
  So, I thought things should be placed in their proper perspective.
  
  So, if I am to be bashed, bash me for not accepting kamala as the greatest talent of the century, not for not accepting him as being in the Top 100.
  Actually, I thought the mention of Deva in the same breath as Kamal will expose me to a flurry of brick-bats. Instead, I get this....:)
  Go ahead, attack...
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ 207.43.195.201) on: Fri Jan 29 10:24:41 EST 1999
  
  Raj,
  
  I think the only deficiency Kamal had was he was not born in the U.S. or U.K. OppuththukkarEn, Chaplin, Dustin ivaaLLaam inspiration thaan. But neither of them showed the immense variety that Kamal showed in the field of acting alone. Add to that, singing, dancing, direction, music management (specific expectations from MDs), Kamal has demonstrated enormous talent in the field of film making. ChappaaNi came before Rainman. No, I am not suggesting that Hollywood copied Kodambaakkam. I am merely stating that Kamal had already done a somewhat similar role.
  
  Kamal knows english and is a good student of the film industry. Hence it is natural that he gets to study Chaplin, Dustin, etc,etc. Because the others don't get to see Kamal's tamil movies or understand it, there is no opportunity for them (DH, et al) to see Kamal's achievements and draw inspiration. But that does not diminish kamal's superior talents.
  
  
• From: Raj (@ hydrec2.hyd.deshaw.com) on: Fri Jan 29 11:43:24 EST 1999
  
  Rajag, I still feel for all that , to call him the greatest talent of the century is too much. There are enough comparable artistes in Indian F world itself. I would like to present the case of one Kishore Kumar, of HFW. Mind you, I wouldn't, in the normal course of events, even dream of conferring such a distinction on KK. But if you present the case of Kamal, I'll present his case alright :
  Let's consider all the parameters you listed one by one:
  1. ACTING: Obviously, Kamal will beat KK hollow in this aspect. Still, KK has some excellent comic performances to his credit, as well as a superbly-etched serious role in Jhumroo, directd by himself. I can never accept KH as a great actor , though..except for Make-up and get-up and other gimmicks, his other performances include standard expressions, unlike our great sivaji, who had hundred expressions for each emotion. For example, notice how Kamal expresses consoling. There is a standard formula always..if you remember the scene in "Nayakan", where he consoles his foster-sister, on the death of his adopted father(the muslim periavar) , he'll just stand facing her, give a hopeless expression, turn his face away, and hug the female(!). In the same movie, the same routine is reserved for saranya, when she expresses her gratitude in the song "Nee oru kaathal..". In numerous other movies, the same routine is performed for similar scenes.Likewise, there are a set of expressions he comes up with for standard occasions. So,he is not reall as great an actor as people would have us believe.Compare him with Shivaji, Sanjeev Kumar, Naseruddin shah and while shivaji will beat him hollow , the last two will atleast be on par with him. Still ,KH wins this round hands down. I'll give:
  KH:70/100.
  KK:35/100(Just pass!)
  
  2.FILM-MAKING: KH is the winner here , too. But it is lot too closer here. KK has made both commercially-succesful comedies and critically-acclaimed serious movies. Whats more, he has directed a string of hits in both hindi and bengali, like "Chalti ka naam gaadi", "Jhumroo" etc. So, he cannot be dismissed lightly as a filmmaker,too. KH has ghost-directed many films, apparently. But, so long as he comes up with a product under his name, I cannot accept him as the director.(Except Chachi 420, so far, he hasn't directed any film officially). If you say those directors lare just dummy and kamal did everything, I would like to point out thatthese are mere rumours.Though there is a chance that these might be true, for every such rumour that kamal did all about his movieS rather than the director, there is a rumour that he stole other peoples' stories(Ma.ve.Sivakumars kadhai was supposedly passed off as "Thevar Magan".Recently, GA claimed authorship of "Thevar Magan"). Similarly, he has been heavily inspired by hollywood. So, his credentials as a film-maker are not as impeccable as those as an actor.So, I'd give:
  KH:50
  KK:40
  
  3. DANCING: KK did nothing more than prancing around. KH is supposed to be good in dancing. No questions on this one:
  KH:60
  KK:30
  
  4.SINGING (!): Can anyone dispute me when I say KK was one of the most-complete singers India has ever had. Whether it was clarity of diction, expression of emotion, excellent voice control, traversing high pitches effortlessly, and any aspect of singing, KK is certainly among the top 2 ever in the Indian scene. KH , while he is a decent passable singer(Actually, I would rate him below IR) , cannot even come within 10% of KK in this aspect.
  So, KH: 30
  KK: 75, considring his stature viz-a-viz Indian singers as opposed to kamal's viz-a-viz Indian actors.
  5. MUSIC DIRECTION: Ha, Kamal does get involved in Music. But has he ever come up with scintillating tunes, given wonderful hits , touching songs AS A MD? No, but KK has actually given some melodious songs and albums. And hits, too. Listen to "Jhumroo". So touching an album. "Koi lauta de mere beethe hue din?" is an absolutely haunting song. Did you know that the tune for "Roop tera mastana .." from Aradhana, a super-hit all over India including TN, actually suggested by KK? SDB, the MD for the film had made a rather bland tune for the song going like: "Roop teraaaaa...mastana.." ,with a slow, uninspiring tune. (I am not demeaning Burmanda in any way..I revre him, too. But this is fact.Once, I heard RDB saying this in a *LIVE* concert). It was KK who suggeted the tune which was ultimately to become super-popular. He HAS actually composed wonderful music, in the rich tradition of Bengali music, which, IMO, is among the most melodious I have heard. So, Kamal is nowhere in this race, because he doesn't have a single composition to his credit. So,
  KH: 15(?)
  KK: 60
  ADD UP ALL: WE have, KH(70+50+60+30+15) =225 KK(35+40+25+75+60)=235. Okay, percentages may vary according to preferences . Ultimately, both KK and KH fall in the same range, IMO. So, we have a person from Indian scene itself who can be perceived as an equal of KH. Actually, I am doing all this only to show how futile it is to eulogise any one person as the greatest talent. I am not suggesting that KK is the greatest talent . SO, PLEASE DO NOT POST ANYTHING REGARDING KK being not so great. I accept. That is precisely the point I am making..he is as great as or not-so-great as KH. Only percentages vary in different peoples' opinion.Let's not over-glorify anyone.
  Did you know that SATYAJIT RAY, wrote, directed his own movies(which were acclaimed internationally and were unmistakably and undeniably original). And he scored the music for his films. Apparently, bigwigs like "Ustad Amir khan", "Ghulam ali khan" etc scored for his first few movies. But he wasn't satisfied with thwm because , these people just gave some raga aalapanai for evry sequence instead of trying to provide music which exactly matched the sequence on the screen. So, he took up the baton himself from "Charulata" onwards , I think, andif you see his movies, you'll marvel at his BGM. He was well -versed in WCM and ICM, besides "Rabindra Sangeet", a bengali musical form pioneered by Rabindranath Tagore. He never acted on-screen but every actor worthihis salt who worked him swear that he would have "Thookki sappittufied" them if he had chosen to, much like it is said of KB in TFM. I mean, he was an unquestionable maestro in all the fields you have mentioned of film-making(except dancing!) Ffor KH and HE HAS ACTUALLY performed, to international acclaim in each of these fields. Besides, this INTERNATIONAL ACCLAIM wasn't misplaced, as is the case with people like ARR. It was truly deserved and genuine. SO, KH is nothing before Satyajit Ray. But I am not saying this to demean KH. Just putting things in the right perspective. While your admiration for Kamal's talent is most welcome, any discernible observer would agree with me, IMO, if I say "He is certainly NOT the greatest movie talent of the century"(which BTW is the equivalent of saying "Greatest ever"- because movie-making has been in vogue only in this century!) I hope I have made myself clear. Brickbats welcome!
  
  
• From: rajaG (@ 207.43.195.201) on: Fri Jan 29 14:57:14 EST 1999
  
  Raj,
  
  Excellent analysis. Your choice of KK and Satyajit Ray as peers for the comparison is very appropriate too. Obviously, the selection of somebody as greatest or more appropriately 'best among the greats' will always be an opinion, either one, a few, or many. As you have rightly pointed out, assigning dummy variables with numerical values is still, at best, imperfect. My point is that KHs achievements definitley make him a contender and not a pretender.
  
  For example, if one had to select the greatest sports hero of the century (and trust me these lists will come up whether we like it or not) the names of Jordan and Pele will crop up. Even if those two are the only nominations, a case can always be made for one or the other. However, one cannot deny that both of them have genuine claims for the honor of "the greatest". I am making the same claim for KH as his fan.
  
  It is not that I am not being objective. I knew very well that I was going out on a limb, but wanted healthy discussion about the validity of the claim and other contenders.
  
  Thanks for your response.
  
  
  
  

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