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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: mahabs (@ 203.197.138.163) on: Mon Jan 7 08:44:45 EST 2002
  
  sadly, tamil had no place either in classical or film music. before the movement for 'thamizhisai', no one thought of singing tamil songs in carnatic music concerts. even bharathy, wrote about the 'erumai tholal aana thamizharkalin kathukal'.
  
  so what is the point in attacking only the current music, that too film music?
  
  the current trend shows well the tamil identity - a nonentity.
  
  anbudan
  
  mahabs
  
  
• From: Naaz (@ 24.76.127.63) on: Mon Jan 7 12:00:20 EST 2002
  
  Here we go again!
  
  Anyone (in this case, me) who has a "sincere" investment in a topic/question posed by a thread, someone who does the argument justice by posting relevant/detailed responses, demonstrates a commitment to idea/necessity of "change", is earnest in their involvement without expecting too much else in return - always gets straddled with this:
  
  "And maybe Naaz, it's about time u stopped taking this df so personally (just a friendly advise)."
  
  Or this:
  
  " I sincerely believe u need to take an online forum more lightly."
  
  Why do I get this?? Because my postings are intelligible? My points valid/relevant? My concern beyond "personal" and larger than just "fan mail"?
  
  Whereas, all half-baked, sabotage-minded, completely off-topic, and intrinsically insincere/quarrelsome postings go untouched - without reprimand or censure. Great sense of justice guys!!
  
  Thanks for telling me - in not so many words - that all this is just haha heehee mahawasteoftime for most folks who drop in here. How stupid of me to have assumed otherwise. Nothing could be more of an ironic slap in the face than just this one nugget of truth for me - and for this topic.
  
  Good luck, folks. You won't be seeing much of me around these parts any more. Thanks for knocking some sense into my idealism. I appreciate that above all!
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.254) on: Mon Jan 7 12:28:28 EST 2002
  
  Naaz,
  
  "Thanks for knocking some sense into my idealism."
  
  What is your idealism?
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.254) on: Mon Jan 7 12:43:07 EST 2002
  
  ajlg,
  
  Those were great points.I sincerely agree with your sentiments.
  
  I would like to know more about instrument/voice in foreground/background.Which do you think should be more prominent(instrument or voice) or does it really matter as long as the feelings/emotions are expressed?
  There have been musical albums without voice but without instruments?!!!
  
  
• From: Mr. Observer (@ 64.105.35.163) on: Mon Jan 7 13:03:10 EST 2002
  
  Naaz, I will get 'Visaal' soon. Thanks.
  
  The creator of this thread has raised more than one point but the only aspect worthy of discussion is the increasingly irritating / unnecessary inclusion of English words in lyrics, pulverizing words in the name of 'style' and the monotonous techno-pop mask TFM wears today.
  
  Let us focus on these points alone and leave out the 'saree,pottu' and 'Bhangra' part of the discussion.
  
  I am sure (rather hope) there are some good number out there but a periodic look at the 'Top 10' songs would indicate what TFM would eventually end up going....to hell.
  The most common rebuttals to accusations against the current TFM are : There were bad songs even in the days of yore or/and English words have been used in the past. True, cinema medium being what it is begets a necessary evil called 'dubba' numbers that cater to the not so discerning listeners. But you had enough number of classics then to camoflauge you against the 'lesser' numbers.
  
  TFM has never disappointed film music lovers more than what it has done in the recent past. One has had to muster up all the patience/energy to seek out even passable numbers.
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.254) on: Mon Jan 7 13:10:42 EST 2002
  
  Mr. Observer,
  
  "But you had enough number of classics then to camoflauge you against the 'lesser' numbers."
  
  I'm beginning to think this may be an illusion.These days the media(TV) are hyping the bad songs so that we respond to that song and feel sick.But this was not the case in 80s.
  I'm beginning to think that based on today's standards the bad songs in 80s could have been much worse(Thanks to media for what it was not).
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Mon Jan 7 13:58:08 EST 2002
  
  ajlg ..all of us cannot become MDs like you to comment on another MD :) (BTW, how is your CD doing ? :)) I know you have already started identifying yourself with your fellow professionals :). We comment on music from a user perspective. Music is past time ..maybe a quality pasttime, I think, for many of us. We do not have aspirations of composing (I threaten to compose if this trend in TFM continues :)) so we can only comment based on what we hear..we hear reverb/echo, relative levels of instruments/voice etc..So please don the role of a listener and share your views with us otherwise you are wasting your time as we wont understand the technical things you throw at us.
  Anyways, the kind of mix is only one aspect ...that too came up because of Deva beating his drums too hard. English is okay..take it easy oorvasi was fun..but it cannot become the norm. This has been clearly mentioned by Naaz. The man has displayed real clarity of thought throughout the discussions and non-serious posters are really frustrating him.
  I create a yahoo group mainly because of the sincerity and seriousness exhibited by Naaz and Indhu.
  
  http://groups.yahoo.com/group/BetterTFM
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.132) on: Mon Jan 7 14:21:41 EST 2002
  
  Naaz, it's one thing to make comments which u feel are very worthy, and another thing to make personal attacks on everyone who has a different opinion from yours, and go on to condemn their views as "all half-baked, sabotage-minded, completely off-topic, and intrinsically insincere/quarrelsome postings"... This very attitude of yours is where the problem is.
  Maybe u shud stop looking down on everyone else and stop placing your own veiws and opinions on a pedestal and engaging in blatant narcissism.
  It becomes all the more obvious when you do it with a number of people in different threads, whose only 'crime' was viewing things differently from you, or pointing out flaws/contradictions in your arguments (which to date, you never seem to have the courage to admit).
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.132) on: Mon Jan 7 14:23:17 EST 2002
  
  typo: views and opinions
  
  
• From: Mr. Observer (@ 64.105.35.163) on: Mon Jan 7 14:23:57 EST 2002
  
  Trend, I have mentioned that I seek out good numbers. Therefore, the media influence has not deluded me. On the other hand, there are very good reasons for me to believe that TFM finds itself in a horrible rut.
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.132) on: Mon Jan 7 14:51:53 EST 2002
  
  >>So please don the role of a listener and share your views with us otherwise you are wasting your time as we wont understand the technical things you throw at us.<<
  To the contrary, I find it enlightening when people like ajlg make comments which are not simply generalisations, sweeping statements, or biased opinions, but ideas which he/she can substantiate with technical knowledge.
  
  
• From: Bharath (@ 156.153.255.243) on: Mon Jan 7 15:13:16 EST 2002
  
  //"Good luck, folks. You won't be seeing much of me around these parts any more"//
  
  From the movie "Thillu Mullu" in the Famous interview scene:
  
  Thengai Srinivasan: " enna ippadi Nehru mathiri unakku sarakku sarakkunnu kovam vanthiduthu"
  
  Naaz: Since someone offended u in this online forum.. u choose to walk away from this forum..
  
  what would you do if you met a person in real life who offends you. would you jump off a building!
  
  one of the main thing you have to contend with is arguments and comments... be it serious/non-serious
  
  you cannot control every one to be as serious as you are.
  
  walking out in a huff when someone makes a comment is your problem not ours. I will not repeat history by asking you to come back.
  
  just come back when you are man enough to discuss in this forum! otherwise stay away!
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Mon Jan 7 15:28:01 EST 2002
  
  WhyNot..you are new to the forum. You do not know ajlg or me..we have been around here for 3 or 4 years or more. I am not the one who will not be willing to learn from ajlg. I have and I would like to, but I just wanted the discussion to be focussed.I have enough respect for ajlg's composing and technical skills.
  Now continue your bickerings with Naaz :)
  
  
• From: WhyNot (@ 203.24.100.132) on: Mon Jan 7 15:32:18 EST 2002
  
  >>WhyNot..you are new to the forum. You do not know ajlg or me..we have been around here for 3 or 4 years or more.<<
  So, urm...what's your point?
  
  >>I am not the one who will not be willing to learn from ajlg.<<
  Did i say something to suggest that?
  
  >>I just wanted the discussion to be focussed.I have enough respect for ajlg's composing and technical skills.<<
  Did i say something to the contrary?
  
  >>Now continue your bickerings with Naaz<<
  Oh was I bickering with Naaz? I didn't know that. I thought Naaz was bickering with anyone who 'disagreed' with the Great Naaz idealisms.
  
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Mon Jan 7 15:45:42 EST 2002
  
  WhyNot..Dont bother..I posted because I have ajlg's attention. No more responses from me on your posts.
  
  

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