Home   Forum   Wiki   Notes   Register   FAQ   Sitemap   About Us   Contact Us  

An encounter with IR

Topic started by Anand Mahadevan (@ freedum.proxy.lucent.com) on Tue Dec 15 12:05:24 EST 1998.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Guys,
I was able to have a tete-de-tete with IR at prasad studios.My cousin plays tabla for him.I sneaked with him to the studio and had a 30 mins talk with IR.The topics ranged from GURU to the current trends.
A mention of GURU really brightnend his eyes and IR told me that they did'nt market it alright.
They spent 25 days for re-recording and it was a herculean task.
I also brought in TFM to his knowledge and he seems to be aware of this forum ,"Kelvi pattuiruken".
I told him about the BGM project and following was his reaction in tamil ."Pannalam.Aanal orginal tracks thedi pedikunum".Nalla project".I also asked opinions with sadanand(music director sudarshan's son) ,who is IR's lead guitarist for 20 years.He liked the idea but was wary of copyright problems.
I just came back from chennai after a 2 month vacation.
The BGM project is really exciting.We have to contact individual production companies for the soundtracks.I gave it a shot with raj kamal but could'nt get hold of Kamal.Somebody will have to do the leg work at chennai .we can really pull it off.

---

Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: Anand mahadevan (@ freedum.proxy.lucent.com) on: Fri Sep 10 09:38:04 EDT 1999
  
  V.Balaji,
  I thought IR was in Prasad through out the 80's.He went to AVM for brief period of time but is back in Prasad.He is perfectly reachable and has no qualms in meeting people.The only thing I noticed is that he is blunt and this does'nt gel with most of the folks.After his return from hibernation he has avoided big banners for reasons known to him.It could be past animosity or just wanted to try out with new technicians.
  
  
• From: SRK (@ icache-3.doit.wisc.edu) on: Fri Sep 10 12:15:29 EDT 1999
  
  pg: It is all not IR's ego although IR's ego had a lot to do with his downfall, I daresay.
  
  Rumours have it that when MR approached IR for Iruvar, he did not come personally but sent some assistant. IF this is true (and this is no small if), his rejection is justified.
  
  What I'm trying to say is, its possible that someone else's ego too had a part to play.
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.25.73) on: Fri Sep 10 12:38:44 EDT 1999
  
  pg,
  Though u are partly right, IR scoring music for junk movies is not the reason why his music is mediocre. Amongst his gems from the 80s, 60% of them are from junk movies. Most of mohan's and ramaraajan's movies were crap.
  the fact is IR did not need inspiration in the form of good banners, directors, actors etc. 15 years back, thought it is well-known that he gives his best for bharathiraaja, manirathnam etc.
  
  But now he is at a point where he just cannot score good music for bad movies because he has nothing to prove to himself. kaadhalukku mariyadhai was a decent movie. The rest of the movies that u mentioned were crap. The same rk selvamani had given another crap, chembaruthi, 7 years back for which raja came up with hits.
  
  So its just that he has lost his enthu as far as scoring music for ordinary masala movies are concerned.
  
  
  
  
• From: Madhan (@ 202.41.117.62) on: Fri Sep 10 13:25:48 EDT 1999
  
  Dear Vijay,
  
  If what you say is right, then why does IR accept bad movies ?
  
  
• From: RB (@ 129.130.133.52) on: Fri Sep 10 14:26:29 EDT 1999
  
  vijay,
  NETHI ADI!!!!
  Good explanation.As you said he lost interest nowadays.I think he is diverting most of his attention towards "aanmeegam".
  
  Madhan,
  As far as your q is concerned.I think he accepts a certain number of movies inorder to earn something and keep his life going.
  
  
• From: Dorai (@ gateway7.ey.com) on: Fri Sep 10 15:38:02 EDT 1999
  
  PG,
  Your statement" rAjA is the only person who has problems with everybody in the industry : maNi rathnam, balachander, bharathyraja, bhagyaraj, rajnikanth,kamalhaasan. No director/hero wants to work with him. Who is to blame ? "
  
  "No point blaming directors, great-conspiracy-in-film-industry"
  
  Only further reiterates that it there is a great-conspiracy looking at the list of directors who ran away from IR. Why should they dessert when he was in peak. BR is the greatest oppurtunist I can think of. He switches to the winning side so fastly and shamelessly. E.g, he sided with MGR when he was CM and then he sided with Jayalalitha, and now very much with Kalainger M.K. BR owes most of his success to IR and is now thankless about it.
  Even MR grew with IR. But for his brilliant music in Mounaragam, Nayakan, AgniNakshathiram, Talapathi, he would not have reached such great heights in Tamil Film industry.
  
  As per your statement, if no director wants to wwork with him, then how come good directors like Fazil, Agathiyan, Cheran, Nassar have worked with him. The fact is that these directors are not part of the coterie who is trying to bring IR's glory down. They know who can deliver good stuff and hence still work with him.
  
  
  
• From: vijay (@ 129.252.25.73) on: Fri Sep 10 17:13:28 EDT 1999
  
  Madhan,
  I dont know how far it is true, but it seems that IR is in a financial crisis right now. Maybe u know better, I dont know. But based on what info I gathered from the net, he was building some recording theatre and finally the land was taken away by the govt. or something like that and so he lost a lot of money. his sons are also not exactly doing too well in the TFM scene.
  
  So as RB said inorder to keep his life running he might be accepting mediocre films.
  
  But his re-rerecording skills are still intact as evidenced by the BGMs of KM,Housefull,devathai etc. Its not that he does'nt have stuff anymore. I wont agree with anyone who says that. he needs a different kind of challenge from now on to give good music, that's all.
  
  For a different period film with a challenging storyline like guru he brought the whole hungarian group which played the symphony and composed the music for the film. So it still shows that he has not lost anything. I would rate Guru even above some of his very best albums from the 80s in terms of orchestration.
  
  
• From: RB (@ 129.130.133.52) on: Fri Sep 10 18:06:05 EDT 1999
  
  Guys,
  As it had been pointed out I feel that IR is looking for something different rather than churn out the same kind of muisc for films whcih he has been doing it for the last 20 yrs.
  Once in a TV interview(during diwali-very many yrs back) he told that--if one had the ambition of reaching the Mount Everest crest,definetely he will be working towards it.What next after reaching the top of mount Everest?
  So one's ambition doesn't stop with any kind of limitations.You need to long for more and keep the life going.
  I feel this is what IR has been doing.He has achieved great heights already and now he is diverting his directions to other stuff which we all will know soon.(hope!)
  
  
• From: Kamesh (@ hlr-42-12.tm.net.my) on: Fri Sep 10 22:25:40 EDT 1999
  
  RB
  
  Does IR mean that he has already reached the summit and does not know what to do?
  
  Dorai
  How can you say the BR has been thankless to IR. Does being thankful mean given chances to do films together alone? BR i think has never defamed IR at any time. That does not mean that Br should make all his movies only with IR. Idhukuthampa modhalla Bagyaraj panna madhiri ovvoru padathukkum oru MD use pannanumgaradhu.
  
  By the way from your posts IMHO you are too LOYAL to IR that you refuse to recognise the good works by ARR, DEVA, Vidyasagar, Baradwaj and the whole lot of latent talent. Change that man. There is no crime in trying new things. And believe me WE are the people who would benefit.
  
  
• From: Raja Fan (@ spider-wd041.proxy.aol.com) on: Sat Sep 11 00:48:26 EDT 1999
  
  It is time we appreciated the fact that Raja has been the hinge on whom the whole film industry swung. how much can anyone exert all their life to go on doing the same boring stuff. moreover look at the crap movies of the last 8 years, we don't have proper film actors, all new talent with an eye on making easy money and bringing flashy unoriginal ideas. you think Raja wants to work with these new kids on the block? and how many more movies can IR do for people like rathnam, balu mahendra given today's fast and completely artificial environment. I request all of you to be reasonable in this forum, it is pointless. Raja has done over 500 great movies, you may call 200 of them may have been crap, but doesn't even the Gods take new avatars after serving a particular purpose? Raja's purpose as far as Indian films is concerned is over, there is no more music possible for the crap movies coming out today.
  
  For a change, please go hear India 24 Hours and How To Name It, in particular. This is where I hope we see Raja working in his retiring years. Film music is for the overenthu kids like deva, arr and other.
  
  
• From: Madhan (@ 202.41.117.61) on: Sat Sep 11 04:15:17 EDT 1999
  
  Vijay, point well taken - but even those crappy movies he is taking, he has a great oppurtunity to innovate and explore more - so why is not he doing that ? in Kizhakkum Maerkum, he has innovated a great deal in two songs, even in ANNAN - but the point here is not the film industry deserting IR -
  
  When a guy does back breaking work for 20 long years and gets no recognition and in comes a bunch of rookies who go around churning out synthesized trash and get a name for the same,
  I am not surprised that IR is frustrated + tired + demotivated..
  
  IR is definitely interested in non-filmy scores - but my main worry is what kind of an audience response can IR's non-filmy stuff get, in these days of Dlaer Mehndis, Boyzones and Michael Learns to Rock -- there is a strange uncomfortable paradox here - for any artiste to get going today, HYPE is the byword - IR can also be hyped - but our man has no interest in HYPE - hence, difficult to get him the kind of popularity an ARR or DM is/are getting --- times are so bad that ex-cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar releases an album, Pt.Ravi Shankar's daughter who is hardly 20 years old cuts an album !! How funny the world had become !! No practice, no hard work, no sacrifices, no sweating - all you have to do is be a daughter of a Bharat Ratna awardee and you can cut an album irrespective of whether you are good or not !! Suchitra Krishnamurthy does an album with Sir.Andrew Lloyd Webber !! Bizarrest thing to happen ever!!
  Get married to an influential director and end up doing an album with a renowned Western composer -
  
  Does IR need to seek recognition in such a TOPSY TURVY world , where the undeserving GRASSHOPPERS get all that is not due to them , while the most deserving ANTS go unnoticed ? (quoted from SOMERSET MAUGHAM)
  
  
• From: Madhan (@ 202.41.117.61) on: Sat Sep 11 04:16:52 EDT 1999
  
  Vijay, point well taken - but even those crappy movies he is taking, he has a great oppurtunity to innovate and explore more - so why is he not doing that ? in Kizhakkum Maerkum, he has innovated a great deal in two songs, even in ANNAN - but the point here is not the film industry deserting IR -
  
  When a guy does back breaking work for 20 long years and gets no recognition and in comes a bunch of rookies who go around churning out synthesized trash and get a name for the same,
  I am not surprised that IR is frustrated + tired + demotivated..
  
  IR is definitely interested in non-filmy scores - but my main worry is what kind of an audience response can IR's non-filmy stuff get, in these days of Dlaer Mehndis, Boyzones and Michael Learns to Rock -- there is a strange uncomfortable paradox here - for any artiste to get going today, HYPE is the byword - IR can also be hyped - but our man has no interest in HYPE - hence, difficult to get him the kind of popularity an ARR or DM is/are getting --- times are so bad that ex-cricketer, Sanjay Manjrekar releases an album, Pt.Ravi Shankar's daughter who is hardly 20 years old cuts an album !! How funny the world has become !! No practice, no hard work, no sacrifices, no sweating - all you have to do is be a daughter of a Bharat Ratna awardee and you can cut an album irrespective of whether you are good or not !! Suchitra Krishnamurthy does an album with Sir.Andrew Lloyd Webber !! Bizarrest thing to happen ever!!
  Get married to an influential director and end up doing an album with a renowned Western composer -
  
  Does IR need to seek recognition in such a TOPSY TURVY world , where the undeserving GRASSHOPPERS get all that is not due to them , while the most deserving ANTS go unnoticed ? (quoted from SOMERSET MAUGHAM)
  
  

---

List all pages of this thread

Post comments