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V.Kumar: Malarum NinaivugaL

Topic started by bb (@ 24.6.231.170) on Wed Jul 7 00:37:21 EDT 2004.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

Saravanan is starting a new series on V.Kumar, titled 'V.Kumar: Malarum NinaivugaL'. He has been in touch with V.Kumar's wife and son and is planning a comprehensive series of articles on V.Kumar. I am sure this will be a treat for VK fans. This will also feature unique introductions to the songs by V.Kumar himself, in his own voice. Thanks to Govind and VK's family for their help on this.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: e (@ 136.1.1.33) on: Fri Aug 13 12:39:16 EDT 2004
  
  Bala,
  I don't think the above songs were spoilt, by any measure...they are definitely flawless and enjoyable...Swarna voice was definitely a good, fresh change, adding variety to the available talent...It would have been monotonous if all songs composed ever had been sung by PS :-)
  
  
• From: sk (@ 216.52.229.254) on: Fri Aug 13 13:51:38 EDT 2004
  
  Bala:
  
  I too agree with what e has said. In fact (as Saravanan mentioned earlier somewhere) PS was always the favorite singer for VK. He only gave a few songs here and there for Swarna. It is my feeling that she sang those songs quite well. It is worth adding that she sang with a clear thamizh pronunciation in spite of her Telegu background.
  
  
• From: OISG (@ 213.42.2.27) on: Sun Aug 15 15:45:18 EDT 2004
  
  ""Nee aada aada"- Shows VK's Charanam composing strength.The prelude and interludes flow smoothly.
  
  But VK's charnam strength at times leaves the pallavi in trouble.The same effect i felt in this song and "Vinnukku meladai".Both the songs for their rich charanams deserve a richer pallavi.The MDs get barely 1 minute to catch our attention thru pallavis....say like "Chandrodayam"(MSV) or "MaraindhirundheY"(KVM),"Vasantha Mullai"(GR) or even VK's own "thamarai kannangaL". A pallavi like Ünai paarkavendum"(annapoorani) leaves little time to listener to settle down to the mood of the song.That is another one with nice charanams.
  
  Went back and kept on listening to "Vaa vadhyarE".Thanks. I am ready and fresh for the whole week!
  
  
  
  Infact Kumar should have tried
  
  
• From: OISG (@ 213.42.2.27) on: Sun Aug 15 15:50:39 EDT 2004
  
  Oh!what happened to my post on Swarna ?
  
  Swarna could have been tried in "Punnagai Mannan" and she was at her best in songs like ënnodu ennenavo and inangaLilE.To talk Swarna in the line as Bavadharini is very unfair.
  
  
• From: Bala (@ 68.38.80.142) on: Sun Aug 15 18:32:13 EDT 2004
  
  Guys
  
  If my post had conveyed any meaning that equates Swarna and Bhava at the talent level, then gys please forgive me. That was not my intention.
  
  I was alluding to the fact that there were no dearth of talent in SJ, VJ, LRE, DVasantha who could have sung any of those songs. It is my taste that disliked the songs and Swarna being V Kumar's wife compounded my dis-like
  
  Bala
  
  
• From: Cinema Virumbi (@ 220.227.146.2) on: Mon Aug 16 06:13:21 EDT 2004
  
  
  Saravanan,
  
  There is a minor mismatch in the years! Four Transport Corporations (named Pallava, Pandiya, Chera and Chola)were created sometime in the second tenure of DMK i.e., 1971, quickly to be renamed as Pallava(n) etc., If Swarna sang before 1968, it must have been for the State Transport Govt. utility in Madras, yet to become a corpn.
  
  Of course, this hair splitting is only to add more accuracy to your soulful writeups, taken up with a religious zeal to get VK the recognition that was denied in his lifetime!
  
  
• From: Saravanan (@ 195.229.241.181) on: Mon Aug 16 15:54:38 EDT 2004
  
  Thanks friends, for your responses.
  
  sk, many thanks to you for sending me the audio files of Swarna's thEnkinnam.
  
  C V, Thank you for your kind words and also for pointing out the error! Smt.Swarna referred to the event as a function for Pallavan Employees Union, and I used the same reference. I guess she too must have meant the State Transport Employees Union :) I request you to continue giving your valuable inputs.
  
  
• From: bb for Saravanan (@ 24.6.251.57) on: Wed Aug 18 23:56:53 EDT 2004
  
  

  Part VI - edhirneechal

  As we had seen earlier, KB worked with MSV for anubavi raja anubavi and bama vijayam in 1967. In 1968 two films of KB were released- and of the two, thaamarai nenjam had music by MSV and edhirneechal had music by V.Kumar.
  
  edhirneechal was the first KB film to come out from Kalakendra- the Production House that, in the coming years, came to be associated with many of KB’s ventures. P.R.Govindarajan & Duraiswami of Kalakendra shared a rare rapport with KB, and enjoyed a long and fruitful association with him.
  
  edhirneechal starred Nagesh, Muthuraman, Srikanth, Major Sundararajan, K.Vijayan, M.R.R. Vasu, Typist Gopu, Sowcar Janaki, Jayanthi, Manorama, Sivakami, S.N.Lakshmi and many others. The story revolved around the good-natured orphan Maadhu (Nagesh) who stays in the miniscule space below the staircase in a building that houses many families as tenants. How he obligingly runs errands in return for a daily meal, and works hard on his studies to graduate in college was portrayed in a heartwarming manner. Nagesh, then in the peak of his career, gave a scintillating performance. KB pulled off a casting coup by picking on the remarkable Sowcar Janaki to play Pattu Mami, one of the tenants. And Sowcar Janaki, who hitherto had mainly intense, emotional roles thrust on her, was simply brilliant in this light comic role. Srikanth, in the role of the henpecked Kittu Mama was another revelation. Muthuraman as the Good-Samaritan Nair, Major as a respected elder in the tenement, and Jayanthi as Parvathi, the girl with an alleged history of mental illness and with whom Maadhu falls in love, were all well fitted in their respective roles. The film is filled with characters whom we meet in our every day transactions, and reflects the sorrow, joys, disappointments, surprises, jealousies, secrets, failures, aspirations and even love that are part of mundane middle-class co-existence. And that is perhaps why even if watched today the film leaves a lasting impact on the viewer.
  
  For a few images from the movie, click here:
  
  http://www.bonkanwa.com/Entertainment/IndianMovies/TamilMovies/Alphabet/E/EthirNeechal.htm
  
  VK was no doubt named the MD for the film, but for some inexplicable reason, the welcome offer came with an unwelcome rider- one song composed by MSV too would found place in the film. MSV’s song was the folksy ‘ennamma ponnamma pakkam vaamaa vaamaa’ sung by TMS & PS.
  
  VK took this intrusion in his stride and set to work on the album. Lyrics were by Vaali. One interesting aspect of KB’s collaborations till 1973 was that if VK was the MD, the lyricist was Vaali, and if MSV was the MD, the lyricist was Kannadasan. In 1973, KB perhaps wanted a change- sollathaan ninaikkiREn was a MSV/Vaali album, whilst arangEtRam was a VK/Kannadasan album! And after arangEtRam, VK didn’t get to work for a KB film ever again.
  
  VK and Vaali came up with 4 wonderful songs. The first to be recorded was the perennially popular aduthathu ambujatha paarthELaa. If with ‘vaa vaadhiyaarE ootaaNdE’, VK and Vaali set the trend of Madras Tamil in film songs, with ‘aduthaathu ambujatha’, they became pioneers of songs in Brahmin dialect. KVM (paalakaattu pakkathilE), MSV (‘theriyaathO nOkku’/‘oru asadattum en aambadayaan’/ ‘engaathukku mapiLLai nee’ etc), Vijayabhaskar (‘aiyaraathu poNNu sonna’ ), IR ( ‘kEttELE angE’/ ‘endha aathu paiyyanavan’ etc), Shankar-Ganesh (‘vathsala yOgam vandhadhu’), Vidyasagar (‘madisaaru kattiNdu vandhaaLE’) and Deva (‘rukku rukku rukku’) have all come up with songs in this genre, but the forerunner of them all- 'aduthaathu ambujatha’ still remains the quintessential favorite, and was a huge hit.
  
  As Swarna succinctly puts its here ‘oru kalakku kalakkitaanga!’:
  
  http://www.newtfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/vkumar/swarnaethir.rm
  
  A delightfully uninhibited PS brings so much verve to the song, while TMS mirrors with aplomb the feelings of the simple-minded Kittu. The list of demands that Pattu puts forth, citing the wonderful goings-on next door, and the piteous Kittu trying to wriggle out of making any promises are happenings that most of us can readily identify with! The transformation of moods, as the songs progresses, is also interesting—Pattu starts being cloy…Kittu refuses to fall for that ploy. She tries being caustic; Kittu remains unimpressed. Now Kittu tries to be assertive…to which Pattu retorts by unleashing her ultimate weapon—copious tears! And naturally, Kittu ends up consoling her. All is well that ends well!
  
  http://www.newtfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/vkumar/aduth.rm
  
  The next song that Kumar sought to record was the title track vetRi vENdumaa pOttu paarada edhirneechal. In the curtain raiser to this series, we have already listened to VK speaking about this song and to the song itself. And most of us would probably be aware of the unsavory incident behind this song’s recording. VK was besieged by a tantrum thrown by the temperamental TMS. After listening to the tune played by Kumar for the song, TMS strongly felt that it didn’t sufficiently reflect the ‘never say die’ spirit that the lyrics conveyed. And he was adamant in his stance that he wouldn’t sing it until the tune was changed to his satisfaction. No self-respecting composer would brook such interference, and VK too must have been quite naturally upset at this casual dismissal of his composition. He was placed in an additional quandary, for this was the tune that KB had already approved. He sought KB and apprised him of the development. The highly irked KB decreed ‘The tune stays. If it is not to TMS’ liking, then get it recorded by another singer!’
  
  Thus it came about that the song went to Seergazhi Govindarajan, who did ample justice to it in his inimitable way. And a no lesser personage than C.N. Annadurai is said to have expressed words of warm commendation for the song!
  
  Though TMS did storm off in a huff, it is to the greatness of all the 3 men involved in this incident that they soon put this unpleasantness behind them and continued to amiably work together. TMS continued to sing for KB’s films for some more years, and in VK’s music for many more years.
  
  The next song is the lilting PBS- PS duet-'thaamarai kannangaL'. The late 60s saw a gradual decline in the number of songs that PBS got to sing, and this song was the second and most probably the last song that he sang for VK. Filmed on Maadhu and Paaru, the song had some innovative trick shots by cinematographer Balakrishnan. PBS was perhaps not quite suited for Nagesh, but putting that aside, the song remains a lingering melody, and Vaali’s imaginative verses add to its appeal.
  
  Listen here:
  
  http://www.newtfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/vkumar/thamarai.rm
  
  Now we come another cherished number, the fun-filled sEdhi kEttO sEdhi kEttO. Nair hits upon a plan to make the tenants show more compassion to Maadhu, and cunningly lets loose a rumour that the menial Maadhu has overnight become a millionaire Maadhu. The ruse bears rich dividends; the avaricious lodgers who had hitherto treated Maadhu with disdain now try to outdo each other in showering him with affection!
  
  VK called the forgotten S.C.Krishnan to render this number, and the seasoned artiste brings so much ebullience and mischief into his rendition. The variety of female voices that accompany him- PS with ‘ashtalakshmiyum navanidhiyum’, Jamunarani with ‘nEthu varai nenachirundhEn’ and Swarna with ‘vaadhu soodhu theriyaadha maadhu kaNNa’ all sing their lines with élan.
  
  Join the fun here:
  
  http://www.newtfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/vkumar/sedhi.rm
  
  Incidentally Swarna also sang bits of ‘thamizhukkum amudhendRu pEr’ for Jayanthi in the course of the proceedings.
  
  edhirneechal’s songs attained immense popularity, and fetched their composer a fair share of fame. Happier times beckoned VK in the following years…
  
  -We’ll turn the ’69 page of the VK journal next week-
  
  
• From: raj (@ 61.246.255.3) on: Thu Aug 19 00:54:35 EDT 2004
  
  Ethirneechal - Will remain the EVER Best film by KB.
  VK's tunes and Vaali's Lyrics were AMAZING.
  
  Particularly "Aduthathu Ambujatha" by PS,TMS is the forerunner for the brahmin dialect songs.
  
  PS brings out the typical middle class brahmin MAMI in her voice
  " Eppo irundadhu ippo varrathukku edhukeduthalum saaku huhun " sounded sweet and perfect
  and in the end when she cries hnnhnnnnnn and then sings Aduthathu ambujatha in a slow pace when Sowkar slowly flicks the money from Srikanth is awesome.
  Also while singing Ennatha Seivel (stress in the vel as a normal mami Wow!! PS's talent is fully utilized)
  TMS for his part
  while singing "Ettiku potti pesadhedi pattu"
  had sung with ease.
  
  Thaamarai kannangal - a wonderful duet by PBS,PS
  As Sara mentioned Vaali's lyrics is to be mentioned specially. While talking to PBS he talked about this song and also mentioned about its picturization.
  
  Thanks sara for this wonderful write up
  
  
  
  

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