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T.Chalapathi Rao--a retrospective

Topic started by Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on Thu Apr 1 21:02:17 EST 1999.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I know very little about this musician. I know he had done two classic TFM soundtracks--"Meenda Sorgam" and "Amaradheebam". I would like some history on this guy besides explorations on his music. I'm eager to know of other movies by him but don't want this to be just a listing exercise.

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Responses:

• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Fri Apr 2 14:16:17 EST 1999
  
  Manisegaran,
  Ungal sevai naattukku thevai.
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 15:02:09 EST 1999
  
  From: A..Manisekaran (@ bat-48-135.tm.net.my) on: Wed Dec 24 12:36:25 EST 1997
  
  Chalapathi Rao has used him(TL) in Punar Janmam
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 15:14:29 EST 1999
  
  From: Kanchana (@ ww-td03.proxy.aol.com) on: Wed Dec 24 18:35:07 EST 1997
  
  
  Ravy:
  Since this was on your list of Sridhar movies to review (in the TMS thread), I'll go ahead and talk about it.
  
  meeNda sorgam
  Lyricists: Kannadhasan, Subbu Aarumugam, P.S.Gopalakrishnan.
  Music: T.Chalapathi Rao
  
  Storyline:
  The main characters are Shekar (Gemini Ganesan), Nirmala (Padmini) and Kumarayya (S.V.Sahasranamam). Shekar takes an interest in the welfare of recently orphaned Nirmala, and introduces her to Bharata Natyam guru Kumarayya. She learns & excels in Bharata Natyam, but also falls in love with Shekar who thinks she should devote herself to the dance exclusively. He gets married to someone else, he is unhappy, the wife is unhappy and Nirmala is also unhappy. Finally, the wife commits suicide, and Shekar & Nirmala get together.
  
  This is a movie which belongs to my parents' generation(50's) and I've heard them say great things about it. But when I watched it a few years back for the first time, I thought it was too slow and contrived. Also, Sridhar is not consistent: at one point Shekar says he is attracted to Nirmala but her talent should belong to the whole world and not just to him; at another point, Shekar says he is only in love with her talent and not her. ???!! And, somehow, the wife is painted in a bad light as an arrogant lady because she challenges her husband re his feelings for Nirmala. ??!! Anyhow, five out of the seven songs are great with good picturization.
  
  aadum aruL jyothi
  MLV/Seerkaazhi. Sung for S.V.Sahasranamam and the nattuvaangam lady, for a formal Bharata Natyam recital by Padmini. One of my favorite MLV movie songs.
  
  thuyilaadha peNN ondru kaNdaen
  AMR/PS. Sung for Gemini & Padmini, this is a dream by Nirmala.
  
  kalaiyae en vaazhkayin dhisai maatrinaai
  AMR/PS humming. Sung for Gemini. Shekar takes a casual walk around the gardens and Nirmala dances along with him.
  
  kalaiyae en vaazhkayin (pathos)
  PS. Sung for Padmini. Nirmala dances based on Kumarayya's request, to make a very ill Shekar feel better. Both Nirmala & Shekar recall the happier days when this song was sung.
  
  mana naattiya maedayil aadinaen
  PS/few lines by AMR. Sung for Padmini & Gemini. The extremely depressed Nirmala & Shekar ask themselves which direction their respective lives are headed.
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 15:17:34 EST 1999
  
  From: Kanchana (@ ww-to01.proxy.aol.com) on: Thu Sep 18 14:53:50 EDT 1997
  
  
  Ramki:
  M.D. for Meenda Swargam is T.Chalapathi Rao. This movie is a great favorite with my parents who are Sridhar fans, so I know something about it. The Naatyam song you are thinking about is aadum aruL jyothi by Seerkazhi and M.L.Vasanthakumari. That's a beautiful song, my favorite part of that song is the stanza which starts with Seerkazhi's word by word rendition of raagam--baavam--thaaLam with nattuvaangam in between, and MLV's repetition of those lines in tune as raagam baavam thaaLam saerndha baradha kalai. Along with thuyilaadha Raja's voice is great in kalayae en vaazhkayin dhisai maatrinaai.
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 15:19:52 EST 1999
  
  From: Sriram Lakshman (@ ifmxlenx.na.informix.com) on: Wed Dec 30 17:38:10 EST 1998
  Another song worth discussing is "Neeraazhi mandapathil" sung by SPB and PS , tuned by T. Chalapathi Rao.
  
  
• From: bb (@ compq1.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 15:21:30 EST 1999
  
  From: Manisekaran (@ bat-47-70.tm.net.my) on: Sat Feb 28 06:35:34 EST 1998
  2. In Punarjanman, there is a song "Vanga Machan" (a duet)by Seergaliyar for Sivaji-MD is Chalapathi Rao
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Fri Apr 2 17:12:38 EST 1999
  
  bb,
  Thanks a bunch for culling up these old responses. I wish the musicians of this forum would explore TCR's music.
  
  
• From: bb (@ franck.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Fri Apr 2 18:31:57 EST 1999
  
  a song in punar jenmam, uLLangaL onRAgi (AMR, jikki) is there in
  
  http://www.m59.big.ac.at/~grama/songs3.html
  
  
  alta vista gives this: all teluguFM:
  
  TCR did music for lakshadhikari, a song by ghantasaala and PS is there in real audio.
  http://www.geocities.com/Nashville/Opry/2325/mabbulo.ram
  
  TCR and SRS did music for manchi manishi
  
  
• From: Sriram Lakshman (@ ifmxlenx.na.informix.com) on: Fri Apr 2 19:09:57 EST 1999
  
  Unfortunately, there are not too many compositions by TCR in Tamil. What could be immediately noticed is that , atleast in his songs that I know of , he did not use Ghantasala.
  "Then uNNum vaNdu" for Sivaji was sung by AMRaja, a super melody. My favourite has remained "MaNa naattiya medayil aadinen". He can be proud of the fact that his "ULLangaL ondragi thuLLum pothile" from punar jenmam was copied in Hindi "Yeh wada karo chaand ke saamne" sung by Mukesh. "Neerazhi mandapathil" is a superb song by SPB and PS probably in the late sixties. This song had different tunes for the stanzas and scale changes too. I will try to compile more about TCR.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Fri Apr 2 20:42:59 EST 1999
  
  bb, Sriram,
  Thanks for your contributions. TCR has been a great discovery for me. Of course, I've heard and possess most of these songs, but had blindly attributed them to MSV or KVM.
  
  "MaNa Naattiya medayil" aaha, I had forgotten about this one, what a classic! What movie was that from? Now, I'm off on a trail to find it.
  
  
• From: bb (@ franck.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Sat Apr 3 16:03:09 EST 1999
  
  haha, udhaya, u have made my efforts to go wasted:-))))
  see the first posting by kanchana, where she says maNa nAttiya mEdaiyil is in meenda sorgam:-)))) come back from ur trail:-)))
  
  
• From: bb (@ franck.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Sat Apr 3 16:24:49 EST 1999
  
  SL, TCR has used ghantasaala extensively in telugu, may be because it suited NTR then. and AMR here, because it suited gemini.
  
  
• From: Ragapriyan (@ 202.54.37.18) on: Sat Apr 3 23:13:30 EST 1999
  
  Who was the MD for VanjikOttai vAliban? Was it TCR?
  
  
• From: Kishore Krishna (@ ts3-160.silcon.com) on: Sun Apr 4 01:02:31 EST 1999
  
  Ragapriyan: no just CR:-) as in C Ramchandra
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ ip216.sjc.primenet.com) on: Sun Apr 4 04:06:49 EDT 1999
  
  bb,
  Surface grazing was my fault. I thought Kanchana was explaining the story so I just skimmed her post and moved on. I have a few tracks from Meenda Sorgam on CD, but not "Mana Naattiya Medaiyil". Gotto get it now.
  
  
• From: bb (@ franck.crhc.uiuc.edu) on: Sun Apr 4 16:13:24 EDT 1999
  
  in CD??? how is the quality?
  i have thuyilaadha and kalaiyE en vaazhkkaiyin in cassette.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Mon Apr 5 17:56:58 EDT 1999
  
  Typical EMI quality, like they recorded from an LP. But there it is preserved forever in my CD, so what the hell it's more than worth it! The Meenda Sorgam tracks along with 20 other songs are in the CD, "Loving Melodies A.M. Rajah" (EMI CD PMLP 5046). This is a must own for any fan of AMR.
  
  
• From: Udhaya (@ 205.218.142.217) on: Mon Apr 5 17:57:53 EDT 1999
  
  Sorry that should be "along with 18 other songs".
  
  
• From: rajaram (@ 147.126.41.62) on: Sat Apr 10 13:28:50 EDT 1999
  
  the story of meenda sorgam retold by Mr. Ravi is nice to read, and his comments, except that i agree with the characterization of Sekar by the director Sridhar, the hero loves the talent of Nirmala, but little not sure if he loves her or her dance, this is possible in life and classic stories. Anyway, the music is great in this movie. I have not seen the movie.
  
  
• From: shanthini (@ ) on: Wed Aug 8 12:38:04 EDT 2001
  
  I'd like to know the movie name of the following songs
  1) " Mathuraiyil parantha meenkodiyai en kankalil kandanae...." by TMS (Starring - Gemini kaneshan with Rajashree.)
  2)"Pathinarum Niraiyatha paruva mankai kathal pasi ooti valarthalae rathiyin thankai............ by TMS (Starring - Unknown)
  3) Sengani Vai thiranthu sirithiduvai Thiththikkum then kudamae.....by Seerkali Kovindarajan
  4) Thulli vizum aruviyaipol un parvai en mel vizuthae.....bu TMS & Susheela
  Thanks
  
  
• From: S.Chandrasekaran (@ 203.145.155.117) on: Wed Jul 2 05:17:38 EDT 2003
  
  Hi
  I have a doubt, is `Punar Jenmam' the tamil movie,
  a remake of `Daag' the Hindi Dilip kumar starrer.
  Does anybody know?
  
  
  

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