It is not surprising that the earliest Tamizh movies (or Indian cinema for that matter) was based on mythological stories. Well known stories, people who were willing to fall at the feet of celluloid Gods...pretty reasonable to start off with mythology. After all, cinema to start off with was an extension of theatre, except that it was captured on film. So, it had all the elements of India's opera-like theatre - the drama and the exaggeration and the music and the color.
There was Sampoorna ramayanam, and then there was MS amma's Shakuntala and then there was Saraswati Sabadham. (And then there was Rama Narayanan, but please, I don't want to scare the kids off.) But if you beckon a random person anywhere south of Madras and ask him to name a random mythological film, guess which one he'll choose?
You got it. That's exactly the movie I'm thinking about too. Balaiyah. Nagesh. Gemini Ganesan. Savitri. Not to mention Nadigar Thilakam.
This movie had its music scored by K V Mahadevan, a stalwart my all means and measures. This song below is a testimony to four people- KV Mahadevan, TMS - you have to hear it to believe it, Sivaji and as usual, my favourite King of Poets. The lines are scripted below. The video has a rather comedy-yana translation.
Kannadasan is an interesting personality - I find him as intriguing as I find Sujatha. The impression I have been given of him is someone who was worldly in every possible way - he had seen the lengths and breaths and heights of all possible human experience. However, he was said to have converted to religion (after having estranged himself from it for most of his life) when he was old. I have read one part of his book 'அர்த்தமுள்ள இந்துமதம்' - his interpretation of Hinduism, and find the same depth as I do in his songs.
I believe that there is a controversy regarding this particular song though - as to the ownership of the lyrics. There is apparently a faction of people who claim that the lyrics were not written by Kannadasan, but my another poet called K M Sherrif. You can read more here.
I believe the song is based on Gowri manohari, though I may be wrong.
So here are the lyrics.
There was Sampoorna ramayanam, and then there was MS amma's Shakuntala and then there was Saraswati Sabadham. (And then there was Rama Narayanan, but please, I don't want to scare the kids off.) But if you beckon a random person anywhere south of Madras and ask him to name a random mythological film, guess which one he'll choose?
You got it. That's exactly the movie I'm thinking about too. Balaiyah. Nagesh. Gemini Ganesan. Savitri. Not to mention Nadigar Thilakam.
This movie had its music scored by K V Mahadevan, a stalwart my all means and measures. This song below is a testimony to four people- KV Mahadevan, TMS - you have to hear it to believe it, Sivaji and as usual, my favourite King of Poets. The lines are scripted below. The video has a rather comedy-yana translation.
Kannadasan is an interesting personality - I find him as intriguing as I find Sujatha. The impression I have been given of him is someone who was worldly in every possible way - he had seen the lengths and breaths and heights of all possible human experience. However, he was said to have converted to religion (after having estranged himself from it for most of his life) when he was old. I have read one part of his book 'அர்த்தமுள்ள இந்துமதம்' - his interpretation of Hinduism, and find the same depth as I do in his songs.
I believe that there is a controversy regarding this particular song though - as to the ownership of the lyrics. There is apparently a faction of people who claim that the lyrics were not written by Kannadasan, but my another poet called K M Sherrif. You can read more here.
I believe the song is based on Gowri manohari, though I may be wrong.
So here are the lyrics.
பாட்டும் நானே பாவமும் நானே
பாடும் உனை நான் பாடவைப்பேனே
கூத்தும் இசையும் கூற்றின் முறையும்
காட்டும் என்னிடம் கதை சொல்ல வந்தாயோ
அசையும் பொருளில் இசையும் நானே
ஆடும் கலையின் நாயகன் நானே
எதிலும் இயங்கும் இயக்கமும் நானே
என்னிசை நின்றால் அடங்கும் உலகே…
நான் அசைந்தால் அசையும் அகிலமெல்லாமே
அறிவாய் மனிதா உன் ஆணவம் பெரிதா
ஆடவா எனவே ஆடவந்ததொரு
பாடும் வாயினையே மூடவந்ததொரு
And here's the song! (The movie is Thiruvilayadal)
5 comments:
// There is apparently a faction of people who claim that the lyrics were not written by Kannadasan, but my another poet called K M Sherrif.//
கலை உலகில் இது போன்ற கதைகளுக்கு பஞ்சமில்லை. "மண்ணில் இந்த காதலன்றி..." என்ற பாடல் கங்கை அமரன் அவர்கள் எழுதியதாகவும், ஆனால் 'பாவலர் வரதராஜன்' என்று பெயர் போட்டதாகவும் ஒரு கதை உண்டு.
அது மட்டுமல்ல, பல பாடல்களுக்குக் கூட இது போன்ற கதை உண்டு (கங்கை அமரன்-இளையராஜா).
என் பார்வையில், இளையராஜா, கண்ணதாசன் போன்றவர்கள் பிறவி அதிசயங்கள். அவர்களுக்கு அது போன்ற நிலை இருந்திருக்க வேண்டியதில்லை.
Sivaji might be lampooned for his "extra" effort while rendering songs, but the truth as TMS said was that he OWNED the song.Made it bloody look more than lip sync. :)
Raja and Kannadasan. Perhaps, they are revered here in south, but just unfortunate that they did not receive the kind of adulation that Rahman was fortunate enough to get nationally and internationally. In many ways, Kannadasan was one good reason for MGR to capture masses hearts with veiled provocative lyrics. His songs playing during elections are ample proof of this :)
Well...come people are gifted arent they? :)
//Sivaji might be lampooned for his "extra" effort while rendering songs//
அன்றைய கால கட்டத்தில் அதுதான் நடிப்பாக இருந்தது; ஏனென்றால், பெரும்பாலான நடிகர்கள் மேடை நாடகங்களிலிருந்து வந்தவர்கள். இதே சிவாஜி அவர்களின் பிந்தைய கால படங்களைப் பார்த்தால் புரியும்; தேவர் மகன் ஒரு சிறந்த எடுத்துக்காட்டு.
இந்த வித்தியாசம் அந்தந்த காலகட்டத்தின் அடையாளமாக வெளிப்பட்டிருக்கிறது. இசை, நடிப்பு, இயக்கம் மற்றும் எல்லாவற்றிலும். அறுபதுகளுக்கு முன்பு இருந்த சினிமா, அறுபதிலிருந்து எண்பதுகள் வரை; இன்று நாம் பார்த்துக் கொண்டிருப்பது கே.பி பாரதிராஜா தொடங்கி வைத்த, மணிரத்னம் தொடர்ந்து வந்த எதார்த்த சினிமா.
Really enjoyed 'Paatum naane..' after long.. I love this song for its reverence towards the Creator... 'Arivai manidha un aanavam peridha'...How meaningful!!
the song is indeed in gowri manohari.. u r nt wrong.. infact, it s one of the gr8est gowri manoharis till date!
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