I hope you all liked my first post in the series. Thanks to everyone who supported the series, retweeted and also commented on it. Its all for you guys…
The Unknown Gem – 2
Can a song depict a mystery? Can it show some kind of strange eeriness which you don’t like to encounter? Can it make the mysterious beauty of a girl? Yes music can do anything and Ilaiyaraja can do it with master class.
There are a few classics in the famous Mohan- SPB – Ilaiyaraja combo. In fact the actor Mohan was known as “Mic Mohan” because of the consecutive hits as singer in the movies. It was only due to the wonderful combo of SPB and Ilaiyaraja.But for few songs, Ilaiyaraja used some of the very talented singers of that time like Jayachandran and later Mano.
This song is from the super duper combo of Jayachandran and Ilaiyaraja. In fact Jayachandran debuted in Tamil with Ilaiyaraja’s Vaidehi Kathirundhal. The movie is ” Pillai Nila” and the song is ” Raja Magal Roja Magal” .
Pillai Nila is a movie about a girl who has unrequited love on Mohan and commits suicide. She comes back as a spirit inside the body of his child. So the movie is shrouded with mystery and eeriness. Radhika as the lover and Shalini ( Yes Shalini Ajith as Baby Shalini) as the child were excellent.
This particular song is the one where the Hero Mohan describes the girl (Radhika), her characterization, beauty and the uniqueness. Radhika is kind of complex, irresistible and stubborn kind of a girl and the lyric depicts every aspect of the girl. The song starts with the male voice and a piano rendering, joined by Flute and violin in a wonderful harmony. The best part of the song is the female hum from S.Janaki in both the interludes. It supplies the strangeness and eeriness to the song. When you see the song in the movie, you are bound to the think that, there is some mystery to the girl in question.
The whole two saranams is made with minimalistic orchestrations and simple repetitive beats. Its the voice of Jayachandran that mesmerizes you in the whole song and of course the richness of poetic lyric ( I think Vairmuthu.Am not sure).
“Panneerayum Veneerayum Unnodu Naan parkiren
Poovenbentha Pen Enbatha Nenjoduthan Kerkiren
Mulloduthan Kalloduthan Rojakkalum Pookkalam
Ammadi Naan athoduthan un perayum serkalam”
I am told by the Ilayaragam Page that the song is made in Rishivani Raaga. A very rarely used one by the Film Music directors but extensively used by Maestro. Thanks to some people in Internet. You get these gems in YouTube. Hear it and savour it…
Maestro has this fantastic habit of changing few swaras and give a different rendition of the same tune. The girl comes as a small child and sings the same song in the later part of the movie. S.Janaki, the eternal baby voice of those times adds up the sadness to the already eerie tune. The other version for you to find the subtle differences between two tunes and maestro’s brilliance.
Why I love this Song?
This is a song you like to sing to your girl friend. And if you really meet some one like that, wohoah you are in for a ride man. Apart from that, the song is a very simplistic musical rendition,with wonderful lyrics and fabulous singing. How many songs you see in such a calibre – a rarity in the current Tamil film music. Only once i have heard this in a FM Radio, that too in the mid-night and I can see this in TV only when Raj Digital shows the movie.
So did I sing this to my Girl Friend???
P.S: Nice Trivia for you. The movie was directed by Manobala ( Yes the same guy who comes in “yeppadi iruntha naan, ippadi aayiten” joke with Vivek.
Oct 11, 2009 @ 03:53:09
Hi,
It is gud to know quizzers love ilayaraja…If u have time check a song "Naan poranthathu vazharthathu raja vamsathilae" from maya bazar 1995.The beautiful of the song is no music instruments except voice…If u listen carefully, u can notice..An another beauty of ilayaraja…..I have some q's…I was a quizzer in my coll days bt not now….I went to ASAP sports & entertainment quiz….Except 2 q's all are from English…..I have a serious concern on this issue….
1.If u think "Entertainment" is global , then take movie Q's from world renowned directors lor cinematographers ike "Tsarkosky" or Vitario Starro or Doyle
2. There a lot to tell on tgamil cinema heritage…"Studios in early 1930's in tamil nadu after which many migrated to Chennai etc
3.Still many think "MUSIC IS ROCK" and take Q's on it..Lot of good musicians are there like "Augustine Barrows Mangore, Carcassi etc"…. Even Ilayaraja's Mounaragam BGM is an inspiration from "Augustin Burrow D minor (C can also be, i forgot)….
Why u stil take q's from a sport which we wont see curiosly and waste ur minds in thinking on uselss un known stuffs which u cant understand…..Here are lot to be research in Tamil Nadu or "Globally" …It needs a true research or love to know it not just wikipedia…..
Quiz masters like Pick Brain are damn good but some are changing the way many people think and make impression that "ROCK ios greater than Carnatic or Western Classical"..Infact Rock is very easy to play than the other two…As a budding guitarist i knew it…..
Oct 13, 2009 @ 12:13:09
Thanks for the comment and a wonderful insight with respect to the Maya Baazar song. Will check it out. I agree with you on the issue of lack of Tamil Ent questions in any Spent quiz for that matter. In fact if you see, there were only 4 questions from the Indian entertainment and all were easy to answer. I wish to see a lot more interesting Tamil Ent questions because i love Tamil Cinema and Music. I try to put as much emphasis on that when I do a quiz. We did a tough Tamil Cinema round in the Madras Quiz to show how interesting it can be. I shall take this to the other quiz masters, thats the only thing i can do because I was not part of the research team or the organizing team of the quiz.
Oct 14, 2009 @ 04:16:46
Thanks..My concern on quizzes is if they think "Spent" shud be global , then they shud take q's on Vittario Storarro or Tsarkosky or Christopher Doyle…..We can understand why cinema is so "Beautiful" from their movie….Ent is considered as hollywood stuffs and Music is 1y rock or pop…Chk out great composers like Augustine Burrows or our Own Carnatic music..Carnatic is very rich than any music in world…All rules are clearly defined in it.. ….When people like u carried this kinda stuffs to all quizers , then they can understand that good music and movies are ocean not 1y confined to holly wood or Rock musics……Infact many acclaimed holly wood shows and movies are ripped of from 70's french and spanish soaps and movies…Thanks and All da best
Jan 09, 2010 @ 09:25:38
hi. jayachandran had sung as early as mid 70's in raja's music. 'oru vanavil pole' from kaatrinile varum geetham for instance. and regarding quizzes, you might like to visit maestroquiz, spbquiz and tfmquiz .
regards
narayanan.