Express News Service
If I were to name my favourite romantic song and pathos song in Tamil by K J Yesudas (whose birthday it is yesterday), it would be Yenn iniya ponnnilaavey (Moodu Pani) and Kanne Kalaimaane (Moondraam Pirai). Of course, there are plenty of great songs by the master singer, but these two songs somehow touch the pinnacle of his singing prowess. Though both are ‘singable’ for even an untrained voice, Yesudas’ trained voice lends them much ease.
That both songs feature in Balu Mahendra’s films with music by Ilaiyaraaja is a happy coincidence. Which brings us to the question of ‘pairs’ in Tamil cinema. Perhaps the days of such successful pairing is long gone in cinema (and life?) of today? I’m talking of how a TM Soundararajan would always sing for Sivaji Ganesan and MGR, or an SP Balasubrahmanyam for later leading men.
The same director would work with the same music director and singers who would create repeated magic with the same hero or heroine. Well, at least till the 90s, this was the trend. And then, we entered the millennium in which we are now spoilt for choice — be it in singing, acting, dancing or even directing, thanks to the reality shows on television that give rise to new talents season after season.
Yet, there are some who remain connected across several films, like Mani Ratnam and A R Rahman, Gautham Menon and Harris Jeyaraj, Selvaraghavan and Yuvan Shankar Raja, Vetri Maaran and GV Prakash, Santhosh Narayanan and the Nalaiya Iyakkunar team of directors, or more recently Anirudh and Vijay films, including Master. On a closer look, it is clear that in any era, music has always been the first calling card for a film. The songs are the first aspect of a film that becomes a ‘hit’. A music director (much like the actors) becomes a ‘name’ that brings the audience to the theatres.
Indian cinema, in that sense, has always been a platform in which Broadway and opera meets the talkie. While musicals are a separate genre in world cinema, it is THE genre for Indian cinema. Music, or let’s specifically say songs, are often the differentiating factor between art house films and mainstream cinema. But as Mani Ratnam mentioned in a film forum gathering, “Lip sync songs are the toughest to shoot as one has to prepare a separate storyline for them”.
This “songs are tough” message comes from a master of picturising songs, with each of his film situations and songs becoming a super hit for both the music and the visual. Along with song and direction, of course, comes the choreography, be it montage or the dancing variety. It’s a lot of talent held in one box if I may say so. As Master opens this Pongal, what remains to be seen is how Vijay has outdone himself in his intro number, how much the music of Anirudh has embellished Lokesh’s story. But the bigger question, of course, is how many of us are going to watch Master in the theatre with all the Covid gear. I’m guessing all of us.
SUJATHA NARAYANAN @N_SUJATHA08
The writer is a film producer and an art curator
Source: The New Indian Express