Of songs and situations
Movie songs are always a source of amazement for me. How did the director, conceive the situation or a particular scene to be followed or preceded by a song? How they finalize the lyrics and the tune? Are the scenes for the song decided before or after composing? Certain songs have some situational sounds being included, like whistling, yodeling, birds chirping etc. Are they decided during the first stage itself or the music director added them out of his choice?
Chatur nar badi hoshiyar song from hindi movie Padosan, Sangeetha swarangal from Azhagan, chinnachiru vayathil from Meendum Kokila – whenever I listen to these three songs, I keep repeating them a few times. Never fails to lift my spirits and make me smile. And each of these songs add up to the above list of questions with no answer J
Especially the hindi song. What an amazing setup!!
That, it is absolutely racist and demeaning to south Indians, is a sure dampener for many. But for that fact, it is a song which is lifted to a different level by combined brilliance of the director (for having conceived such a situation), the lyricist (what a way with his lines and wonder if it was tune to words or words improvised to tune), the redoubtable Kishore kumar (probably at the peak of his skill), Mehmood (for being unapologetically racist. Wonder how many abused and protested over his performance, yet silently laughed their hearts out) and above all the composer (should I say R.D Burman or the lady who composed it originally, is a topic on which I’ve little info). It starts as a regular song based on Carnatic tune and the moment Kishore kumar enters, its chaos and cacophony. He grunts and cackles his way into the song and swiftly changes the tune and track into his own style. Manna dey, who has play backed for Mehmood, seems to be an exponent on both Hindustani and Carnatic styles. Some of his songs from other movies, are way too brilliant. He tries his best to win back the control of the song and poses a valiant challenge. Kishore confuses the tune and lyrics so much that, the final notes ends up with who has the loudest voice of the duo. Even without a video or tv in front of you, the song is an aural delight and sets your visual imagination on fire. You can’t help smile at the antics and probably the best funny song ever from Bollywood.
K.Balachander and his directorial touch are two sides of the same coin. I’ve seldom seen anyone refer to him through anything but his passionate profession. The man responsible for so many quirky storylines, characters and weird, but likeable, heroines also has a penchant for conceiving song situations. Of all the numerous instances one may quote, Sangeetha swarangal song, has become part of urban lexicon ever since the song got released. The concept of lovers, yakking over phone, has been shown in every movie scene that has a phone. But never in the manner, that has made itself, the bench mark for such scenes. Like Vadivelu, Koundamani’s comedy punchlines, that’ve almost become, regular phrases in daily life, talking non-stop over sweet nothings is often addressed by this song. It brings back nostalgia of TV channel shutting stop around 12 and the omnipresent (rather only-am-present) Doordarshan, which was the only channel, logo with its sad sounding music, silent night with hardly any traffic, with last of the Pallavan buses heading shed-wards and with approaching dawn the sound of milkmen on their cycles, newspapers making crash landing at doorsteps and the good old DD making a comeback the next day, all this happening in the foreground with the love birds chatting away the whole night. The lyrics of the song making a perfect blend even better. It goes like a conversation between the male and female singers, at one stage even complaining about unable to sleep. The excitement of having such conversations over landline, when having telephones itself was luxury and basically having someone to talk to, about everything under the sun, literally, sets the song apart. The accompanying instruments and the tune, never broaches onto the flow and mood and is simply perfect. Couldn’t think of a more romantic song, picturized and conceived ever – till date.
I saw chinnanchiru vayathil song in Oliyum Oliyum decades back. Never liked it first and used to switch channels even recently, whenever it came up. My dad used to like this song I guess for he would always laugh when the kid, who sits on Kamal’s lap, wets his veshti. Some time back, I happened to stumble on this song, while on commute. Without even realizing, I had crossed halfway into the song and then only it hit me. It was quite a pleasant hear and when I googled about the song, I was surprised to see that, the master lyricist, Kannadasan has penned the song. All throughout, I was under the impression that it was a Bharathiyar song that had been picturized. It became an immediate favorite from then onwards. The picturisation of a “penn paarkum padalam” scene, involving lot of folks from the girl’s side, her shyness and nervousness with which she starts singing, forgetting the lyrics midway and how the prospective groom picks up the song for her are all amazingly realistic. In between, you get sounds of the old lady grinding her betel nut, some other noises as well and to top it all, the kid who sits on the lap of kamal, urinates at the exact line of the song “velli pani urugi mele veezhvathu pol unarthen”. It was a mischievous take on such a beautiful line and kamal’s reaction would be very realistic. The maestro being the composer, it would’ve been cake walk for him. The way he mixes all the accompanying noises in that situation on to the song is as awesome as the song itself.
There are many other songs as well that I want to list down here. Probably some other time, down the line.
Chatur nar badi hoshiyar song from hindi movie Padosan, Sangeetha swarangal from Azhagan, chinnachiru vayathil from Meendum Kokila – whenever I listen to these three songs, I keep repeating them a few times. Never fails to lift my spirits and make me smile. And each of these songs add up to the above list of questions with no answer J
Especially the hindi song. What an amazing setup!!
That, it is absolutely racist and demeaning to south Indians, is a sure dampener for many. But for that fact, it is a song which is lifted to a different level by combined brilliance of the director (for having conceived such a situation), the lyricist (what a way with his lines and wonder if it was tune to words or words improvised to tune), the redoubtable Kishore kumar (probably at the peak of his skill), Mehmood (for being unapologetically racist. Wonder how many abused and protested over his performance, yet silently laughed their hearts out) and above all the composer (should I say R.D Burman or the lady who composed it originally, is a topic on which I’ve little info). It starts as a regular song based on Carnatic tune and the moment Kishore kumar enters, its chaos and cacophony. He grunts and cackles his way into the song and swiftly changes the tune and track into his own style. Manna dey, who has play backed for Mehmood, seems to be an exponent on both Hindustani and Carnatic styles. Some of his songs from other movies, are way too brilliant. He tries his best to win back the control of the song and poses a valiant challenge. Kishore confuses the tune and lyrics so much that, the final notes ends up with who has the loudest voice of the duo. Even without a video or tv in front of you, the song is an aural delight and sets your visual imagination on fire. You can’t help smile at the antics and probably the best funny song ever from Bollywood.
K.Balachander and his directorial touch are two sides of the same coin. I’ve seldom seen anyone refer to him through anything but his passionate profession. The man responsible for so many quirky storylines, characters and weird, but likeable, heroines also has a penchant for conceiving song situations. Of all the numerous instances one may quote, Sangeetha swarangal song, has become part of urban lexicon ever since the song got released. The concept of lovers, yakking over phone, has been shown in every movie scene that has a phone. But never in the manner, that has made itself, the bench mark for such scenes. Like Vadivelu, Koundamani’s comedy punchlines, that’ve almost become, regular phrases in daily life, talking non-stop over sweet nothings is often addressed by this song. It brings back nostalgia of TV channel shutting stop around 12 and the omnipresent (rather only-am-present) Doordarshan, which was the only channel, logo with its sad sounding music, silent night with hardly any traffic, with last of the Pallavan buses heading shed-wards and with approaching dawn the sound of milkmen on their cycles, newspapers making crash landing at doorsteps and the good old DD making a comeback the next day, all this happening in the foreground with the love birds chatting away the whole night. The lyrics of the song making a perfect blend even better. It goes like a conversation between the male and female singers, at one stage even complaining about unable to sleep. The excitement of having such conversations over landline, when having telephones itself was luxury and basically having someone to talk to, about everything under the sun, literally, sets the song apart. The accompanying instruments and the tune, never broaches onto the flow and mood and is simply perfect. Couldn’t think of a more romantic song, picturized and conceived ever – till date.
I saw chinnanchiru vayathil song in Oliyum Oliyum decades back. Never liked it first and used to switch channels even recently, whenever it came up. My dad used to like this song I guess for he would always laugh when the kid, who sits on Kamal’s lap, wets his veshti. Some time back, I happened to stumble on this song, while on commute. Without even realizing, I had crossed halfway into the song and then only it hit me. It was quite a pleasant hear and when I googled about the song, I was surprised to see that, the master lyricist, Kannadasan has penned the song. All throughout, I was under the impression that it was a Bharathiyar song that had been picturized. It became an immediate favorite from then onwards. The picturisation of a “penn paarkum padalam” scene, involving lot of folks from the girl’s side, her shyness and nervousness with which she starts singing, forgetting the lyrics midway and how the prospective groom picks up the song for her are all amazingly realistic. In between, you get sounds of the old lady grinding her betel nut, some other noises as well and to top it all, the kid who sits on the lap of kamal, urinates at the exact line of the song “velli pani urugi mele veezhvathu pol unarthen”. It was a mischievous take on such a beautiful line and kamal’s reaction would be very realistic. The maestro being the composer, it would’ve been cake walk for him. The way he mixes all the accompanying noises in that situation on to the song is as awesome as the song itself.
There are many other songs as well that I want to list down here. Probably some other time, down the line.
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