All time Melodious Raja (A.M.Raja)

All time Melodious Raja (A.M.Raja)

Now that noise of fire crackers have reduced post Deepavali, let’s remember the man behind the Deepavali song which has been aired the most number of times since it was created. Yes “unnai kandu naan aada ennai kandu nee aada ullasam pongum deepavali “ from KAlyana Parisu. Music by A.M.Raja, wonderful lyrics by Pattukottai kalyana sundaram & beautifully rendered by Smt P.Susheela. Rajah hails from Chittoor District, having lost his father at his young age their family moved to the then survival land “Madras” Raja was trained in Carnatic and Western Classical and was also influenced in the hindi songs & ghazals during that time. He composed few telugu songs for HMV and thus got to know K.V.Mahadevan. Listening to the Songs he composed & sung for HMV in All India Radio Gemini Studio owner Sri S.S.Vasan was very much impressed and thus Raja sang “Samsaaram” track for the movie Samsaaram in 1951. When the music world was dominated by heavy Carnatic based male voices here came a guy with a mild voice which delivered every emotion with ease and with perfect shruthi. When it comes to happy romance or sad romance Raja had it in his voice. After Samsaaram his career began sky rocketing. He sang the samsaaram title track in all languages including hindi. He started to sing in all languages and for all actors till late 50’s. He was the popular numero uno singer during that period. He along with Jikki went to Bombay for the first time to record Tamil & Telugu versions of Aah and thus he was the first singer from south to go to Bombay to record under a hindi music director. Raja sang for all heroes starting with MGR (Genova ) and many films including the mayakkum malai pozhuthe nee po po(With jikki), kan moodum velaiyilum (with P.Suseela), Sivaji ganesan in several movies, NTR, A.Nageswara rao in many early telugu movies , Prem nazir & Sathyan in Malayalam too, Rajkumar, udayakumar in kannada. Especially in Malayalam Raja was accepted instantly and he sang so many Malayalam songs and to an extent became the voice for Sathyan. Same thing happened to him in Tamil. Gemini ganesh who portrayed soft romantic characters in many movies had Raja sing for him and became Gemini’s permanent voice until G.Ramanathan made P.B.Srinivas sing for Gemini. Raja was offered a music director role in Genova along with 2 others (T.A.KAlyanam & M.S.Gnanamani) but for some reasons he passed it on M.S.V. years later he composed his first movie in telugu (Shoba 1958) but it was genius C.V.Sridhar who gave Raja the perfect Music director status with his Kalyana PArisu (pelli kanuka in telugu ) and with that Sridhar became a star composer as well. Raja was the only person to be successful as singer & composer simultaneously (hemant kumar in hindi). What I mean is composing and singing for his movies and for other music directors as well. Also he was the only singer to be popular in all the languages at that time and have sung equal amount of songs in all languages. Besides tamil & telugu he sang fantastic songs in Malayalam. G.Devarajan who encouraged A.M.Raja with brilliant compositions and thus A.M.Raja was a star singer in Malayalam as well. As a composer he had composed for great films like Kalyana parisu, then nilavu, vidi velli, for Sridhar and Aadi perukku for K.Shankar and this was his last film in the 60’s. he was a man of a kind with little bit of ego and thus became enemy for him & his music and created his own down fall. Later in 70’s V.Kumar and Shankar ganesh brought him back and he sang super songs like senthamaraye senthenmozhiye, Raasi nalla raasi and his voice was as melodious as it was in 50’s He has acted in few telugu movies as well. The telugu original for Adutha veetu pen – Pakkinti Ammayi Starring Relangi as the hero (played by T.R.Ramachandran in tamil) and the singer /guru voice for Relangi was played b Raja himself (played by K.A.Thangavelu in tamil) Raja sang several songs in Sinhalese as well and they were quite popular. Our melody queen Smt P.Susheela started her career – a duet with raja (yedhukku azhaithai from Petra thaai) Raja was uncrowned king of the early 50’s , sought after singer –Many films many songs.. all of them were hit songs and linger in our mind even now. Sirpi sedhukkatha por siliaye (Ethir paradadhu) MAasila unmai kadhale with P.Banumathi (Alabibavum 40 thirudargalum) Thendral urangiya podhum thingal urangiya with P.Susheela (petra maganai vitra annai) Anbe enthan munnale with Jikki (Aaravalli) Aasaiye alai modhuthe with P.Leela (Genova) Aram katha deviye with Jikki(Maheswari) Engirundhu veesudho with P.Leela (kadan vaangi kalyanam) Aadatha manamum aaduthe with P.Susheela (kalathoor kannamma) Aasayinale manam with P.Susheela (kalyana parisu) My fav Vaadikkai marandhadhum yeno with P.Susheela (Kalyana Parisu) Chinna chinna veedu katti with P.A.Periya nayaki (marumagal) Chinnna chinna kannile with P.Susheela Azhagu nilavin bhavaniyile with Jikki (Maheswari) Malarin mathuvellam (vipranarayana) Singara painikiliye pesy with Radha jayalakshmi (Manohara) Brindhavanamum nandha kumaranum (Missiyamma) Pazhaga theriya venum(Missiyamma) En nenjin premai geetham with P.Susheela(Panam paduthum paadu) NAan seitha pooja palan with P.Leela (Guna sundari) Puthumai nila ange (Gomathiyin kadhalan) En kannil aadum jalam yaavum with P.Susheela(boologa rambai) Pazhagum thamizhe , idhaya vaanin with P.susheela (Paarthiban kanavu) Manam ennaum vaanile mazhai megam aagave with P.Susheela (Ellorum innattu mannar) Selodum neerodai meethe with P.Susheela (alavudeenum arputha vilakkum) Mathanode radhiyode with P.Susheela (veetukku vandha varalakshmi) Thanga nilavil kendai irandu with Jikki (thirumanam) KAn moodum velaiyilum kalai with P.Susheela (Mahadevi) Thulli thulli alaigal ellam enna solludhu with P.Susheela (thalai koduthan thambi) Unnai paartha kangal with P.Susheela (Magane kel) Ullangal ondragi thullum podhile with P.Susheela (Punar jenmam) Idai kaiyirandil aadum with P.Susheela (Vidivelli) Koduthu paar paar with P.Susheela, Jikki & Tiruchy loganathan (Vidivelli) Kalaiye en vaazhkaiyin with P.susheela (Meenda sorgam) Thuyilatha pen ondru kanden with P.Susheela (Meenda sorgam) ***my alltime favourite ** Oho enthan baby with JAnaki, nilavum malarum paduthu, chinna chinna kannile with Susheela, Paatu paadava (Solo) all from Then nilavu Ezhil oviyam paarthene with P.Susheela (Veera abhimanyu) The above list is some of his best songs . there are many more Equally popular were his Malayalam songs Periyare Periyare with P.Susheela (bharya) Annu ninte kandathil pinne with P.Susheela(unniyarcha) Chandana pallakil veedu kanan with P.Susheela (palaatu koman) And many more. Raja married Jikki and to some extent was the reason for her career downfall and since he was rigid he lost all friends and slowly faded away. He was busy with his stage shows and thus led the life happily with that. His son chandrasekar has a voice similar to him and Ilayaraja gave him a song in Rasa magan. Unfortunately he couldn’t make it big and hence there is no trace of A.M.Raja except for his songs. Whatever people say, Raja was the sough after voice of 50’s and only successful music director/singer and also equally popular in all the 4 languages.. These kind of Smooth voices are very rare and we will remember and relish his songs for ever and thus Raja lives thru ……………………. Chitralaya Sriramanna thank you for this request. I’m really happy to write about A.M.Raja and I’ve always loved his voice …. Will be back soon with another forgotten artiste – Rajesh LAvanya

Genius Ramanathan (G.Ramanathan)

Another request from @chitralaya sriram anna Genius Ramanathan (G.Ramanathan) – The Musical Magician

Pioneer of the Trio (MSV-TKR, KVM) to bring in change in TFM (Tamil film music) what we call light music. G.Ramanathan this name was introduced to me by my dad. Dad used to say that by hearing the rhythm pattern and arrangements once could identify a Ramanathan song.. That was the identity he created for himself. Born near Srirangam, Ramanathan joined a drama troupe in his early days. He had passion to play harmonium and he quickly grasped it and became an expert. That made him play harmonioum for his brother’s hari kathas. Slowly he started to play harmonium for stage dramas and this was a gap filler in many stages which made Ramanathan more popular. Those were the days when First spoken cinema (kalidas ) was becoming famous. Calcutta’s Sagar Movietone company decided to film a Tamil stage drama live and release it as a movie. That was KAlavarishi and since Ramanthan was playing harmonium for the drama obviously he played in this film as well thus he made his entry into tinsel world. From then on many movies were started to be made and one such was vipranarayana. The music troupe had many musicians but Ramanathan had in him the leadership quality to bring in all of them together and lead them in a successful way and thus proving the ability of a music director. Also from Harikatha to stage , stage to films the transition was easy for Ramanathan. He went with the wave, learned all the new techniques which were needed and thus became successful. During that time a charming young chap who finished his studies in England started a company to make movies and his name was T.R.Sundaram. Impressed by Ramanathan’s skill he invited Ramanthan to be the music director for the film “Parasuramar” and thus Ramanthan started his innings as Music composer. Parasuramar did not do well in box office. Sundaram wanted to give huge success in his next venture and he was in that thought process while P.U.Chinnappa who also wanted to become a shining star was in a lean phase and thus Modern theatres brought in Chinappa and Ramanthan face to face.. (like sruthi & laya) for Uthama puthiran and thus a new chapter was born. Similar to Sundaram, another person from salem also started a studio to make movies and it was Mr.Nadiu and his studio was Pakshiraja. He was starting a movie with Chinappa in the lead role and G.Ramanathan was called for music and film being “aaryamala”. Chinappa played 10 roles and the movie became the milestone in his film career. Ramanthan’s music was one of the main reason for the films success. His tunes were hailed by rasikas at that time , even now. This movie displays Ramanathan’s talent not just Carnatic , even in folk tunes he created a magic. Thus Ramanthan slowly established his foot as a successful music director. After the success of Aaryamala, Pakshiraja studio made Sivakavi with the reigning super star M.K.Thiyaragaraja bhagavathar. G.Ramanathan was booked for background score since Sivan used to tune and write the songs in all MKT films. It was Sivan who made Ramanathan as the composer for this film and he himself just wrote the lyrics.. Sivakavi’s songs are still remembered not just for MKT but for G.R too. That was his class. Vadaname Chandra bimbamo , soppana vaazhvil magizhndhu stands tall even in 2015 .. that speaks for itself. G.Ramanathan used variety of raga(s) for Sivakavi and all songs are gems even if you hear them today. 1944 .. Historical achievement was to be created and followed in 1945 and 1946 . yes it was HAridas . No one can forget bhagavathar singing Manmadha leelaiyai vendrar undo to the then seduction queen T.R.Rajakumar . Bhagavathar- Ramanthan combo Haridas was served for Diwali 1944 and it was served till 1946 .. Film ran for 3 continuous years . Story, direction, MKT and of course Ramanthan’s tune all came together so well that this film was grand success. Ramanathan had a knack of using different raga , trying out different different raga for his songs. His charukesi for Manmadha leelaiyai vendrar was praised by everyone including Carnatic musicians. But fate decided something else. MKT was arrested, Pakshi raja studio owner was arrested and Ramanthan couldn’t enjoy the success of HAridas. Modern theatres Sundram was giving chances for Ramanthan even though the films didn’t fare well @ the box office .in 1947 Modern theatres produced a mega movie “Aayiram thalai vaangiya aboorva chinthamani” with V.N.Janaki in lead. All songs in this movie in the voices of S.Varalakshmi, P.S.govindan, C.T.Rajakantham, Kali N.Ratnam were great hits. His background score was also very well appreciated and thus after a brief lag Ramanathan became busy again. Films followed. Chinappa’s sudharshan , sri aandal, inbavalli etc. In Chinappa’s sudharshan All songs became popular and it was G.R who introduced T.M.S as a chorus singer in Sudharshan. Next movie was Pon mudi. Puratchi kavingar Bharatidasan’s story, screenplay & dialogues and Ramanathan’s music made Ponmudi a class by itself. Ramanathan’s music even today is remembered.. Mind blowing is the word to describe the songs in the movie . added speciality was Ramanathan himself lent his voice for the hero Narasimha barathi. The film bombed at the box office but songs are still remembered. Next major hit was with the rising star MGR (MGR’s arrival was announced with this film ), yes MAnthiri kumara. Yes of course Karunanidhi as a powerful writer’s arrival was also announced. What a combination we got for our industry. Modern theatres Manthiri kumari , MGR,S.A.Natarajan,Nambiar, MAdhuridevi in cast, G.Ramanathan’s music made this movie as classic film. Ramanathan made the non famous G.Krishnaveni to sing for the leading lady and trichy loganathan for the male lead. Jikki became so popular from this movie .. even today we remember “Vaarai Nee Vaarai” Another song ulavum thendral kaatrinile by Jikki & Loganathan is also equally popular. MAndhiri kumari still remembered for Vaarai nee varai , MGR & KAlaingar’s dialouges. As everyone ventures into producing Ramanathan too tried his hands at it. JAmindar failed , but failure didn’t teach a lesson. He produced puthuyugam which created lot of pressure and he couldn’t focus on the other commited films. This was the timewhen C.R.Subburaman, S.M.S, S.V.Venkataraman were busy,S.Rajeswarao, KVM,T.G.Lingappa, MSV each waiting for opportunities C.R.Subburaman’s untimely death made the producer of MArumagal to invite G.Ramanathan to finish the movie . His version of chinna chinna veedu katti singara veedu katti was entirely different from what subburaman composed and his version became more popular. Still it was a lean phase for Ramanathan. He went back to stage drama (MKT was in a terrible failure phase and was performing stage dramas). But luck came to Ramanathan in the name of “Thooku thooki” which became great boost for his dull phase. This is the film in which TMS was elevated to sing for the lead (Sivaji ganesan) , little did TMS knew that he would be the permanent voice for Sivaji in the coming years. TMS sang beautifully with Leela & komala and what a composition by Ramanathan (kurangilirindhu pirandhavan manidhan..) Thooku thooki was a musical movie – musical magic created by Ramanathan Be it Carnatic or folk he had covered each genre in his style and satisfying every type of music lover.. That was ramanathan. Ramanathan also sang a song for KVMahadevan in Alli petra pillai. (Ejaman petra selvame is still popular in Ramanathan’s voice) unfortunately picturized on a horse Sadharam, NAan petra selvam (naan petra selvam nalamana selvam, ka.mu sherrif’s Vaazhndhaalum yesum thaazhndhaalum yesum is still alive because of TMS and G.Ramanathan) Madurai veeran (MGR starrer) had fantastic songs by G.Ramanathan Vaanga machan vaanga, nadagamellam kanden undhan aadum vizhiyile. Movie was super hit, MGR became mass hero and G.Ramanathan started to get more offers with this success Chakravarthy thirumagal, Ambigapathi(maasila nilave nam.. what a song by TMS & P.Banumathi, sindhanai sei maname ), Aaravalli (my fav one of G.Ramanathan) Aaravalli – G.Varalakshmi as the queen, Mynavathi as her daughter but the real hero was Ramanathan.. My god he did cover every type of song in this movie.. right from Doris day’s Que sera sera (Chinna pennana pothile, chinna kutti nathana sillaraya mathuna, anbe endhan munnale, pazhakkam illadha kazhuthai kitta pathu karakkanum pala (my fav song with all comedians in one song) KArpukkarasai,puthumai pithan all songs were hit Vanangamudi – This is more special to me because it was the association of Gaana kokila Smt P.Susheela with G.Ramanathan. Though she sang a dance number in Pudhumai pithan it was Vanangamudi where Ramanathan utilized the voice so well and created magic with her voice . She sang Rajayogame paareer, Mohana punnagai sindhidum nilave, Vaazhvinile nam vaazhvinile and of course the powerful song in Thodi “Ennai pol pen allavo” pure classical song .. He made PS sing this stunning number even though Carnatic stalwart MLV was very much active (She sang va va valarmathiye va in the same film). PS sang it like a carnatic stalwart herself and even today songs from Vanangamudi are appreciated Main plus of Ramanathan was he took Carnatic tunes to street audience in their own simple way. Even a man in the last walk of life could relate and enjoy his tunes. IF ramanathan created magic for Chinnappa’s uthamaputhiran he re-created the magic in a large scale with Sivaji’s Uthama puthiran. Uthamaputhiran’s songs surpassed the uthamaputhiran of 40’s .. Such was the music. Ramanathan incorporated western music and “Yaaradi nee mohini” remains one of the best fast numbers that too in western style even now. TMS crooned this song with A.P.Komala, jikki & Jamuna rani. What a composition, arrangement and rhythm.. mind blowing.. on another side he did Mullai malar mele moikkum vandu pole TMS & PS sang it so well , P.leela sang KAathiruppan kamala kannan, PS sang a fantastic number Unnazhagai kanniyargal kandathinaale .. wow this is a brilliant composition with tough beats and PS sang it so well .. even popular today (lyrics by KSG), Anbe amuthe is another fantastic song by TMS & PS (though not popular as mullai malar mele but this is quite an interesting composition by Ramanathan), mannulagellam ponnulagaga by PS & jikki all were super duper songs.. Background score was even better than the old uthamaputhiran Ramanathan was giving good music irrespective of the film’s fate. Raja desingu,Kathavarayan,sarangathara(vasantha mullai pole), kalyanikku kalyanam But again boost came in the form of B.R.Panthulu. Panthulu produced Veerapandiya kattabomman. Even today kattabomman is remembered only in the form of Nadigar thilagam. Ramanathan’s tunes speaks volume of his caliber.. Singara kanne, Inbam pongum vennila (first duet of PBS & PS), Anjatha singam en kalai(PS), tuk tuku tukku by PS,APKomala & Svaralakshmi, pogathe pogathe en kanava.. he did a widespread of genre at the same time retaining the time period of the film.. Such was his composing skills. GRamanthan’s music also attributed to the film’s huge success. After the success of Kattabomman , Panthulu again came to Ramanthan for Kappalottiya thamizhan. Ramanthan again did amazing job in Kappalottiya thamzihan. All songs were immersed in patriotism Paarukkule nalla naadu, velli pani malayin, kaatru veli idai kannama (my favourite),endru thaniyum indha, chinna kuzhandhaigal pole all were amazing tunes by Ramanthan. Though film failed songs are heard even today. By then music was changed, MSV-TKR & KVM became the sought after MDs so Ramanathan’s opportunities reduced but he always equips him with the current trend so he gave fantasic music for KSG’s Deivathin deivam (nee illadha ulagathile one of the best of PS , kannan mana nilaiyai by sj, anname surname by PS,SJ , paatu paada vayedhuthen by PS all were super songs ) He also produced pattinathar with TMS as main lead and composed music. Songs are talked about even today. He was working in Arunagirinathar for T.R.Ramanna but fate had different story for him in the form of disease. He fell ill and went in coma , little did he knew that he wouldn’t return to the film world. Lots of losses, work pressure made him neglect his body and thus succumbed to illness.. The creative genius breathed his last on November 1963 .. But people who know MSV TKR, KVM tend to forget Ramanathan’s contribution to Tamil film music. He was the main reason rather a bridge between Carnatic and light music which then was polished by MSV-TKR. Ramanathan’s talent was way above of his contemporaries and his juniors. He was definitely a musical genius and his compostions, handling various ragas, rhythm pattern, arrangements all stands tall even now and they are music university for anyone who wants to learn music composing … References : internet, dinamalar and various sources. Thanks to @chitralaya sriram anna for requesting to write about this man !! Even though Ramanthan did not have immediate next generation in Film world, glad to see his grandson Rajesh Vaidya doing magic with Veena .. Long live Ramanthan’s name and his music. Rajesh Lavanya

Serene Sudharsanam (R.Sudharsanam)

Serene Sudharsanam (R.Sudharsanam)

Sudharsanam who? Will be the question from today’s youth but old song lovers will stop for a minute to remember and say oh Sudharsanam . But in reality we’ve forgotten this amazing composer who was once synonymous with AVM. Sudharsanam was born on 26’th April 1914. Irony that we don’t have much information about his birth place or his early days. AVM both the company and the producer –director AVMeyyappan was setting foot in the tinsel world was making good movies like Alli arjuna, Vaayadi. AVM made a huge comical hit movie Sabapathy. Next he produced another comical “En Manaivi” for which Sudharsanam master joined hands. From then on he became the in house composer for AVM. He was the one who approved all the vocal artists in AVM. He was the one who approved Isayarasi P.Susheela , S.Janaki and many more. Like Devarajan Master for Kerala, Ghantasala master for Andhra it’s our Sudharsanam master for our Tamil nadu. He was the only one who was referred as Master. I got introduced to his music in my childhood when I listened to songs like “Mahan Gandhi mahan”, Azhagiya mithilai nagarinile, Aadatha manamum aaduthe ? many more songs which made me his instant fan. Coming to En manaivi the song Sangadamana samayalai vittu sangeetham paada poren became quite popular.. Credit Sudharsanam master’s nice tune was the main reason. Next big venture of AVM was Sri Valli. New comers T.R.Mahalingam & Kumari Rukmini were the lead pair. Sudharsanam master along with Rajagopal sarma composed melodious songs. T.R.Mahalingam’s Kayatha kanagathe is popular even now. This was the first film where Rukmini’s voice was erased from the songs and replaced with P.A.Periyanayaki’s voice and all processing were done overnight and new reels were sent to all screens. Probably first of this kind .. Credit to AVM. Next big venture was Naam Iruvar . A Stage play by NSK nataka sabha wherein S.V.Sahasranamam played the lead was made as movie . T.R.Mahalingam & T.A.Jayalakshmi played the lead. This movie came when India was announced Independent and AVM added lot of patriotic songs and Sudharsanam master tuned it so well that even in Carnatic concerts these songs were sung in the same tune as it was in the movie. Baby kamala aka kumara kamala danced for the songs. Especially Poet Subramaniya bharathiyar’s Aaduvome PaLLu paaduvome in the voice of Smt D.K.Pattammal tuned by Sudharsanam master is a classic. Even now some channel or radio definitely plays this song during independence/republic days. Probably Sudharsanam master would be the first to compose/tune Poet Bharathiyar’s songs for films I think. Thus AVM and R.Sudharsanam became synonymous. If Modern theatres T.R.Sundaram firmly established his presence with the Fantasy fun fare hit “Ayiram thalai vaangiya aboorva chinthamani”, it was AVM’s turn to do a similar one and he too gave a huge hit movie in the name of “VEdhala ulagam” Sudharsanam master’s tunes are memorable even now. Bharathiyar’s Theeradha vilayattu pillai in the voice of D.K.Pattammal Almost all songs were hit. Aara imbam thanthai, kalviyile sirandha thamizh naadu , madhananga sundhara mana mohanan, thoondil puzhuvinai pol and many more songs are even remembered. Dance sequences by Kamala, Lalitha-Padmini and tunes by Sudharsanam master are evergreen. My fav comedian Sarangapani also sang a song. The next AVM venture first under “AVM studios” made him movie moghul and Sudharsanam a complete composer. Yes it was T.R.Ramachandran- Vaijayanti mala starrer Vaazhkai. Pa. Neelakantan’s Story was directed by AVM himself. Even today “Un kann unnai yemaatrinaal en mel kovam undavathen dadadada dada… sung by T.R.Ramachandran & M.S.Rajeswari will mesmerize us for the catchy tune. Sudharsanam master’s catchy compositon, K.P.Kamatchi’s lyrics and of course our own T.R.Ramachandran and dancing beauty Vaijayanti mala made this song a class. Movie was made in telugu as “Jeevitham” and BAHAR in hindi. Sudharsanam did the compostion for tamil and telugu. Not sure why AVM did not use him for hindi. AVM’s next venture was the Great C.N.Annadurai’s Or iravu. Anna wrote the screenplay and Pa.NEelakantan started his directorial innings with this movie. Movie had everything. Dance dramas, kurathi song (ayya saami aavoji sami though inspired from hindi tune),amazing songs and all tuned by Sudharasanam Master. If Naam iruvar and previous movies had songs penned by poet bharathiyar tuned by Master in this movie it was Poet bharatidasan’s song “Thunbam nergayil yaazheduthu nee “ tuned beautifully by Master and sung by V.J.Varma (don’t know much about this singer) for Akkineni NAgeswara rao & M.S.Rajeswari for Lalitha. 1952 – AVM & P.A.Perumal teamed up to make the hit stage play parasakthi as a movie. Mu.Karunanidhi wrote the script and dialouges and a new comer V.C.Ganesan was cast as the hero(though AVM wanted K.R.Ramasami), PAndaribai who acted in miniscule roles until then was cast as the heroine. Sri ranjani Jr was the sister . Though the major show stealer was Ganesan’s acting and Karunanidhi’s dialouges Sudharsanam had his share to flare . Songs like pudhu pennin manasai thottu poravare(voice MSR), Kaa kaa kaa (lyrics by udumalai Narayana kavi , voice by C.S.Jayaraman), oh rasikkum seemane (kumari kamala voice MSR), poomalai neeye puzhudhi man mele by T.S.Bhagavati . All are classic hits even today. Sudharsanam gave variety of songs in this movie which talked social reform and acquired a cult status . A star was born with this film and we got Nadigar thilagam . AVM’s next venture Gunasagari in Kannada also had Sudharsanam as composer. All the songs are loved even today by kannada music lovers. Movie was dubbed as Sathiya sodhanai in tamil . Movies like Jaathagam(PBS sang his first song), JAathaka palam, jaathaka phala all had Sudharasanam as the composer. 1953-1954 AVM did make Ladki with Vaijayantimala in lead. Same movie was made as Penn in tamil & Sangham in Telugu. Songs from Penn, Ladki & Sangham are quite popular even now Sonna sollai marandhidalamo vaa vaa by T.S.Bhagavati & M.S.Rajeswari is a super hit song. Anjali devi playing the veena & Vaijayantimala dancing is a visual treat . Sudharsanam master scores with just this gong. But all other songs are equally popular. Vaal muniayin, maadhar thammai izhivu (voice T.A.Mothi), akila bharadha pengal . Every song was popular and credit goes to Sudharsanam master. Adding feather to his cap the song Kalyanam aaha kalyanam picturized on Veenai S.Balachander sung by J.P.Chandrababu is a popular even now. Next biggest hit for AVM was the kannada movie Bedara kannappa starring young Rajkumar playing the lead and pandari bai as his wife. C.S.Jayaraman’s kannada songs Shivappa kaayo thande, Yennodey Noo Aemba were instant hit. The movie was dubbed in tamil as Vedan kannappa and TMS sang these songs(ennudaya bhava bantham, en appan andro) and music lovers in Tamil nadu went crazy .Dubbed version also ran for days (people forgot it was dubbed ). Such was the power of Rajkumar’s acting and Sudharsanam master’s songs. Next one was another major hit Chella pillai starring K.R.Ramasami,savithiri,banthulu & kannamba. Songs tuned by Sudharsanam master became very popular. (I guess producer insisted to use some of the hindi tunes), kovil kaalai nee papa, podanum kulla podanum , madana ezhil raja all were hits. This is the movie which brought TMS & PS together for the first time and then on this duo became the magical pair in TFM. Chella pillai became Vadina in telugu. Songs were equally popular in telugu. Next major venture was AVM’s Bhoo kailas in telugu & Bhoo kailasa in kannada. Movie was about Ravana and songs tuned by Sudharsanam master became super duper hit. P.Suseela’s Sundaraanga Bandeneega(sundaranga andukora), Ramana Avatara by Seerkazhi govindarajan , jaya jaya mahadeva by c.S.Jayaraman , doora neenade by AMRaja & P.Suseela and many more songs. All songs were hit in both Kannada & Telugu. It was dubbed in tamil as Bhakta Ravana. It’s still a puzzle why AVM did not make this movie in tamil. Next hit was Kula deivam with s.v.sahasranamam, pandaribai, ssr, mynavathi and rajagopal in lead. Sudharsanam master’s compositions were super hits. Kottu potta chinna machane by PS, Thaye Yasoda by MLV, vaarayo ennai paarayo with P.Leela & A.M.Raja all songs were hit. By now you can see the wide range of composition by Sudharsanam master. Early days it was Carnatic raga based songs slowly as the movie making progressed into social arena music also shifted gears to make melody which was easy at listener’s ears. Next AVM hit was Sahodari. AVM joined with Kannada stage actor Gubbi veeranna produced Sahodari. J.P.Chandrababu’s Naan oru muttalunga was a great hit. KAnandasan’s Lyrics Sudharsanam master’s tune and babu’s acting is still remembered. Another noteable song from the movie is “Pan paadum pon vanname “ picturized on NAzir & Devika. 1960 had 2 fantastic films produced by AVM One was Sivaji-padmini-ssr starrer “Deiva piravi” . What a movie and what a performance by the lead actors. Sudharsanam master gave super songs .. Anbale thediya en arivu selvam thangam C.S.Jayaraman with humming by SJ. Jamuna rani had 2 super songs sensational Kalai vayasu kattana sizeu , lovely thara thara vandhara . All were great hits. Another super hit from 1960 was “Kalathoor Kannamma” Can we forget “Kangalin vaarthaigal Puriyadho”, “aadadha manamum aaduthe both by AMRaja & P.Susheela. Arugil vandhal by AMRaja , Ammavum neeye appavum neeye by M.S.Rajeswari. all became super hit songs. Sudharsanam master’s brilliant composition and songs added to the movie’s success For few of the next AVM ventures Sudharsanam master did not compose music. (Reasons unknown) Next AVM Venture was Annai. The song which introduced me to Sudharsanam is from this movie. Annai was a super hit movie with P.Bhanumathi as the leading lady. Sudharsanam gave brilliant tunes P.Banumathi’s Poovagi kayagi is ever green even today. P.B.Srinivas & P.Susheela sang the dazzling duet “Azhagiya mithilai nagarinile” picturized on Sachu & HArinath P.Susheela’s oh buck buck buck madappura is another popular number . Cute Sachu on screen. J.P.Chandrababu sang another brilliant number for Sudharsanam master in this movie. Puthiyulla manidherallam vetri petradhillai a classic with brilliant lyrics by KAnnadasan. Overall Annai’s success can be credited to BAnumathi & Sudharsanam’s tunes. 1963 another tear jerker production by AVM was “NAanum oru pen”. Yet another social message based on color discrimination. Vijayakumari (tamil), Savithiri(telugu) and Meenakumari(hindi) did the lead. Sudharsanam composed music for both Tamil & telugu(Naadi ada janmame). Can any music lover forget the soulful “KAnna Karumai nira kanna” .. Sudharsanam master’s brilliant tune, Kaviyarasar’s apt lyrics and Isayarasi’s soulful rendition made this song a classic. This song will definitely feature in Smt P.Susheela’s top 10 songs. Such is the impact this song created. PS sang the telugu version as well. Other songs in the movie include Poo pola poo pola pirakkum by PS,TMS Yemara sonnadhu naana (one version TMS, another one PS) but pick of the album is ofcourse “KAnna karumai nira kanna” “Kannayya nallani kannayya “ in telugu as well. When this movie was made in hindi “Krishna o kale Krishna” Lata mangeshkar said to AVM that she cant sing like how Suseela has sung in the original. Such was the impact of the original tune. We’ve come to a sad end that Naanum oru pen marked the last film of AVM- R.Sudharsanam combination. Yes for reasons not known he did not compose for AVM films after NAanum oru Pen. (only AVM saravanan can clarify the reason) Meanwhile Sudharsanam did compose for few films outside AVM banner. Mu.Karunanidhi who has seen Sudharsanam from parasakthi days was impressed with him and thus Sudharsanam composed beautiful songs in Poompuhar, Poomalai & MAnimagudam. There was one another film “Anbukkrangal” which had fantastic songs composed by Sudharsanam for great lyrics by Vaali. Poompuhar – what an album by Sudharsanam master. Vaazhkayenum odam vazhangugindra paadam by KBS (lyrics mu.karunanithi) Thamizh engal uyiranadhu by PS KAaviri penne vaazhga by TMS & PS Ennai mudhal mudhalaga paartha podhu by TMS & SJ Poomalai – a different story for that period. Again master gave beautiful songs My fav is Kattai viral vellakatti by PS for Anjalidevi Ulagame edhirthaalum song by C.S.Jayaraman . Anbukkarangal – Another nice film by K.Sankar. Out of all the other films (outside AVM) this will be the best album by Sudharsanam master. Onna irukka kathukkanum, Avala sonnal, Ungal azhagenna arivenna, Ramanukke seethai all were super songs but the best of the lot is PBS PS duet “Iravu mudindhuvidum mudindhaal ..” what a song what a composition and mind blowing rendition by both..Fantastic lyrics by Vaali (picturized on K.Balaji & Manimala) Manimagudam & Kaarthigai deepam were also by Sudharsanam master. This is 1965. This was the last year in Tamil film industry. He did compose for 2 malayalam films in 1967 (Kudumbam) and 1968(Thirichadi) Thirichadi songs are even popular now “induleke , paathi vidarnal, poo pole poo pole “ all are hits When NAanum oru pen was remade in Malayalam as “Hrudayathinde nirangal” with Prabha as lead Music director Devarajan master retained the Kanna karumai nira kanna (kanna karimukhil varna) and credited Sudharsanam master in the title. Sudharsanam master did compose for few hindi films like matwala etc. but post 1968 no news about him or his compositions. Probably Music pattern change could be the reason for his fading away. Nevertheless this man should not be forgotten and as long as AVM lives he will live thru it . Sudharsanam’s brother R.Govardanam worked as assistant to his brother, MSV and then composed music for films like Pattanathil bootham & Kai rasi. In later years he was the person to conduct the orchestra in Illayaraja & MSV troupe. 2014 was the centenary of Sudharsanam master and this talented composer though forgotten lives thru the songs he created especially for AVM.. Will come back soon with another artiste Rajesh Lavanya

Vintage Raghavan (V.S.Raghavan)

Vintage Raghavan (V.S.Raghavan)

Veteran V.S.Raghavan is not a face which we can easily forget. It’s so unfortunate that some idiots who in the name of mimicry make fun of him by staging some bad words (goyyala etc) though V.S.Raghavan is an actor par excellence. Man with 1000 movies to his credit stood tall in this tinsel world along with Nagesh. Both acted decade after decade while their colleagues of 60’s faded away either due to death or with no opportunities these 2 made their way thru each new wave . Especially Raghavan was acting till his last days and unfortunately I feel he didn’t get the appreciation which he deserved. This man portrayed numerous characters and left a mark in each of them.. Who can forget the strict father in Vasantha maligai or Arrogant father who seeks revenge for his daughter in iru kodugal or helpless father who cannot do anything against his family in Namma veetu deivam and many more.. I don’t care even if some of my FB friends doesn’t like him or not but to me he was a great actor and definitely deserved more appreciation. Raghavan was born in Kancheepuram district, studied in madras Christian college made his acting debut in 1954 with Vairmalai (who can forget the eternal classic song “Koovamal koovum kokilam with Manohar & Padmini as lead pair). At that time he was into plays and vairamalai was a play as well. So he did the same role when it was made as a film as well. He formed the INA (indian national artists) and our own K.Balachander was also part of it. When Plays got reduced he started his film career in full swing appearing in various character roles. Raghavan led a clean life without any bad habits lived healthy till the age of 90. Donned variety of roles starting from arrogant rich man to a driver or slave he gels with the character . At times it might look over acting but that’s common from any stage artist. He was at ease in any of his characters and had no ego which made him work 5 to 6 decades in various roles. Though he left this world there are few roles which will live for ever .. Rajesh LAvanya

Magnificent Kanchana aka Vasundhara devi.

Magnificent Kanchana aka Vasundhara devi.

Glamour & Talent doesn’t go hand in hand except for some rare people like Sarojadevi, Bharathi, JAyalalitha & KAnchana. (jaya is little odd because in glamour the feminine quotient will be less). So there we go. Another request from Chitralaya sriram anna to write about this evergreen beauty Kanchana. Quite understandable his affection for her because she was introduced in Sridhar’s film and Dad Gopu sir’s dialouges and from then on their association continued. So the request was natural and I’m indeed happy to write about Kanchana. Born on 16’th August 1939 at Vijayawada (the place which has given many artists like Ghantasala, P.Suseela & many more) she was working as Air hostess and of course many cine professionals flying would have noticed this beauty. Creators look for sharp features (in today’s world the meaning of features is completely different) while then it was height, sharp nose, photogenic face etc and Kanchana had everything in her but she was not ready for cinema then. Sometimes the statue waits for the creator to find it and that’s exactly what happened in her case. Creator Genius C.V.Sridhar found this charming airhostess and offered her a role in his comic film “Kadhalikka neramillai “ in 1964. Thus she landed ground into the tinsel world. People might think Kanchana’s debut was Kadhalikka neramillai but that’s not true. She appeared as Devi Kaali or durga in a telugu film which was released before. She started her innings with a great movie directed by the great Sridhar. Along with her there were other new comers too , charming ravichandran, bubbly Rajasree . I wrote at length in kothai notes about the moving completing 50 yrs. The movie opens up with Kanchana & Muthuraman singing the evergreen duet “Enna Paarvai undhan paarvai “ . Movie became a huge hit and all the new comers became stars overnight. First film for her was just a casual rich girl who is in love and she did justice to what was given to her. Slowly many films came her way in tamil & telugu. She started to pair with top heroes at that time mostly in telugu first (with ANR in Aathma gowravam, PReminchi choodu(kadhalikka neramillai in telugu) etc) , but it was the role of Uthara she played in Veera abhimanyu that got noticed by many. She was natural as uthara both in acting and dance sequences and charmed her way in the screen with AVMrajan in tamil, Shoban babu in Telugu. (how can we forget Paarthen sirithen pakkam vara thudithen song) Next she acted as the elder daughter of NAdigar thilagam in Motor sundaram pillai. That’s the first in Shivaji film probably stepping stone for her to act as his pair in the coming days. Though it was a small role still it was noticeable. She paired with Sivakumar in this movie. But when the same movie was made in Telugu she was offered Manimala’s role & she did it finely.She voiced for the evergreen telugu song MAnase andala brundavanam (maname muruganin mayilvaganam in telugu) sung by P.Susheela. Kanchana was fluent in Tamil and Telugu. During this time she started in Malayalam films as well. Next to KRVijaya Kanchana was the other heroine who did movies in all the 4 languages (Tamil, Telugu,Kananda & Malayalam) and few hindi movies too. She also had a chance to act with MAkkal thilagam in Parakkum Paavai where she portrayed once sided love. She continued glamour roles in movies like Marakka mudiyuma etc. She also played as a bold and caring sister in Kodi Malar. Kodi malar gave her additional scope to better as an actress. The movie deals with a dumb woman and kanchana her sister join hands with her lover to bring justice to her sister. Definitely improvement from being a glamour girl to a performer. That too equation with veteran actresss M.V.Rajamma 1967 is a special year for Kanchana. Yes there were many super hit movies this year. The main film was AVM’s thriller Adhey Kangal/Avey Kallu. Adhe kangal – Kanchana had Glamour role and paired up with Ravichandran/Krishna but this film gave her scope to prove a variety of dances including folk, western and many more (whatever was famous then like rock & roll, twist etc). Oh oh Ethanai azhagu 20 vayathinile shot in Mysore brindavan gardens is a visual treat to watch even now. Adhey kangal was a top grosser and KAnchana became a sought after heroine. 1967 also saw her feature in K.BAlachander’s comic family drama “Bhama Vijayam”. She was one of the 3 daughter-in-laws who ruin their lives due to their interest in their actress neighbor Bhama. Amidst a big star cast Kanchana was noticeable with her glasses and the scene where in she considers the thief to be her husband the conversation which follows is hilarious. She also put up quite a show in the song “Ninaithal sirippu varum “ During the same year she also entered Hindi films with the movie FArz. It was in 1967 she also paired up with legendary N.T.R as well and of course in 1967 she got the elevation of one sided lover for Nadigar thilagam in Thangai. So 1967 was definitely a better year for Kanchana. She was constantly doing films in tamil & telugu During this time she also acted in notable Malayalam films like Priyathama, Azhagulla saleena, Kodungallooramma,Thirichadi & many more She also acted with Makkal thilagam in Parakkum paavai & NAan yen pirandhen. 2 movies with makkal thilagam but prominent roles.(thanks vijayakrishnan for pointing out the miss) 1969 is another noticeable year in Kanchana’s career. The main film of Kanchana in 1969 was “shanti nilayam” where in she elevated from heroine to artist. Yes this is her best character portrayed in tamil film. She was attractive with Gemini, compassionate with both the kids and Pandari bhai and showed every kind of emotion in this movie. Shanti nilayam was inspired from Sound of music. Originally kannada folks got inspired from Sound of music and made Bedi bandhavalu in 1968 with Kalyan kumar & Chandrakala in lead. Tamil version was a year later. KAnchana was absolutely brilliant as Malathi in Shanti nilayam. Her acting, Marcus bartley’s photography and MSV’s scintillating music made this movie a grand success. Yet another notable film in 1969 was the telugu film Natakala Rayudu where in veteran actor NAgabushanam played the lead role and Kanchana played the female lead. This film was based on the hindi movie Albela . Kanchana plays the drama company owner who identifies Nagabushanam’s talent and makes him an actor. The movie was appreciated well and Kanchana’s role was also noticeable. When Thulabaram was made in tamil she got Sheela’s role- friend of the female lead sharada. Kanchana did justice to whatever the character asked for. She paired up with muthuraman 1970 marked the year when her mentor Sridhar paired her with NAdigar thilagam in the magnum opus “Sivandha mann” . Excellent songs and her “pattathu rani “ dance number is remembered even now. Kanchana was brilliant as Chitralekha. This was the first movie to shoot outside india. Inspite of the film’s failure it’s remembered for NAdigar thilagam’s acting, foreign locations and Kanchana’s pattathu rani dance as well. 1971 saw 2 brilliant characters from KAnchana. One was the telugu movie Kalyana mandapam. I would rate this as her career best. When Puttanna kanagal’s Gejje pooje was remade in telugu as Kalyana mandapam KAnchana was selected to play the role originally played brilliantly by minugu thare kalpana. Kanchana portrayed the role of a devdasi girl and she matched kalpana’s performance and got many accolades as well. In the same year she played a soft wife who cares for her friend and at the same time need to take care of family’s name in Avalukkenru oru manam. Kanchana played female lead Bharathi’s friend . Even though bharathi’s role is the powerful one Kanchana scored with softer role as well , playing Gemini’s wife , at the same time a very caring friend who tries hard to bring her friend to right track. Mangayaril maharani picturised on Kanchana & Gemini is even memorable now. 1971 also had the comic entertainer “Utharavindri Ulle va” directed by N.C.chakravarthy. Kanchana played the girl who escapes from villain group and seeks shelter at a bachelor’s house where in all the bachelors fall for her.. nice comedy movie and kanchana played her role well in the movie From then on she was seen doing second heroine role or character role mostly In telugu. Her dance sequences in Nageswararao’s bhakta tukaram are mind blowing but the career of the heroine suddenly vanished and she was reduced to do character roles. Times were changing and slowly she faded away. She was seen again with Nadigar thilagam in Avan oru sarithiram (Vanakkam pala murai sonnen)but not as his pair. She did elderly characters (mother roles) in sigappu rojakkal,pagadai pannirendu, babruvahana in kannada (she had a powerful role than sarojadevi in this movie) and many more and she slowly quit acting. During that time she also dealt with personal issues she went and settled with her sister in Bangalore. Unlike Kumudham reported she wasn’t living in any temple or any such sort. She was living with her sister and turned her life into spiritual world. After years of fight she got back all her assets and donated 5crore worth property to Thirupathi Devasthanam, a generous act indeed. Am happy that she is actively seen at many events in Chennai. I was surprised when actor ARS during UAA 60 years ,mentioned that Kanchana has acted in stage plays as well. Kanchana was awarded MGR award by the govt of tamilnadu in 2005. In a career span of 10 years she saw the peak for atleast 5-6 years did variety of roles and still her name is remembered by film lovers. That is Kanchana for us. I pray the almighty for her long and healthy life. Thanks @chitralaya sriram anna for asking me to write about this charming beauty. -Rajesh Lavanya

Versatile Murthy aka Venniradai Murthy.

Versatile Murthy aka Venniradai Murthy. Another request from @Chitralaya sriram anna . This time he deserves a kiss in his forehead for this request. I’m excited to write about my favorite artist Mr. Venniradai Murthy. Ironically he is known for his body language, thambriiii and body antics but there is a great man of wisdom behind that comic mask. Murthy born in 1936 in Chidambaram, his father was a leading lawyer and Murthy also completed law. While studying in Chennai Christian college Murthy also stayed in the same Vedanthangal(yes house of film birds) yes the famous club house in T.Nagar. Thus Murthy was destined to meet all the guys who were struggling to make it big in cinema. He met N.C.Chakravarthy (director of U.U.Vaa) because of whom he got the opportunity to meet Director Sridhar. It was in 1965 when Sridhar was getting ready for his new movie. Murthy was confident that he could do comedy roles but Sridhar wasn’t. He did ask Murthy why he wanted to do comedy roles as his face wasn’t funny. Murthy in turn said people say look yields luck but in my case it’s the other way . This statement made Sridhar to think and he decided to create a comic role for him and thus Murthy landed into cinema. In his debut he paired up with Asha/Shailasree. Murthy’s wide eyes and his witty speech will make everyone notable and why not he definitely got noticed and slowly he started to appear in many movies. My first knowledge of him came from the AVM’s comical ride KAsethan kadavulada .. Like every other beginning actor he was offered some elderly roles during his young age but in cinema logic this cannot be avoided but Murthy had the knack of making him noticeable in any character he did. In Kasethan kadavulada he acted as Manorama’s husband and the way he begs for 5 paise to his sons and they way he says “ She has employed me as her husband” all are funny to the core. Even now when I watch the scene between muthuraman, srikanth and Murthy it’s hilarious. Murthy’s nature, knowledge and timing made him gel with all the comedy stalwarts across decades. He has acted with almost all directors, all actors , all major comedians and variety of characters.. Can’t forget Utharavindri ulle vaa , then mazhai (as Gemini’s asst). He floated with time, created a unique identity for himself thus created the unique way of saying the words and funny facial expression. Thambriii , bbaa funny sounds all became his trademark. There are hundreds of movies where we all have laughed at his performance and it will be never ending story if I start to mention all of them but to quote a few Murthy and Kamal in Michael madana kamarajan where in he played a protective father of Kushboo and the scenes followed are hilarious to the core. My childhood friend (even now) Viswanathan and I were mad fan of Murthy and his dialoiuges and we literally ROTFL for his scenes in M.M.K.Rajan. Same can be said of his role in Thangamana purushan wherein he played husband to Aachi manorma (stingy woman) and it’s hilarious to watch him wear a dress made of paper .. funny to the core. He was able to team up with any comedian at any time and still managed to be noticeable. That was his hidden talent. He has acted with NAgesh, Thengai Srinivasan, Cho,Suruli, VKRamasamy, Goundamani,senthil (who can forget the funny scene between Senthil & Murthy in enga ooru paatukkaran), S.S.chandran, Vadivelu, Vivek, manobala and even with young generation comic actors. He acted with everyone with ease. He acted with T.R.Ramachandran, M.R.Radha and many stalwarts. Behind this comedian was an actor too. There were few movies where he was given subtle acting roles as well. Because of his good writing skills he also worked in Chitralaya magazine as well. He has worked over 900 films and still very active which is a great achievement. Apart from films many know him as astrologer as well. Yes he was once predicted by an astrologer that he will make it into films and his words came true and Murthy started picking up astrology books from that astrologer. He claims that his guru is that person because he strictly said to Murthy that he would not teach him but guide him. Murthy says it’s science and he did master it well. He was the first to conduct a TV show named “Astrology and Vaasthu” Apart from films he was successful in TV as well. His comedy series Meendum meendum Sirippu was successful for 11 years. A huge accomplishment. Apart from movies & TV shows Murthy is very well informed . His recent show “Ulagam ivvalavuthan” is a show with tons of information and the way Murthy presents is commendable. I’m lucky to have likeminded friends and above all my DAD who all liked Murthy. Dad & I are huge Murthy fans and never miss his comedy scene or any of his show for that matter. Murthy is very cordial and disciplined. All of his co actors had immense praise for this man. Vadivukkarasi, Kovai sarala and many more always mention Murthy’s name. He is a gentleman to the core, cordial to the drivers who drop him or pick him up for shooting thus yielding a good name and going strong even now. Murthy married veteran actress MAnimala (what a natural beauty she was)at the peak of her career. She quit acting after marriage and still she is the backbone for Mr.Murthy. She came back to do Sindhu bhairavi and the tele series which followed the movie just because of KB. Murthy and MAnimala have a son Mano who is married and they have a grandson. Mano is settled in Australia or America (not sure). Murthy is simple man and often his dialogues tend to have double meaning but that is part and parcel of cinema.. The man within is clean as a crystal and everyone knows it and I take great pleasure in writing about this Man who made millions laugh …. See you soon with another artist. Bye for now Rajesh Lavanya

Jazzy Jamuna Rani.

Jazzy Jamuna Rani. K.Jamuna Rani. This name is nothing new to Music lovers but to this generation she is a stranger. Jamunarani had within her the POP’ish voice and was used more for the seduction style songs. Her voice was definitely unique though it didn’t possess the sweetness of Susheela or high octave like Susheela & Jikki but definitely had the nativity which suited well for Dance numbers or folkish type of songs. Jamuna rani started her career in 1944 with the movie “Seeta rama jananam” where she sang for a small girl but it was “Thyagayya” which made her famous. She was in contract with Modern theatre and slowly her career began to take off. It was susrala dakshinamurthy who encouraged her and gave her chances as well. During her tenure in the modern theatre Kannadasan heard her voice and when it mattered recommended her name to MSV-TKR. When Leela & Jikki were dominating the Music arena K.Jamuna rani definitely carved a niche for herself and was singing all the songs which came her way( mostly dance numbers, songs for second heroine) inspite of all these songs became hit and definitely her name popped out and got noticed. She sang songs in Tamil, telugu, kannada,malayalam and Sinhala. She is the singer who sang more songs in Sinhalese. When Susheela took over Leela-Jikki , Jamuna was still singing more songs but when L.R.Eswari came in with Vaarayo thozhi her chances faded with just one or 2 songs and after long gap V.Kumar made her sing in Iru kodugal, edhir neechal and then Illayaraja mader her sing in Nayagan. In her career she sang for all music directors. It was S.Dakshinamurthy, K.V.Mahadevan, S.P.Kodandapani who encouraged her a lot. She herself admitted that it was tough to sing MSV- TKR compositions. Nevertheless JAmunarani had a uniqe voice and definitely better than LRE(in my opinion) and though branded as seductive singer she sang so many varieties Let me list some of her songs .. First listing my favourites NAgamalli konalona (Bangaru thimmaraju music by S.P.Kodandapani. This is the movie KJY sang his first telugu song) Mukku meeda kopam ( Mooga manasulu – Praptham original) Aasayum Nesamum (Gulebagavali music MSV-TKR) Kamugar nenjinil needhi illai (MAhadevi – MSV-TKR). This is a fantastic song pathos number and Jamuna sang it so well. Yaaradi nee mohini (with TMS,Jikki, AP komala –G.Ramanthan’s music) .. tough one too Continuing her list Thadukkathe ennai thadukkathe with JPC. She was the best pair for JPChandrababu, both complimented each other Santhoshamethan sangeethamagum from Santhanam Athimathura anuraga from school master Next big hit was “Sethamizh then mozhiyaL” from Malai itta mangai. Her “Mele parakkuthu rocket” from Anbu enge was instant hit Santhu pottu thalathalakka with leela from Sivagangai seemai Kunguma poove konjum purave was runaway hit .. again with JPC Her songs in bhagyadevathai ( Music: Master Venu) were hits as well. Neeyo naano yaar nilave with Susheela,PBS in mannadhi mannan. Another solo in the same movie “Kaaviri thaaye” was very popular as well. Her songs in Deivapiravi (for M.N.Rajam) is popular even now. Yes “Thara thara vandhara” and “Kaalai Vayasu kattana sizeu” made youth go crazy at that time. Pakkathile kanni pen irukku with A.L.Raghavan was another popular number from PAdikkadha medhai Kuyil isayum kuzhalisayum from Sangili thevan a duet with A.M.Raja is a very nice song Next smash hit came in the form of “Paasamalar” . Paasa Malar saw the arrival of LRE but KJR had a superb song for M.N.Rajam again. Yes Paatondru ketten Paravasam aanen.. The way she has sung this song is absolutely brilliant. From the soft Paatondru ketten she sang the folkish dance number with TMS in Kumudam under KVM’s music. “Maama Maama Maama” and this became her signature song. In any show audience demand this song and she sings it with ease. Same song became super hit in Telugu as well. She had 2 beautiful songs in Bale pandiya.. Aadhi manidhan kadhalukku pin with PBS And the evergreen Athikkai kaai (kaviyarasar’s lyrics) with TMS,Susheela,PBS She sang the beautiful Chithirathil pen ezhuthi from Rani Samyuktha (music KVM) KAtti thanga rajavukku with L.R.Eswari in Mani osai Nenjinile un ninaivu mugam from Chitrangi was quite popular number as well(with TMS,Susheela) Enakkagava Naan unakkagava from Selvam was instant hit. The comic song Vazhaithandu pole udambu alek with ALRaghavan from panama pasama was also quite popular. Malai mudiyil pani azhagu from Delhi mappillai with p.susheela. Punnagai mannan poo vizhi kannan from iru kodugal with P.Susheela Naan sirithal deepavai with MSRajeswari in Nayagan This is just a small list, she has sung more songs especially in telugu , it’s unfortunate that we couldn’t hear her voice after 1969/70 . She was awarded kalaimamani in 1998, Aringar anna award in 2002. She was close friend of Jikki and helped her during her last days as well. I don’t get impressed with many voices & nothing goes into my ears except P.Susheela. Jikki, Jamunarani are exceptions and definitely they impress me. Rajesh Lavanya.

Musician's Man Thy M.S.Viswanathan

Musician's Man Thy M.S.Viswanathan If there was one person who composed for the musicians it was the one and only MSV. He used to see the musicians present and compose a song based on that. It wasnt that alone which made him a muscian's favourite. It was his creativity that made everyone long to work for him. M.S.Viswanathan was the first composer to introduce his musician thru the parts of his music. Audience would go spell bound to hear Prasad's tabla. Nanjappa's flute, Mangalamurthy's Accordion or Sathyam garu's shenoy (aalayamaniyin and many more songs), Mandolin Raju (he did more than mandolin),Trumpet Thomas, Guitar philips, Noel grant, Thumba shekar, Saibaba, Sadhan, Meesai Murugesh, Henry Daniel, Joseph Krishna,Govardanam master,Shyam, Bongos Gopalakrishnan,Ganesh(shankar) and many more of such kind. Audience could identify each musician in every song. It was said that those days there used to fans for not just MSV but for Bongos Gopalakrishnan , Mangalamurthy's accordion play. This shows the wide range of Musical Instruments this man was using in his compositions and thus each player showcasing their briliance .. His creativity was limitless thus he could come up with a tune with more instruments (Enge nimmadhi) or he could do with just 2 or 3 like Odam nadhiyinile. This man has used wide range of instruments of which few instruments does not exist anymore. Piano - Enna enna vaarthaigalo, Athan ennathan, athanin,paaduvor and many more Thumba --Sekar in man kanda sorgangal is a classic by itself.. This man's instrument usage is unimaginable.. Listen to bharathi kannamma neeyadi -- Prasad's tabla is a master piece.. Flute -- That is another topic by itself. (infinite number of songs with flute...) This composing genius was not limited to the instruments but he used Sadhan,MSraju , Meesai murugesh & saibaba as instruments. Whistle, sound effect, mimicry and what not.. There is not a single thing tha this man hasnt tried.. His successors just followed him in usage of instruments but the way he treated the musicians or they way he credited them no one else did and this is the FACT.

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(s).

Twinkle Twinkle Little Star(s). ======================= There were quite number of little stars who impressed the audience with their stellar performances over the years and this article is just to highlight the major cuties who did leave a mark. 1.Daisy Irani *********************** The very first child star who impressed me was Daisy Irani in "Yaar Payyan" .. Can we forger the famous dialouge "Maahanam Porunthiya Sreemaan Sundarrajan". Irani just stole the show in a film which had stalwarts like NSK,MAdhuram,Gemini & Savithiri. Sisters Daisy irani & honey irani were quite popular but Daisy made quite an impression in Tamil films as well.
2. Kutty padmini Following Daisy Irani it was Kutty padmini who stole the film arena with her bubbly performances in many movies. She always played heroine's young age role. her first noteable appearance was in Sridhar's Nenjil or aalyam(Muthana muthallavo song with dEvika) but she is still remembered for the dual role she played in Kuzhandhaiyum deivamum. She played so naturally the Lalli & pappi. Definitely Kutti padmini left a mark as child artist but couldnt make it big as an actress
3. Kumari Sachu ================ Kumari chachu also played younger roles in Avvaiyar , Rani, Mayabazar(young vatsala) and many more movies. ACT casted her as heroine in Veera thirumagan and Annai and then CVSridhar showed her another path in comedy in Kadhalikka neramillai. sachu was cute and bubbly and played baby roles and lil sister roles in many movies (noticeable one was Edhirparadhadhu where in she will appear as the tribal girl taking care of Sivaji )
4. Master PRabhakar & Baby sumathi. =============================== Master prabhakar is definitely the more popular child artist among everyone. He acted in numerous movies and always performed to perfection sometime it makes the audience think that he overdoes everything for his age. Those were the days where in child artists spoke more for their age. Prabhakar was on par with Kutty padmini for apprearing in many movies. APNagarajan made exclusively a film for Prabhakar "Vaa Raja Vaa". Prabhakar is a known child artist among tamil audicene even now. His sister Baby sumathi also starred in many movies with almost every top actor/actresses. All the above mentioned child stars acted in Tamil, Telugu, malayalam and kannada movies too. Sumathi is married and settled in canada.
5. Master Sekar. ####################### Like Prabhakar another child artist who with his innocent face made a mark was MAster Sekar. He was given roles exactly opposite to that of Prabhakar's . Always soft spoken quiet boy role. He also flourished as teen boy in quite number of movies (Sivaji's asst in Vani rani etc) and Sridhar made a movie with him and kavitha "Oh manju". Years later he also acted as Sivakumar's son in the award winning MArupakkam
6.Baby Shakeela =================== Can we forget "Athai madi methayadi" the melodious lullaby which marked Vaali ayya's star arrival beautifully rendered by Susheelamma. The baby artist who is attached to the aunt KRVijaya was baby shakeela. Shakeela appeared in several movies like enga pappa, enga veetu pillai and many more and definitely made an impression with her mazhalai speech dailouges.. As a teenager she appeared alongside AArthi in Gumasthavin magal but couldnt make it big.
7. Master Kamal hassan KAmal also had his share as child artist appearing in many movies alongside the then super stars MGR,Sivaji & Gemini in several movies. KAlathur kannama still is considered a landmark film for the introduction of Kamal as the child artist. Acting was written all over him and it wasnt a surprise he made it big as Ulaga nayagan.
8. Baby Sridevi. =============== Sree devi who ruled the Hindi, telugu and occasionally Tamil was also a baby star and appeared in many films in all languages. Especially tamil, telugu, malayalam. Can we forget the baby in Babu fondly calling Nadigar thilagam as "rickshaw mama" . She went on to become a popular actress in hindi and telugu but did leave a mark as a child artist.
9. Master Sridhar ================== Can we foget the cute little boy who played Lord muruga arguing with Avvaiyar(KBS) on Sutta pazham venduma in KAndhan Karunai. Sridhar played child roles in many movies and then elevated to side roles (in few movies played naradhar, teenage boy etc) and ended up in major roles in Doordarshan. It's sad to note that he passed away years back
10. Baby Rani. *********************** once baby shakeela, kutty padmini were out of the scene during 70's Baby rani made an impact. Kanne pappa, kuzhandhaikkaga all were made with her in a prominent role..She also acted in all languages including hindi. Her whereabouts are not known.
11. Baby Indira =============== Sisters Baby indira & raasi also had their stint as baby artists Indira the elder sister played the kid role in many movies. can we forget Singer pushpalatha singing "amamvum appavum vellai poonaigal " . Indira did play quite number of kannada movies. She reprised Kutty padmini's role in Kannada remake of Kuzhandhaiyum deivamum.
12. Roja ramani ====================== No one can ever forger "Narayana mandram adhuve narayana bajanam" . yes Baby Roja ramani who was casted by AVM chettiar in Bhakta prahalada was very popular child artist in Tamil and telugu. "Oru maharaja oru maharani" in Iru malargal is another beautiful role played by Roja ramani. She also was quite popular as teenager doing heroine and sister roles and then switched her profession as dubbing artist. All the above child stars made a mark hence they are mentioned specifically. There were other child artists like the boy who played dumb in "RAmu" and few other kids who acted only in few movies and disappeared. This is a humble attempt to recollect all those Little stars who twinkled in the Silver screen(sky). Will be back with another article soon (Rajeshkumar Lavanya)

Solla Solla inikkidhuyya – K(arnatic) V(idwan) M(ahadevan)

Solla Solla inikkidhuyya – K(arnatic) V(idwan) M(ahadevan) Yes “Solla Solla inikkudhada” can anyone forget this mind blowing devotional on Lord muruga penned by KAviyarasar and sung by the sweetest voice on the earth smt P.Susheela from the tamil film Kandhan Karunai tuned by Thirai isai thilagam K.V.Mahadevan fondly called as “Mama” by the Tamil film music fraternity. While talking about Tamil film music Krishnankoil Venkatachalam Mahadevan is a name which comes to Music lovers’s mind at once on par with MSV-TKR & G.Ramanathan. KVM was one of the Trinity of Tamil film music. When G.Ramanathan brought in the fusion of Classical and western music followed by KVM & Mellisai mannargal taking the Tamil film music to greater heights. When MSV-TKR were trying out new experiments, new sounds to prove their existence MAMA was sticking to his chords yes classical & folk which was his strong forte and churned out tune after tune which lingers in the ears of old songs lovers even today. KVM was born in Krishnan kovil in Nagerkovil district and was interested in music from childhood. Learnt classical music from Poothapandi Arunachala Kavirayar. After his classical training he joined a music troupe run by angarai viswanatha bhagavathar and did music shows all around India. He started singing and donning female roles in stage plays followed by joining HMV Company (he was the one who encouraged AMRaja in HMV which lead to Raja’s career break in Samsaram) and finally he joined as music assistant to T.A.KAlyanam and S.V.Venkatraman. Salem Modern Theatre which was the nest for all aspiring artist accommodated KVM too at the age of 20. He started his Music career with 1942’s MAnonmani along with T.A.Kalyanam and sang a song with P.Leela as well. Tamil film scene was witnessing a drasting change slowly shifting focus from historical movies to social drama and thus music also changed from being pure classical to the music style which everyone can understand. So it was right time for KVM’s career as well. Slowly his career took off with Burma rani (one of my fav movie of T.R.Sundaram), rajambal, kumaari, naalvar , Mangalyam (I liked the movie and songs where in A.P.Nagarajan played the hero with nambiar , B.S.Saroja & Rajasulochana)and there he was composing for one of the iconic film of Tamil cinema yes , the Movie which had Sivaji ganesan and M.G.R together for first and last “Koondukkili” . All songs were memorable ones and loved by fans even today. Raathiri buvaaku lottery was a Colloquial and funny song sung by himself along with TMS & V.N.Sundaram, Radha jayalakshmi’s paar en magale paar is another fantastic song from the same movie. KVM’s name as composer started to float alongside of stalwarts like S.Dakshimurthy, G.Ramanathan,C.N.Pandurangan,T.G.Lingappa,S.Rajeswara rao, V.Dakshinamurthy ,Ghantasala,S.M.Subbiah naidu, S.V.Venkatraman, C.Ashwathama & Sudharsanam master. Thus KVM slowly started to create an impact of his own. During the same time MSV who also worked with KVM in modern theatres as chorus singer was made to join with T.K.Ramamurthy by NSK as the duo MSV-TKR was slowly climbing up the ladder. So both KVM and MSV-TKR slowly were redefining the film music on their own ways. MAhadevan as I mentiond earlier stuck to his basics Classical and Folk and started composing fantastic songs In 1954 when KVM was composing for the film Madhana Mohini, M.P.Sivam introduced Velappan nair aka T.K.Pughazendhi and thus Pugazhendhi became a loyal assistant to KVM till his death. After Koondukili KVM’s instant hit was 1955’s Town bus which had Anjali devi as the bus conductor which was quite a revolution at that time. Songs like Chittukuruvi Chittukuruvi sethi theriyuma(MSR), Ponnana vaazhve mannagi (MSR) were sensational hits . Ka mu sherrif’s lines sung by MSR the chittu kuruvi chittu kuruvi song is popular even today (those days it was as good as Mere piya gaye Rangoon). Mahadevan slowly started to carve a name for himself in the TAMIL film arena. 2 people played important role in shaping up Mama’s career. Devar and A.P.Nagarajan Devar - Sandow M. M. A. Chinnappa Thevar started as stunt actor developed friendship with the then upcoming actor Ramachandran finally persuaded Ramachandran to act in his film which he was about to produce and thus the blockbuster “Thaaikku pin tharam”was conceived and the Devar – KVM association kicked off and lasted long as well. Thaaikku pin tharam had MGR,P.Bhanumathi,KAnnamba,T.S.Baliah and songs tuned by KVM are pleasant to ears even today P.Banumathi crooning Asainthadum thendrale thoodhu sellayo is an evergreen song TMS joins PB to render “AAha nam aasai niraiveruma” And thalaivar’s message song “Manushana manushan saapiduranda” was instant hit as well. Thus Devar films –KVM association took off and how many movies and how many songs. Especially Devar films-MGR-KVM a magical combo. Devar used to say that all he needed was MGR, KVM,Kannadasan,TMS & P.Susheela. Thaaiku pin tharam also established MGR as a social hero, during the same time Mukta V.Srinivasan started his debut direction with Mudhalali and KVM’s music was the main reason for the film’s success . Ka mu sherrif’s Yerikkarayin mele is a musical wonder even today. This movie had SSR & devika and this was a milestone in SSR’s career and this particular song attributed to the success. While MGR’s thaaikku pin tharam was huge success KVM’s songs in NAdigar thilagam’s “Makkalai Petra maharasi” were super hit as well. Thus KVM’s music became integral part for the film’s success. Ondru serndha anbu maruma penned by A.Maruthakasi sung by PBS & Udutha sarojini is a fantastic duet for Nambiar and MNrajam Folkish Manapparai madu katti by TMS penned by Maruthakasi is one of the best folk songs in TFM. PB & TMS jointly render the classic Poravale poravale ponnurangam. Thus KVM’s music magic irrespective of the actors was becoming the reason for the film’s success. KVM composed strictly within the frame of the Raga if it’s classical and tried variety in Folk and he fared well in that. Next to Devar the man who was instrumental in KVM’s career was A.P.Nagarajan. A.P.NAgarajan knew KVM from MAngalyam days in which he played the main lead. Being a story writer for some years for movies like Sampoorna ramayanam, nalla idathu sambandham he became closer to KVM. It was APN & KVM who gave L.R.Eswari a break with NAlla idathu sambandham. KVM’s magic continued with Raja rajan,Thai pirandhal Vazhi pirakkum, pillai kani amudhu,Neelavukku neranja manasu, periya kovil Especially Thai pirandhal vazhi pirakkum is another feather in his musical cap. Aasaiye alai pole penned by Kannadasan sung by Trichy Loganathan created magic all over tamilnadu Thai porandha vazhi porakkum thangame thangam sung by TMS, P.Leela was hummed by everyone Amudhum thenum yedharku penned by Suradha sung by Seergazhi Govindarajan is a classic number picturised on Prem Nazir and Rajasulochana. KVM’s magic can be felt in this song. Hits followed with films like SEngottai singam, nalu veli nilam, Manamulla marutharam,Vaazha veitha deivam, Abalai anjugam Songs in Nalu veli nilam were impressive especially oorar urangayile was aired in Radio Manamulla marutharam had fantastic songs – Thiruvilakku by Jikki and Inbam enge inbam enge endru thedu by Seergazhiyar is popular even today. Vaazha veitha deivam firmed the DEVAR-KVM relationship with songs becoming a major hit. It was from this movie Gemini ganesan took Aroordas to meet Nadigar thilagam and bhimsingh and their association created a new wave from pasamalar VAazha veitha deivam had lover boy Gemini with the cute Sarojadevi and songs like Kaaveri than singari singari than kaveri(TMS,PS), kolli malai saralile were hits. Not just songs but devar used lot of bull fight scenes for which KVM gave wonderful background score. Vennila kudai pidikka from Abalai anjugam will make old song lovers go crazy for the excellent rendition by T.R.Mahalingam and Suseela and beautiful lyrics by A.Maruthakasi. It was KVM who utilized A.Maruthakasi to the fullest and credit to him. Modern theatres T.R.Sundaram who tend to work with different music directors was associated with KVM from Burma rani days. So he summoned KVM to compose the Folklore subject directed by T.R.Ragunath Yes “Vanna kili” which had some of the best songs of TFM all packaged into 1 film. Nadaga kavalar R.S.MAnohar paired with B.S.Saroja while Prem naseer paired with MAinavathi. A.Maruthakasi penned all the songs and all are classic Maatukkara vela un maata konjam paathukkada by Seerkazhi was a fantastic folkish number While Adikkira kai than anaikkum the only duet by Trichy loganathan & Suseela will make stone heart melt Chinna papa endhan sella papa sung by P.Suseela was the lullaby in every household Chithada kattikittu is the best kuthupattu ever created in TFM sung by S.C.Krishnan and P.Suseela Vandi urundoda achani thevai by Seergazhiyar & Suseela was equally popular as well. APNagarajan’s Vadivukku valaikappu had fantastic numbers tuned by Mama. Seerulavum imba nadham by TMS& PS is the pick of the lot and Pugazhendhi used to talk at length about this song and how it was composed and how singers delivered it. KVM’s success continued with Alli petra pilla, engal kula devi, thayai pola pillai noolai pola selai(vilaimadhippilladha arutperum kalaiye by PS & Soolamangalam) and we have a blockbuster in the form of “PAdikakdha Medhai” in 1960 In 1960 he had super hit songs from the films Padikkadha medhai, AAda vandha deivam, Yaanai pagan,Veerakkanal PAdikkatha medhai directed by Bhimsingh had stellar performance by Nadigar thilagam, SVrangarao, Kannamaba and Songs like “Engirundho vandhan “ by Seergazhi, “ore oru oorile” b TMS,Soolamangalam Aadavandha deivam was musically hit. Sottu sottu by TRM,PS Kodi kodi inbam tharave- PS,PLeela Nilayaga en nenjil –PS Sangam muzhangi varum- TRM all were super duper hits YAanai pagan on the other hand was Devar films which had Kannada superstar Udayakumar romancing Sarojadevi and had fantastic songs by KVM Sengani vai thirandhu by PS,Seergazhiyar is ever lilting romantic duet Padhinarum nirayadha by TMS is another evergreen beauty Hits continued in 1960 in the form of Engal selvi, Kaithi kannayiram(konji konji pesi),Paavai vilakku(kaaviyama nenjin oviyama,vanna thamizh), ponni thirunal(who can forget yaar sirithal enna), Sivagami(vaanil muzhu madhiyai),thangam manasu thangam etc were few of his 1960 hits Stepping into 1961 MSV-TKR arrived with their Paava mannippu while KVM rocked with Kumudham. Kumudham was a complete package from Modern theatres and KVM gave splendid songs By this time he was quite popular in telugu as well. Without knowing Telugu he was the only Music director at that time who was simultaneously popular in both Tamil and Telugu (Illayaraja and Rahman in later years) Mama mama mama sung by TMS & K.Jamunarani Rocked the music arena and everyone went crazy with the song. Rocking Folk number by KVM and the telugu version sung by Ghantasala and KJR also was instant hit. Kumudham had stunning numbers Meow meow poonaikkutti by MSRajeswari, Kallile kalai vannam by TMS, Ennai vittu odi poga mudiyuma by PS & Seergazhi, Kalyanam Aanavare sowkkiyama by PS Hit songs continued in the form Ellam unakkaga(konji varum nenjil indru by PS), Kongunattu thangam,Panam pandhiyile,Panithirai(Varuga varuga, ore kelvi ore kelvi, yedho manidhan , april fool) DEvar-MGR-KVM rocked with hit after hit with Thai sollai thattadhe, thayai katha thanayan, kudumba thalaivan, dharmam thalai kakkum, neethikku pin pasam,thozhilali, vettaikaran, vivasayee,mugarasi,thanipiravi etc All songs from the above mentioned movies did enthrall the audience He continued to mesmerize the audience with song from Azhagu nila (chinna chinna roja – PBS sang for NAggaya), Kavitha (this movie had excellent songs by PS),Maadappura(oorukum theriyadhu & many more),Muthu mandapam(SSR’s movie had excellent songs kodiyavale, sonnalum vetkamada),Rani samyukta(oh vennila vennila) KSG’s Sharada had Fantastic numbers tuned by KVM PBS-PS duet Oruthi oruvanai ninaithuvittal is among the top 10 PBS-PS duets Seergazhi and LREswari’s Thattu thadumari nenjam is an unforgettable song Kannananal naan imaiyaven by TMS & PS is another stunner from this film KVM’s success formula was this .He believed “If we cater to Audience’s needs then it will be success”. That’s exactly he did with his music. He kept it simple relying on Classical and folk His hits continued with Annai illam (MAdi meethu thalai veithu by TMS,PS),Aasai alaigal, Ezhai pangalan,Irurvar ullam (idhaya veenai thoongumpodhu, nadhi enge pogiradhu were super hits), Kalai arasi(P.Banumathi mentions his composition and the songs she sang in this movie),KAanchi thalaivan(all hit songs oru kodiyil iru malargal, mayangathar manam yavum mayangum), Kaatu roja(endha oor endravane by PBS is a stunner), Koduthu veithaval(neeyum naanum ondru) Kulamagal radhai and Kungumam 2 Nadigar thilagam movies and songs were tremendous hit from these films. NAdigar thilagam’s career had best songs from KVM and MSV-TKR Kulamagal radhai – Iravukku ayiram kangal, aaruyire mannavane, pagalile chanidranai, chandiranai kaanamal, radhe unakku kobam , unnai solli kutramillai all were super hit songs Kungumam another movie with fantastic songs .. Thoongatha kann endru ondru, Chinnanjiriya vanna paravai,kungumam mangala,poonthotta kaval kara,mayakkam enadhu thayagam all are popular even now During this time he was popular in telugu with movies like Aathma bandhuvu, MAnchi manasulu(kumudham remake),mohini rukamangadha His telugu super hit came with 1964 Aatma balam starring ANR, B.Sarojadevi & JAggiah. He did create the sensational rain duet “Chitapata chinukulu “ by Ghantasala & Suseela which is still a popular one. He re used the same tune years later in engal thanga raja “Iravukkum pagalukkum ini enna velai” Hits followed with Neengatha ninaivu(oh chinnanjiru malarai), thulasi madam and then APnagarajan started his bakthi series and who better than MAMA to compose ..APN-KVM bhakti series rocked TFM with Thiruvilayadal(not just songs just listen to the intro music he gives in the beginning in KAilayam. It’s out of the world stuff),saraswathi sabatham,Thiruvarutselvar,Kandhan karunai,Thillana mohanambal,Thirumal perumai The above said APN films had classic songs. Can we forget Paatum nane bhavamum nane.. Oru naal podhuma(BMK),Neela selai katti konda(PS) Podhigai malai (PBS,SJ), Sambo mahadeva (PS,SG), pazhan nee appa(KBS) Saraswathi sabatham—Komadha engal kula madha (what a composition & what a rendition by PS) Kalviya selvama veeram(TMS), Rani maha rani(TMS), uruvathai kaatidum kannadi(PS) Agaramuthala(TMS). All were hit and popular even today. Thiruvarutselvar.. WOW the ever famous Mannavan vandhanadi .. what a composition , excellent lyrics by KAviyarsar awesome rendition by our own melody queen PS and ofcourse well portrayed dance by Naatiya peroli PAdmini. Nadhar mudi mel irukkum by TMS, Kadhalagi kasindhu by TMS, T.LMaharajan (debut) and aadhi sivan . All are very popular numbers. Then there was “KAndhan KArunai” which fetched him the 1’st National award Solla solla inikkudhada is no less than a private devotional number. Mama’s soulful music accompanied by the best female voice PS and apt lyrics by Kannadasan made this song “IMMORTAL” Uyirinangal ondrai ondru vaazhthidumbodhu adhan ullirundhu vaazhthuvadhu un arul andro kandha un arul andro” what a lyric .. hats off to Kaviyarasar Kurunjiyile, Velli malai mannava, manam padaithen(my favourite number), velli malai podhigai malai all were popular numbers Speaking of Nattiya peroli and NAdigar thilagam this film is synonymous to their names. Yes it’s Kothamangalam subbu’s story made into film by APN –Thillana mohanambal which was a milestone in everyone’s career PAdmini excelled in the role of Mohanambal while NT lived the role of Sikkal shanmuga sundaram Ably supported by manorama and others. This movie is a landmark film in tamil which exhibited our cultural arts like bharatha natyam & NAdhaswaram to perfection. Music played an important role for this film’s success. Can anyone forget P.Susheela’s excellent rendition of “MAraindhirundhu paarkkum marmam enna or NAlamthana udalum ullamum nalandhthana. This was purely KVM’s magic and the fusion art of western and nadhaswaram was just out of the world. KVM continued the hits with Vanampadi .(Gangai karai thottam, oomai pen oru kanavu, aan kaviyai vella, kadavul manithanai & thookananguruvi koodu) PArisu(Aalai paarthu azhagai paarthu is a stunner by PS, enna enna inikkudhu, koondhal karuppu and many more hits) Ratha thilagam though movie was not successful songs were super hits. Pasumai niraindha ninaivugale is an evergreen college song by TMS,PS And Kannadasan himself appeared in the movie Oru koppaiyile en kudiruppu sung by TMS was very popular as well. Like this KVM hits continued in the 60’s. It was MSV-TKR and KVM all the way and from Mid 60’s it was MSV and KVM ruling the TFM with occasional hits from Veda, V kumar and others. His hit list continued with Ayiram roobai (Paarthalum paarthen,nilavukkum nizhalundu,aanaka andha madam), Navarathiri another APN movie which had great songs by KVM The folkish stage show song “Thanga jariga selai” by TMS,PS, NT & Savithiri is considered as one of the best stage song till date. Navarathiri suba rathiri, sollava kadhai sollava, iravinil aattam all are popular even today. MGR was encouraging both KVM and MSV side by side. MGR’s Vettaikaran with KVM had one of the very popular MGR song “Unnai arindhal nee unnai arindhal” with apt lyrics by Kannadasan Meanwhile AVM also invited KVM to compose songs for their KAkkum Karangal. The only AVM film KVM composed but nevertheless it stands out for the absolute melody “Gnayiru enbadhu kanga” written by Vaali sung by TMS,PS . Thiru naal vandhadhu another PS number from the same movie Hits continued with Thazhampoo(thazhampoovin narumanathil),Veera abhimanyu. Veera abhimanyu is another KVM wonder just for the song “Paarthen sirithen” what a composition and what a rendition by PS & PBS K.Balaji’s debut production had KVM as the composer. Yes “Annavin asai” and all songs are popular even now. Paatezhutattum paruvam is lilting melody by PBS & PS Chinnanjiru ulagam, Mahakavi kalidas(yaar tharuvar , malarum vaan nilavum),Selvam(enakkagava naan) Thali bhagyam(kan pattadhu konjam) all were hits as well. MGR’s Arasakattalai which marked the last movie of MGR-Sarojadevi combo had KVM’s fascinating music. Vettaiyadu vilayadu viruppam pola (TMS,PS lyrics Alangudi somu), Putham puthiya puthagame(PS,TMS lyrics vaali), ennai pada veithavan oruvan Like MGR, Sivaji ganesan movies also had KVM and MSV side by side. IF MSV created magic with movies like paar magale paar, aandavan kattalai etc KVM had annai illam, selvam etc. Pesum deivam is one such film of KSG which had stellar performances by NT, Padmini, S.V.Rangarao. Songs by Vaali were unforgettable. Azhagu deivam mella mella ,Naan anuppuvadhu kaditham all,noorandu kalam vaazhga, pathu madham sumakkavillai He continued his magic with Panama pasama(mariyadhu nenjam, mella mella, elandha pazham),ther thiruvizha, jeevanamsam etc He continued his magic in 69-70’s and biggest hit was MGR’s Adimai penn. Thayillamal naanillai,Aayiram nilave vaa(SPB’s first song), Amma enral anbu,kaalathai vendravan all are quite popular By this time KVM was very popular in Telugu industry. He was composing for lot of films in telugu and slowly a rapport between K.Vishwanath and KVM developed and that led to lot of great movies from their combination. In tamil he was continuing hits with Anandhai anandhan, En annan , Maatukkara velan(all songs super hit),Thabalkaran thangai (KArikalan katti veithan kallanai),Vilayattu pillai. Vietnam veedu which made sundram to be called as Vietnam veedu sundaram was the stage play made as movie and KVM’s music was a strong point for the movie. Paalakkattu pakkathile, un kannil neer vazhindhal will make music lovers go crazy even today. LV Prasad’s Idhaya kamalam need special mention. He made everyone mad with “Unnai kaanadha kannum , malargal nanaidhana,thol kanden thole kanden,ennathan ragasiyamo. Hits continued with Athiparasakthi(naan aatchi seidhu, aayi mahamaye),Arunodayam,irulum oliyum(thirumagal thedi vandhal), kulama gunama,Annamitta kai, Devar’s last production while he was alive was “NAlla neram” which had fantastic songs by KVM.Can we forget Odi odi uzhaikkanum, thottal engum At the same time KVM composed classics for K.Vishwanath in Telugu for films like Siri siri muvva which fetched Susheelamma her 3’rd national award for Jummandhi nadham , Their association continued with Shankarabharanam, shubodhayam,Sapthapadhi, Sirivennila,shruthilayalu,swathi kiranam and all had fanstastic numbers. Ofcourse Shankarabaranam is a classic cult and it’s songs are talked about even now and also established SPB as great singer. Mama continued his work with Engal thanga raja, Vani rani, Satyam,pallandu vaazhga,uthaman,Enippadigal(poonthenil kalandhu). Late 70’s saw only few films in Tamil but he was extremely busy in Telugu and he composed telugu films till 1994(Srinatha kavi sarvabhoumadu NTR movie) Even after years when he composed for films like Andha rathirikku satchiyillai, Paai mara kappal his melody touch could still mesmerize the audience (for instance EErathamarai poove by SPB from pai mrakkappal & Vaanam enge mudigiradhu by KJY) He also composed for around 10-15 Malayalam films as well. Starting at 1942 his career spanned across 5 decades mesmerizing Tamil and telugu audience. It’s unfortunate that he did not get the recognition he deserved but nevertheless when we speak of Tamil film music we can’t forget Thirai isai thilagam aka MAMA and his compositions. MAMA MAMA MAMA .. AAMA AAMA AAMA Will come back with another Artist Rajesh Lavanya

Victorious Kumar – V.Kumar

Victorious Kumar – V.Kumar The very mention of this name would evoke lot of memories for music lovers and their song index in the brain will immediately fetch “Naan unnai vaazhthi paadugiren”, “Oru naal yaaro enna padal”, “Unnidam mayangugiren” etc. Thus was this man’s melodious tunes lingering in everyone’s mind even after so many decades. If Mellisai mannar is the Melody Creator/king, Kumar was his immediate follower & the only real follower I would say. Kumar started to compose music for stage plays and hence found a friend in K.Balachander who was prominent among stage show lovers. Balachander who staged some wonderful play(s) finally became a film director with his debut movie “Neer kumizhi” for which he summoned his friend Kumar to compose the music. Neerkumizhi also announced the arrival of another melody maker Kumar. NeerKumizhi had wonderful songs composed by kumar. Who can forget “aadi adangum vaazhkai ada by Seergazhi(lyrics penned by Suradha). The same Isai maniyar who sang “Samarasam ulavum” in 50’s got a wonderful opportunity in Kumar’s debut movie to sing the meaningful “Aadi adangum vaazhkaiyada” which was tuned to the great lyrics by uvamai kavingar Suradha. NeerKumizhi also Kanni nandhiyoram by TMS & Susheelamma(lyrics by Alangudi Somu). Kumar’s association with P.Susheelamma with this film and she was his favorite singer till his last breath. He always composed the opening song of the film with PS in mind and she delivered it even better than he always imagined.. Neeril Neendhidum meeniname a lovely solo by PS was the first ever solo by her for Kumar. KB’s next venture was the famous Naanal, a tamil adaptation of Desperate hours a kind of different storyline for tamil movies yes story about four escaped convicts seeking shelter in K.Vijayan’s house and the consequences following that makes the plot. Kumar gave a brilliant score for this movie and songs are popular even now. Kuyil koovi thuyil by Soolamangalam, Enna than paaduvadhu by Susheelamma brought out the situation of a girl caught between 4 ruthless convicts but mouth sealed and had to dance in front of her to be groom’s family, a brilliant attempt by kumar and meaningful lyrics by Alangudi somu. Another song with word play by Suradha was “Vinnukku meladai” by TMS & PS was quite popular, aired frequently on radio those days. It was only for KB films Kumar was giving music. KB’s next venture was the famous Major Chandrakanth and this was the first time Vaali joined hands with Kumar to sign a long term friendship contract. Sundararajan played the Major’s role with perfection while Nagesh showed his multi talent from humor to revenge seeker 2 shades In the same film. Kumar came up with memorable tunes for this film. As mentioned above always opening song with PS yes “Oru naal yaaro enna padal solli thandharo” is an evergreen melody by Susheelamma and ofcourse beautiful lyrics by vaali. KB did picturize the scene so brilliantly with nagesh creating Music with all utensils like a JAladarangam. Cute Jayalalitha with AVM rajan singing Netru nee chinna papa by TMS,PS was equally popular and nagesh singing how he is planning his sister’s wedding “Kalyana sappadu podava” is another fantastic number as well. Next KB ventures had Mellisai mannar MSV composing music .. That was the beginning of an era yes MSV-KB-Kannadasan combination. KB offered Kumar the classic middle class drama “Edhir Neechal” with Nagesh playing the madippadi madhu . Vetri venduma pottu parada the title song by Isai maniyar Seergazhiyar , lyrics by vaali is considered as one of the meaningful song till now. The famous Aduthathu ambujatha paarthela very funny lyrics by vaali sung beautifully by TMS & Susheelamma. No one can even attempt to sing like this except for the stalwarts themselves. This album had all my favorites. P.B.Sreenivas singing first for Kumar in this movie with susheelamma yes “Thamarai kannangal” is a fantastic duet with romantic lyrics by vaali, especialy “aalilai meloru kannanai pol ingu vandhavano” . Sedhi ketto was another superb song where in Veternal S.C.Krishnan Joined Susheelamma and Kumar’s wife swarna. During this time Veteran movie maker Mukta Srinivasan invited kumar for their movie “Ninaivil nindraval” thottadha thodathatha by PS,TMS lyrics vaali is a popular number . This is the first movie Kumar did outside KB’s camp. KB’s next with Kumar was “Iru kodugal” . Kumar Vaali combination continued and this is my favourite of KB-VKumar-Vaali ofcourse. KB even created a Navarathiri scene suggested by Vaali wherein 2 women singing about the same lover-husband Gemini sung beautifully by Susheelamma and the long forgotten K.Jamunarani “Punnagai mannan poovizhi kannan” is a great song and still popular and often played during navarathiri days. Pappa paadiya bharathi paatu and Nanoru Gumastha both featured Nagesh lip syncing TMS’s vocals & Vaali’s lyrics. Mukata films offered him more films and the Chennai slang song written by Vaali sung by Manorma “Vaa vaathyare ootanda” is the pinnacle for the Chennai slang songs in Tamil Film music. Yes Bommalattam movie had so many songs(mayakkathai thandhavan, nalla naal paarkavo) tuned by Kumar but Vaa vathyare stood out. Mukta offered him another movie “Ayiram poi” comedy entertainer . Pulavar sonnadhum poiye poiye is an absolute melody by Kumar , lyrics by kannadasan sung by TMS,PS. Thillaiyile Sabapathi is another funny song for the situation where in Vanisree teasing Jai sung by PS. 70’s saw more varieties from Kumar. The Rise & Fall of Kumar all happened in 70’s. Another KB’s movie which had Kumar’s music was “NAvagraham” one of my fav which had interesting storyline featuring nine different characters in a house and how nagesh and Lakshmi draw them near. Film had the mellifluous “Unnai thotta kaatru vandhu ennai thottadhu” Lyrics by Vaali ,sung by Susheelamma & Humming by S.P.B(not credited in the title). This song showcases Kumar followed MSV’s steps to create this melody. Another KB movie Patham pasali (produced by lyricist Alangudi somu). Movie bombed at the box office but songs are popular even now especially the song “Vellai manam konda “ by TMS & Swarna. Kumar also composed for another KB movie “Nootrukku nooru” which has the evergreen “Naan unnai vaazhthi paadugiren” by Susheelamma and great lyrics by Vaali. This new year eve song is a regular in radio/TV for every new year and sounds fresh as it was composed decades ago. Mukta again offered Kumar for a NAdigar thilagam starrer “Nirai kudam” a great movie and Kumar gave wonderful songs. Vilakke nee konda oli , kannoru pakkam are quite popular numbers. Kumar brought A.M.Raja to croon a duet with L.R.Eswar for Ranga rattinam. Mutharame un oodal ennavo is another beautifu song KB while working with MSV and 1 movie with KVM (edhiroli) offered Kumar another 2 movies Gemini Ganesan’s brilliant performance “Velli vizha” had amazing songs by Kumar and this is was the first time another composer sang for a different music director. Kumar who always considers MSV as his guru wanted him to sing a song which depicts the cruelty of ageing and MSV the magnanimous man immediately agreed to sing and thus we got the wonderful song “Unakkena kuraichal” with Vaali doing a brilliant job with his pen. Same movie also saw some other experiments by Kumar. He made the ever peppy L.R.Eswari to sing a slow lullaby “Kadhoduthan naan paaduven” while the ever melodious Susheelamma to sing “Naan satham pottuthan paaduven” Icing on the cake was the Susheelamma,Eswari duet “Kai niraya sozhi” which was full of word play by Vaali (each lady trying to question each other ). And the next KB film was “Arangetram”. This was the only Kumar-kannadasan movie for KB. Susheelamma doing wonders with her voice in “AAndavanin thottathile”, “Moothaval nee koduthai” Aramaba kalathil adhu irukkum by SPB,PS And the funny “MApillai rahasiyam sollava” by LRE. Unfortunately this was the last movie for Kumar with his friend K.Balachander. KB never worked with Kumar after this. During this time Kumar started to work for many other companies Following are list of Kumar’s song in 70’s Unnidam mayangugiren by Yesudas is a soft romantic song tuned well by Kumar(Lyrics by Vaali) Kalam nammaku thozhan by TMS,PS from petha manam pithu Or ayiram karpanai , mogam ennum ragam paadum (KJY,PS) from Ezhaikkum kalam varum (lyrics vaali) Devika’s own production “Veguli pen” had some awesome melodies by Kumar. Mullukku roja sontham, kannana kannuragu both by PS, Engellam valaiyosai by TMS all are popular ones. Another hit song of 70’s was Inangalile enna inam pen inam by KJY & Swarna from the movie Nalla penman(lyrics:Pulamaipithan) Kumar was sure a melody maker and songs of mid & late 70’s and every song was a proof for that. He was sure Master MSV’s eklavya. 70’s also saw SPB-Susheela romantic duets composed by MSV, KVM,Shankar ganesh & ofcourse kumar. Ninaithathai mudipathu by SPB,PS another romantic duet from Ayirathil oruthi Varthaigal en nenjil ninradhu is another beautiful duet by SPB & PS from Avalum pen thane Padaithane brahama devan by SPB, Sevappu kallu mookuthi by TMS,PS from Ellorum nallavare were quite popular songs as well. Paal manam poo manam paavai manam from onne onnu kanne kannu by SPB,PS Puttanna’s Kannada movie Nagarahaavu was remade as “Raaja nagam” and Kumar proved that he is no less than the original composer Vijayabhaskar. Kumar gave wonderful melodies and the outstanding “devan vedamum kannan geethaiyum” by SPB & Susheelamma lyrics by vaali. This is a great number popular even now. Thoondil meen had great numbers tuned by Kumar. Vaazhvil sowbhagyam vandhadhu (lyrics by vaali) by SPB,PS is a great romantic melody aired often in Radio. Unnidam mayangugiren by KJY was popular one and equally popular was “Ezhudhatha padal ondru “ by TMS & Swarna . lyrics by Vaali. Kumar did few telugu movies (mostly remade from Tamil) especially Sambarala rambabu (edhir neechal in tamil) and Mama chandamama song tuned by Kumar is a brilliant melody (one version by SPB, another by PS). He did music for sattekalapu sattaya(patham pasali), Collector janaki(iru kodugal) He was tuning for tamil movies which came his way though very minimal. Sapthaswaram punnagaiyl kanden from NAdagame ulagam by SPB,VJ Ullathil nooru ninaithen from an obscure movie MAppillai azhaippu is a great melody Indian-lankan production NAngooram had music by Kumar and had brilliant songs like oru paarvai parkumpodhu, Aalayam nayagan Pennai nambungal had a great number by SPB,PS. Nee ninaitha neramellam (lyrics:vaali) Pallava naatu rajakumarikku is another great number by SPB from Ival oru seethai(lyrics Kannadasan) Ponnai naan paarthathillai from Kannamoochi(lyrics:kannadasan) by SPB is a popular number even now. Pallandu pallandu by PS, MAzhai kalam by Vanijayaram are great numbers of Kumar from KAsthoori vijayam MAdhorchavam radhiyodu than from Sathurangam by SPB,VJ is another great melody by Kumar(lyrics vaali) Pennalla nee oru bommai by Jayachandran & susheelamma is absolute melody (lyrics:vaali) Oh Krishna prabhu by PS, Kodi inbangal thedum by PJ,PS from Aval oru kaaviyam Vaa valliyammai kanava by PS from Chakravarthy is another beauty from Kumar. Late 70’s saw the number of movies going down in count for Kumar. Enna thavam seithen unnai manam kolla, oru kudumbam inge both from Adhirstham azhaikkiradhu (lyrics:vaali) Aananda illam by AMRaja & PS from idhu ivargalin kadhai Kangalal naan varaidhen (KJY,PS from mangala nayaki0, Thiru koyil thedi (TMS,PS from mittai mami) These were fantastic songs of Kumar in 70’s Ironically Kumar was fading away while his manaseega Guru Melody king MSV was still going strong. 1984 Kumar once again re-surfaced with Shankari (Saritha, Thyagarajan starrer) PS’s Aduthathu rukkumani edhuthathu sengamalam was quite popular one. Kumar was definitely a melody maker and though his stint was short he did weave a magic with his fingers and oldies still remember Kumar for his songs in KB movies and thus will remain forever in our heart as long as melody lives. Will be back with another Article soon. Rajesh Lavanya