Wednesday, May 28, 2008

Bach in Chennai

Those were the days when I wasn’t knowledgeable enough to associate music director and director with movies. Year 1991 - I must have been in my 8th grade, then. One day, our neighbor “Maami” asked us if we have heard the rocking and the song that created the rage – “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu”.

The movie got just released and she was nice enough to give us her cassette to listen. My brother and I immediately took our “dabba” Philips 2-in-1 set and went inside the kitchen and played it.

Played it, played it and played it countless. The tune was so catchy that I wanted to sing immediately in front of my classmates the next day to show off. I never got to hear other songs that day. I didn’t have any taste then to analyze or appreciate the song technically.

Later I learnt that the whole song orchestration was taken in a single shot!! What a prolific composer this man must be. The vivid violin movements, rich counterpoints, blending WCM with ICM are some of the features to point out in this song. Raaja had used “Abheri” raaga so beautifully and blended with a rich and thunderous western orchestration. And without compromising on the melody.

Whenever I hear the first interlude, I feel like Raaja was tied to a knot till then and he is set free to exercise his sheer brilliance. Yes, indeed once the interlude takes off, you can get a feel of a 747 taking off! Close your eyes and hear this piece once.



And without any problems Raaja lands for charanam to flow.

Manirathnam had once told in an interview that he finds it difficult to place a song in a movie as it interrupts his screenplay. In that context, Raaja did give a bonus.


Not only he gave a hit song through “Rakkamma Kaiya Thattu”, he also characterized the personalities of both Rajini (as a freak) and Shobana (as a calm, traditional) in the movie through just this song.

1 comment:

New kamal on the block ;) said...

Howdy,

Ya're kind and awesome! Keep posting more information about Raaja sir...I will keep checkin yer blog and will post mah feedback as well.

Widout yer permission, am posting yer blog in Raaja sir's orkut community. God bless you!

always

~~Raaja rules