Om Namaha

Thanks to Mani Ratnam for giving a deserving break to all dancing devils (devathais) in this beautiful masterpiece – Om Namaha from “Idhayathai Thirudadhe” . After all, one must have some musical sense to pictutarize the song at the least aptly, if not elevate it. This romantic song is all about love-making and being a song that shows intimacy the director decided to just revolve revolve and revolve the camera around the young couple.

Have you heard this proverb: “Vallavanukku Pullum Aayudham” – means “Even a grass can be a weapon in the hands of the skilled person”. Illayaraja has proved one more time that he sees music everywhere. He has demonstrated in this song that even the closing of the mitral and tricuspid valves of the human heart can be the rhythm. The whole song rhythm is based on the “lub-dub lub-dub” – heartbeat.

Another interesting thing in this song is that both the Charanam ends exactly in the note where the Pallavi starts. I remember SPB was mentioning this aspect in one of his shows that every few song can touch this brilliance. Look how Mano ends the 2nd Charanam with ‘Om’ and Janaki takes off the Pallavi with the same ‘Om’.

Vaali has penned the essence of love-making brilliantly, next to Kannadasan. Even the wild and crudest imagination of love-making is masked and beautified here with his choice of words.

Om Namaha


All time hits of Mano

Raaja Vazhi Thani Vazhi

Having come up with a tune like “Siriya Paravai Siragai” (Movie – Andha Oru Nimidam), it would have been very easy to satisfy Kamal and the director. And for the caliber of Illayaraja, he doesn’t even have to go through the phase of “Convincing” the director. He could have completed the song recording, the traditional way and walked off. Composer had other thoughts!

This song is special for its uniqueness. Traditionally, film songs have a set structure:

· Pallavi,
· Anupallavi
· 1st Interlude
· 1st Charanam
· Pallavi
· 2nd Interlude
· 2nd Charanam
· Pallavi
· Anupallavi
· Mostly, Pallavi again

Firstly, composer decided to have 3 charanam in place of the conventional two. OK, so what? That would have only stretched the song more and helped the dancing angels to get few more bucks ;) Nope. 1st Charanam is backed with complete Western orchestration. After the 1st Charanam ends, the composer had other thoughts. He changed the tune, the raga completely for the 2nd Charanam and took a dramatic U turn. Few swara sangadhis and the orchestration completely changes to typical classical with the able help of Mridangam. The rhythmic meter and the pace complemented the tune for the 2nd charanam to be livelier. This song is very special for this “Visha Parikshai” that not many composers would be willing to take.

Look at the beautiful “muthu muthaana” lyrics by Vairamuthu:

manramae thamizhin manjamae pudhiya sandhamae sindhinaen
anbanae ilaiya kambanae kavidhai nanbanae nambinaen
swarnamae arasa annamae idhazhin yudhdhamae muththamae
netriyil viyarvai sottumae kaigal ottumae patrumae
soazha kuyil paadugaiyil soalaikkuyil oayvedukkum
mellinangal paadu kannae vallinangal vaayvalikkum
sondhamae inbam thandhadhu gangaiyae ingu vandhadhu
thenralae indru nindradhu nanrudhaan sandham enradhu
kanrugal rendu indru poal enrum vendru vaazhginradhu
vazhgavae vazhgavae

I can’t even imagine any singer other than SPB and Janaki who could have done justice to the lyrics and tune. The improvisation by SPB is a trademark. Vairamuthu has displayed his proficiency in the choice of words with a very rhythmic ‘sandam’. Absolutely stunning team effort.

Back to Raaja. After the experimentation with the second charanam (in a completely different tune & raga), he returns back to the same tune he used in 1st charanam for the 3rd one and back to Western Orchestration. When you hear the whole song, the scale, tune and style of orchestration change is so seamless that you only end up speechless. Let’s not forget to mention the chorus backing the higher octaves like “Vaazhgave Vaazhgave”, “Ezhudave Ezhudave” etc.