Vaali's 80th Birthday

No wonder, why this man is called "காலம் கடந்த கவிஞர்". The same gentleman who wrote "அத்தை மடி மெத்தை" has been able to cater this generation with "அதிரடி காரன் மச்சான்". For the past 47 years, our poet has been penning lyrics for several hundred movies.

As Illayaraja has mentioned in several interviews and shows, simplicity and the ability to connect with public with his unobfuscated lyrics has been Vaali's strength. In my mind, Vaali is like a Super Factory that will give you anything you want. If you are Pavithran, you extract "சமஞ்சது எப்படி" and if you are Kamal Hassan, you extract the National Award winning lyrics - "உன்ன நெனச்சேன் பாட்டு படிச்சேன்". As a consumer, you better know what you want and don't blame the shopkeeper for selling what you had asked!

Illayaraja felicitates Kavignar Vaali

Though a bit old clip, I don't want any Raaja fan to miss this...

சொன்னது நீ தானா?

இல்லகியத்தில் நான் வண்ண தமிழ் மழலைக்கு பாலூட்டும் தாய்
சினிமாவில் விட்டெரியும் காசுக்கு வாலாட்டும் நாய்

-Vaali

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

Mettu Podu - II

I think every sensible person will agree that both Mettu and Paattu are important for a song. But, the question is what comes first?

The arguments of the proponents of “Lyrics First” are twofold:

1. To express the situation/mood at hand, you must have quality lyrics. If the tune is composed beforehand, you have to fit some junk as fillers for the set tune.
   
2. Thereby, quality of the lyrics goes down.
   

Makes sense superficially. Isn’t it? However, I see a hidden strong assumption here. This theory assumes that lyrics alone can bring out the feeling and it has to be done first. Tune/orchestration can supplement and decorate.

If that’s the case, why did our ancestors laid out certain ragas for certain moods? By just playing “Subhapanthuvarali” notes (mind it, with no lyrics) in your violin, even an amateur player can bring out the feeling of sorrow/gloom to the forefront.

Pre-Set tune that can bring out right emotions for the situation needs a talented lyricist to come up with right choice of words. (Didn’t Vaali come up with ‘Sundari Kannal Oru Seidhi’ for the preset tune?)

Pre-Set lyric that brings an emotion out needs a talented composer to elevate, decorate and not spoil. (Didn’t Raaja come up with mind-blowing tunes for lyrics written by none other than Bharathiyaar and Manickavaasagar? Can someone claim better than Bharathiyaar or can someone come up with more complex and melting Tamizh sorkal than Manickavaasagar?)

As a matter of fact, Manickavaasagar’s Tamil was like Greek to many of the music lovers, being born and brought up in Chennai Thamizh. They were all literally in tears when they heard “Thiruvasagam in Symphony” album.

Isai illa Thamizhukkum Urugum
Thamizh illa Raajavin Kuralukkum Urugum
Isai Rasigargalin Manam

We have seen both pathetic tunes for beautiful lyrics and mediocre lyrics for a brilliant score. It is not a question of who does first. It is a question of compatibility between personalities and styles.

And one must acknowledge that as much as lyrics can bring the emotions out, music (Tune, Singer, Orchestration, Instrument choice etc.) can bring out too.

Dearth

I had the privilege to hear Dasavatharam album yesterday. Less talked, better it is.
However, being Kamal's movie, planning to just drop 2 lines here.

Inspiration has always been there from the years of KM, MSV, Raaja and ARR. It is well understood and acknowledged.
However, a blatant and shameless lift does require some answering.

Original (God knows !!) :


Modified and presented in Dasavatharam :


'Mukunda Mukunda' - A lame melody and pathetic rendering. Even an amateur could compose better.

Only consolation is the lyrics by Kavignar Vaali, at his best.

Notable lyrics:

Raajalakshmi Naayakan Srinivasan Dhaan
Srinivasan Sei Intha Vishnu Daasan Naan

Apparently, Raajalakshmi and Srinivasan are Kamal's real life parents.

Inspiration and lifting are different, Himesh. I will come back with a inspiration number in my next post.