Maestro Dr. Ilaiyaraaja

Eighties were the best period I would reckon so far with a balanced evolution all over. The advent of computersand its pervasive nature in the next 10 years hampered all the thrills in our life by totally transforming the life of a common man in a steadfast pace. The best invention according to me is telephone. Mr. Grahambell wouldn't have ever imagined that his creation would fetch "arai kilo chakkarai" (1/2 kg sugar) in 2 minutes time sitting at home. Telephone has even played an important role in movies and Fazil's Arangetra Velai featured a telephone playing an important role.

Fazil's another immortal movie was Varusham 16, which was released in the year 1989. The transliteration goes like this:

Varusham (Year) pathinaaru (sixteen)

If we translate this it means "16 years". This movie ran successfully for 175 days and celebrated its silver jubilee. There were so many important aspects for the success of this movie. The screenplay, direction, acting and MUSIC. Yes, Ilaiyaraaja has done yet another commendable work in this movie.

The movie opens up with Kannan (karthik, the hero) getting released from the jail and Rajamani (Janakaraj, as the loyal servant) picks him up from the jail. There are no re-recording bits for the first frame and only the natural chirping of few birds and the sound of "maatu vandi" fills up the scene.

The hero reaches his uninhabited home and manages to push off the spider web and adjusts the red shawl presented to him by his grandfather (fantastic role by poornam viswanathan). When he recollects those nostalgic memories a flute piece pops up. This is the theme bit whenever poornam viswanathan appears and whenever he emphasis his family members that the "kovil thiruvizha" should be celebrated as the best ever.

Raaja has carved each re-recording and has given life to each scene through his music.

One such subtle re-reco is from the maestro's keyboard when karthik narrates kushboo during their impish romance about the games played by a small boy and a girl 16 years back (he indicates himself and radhika and their good old childhood days)

Karthik has done a wonderful job in this movie and this movie could be reckoned as his all time best. The way the director has created the hero's character is really amazing. When karthik says that he always think that whatever is there at his grandfather's house belongs to him, reveals the natural affection and emotions the youngster has in his mind.

The portions of V.K.Ramaswami and Janakaraj are fantastic. This movie is an "All-in-one" combination movie. You will have a feeling of having a "Big-combo" meal at Pizza hut or two vadais, one pongal and a plate poori at a "kaiyendhi bhavan" at pitchupillai street, Mylapore.

Another important aspect of Raaja's re-reco which is generally considered as an "emotional-translator" is that he translates all the emotions of the scenes through his music.

The scene where karthik meets kushboo at the temple in the night and the inauspiciousness of dropping the "vilakku" is brought out in music. The small gloomy bit clearly indicates that there is some "amangalyam" (something wrong). This bit rings deep in your heart when you watch the movie. He has used a tabla beat and the same bit is repeated when the astrologer says the truth to poornam viswanathan at the temple.

Even the fight scene has a different re-reco. Raaja has used mridangam and "konakkol" (an art of rendering the thaalams)

The movie has 4 beautiful songs. And of course another song which was unreleased. Let's dissect these songs and see what Raaja has done. According to me, some of Raaja's songs even if disintegrated, each piece could be construed as great individual songs. Such a composer this Mother Earth has ever seen.

Pazhamudhir Cholai (1/4)

This song reverberates in my ears because of its natural composition and also because of the rendition of K.J.Yesudas. This song is a typical tune for a bubbling youngster, who is a nature-lover, a successful student and an adventurous guy whose heart is bonded with pure love and affection.

A classical song composed in Hari-kambodhi raga. Hardly any music directors have experimented with this raga. This song has two different interludes. The first starts with guitar and has a brief harmonium piece suiting the drama rehearsal situation. The second interlude has a western fusion type orchestrisaton which transcends in to a total classical based suiting the family gathering in a big hall.

The hero exhibits his affection towards his family through these lyrics

nesangal pasangal pirivathillai
Yendrum vaanathil virisalgal vizhuvathillai
Ilakkiyam polengal kudumbamum vilanga
Idai vidaatha manamoru maghizhchiyum thilaithidave…..

I really wonder why Raaja chose this raga as this raga was hardly used in cine-music. This song reminds me the famous papanasam sivan krithi "Yenathu manam kavalai" and "naan oru vilaiyaatu bommaiya" in Hari Kambodhi.

An effortless rendition by Yesudas.

Ye Aiyasami - (2/4)

A very interesting song in the raga gowri manohari. The tune pattern is really good and it is composed in tirsam beat (tha-ki-ta).

SPB - the honey-coated singer has beautifully rendered this song.

The song

Vaaram naalachu muzhusaga thoongi
Urakkam poyaachu vizhiyai neengi

Another experimentation in this song is a combination of a small folk bit when VKR appears

Athai maga rasathikku nithini theeni venama

(Of course, the lyrics is a disaster)

Poopookum masam (3/4)

Man! When you listen to this song you somehow will get a feeling that you are in love with someone. P.Susheela has amazingly sung this song. The song clearly translates the feeling of Radhika (the heroine, for a change Kushboo has done a decent job in this movie without straining her flesh much). The outdoor location is also wonderful where the heroine express her natural feeling of love amidst the Mother Nature's creations, a nice "pulveli" (grass field).

The dim light dance sequence by Fazil in the first half of the song is food for eyes.

Generally the choristers in Raajas music will standout and this song also has such a disciplined chorus in keeravani. If you closely observe the chorus in the first interlude a set of violin would follow the chorus. This violin piece touches all three chords (sa-pa-sa) in the given scale. What a meticulous composition!

Veena, violin and flute are used extensively in this song and brilliantly composed in raga Keeravani. During my childhood (should I say boyhood??) I was under the impression that it was set in raga malayamarutham, because it has a line

mandhamarutham veesudhu
malayamarutham paadudhu

 

Gangaikarai mannanadi (4/4)

This song is the magnum opus of the movie. There cannot be any better composition than this for a climax. This song is composed in a "gana" raga, one of the melakartha raga Thodi. Only few music directors have tried this raga. This raga has a close resemblance to the raga sindhu bhairavi. It is only the Ri that is different and differentiates both the ragas. If thodi is sung without using much gamakas it will come out as sindhu bhairavi. Though this song is composed in Thodi, it has the shades of Sindhu bhairavi in the interludes.

Yesudas has virtually made boisterous efforts to bring out all the shades of Thodi.

The small prelude or "vritham" in the beginning clearly indicates that it is Thodi. He has give the adequate gamakam to convince us that it is thodi.

"Kanmaniye radhai ennum kaadhaliye
Naan virumbum…."

And especially when he sings the line

"aadaikattum paingiliye"

"kaal salangai satham ida medaiyile vattamidu"

Wow! What an attempt.

Again the lyric is a famine in a potential land.

The song is composed in misrachappu thalam. It is like this

Tha-ki-ta-tha-ka-dhi-mi (technically it has 7 ½ beats)

The final interludes using heavy strings are amazing and will bulge in to a big climax. Where Fazil moves his camera capturing the festivals "puliyattam", "karagattam" (rustic South Indian folk dances).

Another unreleased song is "karaiyadha manamum" - what a waste of potential. A beautiful song in raga Chandrakouns.

According to me Varusham 16 makes us laugh, cry, enjoy and what not!

This is one of the few movies, which has left an indelible footprint in my heart, perhaps in everyone's heart.

- An article by G. Kalyan.
The author can be reached at kalyaan@hotmail.com