Readers Write In #409: Yuvan-ai Pol Oruvan

(by  Kailasham)

Yuvan’s compositions, especially the background score, have gone to serve as the backbone for an impressive array of movies that released in the 2001-2011. These pieces burnished the names of the movies into the audience’s consciousness and contributed to building the image of the heroes in these pictures. Think what Thimiru, Sandakozhi and Thamirabarani did for young Vishal’s career. Manmadhan and Vallavan for STR’s. ThulluvadhoIlamai, KaadhalKondaen, and Pudhupettai for Dhanush’s. ParuthiVeeran and Paiya for Karthi’s. It is natural for artists to enjoy a special bond with certain fellow performers, with these special connections often pushing them to set new standards. What amazes me most about Yuvan is the sheer number of synergies that he enjoys with other artists in the industry. Think of his projects with Ameer, Vishnuvardhan, Venkat Prabhu, Selvaraghavan, and M. Rajesh, to name a few.

I find it natural to refer to Rahman and Harris Jeyaraj when talking about Yuvan because their scores are the musical bedrock of childhood and teenage. With ARR shifting attention to Bollywood, and later to Hollywood in the mid noughties, Yuvan and Harris ensured that for a golden stretch of 7-8 years, Rahman’s absence would not be felt too sharply. Rahman and Harris managed to follow their breakthrough albums with a string of sustained successes: Roja begot Gentleman, Duet, Kaadhalan, Karuthamma and Indira. Minnale and Majnu were soon followed by Saamy, 12B and KaakhaKaakha. With Yuvan, however, not only was his debut a low-key affair, even a hit like PoovellamKettupaar did not gain him enough traction in the industry. It took a Dheenafor him to really mark his territory, and there hasbeen no looking back since then. This story of struggle and late recognition first endeared me to Yuvan, the artist, and is relatively easy to relate to.

Yuvan’s brand of experimentation is one of a sustained slow-burn variety: think “Boom Boom” from Raam, “KannaiVittu” from Pattiyal, “Jalsa” from Chennai 600028, “Loosu Penne” from Vallavan, and “Thee Pidikka” from “ArindhumAriyaamalum”. It is also probably because these songs released in an era when only living things went viral, and even when they did, it was never good news. Judging from the response to “Rowdy Baby”, who knows how the above songs might have panned out had they been released a decade later.

Scarcely had anyone in the Tamil film industry used the concept of remixes to such great effect, adding pep while retaining the soul of the original. His latest addition to this list, “Per Vechaalum”, is another testament that he remains the undisputed master of the remix territory. 

Playing the anchor to a huge chunk of Yuvan’s melodies is the Zen-like lyricism of the late Na. Muthukumar. It would take a whole another article to describe what NM means to Yuvan fans, and I would like to refer interested readers to a small piecethat [Note to editor: Here is the full URL:https://kailasham29.blogspot.com/2016/09/in-memoriam-na-muthukumar.html] I had written to overcome the shock of his untimely demise. The shock-value of Yuvan’s tunes, combined with the staying power of NM’s words made them an irresistible combo. “Pesugiraen” from SathamPodathey and “OruNaalil” from Pudhupettai deserve to be bottled and sold over the counter at pharmacies.

Here is praying for the man’s good health, and wishing for many more great albums.

Posted in: Cinema: Tamil, Music: Tamil Cinema, Readers Write In