More than a few people here know that I consider MSV the greatest melody-maker, bar none, of Tamil cinema. I am only talking about the tunes — not instruments (though sometimes, that, too). If there were four lines in the first stanza, each of them would have a different melody, and so on and so forth — most music lovers know this.
But before I get into more MSV, here’s — as far as I know — the first song that captures two quintessential qualities of two of Tamil cinema’s greatest music composers: (1) MSV’s tendency to give each line a different tune (without repeating), and (2) Ilaiyaraaja’s tendency to score entirely different interludes for both instrumental sections (which MSV and earlier generations of composers usually did not do).
I just love this 1958 G Ramanathan song, with my all-time-favourite female singer in Tamil (P Sushila; I have not heard many of her Telugu songs). Does anyone know of an earlier song that combines both these elements: the four-different-melody-lines plus the two different interludes? If yes, please post away.
Anyway, on to two songs that have been on recent loop: the first is Manamedai from Gnana Oli, in 1972. I did not know of this song much earlier. On radio or TV, they always used to play the boring (IMO) Devane ennai paarungal, and I now wonder how this beauty was so ignored.
It has one other MSV trademark: three charanams with the middle one being different from the one on either side. But it’s the pallavi that made me freeze. It’s no simple metrically precise set of four lines. (For example: Ma-na-me-dai has four syllables. Ma-lar-ga-lu-dan-dhee-pam — the next line — has seven syllables.) How seamless he makes it all sound, like a sari billowing in the wind.
My favourite part of the song though comes in the first stanza, where Sushila sings Nee pagalil theriyum nilavu… oh, that dip in theriyum. I could go on, but here’s the song (close your eyes and listen).
Here’s another film (Shanthi, 1965), where other songs got more famous: Yaar andha nilavu, and Vaazhndhu paarka vendum. (This was a Viswanathan-Ramamoorthy album.) The greatness begins with the dip/minor scale change at Kanavulagil naan vaaznthiruppen in the charanam. And then the stanza starts, Noolidai meedhu…. Sushila is OUTSTANDING!
Just felt like writing about these two songs.
Baradwaj Rangan 
Madan
November 10, 2021
“. Does anyone know of an earlier song that combines both these elements: the four-different-melody-lines plus the two different interludes?” – O Duniya Ke Rakhwale sort of qualifies, I guess? The mukda doesn’t have FOUR different lines but all three lines – O Duniya Ka Rakhwale/Sun Dard Bhare Mere Naale (2) – differ in melody. And for each antara the interlude changes. Not only that, even the melody of each antara is different. Still remains one of the most ambitious songs in film music.
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Karthikeyan Ramamurthy
November 10, 2021
Wow! Thanks for those two wonderful songs. I have never heard these songs, despite being raised on a steady dose of old songs. Only the Santhi song sounds vaguely familiar.
Also TK Ramamurthy’s contribution is barely acknowledged considering they worked together till 1965.
I am going to commit a sacrilege saying that your posts on music, especially exploratory ones like this one, are even better than your movie review.
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Rahini David
November 10, 2021
This should be a series.
Upvotes, please.
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Madan
November 10, 2021
Haven’t heard Manamedai. But that GR song is like CR’s work in Hindi – must haves of Tamil music (CR’s own Kannum Kannum Kalanthu/Rajamagal would also fit in that group). At least for those who grew up with cassettes like my cohort, there’s no way to have not heard that song. Or maybe it just feels that way to me because my mother/extended family in Chennai used to play these songs a lot. Same with Nenjathile Nee (or the other songs from the film that you mentioned – Yaar Antha Nilavu and Vaazhnda Paarka Vendum).
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Nimmi Rangaswamy
November 10, 2021
I support Rahini- we need an intermittent series on Indian FIlm music – We can all it Ragtime or something inspired by musical genres! Shanti had super-duper songs – How about this beautiful song
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ravenus1
November 10, 2021
“Just felt like writing about these two songs.”
Writing, eh? That’s new :p
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Karthik
November 10, 2021
+1 to Rahini’s suggestion.
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brangan
November 10, 2021
Nimmi Rangaswamy: I think that song is from PANATHOTTAM. Still, it is yet anither reminder of the lost art of singling out specific words for emphasis or emotion.
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Viv
November 10, 2021
+1, just to get more writing here.. 🙂
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Sankarasubramanian
November 10, 2021
The two songs mentioned are extraordinary both tune and instrumentation. I dont understand what is boring about devaney song, a sequential brilliance. Msv created a style for every song he composed. There are songs he did with different bgm for each charanam eg: atho varandi song with a specific signature flute bit. Pittu vaitha mugamo. I can give more, that point is not a big deal. Really appreciate your interest and input as i am a hardcore fan of msv.
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Ravi
November 11, 2021
BR, Always an extra dose of joy to read your articles on music. Yes, I too found the pallavi of manamedai truly captivating. One thinks it is going to end but then it goes on for a bit more.
Regarding interludes what you say is true of the MSV-TKR era but after the split, MSV more often than not composed different interludes. If there were three interludes, though, the first and third would be same usually. There are notable exceptions here too. For instance, “Kalyana naal parkka” has a prelude plus three interludes, all of which are different. So also in “Anbu Nadamadum” and “OOnjalukku” from Avan Than Manithan. There is also the famous “Oru raja raniyidam” where the interludes as well as the tunes of the charanams are different. Another Susheela song that comes to mind is “Thendralil Aadai pinna” though regrettably the interludes are too short.
Also, I feel HMV did much damage by chopping off interlude segments in those days. The song “Thulluvatho Ilamai” runs to just above 5 min. on screen but the audio version is just 3 and a 1/2 min. . .
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brangan
November 11, 2021
Rahini: I have taken your suggestion and changed the title, so we can look at that era instead of just MSV. Let’s see if I am able to keep this going…
Also, if any reader wants to talk about a song, please feel free to do a write-up about it and I will I will include it in.
To the reader who wrote in saying P Sushila is Telugu, I know that. I just said she is my all-time favourite singer in TAMIL because her diction, her ability to absorb and deliver (say) MSV’s nuances, her voice — just about everything kills me. That’s what I meant.
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brangan
November 11, 2021
Madan: I meant in Tamil — but yes, the history of Hindi Film Music is its own treasure trove.
Also, I asked because I generally love G Ramanathan’s work in the pure Carnatic songs he made for, say, MKT, but not so much his lighter ones. But it must be said that he was the one — as far as I have heard — who started to “lighten” up Tamil Film Music (say, with ‘Ulavum thendral kaatrinile’ from MANDHIRI KUMARI in 1950).
Karthikeyan Ramamurthy: I have never heard these songs…
I swear. I regularly put on YouTube song lists while chore-ing around the house, and this was from a 70s collection. When this song began, I just froze — usually with most songs, you know the thaalam (one of the typical Carnatic four, or else a waltz) right off the bat and you can place the “samam” where the “main song” starts. (Generally speaking of course. Even in Carnatic songs, there are many that start at 1 or 1.5 beats later.) And the beat is what keeps you on course.
Here, I was like WTF for two reasons. One, the song itself, and two, why hadn’t I come across it earlier! 🙂 Also, I love the sound of the acoustic guitar and the gentle chord changes here are SO beautiful.
About TKR’s contributions, at least for me, it will be one of those enduring mysteries. I wish FC South had been around then for interviews 😛
ravenus1: Writing, eh? That’s new :p
Yeah, I heard it’s these things old critics used to do, unlike the cool ones who do videos 😛
What did you think of JAI BHIM, BTW?
Sankarasubramanian: Oh, I know MSV did have songs with different charanams but he did not “institutionlise” it like Raja, and unlike Raja, even in the interludes, his interest was more in melody than in intricate, harmonic, multi-instrument orchestration. Hence, the generalisation.
And when I say “boring”, I mean TMS’s voice (he’s easily one of the greatest singers of our cinema), had by then thickened to the extent that everything sounded like a lecture. I am glad MSV used SPB for, say, “Pottu vaitha mugamo” — such a sprightly song (love SPB’s ‘konjal’ in ‘katti vaitha kuzhalo) and not TMS.
Even the Raja songs like ‘Nallavarkellaam saatchigal undu’ or ”Nermamidhu neramidhu…” — not such a fan! TMS sounds so heavy!
What was TMS’s last Tamil film song, BTW?
Ravi: Oh yeah, “Anbu nadamadum’ — what an amazing song. Sensational use of minor notes….
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C V VASUDEVAN
November 11, 2021
Yes Mr Rangan Sir, Your reminiscent review of those Two Less celebrated melodies is pushing me to bring in here the Third One of an equivalent genre I shud say.
Sugam! Sugamm!!
adhu Thunbamaana
inbamaanadhu
(from the 1967/68 Film Thangai – Kannadasan MSV Susheela ACT)
That marked Difference between the 1st Sugam and the 2nd Sugamm – that added stress is something which only MSV could imagine and Susheela could deliver with elan. It’s a beautiful melody throughout with MSV Brand Trade mark of travelling with a Tabla beat to those ideal tunes for the CharaNam and landing back thru a gradual gradient to that modern rhythm with the brushes / sticks for the Pallavi Portion. The way Susheela expresses in the concluding line of both the CharaNams the heroine’s repent for hurting the hero in the prelude / build-up to this song sounds beautiful that has been brilliantly conceived by MSV in his tune which shows how meticulous MSV was in listening to a song situation narrated by a Director and giving due importance to so many finer aspects of a song. As for your observation in regard to varying interludes, MSV started giving the variance during late 1960’s itself for some of the songs and made it a Regular trend in the 70’s. Only where a song had 3 CharaNams, he used to have the same interlude pattern for the 1st one and 3rd one and a different interlude for the 2nd one. Here also, he gave 3 complete different interludes for all the 3 CharaNams as an exception to Paasam Song Ulagam Pirandhadhu enakkaga (MSV-TKR). In Ooty varai Uravu itself, he started giving 2 Different set of interludes for Poo Maalaiyil, Happy indru mudhal Happy and Rajarajasree Raani vandhaal. Thanx for igniting me to come up with my supplemental observations.
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sai16vicky
November 11, 2021
@BR: TMS sang a few songs for TR and I am tempted to think those might have been the last. ‘Amaidhukku Peyar Dhaan Santhi’ and ‘Noolum Illai’ from ‘Rail Payanangilil’, ‘Idhayam Adhai Kovil Enben’ from ‘Uyurullavarai Usha’ and ‘En Kadhai Mudiyum’ from ‘Oru Thalai Raagam’. The latter can be read as an eulogy, a swansong of sorts from TMS for his amazing career. It gets a bit meta (and naturally more interesting) when one realizes that the hero in the movie is a singer as well.
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shaviswa
November 11, 2021
I have not heard the Gnana Oli song but very familiar with the other two.
Uthamaputhiran had some fantastic songs from G Ramanathan. However, I remember reading about or hearing from someone that G Ramanathan had someone to assist him with the western melodies. Not sure how accurate that is.
The Shanti song is a wonderful melody but every time I listen to it, I kind of lose interest midway through the song. Especially in the first charanam when Suseela goes Kaalaiyil urangi…. the song gets to be a bit monotonous. The pallavi again perks up the song.
But good write up and thanks for reminding me about these songs. These are songs I used to listen to with my grandfather – he used to call me whenever such songs were played on the radio or on Oliyum Oliyum. Fond memories.
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shaviswa
November 11, 2021
On TMS – what a trip down the order for him once music directors discovered SPB. Those were the times when TMS would give interviews about how you should sing from your “naabi kamalam” and not from the throat and mouth like the new singers (he naturally meant SPB).
And we young kids used to get hysterical and laugh out loud reading or listening to his interviews. We were all die hard SPB fans and TMS was the butt of our jokes back then. 😀
Today when I listen to some of his gems from the 50s and early 60s, I do feel bad for him. He was a wonderful singer. I felt that he kind of lost his singing ability when he tried to morph his voice to suit MGR and Sivaji and a couple of other stars back then.
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Common Man
November 11, 2021
Why did you stop writing BR 😦 ?? It feels soo good reading your articles and the follow up discussions… I loved re-reading your articles on a daily basis and now I am seriously missing them 😦 … (Not that I dont re-read your old articles now its just that I miss not being able to read anything new…)
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sanjana
November 11, 2021
Petra Maganai Vitra Annai | Thendral Urangiya song
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vijay
November 11, 2021
Takes me back..We had discussed a lot of these songs about 20+ yrs back in several forums when internet/forums/mp3 everything was at a nascent stage and youtube was non-existent 🙂
But thanks to youtube and music fans a lot of the MSV era songs are getting a re-look and some next gen musicians are also being invited to dissect them and even present lec-dems.
For those interested and for starters, here is Ramesh Vinayagam’s lec-dem in case you have not seen.You can trace the other parts of this series easily
Naalai indhe veLai -> as he mentions, many tunes had several raga shades, had classical touches, yet not confined to a raga. MSV’s speciality. PLaying some of these tunes on the keyboard is such a challenge for amateurs. Figuring out the raga will lead to going bald sooner.
Singer Ananthu who sang Maaya nadhi in Kabali is doing his youtube series on MSV’s songs
And even in the instrumentation dept. he was’nt exactly a novice as is sometimes generalized. A lot of musicians have shared in the same platform as to how challenging it was to play for him. Of course for those who grew up post-70s, it may not impact in the same way. I am not such a big fan myself to be honest, but have come to acknowledge his contributions in these areas as well. His usage of percussion and his rhythm sense stands unparalleled atleast amongst his contemporaries.
Try keepng up with the 7/8 in this song as SPB sings, its very tricky. Not sure how he managed during recording with live recording and all..
Hello my dear wrong number and the mridhangam the way it is used..
(In contrast, I have never held IR’s usage of tabla in high esteem in many of his songs. And the rhythm patterns got predictable and monotonous even in the late 80s barring a few exceptions.You dont need a Tabla Prasad to play for say sorgathin vaasapadi or idhayam oru kovil or enge en jeevane or many other songs having the same nadais.)
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sanjana
November 11, 2021
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vijay
November 11, 2021
if you are looking for an older era freakout song , here is one that swings between rock’n’roll and pure classical (Ataana I think), MSV-TKR is the MD
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Madan
November 11, 2021
“And when I say “boring”, I mean TMS’s voice (he’s easily one of the greatest singers of our cinema), had by then thickened to the extent that everything sounded like a lecture. ” – Lecture is what his singing sounds like to me in the sad/dramatic mode. OTOH I LOVE his singing in happy/boisterous songs where he has more muscle than SPB. I think Raja missed that TMS/Kishore type of voice and had to either coax a more rugged tone out of SPB or use Malaysia. I have heard a story that once in a film industry party in the late 70s, TMS loudly quipped that Raja would not last and MSV/KVM would be back on top again. Raja overheard it and apparently even said publicly that who knows whether they could work together after this. They didn’t from some point in the late 70s onwards but I have no idea if that story is true. I think TMS did sound great if slightly ‘elderly’ on Annakilli/Sindhu Nadhi karaioram and would have had a few more years left in him but for their fallout, if that’s what it was.
“Those were the times when TMS would give interviews about how you should sing from your “naabi kamalam” and not from the throat and mouth like the new singers (he naturally meant SPB)” – lol, funny how this perception is so widespread in India that anything other than full throated chest voice singing is ‘from the throat’. This is even though a lot of singers like Rafi or PBS did naturally use mixed voice on many songs. If SPB had actually sung from the throat, his throat would have been gone long, long ago instead of outlasting his body as it actually did.
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Jayram
November 11, 2021
Madan, one question I have is why didn’t Raja use Kishore for the Telugu remake of Don, Yugandhar, especially for Orabba Esukunna Killi which is basically Khaike Paan Banaraswala. Was Kishore very expensive during those days and/or he didn’t want to sing in Tamil/Telugu? He did sing in Kannada and Malayalam though.
Getting to MSV, the first time I heard him was a double album called Sangamam where he collaborated with Maharajapuram Santhanam. Of course by that point, he was past his prime and yet the orchestra still sounded melodious. I have not listened to all his music and can’t analyze it as well you can, but he has been a delight in the songs I’ve listened to. I was amazed to find out he and TKR are the music directors for one of my favorite Telugu movies, Tenali Ramakrishna.
Here’s my dad’s favorite padyam from the movie sung by Ghantasala: https://youtu.be/K7_zpapZv9M?t=44
And speaking of next-gen: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xv1wLUXgwzo
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KP
November 11, 2021
What was TMS’s last Tamil film song, BTW?
he sang all songs in Thaainadu for Sathyaraj, believe that was his last movie.
-KP
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YAML92
November 12, 2021
Hi BR, It’s 10 years of Rockstar – can we please have a thread on that? It remains one of the last few movies where the music, lyrics and movie were in total sync and worked together beautifully. Not to mention the impact of the album.
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Madan
November 12, 2021
So…I had attempted one charanam-pallavi of Anubavam Pudhumai quite a while back. Thought this would be a good place to post this:
Couple (or more!) words mispronounced, manichuddunga.
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Sundaram Raman
November 14, 2021
Oh! Absolute reflection of my own feelings about the songs you mentioned. They have been over shadowed by the songs of the main character (hero?) of the movie. I am happy you brought it out! Kudos!!
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Anand Raghavan
November 16, 2021
MSVs 70s songs seem to have more experimentation with instruments, arrangement and harmonies. Malai Rani Mundhanai sariya sariya is one such song but not much discussed. Though 70s is most remembered for arrival of Ilayaraja in the middle of the decade, it seems MSV was still going strong well till end of the decade. KB-MSV-Kannadasan trio played significant part in that.
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shaviswa
November 16, 2021
@Anand Raghavan
In general, the 1970s music in Tamil cinema was considered pathetic. But for a song here and there, the music scene was so horrible that apparently Hindi film music started dominating in TN. That was when Ilaiyaraja made his debut with Annakili and he turned things around.
That is why it is not surprising that not much is talked about MSV music from the 1970s.
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Ravi
November 16, 2021
I tend to disagree with the bleak assessment of MSV’s music in the 70’s. My own rough analysis shows that MSV, on an average had a 60-70% rate of good/very good/hit songs during this period. This is not to deny that Hindi film songs were hugely popular or that Raja ushered in a new wave. That does not automatically make MSV’s music during the 70’s “pathetic”.
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Madan
November 16, 2021
Ravi: Yeah, I have mentioned this before but my mother said Tamil songs were very much played on radio in the 70s and the Hindi invasion, while it did happen, wasn’t as pervasive as is made out to be today. Remember RD’s wave itself began to peter out after 1975 with only HKKN and Satte Pe Satte capturing Kati Patang/Yaadon Ki Barat level success.
Also, MSV did Ninaithale Innikkum, Varumaiyin Niram Sirappu, Simla Special, Thillu Mullu, Pokkiri Raja, Billa all right in the middle of the Raja era. So he couldn’t have been out of market in the 70s. He WAS running out of assignments by the mid 80s and he himself said Mella Thirandhadhu Kadhavu was organised for his financial well being. But that’s ok, that’s a nearly 30 year long reign as a top music director.
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shaviswa
November 16, 2021
@madan
He wasn’t out of market. He was still the leading MD. Just that the music was very ordinary and people preferred to listen to Hindi songs. In fact even Bappi Lahiri songs were being listened to 😛
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Jayram
November 17, 2021
@Madan, I don’t think RD’s wave petered out after 1975. Even though LP became numero one from the late 70s, he was still going strong until 1982. I agree that his last great blockbuster soundtrack is Satte Pe Satta. Listened to it the other day and still find it memorable; Kishore was energetic throughout and nailed Amitabh to the tee!
@Everyone else, is 16 vayathinile considered to be the real breakthrough of Raja where he shot up to the top, becoming a “rival” to MSV?
As for MSV in the late 70s, I don’t think he was finished. I still enjoy this song from 1979
and don’t find it ordinary.
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Madan
November 17, 2021
“Just that the music was very ordinary and people preferred to listen to Hindi songs. ” – To each his own. I wouldn’t call it ordinary though I def prefer Raja to peak MSV, let alone late 70s-80s version.
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Madan
November 18, 2021
” I don’t think RD’s wave petered out after 1975. Even though LP became numero one from the late 70s, he was still going strong until 1982. ” – Well, the bumper hits definitely dried up after 1975 barring Hum Kisise Kam Nahin. Nasir Hussain didn’t make another film after HKKN until 1981’s Zamane Ko Dikhana Hai which was a far cry from HKKN. The best RD films post 1975 (again, other than HKKN) were ghazal/classical-oriented like Aandhi, Ghar, Kinara, even Manzil (more melody oriented than blockbuster type). These were all excellent albums so that’s not the point here. They just didn’t set the BO on fire the way RD albums used to in the early-mid 70s (or the way HKKN did). They didn’t have that verve, for want of a better word. It’s like comparing Marupadium to Agni Natchatram.
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Jayram
November 18, 2021
Even if RDB’s ghazal/classical albums like Aandhi, Ghar, Kinara and Manzil didn’t set the BO on fire like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, they’re still listenable today. Even “tired” albums like Bemisaal.
Kinara is one of my most favorite albums of his. Bhupinder is the star of the album, not only because he sings the majority of the songs but because RDB brings out his versatility. I still can’t get enough of Meethi Bol Bole, Naam Gum Jayega, Ek Hi Khwaab and Koi Nahi Hai Kahin, especially the latter which brings a different type of Bhupinder; the classically trained one who could nail those taans like Rafi, Manna Dey and KJY did in their primes.
Guess we’ve moved on to the other thread, so let’s end it here.
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Madan
November 19, 2021
“Even if RDB’s ghazal/classical albums like Aandhi, Ghar, Kinara and Manzil didn’t set the BO on fire like Yaadon Ki Baaraat, they’re still listenable today.” – No argument on that. But that way, even Jaidev’s Dooriyan album has two brilliant duets but wasn’t a big draw at the BO. The discussion was more about why Tamil listeners would have moved on from RD in the late 70s and that had a lot to do with RD’s music from the time and not just the arrival of Raja. It’s the same as Rahman didn’t steal the Udhaya Geetham-Mouna Raagam-Raja’s thunder. By the time of Roja, Raja was already loaning out projects to Karthik Raja, making Bhava sing, mixing in the percussions way loud etc etc. So things had changed a lot though he was STILL giving lots of great music. In the same way, yes, RD was still doing great stuff in the late 70s but Raja ‘driving’ him out of TN then wasn’t the same thing as unseating the RD of Kati Patang-Yaadon Ki Baarat etc. That RD was an unstoppable force. It somehow never seems to happen that you have more than one unstoppable force at the same time in film music. The emergence of one seems to make the others freeze for a while.
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Kannaa
January 8, 2022
Albeit sad news, could not find a more appropriate thread than the one on MSV to post this…
Kaamakotiyaan (a.k.a Srinivasan), an unassuming poet, kept knocking at MSV’s door for opportunities in films. Having cursorily dismissed lyricist PattukOttai Kalyaanasundaram before eventually offering him an opportunity, MSV had vowed not to repeat that mistake with others. In 1987, MSV relented and the first opportunity to pen lines for a film song came the way of KaamakOtiyaan. His pallavi for the song was “Raaga vendhane un mOga veenai naan, un viralgalukku kural koduppen, irudhi varai thunai iruppen”, but neither the song (SPB-Chitra), nor the movie (Aavani maadha thaavanigal) saw light of day. Over a 25-year association, Kaamakotiyaan became MSV’s favorite lyricist and confidante. Today, news broke that Kaamakotiyaan had passed on. For lifting him out of obscurity and for the modest recognition and success he could carve for himself as a result, KaamakOtiyaan remained ever grateful to his mentor and friend until his dying day (Noblesse oblige !)
On Vaali’s recommendation, Raja had also offered KaamakOtiyaan opportunities to write. Here are a couple of hit songs for Raja. These two songs are from the movie “Ninaikka Therindha Maname”.
Kannukkum kannukkum mOdhal, nenjaththai nee thandhaal kaadhal… (KJY)
Engengu nee sendra pOdhum, en nenjame unnai thedum… (KJY-Chitra)
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Kannaa
January 8, 2022
“Poonjittu kuruvigalaa, pudhu mettu tharuveegalaa…” was another hit song for which Kaamaktoiyaan had penned the lines (Oru thottil sabadham; MD: Chandrabose)
And the song of KaamakOtiyaan that MSV loved most was this one. RIP, KaamakOtiyaan !
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brangan
January 8, 2022
Kannaa: Thank you for this news. Actually, thank for this revelation — I have never heard of Kaamakotiyan.
What is your assessment of his lyrical talent (only for films)? Both the Raja songs you mentioned have very generic lyrics, as was the case for most songs of Raja’s in the immediate post-VM period.
Recently, I have started enjoying Vignesh Shivan a lot as a lyricist: for example, Naan pizhai from his new film. Karthik Netha is another relatively new discovery.
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Kannaa
January 8, 2022
BR: “…What is your assessment of his lyrical talent (only for films)? Both the Raja songs you mentioned have very generic lyrics, as was the case for most songs of Raja’s in the immediate post-VM period. Recently, I have started enjoying Vignesh Shivan a lot as a lyricist: for example, Naan pizhai from his new film. Karthik Netha is another relatively new discovery.”
Given the low-profile the man kept and the lower volume of his film hits, I had only learnt of KaamakOtiyaan through fan forums and AV clips on youtube in my quest for MSV songs. When it comes to preference of lyrics, he wouldn’t be a favorite. The template for a trailblazing lyricist is to start early in life, be presented with interesting movie situations, get challenged by competent directors/composers, and to ride the waxing phase of a composer’s career. In that regard, KaamakOtiyaan missed the bus (be it MSV, Raja, Chandrabose etc.). Also, writing a “kaadhal paattu” requires a mindset (call it the mindset that churns thaamarai-kannangal-then-malar-kinnangal or many of the other exquisite variants), short of which, love songs can seem ordinary. Apart from a few films for MSV, he mostly wrote for his non-film albums or wrote paeans at his behest. But I like the simple appeal of his last film song above, which reinforces the human touch amid the complicated lives many of us live. Also, I haven’t kept up with the songs/lyricists from recent times, but will check out the ones you mention.
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vijay
March 26, 2022
Nothing quite to light up a day as this one:
Both MSV-SPB AND MSV-KJY collaborations of the 70s had a lot to offer..
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