Ilayaraja and Maniratnam-I
June 2, 1943- In a small village of Panniapuram in Theni district of Tamil Nadu, Gnanadesikan, was born as the 3rd son of Ramaswamy and Chinnathayammal, a poor Dalit couple. Exactly 13 years later, on the same date, in the temple town of Madurai, G. Subramaniam, was born into a middle class family.
Gnandesikan would go on to achieve fame as a musical composer par excellence, a maestro, a genius, and to millions of fans like me he is simply “Ilayaraja”. G. Subramaniam, would be famous to many movie lovers as Mani Ratnam, one of the finest directors of Indian cinema, a man behind some of the best Indian movies, dealing with themes as diverse as the underworld(Nayakan), terrorism( Roja), communal riots( Bombay), politics(Iruvar), marital discord( Mouna Raagam).
Ilayaraja and Maniratnam- Two men who were the best in their fields. One created a revolution in the world of music, with his unforgettable tunes, mixing up the best of Indian folk, classical and Western influences. Another was a man who bought some of the best techniques into Indian cinema, with his camera angles, shot taking, light and shade display, and willingness to tackle different themes.
And when these 2 geniuses came together, it resulted in MAGIC.
There were some directors for whom Illayaraja gave his best, Bharatiraja, Balu Mahendra, Mahendran, K.Balachander, Maniratnam, K. Viswanath, Vamsi were some of them.
Ilayaraja had been associated with his from his very first movie Pallavi Anupallavi, in Kannada. He also was the music director for Mani Ratnam’s malayalam flick Unaru, and his first 2 movies in Tamil, Pagal Nilavu and Idhaya Kovil. I really don’t have much idea about these movies, except that Pallavi Anupallavi starred Anil Kapoor in his only South Indian movie i think, and as far as Pagal Nilavu, it had a storyline similar to the Ajit starrer Amarkalam. I would appreciate if some one could throw more light on these movies and their songs.
If i were to do an anthology of Ilayaraja’s finest songs, the songs which he composed for Maniratnam’s movies, would take up a sizeable space. While A.R.Rehman, has managed to keep up the standards from Roja onwards, the Illayaraja-Maniratnam combination is in a class by itself. Some of IR’s best songs have been for directors who have had a strong aesthetic sensibility, and it was as if Raja, were able to read Maniratnam’s mind perfectly. it was not just the songs, but even the BGM bits, which IR gave for every movie of Mani, and each totally distinct from each other.
When Mani Ratnam, came into the movie world, after his stint as a business consultant, IR was already well established. Most of Mani’s initial movies were not successful at box office, and Mouna Raagam, in 1987 was what fully shot Mani into the lime light. Mounaraagam, deals with the story of Divya( Revathi), a happy go lucky girl, who is married to Chandrakumar( Mohan), a soft spoken manager working in Delhi. However Divya, is unable to reconcile to the marriage, as the memories of her boyfriend Manohar( Kartik), and his untimely death, still haunt her. A pretty much sensitive theme, it was handled brilliantly by Mani, and to date it remains one of his best movies.
In a Tamil movie industry, otherwise given to over the top acting and screechy melodrama, Mani’s subtle treatment and his shot taking, was like a breath of fresh air. However i would not call it a path breaking movie, as some years earlier Mahendran had earlier dealt with the same theme, in an equally subtle manner in Nenjathai Killathe, starring Suhasini, Mohan and Pratap Pothen.
Ilayaraja comes out with a superb soundtrack for the movie starting off with Oh Megam Vanthatho, sung by S.Janaki. This is one of Mani’s favorites a rain song. Beautiful tuning and picturization, that shows the heroine’s free spirited side. Nilave Vaa is a totally melodious number, by SP Balasubramaniam, the music by IR is so soothing, so soft, that it just touches your soul somewhere.
And my personal favorite, Mandram Vantha, the only description i can give for this song is one word- MASTERPIECE. The rythm, the modulation, the tuning, everything just gels so perfectly, and it makes me feel, what i feel about IR, he is a genius. And yes the saxophone beats. Just check it out below. Apart from the song, i love the way Mani picturized it here. Intercutting the expressions of Mohan and Revathi, their feelings, and that shot of Revathi, lying on the bed in a white sari, sheer beauty.
Chinna Chinna again by S.Janaki is a kind of dream song, picturized on Revathi. And the last song in this album is Panivizhum Iravu, by S.Janaki and SPB, which is picturized near the Taj Mahal, not a very great song, though the shots of the Taj through the mist are near fabulous.
Mounaragam was followed by Mani’s masterpiece, which i would rate as one of his best, and also one of the best movies of Indian cinema. Nayagan, a movie based on the Mumbai don, Varadarajan Mudaliar, and starring Kamal Hassan in a performance that is stamped brilliant. Nayagan was a movie that featured 4 formidable talents- Mani Ratnam(direction), Kamal Hassan( acting), Illayaraja( music) and P.C.Sreeram( camera).
. And IR as usual, comes up with a music score, that enthralls you not just in songs, even in the BGM section.
The best song in the album would be Nee Oru Kaadhal Sangeetham.
This song, is picturized on Kamal and Saranya, just after they are married. If you take a look at the song, one can see the sensibility of Maniratnam in every frame of the song, right from the detailing to every small expression. Even the love making scene between Kamal and Saranya, is shot without any trace of vulgarity.
Another beautiful song is Thenpandi Cheemayile, which is sung by both IR and Kamal in the movie. Intensely moving and touching, this song is played at many vital scenes in the movie. Of course Nayagan as a movie deserves a separate post altogether.
Agni Nakshatram released in 1988, is about two step brothers Ashok( Karthik) and Gautam( Prahbu). Ashok’s mother is the mistress of Viswanathan(Vijay Kumar), a noted criminal lawyer, while Gautam is the son of Vishwanath’s legally wedded wife. Though pretty much a cliched story for the most part, the movie was interesting enough. One thing i liked was the way Mani builds up the rivalry and tension between the step brothers, and IR’s BGM just heightens the effect. And also the camera work is superlative, as Mani’s effectively employs the light and shadow effect, to convey the feelings.
As far as technique was concerned, this movie was simply way ahead of other movies in the 80’s, but would not rate this Mani’s best.
But no such doubts about the soundtrack, which is again one of IR’s best. The movie was a major hit and a sensation, both in Tamil and its Telugu dubbed version Gharshana, not just for the songs, but for the snazzy MTV style visuals, and their picturization. Even now if you run those songs, they would be as contemporary and fresh as ever.
One of the best examples is the Ninnu Kori Varnam song by Chitra, and picturized on Amala. IR here uses a totally Western beat soundtrack, and if you look at the picturization, you can see how Mani plays around with the sound and light here.
Another MTV style number is Roja Poo Adivanthathu. IR comes up with a kinf of rythmic score, and the sounds of “Cha, Cha” in between. Truly foot tapping.
Oru Poonga Vanam was the song that catapulted, Radhika’s sister Nirosha into fame, due to her swim suit sequence. IR is an expert at mixing natural sounds with music, and here observe the way he wonderfully mixes up the sounds of the splashing in the pool, with the birds twittering.
Raaja Raajathi sung by IR himself, is again a fast beat number, and IR works up a totally fast and furious rythm. A dance number picturized on karthik, during my college days, it was the first choice for any one wanting to show off their break dancing skills.
Vaa Vaa Anbe Anbe is a kind of slow and melodious tune, by Chitra and Yesudas, picturized on Karthik and Nirosha, it is a typical IR melody based song.
Thoongatha Vizhigal sung by Yesudas and Janaki, is another totally melodious number, very breezy, very romantic in nature.
The next part, i would look at the other 3 collaborations of Mani and IR, Geetanjali, Anjali and Thalapathy.
Tags: illayaraja, mani ratnam, Music, tamil movies, tamil songs
Anurag Kashyap
Abhay Deol
Dibakar Banerjee
Hansal Mehta
Khalid Mohamed
Kundan Shah
Anish Kuruvilla
Jaideep Verma
Manish Gupta
Navdeep Singh
Bhavani Iyer
D. Santosh
Onir
Ashvin Kumar
Ramu Ramanathan
Sudhir Mishra
Pankaj Advani
Revathy
Saurabh Shukla
Shilpa Shukla
Sujoy Ghosh
Suparn Verma
Santosh Sivan
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Shivajee
Pavan Kaul
Partho Sen-Gupta
Prroshant Naryannan
Sam Langoria
Satish Kasetty
If there is one guy I seriously tried to understand, that was illayaraja… his music bored me to death… especially the one last yr or something that had him perform a symphony.
Maybe I am not musically equipped but I felt he used to give up after the initial blast that had the song going.
That one in Dalapathi… chilakamma… he just let’s it go after the intro to dull violins…
Have no clue why he is revered. Love his son’s tunes though.
I havent heard much of illayaraja at all, barring sadma songs. But when I heard him in cheeni kum and Shiva (RGV second shiva movie), much after a decade i immediately recognised the music is from him, since he has his style of music, which might have been good and better sounding in 80’s and 90’s, but now seems very jaded, much like Laxmikant pyarelal songs. I too am not big fan of this musician.
@ Ravptor: Honestly, i really cant reply anything to ur comment. All i can say to each his own. For me he is a genius of the first order, and nothing is gonna change in it.
@ Gony: IR and LP, dude can u come up with a better comparison place. LP, don’t even have half the innovativeness of IR, and i honestly dont understand what is so great about today’s music too.
Ravptor..
digg more..
that was a pretty cavalier statement about Illayaraja. whether u like his music ‘now’ or not, check around for more facts of the guy and why he is admired. I would suggest you buy a tape (hoping its stil around) of his work with London Philharmonic Orchestra – just so that u understand the talent.
Im sure VPJ and Pavan can help you out with further older collections
quite a few posts here on a ‘blasphemy’ territory here undermining what Raja has done. however unlike other musician’s songs that grow on after million listenings, Raja’s songs are in the ‘u like em’ or ‘u hate em’ territory. So is the work of any pure genius who trades in his/her own terms. his is unudulterated music of his own style which is a curious blend of all genres of music in a equally curious fashion. So it will not be all beats steady progression song that is meant for dance floors alone. his is a serving for soul and I guess thats what endeared his works to millions in a fanatical way.
dpac… i have heard him a lot. Trust me, this guy did quite a few telugu films and he was a regular for tons of K Vishwanath’s and Bapu’s films. Very very good songs mind you of which my dad has a pretty through collection so literally heard them ton’s of times.
Not to harp on a point which is contentious on this thread here: here is my beef – the rhythym part was missing, he had this way to start a song, like very very magnificent tenor, but he would settle for the usual dull rap after the intro… trust me, you will find this in most of his songs, he tends to let go after the intro which was very very irritating. It’s like eating this wonderful cakewhere the icing is – delicious – but the moment you hit the cake part, it’s hard, repetitive and boring.
Contrasting it to keeravani who I think was his contemporary in telugu films, not quite a lot of hits, but he held the song all through.
But i guess in the end as the Ratnakar pointed out – to each his own…
Cheers guys, no offense.
ravp,
illayaraja is and was a purist at heart.
thats one of the reasons Mani Ratnam had an issue with him, i guess.
i suspect he seldom used rhythmn at the heart of his compositions. he was all melody and his experimentations were more inside the swaras and raagas rather than the music itself.
and i understand the irritation you must have felt. been there myself, but hey i aint calling him anything less than a maestro mate :-)
Good one, Ratnakar.
Pallavi Anupallavi had a brilliant score by IR. IMO, it’s far ahead of all other IR-Mani combo films in terms of music. Especially BGM track, simply out of the world.
I’m sure if some one releases the BGM tracks of that film on a CD, it would be an instant hit.
I haven’t seen Pagal Nilavu, but “Poomalaye Thol Serava” (by IR and S Janaki) is like a textbook on counter points.
More than the songs, what stands out in all these films is the background score. I don’t think any other composer in India can come close to IR in that department.
A couple of masterpieces from Pallavi Anupallavi
Pallavi Anupallavi BGMs
“Poo Malaye” from Pagal Nilavu:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pEsT0vIfHvI
his latest master piece…
elangatu song from pithamagan… he still hasnt lost his touch…
@ratnakar .. u forgot to mention geetanjali( telugu film *ing nagarjuna ) songs…. jus amazing and melodious.. all of them…
@ Dpac: I guess ur comment explains it all. The music for London Philharmonic is way too good. Actually for me the best of IR was in the 70’s and 80’s. His output in the 90’s was pretty mediocre, barring some movies like Thalapathi, Thevar Magan, Mahanadi or maybe having grown up with his 80’s songs, which for me was his best phase, i could not settle for anything less than that. But trust me in the 90’s, i would rush to listen to the songs of IR, be it in Telugu or dubbing movies, but most of the times they never really worked. I think one good reason, is that the directors, for whom he gave his best scores, were not working with him. Mani Ratnam switched to A.R.Rehman, K.Viswanath to Keeravani, Vamsi started to compose music himself, Balachander and even Bharatiraja switched to Rehman, and so IR really did not have the kind of movie makers who could challenge him, bring out the best in him.
@Ravptor: Most of my intro to IR was through his Telugu movies. And he gave some fab scores for K.Viswanath, but as far as Bapu was concerned, i think only the movie he scored for him was Mantrigari Viyyankudu.
Well if you really want to taste the cake part, i request you to check out IR’s songs from 80’s movies. In fact when i started to work in Chennai, i had a chance to listen to most of IR’s Tamil songs from 80’s, and many were just awesome.
@Jaiganesh: While IR, had a host of mediocre stuff too, the brilliant work done by him far outweighs anything else. As u put it, his music is in a different genre, and it might not go down well on all. When i was again rediscovering IR, at the beginning of this decade, one of the early songs i heard was Panivizhum Malarvanum. I was just blown away by the song, when i first heard it. And trust me i wud just play it again and again, on my PC, in an infinite loop.
@ Thinkfloyd: Is ur nickname, some kind of tribute to Pink Floyd?? Anyway thanks a ton for those links. I do recall the Naguva song from Pallavi Anupallavi, which later was adapted as the IDEA theme song.
Well IR’s BGM scores are a class apart, i had already done some blog posts on it. That would require a separate topic altogether.
@Bharat
I guess i mentioned in end of article, that i would cover Gitanjali in my next post. That is one of IR’s best soundtracks for sure, and the BGM is equally brilliant too, though the movie was not that great.
No comments on IR, but Mani Rathnam has been living on past deeds for a while now, I would say since Roja. I liked his Kannathil quite a bit though. I dont remember the chronology of his movies, but similar to Vidhu Vinod Chopra, he is another great loss to Indian cinema in terms of what he could have done and what he has achieved.
I somewhat, though not entirely, agree with Ravi on MR. I had huge expectations from Guru but the pacifist climax killed it for me. And having watched Yuva and Amores Perros within a space of 72 hours watered down the effect of Yuva. But then, he has extracted AB Jr.’s career best work in Yuva as well as Guru. And they were far ahead of what can normally be counted as the above-average offerings from bollywood. However, in comparison to his earlier works like Roja, Bombay, Nayakan etc., Guru and Yuva would pale a bit. I haven’t seen his tamil movies except for Dalapati (entertaining) and Mouna Ragam (classic), and I feel that’s too less to come to some judgement about his tamil works.
As for IR, my only exposure to him has been through his music in certain south-indian movies that were dubbed in hindi or the hindi movies he actually composed for. And even with that limited exposure, I rated him as a maestro. A few years ago, I had the good fortune of listening to an album composed by Illayaraja and performed by Pt. Hariprasad Chaurasiya on flute called Nothing but Wind. Anyone who listens to this album is sure to convert to the Illayaraja devotees fold. This is by far the best fusion composition I’ve heard…and what I’ve heard includes virtuoso performances by big guns like Shakti, Mahavishnu Orchestra, Pt.Vishwa Mohan Bhatt and L. Subramanium.
@ravptor
funny you did not connect to IR. regarding letting down the tempo as you say, could you mention a couple of songs? other than chilakamma from Dalapathi. Rajnikanth may have spoilt that for you.
and yeah, keeravani adores IR, referred to him in a lot of his songs and has even re-used a song in Subha Sankalpam.
the reason you need to listen to more songs is cuz IR never composed for Bapu – like you claimed. that was one combination that never happened unfortunately.
@chalam – my bad, if it was not bapu then it was one of contemporaries of Mr K.Vishwanath. I just entered my teens in mid-90’s so keeping track of all the work then was difficult.
But again, I tried to watch as many films of that genre(Bapu’s and K.Vishwanath’s) that I could get hold of myself and in spite of sublime lyrics, the music I could not connect, no matter how hard I tried. And it’s a real shame cos there are tons of ppl I adore and respect who are avid IR fans. Maybe on my next trip home, I need to get a better collection and revisit.
Also, maybe I am just struck on a couple of songs that i know and believe that he let’s me down but since it has happened on multiple occasions, I was leaning on that belief.
But this is something I still hold onto – a couple of yrs back he performed something with a symphony, was publicized like hell that it was his greatest work ever… that i thought was a little too much. That work fell flat big time.
@Narcissist: Better than Shakti??? Dude… that’s a big big statement.
ravptor – can you define what is good music for you? What is fusion? Want to try – without dropping names?
On second thoughts, don’t. You need to be able to go beyond “I dont like it”. I am not sure if you can. Anyone who thinks IR’s son, presumably YSR, is doing better work needs basic lessons in music. Never mind. You probably dont. It is a free nation. You are entitled to go through life without understanding real music :-)
Ravptor – what is a symphony? Answer that first.
Ratnakar, thanks. But the beauty of Raja is that trying to understand him is like the politically incorrect story about 5 blind men trying to describe an elephant. One touched the ears and said it an elephant is like a sieve. Another touched the legs and said an elephant is like a pillar and son.
It is the same with IR. I know hundreds of telugu people like you who have not much exposure to his 70’s ouevre and define him by K Vishwanath, Manirathnam and the 80’s movies. And the beauty is for a serious listener of music who has exposure only to these, he still comes out as a genius. For instance, have you even heard of the late 70’s Yugandhar?
Similarly, my friends from rural tamilnadu dig his 70’s-80’s rustic folk output and are literally blind to anything else. He looks a genius to them just for this part of his ouevre.
Similarly, for a urban youngster in 80’s Chennai, he is defined by Ninaivellam Nithya and Agni Nakshatram. They do not dig his folk output much. Yet, just for the part that they are interested in, he comes out as a genius.
Listen to his Kannada songs with Rajkumar & Shankar Nag – they smell of Karnataka and the western ghats – while at the same time mesmerising with outstanding bass work and chord progressions. How does he perform this magic? How do I even begin describing this.
Listen to his K Vishwanath songs – dipped in the melody of carnatic raagas and retaining a very telugu folk lakshana.
Listen to his mainstream telugu songs like Vayyari Godaramma in the 80’s – if you dont feel the Godavari river tickling your ankles, you are, as Shakespeare said, fit only for “treasons and strategems ”
The man evokes the soil of where the song is supposed to be set in as per the movie like no one else.
One cannot start explaining him to others without – even hyperbole would be trivialising his achievements in music. Can you measure the ocean? You cannot. You just watch in awe and marvel. If someone feels that “eh, it is not as inspiring as the swimming pool in my house”, whose loss it? Not yours not mine, Ratnakar, Thinkfloyd and others.
And there are people – and I am one of them – who believe that for sheer genius, you have to look at the Raja of 1976-81, when he just flowed. It was all great tunes, backed up by outstanding orchestration and string work, backed up by amazing sense of the geography and social milieu of the song, and evoking an emotional response with a pluck of the violin string.
Even his recent output- look at Cheeni Kum – is there anyone else now in Bollywood, save Rahman, who can score for that Covent Garden piece – the one where the screen characters go around Covent Garden watching the street musicians perform in one of the songs – look at how he evokes the Carribean style without drawing special attention – and then the rock style heavy guitar pieces followed by brilliant percussion and sax work. To even understand and recognise it, you need a good understanding and exposure to a variety of music. If fusion is defined as retaining the charactersitics of the styles it fuses, then no one does it better than Raja. To him, fusion is about underlining the similarities in the different music structures – dig how to name it, where he plays a Thyagaraja Keerthanai fusing it seamlessly with a Bach piece. The beauty about it is if you look at it as a Carnatic musician, it is a pure carnatic keerthanai and if you look at it as a Western Classical musician, he can see it as a pure WCM piece. To achieve that level of integration defies human understanding.
Ratnakar: Mani – IR is arguably the best combination, and I think it is even better than Raj Kapoor – Shankar Jaikishen. Some interesting titbits; You have mentioned that Mouna Ragam is similar to Nenjathai Killadhe. Mani Sir planned Mouna Ragam as a tribute to NK. And the amazing aspect is the BGM of MR(The piece involving Mohan & Revathi) is very similar to NK. In Nayagan, for the lullaby, Raja composed the tune of Nila adhu vaanathai pole. Mani loved it, but felt it did not have the desired impact. Raja then composed Thenpaandi cheemaiyile. Mani was very happy but he did not want to let go of Nila adhu tune either. Raja turned the tune to an item number! Pallavi Anu Pallavi’s theme BGM was so good that Raja used it as a song in the movie Vaazhkai! (Another unrelated titbit: The theme BGM of Chandni was used as the song ” Kabhie Main Kahoon’ in Lamhe)! Pallavi Anu Pallavi was also one of the first efforts where the song played in the background and the screen shots showed interaction between characters( a la Dil Chahta Hai) to indicate growth in relationships. It is again one of the first films where there were a lot of visuals and lots of BGM with very limited dialogues. In fact, in the second half there are scenes where there are no dialoges for close to 5-6 minutes of screen time.
Pagal Nilavu was a pathbreaker in terms of characters. When Mani showed the villain not as a typical villain, but as a warm-hearted person who is forced to take ‘villanic’ decisions due to the field of work he is in and to protect his irresponsible ‘power-hungry’ sons, the audience were mesmerised and found it absoltely believable.Mani used some of the charecteristic traits of ‘Periyavar’ in Nayakan. And Raja’s music was equally pathbreaking in both these films. The theme BGM in Nayagan was nothing short of brilliant. Look at the confrontation scene between Nayakar and his daughter. When Kamal opens his heart out and justifies his actions to his daughter, the camera remains stationary. And when Nayakar starts talking about how they grew up, and how they had to struggle to live everyday, PC Sreeram pans the camera towards the characters and Raja starts the BGM at this point. The 1950s song, Nee sirithal Deepavali, man, what can I say? It left me spellbound.
I can go on and write pages and pages about this combination, or about the combination of Bharathirajaa – Raja, Mahendran – Raja, Balu – Raja, Bala – Raja, KB – Raja, Fazil – Raja, Kamal – Raja. I do not mind if people like Ravptor dont think Raja’s work is good enough. But to me and to thousands of people like me who grew up on Raja, he is GOD. My biggest grouse today is the Central Government has not accorded the Padmashree award to him. Take a look at the list of awardees in the last 10 years (in the field of performing arts) and you’ll agree he deserves to be there.
raj: Just one word: Wow!
@Anand & Raj: Guys, no disrespect, am glad you guys are sharing so much with novice’s like me. Your comments are full of passion and would love to see more posts on all the combination’s mentioned here. Please write more and you can educate loads of us.
To be honest, i did not grow up on IR. The only album I really really loved on his that i have carried from India is gharshana… he was before my time so when you talk about 70’s and 80’s & heck even 90’s for that matter, i would be out of my depth.
My serious listening and understanding began from 98 so you might guess why I make the statements I make.
thank u ravptor for coming out and saying what we all thgt to be the case :-)
Anand and Raj
Please don’t ever come back to PFC if you do not pen “your” articles on Raja soon. I mean full length pieces. Anand, your Kamal-Raja write-up is eagerly looked forward to. Those who can put words to their thoughts like these cannot do otherwise.
High time!
Duh, what happened to all my replies on the comments.
Dude where are my comments :O
Guess i have to again type in everything, this sucks now.
@ Ravi: Well the only recent Mani movies i had liked were Kannathil and Guru( except for the climax). I guess problem with Mani is that he tries to force fit in a politically correct solution, in his movies, and that has been there since Roja. For eg in Yuva, while the Lallan track was handled well, Ajay Devgan’s student leader track was totally unconvincing. Mani’s look at campus politics was so infantile, compared to Haasil, which took a serious, no nonsense view of campus politics.
Even in Guru, at certain key scenes, showing Gurukanth’s rise to riches, Mani just prefers to conveniently flash them by, to some background songs.
@ Narcissist: Well Guru was fine for almost 3/4ths, but climax seemed a cop out for me. I guess thats one failing i find with Mani, he tries to take a please every one, politically correct stance, and that often does not work out. Regarding Yuva and Amores Perros, i think barring the narrative structure, nothing else is similiar, the stories and background are totally different. But comparisons aside, for me Yuva seemed to be a compromise in many places. I would suggest you to check out Iruvar, it is one of Mani’s best movies, right up there with Nayakan.
@chalam: IR did compose for a Bapu movie, it was Mantrigari Viyyankudu. Pretty interesting movie, that was, and had a good score too.
@ravptor: I would suggest you to check out IR’s songs from the 80’s. I guess it could do with generation thing. For most of us, who went to college in late 80’s and early 90’s, IR was God, simply put it. Every new album wud be eagerly lapped up, and during singing competitions it was IR’s songs, that wud be the first choice of the contestants. For us IR, was as much a part of our college life, as was Kamal and Chiru.
@ Raj
Well sir, when are you writing your post on IR, as Santosh has suggested?
Hey, i have some idea about IR’s 70 songs too, in movies like Vayasu Pilichindi(Kamal-Sripriya-Rajani, dont recall the Tamil version), Yerra Gulabi( Sigappu Rojakal), Guru( Kamal-Sridevi, i still love Peru Sollavai). That time i was just a kid, so did not have much idea about IR.
And i love listening to all genres of IR music, be it urban based themes like Agni Nakshatram, romantic ones like Gitanjali, and totally rustic ones like Karagatakkaran.
As u put it, IR’s speciality is that he blends in brilliantly with the environment. The reason IR proved to be a huge success in Telugu, was that he reflected the Telugu nativity perfectly. For eg in movie Swatimutyam, if you take the song Suvvi, Suvvi. The very word Suvvi, Suvvi is a kind of chanting, done by rural women in Andhra Pradesh, whenever they are doing some work.
Again in the same Swatimutyam, if you take the song Rama Kanavemira, he seamlessly integrates 4 distinct Telugu folk traditions- Harikatha, Chekka Bhajana, Kolatam and Prarthana.
Trust me whenever i listen to Suvvi, Suvvi, it just takes me back to my home state, the sounds so natural, and i just feel that tinge of home sickness.
With all due respect to Rehman, he has never been able to really capture the Telugu nativity in his songs, the way IR has done.
@ Raj: Well one of my close friends, and a die hard IR fan, also tells me the same. When i was working in Chennai, i did hear a vast range of his work, but not much of his 70’s songs. I think to really appreciate IR’s music, one does need to have an understanding of the folk traditions and rythms, which IR generally integrates into his songs.
@ Anand: I am expecting your post soon on IR. Yes i recall having read about Mani doing a tribute to NK.
Anand, one major reason, why i am such a big fan of IR, is the BGM part. He bought the BGM, hitherto a neglected part of our movies, into focus. IR’s BGM’s would be a separate article by itself. Take Pithamagan, the BGM during that scene, where the ganja transport takes place in the forest, just gives me the goose bumps. Or in Thalapathi, the first time Rajani and Mamooty meet, and face off, IR’s BGM just elevates the tension, that you can actually feel it in the air.
Have not seen Pagal Nilavu, but some of the songs are really good in it.
@ Ravptor: No issues, i dont mind having opposing arguments in my comment space, as long as it does not degenerate into name calling and personal attacks
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note to ravptor: Appreciate your sane responses. Yes, I dont expect that you will understand IR the way we do, we having grown through is halcyon years. But trust me, if you are interested in music beyond collecting latest hits CDs, then you must check out IR. Which also means you must try to understand various organised forms of music across the spectrum – Carnatic, Hindustani(not much of it but what little he attempted, boy did he succeed), WCM, Rock, Jazz, Authentic Tamil Folk, Authentic Telugu Folk…
ANURADHA KRISHNAMURTHY (Carnatic Vocalist / TV star, South India) – Ilaiyaraaja is my favourite musician. He has that unmatched talent to maintain a particular raga till the very end of the song. The essence & soul of the raga is well maintained throughout
Dr.BALAMURALIKRISHNA (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India)- As far as i am concerned, i would say Ilaiyaraja is the composer of the century. If there is one single authority on ‘orchestration’, it can only be ilaiyaraja.
L.BALAJI (Budding Cricket Star/Bowler, India) – I love all the melodious compositions of ilaiyaraja sung by S.P.Balasubramaniam and Yesudoss. My all time favourite is ‘raja raja chozhan’ from ‘Rettai Vaal Kuruvi’ that i hum frequently.
S.P.BALASUBRAHMANYAM (Eminent Singer, Music Director, India) – There wont be another ilaiyaraja. He is par excellence, self taught and a complete composer. Improvising on original compositions of someone like ilaiyaraja has always been a dicey proposition for me. Some of my improvisations / touches get his nod, while in other instances when i go overboard, he would step in with a figurative spank in the ear. Me, Jesu anna and Chitra are all so lucky to have got the opportunity to sing hundreds of numbers in his music.
BALUMAHENDRA (Eminent Film Director, India) – If a situation arised wherein ilaiyaraaja decides to quit film music, i would as well quit making films. We both have worked so long with each other now that i dont need to explain him in great details abt my expectations. He knows what music i would want, and i create situations which he will love to make music for.
BHARADHWAJ (Music Composer, India) – He is the master of background music. I watch films that has ilaiyaraja as the music director, just for his background scores. “Thalapathi” is one such movie, which i have watched umpteen times just for his BGMs.
BHARANI (Music Composer, South India) – When you listen to his songs, you feel as if you were in a trance. Especially, the song,” Kaatril Endhan Geedham” from film Johny. Listening to his music is by itself a meditation to me.
BHARATHIRAAJA (Noted Film Maker, India) – I shoot scenes with a particular impact in mind. And even before i discuss about what i have in mind, he is already ready with mind boggling BGM bits.
CHANDRAHASAN ( Film Producer, India) – His music is precious. Mere dishing out of money wont get you such quality music.
CHITRA (Eminent Singer, India) – I owe a lot to maestro ilaiyaraja and I will ever remain grateful to him. He is the main reason for whatever i have achieved as a singer thus far in my career. The padmashree award that i received was not for me…it is dedicated to raja sir…I still remember very clearly the day when i sang “poojaiketha poovidhu” in his recording studio..From that day, till today, he has been blessing me with his love, standing by me as my own father …
DAVID KERMAN (ReR-USA, Music Distributor, North America) – We are big fans of the Maestro, and are proud to be the exclusive North American importer of the WINGS CD. ReR USA holds no allegiance to any particular style or genre of music, rather we only care about excellence. That’s why we’re so thrilled to have ilaiyaraaja !!.
[More from ReRmegacorp website, about the WINGS CD collection - What makes Ilaiyaraaja so universal is his cheerful adoption of much of the world's music and its instruments while remaining focused on the needs of song and the language of popular film; what makes him so addictive is his extraordinary sense of arrangement and instrumentation. Everything is detail with a small surprise lurking around every corner. This is work of painstaking subtlety, wrapped in simple forms - and luminous undemonstrative musicianship - the kind of work that grows with every listening and depends on its inner qualities and not on shock, dissidence or effect. These are perfectly crafted songs with mysterious arrangements and a catalogue of rhythms that are never as simple as they seem. A gem.!]
DEVI SRI PRASAD (Film Music Director, South India) – He is my God. I have grown up listening to his music. Whatever i am able to compose today, i owe it to this maestro.
GUITAR PRASANNA (Eminent Guitarist, India) – While many music creators today are busy looking for new music softwares, ilaiyaraja is the only one who dealt with the length & breadth of classical music (carnatic & western). I have virtually grown up with his music
HARISH RAGHAVENDRA (Budding Playback Singer, South India) – I am the luckiest of them all (singers). My very first song was written by a genius lyricist (Bharathiyar) and a genius composer (ilaiyaraaja). When ilaiyaraaja sir finally OK’d my song, it made me feel as if i had received a great award. Later when the song became a hit, Raja was caring enough to caution me not to be lethargic, and stressed on the need to work hard.
JASSIE GIFT (Composer, South India) – For melodious numbers that i compose, maestro ilaiyaraja is the prime inspiration.
Bombay JAYASHRI (SInger, India) – I am a huge ilaiyaraaja fan. His Paavani raga based song “Paartha Vizhi Paarthabadi” from the film Guna has been running in the back of my mind since I saw the film. When we look at December concerts, when we do something from 7 to 10 concerts, I am bored of constantly singing Todi or Sankarabharanam. I imagined the audience would be bored too. So I tried to do a pallavi with the word Paavani. It was very challenging and new for me and for my co-artists. I may tackle a Raagam Taanam Pallavi in Ragavardhini someday. Why? Because that’s the raga that another Ilayaraja favourite is based on, Chinna Thayaval from Thalapathy (source:http://brangan.easyjournal.com/entry.aspx?eid=3095068).
JEEVA (Budding Actor, South India)- Raja’s music is close to my heart and dear to my life. When i start listening to his golden melodies, i would forget even the hunger for food or the thirst for water.
JOSEPH EAGER (Conductor, World Symphony Orchestra, USA) – His music will be heard through the twenty-first century” [predicted during the release function of "Nothing But Wind" CD in New York in 1988].
HARIHARAN ( Playback Singer, India) – “Poongaatre konjam” from the film “Friends”, is my favourite, of all the tamil film songs. Ilaiyaraja’s style is very different, though he has been heavily influenced by the classical compositions of Mozart and Bach.
HARIPRASAD CHAURASIA, (exponent of Hindustani Classical Music, India) – It is a treat watching him (Mr.Ilaiyaraja) work – he does everything, composing, arrangement of instruments, orchestration and conducting – that too without the help of any assistants and a stopwatch.
KAMALHAASAN (Noted Actor, Film Maker, India) – Ilaiyaraja should be honored as Isai Vigyani (musical scientist) rather than Isai gyani.He has explored and analyzed virtually every type of music.I have worked with several composers. But this man is on his own trip – he is a colossal talent. We have worked together in around 70 films and we know each other’s requirements and expectations very well. He saw the rushes of the film (Hey Ram!) just once and immediately decided the music to be scored for the song sequences that have already been picturised. I told my film crew to give me a week’s time and that I will come back with one song in that time – instead I came back with seven songs.
KARTHIK RAJA ( Music Composer, India) – He has composed in so many idioms, his work spans such a wide spectrum that there will always some resemblance to something he has already done.
LALGUDI JAYARAMAN (Eminent Musician, India) – His talent is not the fruit of one single birth’s efforts. This level of achievement is only possible to one who has lived with music for countless births. The speed with which he writes notations have always baffled me.
LARY BAIN( Composer, England) – He is unbelievable, genius and fantastic.
LASLOV KOVACH (Conductor, Budapest Symphony Orchestra, Hungary) – He is Hollywood Kind. A very special composer. It seems he does not have to think at all to create music. Music just flows out. The feeling that you experience, while you listen to his compositions, is often quite inexplicable. It is unfortunate that the world is yet to recognize this composer. It is not a loss for Him, but it is, to the music world.
KARTHIK ( Budding Singer, India) – Working with him, you are introduced to a totally different plane of music making. His style is a very unique. I consider myself very lucky to have worked with him.
MADHAN (Noted Cartoonist, Writer, film critic, India ) – As far as i am concerened, Ilaiyaraja is the best bet when it comes to background music. He seems to fully understand as to what the film’s situation demands and what impact should his music create in viewer’s mind. More often, the usage of silent passages in his background music is more stunning than the music itself, and he creates the right mood every time.
MAHALAKSHMI IYER (Playback Singer, India) – Given the genius that this man is, there is so much worth in what he says & what he does.
MAHATHI (Budding Singer, India) – I have been a crazy fan of ilaiyaraaja right from my childhood days. I was delighted beyond words, when i got the opportunity to sing my very first song in his music. It was a dream come true for me.
MALAYSIA VASUDEVAN (Veteran Playback Singer, South India) – I would say I consider it a real privilege to have lived in this era of ilaiyaraja. I am grateful to almighty to have received the opportunity to sing for him.
MANDOLIN U.SRINIVAS (Mandolin Maestro, South India)- Knowing well the genius that he is, what can i say about his music? Like Muthuswami Dikshithar and Thyagaraja Swamigal, ilaiyaraaja too has created pure classical krithis and i had the privilege of playing these compositions in ragas like rajalahari, ragavardhini, rukmambari and kalyani.
MANIRATNAM (Noted Film Maker, India) – Ilaiyaraja is absolutely prolific. He is an amazing talent who believes that the music written down by him should be stuck to totally. And then it is recorded which is just a matter of execution. I wish I could be like Ilaiyaraja and work out everything on paper.
MANI SHARMA (Music Composer, South India) – He is my idol & my personal guru. It is his music that created the urge in me to take up music as my career. I especially was enchanted by songs like “Ennadi Meenakshi” when i was young.
MARK LAYCOCK (Director of Orchestral Activities, Iowa State University, Iowa, United States of America) – A fascinating blend of Eastern and Western styles. The music is instantly appealing — rhythmically, harmonically, formally. The use of traditional Indian instruments in a modern musical context makes for a rich palette of tone colors and creates a wide range of expressive possibilities.
MASSIMO SIMONINI (Composer & Founder of ANGELICA forum, Italy) – The music of ilaiyaraaja, besides containing many forms, is a good object of reflections and meditations on the form, on its consume, for an eventual, possible expansion. It shows models & rare formulae, unthinkable for the western music song world or western cinema. His film songs feature a metrics that is strictly linked to the images, to the atmospheres of the movie, while the movie itself appears to be composed by a myriad of narrative video clips, which in turn give the song an opening towards other musical forms – A moving open form, that is strictly linked to the inspiration of the moment, ready to welcome anything in a surprising structure, enriched by a, still so strong, indian tradition, where rhythm, melody, devotion and surprise travel together. These entities are seen moving in places where style and form can be continually re-discussed, while still following a logic, a narration. It¹s almost like a kaleidoscopic song, full of rules, but also rich in expressive possibilities…keeps moving…truly vedic .
MEERA JASMIN (Actress, South India)- He is my favourite music director. His music is soulful & touches you instantly. I remember most of his songs by heart. Give me ilaiyaraja’s compositions anytime.
NAUSHAD ALI (doyen of hindi film music, India)- That this man has achieved is 100 times more than what any of us have achieved; only time can tell the quantum of his achievements.
PARTHIBAN (Noted Film Maker, Actor, India) – Music alias ilaiyaraja, ilaiyaraja alias Music.
PAZHANI BHARATHI (Lyricist, South India) – I have special regards for him, amongst all film music composers that i have worked with. His outlook and perspective is entirely different. He always stresses to lyricists that words that we use for songs need to be kept simple and that the song should reach out down to the common man. He emphasizes that even the uneducated man should instantly understand what is being conveyed (in the lyrics & music) and he should be made to think too much. He stresses upon keeping it simple.
A.V.RAMANAN (SInger, South India) – He has the potential to compose songs that convey even the subtlest of subtle feelings …Chinna thaayaval from Thalabadhi is one such song
K.S. RAVIKUMAR (Director, South India) – ilaiyaraja, the person is 60 years old, but his music is not bound by time.
A.R.REHMAN ( Music Composer, India) – He is a genius by himself and is completely self-contained. He disproved me of the commonly held wrong notion that a music maker has to drink, smoke & have other bad habits in order to create inspirational music. If i am religious today, the credit goes to ilaiyaraja. I learnt it from him.
RAJKUMAR SANTOSHI (Noted Film Maker, India ) – (on Background music by Maestro Ilaiyaraja for his film Lajja) – The discipline of the 90 musicians, the conductor and the recording engineers of the Budapest Symphony Orchestra in Hungary was overwhelming. The musicians gave a standing ovation after recording the scores written by Ilaiyaraja.
RICHARD KING (Sound Engineer of Thiruvasagam in Symphony, Winner of 5 Grammy awards) – Even his thoughts are musical. Ilaiyaraaja is the musical face of India, which the western world is really stunned at !!!
SADHANA SARGAM (Eminent Singer, India) – Its purely a learning experience to work with this legendary composer. Talking with him, you can learn so much. While i work with him, i just have to merely follow his instructions, and everything else is taken care of.
SARAN (Film Director, South India) – I would quarrel and fight and turn violent in my college days with my friends who pull my leg by comparing ilaiyaraja with other composers. I love and adore him as my favourite composer.
SARATH KUMAR (Actor, South India) – If there is a music director who can make even an ordinary movie into a blockbuster, it has to be ilaiyaraja. His score can lift the plane of even mediocre films several notches up.
SEMANGUDI SRINIVASA AYYAR (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India) – Raja has that unique gift to please common man and carnatic experts alike.Until recently, I knew that Shri Ilaiyaraja is a great film music director – his expertise in diluting Carnatic Ragas without diluting their native merits, is well known to me – but recently I had the oppurtunity to listen to him sing a few kirthanas. He sang a kirthana in Raag Abhogi – very well rendered – in Carnatic Sangeet, one needs to know the Sahityam – without knowing it, one should not sing it making it sound absurd – Isai gyani Shri.Ilayaraaja sang it very beautifully and his grasp of the Sahityam is commendable. After today, I realise that Shri.Ilayaraaja is a thorough expert in Carnatic music. May the God Almighty bless Isai Gyani with a long life so that he can render a long service to music.
SHERYAR OOKERJEE ( a Mumbai based musicologist, India) – Bach’s influence is deep and all pervasive in his music. He is adept at using conventional western harmony and standard western techniques. Uses dialogue and imitation extensively. He has a competent grasp of the orchestra. His conspicuous quality is his ability to so integrate the Indian and western idioms that the seams can hardly be noticed and the result is usually pleasant, charming and satisfying. Ilaiyaraja’s music is enjoyable and worth taking very seriously. It grows on one with repeated hearings.
Mirchi SHIVA (RJ, Radio Mirchi, India) – It is pure bliss to just listen to his songs. But even better than that, as a lucky RJ, i also get to play his songs for everyone to listen. That gives immense satisfaction to me. So stay tuned !!
STEPHEN DAVIS (of New Age, USA) – He is leading us to a very special world of music appreciation and has opened doors of new horizons of new age music.
L.SUBRAMANIAM (Violin Maestro, India)- Ilaiyaraja is as good as any composer in the world.
Mirchi SUCHITRA (RJ, Radio Mirchi & Budding Singer, India) – I think it would be shallow to call Ilayaraja a ‘music director’. if there is a word to describe someone who can mould your mind with his music – that word would describe him. With most kinds of music, you listen to it, enjoy it and then forget about it. Ilayaraja’s music makes you laugh, makes you cry, makes you think, calms you down, picks you up…personally, there are so many songs of Raja’s that have changed me, calmed me down when i’ve been in the worst of moods and given me the energy to face the day when i’ve not wanted to. I cannot imagine life without his music.
SUDHA RAGUNATHAN (Eminent Carnatic Vocalist, India )-Yesterday, today or tommorrow, ilaiyaraja will remain the unquestionable emperor of music.
SUDESH BHOSLE (SInger, North India) – I must say I have been extraordinarily lucky that I could sing for composer Ilayaraja. He is one of our most esteemed composers.
SUHASINI MANIRATNAM (Eminent Actress, India) – Show me a composition matching legendary compositions like ’shenbagame shenbagame’ & ‘panivizhum malar vanam’ by ilaiyaraja. Only then can you talk of someone overtaking him.
SUJATHA (Eminent Writer, India) – There are over 50 kalyani raga songs in tamil film music. But still, when you hear “Nirpadhuve Nadapadhuve” from film Bharathi, you cant help feeling that raga Kalyani has taken a new birth once again. With the songs of film Bharathi, he once again proves that a song can be tuned without electronic noise, can be kept very simple and still be a mesmerizing experience to the listener.
SURYA (Actor, South India) – I listen to lot of music…And be it yesterday, today or tommorrow – my choice has been and will be the music of ilaiyaraja that has merged with my heart and dissolved into my being….
THANGAR BACHAAN (Cinematographer, Film Maker, India) – Once I finish shooting my film, i just place it before ilaiyaraja, and from there on whatever he delivers is music. I dont need to worry about it anymore. I shudder to even think about Indian film music without ilaiyaraaja. We are just feeding food for merely 5% of his total capacity. To be frank, it is a sin to restrict this talent inside the parameters of film music. He does everything. He has the ability to correct your mistakes that you did in direction, dialogue delivery, emoting, lighting, continuity etc through his background music.
R.V.UDAIYAKUMAR (Noted Film Maker, India) – He can even correct your directorial flaws, with his background score music.
USHA (Budding Singer, South India) – For any aspiring singer, singing in his music would be a cherished dream and not many get that chance. He is very jovial, a simpleton and unassuming as a person. If you enter his special room in Prasad Labs, and you will be able to feel the current of tranquility pass through your body. He composes without even having to touch the harmonium and is adept in tuning a good carnatic based tune in folk and western formats. He can re-record for a movie in one single day, in one go. He is lightening fast in judging if the singer has indeed sung the song up to his optimal capacity or if there could be any improvements.
USHA UTHUP (Singer, India) – ilaiyaraja is a complete music director who has mastered classical and Western music, and also has a strong base in folk. He provides an unique fusion of all three systems, and is therefore amazing to me.
UTTAM SINGH (Music Composer, India) – Ilaiyaraaja is perhaps the only complete music composer in India.
VAALI (South Indian Lyricist/Poet, India) – Reethigowlai, Hamsanatham, Bilahari etc are some of the tough carnatic ragas that he has deftly handled for film music. He is not isaignani, he is swaragnani.
VAIRAMUTHU (Eminent Lyricist, South India) – His music has made me laugh, his music has made me cry. It has made me very sad one moment & made me as happy a child other moment. In summary, his music is special to me, like it is to million others.
VAMSY (Noted Film Maker, India) – While picturizing a song, iIaiyaraja’s tunes inspire me more than the characters of the film themselves.
VENKATESH (Noted Actor, South India) – Ilaiyaraja is forever !!!…According to me he is the personification of evergreen music .
VICTOR RANGEL RIBEIRO ( musicologist and author of Baroque Music, USA) – Your ears will hear music like they never heard before.
VIJAY ADHIRAJ (TV Anchor & star, South India) – Till date, there has been no one who has matched raja’s good old melodies & compositions.
K.J.YESUDASS (Eminent Singer, Carnatic Vocalist, India) – There are infinite music forms hidden in his heart. All that should flow-out for the good of mankind.
YUVAN SHANKAR RAJA ( Music Composer, India) – I consider it a honour to be living in the shadow of a living legend like him. I am proud to say he is my father. No wonder people expect a lot from me too.
ZUBIN MEHTA (Music Conductor, Israel Philharmonic) – I was bewildered after listening to his ‘nothing but wind’ and ‘how to name it’. He belongs to the 21st century and perhaps beyond.
Kurumbu
You have done a great job by compiling all the tributes. As a die hard fan of IR, I salute you
@ Ravptor
The song from Dalapathi is rakamma & not chilakamma.and I am quite surprised to hear your views on IR.To me he is nothing less than a genius.Of course to each-his or her own.
raj- I have been a IR fan for years, it never occurred to be he has different set if fans.