Music alias Ilaiyaraja

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I am borrowing the phrase that the renowned film maker R.Partheban used to introduce Ilaiyaraja in a function.

To an average Thamizh film music lover, Ilaiyaraja is one name that is synonymous with music. His name is taken with awe and great respect by singers, peers, critics and film makers. He redefined film music in very many ways, ways that are hard to explain, even figure out. The impact of a Ilaiyaraja BGM or song is instantaneous and everlasting, catchy and yet soulful, funny yet melancholic. He works on the basic premise that all forms of music are the same and the treatment and usage brings out the difference and impact. One reason why you could have a bachish violing interlude to a “pure ganada” compositiion in “Poomalai vaangi vandhaan” in the memorable KB masterpiece “Sindhu Bhairavi”. He literally made a whole generation of fans go and learn guitar with that scintilliating piece in “Payanangal Mudivadhillai” number “Ilaya Nila”.

The special thing about Ilaiyaraaja is that he has complete control - not just over his music, but the impact it creates with public. He puts in enough emotional hooks to hook up the viewer into the scene, into the characters. He has the unique blend of musical and cinema knowledge to add the right amount of music to movies. Not too much and not too little. His usage of music to create moods that help one understand the backdrop and the character much better. He uses them to underscore the characters. never staying on too long to sound “prominent”. In the masterpiece of Balu Mahendra “Moodu Pani”, raaja (I would like to call him that way) creates two sets of themes for the main character who is a man in psychosis and who wants to return to normalcy. There is the frequent recollection of memories of his mother whose abuse in the hands of his father accentuated by the father’s keep is the main reason for the anamoly. For these sections, raaja would have scored a humming similar to a lullaby and played back in a low volume signifying the distant, melancholic and painful mood, which at the same time is the emotional grounding to the psycopath. For the same character raaja would have scored a different theme whenever a conflict situation is encountered. The dicey situation where the character is hinging towards chaos is subtly underlined by a techno trance kind of synth music that is jarring enough to convey the mental chaos.

In K.Vishwanath’s masterpiece “Saagara sangamam” (”Salangai Oli” in Thamizh), raaja virtually creates a tempest of emotional music that complements the story very very well. Apart from outstanding songs that till date are a rage, the tremendous BGMs are a great treat for any music or cinema lover. Notable moments where raaja’s BGMs simply take one’s breath away are far too many to recollect in one single posting. However special mention must be made of the theme he uses when there is the awkward, budding affection between Balakrishna (Kamal) and Madhavi (classy woman IMO Jayapradha). The tenderness and the tight rope walk between friendship and love that is eventually going to be doomed is succintly scored by the maestro. Watch out for the single violin strain between piano followed by gentle drumming of mrudhangam - a combination of western classical and carnatic� - true fusion (a much abused term these days) that finds its truest of purpose� - to show a human situation achieved by the king in a magnificient manner. Even after 30 years of viewing the sound still remains fresh in my heart and tears automatically well up for Balakrishna who dances for his dying mother sacrificing the opportunity to perform in what could have been his career making concert. The usage of music in this heartbreaking sequence is simply put - amazing. The music stops at the precisely corrent moment to create an everlasting impact.

Years later Raaja - now upstaged(commercially atleast) by newcomers, with reduced number of instrumentalists and orchestra�recreates a similar effect with a newcomer director and a jinxed hero. The producer is almost bankrupt and the movie for all reasons might never see the light of projection equipment for the gloomy ending. Still Raaja puts in “bit songs” and theme songs that shake up the audience and provide the much needed support to the images that are some of the most shocking ever seen in thamizh cinema. The movie is “Sethu” and the song “Enge sellum indha paadhai” is the most soulful pathos song of the nineties that recreates the same impact in Kannada as well.

Raaja who dabbles with musical albums like “Thiruvaasagam” has his share of controversies too , some like his tiff with the acclaimed lyricist Vairamuthu. However he is one iconic person who has simply redefined music on silver screen. This post is just the first of my recollections of the king’s work in celluloid. There is so much to tell of his collaborations with Barathiraaja, Balachander , Fazil , Balu mahendra and so on. But hey - this is a good beginning.

21 Responses to “Music alias Ilaiyaraja”

DPac on February 18th, 2008 2:30 pm

VP,
fyi illayaraja and gulzar are coming together (after 20-25 years) after sadma, this year
Jaiganesh on February 18th, 2008 3:02 pm

DPac!!
Thats a great news!
Is it for Balki’s Pa?
DPac on February 18th, 2008 3:20 pm

nop…
its for another film by a newbie…
but i had the oppurutnity to read gulzar saab’s lyrics b4 someone attached a tune to it :-)
fan on February 18th, 2008 5:08 pm

Ilayaraja = GOD of music.
Varun on February 18th, 2008 7:14 pm

VPJ

I like ilayaraja’s this song

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-pmJscTxc-0

SPB + Raja is pure magic

Here is a latest song i love

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdt9nJsllYE
papai on February 18th, 2008 9:30 pm

i only heard one of his OSTs… hey ram… and i liked it very much… especially the classical number….
Sourav on February 19th, 2008 1:27 am

Illayaraja’s music is soulful enough to give you goosebumps.Awsome..
Kartick S on February 19th, 2008 5:37 am

Would any of you Illayaraja fans have a good chunk of his collection? I would like a copy. PLS PLS PLS drop me a line at kartics@gmail.com.

GRATEFULLY and WAITFULLY YOURS
Jaiganesh on February 19th, 2008 6:49 am

Kartick, please visit http://forumhub.mayyam.com/hub and proceed to Ilaiyaraja albums and you will find a plethora of links to downloadable music of Ilaiyaraja there.
Pavan Jha on February 19th, 2008 9:21 am

Ae zindagi gale lagaa le… What a song!!!
I can live all my life only with this song… Every string, every single note, each bit of sound in the song takes me to a journey of another world and that too in every single of the millions listenings in last 25 years…

There are so so many IR favourites.. and Gulzar favs ofc.. but this one is notch above in terms of connection….
Pavan Jha on February 19th, 2008 9:23 am

Dpac…

The newbie is named Ajay Verma.. btw last time IR and Gulzar shared the credits was in Revathy’s Mitra My Friend…
32 on February 19th, 2008 10:57 am

Illaiyaraja Bhagvan ji ki jai ho!
Thanks DPac for valuable info and V.P. for nice article about one of the greatest musician,composer
of our time.
Sarang on February 19th, 2008 11:52 am

VP J
Thanks for starting to share your opinions and what better place to start other than about IR? IMO there is no one better in BGM (I would say it as re-recording :) ) before or after him. One more example is in ANpAvam where he uses that lovely melody for the budding love between the characters played by Pandiyan and Seetha. Simply Amazing.

More of these please as I rediscover tamizh cinema….
Jaiganesh on February 19th, 2008 12:14 pm

Ae zindagi was specially composed for Sadma the hindi version. In thamizh there was “Poongaatru Pudhiraanadhu”. Both the songs were hair rising and equally brilliant in their own ways. however if asked to vote I would vote for the thamizh one for it had the voice of KJY causing additional bouts of goose bumps.
DPac on February 19th, 2008 1:45 pm

Pavan saaab,
Its Ajoy Varma.
If u are saying IR and Gulzar teamed up for Mitr, i wouldnt challenge that :)

But did either of them do the whole movie?
couldnt gind gulzar saabs name on the movies imdb info
Sarang on February 19th, 2008 4:07 pm

@VP J
On your comment (14), I love the Tamizh version as well and yes especially for KJY. Another example is in the movie “Unnal Mudiyum Thambi Vs Rudraveena” and the song being “Ponchai undu Vs tarali raatha” wonderful compositions and also wonderful songs. Personally, I like the telugu version.
Raaja rules on February 20th, 2008 4:37 am

It has been a gud start :)

Awaitin’ more article like dis…

always

~~Raaja rules
Raaja rules on February 20th, 2008 4:42 am

Raaja sir did not work for Revathy
Kartick S on February 21st, 2008 4:10 am

Dear Jaiganesh,

Thanks very much.
Jaiganesh on June 22nd, 2008 8:40 pm

http://www.youtube.com/results?search_query=Ilayaraga+BGM&search_type=&aq=f

I just searched Ilayaraja and BGM together - there is a bucketful of amazing compositions hat go with situations in cinema.
vijeth on July 17th, 2008 7:53 am

check out these two BGMs , from Mouna Ragam and Hey Ram. played by some guy on a keyboard.

i get ‘lost’ when i listen to this

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=U-dc4Hg2O8w

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BDZw2rlYJbE

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V.P. Jaiganesh