Kamal-Ilayaraaja-Singeetham Rao-MUMBAI EXPRESS

Quote:

---

Originally Posted by kiran4442000

why is it a nonsense! anbe sivam as a universal story and language should not be a barrier but of of course dubbed version will be lame and will only have a limited viewing. :P

---

I used that word becos the guy who bought the dubbing rights was sitting on it all these years&now that MX is releasing,wants to cash in on it,has got someone else to dub for Kamal&Madhavan&is releasing it immediately after the release of MX.Two movies of the same hero within a week of each other doesn't make good business sense right?

In fact even after 'Ek Duje Ke Liye'a whole lot of Tamil,Telugu&Mallu movie of his got dubbed into Hindi effectively ending his chances of making a mark in that industry.Now when he does an occasional Hindi movie,the same thing gets repeated.

Yup wat u told is correct but altogether in the month of april it will be KAMAL MANIA in bollywood...............bollywood r u ready ? hope MUMBAI XPRESS turns out to be a gr8 money spinner and conclude the dry spell this year with no big hits in bollywood except sucess of page3 and black :D

DELAYED RELEASE

Why hasn’t Kamal released it yet? For all the abuse and scorn he receives for his many ill-advised moves, we must credit Kamal for an extraordinary cinema brain that is still young and ticking. Whether that has produced seriously good cinema is a moot point.

Kamal (and IR) know that this album is not for the mass market. Can it hold its own against Chandramukhi and Sachin? Arguably the worst albums in a long time, these 2 could still sell well given the absolute shift (I would call it degeneration, but one’s got to bow to the ‘public taste’) in music standards. So, what Kamal’s attempting is simple. Raise the hype, reap a PR windfall, and release the album just a few days ahead so that the possible negative reaction to the album will still be too late to travel and affect the box office response to the actual film making.

Before the word-of-mouth channels put out that the album does not have ‘mass numbers’ as the essential ingredients in any hit album – Malathi, Udit, Srilekha, - have defined them, the film will be out. Kamal must be confident of the quality of his product (which he always is, never mind even epic disasters), and trust his cinematic instincts to hit the bull’s eye when pitted against Rajni’s and Vijay’s films. In a battle that is currently unfavourable to Kamal, this is his smart salvo.

KAMAL, IR - 2 DARING SWIMMERS

Ok, now you may ask, why did these two produce an album that will not appeal to the common music interests? The answer to this lies in a trend that started more than a decade ago, to be precise, with Guna. 1991 was an epochal year for IR, with close to 50 film releases of which atleast 20 could be termed ‘commercial hits’. Amidst the melee, Guna was an album that marked a new paradigm in music-making for a tamil film. Simply put, for a movie that starred a frontline star, an album sans commercial (as defined by market trends) elements that was purely focussed on the script. Where the music (songs+BGM) were an integral part to the whole movie-making process, and not designed to be either a revenue generation instrument or a ‘pull factor’ guaranteed to instigate audience interest and bring them to the theatres.

This is the closest compromise this duo made with their urge to reject the conventional 2duets-1solo-1group-1mass formula that assemblyline of filmmakers dared not tamper. If there are 2 most sacrosanct elements in Tamil, and indeed in most Indian, cinema, they are – (1) the length of the film (2.30 hours minimum – more viewing time per rupee spent) and (2) songs as an independent, marketable element in the whole filmmaking process. I’m not sure what Kamal’s views on the first are, but one can clearly see that his views on the second consolidated post-Guna, and indeed can be seen as a defining element in his subsequent film career.

I think (not too sure) Guna succeeded Michael MKR, a blockbuster hit both film and music-wise. In both concept and execution, you will not find two movies as divergent as these. And therein lies the key to Kamal’s thought process regarding the relevance of the music ‘part’ to the ‘whole’ of the film. In Ilaiyaraaja, a friend and ally that he had admired and promoted over 3 decades, Kamal finds a kindred spirit. For movies that he strongly believes in and invests an intrinsic energy and passion, you will find that the duo traverse a route very few have taken in Indian commercial cinema.

So, while you had films like Singaravelan and Kalaignan which were slotted in the commercial format mandating ‘mass’ albums, you had a string of films – Thevar Magan, Mahanadhi, Sathi Leelavathi, Hey Raam, Virumandi, and now M eX – in which the albums are consciously not targeted at the mass market. A stirring BGM is a common thread that runs through most such films. A majority of songs in these films make the most sense when viewed on screen. In some, they are used purely as fillers, as transition elements where the audience are prepared for something dramatic, and indeed, in a variety of ways that can be attributed to a common focus.

ABOUT Me X

My expectations for this album have been shaped by my views outlined above. I find it remarkable that in this phase of tamil cinema, when music viability is purely shaped by the youth audience, these two have pulled off a coup of sorts by experimenting with a genre that few in Paramakkudi or even Bandra would be familiar with. Intrinsic quality aside, I salute these two who taken such an audacious risk at a critical stage in their careers (though IR’s view of a career would be a much more philosophical abstraction than that of Kamal, who still sees himself competing with the Vijay’s and Simbu’s). A close parallel would be the trendsetting MR-ARR “Aaydha Ezhuthu”, but then given their individual and collective brand equity and salience, it was easy for them to pull off just about any innovation. IMO, MeX is a remarkable album, and "Poo Poothadhu" bristles with youth, energy and class to make it one for the archives.

THE EXPECTATION PRISM

I think we should view these songs in the context of the film to really understand the creative thought process that has gone into the making of these songs. Think of “Kanmani Anbodu” in Guna, “Potri Paadadi” in Thevar Magan or “Thenpaandi cheemaiyile” of Nayagan. These are not mere songs; rather, these are cinematic moments of great emotion crafted painstakingly by two gifted creators who traverse the spectrum between the mediocre to magical ever so often to the dismay and delight of the cinegoer.

"Though I wish the tunes could have been little trendier. Tunes did remind you his previous work, but the interludes are great. "

e.hari, idhe dhaan naanum sonnen..aana...:-)

NagaS, of course if IR wants to, he can accept B-grade movies and give uninspired songs, thats his wish and right. But as a fan I have the right to crib when I see medicore products from him. I think we have already gone over this debate before. I dont think me or anyone else is demanding that IR shouldnt accept such films, nor do we have the right to. But when I listen to something where it is obvious to me that much thought hasnt been put into, I'll crib, even if it happens to be a Kamal or Manirathnam film. For example MagaLir mattum and KalaigNan were medicore too, IMO, even though they were Kamal films. They are nowhere in the league of Aboorva SagodharargaL or Devar Magan. But for a Kamal movie, very rarely does the music not live up to the film. For lesser movies like Karagattakaari the music almost always doesnt impress, especially of late. I understand he has done good music even for pathetic films early in his career and its unfair for me to expect him to do that even now. But at the very least, he could be a bit more choosier or do good movies in other languages like Malayalam and so on. This is more of a wish than a demand,more of a "crib" than criticism. He wasnt choosier in his peak days, in the 80s(one of the reasons as to why a trend change in the 90s became easier to accept for the general audience), atleast now he could learn to be choosy is what I wish for. Not that I expect IR to abide by it.

Suresh, I dont think any innovation or experimentation on the part of IR in ME should be viewed as a great risk or a bold move. He has nothing to lose and everything to gain at this stage in his career. It might be a bigger risk for Kamal probably who is launching his own audio.

"In hindsight, everything is posssible. Rajni should not have done a Baba, Vijay should not have done a Geethai, Ajith should not have done a Guru"

12bums the examples you have given are all mostly exceptions for those artistes. For IR it has become the norm in the last 10 years. The list of medicore albums/films is endless- thalaimurai, thodarum, Rajasthan, katta panjaayathu, thambidurai etc. etc. I am sure you wouldnt have even heard most songs from these albums.

Vijay

Pls read - "at a critical stage in their careers (though IR’s view of a career would be a much more philosophical abstraction than that of Kamal, who still sees himself competing with the Vijay’s and Simbu’s)".

I agree with you though that IR doesn't quite have much to lose in the whole process. I can hear you say "heck, it can't get worse than Karagattakkari, can it?". Touche.

The above post was just a perspective of the duo's creative collaboration from a different viewpoint. I was dismayed by the unfortunate exchanges generated by opinionated and subjective views, and it was my 2-cents attempt to recast the debate in a different light. Nothing more need to be attributed.

Suresh, Excellent article!

Expecting eagerly for more such insightful postings from you...

Album ulagathilEye engum vikkalai...appadeennA coolgoose'kku eppadi vandhadhu?

Album already released in Malaysia. see this link. Release date is 4/4/2005.
down load ME MP3 songs.
http://www.tamilnapster.com/mumx.html