IR News and Other Titbits Ver.2009

[kiru]

Kamesh,
I don't think it is right to blame others for TIS's commercial success/failure. I dont think Rahman attributes his winning the Oscars to anybody else. He had a game plan, a business plan and worked towards it. IR's business model did not scale beyond old/haphazard business environment of Kodambakkam. He is a musical geniues but his business savviness has not moved beyond the cine music industry.

[irir123]

kiru - IR and business savvy ??? i doubt if he is even savvy within the cine industry - savvy professionals do not quarrel with people in the same field!

besides his musical talent, his PR etc etc are an absolute zero

[app_engine]

i doubt if he is even savvy within the cine industry - savvy professionals do not quarrel with people in the same field!

At least till he established himself as the 'mudi soodA mannan', he should have been quite biz savvy as otherwise it would have been very difficult to move up, given his background.

Also he is still doing movies (if not in TN where he wants YSR / KR to come up and not compete with them) in MFM / Kannada etc. In addition, running a team for this many years calls for certain non-music skills that he definitely has.

As Kiru said, it's quite limited though (unlike his musical expertise which is much greater).

[rprasad]

I think IR and ARR are so fundamentally different in many aspects that has played a major role in ARR going international(apart from arriving at the right time of economic liberalisation and boom of tv channels) and IR staying with South India. You can infer from the interviews of both. While ARR clearly says that a good director/producer team will inspire him to work harder to give better music and that he likes to choose his projects based on that. Now for IR have we heard him say anything remotely similar? he always says i just give music which comes to my mind during composing whether the dir is Maniratnam or P.Vasu. While ARR is always planning and anlayzing projects before accepting them. IR does what comes to his mind at that time does not seem to have any planning or strategizing mindset(maybe due to the generation and background in which he grew up?). I think that approach made him do so many movies during his peak that he never had time to think beyond film music except for the two non film albums he was able to churn out. The symphony would have changed all that , but due to his or others fault it got botched and thus ended his attempts to get global recognition. TIS is the same story. He just needs to get a good team and leave the PR and marketing to them and just compose music and hand it over to them. they say geniuses are all a little crazy and very instinctive. IR is certainly in that category.

[app_engine]

http://www.frontline.in/stories/20090814261609900.htm

Article on DKP

Even more remarkably, even at 80, DKP could deliver what the music director wanted. Vijay Siva tells an amusing story of how Ilayaraja and Kamalhaasan carted recording equipment to her home and had her sing Vaishnava Janato for the film Hey Ram (2000). Told that the song was to be played at Gandhi’s death in the film, the redoubtable lady resorted to emotional recall to add sigh and sob at appropriate intervals! When asked if she was happy with the result, she shot back: “No. Even if you record it five times I will still remain dissatisfied.” Finally, she beamed a smile at Kamalhaasan and remarked, “I know you. You did so well in that Kannamma film!” The actor stopped in his tracks to return to his 1960 debut as a child artiste in Kalathur Kannamma.

[Hulkster]

I think the problem of us fans is we want IR to get global recognition(incl me) and as a result makes us conclude that his TIS was a failure in such a sense. But i think IR's purpose was not to get a award for TIS but rather bring it to the public in a format where they will like and yet understand its full meaning(Thiruvasagam by itself is abit dull despite its literary strength). And he did achieve that quite well.

We have to stop putting IR as a failed businessman and stuff like that as in the first place he never liked such stuff. His life is about music and only revolves around it. That he only did the italy concert after the organiser said the proceeds will go to charity is a proof. And most collaborations happened if he felt there was a challenge and he wanted to bring it out or people came looking for him.

Just listen to the Vaalmiki audio release video again, you can see the way he sees such things.

[crajkumar_be]

Hulk,
TIS - The people who put in money lost. It was supposed to be a cross-over album and hence the goal was to get recognition. It didn't get that sort of recognition that you,me,IR, producers would have hoped for. If that doesn't count as a failure, then somebody has changed the meaning of the word (i'm not talking about the quality here and how a monumental success it has been for us fans)

[crajkumar_be]

This has again come to IRvsARR and as much as i wouldnt like to precipitate it further, i can't resist replying to this

I think IR and ARR are so fundamentally different in many aspects that has played a major role in ARR going international(apart from arriving at the right time of economic liberalisation and boom of tv channels) and IR staying with South India. You can infer from the interviews of both.

1. Its not all about PR, media, etc - Results also matter
2. It was not merely a matter of IR "staying with South". He did venture up north but didn't taste much success, irrespective of the music he gave

[Hulkster]

Hulk,
TIS - The people who put in money lost. It was supposed to be a cross-over album and hence the goal was to get recognition. It didn't get that sort of recognition that you,me,IR, producers would have hoped for. If that doesn't count as a failure, then somebody has changed the meaning of the word (i'm not talking about the quality here and how a monumental success it has been for us fans)

I think his goal was to reach all tamil-speaking people mostly youths and get them to listen to it which worked. Commercially i am not aware of details but i feel that in terms of recognition in that manner it did manage to come off. There were also reports about temples playing TIS

Regarding commercial success. i am not sure which source to believe. The initial news reports were saying it managed to sell atleast 10 lakhs and also stating it was a grand success but after that things came out regarding the wellgate controversy and about the NRI matter. Dunno which to believe.

[crajkumar_be]

I think his goal was to reach all tamil-speaking people mostly youths and get them to listen to it which worked.

Appadiye vechukkalaam (assuming for argument that reaching a cross-over audience was never an objective). How many Tamil speaking young non-IR-fan people that you know bought and liked TIS? Enakku therinja varaikkum (friends circle relatives etc) they didn't care much. I used to distribute CDs and urge them to listen. Nothing happened. Either musically that wasnt in their range or it was a religion/caste/tradition based wall of prejudice and that stopped them from liking the album

Commercially i am not aware of details but i feel that in terms of recognition in that manner it did manage to come off. There were also reports about temples playing TIS

Regarding commercial success. i am not sure which source to believe. The initial news reports were saying it managed to sell atleast 10 lakhs and also stating it was a grand success but after that things came out regarding the wellgate controversy and about the NRI matter. Dunno which to believe.

Hulk, the point is, you always take the line that "IR never cares about this, that" etc as though there were no objectives and the results have no bearing etc etc.. adha thaan address panren..