The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

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#115 பொத்தி வச்ச மல்லிக மொட்டு
(மண் வாசனை, 1983 , வைரமுத்து பாடல், ஜானகியுடன்)

A song that plays regularly on my car, often on repeat mode, after a quarter century of its release! I'm pretty sure it will continue to be a favourite for the rest of my life too as the beauty of this song is / will be undiminished by time. Like the charm of one's beloved mate!

It's unfortunate that the hero of this movie is no more - a Madurai nAyakan who couldn't make it big in TF. OTOH, the nAyaki has gone places, a competent actress who won some appreciation even in Mumbai. Though this movie was dragging in some portions, overall a very good -portions even brilliant -one. And the songs were quite interesting too with this one taking the top spot!

As the song is so well-known, often posted about in the last song thread, I don't want to post about those again. Suffice to say SPB is simply terrific in this, scoring over SJ even. And the Raja special of mELam in the first interlude is simply ootw.

I think I posted about me singing the whole song in reverse order in one of the college entertainment programs, which to this day some of my classmates remember. (Last time I met a guy in Detroit after decades, he reminded me of the "தித்பொ சச்வ கைலில்ம டுட்மொ", which was actually the kuRumbu of another friend in college that I used on stage). So much fond of the song - thalai keezhppAdam

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youtube of pothi vachcha:

[V_S]

Beautiful song to start the morning. Thanks App! Nice to hear you know this song in reverse. Could not imagine how did you do that Could not forget the lyrics 'pesi pesi raasiyaanathe'. Typical Vairamuthu.

[Plum]

App, I have done the reverse singing (though not on stage) for

LaiLpi lAni mduNdre LaiLvE lAni...
lai-a vElapO mEduyALaivI....

idhula oruththan lapO-la stop Aayi labo labo-nu kaththuradhu oru comedy moment in school - yeah, my humour standards were pretty low then(some would say even now).

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Plum

V_S, it's not a pramAdham. Actually, our schooing system (please refer Samachcheer kalvi thread or ADMK thread in the "Current Affairs" section) has thoroughly taught us to memorize without knowing meanings via manappAdappakuthi

Add a melody to it, that too a catchy / phenomenal one like this - memorizing can happen in hours!

[app_engine]

#116 அந்தி வரும் நேரம், வந்ததொரு ராகம்
(முந்தானை முடிச்சு, 1983 , ஜானகியுடன் )

The prelude automatically brings andhippozhudhu in one's mind! What an imagination by the master! Just listen to the serene sounding 2nd interlude - WOW, evening written all over it! Both singers are thoroughly enjoying the song - knowing very well that they are giving all lovers of TN a fantastic treat wherever they spend their evenings together - beechchO / pArkO alladhu vERu engO It's got to be either the rAgam or the orchestration or the lyric - or the combo does the trick of eveningness!

The movie was a tremendous success! I would say the biggest hit I've seen during my college days. Though today remembered for the wrong drumstick reason, that wasn't the primary reason for the wave. It was a total combo - the moment KBR challenges Oorvashi to walk / cross the legs over the baby, every one in the theatre will be in total silence, in anticipation. What happens next used to freeze every one's blood those days!

Perhaps one of the most powerful scenes ever in TF, IMO (though current gen may not feel anything at all in that scene)! Supposedly one of the top grossers of all-time and perhaps the biggest success (peak) of KBR. That such a humongously successful actor / director -who claimed MGR as his idol at one point- had to join MGR's arch-rival later on, just to cover his debts, is such a pathetic thing - powerful lesson for celebrities in money management!

As I said before, this song was a patti-thotti-city hit! Radio played andhi varum nEram so regularly that even non-musicals could "sing" the prelude / interludes / chorus parts The video part was obviously a big joke (AVM masAlA + KBR comedy) but Oorvashi was the saving grace. Another very competent actress who made the crowd laugh in the initial scenes too (nAn pudichcha mAppiLLa thAn, nAdaRinja manmadhan dhAn by SJ too - well, every song in that movie - was a big hit)

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#117 சின்னஞ்சிறு கிளியே சித்திரப்பூவிழியே
(முந்தானை முடிச்சு, 1983 , ஜானகியுடன்)

If the previous song brings evening to mind, this one automatically gives a thAlAttu - reminding one that it's time to go to bed. The melody & the arrangements are so soothing / calming that one does not need anything else to go to a deep slumber. That IR uses two rhythm patterns for the song is quite interesting - one for SPB portions & the concluding part and another for the other parts of the song Perhaps matching what's running in the minds of those on scene and playing with the minds of listeners. Sweet and smart rAsA here!

The movie is full of surprising scenes and by the time this song's scene / sequence comes up, people will become numb. And start asking -how and when is he going to end the movie. Those days, KBR's "climax scenes" were often talked about so people had some expectation left for that one and it was a reasonably emotional ending! I really liked the movie and was convinced that KBR was quite brilliant - much to the satisfaction of my classmate / next roomer who was crazy over KBR. Years later he got converted to Rajinikanth, when I met him in a top ranking position in a mobile firm. We used to ridicule him in the hostel for his KBR-craze - he used sing very loud this lullaby on the corridor, for e.g. - but continuous hits / brilliant placements of scenes etc made us acknowledge that KBR was one smart cookie.

Among the biggest hit songs for the SPB-SJ pair (well, there are hundreds like this anyways). One of those songs that made me think whether there's any other pair that can be used like them for any kind of filmy scenario. (Some old-timers, i.e. more-old-timers-than-me, may say TMS-PS. Ask them to quote a TMS-PS song that's equivalent to nEththu rAththiri, for e.g...They'll either keep quiet or start showering abuses upon IR)...

[Divine22]

Wow,,,,sir,,,

Such phenomenal & addictive songs,.... Lovely ! lovely, cant stop without repeating the songs numerous times, Geetham Sangeetham , my all time fav! simply love it. Siricha kolli malai. what a rare pick,,I have not listened to it much, but now listening it again, wow , what a gem of a song it is, that I have not paid much attention to.

Potti vecha malliga mottu, this song's opening prelude could be one of the most used tune in many tamil movies , especially for ponnu pakkere scenes. Paattu start pannum pothe, manasukkulle etho oru inam puriyatha santhosha unarvu pugunthu kollum. And the same feel cruising along the whole song,,,Take me away,,,,

2 Munthanai Mudichu songs, that I am not really familiar with, but listening to Anthi varum neram,,, Im blown away..what an effort by the magnificient trio SPB,SJ,IR. I think Sj is the one woman that has done it all, in her songs, enna baavam, expressions, rasam! Maam, You're the woman !

Feels like indulging myself in an infinite ocean of chocolate, with these sweet songs! Great work App, sir,

Thank You.

[V_S]

Very special film App always. Cannot take this film from my mind. You perfectly nailed it. That interval scene, is a freezing moment for everyone. As mentioned in another thread, I watched in theatre alone 5 times that time at the time of release that too when I was in school. I don't know how many times I have watched it after that and till now. I never get tired watching this film even now.

Timeless gems, even Maestro cannot redo it.

Chinnanchiru KiLiye - The whole film and this songs are in memory now, can rewind what would be going on during this song. I don't know how many I have cried hearing/remembering this song. When SPB sings this line 'Intha nilai kaanum pozhuthu naanum azhuthu vaazhkiren', specifically during 'azhuthu' you can hear SPB's voice crying. What an exceptional talent this man has. Pranaam!


Anthi varum Neram - What a transformation by SPB and SJ from the earlier one. But can never watch this song. Butchered by KBR by extreme means. But wherever we touch the song, it is so sweet. You can take your ears away even for a second. So very engrossing song. Tune chanceless. Very crisp, cute, sharp and precise song. No wavering business. The charanams again is breath-taking with those chorus. We cannot identify just one place and say it is beautiful, every second is beautiful. Still just to compare the singing, I am touching my favorite lines by SPB and SJ.

SJ's 'ithazhil our Olai ezhuthum inba veLai'. Hear how she polishes the 'Olai' word with those beautiful sangathis.
When SPB's turns comes in 'iLamai ennum sOlai muzhuthum inba veenai haa…aaan. Hear the word 'Solai'. He has totally outdone SJ here. No chance there. And how he ends with that 'haaa….aaan' humming. Whoever girl, classmates, elder classmates I know of that time were very crazy of his singing, especially these lines. They were invariably kissing him. I can't describe that feeling they had. Only one legend in singing.

Second interlude. Avvalavum Marijuana bodhai. Scintillating stuff by thalaivar.

Similarly, second charanam. Here SPB starts the line 'aNaithaal devalOgam arugE vanthu sErum'. Not much for SPB here. Now it's time for SJ to prove in the next line, especially the ending. SJ starts with 'ninaithaal ingu yaavum inimai yendru koodum'. But Maestro gives SPB again a turn to finish the line (not sure why) with sweety sweety 'mmm…'. humming. And could not imagine SJ there, that perfectly done by SPB. We were hypnotized again.

It does not stop there. Here comes lot of big kisses for SPB, 'aha ithu maargazhi maadham ammaadiyo mun pani veesum'. Hear how he sings 'Ammaadiyo'. He just laughs, no he doesn't, I am wrong. He smiles and laughs. Again I am wrong. he laughs and smiles. No, again I am wrong. He laughs, smiles and sings too. I will never get this.

It's an open challenge if any singer can do this. All singing awards can just go to dump, if they are not given to this piece and this singer.

[venkkiram]

#117 சின்னஞ்சிறு கிளியே சித்திரப்பூவிழியே
(முந்தானை முடிச்சு, 1983 , ஜானகியுடன்)

பல தலைமுறைகளாக எங்கள் குடும்பத்தில் நிறைய குழந்தைகளை தூங்க வைக்க பாடப்படும் பாடல். இப்போது என் மகனுக்கு நான் பாடுகிறேன். வரிகள் எல்லாம் பசுமரத்தாணி போல. ஜானகியின் ஆரிரரோ ஆரம்பமே பாடலின் சாரம்சத்தை உணரவைத்து விடும். அதில் மயங்கும் குழந்தைகள் பாடல் முடியும் வரை அந்த மயக்கத்திலே உறங்கி விடுவார்கள். கிரேட் சர்விஸ் ராஜாவிடமிருந்து. தாலாட்டுப் பாடலாகவும் அதே நேரத்தில் ஊர்வசியின் சோக மனநிலையை எடுத்துரைக்கும். முதல் இடை இசையில் வரும் வயலின் இசை பட்டவர்த்தனமாக இதை வெளிப்படுத்திகிறது.