The Golden Era of Dr.IR and Dr.SPB

[app_engine]

#129 சும்மா நிக்காதீங்க, நான் சொல்லும்படி வைக்காதீங்க
(தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே, 1983 , ஜானகியுடன்)

There's this tradition in TF right from MGR days (and possibly before). There'll be this naive girl - muRaippoNNu or neighbor or dhooraththu sontham or simply an one-time-observer-of-heroic-act, who will do a "thoraththi-thoraththi-kAdhaliththal" of the hero. In most masAlA movies, this character is a must that makes every man in the audience yearn for such a girl in his life. (Also possibly make every girl -note, not married woman but girls / adolescents - feel one of the following a) AhA, me too need to do the same to get a good boy b) what silly nonsense, En ippadi vizhundhu pudunguRA, I can't imagine doing like that )

Well, this one is such template song on screen. My guess is, after the grand success of SKV (the equivalent of mAttukkAra vElan), there was some idea among money bags to make a MGR out of Kamal (segappA, azhaggA irukkAru - silambu saNdai pOduvAru etc). So, make a double-act movie / thoraththi thoraththi loving female / free references to MGR-ism (get even the title from nAdOdi mannan song) etc. Ofcourse it wasn't as open and outright attempt like the gimmicks of KBR (dressing, dancing, silambu sandaiying exactly mimicking MGR) but a subtle one to harness such techniques to get a mass audience attraction.

A no-inhibitions-Sulakshana helped them with the task and IMO their laddu supplier IR didn't even have to think much to come up with this number. Quite a sweet one, with SPB & SJ handling the thuLLal song without much alattal. Thanks to the catchy pallavi (also the kuRumbu anu pallavi 'pArkku irukku, beechchu irukku, poNNu irukku, innum enna vENunga?') and the thuLLal rhythm arrangement, the song was an instant hit. (IMO, IR made a recycle of this success formula for his rAjAthi rAjA - 'en kitta mOdhAdhE nAn rAjAthi rAjanadA').

[app_engine]

#130 வருது வருது விலகு விலகு வேங்கை வெளியே வருது
(தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே, 1983 , ஜானகியுடன்)

The second SPB-SJ duet from TTT, another hit song where SPB sings portions in a garjanai voice with the potential to mess up the throat. With trumpeting sounds and deployment of a range of similar wind instruments, IR made it a very majestic and powerful song. Add to it the racy rhythm and a more engaging melody for saraNam, the song was absolutely catchy and play-worthy for any public function. People lapped up this song completely and one could hear it in tea stalls / buses and the other usual media regularly.

By this time, recording centers and the TDK cassettes have become almost the primary method of music listening to most upper-middle class people of TN. I say "upper" because, the indigenously built-sold cassette players were still not available. There were possibly a few bush / philips models but IMO those didn't go in a big way with the public yet. It was still the burmA bazAr sold national panasonics and sanyos that were bringing music to the public. So, the majority of middle class was still not exposed to cassette players in a big way. (That I saw happen from 1986 onwards as the electronics group I worked for had an audio division which initially started with SKD kits, then CKD kits from Japan - to start pumping audios in big numbers into Indian market. Philips too did the same and many others started in a similar way. Thus locally manufactured products started competing hot in the later half of 80's but for the first half of 80's, it had to be "smuggled goods").

Though there were two Kamals, to satisfy the "original image / specs", -that KH had to have >1 girl per movie-, both duets went to the same local KH. Also, the 'ada rAmA' solo where Radha teases KH was for the local KH. To ensure his kAdhal mannan tag and make his core group happy Radha didn't have much to do except look good -i.e. more sophi than Sulakshana - + dance around, which she did without much struggle.

[V_S]

Too good post App! The way you kept to write about MGR connections till this song is just amazing. You could have written about the MGR connection when you made your first post for this film, but that wouldn't be apt. Even MGR had few amma songs, but that would not have created much interest in reading. Keeping it till this song is so perfect and apt. It made your post thoroughly enjoyable! And what a song!

[venkkiram]

App சொல்வது போல எண்பதுகளில் ஆர்கெஸ்டிராக்களில் பிரபலமான பாடல்களில் "வருது வருது" பாடலும் ஒன்று. குறைந்த இசைக்கருவிகளைக் கொண்டே கலக்கிவிடக் கூடிய துள்ளலான பாடல். ஆர்கெஸ்டிராக்களில் கவனிக்கப்பட வேண்டிய ஒரு சுவாரஸ்யமான விஷயம் என்னவென்றால் ஒவ்வொரு பாடலுக்கு முன்பும் கொஞ்ச நேரம் குட்டி ரிகர்சல் செய்துகொள்வார்கள். அது நம்மை "எந்தப் பாடல்" என்பதை கோடிட்டு காட்டிவிடும். நமது உற்சாகத்தை பலமடங்கு கூட்டிவிடும். ஆரம்ப இசையில் வரும் புல்லாங்குழல் இசையை எலக்ட்ரானிக் ஆர்கனில் ஒருவர் மிக அருமையாக இசைத்துக் காட்டினார் அதுபோல. இன்னும் ஞாபகத்தில் இருக்கிறது. பாலு பல்லவியை ஆரம்பித்து வைக்கும் ட்ரம்ஸ் இசைக்கு கிளாப் செய்த காலம் அது. ( திருச்சி , தஞ்சை , கும்பகோணம் பகுதிகளில் எண்பதுகளில் பிரபலமாக இருந்த ஜேம்ஸ் பேண்டு வாத்தியக் குழு ரொம்ப அழகாக வாசிப்பார்கள். அண்ணன் - தம்பி இருவர். அண்ணன் கிளாரிநெட் வாசிக்க, தம்பி சேக்ஸபொன் வாசிப்பார். முக்கால் வாசி பாடல்கள் ராஜாவின் இசையில்.. யாராவது பார்த்து கண்டுகளித்த அனுபவம் இருக்கிறதா? பகிர்ந்து கொள்ளுங்கள்..)

[genesis]

Summa Nikkathinga youtube link.



I really love SPB commenting "paavam" around 2.00 also SJ's giggles towards the end of the song.

both duets went to the same local KH.

I think "summa nikkathinga" was for the foreign-return "திருந்திய" kamal.

[venkkiram]

சும்மா நிக்காதிங்க பாடலில் என்னைக் கவர்ந்த விஷயம் என்னவென்றால், பல்லவியைக் கேட்கும் போது பத்தோடு ஒண்ணு பதினொன்னு போல தோன்றும். ஆனால் சரணத்தில் ராஜா நம்மை எங்கேயோ அழைத்துச் சென்றிருப்பார். வாங்க வாங்க..னு கை பிடிச்சி மலையேறிக் கொண்டே..டப்பாங்குத்து என்றாலும் அதிலும் கர்நாடக ரசத்தை இழைத்திருப்பது அவருக்கே உரிய தனிக்கலை. மற்றொரு சிறந்த உதாரணம் புன்னகை மன்னனில் வரும் "சிங்களத்து சின்னக் குயிலே.." சரணம் ஆரம்பிக்கும் போது நம் எதிர்ப்பார்ப்புக்களையெல்லாம் தவிடுபொடியாக்கி நிராயுதபாணியாக்கி வேடிக்கைப் பார்ப்பது ராஜாவிற்கு உரியது.

[app_engine]

I think "summa nikkathinga" was for the foreign-return "திருந்திய" kamal.

Is it? Bad memory on my part, I stand corrected.

[app_engine]

nanRi V_S!

You could have written about the MGR connection when you made your first post

My plan was to write about MGR connection only at the last song (the title one, pretty direct relationship) but tongue slip-Ayi munnAdiyE vandhuruchchu In any case, I cannot avoid the MGR reference in my next post too.

[app_engine]

#131 தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே
(தூங்காதே தம்பி தூங்காதே, 1983 )

IIRC, the title song in both senses (i.e. has the title of the movie as pallavi & gets played when title credits roll on the screen). Sometime back Plum pointed out in the TF section why this too showcases lack of creativity - much like reuse of old film titles ('uthama puthiran' reuse is not worse than 'rAman eththanai rAmanadi' reuse according to him).

This is another rare song where IR repeats an interlude in toto. (I now have 4 so far - madhana mOga roopa sundari of IPNV, pOttu vaiththa kAdhal thittam of SV, kOdi kottikkoduththAlum of PS & this). On that count, this sounds like a Shankar-Ganesh song as they had the practice of repeating 1st interlude as the 3rd in many 3-saraNam songs.

This song refers to MGR with a peculiar title "புரட்சியாரு" which almost sounds deragatory. IIRC, what was originally given to MGR by DMK was "புரட்சி நடிகர்". When he started ADMK, that got modified as "புரட்சித்தலைவர்". Though the fear of dad kept me away from any katchi manRams in the village, whenever I spent summer vac in grandpa's, I had lot of time, freely visited these manRams (all parties) as much as I visited public libraries and read newspapers like aNNA (editor MGR), murasoli, nava indhiyA, theekkadhir and such stuff. I don't think any of ADMK mags referred to him as 'puratchiyAru' ever. Well, AVM / SPM / KH / IR / SPB got away with it

A very simple song, shenoy / flute / minimalistic rhythm etc - still it got played everywhere at the time of arrival. KH factor, MGR factor, hit-movie-factor, all-other-songs-excellent-factor etc pulled this song IMO to make sure this was heard on radio / buses & tea stalls. I'm sure no one runs after this today but this thread's chronicling calls for it, as also the happy singing by SPB!

[app_engine]

I'll take up the third biggie from that deepAvaLi next and finish it (2 great duets) prior to moving to a few smaller-movie-songs and then the year-finale-grandie