Puthiya Theerangal (Malayalam)

Sathyan Anthikkad is one of the popular film-makers in Malayalam. While his films till 2000 had music by composers such as Johnson, Shyam etc., he has been roping Ilaiyaraaja for most of his films after that. Most of his films in the last decade share a unique characteristic – the songs were small in number but fine on melody. His latest “Puthiya Theerangal” is his 10^th film with Ilaiyaraaja and has 3 songs.

Maaripeelikaatte – Hariharan (another version by Madhu Balakrishnan)

The song begins on synth wind-instrument sounds and thumbing electronic percussion with a very poignant humming by Ilaiyaraaja himself (I think). A warm melody backed by guitar, this song’s tune bears Ilaiyaraaja’s signature all through. The quietly flowing string sections in the interludes aptly connecting to the charanams evoke a sense of calmness that some of Ilaiyaraaja’s compositions have. After Vilayatta Padagotti from Dhoni, this is perhaps the best soulful composition that Ilaiyaraaja reserved for Hariharan. Though there is another version by Madhu Balakrishnan as well, I liked up Hariharan’s version a lot.

Sindhoora Pottumthottu – Madhu Balakrishnan

The song begins with guitar strumming that makes us prepared for a country-music kind of song but Ilaiyaraaja quickly moves our attention to the native south-indian rhythms. The percussive elements in this song are a highlight. The melody, set in Mohanam raga, is more folkish in its execution with Madhu Balakrishnan and male chorus delivering it perfectly well. Ilaiyaraaja doesn’t keep it completely acoustic. The synth-elements he uses to fill-up the backgrounds when the pallavi comes to a close are typical Ilaiyaraaja ideas which vie for our attention just as he conjures up a brilliant closure to the taala pattern there. Interludes glide from one instrument to another while guitars and bass-lines stand-out in the charanams. Watch out for the 2^nd interlude, which ventures into his recent “Neethane En Ponvasantham” orchestral sound.

Raajagopuram – Vijay Yesudas, Shweta Mohan

A weird combination of Mridangam and Harmonium set this hummable melody on roll and just as one begins to doubt if this song would ‘sound’ just this bland, Ilaiyaraaja abruptly changes the soundscape with violins, acoustic guitars and a swinging rhythm backed by some staccato effect. While the 1^st interlude just warms up to the song, the charanams have impressive synth portions as the melody keeps changing the scale. In this song too, it’s the 2^nd interlude that is goose-bumpy with just snapping of fingers as the rhythm while the guitars (and keyboard) play variants. This composition is lilting melody that many would like.

Like some of Ilaiyaraaja’s recent Malayalam films, this one too is very short but has remarkably wonderful music. It is difficult to pick the best one out of the 3 songs, although I personally feel that it’s a tie between Maaripeelikaatte and Raaja Gopuram. After the full-throttled music in Neethane En Ponvasantham, Ilaiyaraaja belts out a short, calmer and sweet album. Looks like he is back to his old ways – of not letting us completely soak in one album.

Neethane En Ponvasantham / Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu

When tamil film director Gautham Menon (whose last film was Vinaithaandi Varuvaaya) roped in Ilaiyaraaja for his next urban romantic flick, it triggered many expectations. Then, photographs of his recording sessions in London with symphony orchestra musicians there were all over facebook, which fuelled them more. When the first teaser of song Saindhu Saindhu released, the expectations half-crashed (for some people like me). But when the album is finally out, I realize that Ilaiyaraaja has other plans - of taking the audience on an enthralling journey. The director, Gautham Menon, must be commended for giving so much leeway to Ilaiyaraaja (in terms of budget etc.) that ilaiyaraaja could accomplish his vision for this score with such finesse. Telugu version (Yeto Vellipoyindhi Manasu) songs are also out although the lyrics are nothing great to write about. Here is my take on album:

1. Kaatre Konjum/Koti Koti – Easily my most favourite composition of the album. Reminiscent of the melodies Ilaiyaraaja belted out in 80s, this song belongs to ‘evergreen’ genre, though in reality, its genre can be called as jazz+western-classical. Karthik’s rendition is top notch. Ilaiyaraaja fills up the composition with lush orchestral counter-melodies, chord progressions and punctuations. The unpredictable flow of instruments in 1^st interlude, the saxophone, the gliding down from the stanza, the special flourish that the string orchestra adds after 1^st stanza – every moment has lot of meat. The song completely demonstrates what Ilaiyaraaja can do when he is given a philharmonic orchestra. Classy, modern and melodious!

2. Mudhal Murai/Atu Itu – Sunidhi Chauhan’s rendition is good. The tune sounds more international to me. Ilaiyaraaja elevated the composition with marvelous orchestration. I’ve been told Ilaiyaraaja used 10 cellos and 5 double basses in this song. The World Music evoking interlude piece has a nice electric violin by London based violinist Jyotsna Srikanth, while the stanza rides on synth-bass. Ilaiyaraaja conceiving this kind of tune is a surprise for me and he pulls it off with panache! Experimental song brilliant executed.

3. Saindhu Saindhu/Yedhi Yedhi – The teasers of this song sowed seeds of doubt about this album. While Ilaiyaraaja flings those doubts out of the window with this delectable melody, yuvan’s voice sticks out like a sore thumb for me. The Telugu version, by Shaan, is much better. But Ilaiyaraaja weaves magical dreamy interludes on piano and string section. One of the pleasant melodies, the pleasant-quotient depending upon how much you enjoy Yuvan’s voice which, by the way, was Gautham Menon’s choice.

4. Pudikele Mamu/Nachaledhu Maama – The progressive-rock feel in the prelude made me wonder if this is indeed by a 70 year old man. If the theme of “class bunking students, college fun” made Ilaiyaraaja do a “Botany Paatamundhi” in Shiva in 1989, then the same theme gets updated into this composition in 2012. Exactly one-half of the song was enjoyable for me – thanks to goose-bumpy guitar riffs and the tune. The song, however, goes downhill in the 2^nd half.

5. Ennodu Vaa Vaa/Enthentha dooram – A trip back into 80s, this is a melodious composition set to a nice swinging rhythm. Karthik again shines bright with his rendition while Ilaiyaraaja laces the song with violins, clarinets, trumpets, cellos, metal-flutes – all creating a peppy riot. Watch the way instruments take flight during 1^st stanza – delight! Ilaiyaraaja changes the canvas altogether in 2^nd half when synthesizers completely take over, but keeping the melody of the song intact. However, the ‘type of synth elements’ (kind of sounds) used could have been much better – sounds that live up to the playfulness of the tune. Raaja had given such funky sounds earlier. Nevertheless, it is a very catchy and playful composition that will reach the masses.

6. Sattru Munbu/Intha kaalam – An operatic melody, this is another surprise that Ilaiyaraaja throws at us. Beautifully sung by Ramya, this song has Ilaiyaraaja changing scales in main melody like only he can. I really couldn’t predict where the song was heading to and yet, when it completed the whole crescendo, everything sounded so much in place and perfect. The usual orchestral embellishments charm us. Particularly, as the song approaches its end, the choir slowly ascends in intensity competing with the string orchestra, giving a great pathos effect.

7. Vaanam Mele/Laayi Laayi – This song begins like some of 80s Ilaiyaraaja songs – on chorus. A warm melody wrapped in orchestral delight, one cannot stop marveling at the scintillating arrangements in this song. The tune of the song itself follows a fugue like formula – a motif keeps repeating. The interludes are Grand! The stanzas however, are slightly predictable, if you have been following Ilaiyaraaja’s work. Also, I felt this song could have been much better if Ilaiyaraaja used the vocals of any other singer. Breezy this song might be and soft his vocals might be – but still they don’t seem to add up as 1+1 =2 for me. Even Bela Shinde’s voice feels slightly discomforting when she touches the high notes in the stanzas (Shreya Ghoshal missed). Nevertheless, as a composition, it’s a beauty.

8. Pengal Endraal/ardhamayyindhinthe – Another non-typical Ilaiyaraaja song that spews lot of angst and Ilaiyaraaja used electric guitar (I think) as his primary-instrument here. Ilaiyaraja goes completely rock in this song. I have never seen him put in this much of into-the-face (metallic) rock quotient in any of his songs and it indeed shows that Ilaiyaraaja is genre agnostic. He just imports the genre, domesticates and leaves his stamp on it. Listen to this song as “Ilaiyaraaja song” and chances are that you might dislike it. But if you do have a flair for rock/progressive-rock genres, this might be for you. This song took some time to grow on me. But, Yuvan’s vocals did not impress me although the stanzas do sound better. I loved the guitar riffs a lot. Adding this after writing the review and listening to this song a lot: This song is perhaps Ilaiyaraaja's tribute to Mahavishnu Orchestra and the likes. Just remove Yuvan's vocals and replace with a solo violin - it can become a classic. Compared to the romantic-ballad feel the other songs carry, this song comes across as unimpressive because of the culture shock but don't dismiss it. The guitar riffs, the fleeting raag pathdeep+keeravani-ish traces and classic rock elements tease you as you listen along. This song is probably the most envelope-pushing song in this album where Ilaiyaraaja defies himself. 

This album has Ilaiyaraaja going full-throttle on symphony orchestra. he uses instruments such as violins, clarinets, bass, cellos, trumpets, oboe, Piano, French-horn, harp etc. to weave a rich fabric of musical canvas on which he skillfully paints his melodies of both eras – his ‘80s brand of melody’ as well his current form of experimental-self. There are few sore thumbs such as the choice of Yuvan as singer etc., but the positives far outweigh the negatives. Wonderful tunes, eclectic mix of genres (rock, jazz, romantic, fun, etc.), sweeping orchestrations are few of the many high-points of this album. This album is not Ilaiyaraaja’s come-back, for he has always been consistently giving good music. But it is one of those special albums in which gets to do a bit of everything – please his fans, experiment with newer melodies, bend genres, work with philharmonic orchestra, excel at arrangements and impress the wider audience. 

At an age when he no longer needs to prove his genius, this 70 year old composer is still writing great music replete with melody, orchestral richness, and intensity and is still eager to try something new. Neethane En Ponvasantham is an accomplishment of Ilaiyaraaja that vindicates this fact.  

Grab the Telugu mp3s here and Tamil mp3s here. But given the brilliant recording quality and the music, I recommend music buffs to buy cds. 

Of Simhendramadhyamam & Tagore

It was an evening when my father-in-law recommended an album called "Yatra" to me once again. He recommended it to me about 15 days ago once and when he played the songs on his mobile, I was impressed. The album is a reinterpretation of some compositions of Rabindranath Tagore and is largely classical, with slightly modern embellishments in arrangements. Since I am an aficionado of Rabdinra Sangeet, it did not take long for me to get hooked to it. The artists in the album are Ustad Rashid Khan and Nachiketa Chakroborthy. Ustad Rashid Khan is a seasoned classical vocalist and I do not need to add more about him. Nachiketa Chakroborthy was a surprise for me. I earlier heard him in one of the songs in Bose - A Forgotten Hero, by A.R.Rahman and he had just a line there. But in this album, he has unleashed hos classical and Rabindra Sangeet prowess. His voice resembled that of Vijay Prakash (another wonderful voice I heard in recent years), atleast for me.  The renditions by both, Ustad Rashid Khan and Nachiketa were engaging and soul stirring. 

As the tracks changed, one particular track caught my attention a lot. A very deeply evocative piece titled "Baaje Karuno surey" got me in awe of it because of the way Tagore has structured it. It had a very strong scent of a raaga that I knew but I could not immediately recollect its name. The composition was extremely moving and the renditions lived up to the mood of the composition. The moment I started humming along with the song, I was zapped to see myself land in a song that anyone would hardly expect - Kaattodu Kuzhalin, a wonderful tamil composition by Ilaiyaraaja. Once in that song, I immediately concluded that this Baaje song must be in simhendramadhyamam. I asked my wife, who too was listening to it. She, with more knowledge about Hindustani raagas than Carnatic raagas, did not know the name of the raaga but felt it was familiar. The only song she knew in this raaga is the staggeringly phenomenal composition of Ilaiyaraaja again - Saara Yeh Aalam (This song has been discussed earlier here). She confirmed that it looked like the same raaga. 

An hour after that, restlessly I was still humming Baaje Karuno Surey and i found it extremely intriguing that a carnatic raaga has travelled all the way to Bengal into Rabindra Sangeet and ended up in one of Tagore's creations. I remember reading a post by a good friend of mine, Suresh, where he discussed a song by Tagore that was inspired by a Muthuswami Diskshitar krithi. But I forgot the raaga employed in it and I frantically searched for that post again, to check if there was any Simhendramadhyamam there. There was none. So this must be another example that points at Carnatic music in Rabindra Sangeet. I wanted to explore further and googled a lot. 

The song "Baaje Karuno Surey" was indeed (and intentionally) set in Simhendramadhyamam. This post confirms that Tagore actually picked up some of the carnatic music from one of his disciples at Shanti niketan (whoa! what it must be, for a learned man like him, to express interest in something his disciple is singing and even learn it, if we can assume so). The song is inspired by Thyagaraja krithi "Needu Charanamuley" (My friend Suresh clarified that this is not by Thyagaraja; but Karnatik.com credits Thyagaraja. any idea who is the composer, if it was not by him?). Very interesting! And I found many versions of this compositions by various bengali singers on youtube, once you search for "Baje Koruno sure". There is one by Kavita Krishnamurthy as well (is the violin by L.Subramaniam? Very beautiful). In fact, Satyajit Ray has used a very toned-down-in-complexity version of this song in one of his films. 


I am unable to could find the version of Ustad Rashid Khan and Nachiketa Chakroborthy from this album "Yatra" on youtube.

The mp3s of this album are plenty on the internet. As i rejoice at this interesting discovery (and trivia) about yet another Tagore-Carnatic connection, I would recommend the hindustani music buffs and rabindra sangeet fans to grab this album. Rabindra sangeet fans might however have some reservations because of some creative liberties taken ; purists might not like this. Nevertheless, the album does capture a good juxtaposition of hindustani raagas and some songs of Tagore, using using the two delectable voices.

PS: Initially, I did not find this track on youtube. I later found it and edited my post accordingly. 

Curious Mix - 1

I am starting this series that might recur in future, whenever I have an eclectic mix of various interesting songs I’d like to talk about. In this post, I’d like to talk about some of the songs that impressed me in recent times.

1. Kaise Kahen (Film: Yeh Saali Zindagi): This exquisite melody from Sudhir Mishra’s film “Yeh Saali Zindagi” is such a beautiful throwback to the times of Mohd. Rafi. Composed by Nishat Khan, a sitarist (I think), the song is one of the most endearing melodies I have heard in recent times. Sung by Javed Ali, who redeems himself, this song has lyrics by Swanand Kirkire. I felt Javed Ali really put his soul into this song, given the extremely melodious tune and beautiful lyrics. I would rate this as his best song ever. The expansive string orchestra work, mild guitar strums and piano in the first interlude take us back to the vintage era compositions. The 2nd interlude has some fine pieces in violin and string section. I particularly love the 2nd stanza. absolutely well written.

“raatein.. woh seher.. woh sukoon ke peher..

bhool jaayenge hum… bhoolein kyon hum magar?

jee jaao jo tum… jee jaayenge hum

yaadon ke zakhm par… zindagi marhum”

Usually, someone with a flair for poetry would probably prefer to write that ‘memories are the only balm on the wounds of life…’ but here is someone writing that ‘Life is a balm, on the wounds of memories…’  Masterstroke! Quite brilliant!

This is one song that deserved more – for its top class composition, impressive rendition and nice poetry.

2. Haal-E-Dil (Film: Buddaah Hoga Tera Baap): Sung by Amitabh Bacchan, this is a good Yaman based composition, although it falls short in terms of improvisation. The melody and the single stanza are quite appealing, both, in terms of the tune and the rendition, but the could have been elaborated and improvised more. The song does have traces of “Aaj Jaane Ki Zid Na Karo” stanzas. Yet, composers Vishal-Sekhar must be commended for trying something different, in a very commercial potboiler film, with Amitabh Bacchan. Bacchan does a fine job.

3. Khwaabon Ke Parindey, Senorita, Dil Dhadakne do (Film: Zindagi Na Milegi Dobara): I feel composers Shankar-Ehsan-Loy have become repetitive and predictable, with their choice of films (themes) and the style of music they have been making in the last 2 years. Yet, repetitiveness is just a personal feeling, that makes no sense in the long run, if a song is good. I liked few songs in this album, although they completely reek Shankar-Ehsan-Loy. Khwaabon Ke Parindey is a lovely ballad, executed with the lilt of country music. Much before I even saw the film, I imagined the song on long highways between woods, passing by some lakes and farms. The song carries such images within itself, which makes it instantly likeable. Loy Mendonsa’s daughter Alyssa Mendonsa charms with a very light-y rendition.

Senorita is the song crooned by the lead actors Farhan Akhtar, Abhay Deol and Hritik Roshan. While Farhan is not new to singing and hence manages quite well, it is surprising to see Hritik Roshan emoting wonderully. I felt Abhay deol was really awful but it is Hritik Roshan who actually leads the pack. He doesn’t sound like a novice at all and adds suitable zing to the composition. Hritik Roshan should try singing – atleast fun songs like these. Dil Dhadkne Do is the typical Shankar-Ehsan-Loy song and sounds like a leftover from Rock On. Yet, I loved the way the tune progress into the anthemic tone.

4. Poraney Poraney & Sara sara Saara (Film: Vaagai Sooda vaa): Who is this composer called Ghibran? These two compositions from this film are as polished and mature as any experienced good composer. Poraney Poraney, a beautiful ballad whose arrangements aptly add to the anthemic feel is one of the most interesting compositions in recent times, that doesn’t carry influences of another composer. And Chinmayi’s Sara Sara Saara is, by any stretch, one of the most imaginative compositions. If this is the debut of this composition, then this debut is a remarkable one. Those western classical brushes to Sara Sara, in tandem with the thavil usage and the undercurrent synth fabric still keep the playfulness of the composition alive. By tune, execution and rendition, this song is a Beauty!

5. Idhazhil, Kaathalane (Film: Naanga): Composer Bala Bharathi is a recent discovery for me. These two songs from this film have left a strong impression upon me that he is a staunch follower of Ilaiyaraaja’s music. Idhazhil, set in Hamsanadam raaga, is one brilliant composition where the stanzas gradually pursue an ascent in the scale, punctuated by guitar notes. Karthik and Chinmayi, both deliver absolutely impressive renditions – complete with intricate pronunciations where an extra sangathi gives a kick. And that 2nd interlude on flute – was it a direct tribute to ilaiyaraaja. If that wasn’t enough, the song Kaadhalane faithfully obeys the DNA of Ilaiyaraaja’s 80s songs. While the tune, set in Kalyani raaga, follows Ilaiyaraaja’s phrases on the tune, without any deviation, the selection of the singer camouflages the whole song itself, making the listener believe that the song could by raaja. Shailaja sounds every bit Uma Ramanan, a voice that crooned many ilaiyaraaja songs back in 80s through mid 90s. These songs are probably the closest clones of Ilaiyaraaja’s songs, I have ever seen in my life.

More songs that can make into to the “Curious Mix”… as and when I find out…

Kashmakash – Sanjoy-Raja

Kashmakash, a bengali film dubbed into Hindi, is a Rituparno Ghosh film. The music is by Sanjoy-Raja and I have no clue about their repertoire. I got curious about this album because the lyrics of the Hindi version were written by Gulzar. I listened to this album once and I knew that was enough, for me to rank it among the best albums of this year. The album is filled with melodies, whose melodic quotient reminds us of the yesteryear great compositions and masters and also Rabindra Sangeet. My take on them:

1. Mannwaa Aage bhaage re: Shreya Ghoshal sings this exquisite melody that delicately tiptoes on string orchestra, bells, flute and choral work. Rabindra Sangeet oozes out of the tune and the tune takes a beautiful flight with the lines “Saari raat apne sapnon mein…” while descending back into a surprise sub-melody of “din gaya jaise rootha rootha shaam hai ajnaanee… puraanee pal jee raha hai aankhen paani paani…”. Gulzar is in top form and why not, for he himself idolizes Rabindranath Tagore. Shreya Ghoshal inserts befitting expressions that add the effect and you would just want to listen to this again.

2. Khoya Kya: This album is one of those albums where Hariharan sings in low scale and it adds a certain depth to the emotions conveyed in the song. This song is a fine example where Hariharan’s rendition is very controlled. A pathos laden composition, the song makes effective use of Piano, Pakhawaj, a poignant flute and string orchestra. It is intriguing that the string orchestra plays a high note when hariharan is on a lower note. In short, this song is a mood composition.

3. Teri Seemaayen: Another Shreya Ghoshal melody. This song has a tune that almost embraces us in a warmth. It is interesting that the composers decided to do away with interludes in this song. In a way, this song is like singing out a beautiful piece of poetry. There is only a small flute piece in the middle, that punctuates between two eloquently written stanzas. The mild piano strokes, the string orchestra counter melodies charm the song all through. Gulzar’s words just elevate the composition. I love the lines..

“Main aadhi adhoori baithi kinaare…

nadiya nadiya aansoo aansoo rona…

baaton pe rona… nainon ki zubaani..

raat din kehte rehna hai…

aag andhar ki koyi na dekhe…

palak jhapakthe tum jo dekho…

Tujhko paana.. Tujhko Choonaa..

Mukti ka paana hai…”

Only Gulzar can construct such beautiful imageries. The composers did a wonderful job in handling the melody of this composition.

4. Nau Meri: Another pathos melody. Hariharan at his low-scale voice again. The song attains a poignant depth right from the 1st line. The composition, set in raag Sindhu Bhairavi, reminds us of many old melodies. The arrangements in this song are extremely brilliant. Some subtle baselines, string orchestra and a soaring flute. Halfway through the song, Madhushree joins in, again at a very low scale. The unhurried elaboration of the raaga almost indicates that the singers themselves are experiencing the song, instead of plainly singing it. I love the way the charanams are brought back to the pallavi. The bansuri, underplayed during the 1st half, almost becomes another singer towards the end taking the song to its perfect crescendo.

5. Anandloke: This is a bengali song and sounds like a traditional Rabindra Sangeet song. The choral work and minimalistic arrangements leave the listener to understand the melody in Rabindra Sangeet. Many familiar phrases, but it is a short song.

Summary: Teri Seemaayen, Manwaa and Nau Meri are my picks of the album. Brilliant compositions that are handled with extreme care and maturity. Ratuparno Ghosh must be commended for his choice of music and the composers deserve an applause for blending the beautiful melodies with crisp and adequate instrumentation without letting one dominate the other. And Gulzar ofcourse, for his wonderful lyrics. We don’t get albums like these often. Grab it for a mood experience, on some lonely moonlit night. Worth it.