Back to writing about the two things that could keep me awake and on a high permanently in life – Love and Music 🙂
The last time I featured (previous editions in this series : 1, 2, 3 and 4) 3 Malayalam songs and this time, I’m switching to another language – Tamil. These three phenomenal songs have been on a loop on my phone and laptop for the whole of last month and I cannot stop. Here goes:
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So I’ve watched this movie Goa (Tamil), and only because this song Arabic Sea playing on the TV had piqued my interest because I loved Goa the couple of times I’ve been there and even a movie situated in Goa can transport me into a romantic world of my own. After all, who can blame me?
But I never kind of “noticed” this song, and it had to wait for a couple of years for my ears to discover it – and never want to stop listening after that. I stumbled onto it while researching Andrea Jeremiah (she starred in a Malayalam film Annayum Rasoolum and I was kinda checking her out :P) and heard her croon this song in a video. Wondering why I had never noticed it, I find the actual song on youtube…
…and realized just *why* the hero of the Malayalam movie Fahadh Faasil fell in love with Andrea (yes, in real life – they are together currently).
Whatay voice!! But oh, what a song.
This, is a woman’s song. A powerful woman’s song.
A woman who can look straight into the eyes of her lover and not hesitate to tell him that she loves him and what thoughts of him do to her. Sensual, bursting with life, and yet fluttering longingly around the senses to create a kind of excitement that makes you want to touch, and yet, stop inches before you do.
Andrea’s voice is magic. Throaty and raw, she brings life to the piece and I’ve heard several renditions of the song after that, but there is truly only one Andrea.
Ajeesh – a reality music show find, is the perfect foil for her. Muted and melodious, his rendition of Dhegam ippodhu unarndhadhu, Thendral en meedhu padarndhadhu, Mogam munneri varugudhu munne makes me want to stretch my arms à la SRK, and forget everything else that exists around me. A fine find indeed!
While I am waxing eloquent on the choice of singers, it’s not just them but the music and the perfect lyrics, particularly for the situation in the movie. You can find a (poetic attempt at) translation for the song Here.
Song: Idhu Varai
Movie: Goa
Music: Yuvan Shankar Raja
Lyrics: Gangai Amaran
Singers: Andrea Jeremiah, Ajeesh
YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MGztE6CDn08
Idhu varai illaadha unarvidhu
Idhayathil undaana kanavidhu
Palithidum annaalai thedidum paadal kettaayo…
Moodamal moodi maraithadhu
Thaanaga poothu varughudhu
Thedamal thedi kidaithadhu ingey… (2)
Inge oru inbam vandhu niraya
Eppodhu en unmai nilai ariya
Thaangamalum thoongamalum naal selludhey…
Illamale nitham varum kanavu
Kollamal kolla, sugam ennendru solla
Nee thunai varavendum neenda vazhi en payanam…
Ange ange vandhu vandhu kalakkum
Venmegamum vennilavum pola
Endhan manam, ennangalai, yaar arivar…
En nenjamo un pola alla
Yedho ore maatram
Nilai puriyadha thottram
Idhu nirandharam alla
maarividum mananilai dhan…
Manadhile ullorum unarvugal
Malarnthadhey muthaana uravugal
Piranthadhe thannale kadhavugal namakku munnale… (2)
Dhegam ippodhu unarndhadhu
Thendral en meedhu padarndhadhu
Mogam munneri varugudhu munne… (2)
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I kid (pun intended) sometimes that the only thing one gains out of Facebook is the tiredness from having to like and ooh and awww these oh-so-adorable pictures of infants & toddlers (offsprings of one’s classmates & colleagues – hmph, this is probably the problem with this generation I belong to: eminently fertile and prone to gushing about one’s own babies :P).
Sarcasm aside :), once in a while this difficulty brings along with it some surprises. I came across this song from a video one of my friends had posted, of her lovely little 2 year old, trying to lisp a song – apparently taught to him by his grandpa, and the only Tamil that comes out of his mouth for now. The attempt was very cute and so I tried to check out what the real song was like. I mean, if the grandpa wanted this to be the first Tamil words the kid could speak/sing, it probably meant the song was a favorite, right? I was thinking this would be one of those 50’s classics or so. Surprise, surprise – a 2012 number!
It took me just one watch to decide I wanted the song on my iphone playlist. Now that’s a commitment, guys – and I’m usually not one to make commitments so easily :P.
A few hours of listening to the song on loop followed and after that, there’s not been a day when I can stop at listening to it just once. If I could describe the song in one word, that would be:
Nirvana.
Haricharan, hitherto unknown to me, suddenly added a die-hard fan to his account. I must have spent atleast half a Sunday, researching him on the net, and listening to everything else that he lent his golden voice to.
The song sets your heart soaring as soon as the first beats emerge. The tinkling bells, and Haricharan’s voice rushes into your being like an incoming tide as he sings Ayyayayo … forceful, deliberate, and leaving you gasping. And just as you’re submitting yourself to his force, he’s touching silvery notes, almost whispering into your ears with a yearning “karai sera neeyum kaiyil yendha vaa” and all you can do is melt.
I’ve believed that only A R Rahman could create music that evokes the senses of the elements… until I heard this song. The song is perfectly matched by the visuals in Kumki – the brute force of an elephant, gushing water, the denseness of the forest … and the spirit of love.
Song: Ayyayayo Aananathame
Movie: Kumki
Music: D. Imman
Lyrics: Yugabharathi
Singers: Haricharan
YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wB1VSViOaC4
Ayyayayo aananthame, nenjukulle aarambamae
Nooru kodi vaanavil, maarimaari seruthae
Kaadhal podum thooralil, thaegam moozhgi poguthae
Aedho oru aasai vaava katha paesa
Ayyayayo…
Unnai muthalmurai kanda nodiyinil thanikulla vizhunthaen
Andru vizhunthavan innum ezhumbala mella mella karainthaen
Karai sera neeyum kaiyil aenthava, uyir kaathalodu naanum neenthavaa..
Kangalil kandathu paathi, varum karpanai thanthathu meethi
Thoduthae.. Suduthae.. Manathae….
Ayyayayo…
Kangal irupathu unnai rasithida endru solla piranthaen
Kaigal iruppathu thottu anaithida alli kolla thuninthaen
Etharkaaga kaalgal kaelvi kaetkiraen, thunai saernthupoga thaethi paarkiraen..
Netriyil kungumam sooda, ilanenjinil inbamum kooda
Methuva.. Varava.. Tharava….
Ayyayayo…
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There are probably no words of mine that can laud the greatness that was these two people – Padmini and Sivaji Ganesan. I still remember the moment I saw this song as a child – I would have been about 7 and I was mesmerised. Not by Padmini (even though she is mesmerising in this song) but by Sivaji Ganesan. Watch from 2.04 to 2.07 minutes of this video and the way he looks at her – yep, this is what did it. (those eyes, oh, those eyes!!!)
It’s hard to recollect another song in cinema that could have captured how two people, surrounded by countless others, could be completely immersed in each other and where the words of the song could have captured the subtle dynamics of their relationship. Padmini is the kind of dancer who could have inspired the countless dancing sculptures on the facade of temples in India. Not petite, her proportions belie the grace and ease of movement that she has and there isn’t much else you can watch when she’s on screen – her craft is best seen in her navarasas (watch from 2.43 to 2.53 in the video).
My favorite portion of the song is not that though. It’s the
Engirundhaalum unnai naanariven, unnai ennaiyallal veru yaar arivaar
Paavai en patham kaana naanamaa? Undhan paattukku naan aada vendaama?
Maanava, venava, maayava .. Shanmuga!
Watch from 4.20 to 4.25 – the exchange between Mohanmbal (Padmini) and Shanmuga Sundaram (Sivaji Ganesan) – the hide and seek, the play on the name Shanmuga (to the audience, intended to be the name of the God; to him, a hint hat she knows he’s watching) and his reaction – pure thrill.
[I’m trying to find a good translation for this song somewhere – will link once I find it]
Song: Maraithirundhu paarkum
Movie: Thillana Mohanambal
Music: KV Mahadevan
Lyrics: Kannadasan
Singers: P Susheela
YouTube video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gPwCtBidy_8
Maraithirundhu paarkum marmam enna… swami
Maraithirundhu paarkum marmam enna
Azagar malai azagaa, indha silai azagaa … Endru
(Maraithirundhe paarkum…)
Navarasamum;
Mugathil, navarasamum malarnthirukkum mugathil navarasamum
Chekka sivanthirukkum ithazil kani rasamum… Kandu
(Maraithirundhe paarkum…)
Engirundhaalum unnai naanariven
Unnai ennaiyallal veru yaar arivaar (2)
Paavai en patham kaana naanamaa? (2)
Undhan paattukku naan aada vendaama? (2)
Maanava, venava, maayava .. Shanmuga!
(Maraithirundhe paarkum…)
Naathathiley thalaivan kuzhal ketten (2)
Andha naanathile ennai naan marandhen (2)
Mohathiley ennai mozgavaithu (2)
Oru orathiley nindru kalvanai pol
Maanava, venava, maayava .. Shanmuga!
(Maraithirundhe paarkum…)
Maan aada malar aada mathi aada nadhi aada, mangai ival nadanam aada
Vaan aada mann aada kodi aada idai aada, vanji ival kaigal aada
Suvaiodu naanaadum enainadi ithuvelai viralvinil thunaiyaaga odi varuvaai
Thooyane maalava maayane velavaa
Enai aalum shanmmuga vaa
(Maraithirundhe paarkum…)
to be continued…