He is One! He is Everything! Divine Explanation and Symbolic Representation of the Concept of Marriage!

This is an all-time great hit song from the movie Thiruvilayadal starring Sivaji Ganesan, Savithri, Nagesh, Muthuraman, Devika, Manorama and others. This song has been monumentalized by K B Sundarambal through her profound rendition of the lyrics in her unique and dazzling voice! If there ever is a voice that could be called dazzling it is surely hers without any doubt! If the rendition is brilliant, the lyrics by Kannadasan is nothing short of an illustration of  outstanding intellectual and creative accomplishment! The song begins with Avvaiyaar singing in praise of Lord Shiva. At the behest of Goddess Parashakthi, Avvaiyaar sings the praise of Lord Shiva in numbers, describing Him as the One and Everything in this Universe. He is the One, The Duality of Matter and Energy as Ardhanaareeshwara, Three Forms of Tamil (Iyal, Isai and Naatakam), The Four Vedas, The Five Elements, The Six Different Types of Tastes, Seven Svaras (Musical Notes), Eight Siddhis (Ashtamaa Siddhi), Nine Emotions (Navarasa Vithaanavan), He is Timeless (Mutraadhavan), He is the Core, He is Limitless, Boundless and the Beginning (Moola Mudhalaanavan), He the Mahaa Kaalaa is Timeless and Neutral to the Past, Present and the Future, (Munnaikkum Pinnaikum Naduvaanavan).

Now comes the part of the divine explanation of marriage. He stands tall as man and woman in unison (Aanaahi Pennaahi Nindraanavan) symbolically implying that both man and woman become one when married (Avai Ondru Thaan Endru Sonnaanavan) He stood as the Ardhanareeshwara, the symbolic representation of marriage. This it to indicate that marriage is an institution that is built on the foundation of the intricate and inseparably interwoven fabric,  in equal measure of Binding Feminine Energy and Substantial Manhood Materiality! (Saripaathi Penmaikku Thanthaanavan). Matter and energy are one and are meant to stay that way. So is the single entity of the Married Couple wherein man and woman are one and are meant to stay that way in the lifelong journey! Kudos to Kannadasan to have brought out this profound concept in such simple words! One can notice the glow of warmth and comfort as an aura in couples who have been united blissfully for long in a marriage based on this kind of oneness and an intricately interwoven relationship based on affection, faith and trust! (Anbin Oliyaaghi Nindraanavan). Divine composition as usual by KVM. The acting part deserves a separate post! Truly!

Quit Films after her Debut Movie and Became an Air Hostess! Re-Entred Films after 7 Years and Ruled the South Indian Film Industry for more than Two Decades!

This is a hit song from the movie "Sivantha Mann", starring Sivaji, Kanchana, Nagesh, Nambiar, Ranga Rao and others. Contrary to the popular belief that Kanchana was introduced by Sridhar in the earlier block buster of his "Kaadhalikka Naeramillai" in the year 1964, Kanchana's debut movie was the 1957 super hit movie Mannaalane Mangaiyin Bhaghiyam, in which she had played a small but important role of 'Naaga Kanni'. Originally from a well to do family in Chennai, due to some financial difficulties faced by her family during that period, she took up a job of an Air-Hostess to support her family. She was reintroduced to the film industry by C V Sridhar in the year 1963 and then went on to do extremely well, having starred successfully in several movies in all four South Indian Languages. Being an ardent devotee of Lord Balaji she donated her property valued at more than Rupees 15 Crores to the Tirumala Thirupathi Devasasthanam in the year 2010.

This movie was directed by Sridhar and had not done very well at the box office. The songs were a hit, in particular this one. The songs are bound to be hits when you have a combination of the likes of MSV, TMS, P Susheela, Kannadasan and Sivaji. This particular song was sung by L R Eashwari whose performance in this song had been praised by MSV in several interviews during his life time, for her having performed the song live with out the help of any special effects! According to C. V. Sridhar's autobiography, Sivantha Mann had evolved from Andru Sinthiya Rattam, a script originally written for MGR. It was the first Tamil film to have been shot extensively in foreign locations – a "great novelty in those days". Filming took place largely in Europe in countries like Switzerland, France, Italy, Germany and in the Alps region. The rest of the film was shot back in India. A set that included an entire river had been created at Vauhini Studios for shooting some of the main sequences in the movie. Before filming had begun it gave way, leading to the entire studio being flooded. An unfazed Sridhar decided to have the entire riverbed set rebuilt with concrete. After the film's release, thee directors of many subsequent Tamil and Telugu films were inspired to choose locations in France and other parts of Europe. The story was an off-beat one and had not been not received very well by the audience. This particular song showcases the acting skills of Sivaji and Nambiyar who impress with their expressions and reactions and the dancing and acting skills of Kanchana who had been at the receiving end of the whip in Sivaji's hands which had occasionally stung Kanchana, since Sivaji's only concern had always been to make any scene look as real as possible as said by Sacchu her co-artist in a recent TV interview! Enjoy the song!

Mistaken Identities, Hidden Pasts, Great Music! A Star-Studded Romantic Comedy from 1967

This is a hit song from the  superhit comedy movie Ooty Varai Uravu starring Sivaji Ganesan, K. R. Vijaya, Muthuraman, L. Vijayalakshmi, T.S. Baliah, V.K. Ramasamy, Nagesh, Sachchu and others. The movie had been directed by Sridhar and the music had been composed by MSV. This particular song had been sung by P B Srinivas and L R Easwari. This song features Muthuraman and Vijayalakshmi. The movie’s plot revolves around the hidden past life of Balaiah (Sivaji’s father) and the mixup in the identities of K R Vijaya and Vijayalakshmi. Though Sivaji himself comes to know the actual truth, early in the movie, he manipulates the events such that Balaiah himself admits the truth finally. The movie has brilliant performances by the entire cast and the comedy sequences featuring Balaiah, Nagesh, VKR and Sachchu, ably supported by the leading actors is hilarious and entertaining to say the least. Sachchu had mentioned in an interview how she had had a really hard time shooting for the movie, unable to restrain herself from laughing at Nagesh’s antics during every single shot. Incidentally this movie was the last movie of L Vijayalakshmi who got married to an Agricultural Scientist from Philippines after this movie. She then settled down in the US and pursued her higher studies to become a qualified Certified Public Accountant (CPA). She went on to become the Finance Director of the Virginia Polytechnic University in the US. All the songs in this movie had been hit songs and written by Kannadasan. This movie is a safe bet to watch during a family get together, sure to be enjoyed by the young and the old.

Supremely Talented! Effortlessly Versatile! Career-Long Superstardom to an Eternal Place in the Minds of the People!

Jayalalitha was an undisputed Superstar during her entire career with back to back super hit movies with all leading actors spread over the mid and late sixties and the seventies. For someone who was a self declared reluctant actress her truly amazing success is due to her supreme talent and confidence combined with effortless versatility while facing the camera. Be it a mature performance as a young patient enamored by the kindness and compassion of her doctor in her debut Tamil Movie Vennira Aadai or a Casually Confident and Glamorous performance and making it count opposite MGR with his dominant screen presence in Ragasiya Police 115 or a performance that combines all the earlier mentioned characteristics with an innate sense and understanding of humour, in one of the best performances of her career as one of the four glamorous daughters of Thangavelu, paired for the first time with the great Sivaji Ganesan in Galaattaa Kalyanam, she excelled in all these different genres with effortless ease!  She had several notable performances during the seventies such as Vandhaale Maharasi, Anbai Thedi, Needhi, Engiruntho Vandhaal to name a few. Se had several super hit movies pairing with Gemini Ganesan, Jaishankar, Muthuraman, Ravichandran and others. This song is from an all time super hit movie Aayirathil Oruvan opposite MGR. This is yet another movie in which both Vaali and Kannadasan had written the lyrics of different songs. This particular song was written by Vaali. Music was by Viswanathan Ramamoorthy.  She will remain permanently etched in the hearts of her ardent fans and followers eternally!

A Comical Song from A Hilarious Comedy Movie Inspired by a Classic Novel from the Greatest English Comic Writer of All Time!

This is a hit song from the super hit Comedy Movie Kaasethaan Kadavulladaa starring Muthuraman, Manorama, Srikanth, Lakshmi, Vennira Aadai Murthy, Sasi Kumar, MRR Vasu and others. The movie had been directed by Gopu who had once said in an interview it was Jayalalitha who had introduced him to the works of the great comic genius P G Wodehouse. This particular movie which is his directorial debut is loosely based on the famous novel 'Leave it to PSmith' by P G Wodehouse. The music for the movie had been composed by MSV. The lyrics had been penned by the ever youthful Vaali. The plot of the movie is as follows: Parvathi (Manorama) is an extremely domineering second wife of Sivaswamy (Vennira Aadai Moorthy) and controls all his money treating him with scorn and disdain. When Sivaswamy's son Ramu (Muthuraman) (son of his first wife) requires a sum of Rs. 3000 for his Sister's husband, she refuses instantly. With all round need for money for various different needs, Ramu and his cousin Shekar (Srikanth) hatch a plot with their childhood friend Appaswamy (Thengai Sreenivasan) who pretends to be a fake swamiji in order to get to Manorama's Secret safety locker and steal a sum of Rs. 50,000. Meanwhile Rama (Lakshmi) is an orphan whose Guardian is the doctor of a mental institution. When Rama wants a conduct certificate, the doctor bungles and hands over the certificate of Rama Prabha who is still recovering from a mental condition. Rama arrives at Parvathi's house to work as a secretary and Parvathi sees the certificate and decides to keep Rama at her house to humour her fearing her insanity (Courtesy Wikepedia). With great performances by all the actors the movie is very watchable and truly a family entertainer. This song is sort of the title song of the movie and is hilarious like most of the other songs in this movie.

Bengali Actresses in Tamil Movies! The Other Nandita!

There have been several Bengali Actresses who have featured in Tamil Movies over the years, Reema Sen, Kajol, Riya Sen, to name a few. Nandita Das was highly acclaimed for her roles in the moves Azhagi and Kannathil Muthamittaal. This song features the other Naandit(h)a, Nanditha Bose who was very popular in Malayalam Movies apart from having featured in a few Tamil movies such as this one. This is a rare song from the movie, "Oru Kudumbathin Kathai". The song has been rendered by K J Yesudas and B S Sasirekha under the music direction of Shankar Ganesh. Muthuraman and the afore mentioned Nanditha Bose have essayed the main characters in this film. As mentioned earlier she had been a prominent lead actress during the 1970s in Malayalam, Tamil, Hindi, and Bengali films. She was well noted for her performance in the Malayalam movies Achaani(1973), Panitheeratha Veedu(1973) and Dharmayudham (1973). Currently she is busy acting in Television serials. Enjoy this melodious song.

Rare Song! Rare Movie! Rare Pairing! Year 1969

This is a Rare Song from a Rare Movie featuring the Rare Pairing of Muthuraman and Saroja Devi who have acted together in just a handful of movies. This beautiful song has been rendered in exemplary fashion by P Susheela under the music direction of M S Viswanathan for the movie, "Odum Nathi".  This movie was directed by Dada Mirasi for Chitra Mahal productions in the year 1969. Ravichandran, Balaiah and Nagesh have performed supporting roles in the movie. Nothing much is known about this movie, (not even a Wikipedia or IMDB Posting!) although it appears from the scenes in the song that Balaiah is looking for a suitable bride for his son who happens to be Ravichandran. The movie also has other popular songs apart from this one which mentions about the famous deity Vayalur Murugan who is the favourite deity of the great Kirupaananda Vaariyaar.

Master of Nine Emotions! The Multi-faceted, Versatile and People's Actor - Muthuraman

Muthuraman was one of the several actors who were introduced to the Tamil Movie Industry by SSR. Muthuraman was a stage actor in SSR's troupe and had acted in several plays including several poetic dramas of Mahakavi Bahrathiyar. He got into movies by playing supporting roles during the early stages of his acting career. He went on to establish himself as a leading actor during the era dominated by MGR, Sivaji and Gemini which by itself is a phenomenal achievement and speaks volumes about his talent. He was popularly known as Navarasa Thilagam meaning Master of the nine different human emotions and had an ability to portray all these different emotions with utter ease! He was a favorite co-star of Sivaji and had acted in several movies with Sivaji. His flair for comedy had bagged him several comedy movies during his long film career spanning over four decades. Kaadhalikka Neramillai, Kaasethaan Kadavuladaa, Ooty Varai Uravu, Anubhavi Raja Anubhavi, Edhir Neechal were a few of those super hit comedy movies featuring Muthuraman. Enjoy this super hit song from Police Karan Magal featuring Muthuraman and Vijayakumari. Music - Viswananthan Ramamoorthy and Lyrics by Kannadhasan.

Comical Song - Shallow and Materialistic Nature of Societal Relationships!

This is a comical song from the movie Edhir Neechal - 1968 starring Nagesh, Jayanthi, Sowcar Janaki, Muthuraman, Major Sundarrajan, Manorama, Sridhar, M.R.R. Vasu and others. Edhir Neechal was directed by K. Balachander  and music was composed by V. Kumar. This song was written by the versatile and evergreen lyricist Vaali. The movie depicts the materialistic nature of human beings and brings out the shallow and superficial nature of societal relationships in a humorous manner.

Will One Day Suffice? - An All Time Great Hit!

This song is one the greatest hits in the entire history the Tamil Movie Industry. TS Balaiah has simply excelled in his role as Hemanatha Bagavathar the conceited and talented vocalist in this super duper blockbuster hit of all time, Thiruvilayadal, starring Savitri, K.B.S., Muthuraman, Nagesh, T.R. Mahalingam, Devika, Manorama and others with Sivaji playing the lead role as Shivji! (Lord Shiva) himself. The movie had some great performances - Sivaji and Savitri (Nadigar and Nadigaiyar Thilagam) as Shiva-Parvathi, Nagesh as Dharumi, AP Nagarajan, the director of the movie, as Nakeeran, TS Balaiah as Hemanatha Bagavathar to name a few. The song was sung by Balamurali Krishna, music composed by KV Mahadevan (another Thilagam, Thirai Isai Thilagam!) and was written by (who else could it have been!) the one and only Kannadasan. Just Enjoy the Song!

Hit Song from a Superhit Comedy Movie (1964)

This is a hit song from the evergreen comedy movie Kaadhalikka Naeramillai starring Muthuraman, Balaiah, Nagesh, V S Raghavan, Ravichandran (debut), Kanchana, Rajashree, Sachchu and others. The film was directed by Sridhar and music scored by M.S.Viswanathan. This is easily the most Wodehousian of all Indian movies. From beginning to end,its a laugh riot. The basic plot of mistaken identities is a common staple of many Wodehouse novels, but its spirit has never been captured so well in Indian cinema. The story,the dialog, the music, the cinematography, the direction all come together in a perfect, heady concoction never experienced before or since in Tamil cinema. This was the first Tamil film to be shot in Eastman colour. Sridhar's handling of the light-comedy subject matter was a revelation, coming on the heels of his highly-successful tear-jerkers. Comedic geniuses Balaiah and Nagesh, playing the roles of a rich father and a movie-mad son, play off each other in scintillating fashion. The scene where Nagesh narrates a ghost story to Balaiah and scares him out of his wits is a classic sequence. The heroes, Muthuraman and a young Ravichandran, are ideal for their roles. So are the heroines,Kanchana and Rajshree. Sachhu too has excelled, playing Nagesh's aspiring movie heroine and his love-interest. Enjoy the song.

Muthuraman Hits - Ambigai Neril Vanthaall

This is a song featuring Muthuraman and K R Vijaya. This pair had starred in several hit movies of the 7os. The song has been sung by SPB (in his yet to mature young voice) and P Susheela.