This is a super hit song with a cult classic status from the movie Konjum Salangai starring Gemini Ganesan, Savithri and others. The music for this movie had been composed by one of the great music directors of the yesteryears S M Subbaiah Naidu. The song was written by the famous yet unsung lyricist Ku Ma Balasubramaniam who has also written such famous songs as Aadaatha Manamum, Yaaradi Nee Mohini, Kunguma Poove, Chithiram Pesithadi to name a few. There were quite a few legends in Tamil Cinema prior to the period of dominance by MSV and Kannadhasan. This song also showcases the talent of the legendary Nadaswaram Exponent Karukurichi P Arunachalam and has been composed as sort of a duet between his talented exploitation of the divine instrument and S Janaki. The effortless way in which Savithri has lip 'synced' this difficult song is a lesson in acting to all modern day actresses. The simple reason why the song has come out so well and has reached a cult classic status is because it has been dedicated to Lord Muruga the god of balance and harmony (swaram) and has received his blessings in full! The song also features Gemini and others.
Showing posts with label Tamil Songs. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Tamil Songs. Show all posts
God is in the Smile of a Child! God is in One's Intellect Developed by Reading! God is in the Philanthropic Efforts of Individuals!
God is in the Smile of a Child! God is in the Intellect Developed by Reading Good Books! God is in the Philanthropic Efforts of Individuals and in the True Joy One Gets by Playing a Role in the Development and Upliftment of the Underprivileged! This is a rough translation of a few words from this wonderful song! Contrary to the popular belief that this song was written by Kannadasan this is a hit song written by Vaali. Vaali has written more than 15000 songs in a career spanning over 5 decades. He was able to adapt himself to the changing trends in the movie industry. He has written some of the most popular hits of MGR. This is a rare hit song written by Vaali for Sivaji. Music by MSV and sung by TMS. This song is from the movie Babu released in the year 1972 and had not done too well at the box office. This song features a young Sridevi with the legendary Sivaji Ganesan. The likes of Sridevi and Kamal Hassan had literally grown up amongst the greats and the legends of the Tamil Movie Industry. No wonder they are such good actors!
One Composer, Four Languages, 40 Years, 600 Movies! Endless Flow of Everlasting and Sublimely Divine Music!
K V Mahadevan was born in a small town in the southern districts of Tamil Nadu in the year 1918. He made his entry into the world of Films at the age of 24 with the movie Manonmani. A simple background and a humble beginning was not a constraint for this gifted composer for he went on to achieve a truly Legendary status as a Music Composer with a cult following during his life time. He was known for his Classical Music based compositions ingeniously crafted to reach the common man. He teamed up with the great director A P Nagarajan and created some of the best songs Tamil Cinema has ever seen. Apart from having composed music for several mythological blockbusters such as Thiruvilayadal, Kandan Karunai, Thiruvarutchelvar and Saraswathi Sabatham he was equally successful in creating music for social dramas that were blockbusters such as Thillaanaa Mohanambal, Vietnam Veedu, Vasantha Maaligai, well the list is endless as mentioned in the title of this post. He won two National Awards, one for Kandan Karunai and the other for the Super Hit Telugu Film Sankarabharanm. He made SPB sing for MGR for the first time in Adimai Penn. A single post is not enough to pay tribute to the Legendary Music Composer K V Mahadevan. This song from Kandan Karunai is a classic example of his ability to work with varied singers with original voices and his gift in bringing out the best in them. Singer and actor S Varalakshmi. Lyrics by the Legend of Tamil Stage and Drama Sankaradas Swamigal.
Tamil Movie Industry's True Gentleman, People's Artist and Popular Super Star! James Bond of South India!
Jaishankar was known as the James Bond of South India primarily because of his portrayal of the character CID Shankar in the movie of the same name and in the movie Vallavan Oruvan. In the 60s, an era that was dominated by MGR and Sivaji along with Gemini, Jaishankar managed to create a niche for himself and had his own group of ardent fans and the fan following continues to this day going by the number of positive comments on YouTube. He was loved by everyone in the Tamil Movie Industry as a person known for his kindness and compassion - A true gentleman! He was also know as People's Artist (Makkal Kalaingar). Action movies as a genre was rare in those days. Jaishankar was a pioneer in the sense that he was the first true action hero of the Tamil Movie Industry. He had a flair for comedy too as showcased by such movies as Bommalaattam, Aayiram Poi, etc. This song is from the movie Vallavan Oruvan that features Jaishankar and L Vijayalakshmi. The Plot of the movie is as follows: On an investigation regarding arson crimes, a C.I.D officer is shot dead. C.I.D Shankar(Jaishankar) is brought into the investigation of the death of his colleague. He quickly unravels the mystery behind his colleague's death and the mastermind behind the incendiary crimes. C.I.D Shankar's efforts to wipe out these miscreants and arrest them is the rest of the story. This film is loosely based on the 1964 classic French movie Banco à Bangkok pour OSS 117 and some scenes were based on 1962 James Bond Movie and Sean Connery starrer, 'From Russia with Love' and Dr. No with a few songs and romantic interludes. This film was a box office hit and earned Jaishankar a nickname Thenagathu (South Indian) James Bond. Due to the success of this movie, a sequel was made by the name CID Shankar in 1970. An interesting tidbit is that the heroine of this movie L Vijayalakshmi went on to become the Finance Director of a leading University in the USA, Virginia Polytechnic Institute in her later life! This song was written by Kannadasan and music was composed by Vedha.
A Super Hit Tamil Movie Inspired by Alladdin's Lamp and the Magical Genie! Adapted from the Hit Hollywood Movie 'The Brass Bottle'
This is a rarely played song from the hit movie Pattinathil Bhootham starring Jaishankar, K R Vijaya, Nagesh, Balaji and others. The music for this song had been scored by R Govardhanam and sung by P Susheela and T M Soundararajan. The song has been written by Kannadasan. This movie had been a remake of the hit Hollywood film 'The Brass Bottle' (which had also done well in India), by ‘Javer’ Seetharaman, a lawyer-turned-film person, who had been an expert in adapting foreign novels and movies. He had also played the role of the ‘Bhootham’ (based on the Alladin's Lamp and his Magical Genie) himself! The movie had been extremely popular with children those days, mainly because of the Genie and the magic tricks played by him. The magical phrase "Zee Boom Bhaa" uttered by the Genie everytime he performs a magic trick had been extremely popular with kids those days and is used by children even today. Nagesh had been his brilliant self, as usual in the supporting role as Jaishankar's friend.
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.
Haunting Melody! Spellbinding Lyrics! Adapted Song! Underrated Actor! A Timeless Classic Better than the Original!
S A Asokan was born in Trichy as Anthony and joined the Tamil Movie industry in the year 1953 after having graduated from St. Joseph's college in Trichy. Asokan had acted in hundreds of movies during a career that spanned over four decades. He started his career playing lead roles in a few movies and went on to succeed in playing negative, comic and supporting roles in several movies till the early 1980s. Asokan has acted in more than 50 movies with MGR alone. In fact MGR produced a film Idhu Satthiyam in 1963 with Asokan in the lead role, the movie that also saw the introduction of the Hindi Superstar Hemamalini to movies in a small dance role. He has also acted in several movies with Sivaji who had spoken about Asokan's acting ability and preferred to work with him in spite his personal differences with Asokan. Through his memorable performances in mythical roles of Soora Padhman in Kandan Karunai and Duryodhanan in the movie Karnan etched himself in the history of Tamil Cinema. Asokan was instrumental in bringing the famous director A C Thirulokachander into the Tamil Movie Industry. Asokan was great friends with Jai Shankar and partnered with him in producing and staging several plays and stage shows touring extensively across the state. This is a superhit song from the movie Vallavanukku Vallavan featuring Asokan in the lead role along with Manimala, Manohar, Gemini Ganesan, Thangavelu, Manorama and others. Savithri had made a special appearance in an other song in this movie. The movie had been produced and directed by R Sundaram of Modern Theatres. The music for this movie (and all other Modern Theatres' movies) has been composed by Veda. The music has been adapted from the original hit Hindi song Sau Baar Jananm Lenge from the movie Ustadon Ke Ustad sung by Mohammed Rafi. The Tamil version has been sung by TMS and lyrics have been written by Kannadhasan. Gemini had played a negative role in the movie. Yet another song in the list of timeless classics with a hauntingly melodious music. TMS, Kannadasan, Veda combination has produced a song that is better than the original!
The Greatest Playback Singing Pair of All Time! Complete Dominance Over a Period of Two Decades!
The Greatest Playback Singing Pair of All Time, TMS and P Susheela dominated the Tamil Movie Industry for more than two decades, having sung hundreds of super hit songs together. This is a hit song from the 1970s movie Vasantha Maaligai starring Sivaji Ganesan, Vanishree, Balaji, Nagesh and others. This song features Sivaji and Vanishree. Sivaji and Vanishree had paired up for several movies during that period. This is one of K V Mahadevan's hit songs featuring the most successful playback singing pair of TMS and P Susheela, supremely dominant, starting from the late 1950s to the 1960s and well into the 1970s, as is the case with this song.. While everyone in India is a fan of Latha Mangeshkar she herself is a fan of P Susheela. P Susheela and TMS are two of the greatest ever original voices (never will they resort to a falsetto) to have graced this planet no doubt!
The Greatest Female Voice of Indian Cinema! Acknowledged by The Great Legendary Singer of Hindi Cinema Lata Mangeshkar!
The Great Legendary Singer of Hindi Cinema Lata Mangeshkar used to visit Chennai often during the 1960s and usually stayed at Sivaji's residence 'Annai Illam' in T Nagar. During one such visit, while discussing about her favourite singers apparently she had mentioned P Susheela's name and credited her to be the greatest voice that Indian Cinema has ever seen. Can there be any better tribute to Susheela than this? Skill can be developed and honed by everyone but the level to which one can raise is limited by individual abilities. But talent is god given and there is no limit to which a person can be gifted by god in any particular art form. 17,695 songs in 6 languages as certified by the Guinness Book of World Records is a true recognition of P Susheela's achievements. The truly gifted P Susheela, an epitome of singing talent, has rendered this evergreen song in her own effortless and inimitable style. Telugu being her mother tongue her stunningly perfect diction of Tamil is incredible. There is or never will be anyone quite remotely close to her is the truth as mentioned in an earlier post. This song is from the movie Paalum Pazhamum starring Sivaji, Sarojadevi, Sowcar Janaki and others. Vairamuthu the lyricist had once mentioned in an interview he wished to hear this particular song, as and when the time comes for him to breathe his last and pass away from this world while listening to it. This is as good a tribute to P Susheela as anything can ever be! MSV, Kannadhasan, TMS, P Susheela with all the great actors, actresses and directors had created such timeless classics. Music for this song was composed by Viswanathan - Ramamoorthy.
Singer with a Bronze Voice! The Most Distinctive and Resonant Voice of Tamil Cinema
The difference between 'Vengala Kuralon' Sirgazhi Govindarajan and the other great singers of Tamil Cinema is his formal education and training in music. He was a graduate of the Tamil Isai College and had graduated in the year 1949 with the degree 'Isaimani'. He also got the degree of Sangeetha Vidwan at gaduation. After completing his formal education in music he started his rigorous Gurukul training under the tutelage of his Guru Swaminatha Pillai. Before entering movies he had won several awards and medals as an extremely talented and trained exponent of Carnatic Music. Apart from having sung some of the most memorable and ever lasting songs of Tamil Cinema he had also acted in several films. He brought to life the image of Sage Agasthya in such a convincing manner in the movie Agathiyar that one tends to think of Sirgazhi Govindrajan at the mere mention of the Great Sage's name. Be it the soul-wrenching and haunting melody Ullathil Nalla Ullam from the movie Karnan or the divinely mythological Arupadai Veedu Konda from Kandan Karunai to the humorous and light hearted title song of the movie Kaadhalikka Neramillai, he rendered songs of varied genres with consummate ease. This song of his is from the movie Agathiyar played by Sirgazhi. Music by Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan and Lyrics by Ulundurpettai Shanmugam.
Street Singer to Singing Sensation and Super Star! The Golden Voice of Tamil Cinema
As a young girl K B Sundarambal was singing in the streets and on trains to earn what little she could to help her family and make ends meet, until she was discovered by a drama troupe owner and taken to the world of Singing and Stage acting. The rest as the clichéd saying goes, is history! She became a singing sensation and a super star on the stage. Her only voice training had been in the streets and on the train which helped her to become one of the greatest voices of the Tamil Stage and the Tamil Movie Industry. Her performance with S G Kittappa (her spouse) in Valli Thirumanam established her as the 'Queen of Indian Stage'. She entered the movie industry in 1935 and starred in several memorable films. Reportedly she was the first Cinema Artist to have commanded a price of Hundred Thousand Rupees for a single movie. Though she had played several characters which remain etched permanently in the minds of the audience it was her portrayal of Auvaiyaar in several movies that remains fresh and evergreen and cuts across audiences of several decades. Enjoy her distinctly divine voice in this song of hers from the movie Karaikal Ammaiyar.
Tribute to Mahatma Gandhi
This is a hit song from the movie Naam Iruvar (1947), starring T R Mahalingam, T R Ramachandran, V K Ramasami, T A Jayalakshmi, Baby Kamala and others. This song features Baby Kamala who later went on to become a dancing super star of the Tamil Movie industry in her own right. The plot is as follows. T R Mahalingam plays the part of Sukumar, the son of a black-marketer who falls in the company of evil friends and invests his money in making a film in accordance with their advice. However, the film never sees the light of the day and leaves Sukumar heavy in debt. He is eventually questioned by financiers and when he fails to pay them, is dragged to court. How he is rescued from his perilous situation forms the climax of the story. At the end of the movie, Sukumar becomes a nationalist and a Gandhian. Nam Iruvar also marked the debut of V. K. Ramasamy who plays the role of an evil old man who desires to marry Sukumar's lady-love Kannamma. The film had a prominent comedy track provided by T. R. Ramachandran of Sabapathy fame. (Courtesy Wikipedia) Music was composed by R Sudarsanam and the song was written by Kothamangalam Subbu. The song was sung by M S Rajeswari. The movie was produced and directed by AVM.
Classic Hit Song from 1958
This is a hit song from the movie Vanjikottai Vaaliban, Starring Gemini Ganesan, Padmini, Vaijayanthimala and others. The other popular song from this movie is the famous dance off between Padmini and Vaijayanthimala. This particular song features Gemini and Vaijayanthimala.
Prabhu Deva - A R Rahman Hit - 1996
This is a hit song from the 1996 Prabhu Deva movie Mr. Romeo. The movie was directed by K S Ravi not to be confused with the other popular director K S Ravikumar. The music for the movie was scored by A R Rahman. The movie saw Prabhu Deva in a double role with Shilpa Shetty and Madhubala as his pairs. This particular song has been sung by Swarnalatha, Unni Menon, Srinivas, and Sujatha. Though the song itself was a hit the movie had not done too well.
All Time Great Hit! - 1958
This is an all time great hit song from the movie Malai Itta Managai featuring T R Mahalingam and Mainavathy (Pandari Bhai's Sister) from the year 1958. The movie was produced by Kannadasan and did not do well at the box office. But the song was a super hit then and popular even now! To say T R Mahalingam is an exceptional singer, is an understatement! Lyrics - Kannadasan, Music - Viswanathan Ramamoorthy, the result a 'Timeless Classic"!
Inimai Niraitha Ulagam Irukku - Ninaithale Innikkum
This fast song is from the movie Ninaithale Innikum. The star cast includes Kamal Haasan, Rajnikanth, Jayapradha, Poornam Vishwanathan, Geetha, Srinivas & Rajappa and is directed by K. Balachander. Music is by M.S. Viswanathan. Ninaithale Inikkum is a 1979 Tamil Movie about Chandru (Kamal Haasan) and three of his friends and their music band. They go to Singapore to perform in a concert. There, Chandru meets Sona and they both fall in love. But there seem to be a lot of mysteries revolving around Sona and she seems to be followed around. Moreover, she tells Chandru that she is suffering from blood cancer. Despite this, Chandru decides to meet Sona's father and ask her hand in marriage. However, her father tells him that Sona has played a prank on him because she is already engaged to someone else. This leaves Chandru devastated. After many twists and turns Chandru marries Sona after which she dies of cancer. Chandru is left with her sweet memories.
A Classic Romantic Song - Year 1960
This is a classic romantic song featuring the romantic hero of the 1960s Gemini Ganesan and Vyjayanthi Mala. This song is from the movie Thaen Nilavu (Honey Moon) directed by the famous director Sridhar. Many playback singers have sung for Gemini Ganesan. A M Raja is one among them who has given quite a few hit songs in combination with Gemini. A M Raja apart from having sung this song has also scored the music for this movie. Enjoy the song!
Hits of 1970s - One of MGR's Philosophical Hits
This is a hit song from the movie Pallaandu Vaazhga starring MGR, Latha and others. This movie was a remake of the hit Hindi movie Dho Aaankhen Barah Haath. The music for the movie had been composed by K V Mahadevan and the song has been written by the lyricist Pulamaipithan. The song has been sung by K J Yesudas. The song features MGR and all the convicts taken on by him to be reformed. The group consists of the entire list of actors who had played negative roles in several films of MGR.
Valentines' Day Special
This is a super hit song from the movie Veera Thirumahan starring Aanandhan, Sachchu, E V Saroja and others. The movie was directed by the famous director A C Thiruloka Chandar and the music for the movie had been composed by the most successful music duo of the Tamil movie industry ever, Viswanathan-Ramamurthy. The famous music duo had composed the music for several super hit movies such as Puthaiyal, Karnan, Kaadhalikka Neramillai, Server Sundaram to name a few. Aanandhan the hero of this movie is the father of the actress sisters Disco Shanthi and Lalitha Kumari (Prakash Raj's Wife). The song has been written by Kannadasan. Just listen to the lyrics to understand why this is a Valentines' Day special. The romantic and melodious music too is sufficient justification by itself. Enjoy the song!
A Classical Hit Song from a Super Hit Movie of the 60s
This is a superhit song from the movie Kandan Karunai Featuring S Varalakshmi as Indrani. S Varalaksmi has sung the song herself. Those were the days of some great and original voices. The movie had a galaxy of stars in it. Gemini as Lord Shiva, Savitri as Parvathi, Sivakumar as Lord Muruga, Sivaji in a supporting role as Veera Baahu, Asokan as Soorapadman, Jayalalitha and K R Vijaya as Valli and Deivaanai respectively. The movie had two music composers, K V Mahadevan and Kunnakudi Vaidhyanathan (Thiruparangundrathil) and Two Lyricists Kannadasan and Poovai Senguttuvan. The movie had been directed by A P Nagarajan. This song is the prelude to the sequence of events leading up to the creation of Lord Muruga by Lord Shiva. This is a Maha Shivarathri Special. Enjoy the song!
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