A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Viju

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Down the memory lane

A.R. Rahman’s music, being very special to me, plays a very important role in my long distance runs. A lot of these long distance runs are run by me solo and it gets very lonely. There are moments when you feel like giving up and/or hit the wall. To ensure I have some company during the run I always listen to music (naysayers please excuse!) and this has definitely played an important role in my evolution as a long distance runner.

I list below five songs that have pushed me during my runs in the past few years and they will always have a special place in my long run and also on my iPhone (previously iPod shuffle).

Ladio from I: What a powerhouse of energy this song is! There was a time I would listen to all the songs from ‘I’ exclusively during my run and time a 7k to that. Ladio is one of those tracks that just changes its form every minute in the song and that refreshes me quite a bit on my run. A target for me is to run a full marathon with 4:41 as my pace per kilometer. May I will put this song on a loop 42.2 times!

Oru Nanban Irundhaal from Enakku 20 Unakku 18: The song has a constant tempo from start to finish and Chinmayi’s vocals alongside the chorus is something that keeps one going nonstop. Also the lyrics of this song about friendship also are something I liken to my relationship with my run. Particularly - Ada vaazhkkai padhai maralaam natpudhaan maaruma (our life’s path can can but will friendship change?)

Kadhal Vettukili from Parasuram: This brilliant yet lesser known duet from an immensely forgettable movie is another song that has an energetic set of beats and an amazing interlude between the first and second charanams. This always has a place on my running playlist and gives me that high every time I hear the first few seconds of the song!

Tanha Tanha from Rangeela: As a 90s kid, all I remember from watching this song in the 90s initially was Urmila running on the beach and then an ‘ugly’ Jackie Shroff creepily dancing with her. Well, with all those memories put aside, I revisited this song a few years ago and the orchestration in this - the flute, the violins, Sujatha and Srinivas’ alaaps before the first charanam make it such a grand song. And ensuring I maintain my strides fine with the beats in the song, especially when I am doing intervals, is a blissful experience.

Arziyan from Delhi 6: This song is always going to be ‘That One Song’ for me and I end up trying to ensure my races or significant long runs start or end with this song! The divinity in Kailash Kher and Javed Ali’s vocals and the positivity in this song takes me to an entirely different zone (both during my run and otherwise).

There are more ARR songs on my running playlist and probably I will write about more of those soon! Thank you Blogeswari for this opportunity and thank you ARR for all the music!
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About Viju

Zu (An)na, sometimes called Dr.Viju works with the Universities in India on understanding how computational tools are used in the curriculum and research to help accelerate the engineering and science learning process.

I'll give you a moment and more to process the above. Yeah, that's our Zu 'na. His CV will need a doctorate for you and I to decipher, dissect and digest.

A reluctant book worm, A Marathoner and a Padicha Pulla - Zu 'na has been spending this lockdown period reading, running (adhe!) on roads and running a poll on Twitter with the hashtag #FavARRite on ARR's songs and albums. Viju blogs here, here and here . 

Say Hi to Viju here and here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Sharanya

 If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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Very early on in my relationship with this one boy- he spoke to me about how much he was moved by Dil Se. The Gujarati in him hadn't obviously watched the Tamizh version.  Just like he hadn't watched any of his Mani Ratnam favorites in the language it was originally meant to be watched in-my mother tongue, Tamizh. 

Growing up so far away from the home to the language- music became the fastest way for my Bombay waala Bhelpuri Tamil to look at nuance and truly appreciate the 'roots'. "'Rahman is universal, you can't stake claim on him," he would laugh at my being territorial of the same tune in its original form.

Years later, we would be in a dark movie theatre- him passing his ultimate test- sitting between Amma and me-watching his first ever Tamizh padam- for nothing but ARR in all his glory. My mother was impressed.

Months later, my entire extended family was. Five years later, on afternoons when I don't even notice him- I catch him singing - Mana mana mental Manadhil. The original.

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About Sharanya

Sakalakalavalli Sharanya is a singer, radio host, screenplay writer and is a Studio head.
When not planning her next solo holiday, she's busy writing award winning shorts and mentoring a bunch of young creative writers in the team.

Always bubbling with ideas and enthusiasm, this Lockdown period has been quite a busy one for their studio what with releasing back to back shorts on their YouTube channel.


Meet Shar here & here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Rekha Bala

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It was August 1992. I was hosting a walk-in music talent show as part of some youth group (whose name I don’t remember now). The show had started at 6pm and even though it was 8pm already, there was no sign of people backing off. Most of the talent was good, with an interesting array of songs I loved.

I didn’t have to do much, just announce the name of the singer/performer, name of the song/composition and say some encouraging words at the end. But beyond 8pm was getting a bit too much for me. I would have to ask one of the boys to walk me home. It was small-town Kochi after all, broken streetlights at most places, with incessant rain, and even though I had called home to say I would be late, there would be some displeasure at the end of it.

 

Before I would let the organisers know I was not staying on until eternity (which was where the show was heading), I was thrust a chit of paper by a young man. It said, “Kaadhal Rojave, A R Rahman”.

“Eh, What is this, Who is this? Why have I never heard of this song and music director before?” I thought. After all, my neighbourhood cassette shop would always alert my brother and I, the moment something new released. “Wait till I get to that Gujju tomorrow!” was my first reaction.

 

I had no choice but to let that young man go on stage. Didn’t have to blabber much as I had no clue who ARR was, or how colourful his Kaadhal was. When he went on stage, I stood by in the wings, and waited till the end, mesmerised.

 

“Thendral ennai theendinaal selai theendum nyaabagam

China pookkal paarkaiyil dhegam paartha nyaabagam

Velli odai pesinaal sonna vaarthai nyaabagam

Megam rendum sergaiyil mogam konda nyaabagam…”

 

Wait, what was this magic. And why can’t I move? When the song finished, there was an uproar. They had all become ARR fan-actics like me.

 

The next day, I went to the cassette shop, berated Sunilbhai and proceeded to play Roja on loop on our Philips Powerhouse till the entire neighbourhood started playing along. In college, where I was doing my second-year degree, we were humming either Chinna Chinna Aasai or Kaadhal Rojave in the corridors or the lawns and very often, groups would break out into ‘Sol, Sol’. By the time, the movie had released, and the rest, as they say, is history.

 

The only regret I have is my bff pipping me to interview ARR during a show in Muscat. I was in India during that time, missed both an interview and a show. But as they say, if it’s GOAT, good things will be come to those who wait.

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About Rekha Bala

Rekha is a journalist who moved from Kochi to Bengaluru via Muscat. A huge music buff, Rekha reached out to me on twitter and shared her MemoiARR.
Thank you, Rekha and I hope the fellow ARR fan-atic in your family, your son, writes his MemoiARRs as well. Oh yes, Rekha, please do say Hello to ARR when you interview him soon.

Say hello to Rekha here.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Latha

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Chinna Chinna Aasai .. Siragadikkum Aasai.. Muthu Muthu Aasai ..

 

When we listen to this song, Arvindswamy, Madhu, that beautiful village and everything beautiful about that song will run in our minds.  Isaippuyal’s first movie and this song was a chartbuster for a very long time.

For me this song is not just a song.  It was HOPE for me.  Whenever I was feeling a bit low in life, I used to listen to this song and it gave me a streak of positivity and made me wait for the next sun rise. 

Don’t know if it was the music or lyrics or the colourful picturization it just gave me hope to keep me afloat.  Thanks a lot A R R for this and every other awesome song you have given us.

(images are from the song's video on YouTube)
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About Latha

A Kalakkal copywriter, an Asatthal Actor and a Mega Model - Latha a.k.a Ji is an Ideas Sironmani when it comes to advertising and copywriting. Ideating campaigns exclusively for the Tamizh market is her forte and she is the brain behind some of the excellent local ads and characters, on Radio.

According to grapevine, KJo, after watching a.k.a Latha's impressive performance in Pushpavalli as the 'Amma' , is signing her opposite the Big B in a mega budget multi-lingual film. You heard it first here.
I'd strongly urge Netflix to consider casting Latha for the Tamizh version of 'Sima Didi from Mumbai'. Audition ready .

Please queue up and get your autographs here before she parandufyes to some foreign country filming for Dharma Productions.

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Vinitha Vijayakumar

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Not so long ago, a Saturday evening turned horrendous because I had to watch this disaster called 'Imaikka Nodigal' in cinemas. Uff! Even now my body and mind is aching thinking about it. The next morning I was in that hangover and so I did this and that to get out of the “meh” feeling. 

Thankfully, when I was browsing through my library in Apple Music I landed up at 'New' one among the most famous albums of ARR. It was an instant energy booster and I felt so fresh after listening to the entire album. I wrote the below as an fb post as well. 

“Imagine yourself on a drive on a highway! The car is moving at 120 and suddenly a song of full energy starts playing to give you the indescribable energy that you were craving the most! To get over my Imaikka Nodigal hangover,  I am doing all I can, and this album 'New' is super helpful in the process! A 2005 release still as fresh as any contemporary album. ARR is timeless! I think this was the era, we got the best Intro songs. And this album was unique in its own way to comprise of songs those were stand-alone hits! Irrespective of the content of the movie, I think 'New' as an album is quite a good one! "If you wanna" song broke the stereotype of heroine character intro songs sung by Aparna, Anupama, and Chinmayi. Some Girl power there, you know!

  

Nobody expected Nithyashree would pull off a "Markandeya"! An experiment that clicked big time! 'Sakkarai..' became the best addition in the list of Rahman's folkish dance duets like "Nee kattum selai", "Usilampatty" "Anjadhe jeeva" and "Gopala Gopala"! 'Thottal Poo Malarum' created a new formula for remixes! "Kalayil dhinamum" for all the melody lovers, 'Spiderman', a definition of seductive ecstasy and "NEW NEW", is a powerhouse! Blaaze, Karthik, Vijay Prakash, Sunitha Sarathy and Tanvi Sha - What a combination! The rap portion is out of the world! And our own Vaalee Sir innovating the lyrical part with titles of MGR movies. If possible listen to the song and find them out! :)”

I grew up listening to ARR, so all my stories have all his songs. Thought of sharing the above as it happened recently 😀
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About Vinitha Vijayakumar
(that's an 'i' after the first 'V' not 'a' for those startled ;-))

RJ, Copywriter, Travel enthusiast...Vinitha Vijayakumar is your true Tamizh music buff who has all the metadata and information on TMU aka our Tamizh Music Universe. It's said that people with good work ethic are worth their weight in gold, and Vinitha is one such dependable, enthusiastic and dedicated professional. I had the good fortune of working with her briefly. Thank you, Vinitha for sharing your MemoiARRs.

You can listen to Vinitha's thought bubbles here and share your thoughts with her, here

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Sachu

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ARR (not Suganda Paaku😂) brings not just memories of people to me, he brings back situations and all that happened right before my eyes. Be it the song that my first boyfriend played for me (though I have forgotten the BF but still remember the song😂)....

...or the song that I sang to my children ...

....or the song I wanted my husband to dedicate to me. ARR has touched every part of my life. 

I started my fan journey listening to Roja songs, a little doubtful about its success. But the songs just grew on me and before I knew it, I was humming them. What is even more astonishing about ARR part from his music is his modesty and generosity. He was always grounded and put India on the Oscar map🙏🙏 

May he continue to spread cheer with his music and get more accolades for India and her people 🥰🥰🥰

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About Sachu

Sara née Sachu a.k.a Sach is a Singer, Fashionista and a Saree influenza who is yet to utilise her "influenzaness" fully. With Kollywood in her blood and now Korean Series in her naadi narambu, Sachu is one element in her truest element that I miss, from the '90s world of mine. Half of my college life was spent at her house, listening to May Maadham and watching Sun Music.
A wonderful mother and a superb human being, Sach intends to resume her higher education to equip herself to work with children with Special needs.
I truly wish she takes up singing full time, after finishing her jewellery design and sareefication duties.
Meet my dearest fashionista  here. 

A Walk Down Rahman Lane by Unni

If you are here for the first time, please read this post.

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My first memory of A R Rahman (of course, at that time I had no clue) was Kadhalan. I still remember getting the cassette and listening to this one song over and over again - Pettai Rap. 

I discovered the album quite late, probably in my 7th standard, by which time the movie was maybe 3 years old. It was a hand-me-down tape from my sister and I remember rewinding back after the song and trying to write down all the lyrics. Of course, I still remember most of the song lyrics even now (I had to show off). 

But once I was done with that song, the rest of the music captivated me. It was like nothing I had heard before; granted I was 11 years old but how this music could be so unique and yet sound complete as an album baffled me.

Image courtesy - Arvind on twitter

Every time I hear this song, I remember that trusted old Sony cassette player that was passed on from my grandfather to my father and then to my sister and me. It had a CD playing option as well, quite rare in those days.  That player introduced me to the world of Rahman and of course, Prabhu Deva.

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About Unni

Unni and I (Blogeswari), were the Kadhalan Prabhudeva and Vadivelu (Yes, respectively) at office where we sang Pettai Rap and other vetti Tamizh songs together when not working.

Unni, when not singing or belting Venu Biriyani, or watching TR videos... produces wonderful podcasts for a streaming platform.

You can ask him for recommendations on good podcasts, music and biriyani , here 

A Walk Down Rahman Lane

Isaippuyal A.R.Rahman completes 28 yeARRs in the film industry on the 15th of August 2020.

To celebrate the Legend's Work Anniversary in the film industry, presenting 'A Walk Down Rahman Lane', a series on the blog where avid music lovers share that one personal memory associated with a particular track of ARR's.

I'm inviting music lovers to write about one strong personal memory associated with one A.R.Rahman song. I know what you’re thinking... “...but we have so many!”

I understand. Just that this series is likely to have quite a few friends writing about it (hopefully) and hence that "one song".

Image courtesy - A.R.Rahman's instagram 

I've written my favourite memories of Rahman's songs here, here and here. 

• Did you sing an ARR song at a college culturals where He was one of the judges(Ahem)? 
• Did you spend an entire day/ week/ month listening to one ARR song?
• Did you dedicate an ARR song on Pepsi Ungal Choice as a surprise for your favourite person?
• Was there an ARR favourite song of someone in your family who is no longer around? And you remember them every time you hear it?

I invite you, dear readers, to tell me your favourite memory of a Rahman song, in a paragraph or two along with a song - Hindi, Tamil, English, Telugu, Kannada, Malayalam...It’s your choice!

Do mail your memories to blogeswari(at)gmail(dot)com. I'd prefer it if you could write a separate post than sharing your memory in the comments section. You could reach out to me on instagram or on twitter. Join me on this beautiful walk down Rahman lane.

Edited to add, on 15th August 2020: We've stopped accepting guest posts due to the overwhelming response. Thank you.

PS - Comments are moderated.

That '70s show - Ungalil Oruthi

I love '70s, particularly when it comes to Tamizh films.
This is the decade of epic films by Sivakumar, Lakshmi, Jai Ganesh, Sujatha, Muthuraman, Jai Sangar, Thengai Srinivasan, K.R.Vijaya, AVM Rajan, Suruli Rajan, Ennatha Kannayya etc.
Also this is a decade, where one could see a glimpse of Madras of the '70s - the occasional car that would drive past Mount Road or the occasional human who'd be walking along in one familiar Madras road.

As a true fan of '70s films, I've decided to watch some epic padams and write about them. Today's film is 'Ungalil Oruthi'

Kya Re... Setting a?

Sujatha whose parents died off long ago, lives with her uncle, aunt, cousin.

They don't want her to get married, reject all proposals. But.. but…take money from ‘Ennatha Kannaiya’ and try one setup with Sujatha at their house only.

She beats ‘Ennatha’ who runs away. Sujatha moves out.

3 Idiots

Randomly, 3 men - Suruli Rajan, Thangavelu, R.S. Manohar make unwelcome advances at Sujatha and she invites them home, calls the police to teach them a lesson.

But after cop comes… she decides to lets them go.

But these men being villains hold a grudge against her.

When Sujatha became Sowcar

In the meantime, for some 1 hour, Sujatha cries.. and cries about.. what…I don’t know. Her neighbour Mr. hideous wig and Kannadi, Sivakumar falls in love with her and goes around calling himself her purusan. Sujatha is thrown out of her job thanks to him, but she falls in love with him. Wow, surprise!

Remember the 3 villains? They’re back and now they hatch a plot and convince Sivakumar that Sujatha is a sex worker.

Here's a pic of the louly Sivakumar from the film, for all of you.

I'm a Baaaaadddd Cousin

She is arrested and is thrown into a Remand home. She meets a lot of other "bad" women singing a song… She also meets her cousin! Vogaad, her cousin is a cigarette smoking-drinking bad girl who was also a sex worker. Sujatha escapes the home and hides in Jai Ganesh’s house. 

Wiggypedia

Forgot to say, this Jai Ganesh made his appearance in the first scene I don’t know why. Cops are on the lookout for Sujatha. She vows to ‘serthuvechify’ her cousin and Jai Ganesh. She vows to prove to the world is not ‘Vibaccchaaareeeee’. She hatches a plot with Mr.hideous wig, her lover Sivakumar. Yeah she is back with Sivakumar although he got her arrested calling her a ‘Vibachareeee’.

Pure Tamizh Ponnu

After long, tiring scenes, the three villains are exposed at her wedding where she calls the entire town. Ofcourse one old man had to call her ‘Vibachareeee’ and she puts one long dialogue that she is not one and she is ‘Pure’.

Oh that "bad" cousin doesn't smoke-drink and is a "good cousin" now & is in lou with Jai Ganesh.

There is also Manorama for kaamedy.

Final Verdict

Excellent, must-watch film for Tamizh pen-ness, empty Madras roads and Sivakumar's wig.

Subham.