Raja Paarvai

'80s oLiyum Oliyum (OO) was very special. This was the era when the only one thing we had to worry was about whether we were allowed to switch on TV at the right time on Fridays. We had a slogam session on Fridays at home, in Madras where slogams would be recited by the entire family and at the end of it there was Kalpooram - Arathi.  If we were lucky, the slogam recital would begin at 7.00 and end just in time for oLiyum Oliyum. If we were not, oLiyum Oliyum was missed. The starting time was not in our hands because it depended on the convenience of many makkals.  

The '70s OO playlist featured epic songs viz. Vasantha Kaala NadigaLile with a scary Rajini, Kannan Oru Kaikuzhandai with Sivakumar being Sivakumar, Kaadhal Vandiruchi with a Sridevi as we knew her minus the Bollywood Dhoom Dhaam.

The '80s OO playlist was ruled by Azhagiye Kanne, Oru Thanga Radathil, Kanmaniye Kaadhal Enbadhu etc. There was this one song that was on super high rotate and the one I would eagerly wait for. And the OO version always started with this Chorus "..Panivizhum pozhidinil..." (which unfortunately is missing from the ones available on streaming platforms) and move into the 'Dum Dum Dum.. Dinchak Dinchak' beats and the chorus  'Woh Woh Woh Woh..." would begin. Thalaivan SPB would come on screen to sing "Andhi Mazhai...". Ahaa! The inexplicable feeling of listening to the song!

Andhi Mazhai is my go-to Ilaiyaraaja song for everything, anything. In college when one had to prepare for Antakshari  with songs beginning from 'A', this topped the list. 

A few years later, when I had to create a question bank for a TV Game show as a director, one of the entry level questions was to name the Carnatic Vocalist in this song. Decades later, as a professional music curator, this song was a permanent fixture in all playlists possible - Ilaiyaraaja's, '80s, Songs shot in Madras, SPB's, All time Classics etc. Recently as part of Lockdown Vettiness, I'd put one Karaoke almost everyday and send it to immediate family and close friends (no escape, paavam). Andhi Mazhai was the first to be recorded there as well. I'm also vetti-ly curating a few playlists as part of the 'Lockdownil....' series. The latest is 'Lockdowinil Vasantha' with songs based on Vasantha. Do check it out before I mention the obvious.

Yesterday, popular media personality and producer, Subhashree Thanikachalam, as part of her rare songs series presented the Instrumental Piece from Raja Paarvai. I remember watching the film in '81-'82 with cousins, one late evening. I haven't seen this film being telecast on satellite channels nor on OTT platforms. Thought I must watch the film, after 39 years.

In the '70s and '80s, we knew him as Kamalahaasan or Kamal the handsome, talented, award-winning hero. Not as Kamal Saar or Kamal Haasan. In Raja Paarvai he also credits himself as Haasan.K. Raja Paarvai was an '81 release and this talented hero was already starring in his 100th film, as the blind violinist Raghu. He wore the very 'retro' type shirt-pant and taught us accented Englees. He didn't put over acting like Sivaji nor there were action scenes like Rajini padams. This was pure Kamal Gold padam.

And the heroine Nancy was the Oh-so-beautiful Madhavi with lovely eyes. She was one of those naturally beautiful actors who has die-hard fan boyz Thaathas even now.

Some of the scenes were set in a rich Besant Nagar - Adayar makkal's house of the '80s with wallpaper through and through that we had seen only in films including Thillu Mullu.

Some '80s elements like 'Thadangaluku Varundugirom' with the pazhaya Ro.  Green PTC & empty roads....

The strict (and quite relatable) Nancy's Appa played by Dhanushkodi taught me the first posh English word "Ridiculous". One knew all the trivia connected to Raja Paarvai viz. Kamal's father was played by Chandrahaasan, the film was Kamal's100th, the Thaatha was someone called L.V.Prasad who we were told was a big producer / director / actor, the kid was Kamal's nephew (was he?) and the singer in 'Andhi Mazhai' was SPB himself and the alapanai voice in Andhi Mazhai was Ilaiyaraaja's Guru,T.V.Gopalakrishnan.

Loved watching Raja Paarvai  yesterday, after 39 years. The film still looks so so good. The ad-film lover and former ad-film professional in me was over joyed when Wiki Akka mentioned Barun Mukherjee / Barun da as the cinematographer of this film. I thought it was Balu Mahendra until then.

If you're vetti (and I know you are), I'd urge you to watch this Classic and moozhgify in a bit of nostalgia with me. Even in the '80s, was quite disappointed to know that it was a commercial failure for Kamal & his brothers. And ya, we were also to blame for it for we as a family saw it on 'Thiruttu' VCR.

PS - Since now every film has this 'What after 20 years/ 40 years?' articles, here's my contribution for 39 years after Raja Paarvai.
If Raghu (Kamal) and Nancy (Madhavi) had a daughter then, she would be one of those Rich Ezhais  in her late 30s living in her own independent house in R.A.Puram, Terracotta tiles on the walls, Aathangudi tiles on the floor, hosting Christmas and Diwali parties in her p0sh house.

Oh yes, she'd definitely have close to 60-70k followers on instagramam, all thanks to her one-new-saree-Or-Dress-a-day and match match jewelry all bought from over-priced Instagramam stores.
Raghu continues to be a regular in Super Singer, Subhashree Thanikachalam's shows, Indiaglitz, Behindwoods video interviews as the one who played Violin for epic songs. Nancy runs one JFW type magazine and is a regular at film parties, writing about Vignesh Shivn's latest whatsapp status, for Sify.

Culturals

With music playing out 24*7 home when running/ cycling/ swimming/ tweeting/ eating, have been listening to pretty much one set of songs for sometime now. Hence, I try and change the playlist frequently to avoid monotony.

Back in college and school, during culturals, there was a particular set of songs on high frequency renditions. Every second school or college band / individual going up on stage would end up singing the same song and the audience would "Boooo" as soon as the singing started. Not many people realize a hit song need not necessarily (even if it is sung well) win them prizes. Don't know what exactly works but the judges always look for the "Yo" moment in the song has when sung live on stage. It could be in the lyrics, a humming or even an instrumental bit.


In  Oruvan Oruvan mudalaaLi from Muthu. The "Yo" moment of the song is SPB singing "Hayhayhay hay" the "Tattadadattada Tadadatt toing" starts.


In yet another favourite song of mine, it is the lyrics. Watch at 0:29-0:37


Here are some of the songs I have grown up singing / listening to during school and college culturals.

1. ILAMEYUNNUM POONGATRE

(not linking the original video which is TERRIBLE)

This was an anthem of sorts for the professional college bands of Madras in the 80s and 90s competing in Mardigras (now Saarang at IIT Madras). I guess this song was most sought after because it gave an equal opportunity to the singer (especially during "ore veenai" with ore da feel), the percussionists, the keyboardists to showcase their talent.

2. TAMTANA NAMTANA

Our Economics teacher in school was also in-charge of training the music choir. She would teach and train our band for the various cultural events. Apparently while she was in school/ college she'd play the Veenai for this song when her band sang the same on stage. She promptly passed on all that she learnt to us. Still remember listening to this song again and again on a,cassette trying to learn it in a day. And this was not an easy number though the tune is fairly simple. Listen to the song. In both the first and second stanzas, you have a humming going in the background when the main singing (Sillena melliya & Sindanai Ambugal) happens in the foreground. Quite difficult to concentrate on stage and sing your bit since there are a set of others parallely singing the humming. Wouldn't say we always won the first place, but we were placed second or third whenever we sang this. When I moved to college and participated in Antakshri, once our team given the letter 'Ta'. Started singing this song . Usually in Antakshari the host stops you after 30 seconds or so. But this time he let me sing the entire bit (to check if I was able to complete the song) and I managed to do so ,with thunderous applause. Do listen to the Tamizh version but not before watching the #gvlt version here. I personally think it sounds better in Telugu but I wonder why Illayaraja did away with my favorite background humming bit during the stanzas. The videos are so typically Bharathiraja with the background dancers in white clothes. Really pity them)

3. SUNDARI NEEYUM

Not exaggerating, but every second girl (out of the 100+) that went up on stage in the screening before the finals in the inter-departmental culturals sang this song. The judges were fatigued at the end of 3 hours. And this was not even a song to sing for a solo competition.

4.  MAASI MAASAM

This song is extremely close to my heart. This is the song that got me, a two month old fresher  become a celebrity overnight, in college. During the inter-departmental culturals my Senior in college (AM) asked me to learn this song and I thought it was going to be a group rendition. Was in for a shock when she mentioned I was going to sing the male bits of Yesudoss and she the female portion. Was so not confident because I had never sung solo except in the bathroom, till then. Was always a Gumbaloada Govinda wherein most of the times (esp. when one had to go high pitch) I'd just vaaya asachufy. Even while practising I was very sure it was going to be an #epicfail moment on stage.

On the day of the interdepartmental culturals competing with 16 other teams on August 27th, I was tense.. very very tense. It was a sensuous number and we had ore da build up when AM started with her "ssss..aaaa" and all that with the drum beats ably assisting her.  She started with "Maasi maasam aalana ponnu maaman Unakku taane.." and I entered trembling with my mike singing "Poovodu aaaa.. taen-aada.. ". And boy! there was a super duper applause. We ended up singing it in all inter collegiate culturals and winning prizes. Might sound pompous but post this started the trend of female singers with a katta koral like mine singing the male bits in inter-college and school culturals.

5. TAMIZHA TAMIZHA

A beautiful composition by the one and only #God. Super special to me . This was a hit song within our college premises when we sang during the inter-departmental culturals. The team that won the inter-departmental got to represent college at the inter-collegiate competitions. That year (and every year :-)) we won the inter-departmentals and we were at an inter-collegiate Women's Christian College's culturals singing this. And guess who the judge was? The man himself - ARR! We had the guts (timir!) to sing it for Him, infront of Him. We were super thrilled when He awarded us the second prize. The "Yo" moment of the song is when Hariharan comes back to say "Tamizha Tamizha ...Kangal Kalangade"

6. MINSARA POOVE

I see a lot of teams singing this on television shows. Some of them do a brilliant job of it. Don't remember the show but it was on Sun tv and this team did a fantastic version of this song. One of my favorites and an apt song for competitions especially for the female singer. The "Yo" moment is the grand finale with both the Jadis and female singer singing simultaneously. 

7. POONGADAVE, PANIVIZHUM

I'm categorizing these two under the 'India tolaikkatchigalil 100 murayaga' category. God knows how many many many times we would've practised these songs in college. When we didn't have time to learn a new song for college culturals, we would end up singing this. Not just us, the college juniors were forced to learn these when our band was asked to 'coach' them.

  8. RAASATHI 

Had Rahman heard us, he would've cried... buckets. In all our enthuness, we took up this song and messed it up big time.

9. OORU SANAM

Every girl eyeing the first prize in culturals, would sing this in school....

 10... competing against the one who'd sing this one

TOONGADA VIZHIGAL 

Infact, a friend of ours in the band was so good at Toongada Vizhigal that every time when she'd practise and sing the "Aaaaa" bit at the end of the stanza, we would say "inga applause varum". This, when sung well was a sure-shot winner during Culturals.

These days every time I listen to a new Tamizh song, I analyse its 'Culturalability' meaning if it can be sung by a band/ individual in school/ college culturals and help them win prizes. Not all songs that are hits are 'culturalable'. In the recent hits, I think this one, when sung well can win the singer laurels.

11. SARA SARA SAARA KATHU

12. One song which I never thought was 'culturalable' was making the rounds on the internet as a 'Culturals song' sometime ago. Ending this post with a wonderful choir rendition of an (almost) solo number. Love their singing. Enjoy ! 

BALLEILAKKA