There was a slight drizzle out on the drive up to work this morning and it semed the perfect setting for this song that’s been humming in my head a few days now.
Kamalhassan, SPB and IR. Favorites all the way. Love the song, the setting, the music, and the lyrics. Quite the perfect mix of all elements that make a good visual into an experience.
Azhaghey Azhaghu from the same movie is spectacular of course, but that’s for another day.
[youtube=http://youtube.com/watch?v=lynq4hhDEAQ&feature=related]
Moments that bring a smile on my face:
1:20 -1:40 – spb’s The voice is just divine!
3:15 – 3.50 – the play of it all
and the words – Manmadha ambugal thaitha idangalil, Sandhanamai enai posugiren
Does anyone else feel the lyrics carry affection, love, sensuality and desire all rolled into one?
***
Movie: Raaja Paarvai (1981)
Language: Tamil
Singer: SPB, Janaki
Music Director: Ilayaraja
Lyricist: Vairamuthu
Actors: Kamal Hassan, Madhavi
Andhi mazhai pozhigiradhu
Ovvuru thuliyilum un mugam therigiradhu
Indiran thottathu mundhiriye
Manmadha naatukku mandhiriye
Thenil vandu muLgum podhu
Paavam endru vandhal mAdhu
Nenjukul theeyai vaithu mogam enbai
Thanneeril muLgikkonde thaagam enbai
Thanimayile verumayile ethanai n
Aladi ila mayile
Kettana iravugal suttana kanavugal
Imaigalil sumaiyadi ila mayile
Thegam yaavum theeyin thAgam
ThAgam theera nee thaan megam
Kannukul mullai vaithu yaar vaithathu
Thanneril nirkum podhe verkinrathu
Nenjukoru konjamidhu thaavani visirigal veesugiren
Manmadha ambugal thaitha idangalil
Sandhanamai enai posugiren
Andhi mazhai pozhigiradhu
Ovvuru thuliyilum un mugam therigiradhu
Sippiya thappiya nithilame
Ragasiya ratiri puthagamey
***
I’d thought I’d chip in a translation, but gave up after reading the english words again. Didn’t think I made justice.. sorry non-tamils. Maybe next time.
The last line starts with “ragasiya”. Yes, it’s a nice song. I heard this at an age when I did not understand any of the lyrics, and I haven’t realized all these years what they really were 🙂
Shall we say, old songs never die, their memories just fade away?
One of my favorite Tamil songs; IR at his best. I had never seen the video before.
Interesting lyrics too – IR’s music is so good that I had never paid full attention to the lyrics before. Reading them, especially the ones that talk to paradoxes (“Thanneeril muLgikkonde thaagam enbai”, “Thanneril nirkum podhe verkinrathu”) reminded me of the Kishore song “Chingari Koi Bhadke”, where the lyrics talk of similar paradoxes (saawan jo aag lagaaye, usay kaun bujhaaye). Two very different sentiments, but using similar visuals.
The only line in the lyrics that always cracks me up: “Indiran thottathu mundhiriye”. If my Tamil is not totally whacked, doesn’t it translate to “O cashew growing in Indra’s garden?” 😀
You really should post the English translation.
BPSK: It’s precisely for jokes like the one you cracked that stops me from posting a translation 😀
It isn’t the literal meaning we artsy folks care about 😛
Lekhni: Could be. Maybe with this song and perhaps it didn’t really make an impact with you. Memories are more likely built when there is a certain something that we can relate it to. A feeling that we experienced when that event happened for the very 1st time.
Sometimes I think old songs are the best not just for how they appeal to us, but more so coz they take us back to a part which we can always look back nicely upon. At least I think so.. 🙂
Rads..beleive it or not, I loaded this song onto my mobile last eveng :). BTW I have a good & rare collection of IR songs in my mailbox, if ur interested I can mail them to u. 🙂 Nothing much, I cud play the driver down ur memory lane 🙂
And wow I heard this is an awesome book that ur into now…lotta suspense I heard…so are u chewing it or read at a gentle pace?
Ah! divine! detailed comment to follow later – minor nitpick 1:20 – 1:40 is not SPB! Its TV Gopalakrishnan.
deitaDi: U mean the Huindusthani aalaap right?
Praveen: Yes yes, that aalapana – That’s the cool part. Though of course major goof up crediting it to SPB. Not that he couldn’t do it, but he didn’t I suppose. I trust deitaDi with anything to do with IR, eyes closed. 🙂
Yes, book’s so far quite nice. It’s going at a chewing the cud pace, coz the munchkin’s decided it’s hers and doesn’t let me read it. So I wait till she sleeps and then run through it.
Thanks for the offer on rare gems of IR, I might just take you up on it 🙂
deitaDi: Edo tappayipoyindi mahaprabhu! Am just an ardent spb fan, so 😛
Gee I never realized Kamal looked so smart in this movie :–) Love the song. Music is the only thing that we can listen over and over, from the 80s, owing to IL, but I cant watch those movies again without laughing, of course. :–)
Memories are more likely built when there is a certain something that we can relate it to
true, the song here is something like an index or appendix which references to a particular incident or experience or chapter of life
thanks for sending me on a 1 hour youtubing trip of IR songs
Pavan: hehe, you more than welcome. 🙂
index, appendix, references – okay, we all know u code for a living 😛
On a completely relevant bizarre note, I don’t consider myself a programmer, but I think I came up with something more “nerdier” than your line. That alone makes me nervous 😐
SK: So true! ..and yes, Kamal’s quite the handsome dude. Am a huge drool-party for him! 🙂
Nowadays, more and more people are coming forward to post their ideas going inside their mind. It is really a
very good thing, to bring out the thoughts to the world. Who knows, this may be very much useful for someone
else.You make a Really Good Work . Keep Going . All the Best .
If you find time kindly visit my site also regarding tamil mp3 songs for free download at http://www.movies-tv-songs.com/
Thanks in advance.
kadavaley, you being a book worm, I refered to index as in a book 🙂
Pavan: aah, then you oughta have referenced chapters and bibliography 😛
santhosh: er, Thank you?
Love this song…kamal look his best!!!
I recently saw this dubbed in Telugu 🙁
…and again…Music has no language. Beautiful!!!
DS: Yes yes! 🙂
Madhu: LOL, repeat after me – “I know the original language, I shall never watch a dubbed version ever, if I do, please come kick me!” :-p
Raaja rocks. Thanks for reminding one again of this gem. 🙂
I have to agree with Pavan when he says that songs index chapters of one’s life.
And am sure deitaDi will know this, but there is at least one more IR song that has a similar alaap from TVG (if I am right). And that song’s been in the news as recently as last year. Check this out.
Since you set me off on a IR rush now, this is one of my favs.
Enchanting music & Enticing lyrics! My older bro’s fav…gradually grew on me too 🙂
ps: i so want that umbrella from the song 🙂
wt: lol, yess, that was the thought I had too when I saw the song for the first time 🙂
Anantha: Those 2 songs brought back some memories. The Kannada one lesser of course 🙂
anantha: Yep, thats TVG! Ah, chittukuruvi! and counterpoint techinque in that song. soooper 🙂
Rads: The connection that anantha was alluding to, is this – http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UARA7kHabLA
A little tidbit is in order. This was the song that caused Vairamuthu to swear never to work with Raja again. Raja had criticized that V was an idiot to have written “ovvoru thuliyilum un mugam therigiradhu” (Your face is seen in every drop) when the hero is blind.
I agree with Raja.
Lakshmi: Ah, see, for a poet [a lyricist is essentially one] there’s a license that’s imperative to use. Re that line – Vairamuthu was exercising it. Completely.
ovvoru thuliyilum un mugam therigiradhu” (Your face is seen in every drop)
This isn’t a literal line, as in a visually handicapped Kamal could obviously not ‘see’ Madhavi’s face in each raindrop. Doubt any of us with perfect vision can too, but that’s where art allows one to see and visualize something above and beyond practicality and reality. Poems allow for such variances.
The reference is to what a blind Kamal imagines to see – he sees with his mind, imagination and his other heightened senses to make up for his visual loss.
I am just surprised IR said what he did. Being an excellent hi-caliber artist himself, he would’ve obviously understood Vairamuthu’s references. Am pretty sure was soemthing else..
my 2 cents.
DeitaDi: Ahh, alright! haven’t seen Cheeni Kum yet. 🙂
http://jaydei.wordpress.com/2011/07/30/anthi-mazhai-lyrics-and-translations/ I’ve attempted a translation…