Deepavali 2000 Mini Music Reviews

Deepavali 1999 was just incredible for Tamil Cinema.  If Deepavali ever stood for mass appeal and masala movie fares, the music was reflective of just that.  Shankar's Mudhalvan, with its highlights, Shakalakka Baby, Uppu Karuvaadu & Azhagaana Ratchasiyae; Bharathiraja's Taj Mahal with Sotta Sotta Nanayudhu, Eechi Elumichchi, Thirupaachi AruvaaLe, and to top it all off, the song that was on everybody's lips: Hello's Salaam gulaamu gulaamu salaam gulaamu, naan sight-adikkira Shalini-ke salaam gulaamu, which sky rocketed Sukhwindar Singh to stupendous heights.  Even a bland song like Mookuththi Muthazhagu from Kannuppada Poguthaiyyaa was received with open hands last year.  Can Deepavali 2000 repeat the same magic? 

PriyamaanavaLe: The Vijay-Simran pair is counting on its blessings from  ThuLLaadha Manamum ThuLLum, back in January 1999.  Unfortunately, this time around there isn't an Inisai paadi varum, recycled tune from S.A.Rajkumar.  Instead, S.A.R. has provided a boring fare filled with cliched and vulgar lyrics by Vaali, the forced Vijay & Anuradha Sriram number (Mississippi Nadhi), the Sukhwindar kolai paattu and two numbers by Hariharan and Mahalakshmi (both resembling the slow and tedious KannukkuLe unnai vaiththaen Kannamma! from Pennin Manadhai Thottu - yet another catastrophic venture by you-know-who).  Shankar Mahadevan is out to botch his good name with songs like June July Maadhdhathil along with Harini.   If anyone is ready to file a petition to sue Producer R.B.Choudhri and Director Vikraman for giving S.A.R. a comeback with Poovae Unakkaaga, now is the time to do it, AND I will be the first one to sign it!  What's more, I still have to review Piriyaadha Varam Vendum & Vanna Thamizh Paattu by S.A.R.  Ellaam en thalai yezhuththu :-(  Deva, where are you? :-)   I'd rather review a few gaana paattus instead! Priyam-illaadhavaLe!

Thenaali:  To some extent, even Rahman veriyargal agree that Thenaali is not ARR's best work to date. BUT the truth is, these are indeed the best set of masala songs this Deepavali, not only reflective of the Deepavali season but also of a typical Kamal comedy film.  Ingirungo Ingirungo, sung vivaciously by Chitra and Kamalahassan takes a few listens, but the trumphets become infectious in no time.   So is the case with the heavily orchestrated Athini Chithini by Hariharan and Chitra Sivaraman. The kiliyae kiliyae portion of this song appears odd at first, but try listening to this song in a car's cassette player; you would find it very hard to control your speed.  Athini Chithini is the adrenaline pumper this Deepavali (and I can attest to that :-).  Swaasamae by Sadhana Sargam and S.P.Balasubramaniam and PorkkaLam by Gopika Poornima and Srinivas are mellow numbers and muster some respect.  Somehow, the more you listen to PorkkaLam Karthikraja's Thoodhu sellu ilam poonguyilae from Maannikkam comes to mind.  Sujatha's voice mirrors that of S.Janaki in her earlier years in her rendition of Alaanggatti Mazhai.  The AyyOdaa chorus by Babies Silon Rath and Saranya is catchy and overall, the song has the potential of earning a few brownie points with a good picturization.  A.R.Rahman's Thenaali score is very similar to his work in Alaipaayuthey and Kanukondaen Kandukondaen in that it requires multiple listenings to even begin to appreciate the music. Suggestion: just listen to PriyamaanavaLae first, you WILL WANT TO listen to Thenaali over and over again! :-)  Thenaali Paravaali!

KaNNukku KaNNaaga: Deva is at his unbearable best in this album.  Obviously, this is neither a Maniratnam or Sivashakthi Pandian production nor a Director Vasanth flick in order to have humungous expectations of the Isai Thenral.  Unnikrishnan brings the needed pep for the Anandham anandham pongum veedu number along with Krishnaraj and Sujatha, which would be a very ordinary song if it weren't for the singers.   Kaaveri Aathangarai by Deva requires no comment. Please read the comments on S.A.Rajkumar's singing in VaNNathamizh Paattu and apply the same to Deva's singing in this album.  Computer Graphics with Anu Sriram's shrill voice and Kuliradikkudhu by S. Janaki and Krishnaraj provide usual fares in music. ThuLi ThuLi is a melodious number by Sujatha, but no great shakes. KaNNukku KaNNaaga.. maybe.. definitely NOT Kaadhukku Kaadhaaga! 

VaNNaththamizh Paattu: ORDINARY... is synonymous to this album, yet again by S.A.Rajkumar.   S.A.R. figures that with PriyamaanavaLae and VaNNaththamizh Pattu releasing this Deepavali, atleast one or two songs will become a hit by some kind of fluke.  This P.Vasu flick appears to be just another village background potboiler and Rajkumar has not bothered much to score anything exceptional.  There is a standard Oh ha Oh ha, nilaavil Oor uranga, number by Mano and Chitra.   Nothing exciting to say the least. One slow number by Hariharan (yenna solli paaduvaen) and one atrocious number by S.A.Rajkumar (in which he sounds like a beggar because of singing through his nose!) add to the battered list of songs.  There is a supposed playful song with Srinivas and Anuradha Sriram, Vilayaattu Vilayaattu, is relatively fast-paced and appears to be the only decent song in this album (thanks to a more fast-paced version of Malligai Poovae from Unnidaththil Ennai Koduththaen).  The beats in Velichcham adikkidhadi by Hariharan goes on similar lines as the Inji iduppazhagi from Devar Magan.   The song is uninspired in orchestration and is forced to serve as a standard Prabhu number where he describes his dream girl (a la Ennavendru Sollvadhamma in Rajakumaran and PeNNalla PeNNalla in Uzhavan!) Obviously, the latter two are leagues ahead of the SAR number.  Vaana kadhavugalai by Shankar Mahadevan with the introduction sung by S.A.Rajkumar is actually worth one listen. Of course, this number is a standard uruval from the famous Ilaiyaraja village numbers from yester years.   But then again, what else can you expect from S.A.Rajkumar?  VaNNa - not really!  Thamizh - no terrible pronounciations except for SAR! Paattu - there are supposed to be six.

Seenu, Vaanavil & Snegithiyae mini music reviews coming soon!

Sandya

Original Photographs: Audio cassette, CD covers & Anandha Vikatan
Photograph scanned by: Sandya