1st November 1986 - Silver Screen Showcase of K Balachander's 'Punnagai Mannan' consisting of the rain number 'Vaan Megam'
Within a span of just 2 and half months from each other, came out 2 of Tamil Cinema's evergreen classics for the ages dedicated to the theme of rain and clouds. They were totally unrelated to each other but have uniquely stood the test of time by being custodians of 2 of the greatest rain compositions to have ever been churned.
Both coincidentally had visuals of a young bubbly cherubic extroverted 20 year old actress Revathi dancing gleefully in the rain and both of the songs were set to tune by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja. I've never found it easy to cherry pick one over the other and every time I try, the alternate one suddenly cuts across a chord from out of nowhere by stunning and leaving you bamboozled from out of the blue by unravelling new layers all together. Thus the best I could do was simply refrain and not choose only.
1986 was an absolutely glorious landmark year when it came to Tamil Film Music. Both these soundtracks were simply phenomenal standalone curating genres of tunes that are lived and loved to this very day. The Maestro had just completed 10 years in the industry and to commemorate that feat, he teamed up with the legendary composer MS Viswanathan to deliver an out of the world album in the form of Mella Thiranthathu Kathavu which incidentally released right in the middle of both Mouna Ragam & Punnagai Mannan in the month of September 1986.
The year of 1986 also saw the release of one of my all time favourite compositions in the form of 'Un Paarvaiyile Oor Aayiram' from Amman Kovil Kizhakkale. This is one song which has never ceased to amaze. Also on the very same day of Punnagai Mannan, there was the release of Aruvadai Naal that had the magnificent hymn filled number Devanin Kovil which rings goosebumps even when listened today.
Coming to the 2 main songs in the theme of rain, Raaja captures the splash of water and sprinkles of rain through invincible profusion of bass. Both these are absolute bass bazookas and you'd be gobsmacked paying attention to the lines that parallelly traverse in the background giving the much needed pep to the kick of rain generated by nature. Revathi dances like a child soaked and drenched in the water and that pretty much induces the same aural feel when listened to it even now.
Documenting memorable puddles of nostalgia straddling back all the way 40 years prior to 1986 that witnessed the creation of 2 of the most mind blowing musical memoirs dedicated to Lord Varuna. Honestly I still haven't decided which one is even slightly better over the other with both entitling moods of joy and a sensation of dance derived by default from the natural element of rain water.
