Mouna Ragam Trio - Pani Vizhum, Mandram Vandhu & Nilave Vaa

Mouna Ragam is an absolutely special movie and rightfully termed as a cult classic. The soundtrack is bejeweled with studs aplenty with each song showcasing some sort of brilliance or other. Also there is no describable level in which one can pay homage to the re-recording which elevates the scenes to such a meteoric manner.

On the occasion of it hitting 35 years since it's day of release on 15th Aug 1986, I just decided to try a small hand at playing bits of my 3 favorite pieces from this momentous soundtrack namely Pani Vizhum Iravu, Mandram Vandhu and Nila Ve Vaa. These just happen to be little phrases covering mostly the middle and opening portions and just randomly connecting the dots to straddle from one portion to another. It's just my humble attempt to say thank you to the movie, music and memories. Remembering 35 years of the magic that is Mouna Ragam.

Chinna Chinna Vannakuyil - A Mastery touch of Bass!

This was one of the earliest tracks that completely baffled me especially with respect to usage of Bass. The bazooking harmony which goes in parallel with the main tune has some sort of magical tonic and has always left me in bewilderment with the cohesion effect of how everything unifies and creates a picturesque synergy. This again is just one among a bunch of tip of the iceberg creations that involve the bass component. Many of Raaja's vintage compositions sprinkle bass in profusion and though these tones more or less play a supporting role, they elevate the content of the main melody by a significant notch. They sound so rich simply stand alone and when combined with the song reaches proportions of enormity that emanates a feeling of ecstacy when listening to the number.

This particular song apart from the employment of the trademark bass, Janaki Amma also does an astute job touching all the right chords and traversing on a merry ride along the way. The soundtrack is studded with treasure in abundance and this song surprisingly is the underplayer. However in terms of class it well and truly deserves itself to be held in high esteem.

I attempted a portion of the song beginning from the Charanam portion and connecting back to the Pallavi. There are some lovely little phrases which are a bit difficult to render but just attempted whatever I could to the wee best of my ability. This is a small labour of love to the creaters of this masterpiece who both happen to celebrate their birthdays on the same day - Director Mani Ratnam and Musical Wizard Ilaiyaraaja.

What's the sound at this time - Enna Satham Indha Neram!

If you're wondering what's the sound at this time, it's Enna Satham Indha Neram. This iconic song was composed for the movie Punnagai Mannan by Ilaiyaraaja and rendered masterfully by SPB. It is based on the Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and I just simply love the way IR plays with the notes alternately juxtaposing between both the Rishabham's and Gandharam's not diluting the essence one bit. Your fingers have to undergo a convoluted shift to play this and there are good chances of going wrong but the love of the blues of the melody makes you attempt a shot. The composition also traverses effortlessly back& forth with some jumpy notes across octaves providing a sparkle and the charanam acts as the perfect bridge connecting the pallavi. It's been an immensely long time since I touched the veena which has been lying in the home abandoned. Just tried an amateur version by playing this number, hope it wasn't too bad. 

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If you're wondering what's the sound at this time, it's Enna Satham Indha Neram. This iconic song was composed for the movie Punnagai Mannan by Ilaiyaraaja and rendered masterfully by SPB. It is based on the Sindhu Bhairavi ragam and I just simply love the way IR plays with the notes alternately juxtaposing between both the Rishabham's and Gandharam's not diluting the essence one bit. Your fingers have to undergo a convoluted shift to play this and there are good chances of going wrong but the love of the blues of the melody makes you attempt a shot. The composition also traverses effortlessly back& forth with some jumpy notes across octaves providing a sparkle and the charanam acts as the perfect bridge connecting the pallavi. It's been an immensely long time since I touched the veena which has been lying in the home abandoned. Just tried an amateur version by playing this number, hope it wasn't too bad. #ennasatham #indhaneram #punnagaimannan #1986 #IR #SPB #melody #veena #sindhubhairavi #song #composition #charanam #pallavi #iconic #random #amateur

A post shared by Rajiv Shankar (@rajiv_revel) on May 17, 2017 at 6:39pm PDT

30 years of Mella Thiranthathu kadhavu!

It's 30 years to the day (Sept 12th 1986) since 2 Musical Messiah's - 'Mellisai Mannar and Maestro' joined together to present a monstrous and memorable soundtrack 'Mella Thiranthathu kadhavu'. It was a melange of magnificence with each of the compositions being special in their own right.

MSV's lilting tunes embellished with Raaja's orchestral layering gave it the much desired synchronisation which has continued to haunt the listeners down the years. Everytime I get to hear the interludes in Thedum kann Paarvai makes me gobsmacked. Vaa Vennila is such an everlasting delightful melody, Kuzhaloothum Kannanukku is the quintessential evergreen romantic lullaby, Dil Dil Manadhil shows how fun waltz can be, Ooru Sanam just the initial couple of lines is enough to transcend you to another plane and Sakarakattikku gives the rustic local folk twang.

It's hard to fathom powerhouses of any kind combining for a project and this movie is indeed a significant milestone in the annals of Tamizh Cinema for bringing 2 legendary Musical Mughals to work in a movie together for the first time. And boy, they made it count by delivering a monumental musical chapter, one for the ages.