Parama Sundari - Dance Blast!

I am not conversant with most of the recent film songs but this one certainly happens to be an exception. I heard some gloating reviews about this number and realized it indeed was an instant chartbuster the very first time I gave it a listen. It has a contagiously catchy feel to it and keeps growing along as you give it repeated hearings. 

AR Rahman just stepped into his 30th year of film music and the man literally shows in audacious fashion that he is still very much relevant in the music scene. This one's a belter of a rip snorter that makes the listener dance in delight. The elements of desi entwined with funk certainly charms you over leaving one feel mesmerized. 

The song as such is said to be a reflection of the lead character's dreams. Shreya Ghosal does ample justice to the number through her lilting timber capturing the requisite local constituents and elevating the song to a higher pedestal. 

This is a small labour of love to capture the magic that is Parama Sundari. It was fun attempting those opening lines on the bass string which keep chirping in frequently giving an extra pep and zeal. And of course the phrases across the song feel so hard hitting and full of energy. I hope I was able to capture at least a miniscule essence of this gorgeous grand gala composition.

Foot Tapping Chartbuster - Kadhalikkum Pennin Kaigal

This composition was an absolute rage back in the day. The 90s kids especially eulogized this and it struck such a chord with the trendy youths of heyday. It was also a resounding signal that ARR had well and truly arrived capturing the market with continuous back to back hits. This particular soundtrack Kadhalan was a rip roaring chartbuster covering tracks bespangled across diverse genres.

Kadhalikum Pennin is a number hard to pigeonhole into a particular dimension due to it's varied straddles sprawling imminently out and about. At times it feels like a foot tapping dance number but it also shifts pace to a melodic tonal feel with the irrepressible hums smidgeoned all over. And when you least expect it also goes into a classical mold. The legendary SPB shows his versatility in full vigor both as an actor and also singer bringing in the requisite thrills to this song.

I had a bit of fun trying a shot at this feet sweeper. Tried to capture the opening bass lines in the 3rd string which has a reverberating effect. Also it was lovely attempting the veena bit which seeps out of the blue during the interludes. Don't really know if I've done justice but boy was it a riot even to just attempt this trailblazer of a composition.

July Maadham Vandhaal - Get grooving!

This song is just sheer joy. A throwback to ARRs good old early days as a composer where he used to churn out one hit after another along with effortlessly touching upon a multitude of genres. This particular movie Puthiya Mugam didn't fetch the requisite rewards due to being a dampener at the silver screen but the entire soundtrack is curated with exceptionally decorated gems. 

The bits of music that are consecrated across this particular composition is simply pure delight. You just feel like dancing with ecstasy every time the guitar tugs the heart strings with it's superlative phrases. The ample feel good factor is evident across the entire piece.

The song also captures Colombo City in it's mighty glory. My formative years were spent in this beautiful country of Sri Lanka and seeing depictions of Galface, Taj Samudra, BMICH, Independence Square, Buddha Temple etc. bring back fond memories. 

It's the interlude which really blows away in this song with the guitar showcasing it's mastery. The guitar also doubles up as a call & response technique and the riveting interlude portion is an absolute feast. Also not to mention SPB's flawless rendition giving it the much desired zeal. 

I tried attempting a bit of the interlude followed by the charanam and pallavi on the veena. First time trying out the 3rd string to capture the bass element.  Just hope I've been able to capture a miniscule bit of the magic this song is laced upon in all it's vigor.

Malargale - Blooming Musical Flowers!

I always have a sugary soft corner especially with regard to ARR's early day compositions. Growing up, it was almost a ritual to get absorbed in his music in some way or other. He had taken the city of Madras by storm with his sound coming across as not only new age but also endearingly refreshing.

The melody content was sweet and he was always certain of hitting the right chords thereby finding a way into many a youth's heart. The 90s style of music from the junction box of ARR especially the melodic numbers had a honey coated tenderness to it that usually got one flayed and caught up sucking the nectar. 'Malargale Malargale' is a vintage melody that has always been attractive and establishes itself as a charming composition. The charanam portion especially with the subtle gamakas, zigzag phrases and jumpy notes transgressing across octaves adds such a vibrant touch. The lyrics indicate the flowers telling a dream and the music supports it by painting a swirling canvas encapsulated with varied emotional hues.

Just attempted a little portion of the number beginning with my favorite Charanam portion and clawing back thereby to the Pallavi and also mildly straddling along to this hard hitting western bit that gives another contrasting complexion. Today marks 28 years of the entry of the man who captured the generation of the 90s with his swayful music making his debut with Roja which hit silver screens on this very day on the 15th of August 1992. May the music continue to meritoriously mesmerize.

ARR 90's Quarantine Quiz!

Since it being the season of lock down and not much to do except being quarantined, an idea struck to use music as a tool to engage myself and perhaps a few others as well. Also the quarantine seemed to infuse a lot of the 90's memories and I thought what better way than entrusting good old AR Rahman songs by pulling them up from his 90's archives. Thus, I played bits of pieces from ARR compositions from a mobile key app which were mostly from the Charanam or Interludes portion and ended up creating a musical quiz with the same.

Listed below are clips of songs played along with answers for the ARR Insta Quarantine 90's quiz. I am just mentioning them as Song #1,2,3 etc up to 10 and deliberately refraining from naming the song till the very end so that those interested can take an educative guess 😊.

1) Song # 1
Starting proceedings with a song that swept the city of Madras with its razor turbo electronic beats. It was a cult classic and back in the day it had everyone swaying to it as it had the enigma to set the dance floors ablaze.

2) Song # 2
This album was topped with chart busters. However this one is a more melody driven number and happens to be an eternal favorite.

3) Song # 3
This album is studded with gems. Couple of songs are unimaginable melodies. The soundtrack also possesses a Brazilian Samba number but this particular one describes a season 😃. A high octane number with brilliant guitar play.

4) Song # 4
This particular composition is from a mainstream popular movie but somehow this song seems to have been lost in the wind and not talked about much. In essence, it happens to be a really soulful number.

5) Song # 5
This song was an out and out chart topper. it was very popular back in the days in shows such as Pepsi Ungal Choice. This particular portion however is an eerie bit which stealthily creeps in the middle of the number. Take your best shot 😀.

6) Song # 6
This one's an immensely peppy dance number. The costumes unravel a swirl of colors like a rainbow 😃. Any clue about the song would end up being an easy give away but the lyrics of the song however loosely resembles the prevailing quarantine environment 😅

7) Song # 7
I personally believe that this would be the hardest of the lot to guess. The song as such is from a renowned movie but this fleeting bit seeps through in the middle of the composition. Take your best guess 😆.

8) Song # 8
We go back to the good old ARR days. Such a simple song but so much of sweetness smothered all over that you cannot but not fall for it. An evergreen refreshing melody!.

9) Song # 9
This is from an obscure film. Even hardcore ARR fans seem to be unaware of this soundtrack. The song is a lilting melody and you can feel the heart warming effect wrenched all over this beauty💓.

10) Song # 10
And finally the last from the series. This was a masterclass of an album where each of the songs are studs in their own right. Definitely this soundtrack can claim to one of the finest from ARR's staple. This particular composition is soaked and rinsed in melody ♯.

And now time to reveal the answers for the ARR 90s Quarantine Quiz:
1) Chikku Bukku Rayile - Gentleman (1993)
2) Putham Pudhu Bhoomi - Thiruda Thiruda (1993)
3) July Madham - Puthiya Mugam (1993)
4) Kollaiyile Thenai Vaithu - Kadhalan (1994)
5) Vennilave - Minsara Kanavu (1997)
6) Thillana Thillana - Muthu (1995)
7) Varayo Thozhi - Jeans
8) Pennala Pennala - Uzhavan
9) Azhagu Nilavu - Pavithra (1994)
10) En Kadhale - Duet (1994)

Nostalgic Nila Kaigirathu - 25 years of ARR!

Nila Kaigirathu' from Indira is a song which resonates childhood imprints and evokes nostalgic memories from yore. The song has traversed across 20 years but there is still an impish charm and innocence about it that makes you want to revisit it time and again.

This is a composition which is very hard to pigeonhole on a particular raga pattern as ARR generously alternates between the Gandharam's and Madhyamam's with nonchalant ease which perhaps could also be classified as the beautifying factor in this work of art. There are subtle gamakkas and variations which I wanted to explore and hence tried it on a string instrument.

A number that bears testimony to the magic of ARR of the 1990's. Celebrating 25 musical years of A R Rahman!.
P. S : Headphones recommended

♪♫♬♯♭ 25 Musical Years of A R Rahman! ♪♫♬♯♭

During my growing up phase in the 90's, there were 2 fields which attracted me immensely. One being cricket and the other music. 2 gentleman in parallel world's, Sachin Tendulkar and A R Rahman (incidentally both No. 6's 😉) were going about their work in supreme fashion which incidentally criss crossed with my childhood and that had an immense impact on me. Looking back it's hard to believe that 25 years have elapsed since ARR's advent in the musical space.

Personally I have a sugary soft corner for the early and mid 90's compositions where the melodies were simple and sound was profound making him capture a whole generation to dance to his waves. The alternations in the tones creating an unexpected fulminant billowing out from nowhere causing ripples in the minds of the listeners was his true hallmark. His entry was revolutionary and he shook the nation by storm. On our 70th year of independence, we also celebrate 25 musical years of AR Rahman who started his journey with Roja.

I just tried a small sample of some of his vintage 90's compositions which hold a special place in my heart. I am an absolute abecedarian and play purely based on hear. Just did a random unplugged of some of his songs with few own gimmicks thrown here and there. It was a little difficult to play bits and pieces of around 15 songs at a stretch but just tried whatever possible based on my limited expertise. This is at best amateur but I hope it wasn't all that bad. Presenting a small tribute to the man and his music.

Nallai Allai - A humble attempt

Nallai Allai is a recent earworm that has stuck on to me incessantly. Shankarabaranam based melodies always turns me on and this one's as smooth as a soufle and smothered with sugar in abundance. A saccharine sweet melody that gets you hooked on instantly. Feel the magic of this majestic composition by A R Rahman for Mani Ratnam's Kaatru Veliyidai. This is a very humble attempt to try playing this song. I am just an amateur and play purely based on hearing the tone of the melody and I just jangled along using some own chords and movements. Please pardon me for the ignorance. Nalla irundha say, kevalama irundhalum tell.

ARR Concert at Nehru Indoor Stadium!

The ARR concert at the Nehru Indoor Stadium was a mixed bag. The show started off with Vaanga Makka Vaanga rendered by Haricharan even before Rahman made an entry and then the showman arrived in a palanquin to an absolutely deafening roar. The crowd were literally on their feet giving a raptourous welcome and then when he got underway to perform Oorvasi Oorvasi the atmosphere was electrifying.

The unplugged on piano was lovely comprising of Thendrale Thendrale , Anjali Anjali and Netru Illadha Maatram. The choice of selection of songs were good and included a lot of his early 90's which I am extremely fond of and biassed. The thud of the opening Mridangam and the resonating flute bits made Narumugaye delightful , Chandralekha / Mukaala Mukaabala / Kaloori Salai / Endrendrum Punnagai were high octane trailblazing and set the stage on fire , Minsaara Kanna began sedately and then Srinivas and Kalpana unleashed absolute brilliance going forward making it one of the highlights of the show , Aathangaara Marame was cherubic and fun esp with the added attraction of the set , En Kaadhale by Hari and Mano with sax backing brought back childhood memories of repeated listening of this gem in napster & winamp eons ago. In the recent songs Aila Aila acored high where the female singer Natalie who seems to have a dynamic voice range gave an awe inspiring energetic rendition.

The stage set up , lighting and design was top notch and the wonderful array of colors glittering across the venue was a bedazzling spectacle. It was so chic and quirky especially witnessing the fireworks sparkling from the guitars.

There were also a lot of scope for the instrumentalists and they did a fabulous job. Raghav Sachar played sax with elan and Punya Srinivas on the veena along with a duet on the sitar with Azad Khan made Netru Illadha sound even sweeter. Naveen pirichu menjified in his flute portions and Violinist Ganesh took Ennavale and Kedaram to a different plane. Sivamani playing different percussions was entertaining as usual.

However some of the disappointments were the show began extremely late which is happening time and again and there is no excuse for starting a show at quarter to 8 when scheduled for 6.30. There were some off pitching and slip up's by the singers in certain songs , also the sound of the vocals appeared quite jarring at places and to boot were some obviously visible minus one tracks in the background.

Personally would have liked the concert to end with Thai Manne Vanakkam as opposed to a Jai Ho. Despite some of the quibbles overall it was a decent experience and I enjoyed it much more than the previous ARR concert at YMCA in Dec , 2012.

Pros :
- Breathtaking entry by ARR
- Nice selection of songs comprising vintage 90's and fairly recent ones
- Wonderful set design and lighting
- Great scope and performance by instrumentalists and percussionists

Cons :
- Very delayed start and early completion making the concert last less than three hours .. Also ARR being the man of the show not being constantly on stage was a touch disappointing
- Too much time wasting in between songs .. (Thankfully no anchor)
- Going off shruti by singers in quite a few numbers and also missing lines or singing in advance
- Some obvious in your face karaoke tracks

List of Songs :
1) Vaanga Makka Vaanga - Kaaviya Thalaivan
2) Karna Veeran - Kochadaiyaan
3) Oorvasi Oorvasi - Kadhalan
4) Thendrale Thendrale - Kadhal Desam
5) Anjali Anjali - Duet
6) Netru Illadha Maatram - Kadhalan
7) Kannodu Kaanbathellaam - Jeans
8) Narumugaye - Iruvar
9) Rasathi - Thiruda Thiruda
10) Thirai Kaadhu - En Swasa Kaatre
11) Naan En Pirandhen - Coke Studio
12) Sa Re Ga Me - Boys
13) Kanden - Ambikapathy
14) Kalloori Salai - Kadhal Desam
15) Nenjukkule - Kadal
16) En Kadhale - Duet
17) Aathangaara Marame - Kizhakku Seemaiyile
18) Ennavale Adi Ennavale - Kadhalan
19) Nenje Ezhu - Mariyaan
20) Minsara Kanna - Padayappa
21) Konjam Nilavu - Thiruda Thiruda
22) Enge Pogudhe - Kochadaiyaan
23) Oruvan Oruvan Mudhalaali - Muthu
24) Maatram Ondrudhaan - Kochadaiyaan
25) Aila Aila - I
26) Mukaala Mukabala - Kadhalan
27) Endrendrum Punnagai - Alai Payudhey
28) Jai Ho - Slumdog Millionaire

ARR Concert Dec 2012

Last minute decision to attend the ARR concert and I somehow managed. First of all i didn't have tickets and behold they were issuing 3000 Rs tickets for 500 bucks.

The organisation was very shoddy and poor. They didn't have chairs for about 40 % category of those who brought high priced tickets and obviously majority of them were agitated and a mini ruckus was going on and to add to the drama it was raining. But thankfully it stopped and when ARR arrived there was a deafening roar.Frankly never before have i seen this much craze, frenzy, hysteria and madness for anybody before. Rahman's popularity stake is still at an all time high and it was unimaginable. You would have to have seen it to believe it.

Coming to the songs in the concert , some of the medleys were nicely performed & enjoyable and ARR kept the energy throughout the concert. Also we had most of the Kadal songs which received a rapturous response. The disappointments for me were there were some minus 1 songs, some of my favourite vintage Rahman songs of 90's weren't performed. The thing i didn't like at all was having a different rock kind of feel for legendary songs like Kadhal Rojave, Nenjinile etc. which resulted in the essence of the song getting totally diluted and in fact spoilt.

For me spending just Rs 500, I thought I had my moneys worth, but those who had spent 3000 bucks and above to sit through the event without a chair i felt was very unfair. The final song of the evening was the landmark Thaai Manne Vanakkam which the audience lapped up. Many of us were standing on the chairs and cheering. ARR s infectious smile was evident throughout. Overall it was a decent experience but felt it could have been much better with a well thought out selection of songs and a little extra care in organising the event.

List of songs that were performed in the concert.
Undhan Desathin Kural ( ARR Intro )
Elay Keechan
Arima Arima
Manoothu manthaile
Veerapandi Kotayile
Thilana Thilana
Kadhal Rojave
Enakoru Girl Friend
Omane Penne
July Maadham Vanthaaal
Aathangarai Marame
Endrendrum Punnagai
Mustafa Mustafa
Nila Kaaigirathu
Uyire Uyire
Kanamoochi yenada
Azhage Sugama
Engae Enathu Kavithai
Nenjinile Nenjinile
Nenjukulle
Adiye
Irumbile oru iruthayam
Hello Mr Ethirkatchi
Oorvasi
Magudi Magudi
Moongil Thotam
Jai Ho in Tamil
Thaai Manne Vanakam