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Ilaiyaraaja

Genius of MSV Part 1: Why Old Songs Will Melt Cold Hearts

old songs

(No matter where you are right now, no matter how old you are, I am sure you always have your favourite old songs by these dynamic duos that you don’t mind humming the whole day long. Image source: Silverscreen India)

Despite “starting off” with the music of Illayaraja and later discovering the new age music of A R Rahman and then Yuvan Shankar Raja, Harris and all the new music directors, I always had soft spot for the music from the 1960s and 1970s in particular songs composed by MS Viswanathan – Ramamoorthy (MSV) and penned by the great poet Kannadasan (I also liked songs composed by KV Mahadevan and AM Raja).

Read More »Genius of MSV Part 1: Why Old Songs Will Melt Cold Hearts

Tamil Song 101: Kamal’s Pon Maanai Catchy & Wonderful Classic 1984

kamal haasan music song tamil

(The many faces of the great man in multiple roles all these years and he still making headlines even now. Image source: http://www.bollywoodlife.com)

In terms of acting, after the great Sivaji Ganesan, we were lucky to have Kamal Haasan taking up the lead when it comes to powerful acting. And over the years, he has not let us down with a powerful storyline and acting (still remember this?).

Read More »Tamil Song 101: Kamal’s Pon Maanai Catchy & Wonderful Classic 1984

Ilaiyaraaja: Project “Then, Now & Forever” 2013

Western classical music is perspective – look at the number of people involved in a symphony! Our traditional music is lonely – Ilaiyaraaja

ilaiyaraaja sp bala s janaki old photo

A very young Ilaiyaraaja with the very talented SP Bala and S. Janaki in the early 1980s during a recording session. Image source: The Federal

As long I could remember, I have been listening to Ilaiyaraaja music since I was still young and started to have an appreciation of his style of music – all the way from the 1970s (you are aware that Annakili was not his first movie and that he had to impress the producer Panchu Arunachalam by singing a song that his mother sang and using the table as a music instrument?) to his latest flick in “Neethane En Ponvasantham” – thanks to my Dad who was a big fan of Ilaiyaraaja (Ilaiyaraaja means the “younger” Raja – that is because the Tamil music industry already had another music director named Raja – the famed A.M. Raja).

Read More »Ilaiyaraaja: Project “Then, Now & Forever” 2013