Classical music had a major role to play in Tamil theatre. The curtain would go up with the hero making his appearance singing Thachoor Singarachariar’s song, ‘Devi Meenakshi,’ in Kalyani accompanied by the bursting of crackers. Film actors such as M.K.T. Bhagavatar and T.R. Mahalingam shot to fame because they were good singers. Bhagavatar in fact learnt Carnatic music from the Alathur brothers.
Sometimes ragas have been used in the quirkiest of ways in films, without the classic touch being lost. In Inspector, released in 1953, T.K. Shanmugam played the role of a dance master with a roving eye, who seduces his student. There is a lovely song in the film based on Simhendramadyamam – ‘Varuvai Manamohana,’ sung by MLV and V.N. Sundaram. Thanks to the genius of music director G. Ramanathan, and MLV’s lively singing, the song fits the scenario perfectly revealing the malafide intentions of the dance master, and the naivete of the student.
DKP’s ‘Mudalai Vaayil’ (lyric by Sundara Vathiyar, music Aswathama, film Pizhaikkum Vazhi) is in Desh. But this is not a gentle Desh as in ‘Thunbam Nergaiyil.’ There is a strident quality to ‘Mudalai Vaayil.’ The lyrics add to the appeal of the song, with a pun on the word ‘aaraayum.’ ‘Foolish man, who lacks the capacity for discernment – ‘aaraayum madhiyillaada manidaa’ - goes the song. And then comes the pun ‘aimbadhu-aaraayum madhiyillaada manidaa. You are 56 (aimbathaaru) yet you lack discernment.’
Emotional appeal
Nilambari is supposedly a raga that lulls one to sleep. But in the TMS song ‘Pallavan Pallavi’ (Kalangarai Vilakkam), the effect is far from soporific. Serukalatur Sama’s ‘Karunai manadil illaadu sei kapata dharmam kadavul sammadhamaamo,’ which we used to hear on our gramophone, is a touching Sindhubhairavi. It’s a song about the unctuousness of sanctimonious humbugs, whose generosity is pseudo. The Malayalam song, ‘Yen Praana Nayakane’ from the film Pareeksha, is a romantic, racy song in Behag, while the bhakti laden Malayalam song ‘Naava Mukunda Hare,’ in the voices of Manju Menon and Deepankuran, from the film Desadanam, is a Behag that simply melts one’s heart.
The film music and classical music connection has been a two-way street. Film songs have lent tunes to Tamil songs popularised by classical singers. Some of DKP’s most popular gramophone records had tunes based on Hindi film songs. ‘Kannan Madurai Idazhai’ (lyric - Papanasam Sivan), in Bhimplas, is a perfect reproduction of ‘Beena Madhur Madhur kachhu bol,’ from the 1943 Hindi film Ram Rajya (voice Saraswati Rane; music Shankar Rao Vyas). DKP’s ‘Poonkuyil koovum’ is similar to K.L. Saigal’s ‘Balam Aaye Baso’ in the 1935 Hindi film ‘Devdas’ (music Timir Baran). ‘Gokulam Yamunai,’ (Papanasam Sivan) is an adaptation of K.L. Saigal’s ‘Premnagar mein banaoongi,’ from the 1934 film ‘Chandidas’ (music-Rai Chand Boral).
While trying to fix the raga of a film song is an exciting exercise, it throws up some questions. What is it that makes music directors prefer certain ragas? Adaptability? ‘Ease of handling?’ Madurai G.S. Mani said, “There is no formula by which directors decide upon a raga. Many ragas can be used by a skilful music director, to express just about any emotion.” Mani, who had been assistant music director with M.S. Viswanathan for ten years, was one of the first to educate the public on how our music directors have used ragas in film songs.
In 1975, he gave a lec-dem in Tirupur on the use of ragas in film music. On the first day there were three hundred people in the audience, but on the second day the crowd had swelled to several times that number! Mani dismissed the suggestion that film music was nothing but ‘mood music,’ which made for easy listening. In any case, music of any kind first appeals to our emotions. Music is not a mere cerebral exercise, he pointed out.
“Critic Subbudu said that there was a sangati in the ‘Mannavan Vandaanadi’ song, with a difficult briga, which no one except P. Susheela could have handled. This is just an example to show what musical treasures we have in our film songs,” says vainika Revathy Krishna, who gives veena concerts based on film songs. “When TMS heard my CD ‘Cine Divine Jewels,’ he became emotional. It isn’t easy to play film songs on the veena or the violin. Sometimes you have to play flat notes. When you have been trained in classical music, the tendency is to play gamakas, and that can ruin a film song, when it doesn’t have any gamakas,” she adds.
Does playing film songs on the veena adversely affect her playing for a regular classical concert? “On the contrary, it improves one’s grasp of swaras,” she clarifies.
Do film songs help people identify ragas? “Definitely. In one of my concerts, I played the Shanmukhapriya composition, ‘Parvati Nayakane.’ At the end of the concert, the technician who was in charge of the mike, said, ‘I liked the song that was like the Ilaiyaraja song, ‘Kaadal Kasakkudaiyya!’ I was stunned, because ‘Kaadal Kasakkudaiyya’ is based on Shanmukhapriya!”
What has been the response of critics and purists? “By and large, positive,” she says.
The use of classical ragas in film music makes for a happy marriage between weighty, conventional music and ‘light’ music which popular taste demands. Film songs based on ragas attune the ears of the listener to classical ragas. They serve to lift the veil of profundity that seems to clothe Carnatic music from the perspective of those not so familiar with it, and can lead them to an appreciation of classical music.