Tuesday, August 30, 2011

THANNAI THAANE NAMBADHADHU SANDHEGAM - DEIVA PIRAVI

Thannai Thane Nambathathu from what on Vimeo.

MAATHE MALAYADWAJA - MORNING RAGA -

Saturday, August 27, 2011

MAMAVATU SRI SARASWATHI - SUDHA RAGHUNATHAN



maamavathu shrI
raagam: hindOLam
20 naTabhairavi janya
Aa: S G2 M1 D1 N2 S
Av: S N2 D1 M1 G2 S

taaLam: aadi
Composer: Mysore VaasudEvaacaarya
Language: Sanskrit

pallavi

mAmavatu shrI sarasvati kAmakOTi pITha vAsini
(mAmavatu)

anupallavi

kOmaLakara sarOja dhrta vINA sImAtIta vara vAGvibhUSaNa
(mAmavatu)

caraNam

rAjAdhi rAja pUjita caraNa rAjIva nayana ramaNIya vadana

madhyamakAlam: sujana manOratha pUraNa catura nijagaLa shObhita maNimaya hAra
aja bhava vandita vAsudEva caraNArpita sakala vEda sAra
(mAmavatu)

KARNATIK.COM

MAMAVATU SRI SARASWATHI - CARNATIC FUSION - SUSHEELA RAMAN

Sunday, August 14, 2011

ANBINALE UNDAGUM INBA NILAI - PAASA VALAI

ANBINALE UNDAGUM - PASA VALAI



You can listen to the suddha dhanyasi version of the same song here:

http://ragasinfilmmusic.blogspot.in/2011/08/anbinale-undagum-inba-nilai-paasa-valai.html

Paasavalai 1956

RANDOR GUY
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M. K. Radha, G. Varalakshmi, M. N. Rajam,V. Gopalakrishnan, V. K. Ramasami, A. Karunanidhi,T. P. Muthulakshmi, Kumari Rajamani, T. K. Rajeswari, Bhagyam,M. R. Santhanam, S. M. Thirupathisami, M. N. Krishnan, Sayeeram, ‘Master’ Baji, ‘Master’ Venkatesh, ‘Jayakodi’ K. Natarajan,E.V. Saroja (dance) and Tiger (Dog)
“Alibhadusha” was a popular story in the early decades of the 20th Century about a nawab, his family and the problems he faces because of his profligate brother. The story was made into a film during the 1930s, but few remember it today.

In 1956, the Salem-based movie mogul T. R. Sundaram of Modern Theatres took up the story for filming once again, making quite a few changes to it. Titled Paasavalai, he gave the project to editor-turned-filmmaker A. S. Nagarajan for direction. A king (Radha) is accused by his people that he is shielding his younger brother (Gopalakrishnan) who is after women. Touched to the quick, the king abandons his throne and walks out with his queen (Varalakshmi) and children. He wanders in the woods, looking for peace. The family gets separated. The king becomes mentally deranged, while his wife loses the children and works as a maid in a house. The children are rescued by some people, including a leader of a gang of thieves.

The brother meets the king in the woods, apologises for what had happened and promises to cure him of his mental illness. He meets a young woman (Rajamani) who has a magic cave with herbs that can cure his brother. He goes in search of it, but the woman, unable to seduce the repentant brother, converts him into a dog (Tiger). However, he succeeds in curing the king and dies in his arms. The blind king is saved by a princess (Rajam) who falls in love with him. She soon realises that he is still thinking of his first queen. After interesting twists, the king and the queen are united with the children and the princess dies accidentally…..

This story was made into an engaging film by Nagarajan and produced by Sundaram with interesting photography by master lensman W. R. Subba Rao.
The music by Viswanathan-Ramamurthi was the major plus point of the film. The lyrics were by Marudhakasi and Pattukottai Kalyanasundaram. Many songs became popular, with ‘Anbinaal… Paasavalai’ rendered by C. S. Jayaraman becoming a major hit.

Another song that became popular, ‘Lol...lol….. Machaan …,’ has an interesting back story. Kalyanasundaram with a strong leftist leaning was a talented lyricist whose brilliant career was cut short by his demise when he was hardly 30. An event involving him regarding a song composition inPaasavalai needs to be narrated. The young woman who owns the magic cave (Rajamani) dances to a song; 

Pattukottai, as he was popularly known, wrote the lyrics of the song in his characteristic poetic style. T. R. Sundaram thought it was high brow and told him that he made films for the low brow with an eye on entertainment and a dance number like this one should not contain poetic images, metaphors or similes! Upset, Pattukottai walked away from the composing room, but Sundaram brought him back with the help of his henchmen to complete the song the way he wanted. To clear the hot air, Viswanathan said the song should contain down-to-earth words such as “Lol lol lol… (like a dog barking) machaan wunnai paarthu…” The producer forced Pattukottai to write the song on the lines suggested by Viswanathan, and, much against his wish, Pattukottai wrote it.…

The song was recorded and picturised. Much to the surprise of Pattukottai, this song became a superhit. He told the composer that no wonder TRS was so successful, because he knew the pulse of the people. That was not all. Rajamani during her brief career came to be known as ‘Lol Lol Rajamani’!

Radha, one of the top stars of Tamil Cinema, gave an impressive performance as the king. He was well supported by the bilingual actor Varalakshmi playing the queen. Multitalented actor Gopalakrishnan, familiarly known as ‘Gopi,’ impressed as the younger brother. Rajam as the princess was her usual charming self. Comic relief was provided by Karunanidhi and Muthulakshmi. Paasavalai did well at the box office, thanks to the melodious music of the fast-rising musical duo Viswanathan-Ramamurthi and the soul-stirring voice of Jayaraman. And the dog Tiger also made a mark!

Remembered for the melodious songs, impressive performances by Radha, Varalakshmi and Rajam, and good production values.
randor guy

Sunday, August 7, 2011

RAJAYOGAME PAAREER, KALAIYE UN VILAI - VANANGAMUDI

http://www.raaga.com/channels/tamil/album/T0001876.html




Vanangamudi 1957

RANDOR GUY
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Performance-driven Vanangamudi.
Performance-driven Vanangamudi.
Sivaji Ganesan, K. Savithri, Pasupuleti Kannamba, M. K. Radha, Rajasulochana, M. N. Nambiar, Chittoor V. Nagaiah, K. A. Thangavelu, M. Saroja, M. R. Santhanam, Nott Annaji Rao, ‘Gemini' Balu and Helen (dance)
Savithri was a talented star in South Indian Cinema. She excelled in playing a variety of roles, each with its unique characteristics and sentiment. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, she began her career in a modest manner as an extra — one in a group of girls in a car sequence in the successful Telugu film Samsaram directed by the iconic L. V. Prasad. 

Later, she did a short dance sequence in Pathala Bhairavi. From such modest beginnings, she reached the zenith of success, playing lead roles in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies, many of which were big hits. She also did a few Malayalam movies. She married the top Tamil film star ‘Gemini' Ganesan, with whom she acted in ‘Manampol Mangalyam' (1953), the first movie where ‘Gemini' played the hero. Savithri was compared to the top star of Indian Cinema, Hindi film actor Meenakumari. 

One of her successful movies in Tamil was Vanangamudi.Written by the Tamil scholar-turned-filmmaker, producer and studio-owner, A. K.Velan, it was directed by veteran multilingual filmmaker P. Pullaiah. Hailing from Nellore, he entered filmdom after graduation and worked in Kolhapur, enjoying the rare privilege of being associated with the founding father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke. Pullaiah, a tough no-nonsense guy, directed films in Telugu and Tamil with many hits such as Manam Pol Mangalyam, and Vanangamudi was one such box office success of his.

The film revolves around a king (Radha) and a talented sculptor (Sivaji Ganesan). Chitrashilpi, the sculptor, could make stones sing and dance with his artistic touch. Son of the king's bodyguard (Nagaiah), whose kind-hearted wife is played by Kannamba, he meets the princess (Savithri) in a forest and falls in love with her. However, each is not aware of the other's identity.

Enters the villain (Nambiar) who has an eye on the throne and the princess. He has a mistress — a court dancer with a heart of gold (Rajasulochana). He employees all the tricks in his bag to get his desire fulfilled. He throws the sculptor in prison and introduces a princess-look-alike, a tribal girl (Savithri, again) and pulls the wool over the eyes of the king and marries the fake princess!

After many events, somewhat predictable, the hero exposes the villain and happiness is restored inthe royal family.

The film had melodious music composed by G. Ramanthan, with lyrics by Thanjai Ramaiah Das. One of the songs in the Carnatic raga ‘Thodi', ‘Ennai Pol Penn', rendered by P. Susheela with much feeling attracted attention. Even Carnatic musicians considered it the best film song composition in Thodi. The popular comedy pair, Thangavelu-Saroja, provided the laughs and there was a sizzling dance number by Helen (choreographer K. N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai)..

The film was produced by Saravanabhava–Unity Pictures, which had some links to the famous Jupiter Pictures. One of the producers, A.K. Balasubramaniam, was a son-in-law of the famed ‘Jupiter Somu', while the other was C. Sundaram who rose from the lowest rungs to achieve success, before sliding down the grease pole.

Well-known singers M. L. Vasanthakumari. P. Susheela, Jikki, T. M. Soundararajan, Sirgazhi Govindarajan, A. M. Raja, T. V. Ratnam and S. C. Krishnan lent their voices to the songs. The film had pleasing photography by P. Ramasami who had done good work in Coimbatore Central Studios. This film was shot at Neptune Studios which was taken on lease by Jupiter Pictures after they shifted to Madras. This studio no longer exists and the historic site now owned by the MGR family houses the MGR College for Women.

Remembered for the excellent performances by Sivaji Ganesan, Savithri and Nambiar and the melodious music.


RANDOR GUY
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  • A still from Mangalyam. Photo: Special Arrangement
    The HinduA still from Mangalyam. Photo: Special Arrangement
  • A still from Nallavan Vazhvan. Photo: Special Arrangement
    The HinduA still from Nallavan Vazhvan. Photo: Special Arrangement
  • A still from Pennarasi. Photo: Special Arrangement
    The HinduA still from Pennarasi. Photo: Special Arrangement
Rajasulochana lit up the silver screen with her acting and song and dance numbers in the Fifties and Sixties. RANDOR GUY takes a trip down movie lane
A few weeks ago, yesteryear actor P. Rajasulochana was felicitated by the prestigious Chittoor V. Nagaiah Trust for her contribution to Telugu Cinema. The occasion sent many in the audience down memory lane. One of the most successful stars in Tamil, Telugu, Hindi, Kannada and Malayalam movies, Pilliarchetty Bhakthavatsalam Naidu Rajeevalochana (her original name) was born on August 15, 1934 in Bezawada (now Vijayawada), in Andhra, then part of the Madras Presidency where her father was a senior official with the Madras and Southern Maratta Railway (M&SM).
(During the British reign in India, the Railways were privately owned by British companies incorporated in England whose shares were quoted and traded on the London Stock Exchange and M&SM was one of those companies with its headquarters in Madras. After India became free in 1947, the Government began to nationalise the Railways, taking over the foreign companies. The Southern Railway was soon formed.)
How she got her name
Thanks to her father being promoted as PA to the General Manager of M&SM, (always a Britisher in those days), the family moved to Madras and settled in Triplicane, where she went to school. Here the authorities recorded her name as Rajasulochana! And that's how she continues to be known till today.
As a young girl, she showed interest in classical dance and took her early lessons at Saraswathi Gana Nilayam in Triplicane; her first guru was Lalithamma (Bharatanatyam). Later, she learnt from K. N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai (Bharatanatyam), Acharyulu and Vempati Chinnasatyam (Kuchipudi), Krishnakumar and Vishnu Vysarkar (Kathak) and Kalamandalam Madhavan (Kathakali).
Those were the days when middle-class families did not encourage girls to dance in public, and, much against convention, Rajasulochana had her ‘arangetram' in Madras which was presided over by the famed music scholar, lawyer and judge of the Madras High Court and Supreme Court of India, T. L. Venkatarama Iyer.
Not surprisingly, movies beckoned her, and she took her bow thanks to the celebrated Kannada stage and screen maestro H.L.N. Simha. “Gunasagari” (“Sathyasodhanai” in Tamil), produced by the Kannada cult figure Gubbi Veeranna, marked her screen debut.
She entered Tamil cinema in the early 1950s with “Pennarasi”, a costume drama produced by M. A. Venu, written by A. P. Nagarajan and directed by K. Somu. It was made at the famous Central Studios, Coimbatore. Her song and dance numbers attracted enormous attention, and her fame spread far and wide.
Films that created history
Rajasulochana has acted in hundreds of films in many languages. Though it is not possible to list all of them, mention must be made of some that created history. Not many are aware that she was cast as the heroine in the cult film “Parasakthi”. But she had to opt out of the film because of her pregnancy. It was only then that Telugu actress Sriranjani Jr. was brought on board.
Rajasulochana's most successful film, according to critics and moviegoers, was “Thai Pirandhaal Vazhi Pirakkum” with S. S. Rajendran, written, produced and directed by the Tamil scholar-turned-filmmaker A. K. Velan. A raving success, the film had melodious music by K. V. Mahadevan. Many songs such as ‘Amudhum thenum etharku nee aruginil irukkayiley' became hits and are still remembered. It was remade in Telugu as “Manchi Manasuku Manchi Rojulu” with N. T. Rama Rao playing the lead. The film was directed by her husband, noted writer-director C. S. Rao.
Rajasulochana had the privilege of acting with all the superstars of South Indian cinema such as M.G. Ramachandran, Sivaji Ganesan, N. T. Rama Rao, Akkineni Nageswara Rao, Rajkumar, S.S. Rajendran, A. P. Nagarajan and M. N. Nambiar.
Her other films worth mentioning are “Gulebakavali”, “Vanangamudi” “Nallavan Vaazhvaan”, “Mangalyam”, “Rangoon Radha”, “Pennarasi”, “Kavalai Illaadha Manithan” and “Ellam Inba Mayam” (all Tamil); “Pellinati Pramanalu”, “Raja Makutam”, “Jayabheri”, “Santhinivasam”, “Mahakavi Kalidasu”, “Iddaru Mitrulu”, “Tiger Ramudu”, “Valmiki” and “Thatha Manavudu” (a super hit and the debut of ace filmmaker Dasari Narayana Rao) (all Telugu); “Bedara Kannappa”, “Valmiki” (Kannada); “Chori Chori” (Hindi, a Raj Kapoor-Nargis-AVM movie she was cast with master showman Bhagwan); and “Manasakshi” (Malayalam).
In the various language movies she starred in, she spoke the dialogues herself. This is an interesting feature, especially today, when no two heroines speak in their own voice.
Well versed in ‘Vastu Shastra', she designed her bungalow in Madipakkam. Her only regret is she did not have a college education. One of her twin daughters, Devi, who lives in Chennai, is a talented dancer. Her other daughter, sons and grandchildren live in the United States.
Recipient of many awards, Rajasulochana founded her dance school ‘Pushpanjali Nritya Kala Kendram' in 1961 in Chennai, which celebrated its Silver Jubilee in 1986.

ENNAI POL PENNALLAVO - VANANGAMUDI




Performance-driven Vanangamudi.
Performance-driven Vanangamudi.

Vanangamudi 1957
RANDOR GUY

Sivaji Ganesan, K. Savithri, Pasupuleti Kannamba, M. K. Radha, Rajasulochana, M. N. Nambiar, Chittoor V. Nagaiah, K. A. Thangavelu, M. Saroja, M. R. Santhanam, Nott Annaji Rao, ‘Gemini' Balu and Helen (dance)
Savithri was a talented star in South Indian Cinema. She excelled in playing a variety of roles, each with its unique characteristics and sentiment. Hailing from Andhra Pradesh, she began her career in a modest manner as an extra — one in a group of girls in a car sequence in the successful Telugu film Samsaram directed by the iconic L. V. Prasad. Later, she did a short dance sequence in Pathala Bhairavi. From such modest beginnings, she reached the zenith of success, playing lead roles in Tamil, Telugu and Hindi movies, many of which were big hits. She also did a few Malayalam movies. She married the top Tamil film star ‘Gemini' Ganesan, with whom she acted in ‘Manampol Mangalyam' (1953), the first movie where ‘Gemini' played the hero. Savithri was compared to the top star of Indian Cinema, Hindi film actor Meenakumari. One of her successful movies in Tamil was Vanangamudi.

Written by the Tamil scholar-turned-filmmaker, producer and studio-owner, A. K.Velan, it was directed by veteran multilingual filmmaker P. Pullaiah. Hailing from Nellore, he entered filmdom after graduation and worked in Kolhapur, enjoying the rare privilege of being associated with the founding father of Indian Cinema, Dadasaheb Phalke. Pullaiah, a tough no-nonsense guy, directed films in Telugu and Tamil with many hits such as Manam Pol Mangalyam, and Vanangamudi was one such box office success of his.
The film revolves around a king (Radha) and a talented sculptor (Sivaji Ganesan). Chitrashilpi, the sculptor, could make stones sing and dance with his artistic touch. Son of the king's bodyguard (Nagaiah), whose kind-hearted wife is played by Kannamba, he meets the princess (Savithri) in a forest and falls in love with her. However, each is not aware of the other's identity.

Enters the villain (Nambiar) who has an eye on the throne and the princess. He has a mistress — a court dancer with a heart of gold (Rajasulochana). He employees all the tricks in his bag to get his desire fulfilled. He throws the sculptor in prison and introduces a princess-look-alike, a tribal girl (Savithri, again) and pulls the wool over the eyes of the king and marries the fake princess!
After many events, somewhat predictable, the hero exposes the villain and happiness is restored inthe royal family.

The film had melodious music composed by G. Ramanthan, with lyrics by Thanjai Ramaiah Das. One of the songs in the Carnatic raga ‘Thodi', ‘Ennai Pol Penn', rendered by P. Susheela with much feeling attracted attention. Even Carnatic musicians considered it the best film song composition in Thodi. The popular comedy pair, Thangavelu-Saroja, provided the laughs and there was a sizzling dance number by Helen (choreographer K. N. Dhandayuthapani Pillai).

The film was produced by Saravanabhava–Unity Pictures, which had some links to the famous Jupiter Pictures. One of the producers, A.K. Balasubramaniam, was a son-in-law of the famed ‘Jupiter Somu', while the other was C. Sundaram who rose from the lowest rungs to achieve success, before sliding down the grease pole.

Well-known singers M. L. Vasanthakumari. P. Susheela, Jikki, T. M. Soundararajan, Sirgazhi Govindarajan, A. M. Raja, T. V. Ratnam and S. C. Krishnan lent their voices to the songs. The film had pleasing photography by P. Ramasami who had done good work in Coimbatore Central Studios. This film was shot at Neptune Studios which was taken on lease by Jupiter Pictures after they shifted to Madras. This studio no longer exists and the historic site now owned by the MGR family houses the MGR College for Women.
Remembered for the excellent performances by Sivaji Ganesan, Savithri and Nambiar and the melodious music.
Keywords: Vanangamudi