Showing posts with label SARANGA. Show all posts
Showing posts with label SARANGA. Show all posts
Friday, October 21, 2011
RAGAM TANAM PALLAVI - SHANKARABHARANAM
CHARUKESI, SARANGA, DEVAGANDHARI, KANADA, VASANTHA, KAMBODHI.
Thursday, January 21, 2010
VEENAI KODIYUDAYA - SAMPOORNA RAMAYANAM
MOHANAM, ATAANA, BHOOPALAM, SARANGA, VASANTHA, NEELAMBHARI, DHANYASI, GAMBHIRA NAATAI, SHANKARABHARANAM, TODI, KALYANI, KAMBODHI.
http://ragasinfilmmusic.blogspot.com/2010/01/inru-poi-nalai-vaaraai-sampurna.html
Blast from the past: Sampoorna Ramayanam 1956
Sampoorna Ramayanam
N. T. Rama Rao, Sivaji Ganesan, Padmini, Chittoor V. Nagaiah, S. D. Subbulakshmi, G. Varalakshmi, T. K. Bhagavathi, N. R. Sandhya, P. V. Narasimha Bharathi, V. K. Ramasami, C. T. Rajakantham, Pushpavalli, ‘Jayakodi’ Natarajan and M. G. Chakrapani
The Ramayana, the story of the Rama avatar of Vishnu, is one of the immortal classics of India. A rich granary of story material, the epic not surprisingly excited and attracted the attention of filmmakers in the country from the Silent Film era. The first silent version came out in 1922 along with another version the same year, which was released as a serial in cinemas. The first talkie version came out in Hindi in 1933, in Telugu in 1936 and in Tamil (this version) in 1956. There were other language versions too.
Sampoorna Ramayanam, running over 22,000 feet, was produced by M. A. Venu. It had Sivaji Ganesan in the role of Bharatha, while N. T. Rama Rao and Padmini played Rama and Sita. The underrated stage and screen actor K. V. Srinivasan lent his voice to NTR. T. K. Bhagavathi with his excellent screen presence was the right choice to play Ravana. Varalakshmi as Kaikeyi was equally impressive, and so was Nagaiah as Dasaratha. Noted comedienne Rajakantham played the mischief-maker Mandhara. Also in the cast were Nagaiah, M. N. Rajam, P. V. Narasimha Bharathi, Lakshmiprabha, S. D. Subbulakshmi and T. P. Muthulakshmi.
The film had excellent music (K. V. Mahadevan) with lyrics by Marudhakasi. One song rendered by C. S. Jayaraman, filmed on Bhagavathi playing Ravana, ‘Indru poi naalai vaa,’ became an immortal melody. This song was composed in raga Thilang, which was an import from Sufi music and successfully adapted by Guru Nanak and his disciples who composed several hymns in this raga. It has been extremely popular with musical geniuses such as Ravishankar, Bhimsen Joshi, violin maestro Lalgudi Jayaraman and musicologist G. S. Mani. The great Carnatic musician D. K. Pattammal recorded a song, ‘Shanthi nilava vendum,’ in this raga on the occasion of the shocking death of Mahatma Gandhi in 1948.
Written by the successful Tamil film personality A. P. Nagarajan, Sampoorna Ramayanam was directed by K. Somu who was associated with Nagarajan on many films. Not many are aware that Somu worked with the celebrated American Tamil filmmaker Ellis R. Dungan, learning the art and craft from the great master. The film was made at Ratna Studio in Salem.
Sampoorna Ramayanam had the distinction of winning the appreciation of the eminent son of India, Rajaji, who did not think much of films. In the 1930s, he watched Ellis R. Dungan’s Sathi Leelavathi and in honour of his visit a day’s collection was handed over to him towards the Indian National Congress Party fund. After watching the movie, he sarcastically remarked that the main artiste in a charka-spinning sequence did not know how to handle it!
Remembered for the impressive performances of N. T. Rama Rao, Padmini and Varalakshmi, the melodious music of Mahadevan and the song ‘Indru Poi.’
Saturday, November 14, 2009
ENGO PIRANDHAVARAM - BOMMAI
L.VIJAYALAKSHMI
SAHANA, SARANGA, NATAKURINJI, HUSENI.
Blast from the Past - Bommai 1964
The HinduA hundred-day run: Bommai. Photo: Special Arrangement
S. Balachandar, V. S. Raghavan, L. Vijayalakshmi, V. Gopalakrishnan, Ramesh, Sadan, Srinivasan, S. N. Lakshmi, Lakshmirajam and Maali
Alfred Hitchcock, described as ‘the Merchant of Menace', an icon of World Cinema and the maestro of the suspense genre, created many unsurpassed classics both in the United Kingdom, where he began his career as a filmmaker, and later in Hollywood. He made successful films most of which became classics such as Psycho, North By Northwest, Vertigo, Strangers On A Train and The Man Who Knew Too Much. One of the early masterpieces he made in England wasSabotage (1936), which is watched today not only by his fans but also suspense movie buffs around the world.
Hitchcock has been a source of inspiration to many filmmakers in several parts of the world, including India. Influenced by his style of filmmaking and onscreen narration, S. Balachandar, the multifaceted Tamil filmmaker, adapted Sabotage in Tamil, suitably changing the storyline for the local market.
His movie was titled Bommai, the reason being that, as in the original British movie, the central character is a baby doll which a terrorist uses to plant a bomb and sends it through a boy. The boy travels by bus unaware of the content and, like most boys, wanders around attracted by the sideshows on the road. Finally the bomb explodes inside the bus, and the passengers, including the boy, are killed.
For the Tamil audiences, Balachandar had a walking baby doll in which the bomb was concealed. It was taken in a car and exploded, killing all the villains and saving the hero (Balachandar), for whom the bomb was intended.
Balachandar wrote the story and screenplay, while the dialogue and lyrics were written by his close associate Vidwan Ve. Lakshmanan. Of course, the music was composed by Balachandar.
Veteran stage and screen actor V. S. Raghavan plays the main role of the person who is anxious to get rid of the hero, along with his followers such as Sadan, Maali, Lakshmirajam, Gopalakrishnan and Srinivasan, who pretend to be the hero's friends. L. Vijayalakshmi, an attractive classical dancer who had had a brief career in movies, plays the heroine and does a few dance numbers.
Expectedly, the movie had quite a few song sequences though it was a suspense thriller. Songs such as ‘Thatthi thatthi nadandhu varum chella paapa' (Voice: L. R. Easwari) became a big hit. An interesting feature is the multilingual singer K. J. Jesudas took his bow as an off-screen singer in Tamil Cinema with the song ‘Neeyum bommai naanumbommai', which was filmed on an old roadside beggar.
Balachandar as the protagonist was excellent, underplaying his role like a Hollywood star (James Cagney was his favourite star). There were many newcomers in the film such as Ramesh and Srinivasan. Much was expected of these actors but they faded away. Srinivasan who played a key role in Bommaiis totally forgotten today.
Though the film was completed in 1963 and censored, it was released only in 1964 for many reasons. Balachandar faced some problems in marketing it because of the new faces and lesser-known artists doing major roles. However,Bommai turned out to be a box office hit, scoring the much-coveted hundred-day run in many cinemas, winning critical appreciation. Today it is treated as a classic in the rare genre of suspense movies in Tamil.
Balachandar searched high and low for the appropriate baby doll, which is in fact the hero of the movie, and much to his surprise found it in one of the local shops.
Remembered for the interesting storyline, excellent onscreen narration and performances by Balachandar, V. S. Raghavan and the doll. And also the melodious music, some of the tunes becoming hits and fondly remembered after nearly five decades.
Wednesday, September 2, 2009
Friday, April 10, 2009
THIRUMAL PERUMAIKU - THIRUMAL PERUMAI
MADHYAMAVATHI, DHANYASI, MOHANAM, KAANADA, SARANGA, KHAMAS, PARAZ, SARAMATHI, SURUTI, BEGADA.
Thursday, March 12, 2009
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