Exploring the Enigma Called Illaiyaraja – Episode 5

In Illaiyaraja’s first 30 months in the industry, he completed 41 soundtracks and background scores. This was not by any means a huge number of films, but two aspects made his music stand out from the others. One was the depth of his musical introductions and his interludes: These contained very intricate compositions, filled with fresh and dynamic instrumentation that often dwarfed the actual song in its creativity. The fact that he achieved this with live recording using antiquated equipment was itself a miraculous feat.

The other aspect of Illaiyaraja’s contribution was his background score. Films like Deepam, Illamai Oonjalaadugirathu and Sattam en Kaiyil stood out in terms of his background score, setting the stage for the time when even general audiences would take note of the background score.

1979 was a more prolific year than 1978 for Illaiyaraja although three of his films did not get to release, and many of those songs did not get the exposure it deserved. Devaraj-Mohan’s Illaiyarajavin Rasigai, the Vijayakumar-Jayalalitha starrer, Manippor Mamiyaar and the Vijayakumar starrer Nenjilaadum Poo Ondru all went unreleased but the songs, especially from the latter two have proven to be hugely popular. Despite these setbacks, 1979 still saw the release of 31 of his films.

More importantly, Illaiyaraja was responsible for a change in Tamil cinema that would mark a new trend. For the first time in the history of Indian film, a music composer’s name was given prominence in the pre-release posters of 1979, often more prominent than the name of the director. This was less than three years since his debut, but producers were already recognizing the magnetic power of his music. This trend would intensify over the years.

On 02 March 1979 was the release of a small film titled Lakshmi that had Jai Ganesh, Sridevi and Gandhimadhi in the lead roles. The film featured the first duet sung by Illaiyaraja, singing alongside P. Susheela. The film’s success has been largely attributed to the popularity of the songs. The soundtrack was a popular choice to be played over loudspeakers at family functions and Temple festivals which, in the absence of TV channels for Tamil music, was the way the popularity of music was gauged in those days.

The second major release for the year for Illaiyaraja was the Sivaji Ganesan-Sridevi starrer, Kavarimaan written by Panju Arunachalam and directed by S.P. Muthuraman. The film was a brave deviation for Sivaji Ganesan’s image but the gamble paid off. It went on to become a hit as did the songs, four of which were penned by Panju Arunachalam.

Illaiyaraja’s background score in this film, however, overshadowed the brilliance of the songs. Even the general audiences were noticing the arresting background scores used by Illaiyaraja. This also was a first for Tamil cinema as background scores were so assimilated by the film that few, if any, would note the music. Illaiyaraja’s style of background scores forced audiences to take note. In the following excerpt, one can see Illaiyaraja’s intrinsic understanding of film-making. In this tense and emotional scene, a significant portion has silence (in music) which was markedly different from other films of that time. As the scene progresses and the emotions heighten, the music which had a subtle presence becomes pronounced as the scene reaches its most emotive point.

Kavarimaan released on 06 April 1979, along with three other films that had music by Illaiyaraja. This was a phenomenon that would be repeated many times over.

Illaiyaraja’s fourth film for Bharathiraja was a notable one. Titled Puthiya Varpugal, the film introduced K. Bhagyaraj as a lead actor, a 16-year old Rati Agnihotri as the lead actress, Manobala as an assistant director and actor as well as Chandrasekar and Haja Sherrif as actors. It was also Bharathiraja’s first home production under his newly launched banner, Manoj Creations. To match this milestone film, Illaiyaraja delivered another blockbuster album which included the immortal hits Vaan Megangale, Thamthana Thamthana and the song inspired by Schubert’s Symphony No. 8 – Idhayam Poguthey.

Illaiyaraja’s music for Sivakumar’s 100^th film, Rosapoo Ravikaikaari, received the same critical acclaim as the film. The wide audience for the film after winning multiple awards, meant that Illaiyaraja’s music also enjoyed a wider audience well beyond the traditional Tamil audiences. The song Uchchi Vanguntheduthu became a sensational hit, with many commenting that the tune itself conveys all the complex emotions of the troubled protagonist. Puthiya Varpugal and Rosapoo Ravikaikaari released on the same day – 14 April 1979.

For K. Vijayan’s Sivaji Ganesan-Vanisri starrer, Nallathoru Kudumbam, Illaiyaraja introduced singer Kalyani Menon, mother of Kanndu Konndain Kanndu Konndain director, Rajiv Menon.

When R. Selvaraj, the writer of Annakili, made his debut as a director in Ponnu Oorukku Puthusu, he naturally chose Illaiyaraja to score the music. Illaiyaraja took no fee for the task and produced another popular album. Through the song Solai Kuyile, Illaiyaraja introduced S.P. Sailaja (S.P. Balasubramanyam’s younger sister) as a playback singer and M.G. Vallaban as a lyricist. The song Oram Po penned by Gangaiamaran became the first Illaiyaraja song to be banned by the Government. Some maintained that it was because of the vulgarity of the lyrics (although the lyrics in one of the songs from Illaiyarajavin Rasigai penned by Gangaiamaran was a lot more explicit). However, film historians maintain that it was banned because of its anti-caste stance. The song was later remixed by D. Imman for the 2009 film Ainthaam Padai.

During the making of Alahudinum Arputha Villakkam, Kamalhaasan and Rajinikanth took a joint decision not to act together again. Panchu Arunachalam, who had been booked their dates for a film together then decided to produce two separate films – Rajinikanth in Arulirunthu Arupathuvarai and Kamalhaasan in Kalyana Raman. Illaiyaraja was appointed to score the music for both films.

For Aarilirunthu Arupathuvarai he had intricate compositions like Kanmaniye Kaadhal Enbathu and Vaazhkaiye Vesham – both of which have since become immortal classics.

For Kamalhaasan’s Kalyana Raman, it was a more casual approach to composition, but these songs proved to be more popular than the songs from Aarilirunthu Arupathuvarai. S.P. Muthuraman’s assistant, G.N. Rangarajan, made his debut as a director in Kalyana Raman, introducing to the Tamil cinema world the genre of horror comedy.

To be continued