WHAT A TEAM WORK!

 WHAT A TEAM WORK!

Every cine song is a package of infinite complexities blended to sound simple and reproducible. It would be too simplistic an assumption to say the least. A range of components have to be in place before a lyric matures into a song. The innate complexities in a song get added one after another with every minute’s passage of time. Honestly, I do not know much about the present practices in ‘composition of songs’. Whatever I recall here dates back to the 1960s when human effort was more and did not enjoy much of technology back-up. Yet, the then songs stay with youthful glamour, despite passage of time. There ought to be ‘something’ that lends this ‘longevity’ to a song. Can longevity be conferred on to a song? If a variety parameters come together as a ‘fine blend’, possibly conferring longevity is just a matter of routine. Can we justify or substantiate such a contention? It looks within reach to substantiate the claim.

Songs that have lived for over 50 or 60 years, ever since their arrival, have always sustained GLORIOUS RELEVANCE. By relevance I imply their absolute importance to the scene[s] where they figure in a movie. This also explains the ‘rapid fade off’ syndrome suffered by several later numbers which were sheer time-fillers, without any ‘value-addition‘ to the story line. If any proof is needed, recall even songs in comic movies which have not lost their sheen by any ageing. Is relevance an accidental outcome for a song? As far as I recognize, 9 out of 10, relevance is not accidental; on the contrary it has been a product of conceptual clarity and perfection in execution. I choose to place a set of facts before readers to highlight, how team work lends ‘weight’ to a product.

A Case in point:

‘sonnadhu nee thaanaa?’ [Nenjil Or aalayam- 1962, Kannadasan , Viswanathan- Ramamurthy-                            P Susheela,  Vincent –Sridhar – the crucial crew].

The movie was shot in 21 days [3 weeks] on a single set in Vijaya studios. Several components were being taken care of as parallel processes. Naturally, songs were being composed even as movie was being shot for all other non-song sequences; practically, unheard of artistes were availed of to eliminate chances of ‘clashes’ of dates for the artistes. Kannadasan who could not abide by the work schedule chose to come late.  A restless MSV told Sridhar that it is getting delayed for him [MSV] as several recording sessions await his personal presence. When at last Kavignar came, someone briefed him that MSV was angry over the inordinate delay and had lodged a complaint with Sridhar. Kavignar in disbelief asked MSV  ‘Sonnadhu nee thaanaa sol sol sol en uyire’ ? Thus the opening line for the song came out which ably suited the movie requirement and Sridhar gladly approved it and got the song quickly completed. Putting all skills to work V- R composed a melancholic tune to portray the disturbed mind of the woman.

V-R have used the strategy of progressively raising the song tempo through ‘pacing up’. The song starts on a low key and keeps gaining speed step by step as a portrayal of the woman’s gaining confidence to question the wisdom of her husband in suggesting a re-marriage for her with someone else. As the song advances, one can notice both speed and agony getting intertwined.  V-R’s ability to conceive the mood elevation is a strategic victory by choosing instruments –Sitar, Sarod, Tabla which are uncommon in South India.  Sitar and Sarod lend heavy melancholy while a dexterous play of Tabla brought off excellent confluence of mood consolidation to tonal impact.  Sitar was played by Ustad Hussain Ahmed; in fact the sitar play projected on screen as by artiste Devika was indeed the hand of Ustad Hussain Ahmed. Of course the fine rolling on Tabla was the performance of the noted exponent – Hanumanthappaa. Short pieces of flute were by Nanjappa or Gunasingh

The tempo of the song portrayal was immortalized by A Vincent’s Cinematography which has presented the whole song without any cut shots and through a tight room 12ft X10ft.  Stretches of song phrases are backed by camera work that captures the facial expressions for showcasing the mood element. A parallel depiction of live man, his mirror image and that of the woman in distress were ‘novel’ in cinematography then.It was done in 1962 in the most unobtrusive fashion.

The brilliant part of CV Sridhar’s Directorial skill was his judicious decision   to have ‘wound up’ the song at the zenith of emotion ‘ innoru kaigalile yaar yaar naana’ ; at that point the Director has ended the song [though it continues in the record] where upon, Devika simply sags and collapses on the sitar depicting her uncontrollable melancholy overwhelmed by surcharged emotion.

Such is the importance of team work especially in a song sequence in a  movie.

Prof. K. Raman