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On New Year eve, let’s contemplate
on some of the best ways to celebrate
and welcome the next 365 days of our
lives. The concept of New Year celebrations
has changed a lot over the years.
It was not very long back that Dec.
31 used to pass off on a very somber
note. Most people used to prefer to
sit at home watching some special
programs or movies on TV, maybe a
few midnight calls to wish ‘Happy
New Year’ to the near and dear
and then hit the bed. But, things
have changed. New Year, the eve of
New Year to be more precise, has become
an occasion and even an excuse to
party hard, sometimes also as a way
of forgetting things of the past year
that are not worth carrying forward.
New Year’s Eve is also a time
for resolutions, most of which are
discarded by the end of the first
week. Sadly or otherwise, New Year
has never been seen as a good occasion
to release movies in theaters. Very
few big film makers have adventured
to release their films on New Year
weekends, the logic being that very
few people would like to spend a good
New Year’s eve in a theater
watching a movie which might spoil
the festive mood. So, movies have
had a very sparing impact on New Year
celebrations barring the few stage
shows organized by clubs where some
stars dance to our favorite numbers.
But there is one glowing exception
to this, Kamal Haasan and Ilayaraja.
How often have you heard the rhythmically
rising drum beats followed by the
triumphant chant of ‘Happy New
Year everybody’ being played
out at the end of the countdown. The
very young may not be able to connect
to this, but those who had been around
for long enough in 1982 to be part
of the Sakalakalavallavan rage will
understand. For years, the ‘Ilamai
Idho Idho’ song was the first
to be played in almost all parts of
Tamil Nadu in a New Year. The amazing
thing here is that, even today this
song is a favorite in many parts of
Tamil Nadu (exclude the partying and
pubbing zones) to mark New Year. What
was heard for the first time in 1982
still resounds in many places on Dec.31.
What made the song so special? Ilayaraja’s
music always has a great effect, Kamal
was at his nimble best in those days
and SPB’s voice boomed. The
song was a path breaker in many ways.
It was perhaps, at that time, the
most energetic and colorful song to
be shot; it was far ahead of its times.
And it had sunk so deep into the New
Year culture that it has now become
a staple. Neither Ilayaraja, nor
Kamal nor SPB was able to recreate
the same |
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