BEHINDWOODS CELEBRITY COLUMN

Hi dear readers and viewers all over the world,
I’d like to start this week’s ‘rekhs underscore’ with a c&p
of an interview with Mr M.Saravanan of AVM fame that
I chanced to read on the net. (Thank you Economic Times)

"Film-making was a different business those days," says Saravanan quite euphemistically. As he recalls, there was never an instance of a film getting started without either a budget or a story. "Today, things are really out of control with escalating budgets," points out Saravanan.

By way of comparison, Anbe Vaa, a 1966 release based on Come September, was made on a budget of Rs 30 lakh with MG Ramachandran, the hero, being paid about 10% of the cost. "Today, the fee paid to a star is about a third of the film's cost," he rues.

When R2 (Review Raja) visited Chennai, I insisted he must visit AVM studio, I introduced him to Guhan and his twin daughters Aparna and Aruna. Guhan showed us around the studio and one of the things that caught our fancy and stirred our curiosity was an old carriage standing proudly in a corner of their garage.

From Guhan we learnt that was the carriage used in the song, “rajavin paarvai raniyin pakkam” from Anbe vaa, in 1966. As a child I’ve always been fascinated by the opening notes of this song and the sound of hooves…and had colorful visions of a knight in shining armor whisking me away!

Starring our late CM Puratchi Thalaivar MGR and ‘Kannadathu Paingili’ Saroja devi, this song composed by the music legend MSV, written by Vaali, vocalized beautifully by TMS and P.Susheela…takes us back to not just the 60s but a time when reel life transported us to a dream world of escapism and 100% entertainment.

To quote Mr M.Saravanan again
“"Earlier, the story was the hero. Today, the hero is the story," is Saravanan's reading of the (present) situation.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8sXlvUsyczE

I’d like to dedicate this song to the most charismatic hero in Tamil cinema who won hearts transcending beyond language and latitude…who else but the Man with the Midas touch, Godsend to Thamizh cinema and ‘Revolutionary leader’ CM of our state and winner of a million hearts or more…MGR.

This also happens to be ‘readers’ request’ from Easwar, Radhika, Kannan and Lakshmi.
A special thanks to A.P International for a good print.

I’d also like to take this opportunity to request all Thamizh producers and directors to subtitle their films giving ample time for the overseas distributors to reap the benefit of a wider audience. This series of subtitled songs are testimony to the power of this ‘tool’ to take our Thamizh cinema to every nook and corner of planet earth. Just as we enjoy watching an Iranian film or a French film (with subs), let us give the same opportunity and pleasure to viewers all over, to realize and appreciate our South Indian cinema, applaud our talent and admire our content.

Thamizh vaLarga vaazhga!

Presenting soulful music to delight and distract for those of us who cannot escape the brewing sizzling week ahead,

rekhs
May 06 - 2013