BEHINDWOODS CELEBRITY COLUMN

I would like to present this ever soooo beauuuuuutiful melody from the Music legend Shri M.S.Viswanathan’s treasure trove, written by the poet laureate lyricist Shri Kannadasan, sung by my faaaaaavorite singer whose voice never fails to make me float into the ‘lost horizon’ of Shangri-la!

Thillu mullu (released May 1,1981) directed by none other than Shri K.Balachandar, the trend setter of Tamil cinema was in itself a remake of Amol Palekar’s ‘Gol maal’. It was also Rajinikanth's first full-length comedy film. He agreed to it solely due to the strong suggestion by his mentor K. Balachandar that he should do non-commercial roles, to break the stereotyped action-hero mould for which he was known at that time. In the climax Kamal Hassan appears as a lawyer wearing spectacles without glasses. Rajinikanth had to shave his moustache for Thillu Mullu, making it his first film which featured him without a moustache (courtesy Wikipedia)

This song always sent me into raptures…but it got lodged in my ‘ghajini memory’ due to passage of time, in this case, more than 3 decades! I owe my re-awakening to this melodious gem, to director Badri (of Thillu mullu 2013) and T.Siva. I hassled Siva and ensured I subtitled this film…and this song re-haunted my memory cells.

Please watch this magical melody in:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UbDc5eDz8z8

Whom can I dedicate this song to…director, music director, singer, lyricist, superstar…each a legend in their respective spheres, a dicey dilemma indeed. And I can’t even be partial ‘cos I love and glorify them all!

I’d like to dedicate this special number to the dusky doe-eyed ‘breaker of a zillion hearts’ Maadhavi…who has been blessed with a special combo of beauty and brains. I actually planned on a song from ‘Raja paarvai’ as a special ode to her career, as I read on the net that was her favorite film. But we can only propose, God wills otherwise! This has taken precedence. Maadhavi, you belonged to a rare breed who figured out that maintaining one’s figure is top priority, you were daring in ‘tik tik tik’, you come across to me as someone who believes in calling a spade a shovel (!), passionate about your career and this is for you …for the strong woman you are! It must have been a tough call to give up what you love in the peak of your career and move to another country…I pray to God you come back to our Thamizh silver screen someday soon. And I hope wherever you are (Nj?) you get to see this and share it with your husband Ralph, your 3 ‘angels’ Tiffany, Priscilla and Evelyn, your fans and friends.’

Let’s make every corner of our world know the magic of ‘MSV-KND- SPB’…and to the non-Thamizh, good subs seem the only solution to touch a chord in hearts and minds worldwide.

Until my next, hope ragas help you hum your favorite song to help you through a rough patch, your day…your life!

rekhs
01.07.2013