BEHINDWOODS CELEBRITY COLUMN

Dear readers,

Starting with a bang and a festive note, let me wish all of you, triumph of good over evil, swipe away negativity in our lives, move forward, realize our dreams and let positive vibes rule the day!

When listing out songs apt for Deepavali, I zeroed in on one of my all time favorites from the treasure trove of 1 of my forever favorite directors, Mani Ratnam’s Alaipayuthe

Do I rave about this man who made me feel proud to be a Thamizh speaking Indian from Tamilnadu, being able to identify and relate to incidents in all his stories as if it had happened to me, my best friend, my neighbor?

Or the soul-stirring scintillating visuals, painted with such ease, the joy each frame brings is equal to an art student admiring a Monet’s Water lilies or Ravi Varma’s portraits of classical Indian beauty.

Or the Mozart of Madras A.R.Rahman’s lilting music, ears however (s)tone deaf cannot get tired of listening?

Or poet laureate Vairamuthu’s expressive words that can bring colors to our mind’s eye in all their splendor as they exist in nature?

Or Sreekar Prasad’s editorial skill that’s so apparent to even a lay-person who enjoys watching a film for its aesthetic appeal and story content.

Alaipayuthe released on April 14^th 2000 and to this day is a treat for sore eyes, ambrosia to the starved mind.

Such a splash of colors, wealth of meaning in each line, this song can put a spring in the step of even an octogenarian, to embrace nature in all her bounty.

Here’s the link: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_wBsopSXpOo&feature=youtu.be

As I was subtitling this song, I came across this line: “kuvaLai poovil kuzaiththa vannam”

A simple word as ‘kuzhaiththa’ has no equivalent in English, what a poignant word and how poetic is its usage here! This is when I realized I can never do justice, however much I try, as most often the sheer beauty of our Thamizh  is lost in translation!

I cannot dedicate this ‘gem of a classic’ piece to just 1 person. If I did I wouldn’t be able to look at myself fair and square in the mirror!

So with a High 5, which every film connoisseur will agree, mind, body, heart and soul, this is to the fantabulous 5:

Mani Ratnam, P.C. Sriram, Sreekar Prasad, Rahman, Vairamuthu, we bow to the magic wand you have waved in unison.

Thank you, A.P.International for not blocking my upload on copyright issues!

With evergreen classics like this rejuvenating us, let us waltz towards a nectarine November, proud of the priceless pearls in our casket of memories…!

With a nostalgic wave of my hand, ‘see you’ next week,

rekhs