Realities Around Us
Jency Gregory has one of the unique voices and most of her songs in Tamil were composed by Illayaraja. You might have heard her voice but might not have known her by name. Some of her most famous songs include En Uyir Neethaney from Priya, Namthana Thamthana Thaalam Varum from Puthiya Vaarpugal, En Vaaniley from Jhonny, Kaathal Ooviyam from Alaigal Oivathillai to name a few.
When discussing the Tamil Film Industry, one cannot overlook Aval Appadithaan. This film was far ahead of its time and still holds a Cult Classic status. The film’s themes remain relevant even today, Simply put, as a society, we have not progressed and still treat women as mere objects instead of human beings.
“Orey Muththam,” directed by C.A. Mugilan, is his only directorial movie. Unfortunately, this movie was a big box office flop. If you’re lucky, you might find a poor-quality print of this movie on YouTube. I haven’t seen the movie, but the biggest saving grace is Illayaraja’s songs.
Mazhalai Endrum Maaradha is featured in the Sethupathi IPS movie. The entire album itself is a gem, but Saathu Nada Saathu overshadowed all of them. I still remember watching this film in theaters, closing my eyes, and waiting for the boy to meet Sethupathi IPS during that song sequence.
Thenil Aadum Roja is an absolute delight, capturing the essence of a mother serenading her child. P. Susheela Amma’s graceful rendition brings out the beauty of Panchu Arunachalam’s poetic lyrics. I’m not sure if it was widely popular at the time, but listening to this song with closed eyes invokes a profound sense of peace and tranquility.
This song begins with a Bengali style but smoothly transitions into a traditional folk song. It is featured unusually in a Tamil film, where it is used to reconcile two quarreling lovers, portrayed by a different couple. I’ve never heard this song and even after so many years, this song sounds different especially the guitar portion in the interlude after the second pallavi.
This song is featured in Sadma, which marked the Hindi debut of Balu Mahendra and Illayaraaja. While Sridevi and Kamal, the lead actors of the film, were already familiar faces, Sadma catapulted Sridevi’s reputation as a performer, earning her widespread acclaim as a
Uthiripookkal was the second Directional of Legendary Director Mahendran. Many of us might have heard Azhagiya Kanne which is pretty popular even now, if you randomly switch to Sun Music or any other Tamil music channels sometime in the day there is a 50% chance you might stumble upon that song.
If an iconic film can inspire many other film Industries in the country back in the late 70’s it is none other than Don (1978) starring Amitabh Bachan. Yugandhar is the official Telugu remake of Don starring legendary N.T.Rama Rao and this is the only film Illayaraja got to collaborate with him.
Idhaya Mazhayil might remind you of one of the famous MGR songs but it twists completely. Even though the rhythm might sound similar they aren’t the same. I wonder how I never heard of this song at all.
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Tagged Echoes of the Maestro, Illayaraja Tamil Songs, Jency Gregory Songs, Kannadasan Songs, S. Janaki Songs