Echoes of the Maestro – Song 24 – Adi Raja Ponnu

“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.

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 23 – Mazhalai Endrum Maaradhu

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. 

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 22 – Thenil Aadum Roja

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.

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 21 – Hoi Mama

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.

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 19 – Kalyanam Paaru

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.

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 13 – Chinna Kannan Azhaikiraan

Chinnakannan azhaikiran is one of those that invokes a calmness in you whenever you listen to it. A couple of days back when I wrote about Kaadhal Oviyam song from Kavikuyil I discovered that Chinnakannan azhaikiran is also from this album and from that time it has been ringing in my head.

Echoes of the Maestro – Song 5 – Poovizhi vaasalil

Dheepam (1977) was initially supposed to be Ilaiyaraaja’s debut movie before Annakili. However, due to delays, Annakili ended up being released first, and it became a huge success, making Ilaiyaraaja a household name with its banger of an album.