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1996
- Western namakku vilaiyatu, no problem ! |
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This year saw AR Rahman's best output in terms of dance numbers. Numbers that have set unique trends and whose beats are still echoing in Indian Film music till today and if I may add...world-class numbers that can stand in competition and beat hollow any western pop composition of that year. 1996 saw
the following original (not dubbed) releases of ARR : Love Birds was an attempt by film maker P Vasu and Prabhu Deva to capitalise on the latter's success in Kaadhalan. Rahman didn't let them down by providing punch-packed music. If "Malargale Malargale" was an inspired blend of romantic passion and tarantulic beats, "Samba Samba" was an epitome of percussionistic perfection yet with melody intertwined. "No Problem" was the first of its kind Indian number featuring Apache Indian and "Come on Come on" was a cool blend of neat lyrics, chorus et al that fitted beautifully into the picturization. "Naalai ulagam" though was unfortunately picturized as a steamy number. But still it is one of the hidden gems of ARR that didn't get its due. And what cannot be said about Shankar's Indian ?!! A highly original story that deserved nothing but the best in soundtrack and Rahman was there. Right from the beginning Tada number to the ending Maya Machindra, all the songs had you spellbound. Exactly what Shankar had in mind when he said in a TV interview aired during the release of the film "I want every song (in Indian) to be a Muqabala". The sophisticated chorus in Tada gave the song a world-class flavour...and till date the song can stand its own in any World pop collection. Such was the sophistication and musical wizardry that was pumped into the song. And could you miss the innovative rhythm in "Kappal yeri poyachu" ? And the soulful interludes that gave the song a complete patriotism + romantic flavour. Then came "Pachaikili..." rendered by Yesudas. The trendy looped bass rhythm mixed with a traditional tune elevated the song into a league of its own. To justify its uniqueness, you can find this song included in the MondoIndia CD - a compilation by a Westerner of Indian songs that they have found appealing. "Telephone Manipol" was yet another Rahman classic...a heady concoction of Carnatic melodies fused with the most modern of pop dance rhythms that left you breathless. Maya Machindra had the inimitable SPB belting it out. The bhangra choruses and the whole sound design of the song neatly fitted in with the graphics and the plan for the song as a heavy number to keep audiences pinned in their seats in the second half of the film. Similar to what ARR and Shankar had planned and executed with the Muqabala number in Kaadhalan. One more forgettable Prabhu Deva film (storywise) was Mr. Romeo but then as Prabhu Deva himself admits, acting is not his forte...but what songs !! The music of Rahman, the Art Direction of Thota Tharani and the choregraphy of Prabhu Deva catapults these song sequences of Mr. Romeo into the Hall of Fame of Indian Film song picturization. "Romeo Aatam potaal..." - Udit Narayan's voice gives this song its unique flavour. The rhythm section of the song is one that was never heard before in Indian film music with the characteristic Rahman pauses (incidentally what Mani Ratnam found very attractive when he heard Rahman's demo tape). "Mellisaiye..." - A song that has layers of disco, western classical interludes with a dash of Tamil pop with soulful rendition of melodies...one of those rare love and dance duets in the vein of Love Bird's Malargale. I just now realise that this is a unique genre by itself....a brand that Rahman has been able to create for Prabhu Deva. Perhaps a full treatise about these special song structures of Rahman will be written someday. Mona Lisa was tamil pop qawwali at its best and the magnum opus - "________" rendered by Ila Arun. Check out the rhythm section in this song. I still can't tire of hearing the fantastic beats...sets your soul dancing...Rahman truly has the soul of a Dancing Dervish lost in Divine Bliss. How else can you explain the joyful, magical foot-tapping effect of his subtle percussion rhythms ? And the very hip, trendy and cool "Thaneeril.." with funky bass line rhythms and a fab bass and snare beat...no wonder Michael Jackson wears a T-shirt autographed with ARR's signature..if I was a modern musician, I would too. If not the steamy picturization..this song would have been a wider and a bigger hit. And then came Kaadhal Desam almost at the end of the year. What was special about this album was...the music was a kind of tribute to the Indian youth. Youth who held Rahman in high esteem. You could make this out by noticing Rahman's voice on most of the dance tracks - "Mustafa Mustafa", "Kalluri Salai" and "Hello Doctor". Songs which stand on their own to this day. Mustafa Mustafa went on to establish itself as a Friendship Anthem. Rahman's uncompromising nature on quality lyrics have ensured that these songs never fade out. You can hear these songs year after year without feeling bored due to the amount of creativity that has been packed into these songs. Only music lovers who go beyond the surface can appreciate this. Coming to the romantic numbers in Kaadhal Desam - "Unnai kanavilai netrodu..." - rendered beautifully by SPB. "O Vennila.." and "Thendrale..." sung by Unnikrishnan were all deeply passionate and highly exotic numbers. Especially the last two have the power of breaking down the dam of your emotions. I say this in a serious note because, I angered my roommate who was recovering from the death of his fiancée. When I was playing these songs, he almost broke down and forced me to change tapes. I would have advised him to let go..these songs could have had a therapeutic effect but that's another story. - Cosmician
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2002
Constellation - A group of ARR fans from TFMPage.com
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