The blog was under maintenance for the past two days as I am doing quite a bit of backend changes. We continue the Title songs special and today I have a song from my most favourite Tamil movie ever.

I consider Uthiri Pookal as the best movie ever to be made in Tamil cinema and it has inspired many directors. Check out my post on the movie from the 50 Tamil movies to watch before you die series. The song is tuned as sad lullaby but the tune also becomes the main theme for the two children in

When Prakash Raj started directing, he went to Ilaiyaraaja to support his stories and their collaboration has given us some wonderful music (3 movies so far). It’s also wonderful to note that as a producer he didn’t force his choices on directors like Radha Mohan because Vidysagar scored the music for most of Radha Mohan’s music.

Un Samayal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani is a trilingual remake of Salt ‘n’ Pepper, a Malayalam movie. The title song of the movie should make people understand that the movie is about food and songs each language celebrates the food culture of Tamil Nadu, Karnataka and Andhra Pradesh/Telengana respectively. Even the video is interspersed with specific food stuff mentioned in the song along with common footage for all three languages.

At first, I wasn’t convinced with choice of Kailash Kher but when I listened to the song, his voice gave a different taste to the song. Watch in your favourite language but if you are a foodie, watch all the songs, you wil not regret it. And at the same time, if you visit a restaurant because of the song, I am not responsible for the bill

Intha Porapputhan – Tamil Version

Intha Porappu Than

Intha Porappu Than/En Janumave/Ee Janmame is the title song of Un Samyal Arayil/Oggarane/Ulavacharu Biriyani directed by Prakash Raj and composed by Ilaiyaraaja.

Ee Janumave – Kannada Version

Ee Janumave - Kannada

Ee Janmame – Telugu Version

Ee Janmame

I strive to watch movies in the first week and write reviews, but sometimes it doesn’t work out the way I plan. The last few weeks, I couldn’t see the movies during the first week of their release. To be honest, a late review doesn’t help a small budgeted film as their lifetime depends on good word of mouth. Even if one person reads my review and watches a small budgeted movie, I would be a happier person.

I liked some of the movies that came out in the last few weeks. A couple of them are low budgeted fare that created a buzz, and another one came from a famous actor. Here are the things that I liked and didn’t like about the movie (in short).

Maanagaram – Unknown faces of a Metro City

Maanagaram is about how random strangers in a new city help each other at the moments of dire need. Any metro city is full of immigrants, and the city runs because of these people. Maanagaram’s strength is the way Lokesh Kanagaraj has crafted his screenplay backed up by some excellent performances by Sri and Sundeep Kishan. But the movie belongs to the brilliance of Charle. Ramadoss makes another bid to show why he is not just comedy actor. The supporting cast is what makes Maanagaram delectable.

Having said that, sometimes the narrative is forced, and I felt the coincidences are too many in such a short period. The entire premise hinges on a mere coincidence, and it’s up to you to accept or deny it. However, Manaagaram is worth a watch for taut filmmaking, strong performances by the actors and the heart.

A 3/5 for Maanagaram for celebrating the unknown faces that we meet everyday. Watch it if you haven’t. 

8 Thottakkal – Few on target

I knew MS Bhaskar but little did I know about his prowess in acting. If Mozhi made you sit up and notice him, 8 Thottakkal would make you salute him for the performance. Debutant Sri Ganesh (an assistant of Mysskin) has taken a leaf out of Akira Kurosawa’s Stray Dog and created an enjoyable movie that again depends on the performance of supporting cast (or not?).

A subdued police sub-inspector loses his revolver to a pick-pocket. Crimes are conducted using the pistol, and he tries to find the culprit. Vetri as the lead protagonist is unconvincing, and rock would have emoted better. On the other hand, everyone else around him has provided impactful performances. The movie belongs to MS Bhaskar, and it was like watching an aged Al Pacino in Dog Day Afternoon. Nasser, Manikandan, RS Shivaji, Charles Vinoth enthral you with their performances. The way director has connected the sequences to each of the character’s past is moviemaking at its best.

Having said that, the lack of strong protagonist, long drawn sequences in the second half and dampening big reveal stood as scars in the movie. Sundaramurthy’s background score didn’t give the significant impact for the film. But 8 Thottakkal is watchable for the performances and the movie making prowess of debutant Sri Ganesh.

A 3/5 for 8 Thottakkal – a clean slow burning thriller that you wouldn’t mind spending your money on.

Power Pandi Review – The power of goodness

It’s commendable that Dhanush chose a story like Power Paandi to make his debut. The best thing about the movie is that the heart is in its right place. If you look at the film, there are no negative characters – you may see an odd shopkeeper or a rowdy who messes with Power Paandi, but otherwise, there are no lead villains in the movie.

Power Paandi is coming of age movie of another kind. It’s the story of Paandi, a stunt director who is trying to come to terms with his retirement life. He is seeking for something in his life, and Power Paandi is about the search but not about the finding. There couldn’t be a better person than Raj Kiran to do the role of Power Paandi. He excels in every scene and shows a broad range of emotions. The scene where he proposes to Revathy is a cracker, and the scene where he laments about his life to Prasanna proves the mettle of the actor. It was heartwarming to see Revathy on screen again, and she eases through her role. The flashback sequence between Dhanush and Madonna Sebastian is well conceived but Dhanush’s antics were over-the-top for a role like that, and it felt contrived. Prasanna, Chaya Singh and DD were adequate in their roles while Rinson and Raghavan (as the next door boy and grandson respectively) are impressive. I remember writing that Sean Roldan could not hold Vaayay Moodi Pesavum together with his background score but in Power Paandi, he has graduated to the next level. Having said that, I liked only Venpani Malare in the list of songs.

The problem with the movie is that the conflict between Power Pandi and his son Raghavan (Prasanna) is contrived and you end up questioning the reasons for his sudden road-trip. The subtlety of second half is missing in the first, but the chemistry between Power Pandi and Revathy leaves you with a smile.

A 3/5 for Power Paandi – an unexpected feel-good movie from Dhanush

Raj Kiran’s first movie was En Rasavin Manasile directed by Kasthoori Raja, Dhanush’s father. It was the same reason why Dhanush chose to work with Raj Kiran in his first directorial venture (Power Pandi). Raj Kiran produced the movie and to be honest, the rugged looking Raj Kiran helped the narrative.

The title song prepares you for the poignant theme of the movie. A wonderfully rendered song by Ilaiyaraaja and Swarnalatha, this one will seep in to your heart.

Kuyil Pattu

Kuyil Pattu is the title song of En Rasavin Manasile, directoral debut of Kasthoori Raja and acting debut of Raj Kiran. The post is part of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja.

Books are my alternate realities. They help me to escape reality and get into another world that I love or hate. I don’t read mythical fantasy, and so I don’t have a magical world like Harry Potter to live in, but books allow me to create my world.But it takes an awfully long time for me to choose a book. Either some of my close bookish friends have to give me a recommendation (I blindly read what @Madhubanti suggests – her choices never fail to fascinate me) or I have to read “N” number of reviews for a book to intrigue me. I am currently reading  “Tamil – An Autobiography” by David Shulman.When someone chooses a book for you, there is a 70% chance that you will not like it. Ok, I just made up the number, but the point is will you allow someone else to choose a book for you? And that’s what book subscription box services do. Tricky?

Let’s analyse how this subscription business started. Subscription business began when Newspapers and Magazines started publishing at regular intervals.  Charles Dickens released his “The Pickwick Papers” in instalments, and that became the first ‘serialised’ fiction. Just give it a thought, you are already in a subscription economy.

1. Broadband
2. Cable/DTH
3. Newspapers
4. Magazine readers
5. Amazon Prime/Netflix
6. Kindle Unlimited

and most of these are virtually owned/consumed. In fact, the online subscription services are quite popular in B2B space – the entire cloud computing services run on subscription. But it took time for companies to adopt the subscription business in the consumer market. Can you guess the product that started consumer products subscription boom?

1. The product is a staple requirement for half of the population in the world.
2. Most replace it every month based on the need – so the demand never stops.
3. There are only a few notable companies in the business.

Unable to guess? It was the humble shaving blades. Dollar Shave Club started its subscription business in 2011, and it changed the subscription business so much that they were acquired by Unilever for $1Bn cash in 2016 ¹

After the success of Dollar Shaving Club, many services started with a similar business model. There is Birchbox that sends you beauty products every month, Pants by Post sends underwears, craft coffee sends different coffee to taste, and my most favourite is Geekologie – it sends retro video games, comic book and TV series merchandise. Most of these companies were started by bloggers or independent business people while big corporations woke up to it little late. P&G has entered the business, but Indian entrepreneurs are still warming up to the business model. For instance, visits to US subscription box services increased by 3000% in 2016, and an average subscriber in the US has 10-12 subscriptions. But India hasn’t caught up with online commerce like their US counterpart ².

Sugar box sends you beauty products, and with Let’s Shave, you can subscribe to men’s grooming products. Not so surprisingly, a plethora of startups are in the beauty or fashion business – Lady Raga, Yourbox, My Envy Box, etc., Juliet box is the best of the lot that sends sanitary napkins and essentials based on the menstrual cycle of women.

There are only a few companies that are treading into exciting subscription box services – Flintobox (toy subscription box services for children) is one, and Fiction Crate is another.

Why is Fiction Crate interesting?

There are two ways a subscription box can become successful – identify a product that people have to change/regularly lose (Let’s Shave, Getsocks) or identify a product that people like to be surprised/ have a difficult time choosing.

Books are a tougher nut to crack when it is a subscription box service. Each one has different taste and has a plethora of reasons to choose a book (or not). But one thing remains, people hate a book after reading it, and most of them don’t tend to judge a book by the cover.

Fiction Crate’s book subscription box business hinge on this aspect of surprising people based on the genre they choose to read, and also they combine it with a merchandise related to books/reading.  There are multiple subscriptions levels that you can choose based on your reading ability. Each of the subscription levels comes with a T-shirt of your size. The classic will cost you Rs.499, Premium will cost you Rs.699 and if you jus like their T-shirts you can buy that too.

What did I love about the first delivery?

Although it took some time due to postal issues (Fiction Crate sent an apology letter in advance), the package was perfectly packed. I was like a child, and I couldn’t wait to open (although I was at work). The biggest doubt I had was about the choice of book. Although I am not a voracious reader, I had doubt that I might receive a book that I have read already. But they chose Woman in Cabin 10 by Ruth Ware. It surprised me, and it has a 4-star rating on Amazon.

It was like a box of chocolates, and it’s like finding chocolate that you haven’t tasted yet. The choice of the book also shows that they have put a lot of thought into the selection of book.

Can fiction crate succeed?

The subscription box business model is in the nascent stages in India. Although there are great ideas like Fiction Crate and Flintobox, there are companies that sell mobile cases every month.One of the biggest problems that these companies face is that the RBI doesn’t allow credit/debit card details to be stored and so it’s impossible to get automatic payments from the card.

Few startups have gone into book subscription box services – Story Trunk specialises in Young Adult fiction while Biblio Box’s service is expanding to other genres too. Fiction Crate faces two challenges – getting the traditional book reader on to the book subscription box model and the second is getting non-readers to adopt reading. Most companies approach it as a monthly subscription service rather than surprise box service. Fiction crate can work on the aspect of a surprise because it sticks when it comes to books (or book based merchandises) and it will also push non-readers to buy the book subscription box service.

It’s not going to be easy in this segment, but Fiction Crate has all the ingredients of success, after all, they have started from a city that has a huge reading population in the country.

FictionCrate gave me a free delivery of their Rs.699 product for this review. It was received through a promotion partnership that they had with The Chennai Bloggers Club.

Check www.fictioncrate.com for their subscription plans.

PS., Loved their personalised card but I hope they can continue it when their subscription base increases.

References

1. Why Unilever really bought Dollar Shave Club?  – Bloomberg
2. With the overseas subscription box business growing exponentially, is India ready? – Exchange Media
3. Cover pic courtesy: Fiction Crate – https://fictioncrate.com/#hero

As I have stated earlier in the article on Veedu, Balu Mahendra considered Veedu and Sandhya Raagam as the two movies (among the ones he made) with minimal flaws. Unlike Veedu, I had to search for Sandhya Raagam, and I was startled at the ingenuity it threw on me.

Sandhya Raagam (Tune of the Twilight) – 1989

Chokkalingam (played by Chokkalinga Bagavathar) moves to Madras (now Chennai) to live with his nephew Vasu (Oviyar Veera Santhanam) after his wife’s demise. Vasu lives with his wife (Archana) and his daughter in a middle-class household. Archana feels that she would not be able to take care of Chokkalingam due to the financial situation of the family. Chokkalingam slowly realises that he has become a burden to the household and he moves to an elderly home that takes care of senior citizens.

Balu Mahendra wrote, directed and produced the movie and L.Vaidyanathan scored the background music (and it’s listed wrongly as Ilaiyaraaja in some articles).

What is so special about the movie?

1. There have been movies about the elderly and neglected parents in Tamil cinema, but all those movies handled the issue in a melodramatic way. Sandhya Raagam was the first movie to take care of it realistically and sensitively.
2. The film never takes a blaming tone on the young daughter-in-law because she undergoes so much pressure than the other two men in the family. Archana portrayed the helplessness of a middle-class woman so perfectly.
3. It also doesn’t try to force you to take a sympathetic tone on Chokkalingam. For instance, there is a scene where Archana laments that she would not be able to take care of the octogenarian. By Tamil film grammar, Balu Mahendra should have shown the tears of Chokkalingam, but he tends to focus on the realistic lament of a middle-class wife. A master class in filmmaking on how to concentrate on the subject matter that director wants the audience to see.
4. Chokkalinga Bagavathar’s restrained portrayal of an old man is a treat to watch. Most old people, after a particular age move on quickly from their disappointments with life. The sketching of the character was realistic, and none could have matched his performance.
5. The movie showed why Archana is one of the best actresses that Tamil cinema ever saw. It could have become caricaturish because there were quite many films that dealt with similar storylines at that time. The balance was the key, and Balu Mahendra extracted the best out of his favourite actress.
6. The minimalistic score of L Vaidyanathan and Balu Mahendra’s trademark natural lighting cinematography (he chose to shoot the movie in Black and White) were perfect accompaniments to the story.

Why is it on the list?

1. Sandhya Raagam is one of the few perfectly crafted movies in Tamil cinema.
2. A film that could have been marred by cheap melodrama but Balu Mahendra stays the course to show realism realistically.
3. A movie that makes every Tamil movie fan proud.

Trivia

1. Sandhya Raagam didn’t get a release in theatres. Balu Mahendra wrote, directed and produced the movie and sold the rights to Doordarshan that aired the film frequently ^[1].
2. Balu Mahendra stated that Veedu and Sandhya Raagam are his two best creations because he didn’t make any compromises in filmmaking ^[2]  .
3. Sandhya Raagam won the National Award for Best movie on social welfare in 1990 ^[3].
4. Oviyar Veera Santhanam (who played Vasu) was born in Uppliyappan Kovil near Kumbakonam, and he studied art in Kumbakonam Arts College. He worked with the Handlooms Department of Central Government. During this stint, he met Arivumathi (Poet and Lyricist), who introduced him to Balu Mahendra. Later, he voluntarily retired from his job to become an activist for Tamil Eelam. He is a strident voice in the Tamil Nationalist movement. He acted in movies like Pizza, Kaththi, Anegan, etc., Still confused about the identity of this person? He is the actor who played the exorcist role in Pizza and asks for Pepperoni Topping ^[4]

   Oviyar Veera Santhanam in Pizza

   Oviyar Veera Santhanam is a painter, activist and actor who made his debut with Sandhya Raagam - directed by Balu Mahendra.
5. Trivia on L Vaidyanathan (visit Pesum Padam page)
6. Trivia on Balu Mahendra (visit Moondram Pirai and Veedu pages)

YouTube link for Sandhya Raagam

Sandhya Raagam - Full Movie

Sandhya Raagam written, produced and directed by Balu Mahendra is one of the flawless movies in Tamil Cinema. This is the Youtube link of the movie.

References

1. The Best of Tamil Cinema – Part 2 by G.Dhananjayan
2. Interview with Anu Hasan – Coffee with Anu – Vijay TV
3. 37^th National Film Awards Wikipedia Page
4. Dolly…Dolly…Dolly – Vikatan

Read about the remaining movies by following this link.

A few weeks back, I broke my website when I tried to make it better. After a struggle and with some help, I have got the website back on its feet. I wanted to start Projekt Ilaiyaraaja immediately, but there is no better day than restarting the series on his birthday. I could have chosen a popular song for his birthday but keeping up with the tradition of Projekt Ilaiyaraaja – I have opted for this brilliant techno-disco song from Oruvar Vaazhum Aalayam. The singer is credited as Anuradha – Anuradha Sriram was too young to have sung this song and it didn’t sound like her (although Maestro’s App credits her name), and it can’t be Anuradha Paudwal. It would be an interesting exercise to track this Anuradha.

Note: Wikipedia doesn’t even list this song as a part of the movie

Baby, You'r my baby

Baby is a techno-disco brilliance from Ilaiyaraaja from the movie Oruvar Vaazhum Aalayam - it's one of the rare English compositions from Ilaiyaraaja

When Ilaiyaraaja grew in stature, there were songs written about him. Vaali used his wordplay to glorify his friend – Raja Kaiya Vacha, Raja Rajathi Rajan Indha Raaja are some examples of Vaali’s brilliance. But when Ilaiyaraaja started writing songs and sang, it was more philosophical.

If I am not wrong, it started with Gangai Amaren’s movies and this particular song is even more special because it’s written for his brother. It’s sad that Gangai Amaren didn’t see eye-to-eye with this brother later. But the partnership was fun until it lasted.

Ennai Oruvan Paada Sonnan

Ennai Oruvan is a title song by Ilaiyaraaja written for his brother Gangai Amaren. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is 365 day project showcasing Maestro Ilaiyaraaja songs.

SA Chandrasekhar is known for his anti-establishment movies, and Ithu Engal Neethi was one such movie. It didn’t do well at the box-office, but it had Vijay as a child artist. SA Chandrasekar and Shoba are quite fond of Ilaiyaraaja. When Shoba debuted as a director, she gave first billing in the credits.

Neethi Ithu Engal Neethi is a techno revolutionary song that has strong lyrics and some heart pumping singing from Ilaiyaraaja himself

Neethi Ithu Engal Neethi

Neethi Ithu Engal Neethi is a heart thumping revolutionary song from SA Chandrasekhar directed Ithu Engal Neethi. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is a 365 day project of Maestro's songs

Now and then, some movies have strong female leads. One of the few actors who did more substantial lead roles was Bhanumathi, and she produced, wrote and directed her movies. Asadhyuralu (Telugu) is one of the films that she produced, wrote and directed at a later stage in her career.

It was dubbed in Tamil as Periyamma, and I don’t know any more information about the movie. Ilaiyaraaja scored the music, and he sang one of the beautiful melodies that glorify the character of Bhanumathi. I think SPB rendered the Telugu version.

Ivalthane/Emega Bharathi

Ivalthane Penmani/Emega Bharathi is from Periyamma, a dubbed movie from Telugu movie titled Asadhyuralu driected by Bhanumathi. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is a 365 day projekt

Telugu Version

Emega Bharathi

Emega Bharathi is the telugu version of Ivalthane Penmani written on Bhanumathi

Pagalil Oru Iravu touched upon a delicate issue and still couldn’t comprehend how they took the movie to the theatres. It was wonderfully handled by IV Sasi and Ilaiyaraaja’s music gave ample support. A woman unknowingly gets pregnant because of an unknown guy (the scene/song is well crafted that you will not be able to understand whether it was rape or consensual). The mother decides to abort the child and she slowly forgets that she bore a child. Post-marriage (with another man), she gets pregnant and suffers a miscarriage. The miscarriage pushes her into retrograde hysteria and all her past comes back to haunt her.

Although, the movie takes a judgemental note in certain parts, the movie definitely touched the most delicate issues like premarital sex. The songs are quite sensuous too and Thottam Konda Rasave is not an exception. The ecstasy of the beats and the lively wind instrument interludes will transport you to another world. This one matches the brilliance of “Aasaiya Kaathula Thoothu” from Jhonny.

Thottam Konda Rasave

Thottam Konda Rasave is an ecstatic song from Pagalil Oru Iravu directed by IV Sasi. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is 365 day project of posting Ilaiyaraaja songs.

Few directors had creative ways of showing their title cards. Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and Kamal gave us Kadhai Kelu Kadhai Kelu, but Bhagyaraj takes elaborate time in unveiling his credits. It started from his Indru Poi Naalai Vaa, and his Mundhanai Mudichu’s Vilakku Vacha Nerathile is a classic. In Chinna Veedu, he went one notch up by revealing the crux of the story in the title song itself.

He sets up the tone for the movie right up by establishing the different situations in which men tend to cheat. And the cheeky singing by Ilaiyaraaja is the icing on the cake.

Jaakiratha Jaakiratha Chinna Veedu

Jaakairatha Jaakiratha Chinna Veedu is the title song of the movie - Chinna Veedu directed by K Bhagyaraj. An elaborate title song that sets the tone for the movie.

There are a lot of movies that will not bore you when you watch them more than once. But there are only a few movies that will fascinate you every time you watch it. Michael Madana Kamarajan is one such masterpiece, and that’s why it’s in the 50 best Tamil movies to watch before you die. Michael Madana Kamarajan

Michael Madana Kamarajan

In simplistic terms, Michael Madana Kamarajan is another “estranged siblings coming back together” movie, but the complexity is raised a bit when they are quadruplets. It gets crazy if all of these siblings are identical. And that’s what Kamal Hassan, Singeetham Srinivasa Rao, Kader Kashmiri and Crazy Mohan created to delight us. The story is about quadruplets who were separated at birth by their evil uncle. Each one is raised in different households – Michael grows as a criminal as he raised by the guy who was supposed to kill all the children. Madan accidentally ends up in his own father’s house and raised as a step-son. Kameshwaran is raised in a Brahmin household as a cook and Raju ends up at an orphanage and becomes a firefighter.

The chaos ensues when his brother kills Madan’s father Venugopal, and it is staged as an accident. Madan comes back from London to take the reigns of the family but receives a call that his father wasn’t killed in an accident. He starts to investigate his father’s death and accidentally meets Raju during an altercation.  They decide to switch roles while Kameshwaran and Michael enter the fray with different agenda, it becomes crazy.

I would leave it to you (if you haven’t watched it) to enjoy the chaos on screen. The movie was directed by Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and produced by Panju Arunachalam for P.A Arts. Kamal Hassan wrote the screenplay and Crazy Mohan penned the dialogues. The movie was shot by BC Gowrishankar and edited by Vasu. Ilaiyaraaja scored the music for the film.

Why is it special?

1. Michael Madana Kamarajan is one of the finest screenplays that Tamil cinema has ever seen. Managing four different characters and the supporting characters for each of them is no mean fete. The importance of each character of the movie doesn’t diminish anywhere. The characters are like the blocks in a Jenga game and Kamal places removes and puts them at the right moments to make a cohesive piece of brilliance.
2. The acting – where to start? Should I discuss the variations shown by Kamal in those characters? Should I talk about the brilliant supporting cast of Nagesh, Delhi Ganesh, Manorama or SN Lakshmi who steal the show whenever they are on screen (even when Kamal is around)? Should I elaborate how the leading ladies (Khushboo, Urvashi and Roopini) match the prowess of Kamal in every scene (especially Urvashi)? Even the smallest roles make the biggest impact – Praveen Kumar (as Bheem), Ponnambalam (one of his earliest roles), Venniraadai Murthy and Santhanabharathi shine in their roles.
3. Crazy Mohan’s dialogues are still fresh even after 20 years. Contextual dialogues that match the cultural aspects of each character is so brilliant. This point also made it tougher for Michael Madana Kamarajan to be remade in other languages.
4. Ilaiyaraaja came up with a mixtape album that ruled the dance floors of those days. The title song had the entire prelude to the story laid out for the audience. It was an interesting technique to make the audience hooked up to the story even before the movie started. When you savour the rock and roll routine, you are presented with a beautiful Carnatic based Palakkad accent melody. When you try to be content with those songs, you are served with the sensuous Siva Raathiri, and then you are hit by “Per Vachalum Vaikama Ponalum”. In fact, two other beautiful songs didn’t make the final cut.
5. There is a reason why Kamal collaborated with Singeetham Srinivasa Rao more often than others. The way he has handled a complicated screenplay shows the expertise of the director.

Why is it on the list?

1. Michael Madana Kamarajan is once in a lifetime movie. A classic that will be revered until Tamil cinema is alive because of the sheer brilliance and complexity of the screenplay. In fact, it has become one of those go-to movies for people when they want to have a hearty laugh.
2. It’s on the list for showing that the screenplay is the most important aspect of moviemaking. It’s not about the story that you are telling; It’s how you tell the story.
3. For the vision of Kamal Hassan and the entire team that gave us a memorable movie in Michael Madana Kamarajan.

Trivia

1. Michael Madana Kamarajan was a consecutive collaboration between Singeetham Srinivasa Rao and Kamal Hassan. They had made Aboorva Sagathorargal before this movie.
2. Crazy Mohan’s first film as a sole dialogue writer was Aboorva Sagaotharargal, but he became popular after Michael Madana Kamarajan. Earlier he had collaborated with K Balachander for Poikkal Kuthirai – the film adaptation of his stage play – Marriage Made in Saloon.^[1]
3. In an interview to Bosskey, Delhi Ganesh explained that both himself and Kamal used proper Palakkad Malayalam accent and none could understand. Crazy Mohan asked them to tone down the language, and it was still not good enough. Finally, they came up with the current version – speaking Tamil in Palakkad accent.^[2]
4. Michael Madana Kamarajan had a great run at the box office and completed Silver Jubilee.^[3]
5. Most of the indoor sequences, especially Madan’s house were shot at  Windsor Manor (now ITC Windsor) – it was also the Pushpak Hotel in Pesum Padam.
6. Before the mayhemish climax, there are only two people who see Madan and Raju together (or any two Kamals together). One of them is the money-lender who sees Kameshwaran and Raju; the other one is Bheem who sees Raju and Madan together when they switch identities. Shalini (played by Khushboo) addresses Raju as Raju (although he has switched identity to Madan) during the car ride and conveniently switches to Madan after reaching Bangalore. Bheem doesn’t even bat his eye during this period. Having said that, Bheem is considered to have inferior IQ than others, and this glitch can be pardoned.
7. Like many other Kamal movies, two songs didn’t make the final cut – Aadi Pattam Thedi Sennal (rendered by KS Chithra and Mano) and Mathapoovu Oru Penna (sung by KS Chithra). ^[4]
8. The movie was dubbed in Telugu as Michael Madana Kamaraju.^[4]
9. SN Lakshmi (Sennalkudi Narayana Lakshmi) started her career as a group dancer in Chandralekha. She was acting in supporting roles, but Nagesh recommended her for Server Sundaram. She was doing the role of his mother in the stage-play. Nagesh insisted on staging the drama only if she was available to act. And there was no looking back. She was working as a man in most of her plays and can do acrobatics and stunts. After a small gap, Kamal called her back to work in his movies, and she was part of every film produced by Kamal till Virumandi. Kamal would ask his assistants to give just the dialogues to SN Lakshmi as he was confident about her acting prowess.^[5]
10. The actor in the title song is Singeetham Srinivasa Rao. The idea was to show as if a story-teller was narrating a story. Kamal wanted a director and film setup, but Singeetham and Ilaiyaraaja insisted on a rustic look with Bioscope. It worked as an excellent plot device, but the idea came about because they had to chop those scenes at the editing table.^[6]
11. Crazy Mohan was so fond of the cleptomaniac grandma character that he created a similar character for his play – Chocolate Krishna.^[7]
12. Praveen Kumar Sobti acted as Bheema in the legendary BR Chopra’s Mahabharata Series on Doordarshan. He was double Gold Medalist (Hammer Throw and Discus Throw) in 1966 and 1970 Asian Games. He represented India in 1968 and 1972 Olympics and an Arjuna Awardee. He started his film career as Gorilla in Raksha, a James Bond style spy thriller with Jeetendra in the lead. His character was inspired by Jaws in The Spy who loved me. He is currently in politics with the BJP.^[8]
    
    

    Praveen Kumar Sobti in Raksha

    Praveen Kumar Sobit who acted as Bheem in Mahabharata and Michael Madana Kamarajan in a James Bond villain inspired role
13. Gold Rush inspired the climax sequence of Michael Madana Kamarajan, but the original had only a couple of actors in the sequence. But Kamal and Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao managed to make an organised ruckus with 20 actors.

    Gold Rush - Cabin Scene

    Michael Madana Kamarajan's climax sequence was inspired by Gold Rush Cabin scene.

YouTube link of the movie

Michael Madana Kamarajan

Michael Madana Kamarajan is a classic comedy movie that redefined comedy genre in Tamil Cinema. That's why it's part of the 50 best Tamil movies.

References

1. Jack of all trades, master of fun – An interview with Crazy Mohan – Rediff.com
2. Delhi Ganesh Interview with Bosskey – Heartist – Bosskey TV
3. The Best of Tamil Cinema – Part 2 by G.Dhananjayan
4. Michael Madana Kamarajan – Wikipedia 
5. Courage goaded her on – Malathi Rangarajan –  The Hindu 
6. Open heart with RK – Singeetham Sreenivasa Rao
7. Fun quotient quiet Intact – Malathi Rangarajan – The Hindu
8. A panacea to end drug violence – MS Unnikrishnan – The Tribune

Image Credits

1. Kamal and Urvashi in Michael Madana Kamarajan – Rediff.com
2. ITC Windsor Manor Hotel – Booking.com Website

As I had mentioned in my “Michael Madana Kamarajan” post, there are quite some songs from Kamal-Ilaiyaraaja combination that didn’t make the final cut. This song is one more from the same list. Kadhal Un Leelaiya is a beautiful melody rendered by Ilaiyaraaja that didn’t make it to the screen due to the length.

Japanil Kalyanaraman was probably the first official sequel in Tamil Cinema, but it didn’t do well at the box-office as expected. It was shot during the Tokyo Expo ’85. Enjoy this melody that blends the melancholic voice of Ilaiyaraaja with guitar strums and drum beats that accompany the song. Don’t miss the counterpoint at the start of the song and the second interlude.

Kadhal Un Leelaiya

Kadhal Un Leelaiya is a beautiful melody from Japanil Kalyanaraman that didn't make final cut. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is a 365-day project of Maestro Ilaiyaraaja's songs.

When Rajinikanth was remaking Amitabh Bachchan movies, Vijayakanth was remaking Sunny Deol movies from Bollywood. Not so surprisingly, the brawn of Sunny Deol matched Vijayakanth’s style. Bharathan was the remake of hugely successful Ghayal, and it fetched another hit for Vijayakanth.

Although speciality of Bharathan’s music is Punnagayil Minsaram – a hefty western brilliance that also had Prabhu Deva choreography. I have featured the song already in Season I, so today, I am presenting you this penetrating pathos that’s the hallmark of Ilaiyaraaja. Indulge in the pathos of the voice, music and wipe down those tears when they come out of your eyes.

Azhage Amuthe

Bharathan is a remake of Ghayal and it fetched another hit for Vijayakanth. Azhage Amuthe is a pathos song from the movie composed and rendered by Ilaiyaraaja

Do you remember the guy who asks Padayappa “Andha Pambu Puthukulla Kai Vittingale, Kadichirathungala”? He started his career as a film-maker and his first movie as a director was Idhu Thodar Kadhai with Mohan and Amala in the lead. Gangai Amaren scored the music. His second movie was Ninaivu Chinnam with Prabhu, Radhika and Murali in the lead. Ninaivu Chinnam was a box-office hit, but his later films didn’t do well. He went on to act and became popular.

I have this theory about Ilaiyaraaja and his lullaby songs. His go-to person for most of his lullaby songs was Susheela. Take a list, and you will know what I am talking about. And of course, his lullaby becoming a pathos song – again an Ilaiyaraaja special.

Lullaby – Susheela Version

Yele Ilangiliye

Yele Ilangiliye is a sweet lullaby from Ninaivu Chinnam directed by Anu Mohan. Projekt Ilaiyaraaja is a 365 day project of posting Maestro's songs.

Pathos – Ilaiyaraaja Version

Singaara Cheemaiyile

Singaara Cheemaiyile is the pathos version of Yele Ilangiliye from Ninaivu Chinnam.

Aruvadai Naal isn’t the usual movie that you would expect from a first time director. But GM Kumar was courageous enough to make such a film. It showed the dilemma of a girl who wants to become a nun but falling in love with an innocent young man from a small village. The juxtaposition of such characters sprinkled with some outrageous villainy from RP Viswam shocked the audience. I don’t know how people would have received a scene that showed a priest being crucified on a cross.

GM Kumar made only three more movies, and all of them were exciting projects – Pickpocket, Irumbu Pookal and Uruvam. Due to his financial position, he took up acting with Captain Magal – if you remember Avan Ivan, he is the guy who did the role of Highness.

Oru Kaaviyam is not the song that you would expect Ilaiyaraaja to sing and that’s why it’s different. I think it was tuned to be a song during the consummation of the lead actors, but it didn’t make it to the screen. The song is based on Keeravani raga and don’t miss the interludes

Our Kaaviyam from Aruvadai Naal

Aruvadai Naal was bold movie from GM Kumar released in 1986. Our Kaaviyam is an interesting Keeravani based melody that didn't make the final cut.

Every male actor wants to try a female role in their acting career. Some do it as part of a song, and some other do it through cross-dressing. Aanazhagan was Prashanth’s try at a cross-dressing role. To be honest, he did succeed a bit in carrying the part.

Nillatha Vennila is an interesting song. It doesn’t follow any set rhythm pattern that you are used to in any Tamil song. The song just flows like a river through the voices of Ilaiyaraaja and Swarnalatha. A masterpiece that never made it to the screen.

Nillatha Vennila from Aanazhagan

Nillatha Vennila from Aanazhagan is a rare masterpiece that doesn't follow any set rhythm pattern by Ilaiyaraaja. Listen to Projekt Ilaiyaraaja for rare Ilaiyaraaja Songs.

There is no better voice than Ilaiyaraaja’s when it comes to pathos. It just breaks you and brings out the emotions. Tamilians who have moved abroad for work have a set of songs that they love. Sorgame Endralum from Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandhu is one of them, and there will be a list of pathos songs they listen to. And this song will be part of it if they are having a tough time. Vaali’s lyrics brings the hardships and moral dilemma in front of our eyes.

Unnai Solli Kuttramillai was directed by Ameerjan, a protege of Balachander. He started his career with Poovilangu and he was known for his movies with Karthik and Murali. Shihan Husseini played the lead villain in the movie.

Kettum Pattanam from Unnai Solli Kuttramillai

Kettum Pattanam from Unnai Solli Kuttramillai is a staple pathos song from Ilaiyaraaja that brings the life in a city in front of our eyes. Enjoy the maestro's songs on Projekt Ilaiyaraaja.

Geethanjali (not to be confused with the Telugu Movie) was a home production of Ilaiyaraaja. The film was produced under the Pavalar Creations, and it was directed by K Rangaraj. Malare Pesu Mouna Mozhi is a beautiful duet in Mohanam by KS Chithra and Ilaiyaraaja.

Mohanam is one of the favourite ragas of Ilaiyaraaja, and he gave many hits in the Raaga. Listen to both the interludes – there will be a solo piece in each of the interludes (Veena in the first, Violin in the second) and followed by a conversation between two instruments. The nuances in this song are mindblowing.

Malare Pesu

Malare Pesu is a mohanam based duet from Geethanjali - A favourite raga of Ilaiyaraaja, he has composed innumerable hits in Mohanam. Listen to this bliss.