The past
decade has actually been a pretty mixed bag as far as ARR is concerned in my
opinion. I don’t think I would have said that pre 2010. It was tough not to
like an ARR song till then. But from 2010-2019, there have been many songs that
still send shivers down our spines and give goose bumps while we listen to the
song even now, but there are songs I just couldn’t believe was composed by ARR.
The songs sounded bad, had too much
technology used and lacked complete originality (Sarkar and Mersal are examples).
I personally
found his combination with the one and only Mani Ratnam untouchable and
unmovable in the past decade as well. I don’t think its possible and it’s very
tough to pick one song that stands out from the rest. But if I were to chose
one from each album of the ARR-Mani combination since 2010, then it would have
to be ‘Usure Poguthey’ from Ravanan, ‘Moongil Thotham’ from
Kadal, ‘Aye Sinamika’ from OK Kanmani, ‘Nallai Allai’ from Kaatru
Veliyidai and ‘Mazhai Kuruvi’ from Chekka Chivantha Vaanam.
This article
mainly focusses on five of my favourite ARR songs that don’t include his collaboration
with Mani Ratnam. Hope you guys also would agree and find some connect with the
song selections:
1. Arima Arima from Enthiran
One of the best cinematic experiences for me personally was Chitti 2.0.
Super Star Rajinikanth was at his epic best, he made evil look so good! I was
literally jumping from my seat in the theatre for most of the second half in
Enthiran. Such was the staging, performance of Rajini and the truly world-class
BGM from ARR.
To add cherry to the cake was ‘Arima Arima’. This song glorified the evilness and the
picturization was really good (an art that unfortunately seems to be slipping
away from Shankar in his past few forgettable outings). Just the thought
process that would have gone behind such a song still intrigues me.
You couldn’t have asked for a better singer to compliment the rousing
orchestration put in place by ARR. Just amazes me as to how Hariharan can get
into the high pitch zone with such amazing ease. He elevates this song to a
different level altogether. Shankar and ARR collaborated for 2.0 which had a
similar kind of a song “Rajaali” but that doesn’t stick to my mind, mainly
because the video was childish which completely puts me off when I re-listen to
this song.
Arima Arima works for the instrumentation, singing and picturization. A
complete package, would definitely find a place in the songs of the decade for
me. I am eagerly waiting for ARR- Hariharan to get together for another song in
the near future.
2. Innum Konjam Neram from Maryan
There are some songs that seem so right and you start to cling onto in tough
times. It either can be inspiring anthems like probably ‘Singapenney’ from
Bigil or even ‘Nenje Ezhu’ from Maryan. But personally, a true test of a song’s
impact is when you listen to it in any situation it should calm you and give
you peace of mind for that 5 minutes.
This is one such song. Serene, peaceful and blissful- these are
adjectives that can describe this immortal melody from ARR. Off late, he hasn’t
shown the inclination to let the interludes speak and form a shape of its own.
One classic example of that could be ‘Neethane’ from Mersal and ‘Unakaga’ from
Bigil which were nice and praiseworthy melodies but I sincerely wished the
interludes could have been what we are used to hearing from an ARR melody.
The significance of the song in the narrative also still remains fresh in
my mind. In among my most loved movies in the past decade, Dhanush and Parvathy
just complete this song. Lovely, simple tune that explodes so beautifully with
the melodies! Vijay Prakash and Swetha Mohan hit this out of the park with
their rendition. For anyone wanting to enjoy and cherish a simple melody (which
actually is an art that’s slipping away as people want instantly likeable
tunes), Innum Konjam would be right up there. Give it a few hearings if you
haven’t still and I am sure it will impact you for sure.
3. Ennodhu Nee Irindhaal and Ennodu Nee
Irindhaal (Reprise version) from I
If there is one movie that I couldn’t sit through after 20-30 minutes
into the movie in recent times it has to be Shankar’s epic and colossal
disaster I. What was he thinking by making such a painful age-old revenge saga?
And more importantly an actor like Vikram dedicating three years of his life
for this role? Seriously, what’s wrong with him. The movie had lot of hype
heading into it’s release- Shankar and Vikram re-uniting post ‘Anniyan’ and all
the talk about Vikram literally living and breathing the role by losing 30 odd
kgs and gaining them back etc.
But frankly the only thing people will remember even now is the
soundtrack by ARR. Even the ardent, loyal fans of Vikram who have endured and
waited patiently for I to release, were left deeply saddened and disappointed
by this movie. It neither worked from a massy perspective nor from an acting
point of view. It fell rather flat on both grounds.
Full credit must be given to ARR for actually keeping people awake in the
theatres with his songs. I remember personally dosing off for a while before
‘Ennodu Nee Irindhaal’ came on screen. For all the brickbats or appreciation
Vikram would have received for doing this movie, one can’t take away the
hard-work and dedication he put in for this Beauty and Beast theme song. Full
marks to the team for ensuring the song video matches up to the quality of the
song.
Everything about the song is so good. This
is the Sid Sriram I enjoy the most- when he completely lets his voice takeover
and is in control of high pitch. Also, the way in which he expresses pain right
through the song is noteworthy. It would be go down as among the best songs
composed by ARR and would rank as my all-time favourite Sid Sriram- ARR
combination song which probably followed by ‘Thalli Pogathey’ from AYM.
I sincerely wish ARR taps the Sid Sriram of
Yennai Matrum Kadhale from Naanum Rowdy Dhaan or Pularadha
from Dear Comrade. Get him to sing in such a tone, with that feel and it
would be really an exhilarating experience listening to that! As songs like Mei
Nigara from 24 or Rajaali are good but don’t have the long-lasting impact. I
myself haven’t heard these songs in a while but I definetly listen to one of
the two versions of Ennodu Nee Irindhaal daily, such is the beauty of the
composition.
4. Yarumilla
from Kaaviya Thalaivan
This song’s
review online says it all- the signature Rahman
melody with Shwetha, is soulful to the core. A song which will definitely have
its own set of repeat plays for the mellifluous feel. Unpredictable rhythm change is a Rahman genius
again. The veenai in the interludes and the audible lyrics (unusual) make the
tune timeless.
What
struck me and made me fall in love with this song is how the interludes are so
haunting yet pleasing to hear. That’s typical ARR for you. He transports you to
another world with such evergreen melodies. But my favourite portion in this
song would definitely the humming of Srinivas at the fag end of the song which
elevates the song to an all new level.
It
certainly was tough to pick one song from this album to feature in this list.
But just how much this song hits me every single time I listen to it made me go
for this. Not to undermine the quality of songs like ‘Vanga Makka’, ‘
Solividhu’, ‘Aye Mr Minor’ or ‘Ali Arjuna’. Each one of them is special in one
way.
5. Sarvam Thaala Mayam from Sarvam
Thaala Mayam
This
album came as a much-required breath of fresh air post him working continuously
with Atlee-Vijay combo. Definitely those movies went to become big blockbusters
but the ARR I have got used to listening and liking was missing. He was
catering to the masses and the fans of Vijay too much and the quality of songs
in movies like ‘Mersal’, ‘Sarkar’and ‘Bigil’ are a
testament to that. Bigil was a better experience than the two others mentioned
but only ‘Singapenney’ sticks to the mind for being so groovy and
uplifting in nature apart from being a women anthem.
Amidst
ARR choosing big budget, big banner movies came this breath of fresh air-
Sarvam Thaala Mayam. Just to see the
return of Rajiv Menon in the director’s seat along with the fact that the movie
would be based on music itself was enough to create a different level of
excitement. When they worked together earlier way back in 2000 for Kandukondein
Kandukondein and Minsara Kanavu they created magic- even now songs from those
movies have a different fan base altogether.
Sarvam Thaala Mayam', the title track of the film, starts off with a
fusion of mostly electronic sounds and the chendamelam.
Haricharan, one of AR Rahman's regulars in recent times, joins forces with
Arjun Chandy for this toe-tapping song which flows excellently. Although the
song doesn't entirely live up to the reputation of the AR Rahman-Rajiv Menon
combo, it, indeed, offers for a very nice and enjoyable listen. The well-integrated tune comes
together in the end with a rousing beat.
I only wish the beat that comes at the end could have been used in one
of the interludes in the song- that would have elevated the song to an all new
level.
Personally,
when I am in need of a positive feeling and in pursuit of a song that will push
me in the right direction, I often go to the title track of Sarvam Thaala
Maayam in recent times. I just love the flow of the song, with the perfect
synchronization and co-ordination between Arjun Chandy and Haricharan.
The
past decade has seen ARR considerably reduce the amount of Tamil or Hindi
movies and focus more on Hollywood and his projects there. I sincerely hope
that when he does pick a Tamil movie henceforth it offers scope for one or two
melodies that reminds us of the ARR we love so much. He can and should cater to
the masses and the fan base of the big actors but that shouldn’t not come in
the way of him compromising on quality in pursuit of getting instant
chartbusters.
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