# Ilaiyaraaja - Sindubairavi to Sinkaravelan
#
# Credits: kanniks@uceng.uc.EDU (k kannikeswaran)
# Author: K Kannikeswaran
# (posted in soc.culture.tamil)
#

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Ilaiyaraaja - Sindubairavi to Sinkaravelan
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The post Sindubairavi period is what I would label as the Ilaiyaraaja glorification period where, all his achievements over the previous decade began to gain recognition and to bear fruit in some form or the other.

I still regard 1979 - 1982 as the Golden age of Ilaiyaraaja's music. After Sindhubairavi, his relationship with the press changed.

Earlier on, in the seventies, there were interviews with Ilaiyaraaja, wherein he described how he came up with songs such as En Kanmani, Taamta teemta (Pagalil or iravu), where he described the talents of his playback singers, incidents where Janaki"s soulful rendition of certain songs mesmerized and moved the entire orchestra, so that some of the players even forgot their pieces (eg. Mada un kovilil)..

For a period, ie. early 80s through 1986 or so, there was no contact with the press at all as far as I can remember. Gangai amaran wasa the pr man. This trend changed in around 1987, where articles on him started to appear in English journals. Ilaiyaraaja, did feature in a number of articles in 83/84, where he organized a fund raiser for the Srirangam temple though.

Titles came pouring in; he scored the music for one other hindi film Mahadev, where the song "Anda Nelavattan naan kaiyila pudichen" is dubbed in hindi. I believe that he did also score the music for Rajni"s hollywood debut "Bloodstone".

To summarize, his status changed from that of a new innovative music director to a well established household name, whose product always sells no matter what. Well, with a decade of achievements, why not..

About the movies, remember songs like "Aarumadu aazham illa"..,"Devanin kovil moodiya neram", songs from Chippikkul Muttu, "Kallukkulle vanda eeram enna", etc. from 86. 86 also saw the emergence of Mani Ratnam with his Mouna Raagam.

We always had this impression that "periya director enraal, specialaa poduvaar". Well, with KB, Bharatiraaja, Sridhar, Maniratnam, SPM, etc. , this reasoning has never failed. But music directors always claim that "naanga podura ovvoru paattum, hit aagum engira nambikkayodu taan poduvom".

Mouna raagam saw a whole new breed of songs. In this period, also came a series of very melodious songs such as "Mandira punnagaio", "Anbu malargalin solai idu", "Maanada" very much like the songs of the late seventies.

This was the period during which, Bharatiraaja"s first non Ilaiyaraaja movie came out. The music director was an assistant of Ilaiyaraaja.

1986 was a landmark year, with the release of "How to name it".

It was in 1987 I think that Mano was introduced with the song "Taen Mozhi" in Solla tudikkudu manasu. Wonderful songs in this movie, although the movie was a disappointment. Poove sempoove, Vaayakatti vayatakatti, etc. etc.

Enga oor pattukkaran was probably another landmark movie, with Asha Bhonsle singing "Shenbagame" a wonderful song. In this movie the song that takes the cake is "Madura marikkozhundu". At this time the Ramarajan Gangai Amaran Ilaiyaraaja combination was flying really high.

poovizhi vaasalile, by Fazil - songs such as "Oru kiliyin", "Chinna Chinna" etc. belong to this period. Balachanders Manadil Urudi vendum had some good songs like "Kanna varuvaya", "Sangattamizh", etc.

MSV and Ilaiyaraaja teamed up to produced songs in the film Mellattirandadu kadavu. (Vaa vennilave etc.). Bharatiraaja"s Satyaraj film had good songs like "Adi aattadi", "Kodiyila malliyappoo" etc.

87 - 88, mano and chitra were the lead playback singers for the most part, with songs like "Vizhiyil oru kavidai", etc.

The landmark film in 1987 was Naayagan, raaja"s 400th movie. "Then paandi seemaiyila", "Naan sirittal", "Nee oru kaadal".

Satya had some good songs too, and Lata Mangeshkar sang the famous duet "Valaiosai kalakalakalavena". She had also sung the song "Aararo aararo" in the Prabhu starrer "Anand".

Although Agninatchatram came out in Apr 88 or so, the songs came out much earlier. These songs started a new trend altotether. No Indian percussion was used in anyof these songs for the most part. The song Raaja, is based entirely on percussion, and human voices.. .

1988 also saw the release of Nothing but wind, where Hariprasad Chaurasia played the flute for the entire recording that lasts more than 45 minutes. Nothing but wind is an album to be enjoyed, especially the second piece..

En Bommukutti ammavukku, by Fazil came out during this period.

The next big harvest was in 1989 what with Apoorva Sahodarargal, and Idayattai Tirudade. Idayattai tirudade featured Mano out and out. Apoorva Sahodarargal, marked the beginning of a new round of partnership with spb (pudu mappillaikku, onna nenachen etc.)..

lkamalam? "idazhil kadai ezhudum", "Unnal mudiyum tambi" etc. then came on. It was rumored that MSV was working with Ilaiyaraaja during this period and later. One can only guess. The song "Muttamizh kaviye varuga", and the song "Eerettu Padinaaru (90s) do have some msv stamps in their interludes..

Soora samharam had some very good songs. "naan enbadu" is still a fresh song..

"Keladi kanmani", "Guruvaayurappa", "Nallanbe taan tayanadu", "Siru kootila ulla kuyilukku", "Pattukku naan adimai", etc. are some of the hits of early 1990 (probably late 89 too)..

Then came another landmark, "Anjali" the 500th movie with songs in a whole different style altogether. Together with it came a whole host of songs such as "Vandade", "Nikkattuma", "Mannil inda" etc.

Mannil inda was a great favorite, with the storly line that spb sang the whole stanza in one breath. The film Keladi Kanmani had some very good songs. "Vaaranam Aairam" - a bunch of Alwar Pasurams (Andal specifically) was very beautifully set and used.. Nee padi Naan padi kanne was a good song too.

Karagattakkaran took TN by a storm, with Manguile being a super hit. In this film (probably in the title song), ilaiyaraaja sings a song, that kind of describes himself..

"Paattale buddi sonnar, pattale bhakti sonnar
Pattukku naan padu patten anda pattukkal pala vidam taan"..

1991 saw the emergence of Maragatamani, a new music director who scored the music for KBs film Azhagan. Chinnatambi songs were hits and were reflective of the kind of songs churned out in 1991.

Guna had some good songs, and so did Talapati. The songs "Yamunai Aatrile", and "Sundari" deserve special mention, although the popular hit was Rakkamma..

April Mayile, was a hit in 92; the biggest hit in 92 was probably Singaravelan, with songs such as Puducheri kacheri, sonnabadi kelu, Innum enna. My favourite song in this film is "toodu selvadaaradi"..

Asha Bhonsele and Lata Mangeshkar sang a few more songs for Ilaiyaraaja during this period..