By
James Vasanthan
James Vasanthan who worked as an anchor in popular Tamil television channels debuted as a composer in Kollywood with Subramaniapuram in 2008. His forte as a composer extends to regional languages like Telugu and Kannada too and it has seen him be part of ten movies till date.
Illayaraja at Rogers Centre, Toronto, Feb 16, 2013
Recently, he set out seeking an inspirational outing as he attended Illayaraja’s concert Engeyum Eppothum Raja in Toronto. To much surprise James returned home disappointed. Consequently, he decided to vent out an emotional outburst on is his personal blog regarding the same.
He mentions that a suggestion by Isaignani Illayaraja to maintain silence and stop hooting while his orchestra played out an intricately crafted composition was not a good idea. Part of a huge crowd that looked uncontrollably excited on the occasion James did not hesitate to suggest the veteran composer on his conduct and moreover point out the differences between film music and devotional music.
Here is the letter-
YOU CAN RECONSIDER YOUR POLICY SIR
It happened a few times before in India and now again in a foreign land and so I thought someone should finally put it down on record, so that someone somewhere takes it across and help things improve. I’m also quite aware what kind of reaction I would face from few admirers or worshipers of this music legend. But I’m here just as a public observer only recording facts and not fiction.
All those who had their hearts soaked in real good music in the late 70′s and all of 80′s in Tamil films, will cherish those songs for generations. They are golden and eternal. And the creator was, the great Ilayaraja. In course of time, when the whole film music took a paradigm shift and the choices and preferences of the new generation changed, the loyalty of majority of music lovers also shifted, though the love and respect for this great man continued as ever.
When he did his major Live Show after a long long time, in the year 2007 for JAYA TV, people were just enthralled listening to his magical songs come up before them live. Song after song enthused the audience and they did not leave the auditorium until past midnight. Such is the love and adoration they have for this creator.
Each time they heard their most favourite songs, they could not contain their excitement and enthusiasm, that they applauded and whistled, which is a common thing in a music show like this. But, the great composer got annoyed with their exultations and threatened to leave the auditorium if they clapped or whistled.
It was a little perplexing to the common audience, cos that is the culture and practice prevalent around the world, wherever popular music was performed. How else would you express your joy of listening to your favourite song being performed by your idols? Yes, there are places where you are bound to display a restrained and dignified behaviour, like – Classical Concerts, Bakthi Sangeet, Memorial performances, Operas, Concert Houses etc., But, this is film music, which is only made to entertain a common man.
It is he who makes a star out of a man he admires; it is his whistles and applause that make a song a hit; it is he who endorses a movie a success; it is he who determines what entertains him or bores him. The whole film industry is dependant on his approval.
Everything in today’s Indian films is made with the common man in mind. Or else, why songs and dances in films? If he rejects a film, its a flop and a loss. When it is so, what is wrong in the audience clapping and whistling for the songs they love? If we find it so offensive or disrespectful, we must not choose to perform for them.
The money they pay is good, the adulation we get from them is good but their harmless enjoyment irks us… little difficult to comprehend. Coming to the great composer’s own compositions, songs like – ‘Machana patheengalaa’, ‘Oram po oram po’, ‘Anne anne sippoy anne’, ‘Vaadi en kappa kezhange’, ‘Nila kayudhu’, ‘katta vandi katta vandi’, ‘ye atha athorama vaariya’, ‘adiye manam nilluna nikkadhadi’, ‘nila athu vaanathu mele’ and hundreds of other songs (in my opinion) are not meditation songs but made only to please the common man.
If we choose to be a film composer, we are in a commercial entity and we are bound to certain norms and practices even if we do not subscribe to them. We have not heard any star or singer or composer or performer ever complaining on the audience’s whistles. In our composer’s case, not once but several times, in all his concerts and now recently in Toronto where he said this and earned the wrath of scores of Tamils who had longed to see and hear him, paying hundreds of dollars.
Sir, with all due respect we say this – we all love, adore, cherish, enjoy, treasure your music. If only you can reconsider your policy in this one aspect, it would do lot of good to all of us, sir.
COURTESY:KOLLYTALK