Euphony to a legend
— Pic. by K. V. Srinivasan.
Vintage Kannadasan ... when nostalgia ruled the roost.
THE OCCASION was memorable, the cause laudable and the event ... unforgettable. Profound and pregnant with meaning, the lines of the great lyricist and poet that adorned the stage at the Music Academy succinctly conveyed what the show was all about. Naan Nirandharamanavan Azhivadhillai, Endha Nilaiyilum Enakku Maranam Illai — I am eternal; under no circumstance will death touch me — was what it proclaimed. "Kannadasanai Potri" was a well-organised homage to the poet and film lyricist, by Bharat Kalachar, in aid of YGP Foundation. Sai Enchanters presented compositions of M. S. Viswanathan and K. V. Mahadevan — all penned by the inimitable Kannadasan. No celebration of Kannadasan can be complete without the telling presence of M. S. Viswanathan. He was there that evening too. Before he began Kannadasan's favourite, "Pullanguzhal Kodutha ... " he told the audience how the poet had requested him to sing the song every time he went on stage. "Even if I am gone, I would return to listen to it whenever it is sung,' he told me," recalled MSV with emotion. The devotional, originally sung by T. M. Soundararajan, had Viswanathan introducing admirable improvisations!
The imposing "Mazhai Kodukkum Kodaiyum ... " from "Karnan" set the mood for the mellifluence that was to follow. A new number on Kannadasan, written by Kamakodiyan, composed by MSV and sung by the veteran himself along with Ananthanarayanan (an MSV show constant) was a welcome interpolation. The dulcet tones of Kalpana and Prasanna added lustre to melodies of yore and T. S. Raghavendar struck a concordant note straightway with his powerful voice. Though Kalpana didn't do justice to her first number of the evening — from the evergreen "Panchavarna Kili" — the rest of her rendition was awesome. Prasanna and Raghavendar sent the gathering into raptures with "Chinnanjiriya Vanna Paravai ... " Sai had the audience swaying to the sentimental lyric of "Pirakkum Podhum ... " that brought Chandrababu (who had sung the original ) to your mind's eye, while "Devan Kovil Mani Osai" from Veeramani Raju transported the listener to the resonant plane of Sirkazhi Govindarajan.
To Kannadasan, dwelling on life's philosophies in the simplest of words was child's play. And "Kaelvi Pirandhadhu Andru ... " (wonderfully sung by Kovai Murali with Y. G. Mahendra whistling his way through) was just an example. Vijay Yesudas presented his dad's all time hit, "Adhisaya Raagam ... " — a talented chip off the old block. Ananthanarayanan's philosophical strain, "Endha Oor ... " had the original singer of the piece, P. B. Sreenivas enjoying it thoroughly. It was a tableau of talents that adorned the stage that evening. Ironically the regular singers of stage shows outshone the ones who have made a name in cinema. Mahathi was a case in point. The up-and-coming play back singer in films could not hold her breath at the right places for the duet, even as Kovai Murali scaled the octaves with ease. Again Unni Krishnan made little impact.
Emceeing is an art in itself and Y. Gee. Mahendra seems to have mastered it. With ARS taking care of the sedate side of things, Mahendra enlivened the proceedings in no small measure. His casual comments, spontaneous repartees and light-hearted observations went down well with those present. On and off, he showed his prowess on the percussion front too. Who ever was responsible for the choice of numbers for the "Kannadasanai Potri" show deserves a pat. Outstanding is the word.
It is to the credit of Sai Enchanters and Mahendra that the audience remained firmly planted in the world of a legend for two hours and more.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
Printer friendly
page
Send this article to Friends by
E-Mail
Entertainment
