Past but immortal
P. B. Srinivas and P. Susheela flanked by AVM. Saravanan and Saroja Devi ... honour richly deserved. — Pic. by R. Ragu
"THE WAY he romps about on stage with absolutely no inhibitions is amazing," said Saroja Devi, the yesteryear queen of Tamil cinema, one of the chief guests at the function, organised to honour two nightingales of the movies of the past — P. Susheela and P. B. Srinivas. It was Y. Gee. Mahendra she was commenting about. Sprinkled with pertinent anecdotes, interspersed with light-hearted banter and laced with spontaneous humour the actor had the audience at the Kamaraj Memorial Hall that evening, in splits.
The show, "Kaalathai Vendravargal," had YGM and ARS as emcees, with Sai's Enchanters commendably recapturing the scintillating splendour of Srinivas and Susheela. That a lot of thought and industry had gone into the conduct of the programme was evident. And that the people behind it had a penchant for the golden melodies of the past was also clear.
P. Susheela, though unwell, made it to the function. P. B. Srinivas was overjoyed by the honour and the candour with which he expressed his joy was touching. Generally prone to get carried away when asked to speak, PBS was at his pithiest best that evening. It was a joy to watch Saroja Devi nodding her head in appreciation to many popular songs of her era. And when in her typical cooing style she stated that she would always remember the people here and her hero MGR, you realised how much the audience still miss the heroine's honeyed voice. She was glad to participate in the event where her dear friend P. Susheela and the great singer PBS were being felicitated, she said.
Flagged off with the ever-refreshing PBS number, "Kaalangalil Aval Vasantham," by experienced stage and playback singer S. N. Surendar, the programme was a roller-coaster ride of music, sentiment and nostalgia. —
P. Susheela couldn't get an okay straightway when the song "Mannavan Vandhaanadi ... " was being recorded. Not because the tough number in Kalyani was difficult for the singer to master, but because with Sivaji Ganesan, the hero of the film, keenly watching her record she just couldn't muster enough confidence. Sensing her uneasiness, the thespian moved out and Susheela accomplished the task in no time. YGM who gave this piece of info could not help commenting that the fateful day when Sivaji Ganesan passed away, should never have dawned. The Raghavendar sisters, Kalpana and Prasanna, who presented the song, transported the crowd to a mesmerising plane. You can only cry yourself hoarse that voices such as Kalpana's should not go unheard in cinema. Percussionists Aravind, Ganapathy and YGM also made their presence felt.
"I know how hard singers in the past worked ... and the results are still there for us to enjoy," said the other chief guest AVM. Saravanan. Many an AVM song sung by PBS and Susheela including "Roja Malarae Rajakumari ... " were rendered that evening. Be it Ananthu, Arjit, Kedar or Sikkil Gurucharan, Sudha Mahendra, S. P. Shailaja, Saindhavi or Manju, the sincerity in their effort warrants appreciation. When Mahati sang "Enna Enna Vaarthaigalo ... " from "Vennira Aadai," you could not help marvel for the nth time the genius of M. S. Viswanathan, the composer, and the talent of the pianist of the song. "Either we are out of sync or music of this level is just not extant," was a comment that fell on your ears. Be that as it may, it was heartening to see today's singers deftly handle old songs.
Dwelling on slips that could have been avoided may not be totally in tune with the spirit of the event. Just a word, however. Subtle improvisations are enjoyable. Yet by and large audiences would prefer the original replicated live, because that's what they come for. Changing a number to a complete ghazal (O. S. Arun style) or introducing an alapana in the film song better suits a regular concert proscenium, where imaginative expertise would win applause.
Organised by Alandur Fine Arts and Madhu Enterprises and presented by Airtel, "Kaalathai Vendravargal" will remain in your memory for long because even as greatness was being honoured, you were taken on a mellifluous journey — one from which you were reluctant to return.
MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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