Then, now and forever
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It was an evening of enjoyment at the Gopal Sapthaswaram event. MALATHI RANGARAJAN
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Photo: R.Shivaji Rao
Melodious moments on stage: Gopal Sapthaswaram’s Andrum Indrum.
Rarely is an audience made to feel so much a part of the group on the dais. Half way through ‘Andrum Indrum,’ the gathering was even asked when they would like to have the show wound up — “9.30,” they chorused and 9.30 p
.m. it was. And very judiciously the theme-based Gopal Sapthaswaram light music show at Vani Mahal, catered for audience of all age groups. Every old hit, Tamil or Hindi, was juxtaposed with a new.
Making an impact
If Ananthu, a scintillating voice on the stage circuit, and Mukesh with his admirable range, made quite an impact, so did Naresh and Karthik. And all the girls, Farida, Mathura, Priya and Deepashika, showcased their singing skills with élan. It was a joy to watch an ever-smiling Mukesh presented the high pitch of Thyagaraja Bhagavathar’s ‘Sopana Vaazhvil’ effortlessly. This voice ought to go places. Initially Naresh and Mathura’s ‘Paartha Mudhal Naalae …’ appeared a drab exercise, but the rest of their refrains, including the Chotti Si Baat’ number, ‘Jaaneman,’ kept your feet-tapping. Just like you ‘heard’ P. Suseela in Farida’s voice, so did you note Udit Narayan come alive on the podium in Naresh’s timbre. The only song where Ananthu appeared to lose interest midway was ‘Paattum Naanae’ (‘Thiruvilaiyaadal’). Otherwise, he was flawless.
Actor Urvasi was on stage to greet Gopal, who, busy as he was conducting, brought Sadhan’s voice to life in the ‘Avargal’ hit, ‘Iru Manam Konda …’
The higher octaves that Naresh so easily graced in the ‘Sahana …’ (‘Sivaji’) strain won him applause. Crooning A.R. Rahman songs on stage can be challenging, but the singers with a well-supporting orchestra, managed it with ease. And the care with which they tried to bring in the tone, tenor and diction of the originals deserve mention. Again, the best part was minor slips notwithstanding the team’s cheerfulness was intact throughout.
And while on the subject, the spontaneous and friendly banter between anchors James Vasanthan and Mamati Chari was a treat for the assemblage. But Chari better watch out. RJing or anchoring, she seems obsessed with the word ‘attagaasam.’ Using the word so very often could soon end up in it becoming a prefix to her name!
As for Vasanthan, experience helped him sail through the show with impressive spontaneity.
The camaraderie of the entire team — anchors, singers, musicians, and their chief, Gopal, was a highlight of ‘Andrum Indrum’ (that is, if you can forget Deepashika, who looked serious throughout.)
Another laudable feature was the enjoyable choice of songs — their yesteryear pieces were those that have stood the test of time, and their today’s showed promise.
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