For the love of song
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The R.N. Jayagopal evening felt like a warm walk down memory lane
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Photos:Bhagya Prakash K.
ROMANCE WAS IN THE AIR Sangeeta Katti
Film songs form a part of our collective unconscious. Unique to our cinema culture, they bind us like nothing else does. It doesn’t invoke a common shared experience, but in a very fascinating sort of way ties people emotionally. There won’t be too many contenders if one says that some of the most intense lyrics and the finest tunes are of our film songs. All of this turned the R.N. Jayagopal evening – organised by Ramya Cultural Academy last week – magical, once again. There was song on every lip.
It was an evening dedicated to the memory of the late lyricist R.N. Jayagopal, who penned thousands of songs in his association with the film industry for nearly five decades. His friends, his colleagues, his admirers and most importantly film music aficionados thronged the hall, loaded with memories. K.S.L. Swamee, his friend of a long time,
Raghu
putting things in perspective said: “They were not times when we slept on a full stomach. But we worked with such passion and dedication. Whoever had 50 paise in their pocket, would buy enough peanuts for us… the three-four friends who hung out with each other at the beach in Madras. Jayagopal got Rs. 100 for a song and it would be enough to keep us going for a week.” Jayagopal was an unusual man; he played violin for classical music concerts and yet took this up because he so loved it, recalled Swamee, even as he sang his favourite song, “Mounave Abharana…”.
What does one sing and what does one leave out when there is such a huge output? This surely must have been the confusion of the singers that evening. And so, what was presented was a mix of all-time greats as well as the lesser known ones. “Apaara Keerthi” rendered by Srinath was a big hit with the audience, who tapped their feet to the march beat and happily hummed along. The lilting “Ravi Varmana kunchada…” full of surprises never fails to impress.
Srinath
Surekha and Srinath gave a stunning rendition with an orchestra that was absolutely grand. “Neerinalli Aleya Ungura” was no less. The song with its lovely contours was strikingly presented by Shrinath and Sangeeta Katti. The fluidity of Sangeeta’s voice leaves one full of admiration for her. Raghu was very impressive in “Arpane” and “Radhike Ninna”, while Surekha did a fine job of “Sukhada Swapna Gaana”.
The best aspect of the music was the extraordinary orchestra. Led by Srinivas who also played the guitar, they were on par with the original. I particularly remember the orchestra for “Kannanchina ee maatali”. The song was composed by G.K. Venkatesh and Ilaiyaraja was his arranger. The interlude with Ilaiyaraja’s unmistakable stamp on it was played to perfection.
Surekha at the R.N. Jayagopal musical evening
At the end of it all, one wondered if all these wonderful songs could be homage to any one individual. Each of them belonged to many and to all of us!
DEEPA GANESH
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