Abhiyum Naanum - Music Review - Vidyasagar

Vidyasagar didn't take pain to compose the tunes. So I didn't take pain to write a detailed review.

Azhagiya Kili
Orchestration – Very good and Grand. Interesting preludes and interludes.
Tune – Garbage
Vocals – SPB has been wasted.

Ore Oru Oorile
Orchestration – Average
Tune – “Villu paatu” genre, something like story telling. Average
Vocals – Kailash Kher. Atrocious

Moongil Vittu sendra
Orchestration – A bit song. So can’t expect much from this.
Tune – Good.
Vocals – Madhu Balakrishnan.

Chinnamma Kalyanam
Orchestration – Again a bit song.
Tune – Merely drags.
Vocals – Kailash again. Nasal.

Sher Punjabi
Orchestration – Again a bit song. Nothing Special.
Tune – ---DO---
Vocals - ---DO---

Va va en devadhaiye
Orchestration – Good.
Tune – Average.
Vocals – Madhu Balakrishnan catches your attention.
Lyrics – Good.

Pachai Katre
Orchestration – Good.
Tune – Average. At times, reminds you of “Kadhal enbadhu” of Poovellam Un Vasam.
Vocals – Good rendition by evergreen Sadhana.

Verdict of Vinith:

Overall, Abhiyum Naanum turns out to be an unpleasant album. Unexpected from Radha Mohan – VS combo. Awful!

Regards,

Vinith...

Varanamayiram - Music Review - Harris Jeyaraj

Harris’s best album of 2008. Harris once again proves that he is king in using “Guitar” and Percussions. I really don't know whom should I credit. Gowtham for getting the best from Harris Jeyaraj or Harris for churning out the best for Gowtham? Or the perfect Chemistry between these two? The songs have come out really well.

Of all seven songs, “Nenjukkul Peidhidum” song is the highlight. Starting with guitar notes, the song takes you completely into it. Hariharan at his best once again. This song turns out to be the best of this album. Guitar interlude is awesome. Thamarai’s lyrics doesn’t fail to impress you. This song would top the charts in the coming weeks and would be one of the top melodies of this year. Harris-Hariharan combo works well.

“Anal Mele Panithuli”, a slow number with soulful singing from Sudha Ragunathan (instead of Bombay Jayashree??). The song sometimes reminds you of “Enadhu Uyire” of Bheema and sometimes reminds you of “Venmagham” (YNM) especially during the first interlude. Not to mistake, the tune is so soothing, with Sudha’s vocals and the solo violin in the second interlude being the highlight. But the song definitely gives “Have I heard this before?” feel. The orchestration is so simple that we certainly miss Harris’ grand orchestration.

A simple, hummable tune with neat orchestration is the folk song “Ava Enna”, which is worked on well by Karthik’s dazzling rendition. The lengthy second interlude is well executed.

Another beautiful song in this album is Mundhinam Parthene. Naresh succeeds again in singing. This song again reminds you of composer’s earlier woks. Neat orchestration with nice Sax interludes and lyrics are thoroughly enjoyable.

Adiye Kolluthe, a peppy song, starts off well and takes you through “Vennilave velli nilave” song during the first interlude and returns to the original tune as the stanza starts. The song is already a huge hit and would go well with the masses for sure. Shruthihaasan’s vocal is charming.

“Yethi yethi” is for those who love dance numbers. Looks like hero’s intro song with lyrics targeted at youngsters. And, at last, the bit song “Oh Shanthi” is also exciting with SPB Charan’s vocals.

Verdict of Vinith:

Harris who failed to impress his fans in “Satyam” is in a very decent form in Varanamayiram. It’s Harris-Goutham which does all this magic.

Star Rating: 4 Stars


Regards,
Vinith

Lucky September

Lucky September!!!

September seems to be a lucky month for Kollywood. 2008 had not been a great year for Kollywood till August. Very few films such as Dasavatharam, Anjathe, Yaradi Nee Mohini, Santhosh Subramaniyan and Subramaniyapuram tasted the success at the Box Office. Much expected movies such as Bheema, Pirivom Sandhippom, Kuruvi, Kuselan bombed at Box Office. But now, the smile is back. Five films Saroja, Jeyam Kondan, Poi Solla Porom, M3V and Alibaba hit the screen this month and all of them have received positive reviews from media and critics. They are doing good business in BO as per the sources. Cool…
So this September is a lucky month. Isn't it?

Poo - Music Review - SS Kumaran

Composer SS Kumaran makes his first album very impressive. The songs in "Poo" are really of high quality in terms of orchestration, innovative music. No doubt, SS Kumaran’s debut is so promising with soulful tracks.


Chu chu maari – Kids
You’ll keep smiling when you listen to this song.
Two reasons:
1. Kids’ rendition is really interesting that naturally makes you enjoy the song with a smile.
2. The funny and interesting lyrics. (Especially the last line for which I LOL-ed)
This is my pick. Sure shot winner and will be played very frequently in TV Channels. Kumaran shines well in using the instruments in this song. It’s very impressive every time the kids say “chu chu maari”. On a whole, the song takes you to your boyhood days. Mind-blowing short interludes are great plus.

"Avaram poo" sung by Chinmayi is a complete song with beautiful lyrics, excellent vocals, and interesting orchestration. No heavy metallic beats, no too many instruments masking the lyrics. A breezy number which is very soothing to ears. Kudos to Kumaran. "Dheena" sung by Shankar Mahadevan, Hemambiga is a peppy song with nice flute, violin preludes and interludes. Shankar as usual excels with high-pitches vocals. But this song is not as impressive as the previous two songs yet passable.

Harini’s vocals stand out in the romantic duet Maman Engirukkan (Harini, Thippu, Karthik). This is another song that gives a very good rural feel. The lengthy second interlude with a solo violin and Kids chorus is thoroughly enjoyable. The bit song Paasa mozhi sung by the composer himself is another good number. Surprisingly his voice reminds me of Ilayaraja’s voice. Soulful rendition indeed.

Sivakasi Rathiye is an earthy number sung by Karuppu Devar. of “Oororam Puliyamaram” genre. The tune reminds you of various other songs. If you are a fan of kuthu, folk or typical “thiruvizha” songs, then this will surely impress you.

SS Kumaran’s debut is definitely promising and very genuine too. An album that gives a complete rural feel. “Chu Chu maari” and "Avaram poo” will top the charts.

Star Rating: 3.5 stars.

Tamil killers

இது தமிழில் என் முதல் பதிவு. தமிழ் மொழி சம்பந்தப்பட்டது என்பதால் என் கோபத்தை தமிழிலேயே பதிவு செய்கிறேன்.


தஞ்சையில் பிறந்ததாலோ என்னவோ தமிழ் மீது எனக்கு அலாதி பற்று. பாடல் வரிகளை கூர்ந்து கவனிப்பேன். அருமையான வரிகளை மிகவும் ரசிப்பேன். அசிங்கமான பாடல் வரிகளை கண்டால் பொங்கி எழுவேன். அந்த பாடல் ஆசிரியரை திட்டி தீர்ப்பேன். முக்கியமாக இயக்குனர் பேரரசு-வை கண்டால் கடும் கோபம் கொள்வேன். அவன் எழுதும் பாடல் வரிகள் அப்படி. (அர்த்தமற்ற பாடல் வரிகளை பற்றி ஒரு பதிவு எழுதிக்கொண்டு இருக்கிறேன். விரைவில் அதை நீங்கள் இங்கு வாசிக்கலாம்.)


இப்பொழுது வேற ஒன்றை பற்றி பேசுவோம்.

கீழ் கண்ட வாக்கியங்களை வாசிக்கவும்.


"இவர் உழக புகழ் பெற்ற ஓவியர்கலில் ஒருவர். இவர் வரைந்த ஓவியங்கள், இவர் இறந்த பிறகு அதிக விலைக்கு விற்பனை ஆனது. இவர் வால்ந்த போது அங்கீகாரம் பெறாத இவரோட ஓவியம், இவர் இறந்த பிறகு அங்கீகாரம் பெற்றது."

"சென்னை-லேர்ந்து மலர்விலி இந்த பாடல கேட்டிருக்கங்க. அவங்கலுக்காக இந்த பாடல வலங்கறோம். பாத்து என்ஜாய் பண்ணுங்க"

அவசரப்பட்டு நான் பிழையாக எழுதி விட்டதாக நினைக்க வேண்டாம்.

மேற்கண்ட வாக்கியங்கள் முறையே கே டிவி-இலும், சன் மியூசிக்-இலும் கேட்க நேர்ந்தது.

என்னவென்று சொல்வது?

இவர்களுக்கு நாக்கு என்று ஒன்று எதற்கு? சாதாரனணமாய் பேசும்பொழுது இப்படி பேசினால் சகித்து கொள்ளலாம். ஆனால் தொலைக்காட்சியில் கோடி மக்கள் முன் பேசும்போது இப்படியா பேசுவது. சூப்பர் ஸ்டார் ரஜினி பாஷையில் "இவர்களை உதைக்க வேண்டாமா?".


இவர்களை எல்லாம் விட இவர்களை தேர்வு செய்தவரை உதைக்க வேண்டும். எப்பொழுது திருந்துவார்கள் இவர்கள்?

மன உளைச்சலில்,
விநித்

Saroja - Movie Review

After roaring success with Chennai-28, Venkat Prabhu is back with Saroja. He is actually back with a bang in Saroja. Yes, Saroja is a sure shot winner.

Saroja is all about a foursome (SPB Charan, Mirchi Shiva, Premji and Chinni) are friends who plan a trip to Hyderabad to watch India-Pakistan ODI match. They plan to go by a caravan arranged by Shiva. The journey starts happily but faces a big tragedy in the middle.

The journey is disrupted as a tanker lorry mishap on the road. Shiva comes up with an idea of reaching Hyderabad through a shortcut. Midway in the shortcut, they hit a man (Bose Venkat) who is trying to escape from a rowdy gang. They take Bose Venkat into their Van as an attempt to aid him. The gang catches Bose Venkat and shoots him to death. This murder is witnessed by SPB Charan and Shiva. The gang decides to kill both the Witnesses. They try to escape. Thus a racy screenplay starts.

The foursome later comes to know that the gang is also involved in kidnapping the daughter (Vega) of Viswanathan (Prakash Raj). The foursome makes up their mind to rescue Vega from the gang. How do they plan and succeed? That forms the rest of the story. There is an unexpected twist at the end. Premji and Shiva keep the movie alive and entertaining.

First bouquet to Venkat Prabhu for making a movie with a good action screenplay mixed with right amount of fun. Next in the line is Yuvan Shankar Raja for his amazing background score. His music is the backbone of the movie. Then, the cameraman Shakthi Saravanan. He has done a fabulous job. He has captured even the dark night scenes very clearly. Last but not least, Premji. He put the whole theatre in laughter whenever he appeared on screen.

Prakash Raj, Jayaram (as policeman), Sampath (gang leader), Vega all fit the bill. Rest of the actors of Chennai28 team also appears in cameo roles in the movie. That’s a good idea VP.

On looking at the above said points, please do not come to a conclusion that VP has come up with an innovative and trend stting story. Here is the biggest negative point of the movie.The one half of the story is unoriginal. The whole concept of Tour to Hyderabad, Caravan, Foursome, Van hitting a man, heroes witnessing the execution, hiding themselves in the building, seeking the beggars’ help, are all the Tamil version of the movie “Judgment Night”. Dittoed. The only thing VP has done is, he has combined this half with a usual Kidnapping story and has added enough fun.

Had VP come out with an original script, I would have been very happy watching the movie. As I have already watched Judgment Night, I could easily predict most of the scenes.Since most of the Tamil audiences wouldn’t have watched Judgment Night, Saroja is certainly a fresh script for them.Positives and Negatives of the movie:

Plus points:
Racy screenplay
Premji
Yuvan’s BGM
Cameraman Shakthi Saravanan

Minus:
Unoriginal Script is the big minus point
The twist in the climax is utterly cliché.

Overall a commendable job from the team.

Star Rating: Saroja deserves 4 stars. Inspiration takes 1 star from it. So only 3 Stars.

Regards,
Vinith

Overrated and Underrated singers

Overrated and Underrated singers

I always admire at singers as singing has been my passion since my boyhood days. It’s a dream that never came true. To me, SPB sir is a God. Even now, if I see his face on TV/Newspaper, I tell my family “Hey…. Salute this God”. He is the best personality I love in this world.

Okay, let’s come to the objective of this post. In any field, there are artists who are overrated and underrated.

Now, I would like to share my view about two Tamil singers Balram and Krish who are underrated and overrated respectively.

Krish – Overrated

Krish, the singer who belongs to nasal voice is definitely overrated. He has sung hardly 10-20 songs out of which two, three songs are passable. Rest of which are avoided by me mainly coz of his nasal voice. He has not even established himself in this field. But if someone who is devoid of Tamil film music watches his interview in TV, they would certainly feel that this guy has achieved something great! The way he blows his own trumpet, his gestures are seriously irritating. That is one thing I hate in few other new comers. He has bagged an award for “June Ponal”. The songs which I like are June ponal and one or two other. I'm not against Krish. I love his voice in June Ponal. It was quite good. Just that, I feel that he is overrated.


Balram – Underrated

Yes. Balram is underrated. He is the real talent who has caught the attention of audience through Katrin Mozhi. He was introduced by ARR in “Nee than en desiya geetham” following which he sang “Pani Katre”, “Oviya” etc. I’m very much sure that this talent has not been given his due. I don’t know if he is choosy in singing songs or composers don’t approach him. After legendary SPB, Jesudoss, it’s Balram whose voice touched my soul. There is something in his voice which is fascinating me. Even now while writing this, am listening to Katrin Mozhi. I go sad when he sings “Unmai oomai aanal, Kanneer mozhi aagum”, I smile along with him when he says “Penmai oomai aanal, naanam mozhi aagum”. Oh My God, his voice is changing my mood and expression in this song. That’s the real success of a singer. Kudos to Balram!

But sadly, there is no proper recognition for this guy. Hardly 3 songs a year! Huh! That’s really sad. I wish music directors use this talent to make their tunes even more successful. Established music directors such as Yuvan, Harris must give opportunity to this talent.

Top three songs of Balram,

Katrin Mozhi (Mozhi)
Iru Kangal Sollum (Kadhal Samrajyam)
Pani Katre (Run)

Hope to see more such soulful rendition from you. Wish you all the best Balram.

Regards,
Vinith