Music And Movies

(C. Ramachandra) In case you are thinking I am going to write something about the actress Bageshree and her sorrow, perish that thought!! Just kidding. I am sure you know I mean the raga Bageshree. Bageshri is one of those ragas you can wallow in and never get out. It is as addictive as self pity. Unlike a raga like Subhapanthuvarali, where the pathos is almost unbearable, the sorrow that Bageshri carries has a sweetness associated with it. It is like going back in past and thinking of 'what if..'. An untold apology, an unexpressed love. Something you deliberately bring up to the surface, feel a bit sad, chew on it for some time and enjoy that mild sadness. Bageshree is a raga similar to that. It gives you a sweet sense of sadness. A sadness which you want within you for some time. This is a raga which has instant impact on the listeners and it will only be a person whose heart is made up of some non-corrosive metal who can escape the clutches of the raga. For some, it gnaws ...

Every epic needs its hero. And that hero needs a trusted lieutenant. (This lieutenant is often referred to as a 'side kick' or a 'second hero' in our films.)In the field of Indian film music one of the most famous trusted lieutenant was Pugazhendi. Pugazhendi, born Velappan Nair, was the most trusted lieutenant of K V Mahadevan. In all the movies where K V Mahadevan has scored the music, you will find the name of 'Pugazhendi' appearing as the assistant music director. His devotion towards 'Mama', as KVM was affectionately known, is legendary in the South Indian film music circles. He remained at Mahadevan's side till Mahadevan's demise and would take care of every need of Mahadevan. This is definitely surprising in the movie industry where the bond is tight onlt till the next hit. Pugazhendi was the person who wrote the notes for the songs, who arranged for the songs of K V Mahadevan. P B Sreenivas, in one of the programs said that as K V ...

Some incidents remain stuck in our mind inspite of them having absolutely no significance in our lives!!! These images pop up once in a while making you wonder why this got stored. Brain is a mysterious organ and we have no clue what algorithm it uses to store some images and discard others. One such incident happened to me when I was staying in Chennai. One evening I went to the Sharadamba temple in Krupa Sankari street, West Mambalam, which was close to my house. It was that mysterious evening time when the sun has finished his duty but the night has not yet taken over. The time of strange light. Accentuating this dusk hour were the oil lamps inside the sanctum sanctorium. There was no one around save the poojari and a mother-daughter pair. The daughter was young, dusky, short and had a round and pleasant face. Upon her mother's urging, standing in front of Sharadamba, she started singing an old Telugu melody, "Janani Sivakamini". Her voice was sweet and she sang qui...