Nayakan (soundtrack)
Nayakan is the soundtrack to the 1987 Tamil-language epic crime drama film of the same name directed by Mani Ratnam, starring Kamal Haasan. The film's musical score is composed by Ilaiyaraaja, whose soundtrack features five songs under the lyrics of Pulamaipithan and Ilaiyaraaja himself. The soundtrack, which was released under the Echo label, became popular after the film's release.[1]
Development
Nayakan is Ilaiyaraaja's sixth collaboration with Mani Ratnam—following Pallavi Anu Pallavi (1983), Unaroo (1984), Pagal Nilavu, Idaya Kovil (both 1985) and Mouna Ragam (1986)—and also his 400th as a composer.[2] Vaali who had previously worked with Ratnam and Ilaiyaraaja since Pagal Nilavu, could not write the lyrics for the songs due to time constraints. Instead, Pulamaipithan was hired as the lyricist, who contributed to all the songs except for "Nila Adhu Vanathumele", which Ilaiyaraaja himself wrote.[3] The songs "Andhi Mazhai Megam" and "Nila Adhu Vanathumele" were set in the Carnatic Natabhairavi and Keeravani ragas,[4][5][6] while "Nee Oru Kaadhal Sangeetham" is in the Hindustani raga Desh.[7][8] The song is featured on both sides of the original LP record as the second track.[3]
The theme song "Thenpandi Cheemayile" plays for most of the film; during the film's introduction, it has the colloquial line "yaar adichaaro" (transl. who hit him?; sung by Ilaiyaraaja), but when it plays later in the film, the line is altered to more polished "yaar adithaaro" (sung by Haasan). Film critic Baradwaj Rangan asked Ratnam whether this change was an indication to the eventual refinement of Velu. Ratnam said that Ilaiyaraaja's portions were recorded first, and that when they went for recording, they had this rustic version which had minimal background music, and was of folk quality. Because the song was going to be repeated throughout the film, they also wanted a more orchestral version, and in this version sung by Haasan, the language became more sophisticated.[9] Though Ratnam liked the original tune Ilaiyaraaja created for "Thenpandi Cheemayile", he felt it did not suit the song's narrative; it was then used for "Nila Adhu Vanathumele".[10]
Track listing
| No. | Title | Lyrics | Singer(s) | Length |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. | "Naan Sirithal Deepavali" | Pulamaipithan | K. Jamuna Rani, M. S. Rajeswari | 4:46 |
| 2. | "Nila Adhu Vanathumele" | Ilaiyaraaja | Ilaiyaraaja | 5:01 |
| 3. | "Andhi Mazhai Megam" | Pulamaipithan | T. L. Maharajan, P. Susheela | 4:46 |
| 4. | "Nee Oru Kadhal Sangeetham" | Pulamaipithan | Mano, K. S. Chithra | 4:32 |
| 5. | "Thenpandi Cheemayile" | Pulamaipithan | Ilaiyaraaja, Kamal Haasan | 4:32 |
| Total length: | 23:37 | |||
References
- ^ "Nayagan (1987)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 20 October 2014. Retrieved 20 October 2014.
- ^ Gnani (9 January 2011). "திருப்புமுனை திரைப்படங்கள்" [Pathbreaking films]. Dinamani (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 29 June 2016. Retrieved 29 June 2016.
- ^ a b "Nayagan Tamil Film LP VInyl Record by Ilayaraaja". Mossymart. Archived from the original on 20 October 2021. Retrieved 20 October 2021.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 124.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 148.
- ^ Lalitha, M. (7 January 2012). "Natabhairavi's Jewish connection". The Times of India. Archived from the original on 9 May 2016. Retrieved 9 May 2016.
- ^ Sundararaman 2007, p. 147.
- ^ "The Firstpost Playlist: The Beatles' heartbreak, Ilaiyaraaja's classical strains and Chitra Singh's ghazal". Firstpost. 4 June 2016. Archived from the original on 7 June 2016. Retrieved 7 June 2016.
- ^ Rangan 2012, p. 53.
- ^ "WATCH | Usha Uthup's Bengali rendition of this Ilaiyaraaja classic is going viral". The New Indian Express. 15 October 2021. Archived from the original on 7 November 2021. Retrieved 7 November 2021.
Further reading
- Rangan, Baradwaj (2012). Conversations with Mani Ratnam. India: Penguin Books. ISBN 978-0-670-08520-0.
- Sundararaman (2007) [2005]. Raga Chintamani: A Guide to Carnatic Ragas Through Tamil Film Music (2nd ed.). Pichhamal Chintamani. OCLC 295034757.