Gramiya effect ... Pastures, Goats, Palm Trees, Paddy Fields

This is a very famous scene for a rich tamil movie subject. The hero and heroine running around, or the hero missing the heroine and singing. Such movies usually have a low budget hero like ramarajan, raj kiran and rarely someone like captain chinna gownder, or devar magan trying a new draw of the dice.

Here comes our music director, where only music can be the scaffolding, basement, and the curb appeal for the movie. Now there are some music directors, who try and make it a village subject, but a song like "Then merku paruva kaatru..." or "Uppu karvadu...", as much as try to be village songs, just don't have the feel.

Now leaving duets alone, sorrow songs are also hard. Because all that can be shown on the screen, is a drunk hero, walking on AVM studio's groves, in bad drenched clothing. Heroine usually is not around or even if she is, she is dead and walking around with a white saree bought in bulk.

Given, this repeated scenario, the director is given a challenge to show his creativity, of course adding the lyricist too. Directors, who usually make such village topics, don't show a high technical expertise in lighting, camera angles or editing. They cater to all IQs.

Let's take this sad song. Hero is sad, heroine is sad. Instruments used are a dilruba to replace the coconut shell makeshift fiddle, violin, a single tabla( to show melancholy) and a sad voice. A rhythm 12 string acoustic to fill up the empty spaces. Now how creative can you get. If you haven't guessed the song yet, here it is.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=2uChga7B-ts

Now gangai amaran aint a great singer, and suseela amma makes up for it. But hero sucks, heroine just got started. I would think a production website deployment has lesser challenges than this. This song made the movie a hit go. I mean a super hit and the song is still around.

Lets take the classic duet case. Lipstick hero, wannabe heroine-with-no-sense-of-camera , no expression of romance. A 12 string chromatic intro, included with a flute melody, that the bass plays in the lower octave. A bell joins the "boom" of the tabla. The counterpointed flute.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gttqdf13GGk

Songs like these made movies like these watchable. Without even seeing the video, one would be able to recognise that it's in a village pasture, with the flute simulating the breeze of the wind over the thick filled corn fields. Writing a string ensemble for a pastural effect requires some sweat. This whole movie was a major musical hit. Of course maan kuyile, a karagatam song to depict love. A hard attempt. The lyrics are good too.The thavil of all of the loud instruments, adds flavour here.

This one's more interesting. Chinnapadas, Jennifer teacher, cuddalore beach, aatukutti, nothing more nothing less. Bass, violins with harmony, pitch bending keyboard solo. A single tabla for the uncomplicated village love. Nice lyrics for a change, but pretty composition. A mega hit. A village effect with western instruments alone. The much loved flute solo, but not many ethnic indian instruments other than the tabla.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=m0PSSXbNTDI

I could write pages and pages more about the music making up for the hero and heroine. Raaja just rocks !!! Love him. Here's more videos. Would love your comments.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=9KBCde50pIg - The whole movie. Dhaadi captain. All mega hit songs. Revathi in white saari. Raasathi Onna, needs a page on it's own. But the rhythm guitar is the money making trick there.

http://youtube.com/watch?v=Iclv2Sg5j6c . Again the whole movie. Dry subject. Bhaarathiraaja made a bet than anyone else couldn't make more a villagest movie. The tamil in the movie, the makeup. Takes you right there. Shivaji, doesn't fall into the crappy hero genre though. But every song is another hit. A perfect pastural effect in this movie is this song. Takes u amongst the rice fields surrounded by hills near theni district.

New heroine. Wannabe hero. Crushy scenario. Bass guitar and tabla, take the prize away. I would love to play the bass for this song. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=88lmdr7KSFo .The video is well made though.

This is a special one because it describes the beauty of the village. So no romance, but two fat people running around. The beauty of the song lies in creating sounds of water falling or birds chirping. The rhythm guitar fills the village part and bass adds when she sings "Kaalum Yaavum". Swarnaltha rocks this show. Napolean flute solo has nothing less. Very simple but powerful composition.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FgGEZuc3aDg Every song in this movie is a class except one. But my person fav is aracha santhanam, describing the coming of age which is still a BIG deal in the villages.

One more hero heroine, running around fields. But the class in this movie is the potri paadadi penne, which has ethnic village rhythm beats. Hard to get the santham in the first take. Personally this one can't get anymore original.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=34dUpdJuRNc . The phrasing of ilayaraja, is beautiful to duplicate the village crude uncivilized tamil. A very well made, acted, done song. Shivaji does what he does best. Act. Love the scene where people get up even while eating when the "Devar" comes around.

A lullaby is an essential village thing. This whole movie was another village hit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_aMqUilfXH4 .Revathi is such a sweet heart in this song. Makes anyone yawn. Beautiful lyrics. An almost perfect song. The other songs in this movie, many of them for many other scenarios, aren't the best. Not everyone is good all the time. And not my person favs.

Young girl. Ready to fall in love. Stops and smells the roses. Has time to sing and enjoy nature. Yet to face life's hurricanes. Fresh and positive. Hasn't been duped yet. Looking for love, thinks love is divine before being dumped. Flute, coconut fiddle, daffali, bass guitar, 12 string picking and everything.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=EM5bF3WhN-o

Mad hero. Dope selling heroine. Duper side hero, expressionless side heroine. Happiness. Village. Romance in a stoned heart. Karum Parai Manasula, Oru mayil thogai virikuthe.
http://youtube.com/watch?v=sfvMM8tGaaw . Ilayaraja's trade stamp on this one after a long time. Bass guitar, Tenor flute. Synth to perfection. Flute of course.
"Netru thanimaiyile pochu, yaarum thunai illai". Showing the loneliness of the psyched hero's mind.

Late night village road. Dead dark. Sounds of a sporadic mini bus or TATA 407, hero heorine on a TVS-50. Really authentic. Good heorine, great heroine. Very well made. Newly wed romance. A nice water splash, goats yelling. Bells, bulls, Dreams talked in silence, counterpoint dialogue deliveries. Makes us live this scenario. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KtwoVaU5yoc. Shreya and kamal, ilayaraja, napolean. Cinematography, Screenplay. Perfection.
"Ithukku peyar than mokshama"

There are many more videos and songs and nuances to be discussed in thsi topic. Chinna thayee, En rasavin manasula, blazing hits with this theme. Couldn't love him anymore.