Answer for Background Score - 8

This piece is from Rang De Basanti. Rang De Basanti background score is one of the best of A.R.Rahman in the recent past. This piece is the main theme of the movie. It is a very simple and haunting Piano melody. It is used throughout the movie at many places, especially in the scenes where they show Sue's Grand Father in the past. The solo violin version comes when Aamir cries in Sue's room, after the rally for Madhavan. The orchestral version comes when Ram Prasad Bismil gets arrested by the police.

Background Score - 8

Guess the Movie.



Here is the Answer

Anbendra Mazhayilae

'Anbendra Mazahiyilae' from Minsara Kanavu will always be there in my top 10 favourites of Rahman. I still wonder how the National Award committee selected Chitra as best female playback singer for 'Ooh la la la' over Anuradha Sriram, who has given a soulful and exquisite rendition for this song. Here, you can listen the instrumental version of the song used for background score. Now that we know the movie, how about guessing the scenes for which this piece is used.

An Amazing video on Hollywood Scores

This is one of the most unforgettble videos I have ever seen on Youtube. I watch it atleast once in a month. John williams compiled the best background scores in the history of Cinema into a single concert piece and performed it live in academy awards. The genius of John Williams is evident in the way he has connected all those brilliant pieces togather. I get goosepumps especially when John Williams makes his own Jaws theme as counter point to the Bernard Hermann's Psycho theme. Is anything of this sort possible for Indian Cinema? May be a Illayaraja can make a compilation from his own scores.

Answer for Background Score - 7

This piece is Heyram Title Score. Simple melody with a soothing chorus and orchestration. Maestro at his best. Period. Atleast for this movie, they could have released the original score. Not to forget the brilliant start with a westernised rendition of 'Raghupathi raghava' by Kamal Haasan. The real meaning of fusion. The entire piece along with Kamal's rendition is here

Background Score - 7

Guess the Movie.

Oscar...

Name an Indian composer who got an Oscar nomination in Best Background Score Catergory.

Pandit Ravi Shankar for Gandhi

Answer for Background Score - 6

This piece is from 'Kudaikkul Mazhai' composed by Karthik Raja. This piece is used for a very imaginative scene in the movie where Parthiban madly dances with a saree. The main melody of this piece is also used at many places in the movie as mobile ringtone. In addition to this piece, there are so many moments in the movie that has brilliant score by Karthik Raja. I am still searching for a DVD of this movie to rip the score.

News on Scores

Yashraj Films have released the background score of ‘Veer-Zaara’. Are (mainstream, commercial, or whoever we think don’t give a damn about background scores) Indian film makers, really taking interest in background scores, or is it just done with a commercial angle as anything with ‘Veer-Zaara’ or Yashraj label sells? Earlier, Yashraj audios released the OST of Black as they were the distributors of the film.

It is good to know that the background score for 'Taare Zameen Par' was recorded live (according to the information in Aamir Khan's blog). I thought Aamir would release the entire background score in CD but there is only one instrumental. The 'Ishaan's theme' from the movie's beautiful soundtrack is one of the best Piano pieces I heard in recent times. It doesn't stick to just the main melody, it starts with a cute main melody and goes through various emotions and comes back to the main theme at the end. A must listen.

Background Score - 6

Guess the Movie. Quite an easy one, if you are one of those few who has seen this movie or the one who have listened to the entire soundtrack CD of this movie.



Here is the answer.

7G,Rainbow colony and Michael Nyman connection

Theme from the movie 'The Piano' composed by Michael Nyman



A theme cue from the movie '7G, Rainbow Colony' by Yuvan Shankar Raja



one of many reasons why I can never keep Yuvan up in the list with IR and ARR....

More to come in this 'Plagiarism' section

Answer for Background Score - 5

This piece is from the movie Kaadhal Kottai.

This piece is played when in a harbour, Heera explains to Ajith about how madly she loves him. In the conversation, when Ajith holds her hands to stop her madness, Heera would say, 'Intha touch podhum, oru naal mulusaa enna thoduveengandra nambikkai enakku vandhiruchu' and immediately this piece will start. This flute piece is so apt for that moment. I don't know whether this is a genuine Deva's composition. If not, atleast credit goes to him for choosing to use this piece at that precise moment.

Background Score - 5

Guess the movie.



Here is the Answer.

Answer for Background Score - 4

This BGM is from Mouna Raagam. We can call it as 'Mohan Theme'. I found that this theme is used in many variations and in many places than the comparatively more popular Karthik theme. I like hearing to theme pieces as a single track which contains all variations of it. This is a sample of Raaja's genius in giving apt varations to a theme piece to make it fit in scenes of different moods.

Here is the next one.

Background Score - 4

Quite an easy one. There are two theme cues in this movie among which one is very popular. But the other one is not so popular inspite of its usage throughout the movie. Guess the movie. What you listen here is a compilation of the same cue in all its variations that appears throughout the movie.



Here is the Answer

Trivia - 1

We all talk for hours about Illayaraja background score. But was it ever got an official recognition. I mean an award or something.

Did Illayaraja ever get an award for his background score?

Updated:

According to the info in Wikipedia, Illayaraja got a Best Background Score Filmfare for Heyram(Hindi) in 2000.

Answer for Background Score - 3

This piece is Sathileelaavathi End Credits. It starts when Kamal says, 'Vaangadaa ellam vettukku polam'. The percussion bangs and racing solo violin melody caught my attention long back and i was stunned when I listened to it for the first time. It sounded like Illayaraja is bursting out of the silence he maintained throughout the movie. Under Illayaraja's baton, even the smallest pieces of music can create biggest impact and this one is just a sample for that.

Here is the next one.

E.T Flying Theme

This is one of my all time favorite movie scores. I still remember the exhilarating feel I got by listening to John William’s score to the scene, when the E.T makes the cycle to fly in the air. Also watch the ten minute video where Steven Spielberg and John Williams talk about how the piece was written and recorded. Steven Spielberg asked John Williams to orchestrate the piece in the way he wants and later edited the scene according to the score. A must watch video for all movie buffs and score buffs.



Take part in BGM quiz 1, 2, and 3

Background Score - 3

Guess the Movie.



Here is the Answer

Answer for Background Score - 2

This piece is from Aayutha Ezuthu. This is played when Bharathiraja gets surprised to see Madhavan standing at his doorsteps, alive. With both of the characters involved being cunning, I think this theme beautifully emphasises on the cunningness of the characters in the scene and also it sounds a sense of fear in Bharathiraja's mind as he comes closer to Madhavan (listen to multi layered strings with notes criss crossing each other and over lapping on one another towards the end of the piece.

Here is the next piece.

Instrumentals

Most of the Indian film's background scores are nothing but the instrumental versions of the songs in the movie. Especially, the scenes immediately preceeding the song, will have an instrumental version of it. It isn't just used as a precursor for the song that is about to come. Sometimes these instrumental versions and its variations of the best song of the movie becomes the defining theme of the movie and it is used throughout. In this series, I am going to post such instrumental versions of the songs from the movie. Since it is easy to find the movie from the song, I am going to mention the name of the movie while posting the piece unlike a background score quiz. And the first in this series is a drop from ocean of such Illayaraja's background score pieces.



This instrumental version of 'Oliyilae' song from Azhaghi is a compilation of all the variations that appears throught the movie. Just listen the beautiful strings backing throughout the song.

Background Score - 2

Guess the Movie.



Here is the answer.

Answer for Background Score - 1

This piece is from Mozhi. This is when Prithviraj and Prakash raj scores background score for a scene. Most of them got the answer correct and some of them got even my reason for choosing this BGM correctly. As far as I know, this is the only Tamil movie, where they show how background score is done for a movie. Infact one of the main dialogues of the movie takes background score for analogy. Even in one of the filler dialogue, Swarnamalya will say 'Intha Maathiri scenukku ellam eppadi music vaasippinga'. And above all, though the movie's comoser is Vidhyasagar, every note of this piece beautifully invokes early 90's Illayaraja (Infact one of the answers is Karagattakaaran).

Here is next BGM