Answer for Background Score - 32

This piece is from Kaadhal – Composed by Joshua Sridhar. It is a cute love theme used when Sandhya starts liking Bharath and watches him. Joshua Sridhar seems to be fond of classically inclined pieces being played on flute, strings and violins. Joshua Sridhar’s background score for Balaji Sakthivel’s Kalloori also has lots of such interesting pieces throughout the movie.

Sarkar Raj OST

RGV says that he is going to release the background score of Sarkar Raj (Composed by Amar Mohile) and it is a first time in Hindi cinema. I don’t understand why every filmmaker or composer, when releasing the background scores of the movie separately in a CD, claim it as something that happens for the first time in Indian Cinema. Krrish, Black, Black Friday, Bose: The forgotten hero, Omkara, Taj Mahal – An Eternal Love story, Veer-Zaara, Blue Umbrella were some of the movies (names that immediately come to my mind) for which the entire background score was released.

It is a well known fact that RGV gives importance to background score in his films. But I feel background score is overdone in most of his movies. Illayaraja’s background score for RGV’s Shiva is a classic. Among other RGV’s films, background score (by Sandeep Chowtha) of Satya is still my favorite. Also I like Amar Mohile’s work in Naach. Is there anyone here who feels ‘Bhoot’ had great background score? If so, can you tell me why? I agree that there were few good moments, but for the most part it was loud and irritating. In the interview RGV mentions about popularity of Govinda theme, to me Govinda theme sounds awful. Though from the teasers it is clear that Govinda theme is used again and will definitely find a place in the OST, I mm still eager to listen to the OST of Sarkar Raj.

Dasavatharam Background Score

Devi Sri Prasad talks about his experience while scoring background music for Dasavatharam. And in the interview, he confirms that he did background score for the Trailer too and that clears the doubts I had.

While it is good to know that people understand the significance of background score in movies and have spent nearly 1 month to score background music for the movie, I don't understand why Devi Sri Prasad has not found few minutes in that one month to score a original piece for the first one minute of the trailer.

He also says that he has used a lot of orchestral music and choir in the second half of the movie and I hope that they aren't straight lifts from Hollywood movies.

Background Score - 32

Guess the movie.

Answer for Background Score - 31

This piece is from the movie “Sirai Chaalai” – composed by Illayaraja. It is used when Govardhan and Mugundhan finally spend some good time in the Kaala Pani. The 2 minute montage is enhanced by this one seamless orchestral piece which captures all the transformations, cuts and mood shifts in this montage so beautifully.

Yaaradi Nee Mohini Score

A new version of ‘Yaaradi Nee Mohini’ soundtrack is out in the market with the some of the songs repeated in different singer’s vocals, remixes of ‘Paalakattu’ by Dharan and D.Iman and five background score pieces from the movie. The collection of background score pieces is not as exhaustive as it was in Kaadhal Konden and 7G, Rainbow Colony, where it covered almost every small music piece written for the background score of the movie.

This soundtrack has got 5 background score pieces. ‘Person is a looser’ is the song with which the movie starts, Theme 1 is used when Dhanush gets confidence to face the interview after he sees Nayanthara standing on the other side of the glass window, Theme 2 is when he works hard to solve the system crash problem, I couldn’t guess the place exactly where Theme 3 is used, Theme 4 appears in the end credits. My favorite cue from the movie is a very funny Punjabi bit written for Nayanthara’s sister, which matches so well with her actions. And the main family theme of the movie is missing. This soundtrack seems to be a half-hearted effort made primarily to cash-in on the films success.

Ada - Kannathil Muthamittal

A.R.Rahman has turned background score piece from ‘Kannathil Muthamittal’ into the song ‘Milo Wahan’ in Ada. This isn’t surprising, as Rahman has been doing this right from his first movie.

BGM from Kannathil Muthamittal



‘Milo Wahan’ from Ada

Background Score - 31

One of the Masterpieces. Guess the Movie.

Answer for Background Score - 30

This piece composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja is from ‘7G, Rainbow colony’. This beautiful orchestral piece adds a serene touch to the love making scene that immediately follows ‘January Matham’ song. The orchestration sounds heavily inspired by 'The Beautiful Mind' score by James Horner.

Background Score - 30

Guess.

Listening Kaadhalukku Mariyaathai

My admiration for Ilaiyaraaja’s background score in Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai grew when I got a chance to watch the original Malayalam version of the film (“Aniyathi Pravu” Music Composer - Ouseppachan). We often talk about films getting elevated by Ilaiyaraaja’s background score. His score in Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai is one of the best proofs of that. It also reassures the fact that the directors do not have much of a say in the quality of background score that Ilaiyaraaja writes for the film. It is the quality of the content that dictates the quality of Ilaiyaraaja’s background score. This film is another example for how better Ilaiyaraaja understands the medium of cinema than anybody else, and sometimes his is better than even the director of the film.

Ilaiyaraaja has used almost all of the background music scoring techniques that we most admire of his, in this film. The melodies of the songs become motifs of the film's background score. A unique aural identity is given to the film, with the musical score having a coherent tonal pattern throughout the film. The omnipresent music precisely follows the shifts and cuts in the moods and actions on the visuals. The music is entwined with the film so much so that one can never say whether the background music or the film in itself have in it, all that it takes to move a viewer, as emotionally as it does.

Melody of Songs as Motif – Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai is one of those few films where the melody of a song has all that is necessary to be the main motif or love theme of the score of the film. It needs as much experience and expertise as Ilaiyaraaja to use these melodies, repeatedly, at the right moments in the film, but without any of it sounding monotonous. After having composed a beautiful melody like Ennai thalaatta Varuvaala, any composer would be tempted to use it to the maximum throughout the film. There is a difference, when Ilaiyaraaja does it. Ilaiyaraaja clearly knows that job of a score composer is not just playing lovely music in the background. Background music scoring is putting apt music. Ilaiyaraaja achieves aptness in score effortlessly with his orchestration skills. He orchestrates the same melody in varied ways to fit with the slightest of changes in the subject on which the main motif travels on throughout the film. The subject could be an emotion, a gesture, a character, a place or a recurring situation in the film. The variety in orchestration is one reason why we do not get bored of the recurring musical themes in Ilaiyaraaja’s films. Ilaiyaraaja’s romantic songs always have a melody, which could evoke both exhilaration of moments of hope and the doom of the moments of despair. One could use it for either mood, and it would aptly fit. The melody of the song Ennai Thalaatta Varuvaala is as romantic as it can get when used for romantic scenes, and is as painful as it can sound, when used to underscore the pain of separation.

Ilaiyaraaja always creates a unique pattern or palette of sound for the film with his background music. There are so many sounds that are unique in the background score of Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai. The most notable one being Ilaiyaraaja's prominent usage of synthesizers for the first time in his career. The mix of Ilaiyaraaja’s melody and Synth sounded so fresh and unique. In fact the main love theme of the film has a signature Synth layer on loop. Though Ilaiyaraaja has used a lot of Synth stuff for the first time in this film, he does not allow the vastness in the variety of sound that Synth provides, to overtake the soul of the melody. Ilaiyaraaja has tried to bring out emotions even in these Synth sounds. The sound of flute and violin used all through the film is not the typical ones that we hear in other films scored by Ilaiyaraaja. The use of Bhavatharini and Arun Mozhi’s vocals is also very different; they sound like echoes of emotions from the deep inside the mind and soul of the characters.

The most fascinating of all aspects of Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai background score is the precision with which Ilaiyaraaja punctuates the visuals with his music, and the mind-boggling details in each layer of the orchestration. With his precision and detailing, Ilaiyaraaja captures even the slightest of details in the visual narrative of the film. This precision is the biggest differentiating factor and the reason why Ilaiyaraaja’s Kaadhalukku Mariyaadhai is more emotionally engaging than Ouseppachan’s Aniyathi Pravu.

To understand the monstrosity of Ilaiyaraaja’s score, one has to move beyond from the generic overall perceptions to the specifics of music and its meanings in each and every scene of the film.

The full version of this article can be read in the book "Moods of Ilaiyaraaja".


P.S:- I understand that this was quite tough. Anyway here is the answer

Match the Following - 2

Video has 7 clips of scenes from the movie ‘Kaadhalukku Mariyaathai’ in which the 7 background score pieces given below are used. Match the video and audio clips.



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