Keda Kari / Kata Kata

Earlier, I had an opinion that a composer must have been totally uninterested and hasty while scoring, if he did not compose any new musical themes and has used just the instrumental versions of the melodies of the songs, throughout the background score of a film. However, soon I realized that a composer’s decision on whether to compose new melodies or use the melodies of the already composed song for the background score depends on how the film uses the song in its narrative. The usage of Keda Kari / Kata Kata in Raavanan/Raavan is a classic example.

In the opening episode of Raavanan, the Policemen are attacked by different people at different places at the same time. The percussive postlude from the Keda Kari song in its entirety plays as the background score of this episode. Before watching the film, when we heard the song on audio CD, we had assumed Keda Kari to be a song of Celebration and festivities in a typical rural Indian wedding Ceremony. It was slightly incongruous and discomforting to listen to the parts of that song playing loudly in the scenes where there is no trace of Celebration or festivity. The same piece is again heard when Veera and his gang storm into Dev’s camp to steal the arms and create havoc. These are moments with no mood for euphoric rhythms.

However, later, when the song Keda Kari, unfolds in its entirety, we get to see the chaos unleashed by the Policemen in Vennilla’s Marriage Ceremony. The Policemen enter the scene towards the end of the song, precisely when the percussive coda begins to play. All that happens in the opening episode of the film is Veer’s revenge for the chaos created by Policemen in Marriage ceremony and what they eventually did to Vennila - Veera’s sister. The score composer (A.R.Rahman) is linking an action and a reaction, a sequence and its consequence with the same piece of music, though they unfold on screen, in the reverse order.

P.S: Raavanan special Edition CD pack is available in stores now. “Kalingathu Bharani” (The Pain and War), The Lament of the leaves (as I expected, the Theme of lust features in this track), Naan Varuvaen (Easily the song of the year), Restless Mystic (this Oud piece is prominently heard when Ragini tries to escape, just before Yaaro Evalo song) and Yaaro Evalo (Theatrical Version of Kaattu Sirukki) are the 5 additional tracks included in the CD.

Raavanan Background Score

It is choral-orchestral bangs for Veera’s Introduction. Again. I don’t understand why A.R.Rahman always (Yuva, Sivaji, Mangal Pandey, Jodhaa Akbar, Mudhalvan) resorts to the same type of scoring, whenever there is a strong larger-than-life protagonist in the film. The main Veera theme could have been more rooted. I was expecting the eerie Oud that we heard in initial teasers (though can’t say the sound of it as rooted) to be the signature sound of the bewildering characteristics of Veera. It instead is used for Raghini (apparent in the scene in which she climbs up to the ground from a prison-pit).

But thankfully, major parts of the second half of the film, is filled with pieces made of the haunting melody of the song (that was not released in the CD) ‘Naan Varuvaenae’ (‘Jaa Re Ud Ja Re’ in Hindi). May be this contrast in sound, feel and volume between Veera’s themes in the first half and second half of the film is intentional to imply how Veera’s shades of Black gradually fades to white in Raghini’s perception.

‘Naan Varuvaenae’ / ‘Jaa re Ud Jaa Re’ first appears on a Sarangi when Veera weeps on witnessing a victim of rape in his Sister. When the same melody finally appears on divine registers of A.R.Rahman’s voice, in that chilling climax, I had goose bumps. I was moved to tears. Maniratnam mutes all mortal ambient sounds and allows Rahman’s immortal melody to induce a lump in our throat. My body was electrified for a split second when a lazy Harmonica starts in sync with the poignant slow motion shot in the end. This theme, to ‘Raavan’, is what ‘Then Paandi Cheemayilae’ melody was to ‘Naayagan’.

African chants and alaap are used randomly throughout the film and it aids to believably transform the place of action into an abstract mythical land.

The version of ‘Kaattu Chirukki’ in the film is beyond words, in which the melody takes an unpredictable twist and flow. Exquisitely eerie expression in the voice that rendered the song (Is it Chinna Ponnu?) adds further to the uniqueness of this version of the song. We can count this as a background score piece. I strongly feel that these visuals weren’t shot with music. The brilliant choreography by Astad Deboo and Sham Kaushal, the godly visuals and camera angles of Santosh Sivan, fiery performance by both Aishwarya and Vikram make this whole montage an absolute delight; I wouldn’t mind watching the film many times just for this sequence.

And the thundering ‘Yerimalai’ song (yes, another new song) that plays while Veera burns down Dev’s camp, though would sound very effective as a standalone track, sounds too chaotic with when played along an already chaotic montage of action. May be that was the requirement – Chaos in Sound. The instrumental version of the track works well to pump up the energy and to add an adrenaline rush in the subsequent action blocks.

There definitely is more music in the film. I will update if I find anymore interesting bits after I watch the film again.