47 Cues from Sri Rama Rajyam Background Score.
75 Minutes of Orchestral Score by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
Well, What Can I Say! Bliss! Listen...
Showing posts with label Telugu. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Telugu. Show all posts
Tuesday, August 7, 2012
Sri Rama Rajyam Background Score
47 Cues from Sri Rama Rajyam Background Score.
75 Minutes of Orchestral Score by Maestro Ilaiyaraaja.
Well, What Can I Say! Bliss! Listen...
Friday, September 23, 2011
Background Score - 78
A Background Score Quiz in this site, after almost 7 months. Guess the films.
Stanley Ka Dabba - Opening Credits
180 - Opening Credits
Band Baja Baaraat - Lovemaking Theme
Mugavari - ThalaRockzzz, at the end, becomes a Composer
Aayirathil Oruvan - "Indha Paadhai Yengu pogum" Desert Theme
Abhiyum Naanum - Opening Credits
That Girl in Yellow Boots - The tRuth
Wednesday, December 15, 2010
Journey of a Song in a Score
Songs - at least those that are composed by composers, who put film maker’s vision above everything else - are now an integral part of the film’s narrative. The composer completes half of the film’s background score when he completes composing the songs of the film. These are songs made specific to the given situation of a given film and they cannot be used in any other situation of any other film. Composer need not break his heads to compose new themes while writing the background score. A melody on trumpet that imitates the bleat of a (black) sheep in Arima Arima song is classic evidence of the extent to which the composer was informed about the scenes and situations in the film, even before the film was made. In films with such songs, the line between background score and songs are thin. Pudhiya Manidha in Endhiran is also one such song. The main hook of the song is the melody of the line Pudhiya Manidha Boomikku Vaa, which plays as Chitti’s theme throughout the film.
The song opens with a gentle Synth bass melody, which continues to loop over and over throughout the song. This Synth bass melody is beautifully elaborated on the string section of the orchestra when Dr.Vaseegaran is giving birth to Chitti part by part. The orchestral version of this Synth bass loop appropriately plays for Dr.Vaseegaran’s last minute urgency, curiosity and hyper-activity in bringing his ten long years of work, the Robot to life.
Sana is continuously trying to reach Dr.Vaseegaran, who is busy giving final touches to his machine child and Rahman emphasizes this diversion by introducing a conversation between Strings section and woodwinds section of the orchestra both playing the same melody. It is like how both Chitti and Sana are trying to draw the same amount of attention from Dr.Vaseegaran.
The Pudhiya Manidha theme is then heard on a serene Indian flute, when Dr.Vaseegaran begins to give a lecture to Chitti about the Human emotions. The flute begins with the theme, but soon liberates itself into a totally different melody with a classical tinge. With the Pudhiya Manidha melody withering off all its rigidity and electronic associations and embracing the tenderness of a flute and fragility of Human emotions, the machine slowly and gradually becomes humane. We do not get to hear this melody much after this. Chitti is no more a new born; he has grown enough to feel and act on his own.
What follows is an anarchy that Chitti Version 2.0 unleashes. There is continuous onslaught of evil brass bangs and full throttled action cues in Rahman’s score for Chitti 2.0’s action. There is not a pinch of innocence in Chitti for Rahman to play Pudhiya Manidha anymore. Towards the end of the film, Chitti gets a re-birth. Dr.Vaseegaran resurrects Chitti by replacing Dr.Bhora’s Red chip with Chitti’s own.
Cut to: The Court Room.
The court gives death sentence to Dr.Vaseegaran, for creating a Robot like Chitti, which led to all the chaos in the city. Chitti gets up to produce itself in court as a material evidence defending Dr.Vaseegaran, and it is in here, Rahman plays Pudhiya Manidha boldly on horns again implying with a bang that Chitti is back like the way it was.
Pudhiya Manidha theme continues to play sympathetically on an Oboe in the background when Dr.Vaseegaran asks Chitti to dismantle itself. When Chitti spells out one message after another to Human clan, the melody of the lines Maatram Kondu Vaa is heard. When Chitti says, “I am going to miss you Sana”, for the first time in the film, a female voice hums Irumbilae Or Irudhayam melody. Dot.
No. That’s not the end of it. 2030. A Science museum in 2030.
When the Camera zooms into the museum, Rahman allows S.P.Balasubramaniam to gently croon Vairamuthu’s golden verses Karuvil Pirandha Ellam Marikkum Arivil Pirandhadhu Marippadhae Illai from Pudhiya Manidha song. With those verses playing in the background, Rahman primes us to what happens in the Museum when a curious kid asks her teacher about why Chitti was dismantled. Chitti is alive and kicking. A.R.Rahman plays a scintillating orchestral piece for the kid’s shock and surprise when Chitti replies to her curious question.
The film ends, but Chitti lives on forever. To hint its possible return Rahman cannot play anything other than Pudhiya Manidha in the end credits of the film. The complete Pudhiya Manidha melody booms large in a breathtaking symphonic form in the end credits. Pudhiya Manidha Bhoomikku Vaa.
Tuesday, November 16, 2010
Thursday, September 30, 2010
Saturday, February 27, 2010
Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya Background Score
The moment I heard those flamboyant piano runs in the theatrical trailer of ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya’, I had a gut feeling that this film is going to be an A.R.Rahman musical. Since this is a Gautam Vasudev Menon film, I was initially surprised by the quirkiness of the soundtrack of the film. However, in few days, the music totally embraced me or rather I totally embraced it. I knew that these melodies would make base for delightful instrumental pieces for the background score of the film. There is a scene in ‘Vinnaithaandi Varuvaaya’ in which after setting the frame and explaining how the camera should move to capture a shot for a film being canned within the film, K.S.Ravi Kumar says, ‘Inga Rahman background music potturuvaaru’ (Rahman will put some background music here). While making this film, I guess Gautam Menon would have told the same to his crew for almost every single scene. There is so much music in this film.
Usually, pure love stories are a composer’s delight to write background score for. Though it does not challenge with any freshness in what happens, the challenge is how to score for the freshness in how it all happens and bring within it the aura of romance through music. Gautam’s love stories have lots of silence in it, and little awkward dialogues and conversations with too many bits, pieces and phrases concatenated into full sentences. It provides a lot of scope for a composer to fill these silences with music and add to the romance that Gautam wants to ooze.
That conversation between Madhavan and Reema Sen in Reema’s house, after a power cut, just before the song ‘Verenna’ is one such instance where Harris Jeyaraj had his moment of glory in the background score. That saxophone bit did wonders in sparkling a chemistry and attraction in every meeting between Maaya and Anbuchelvan in "Kaaka Kaaka". There is this stirring orchestral version of ‘Uyirin Uyirae’ melody wells up in Anbachelvan’s eyes, when he carries a wounded Maaya to Hospital. I do not remember much of ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilayadu’ or ‘Pachaikili Muthucharam’.
This film is full of conversations between a boy and a girl in love - before, after and much later. They either they talk about loving each other or about parting ways. The moment we hear the stirring string section that flaunts the inner butterflies of a man, who falls in love with a girl on the very first sight, it is evident that Rahman is going to shower this film with his musical rains. He does and How! The score lightens the film, sprinkles romance in the air, and builds drama and adds momentum to a film that is packed with a series of conversations between a boy and a girl.
Melodies of all the songs in the film are used beautifully in the background score. Hosanna melody fills in for that initial euphoria of Karthik in finding his soul mate. The little funny moments in between them before they begin to talk to each other is filled with Vibraphone version of the song. The lyrical melody of the poetic “Yen Idhayam Udaithaai Norungavae Yen Maru Idhayam Tharuvaen Nee Udaikkavae" plays on flute and angelic female voice to enhancing the serenity of silences, where it is, throughout the film. The cello theme from ‘Kannukkul Kannai’ is aptly used whenever Jessie walks out of a conversation in the scenes preceding the song. The best used song musically and thematically is ‘Mannippaya’, the lines of which reveal the whole story of the film. The title track is almost used entirely as a background score. Aah! That female version of ‘Aaromalae’ for Jessie is heavenly.
Apart from the melodies of the songs, there are many music themes in the film. The shocker bangs followed by symphonic strings swirling is for Jessie’s reaction to Karthik’s sudden proposal in the middle of the road. This theme recurs many times for all such twists and turns that arises out of the unpredictability in Jessie’s character. A mild piano theme that borders on ‘Kahin Toh’ melody from ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ gives a serene touch to the scenes of intimacy. There is another all strings theme that pumps in chokes with pauses in between phrases and also momentum into the scenes whenever something unfathomable happens to Karthik. Rahman mildly introduces a disturbing Guitar melody creating a subtle discomfort in the aura when the conversation between Karthik and Jessie is about to turn into a conflict. The folk-rock fusion in that odd boxing scene also works well for the effect of the scene. The only misfire in the whole background score is that rock-jazz number (this is the first song played when the end credits begin to roll) that loudly overpowers the scene in ODE cafe where Jessie speaks of break-up. However, may be the loudness and the genre chosen is intentional to imply how torturing it is for a guy to deal with a fickle girl like Jessie. Oh! Now that I think of ODE café, I recollect the scene where the camera zooms in from the shot of giant Wind chimes, for which Rahman also begins to play his music on wind chimes to set the atmosphere.
And there is so much more music in the film which I have not talked about here. This is just a random rambling that I scribbled out of excitement immediately after watching the film. The background score of this film requires a detailed scene by scene analysis, which I am sure I will do later, after I get a DVD of the film. Until then, I am going to watch this film again, again and again in theatres, as many times as I can. The repeated viewing of the film is as much for the film as a whole as for its background score.
Usually, pure love stories are a composer’s delight to write background score for. Though it does not challenge with any freshness in what happens, the challenge is how to score for the freshness in how it all happens and bring within it the aura of romance through music. Gautam’s love stories have lots of silence in it, and little awkward dialogues and conversations with too many bits, pieces and phrases concatenated into full sentences. It provides a lot of scope for a composer to fill these silences with music and add to the romance that Gautam wants to ooze.
That conversation between Madhavan and Reema Sen in Reema’s house, after a power cut, just before the song ‘Verenna’ is one such instance where Harris Jeyaraj had his moment of glory in the background score. That saxophone bit did wonders in sparkling a chemistry and attraction in every meeting between Maaya and Anbuchelvan in "Kaaka Kaaka". There is this stirring orchestral version of ‘Uyirin Uyirae’ melody wells up in Anbachelvan’s eyes, when he carries a wounded Maaya to Hospital. I do not remember much of ‘Vettaiyaadu Vilayadu’ or ‘Pachaikili Muthucharam’.
This film is full of conversations between a boy and a girl in love - before, after and much later. They either they talk about loving each other or about parting ways. The moment we hear the stirring string section that flaunts the inner butterflies of a man, who falls in love with a girl on the very first sight, it is evident that Rahman is going to shower this film with his musical rains. He does and How! The score lightens the film, sprinkles romance in the air, and builds drama and adds momentum to a film that is packed with a series of conversations between a boy and a girl.
Melodies of all the songs in the film are used beautifully in the background score. Hosanna melody fills in for that initial euphoria of Karthik in finding his soul mate. The little funny moments in between them before they begin to talk to each other is filled with Vibraphone version of the song. The lyrical melody of the poetic “Yen Idhayam Udaithaai Norungavae Yen Maru Idhayam Tharuvaen Nee Udaikkavae" plays on flute and angelic female voice to enhancing the serenity of silences, where it is, throughout the film. The cello theme from ‘Kannukkul Kannai’ is aptly used whenever Jessie walks out of a conversation in the scenes preceding the song. The best used song musically and thematically is ‘Mannippaya’, the lines of which reveal the whole story of the film. The title track is almost used entirely as a background score. Aah! That female version of ‘Aaromalae’ for Jessie is heavenly.
Apart from the melodies of the songs, there are many music themes in the film. The shocker bangs followed by symphonic strings swirling is for Jessie’s reaction to Karthik’s sudden proposal in the middle of the road. This theme recurs many times for all such twists and turns that arises out of the unpredictability in Jessie’s character. A mild piano theme that borders on ‘Kahin Toh’ melody from ‘Jaane Tu Ya Jaane Na’ gives a serene touch to the scenes of intimacy. There is another all strings theme that pumps in chokes with pauses in between phrases and also momentum into the scenes whenever something unfathomable happens to Karthik. Rahman mildly introduces a disturbing Guitar melody creating a subtle discomfort in the aura when the conversation between Karthik and Jessie is about to turn into a conflict. The folk-rock fusion in that odd boxing scene also works well for the effect of the scene. The only misfire in the whole background score is that rock-jazz number (this is the first song played when the end credits begin to roll) that loudly overpowers the scene in ODE cafe where Jessie speaks of break-up. However, may be the loudness and the genre chosen is intentional to imply how torturing it is for a guy to deal with a fickle girl like Jessie. Oh! Now that I think of ODE café, I recollect the scene where the camera zooms in from the shot of giant Wind chimes, for which Rahman also begins to play his music on wind chimes to set the atmosphere.
And there is so much more music in the film which I have not talked about here. This is just a random rambling that I scribbled out of excitement immediately after watching the film. The background score of this film requires a detailed scene by scene analysis, which I am sure I will do later, after I get a DVD of the film. Until then, I am going to watch this film again, again and again in theatres, as many times as I can. The repeated viewing of the film is as much for the film as a whole as for its background score.
Friday, July 3, 2009
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