BRIC Team reports: After Annakili was released, Ilaiyaraaja, who composed the music for the film but was then not known to the outside world, along with his brothers Gangai Amaran and Baskar, would visit Rajakumari Theatre to gauge the audience’s response. Initially, the reception was lukewarm. One of the film’s directors, Devaraj, stood outside the theatre in Chennai, crestfallen, as only a handful of people had turned up to watch the film.Impact of AIRBut by then, the songs had begun to echo across the State.
All India Radio (AIR) broadcast them repeatedly, and listeners were captivated. Soon, crowds started queuing up outside theatres. Such was the popularity of the songs that “Sonthamillai Bandhamillai,” which had been removed after the first few days, had to be reinstated following repeated demands from audiences.The song itself had its roots in a tune often rendered by Ilaiyaraaja’s mother, who would sing it with different lines on different occasions.
Background
Even the Thiruppugazh hymn “Erumayil Eri Vilaiyadu Mugam Ondru” was sung in the same tune.Similarly, “Annakili Unnai Theduthey” was also based on a tune sung by his mother, who would render it with the line “Pullipotta Ravikkaikari.” “Annakili Unnai Theduthey” became the beginning of the song. Before Ilaiyaraaja’s Annakili took wingFifty years have flown by like a moment. But the songs of Annakili continue to haunt generations of music lovers.
Key facts
- All India Radio (AIR) broadcast them repeatedly, and listeners were captivated.
- Soon, crowds started queuing up outside theatres.
- Before Ilaiyaraaja’s Annakili took wingFifty years have flown by like a moment.
What this means
With the release of Annakili began the extraordinary musical journey of Ilaiyaraaja, whose career would rise to unparalleled heights.Gangai Amaran, who worked closely with his brother during the composing sessions, recalls those memorable days. He was the rhythm guitarist for the film.“The higher octaves in the humming of the song ‘Annakili Unnai Theduthey’ symbolically foreshadowed the great heights Ilaiyaraaja was destined to achieve,” he said.Ilaiyaraaja once said he often walked between the Lighthouse and the Anna Mausoleum in Chennai, improvising the humming of the tune in his mind during those journeys.
Panchu Arunachalam passes away“Machana Paathheengala,” another hit song, was originally written by Gangai Amaran and tuned by Ilaiyaraaja even before they were signed on for the film. Subsequently, Panchu Arunachalam, the producer of Annakili, who introduced Ilaiyaraaja as a music director, rewrote the lyrics while retaining the first two stanzas.The popularity of the song can be gauged from a scene in the Sivaji Ganesan-starrer Kavarimaan, in which the daughter, when asked by her parents whether she preferred Carnatic or Western music, replies that she was interested only in learning “Machana Paathheengala.”When asked about the need to change the lyrics of the song, he said those making the film had the right to modify them.
