Hamlet in Monsoon : FIFTY YEARS OF THE SONG,THAMASAMENTHE VARUVAN

Friday 21 November 2014

FIFTY YEARS OF THE SONG,THAMASAMENTHE VARUVAN

The eternal song completes golden jubilee

Today ,November 22,marks the 50th birth anniversary of the best ever Malayalam song,Thamasamenthe Varuvan.The movie,Bhargavi Nilayam with the immortal song,was released on November 22,1964.

My home was just opposite to a theatre,Sreekala,in Tripunithura.If I remember right,the theatre was opened in 1966,because the Tamil movie,Motor Sundaram Pillai,a Nagesh starrer was the first movie there.It was a 1966 film.Mahakavi Kalidas,followed.We didn't have a radio.Bhargavi Nilayam and Chemmeen were shown in Sreekala,in 1966.Maybe I heard the song before that in the small public park,close to the North Fort Gate junction.There was a mike in the park.The park itself is not there now.I was just a four year old then.The song has grown inside me,with me.It will die,ofcourse, only when I breath my last.For others,it will continue to resonate,till the end of the world.

Yesudas with Baburaj

Bhargavi Nilayam,was the only movie script written by the legendary Vaikam Muhammed Basheer(1908-1994).It was found and printed by the Kalakaumudi weekly, years later, after his death.The script was based on his short stories,Neelavelicham and Nilavu Kanumbol.Basheer once wrote that,Neelavelicham was based on his personal encounter with the ghost of a beautiful woman.Prem Nazir,Madhu and Vijayanirmala were in the leading roles.Madhu was the writer and Vijayanirmala,the ghost.It was the first horror movie in Malayalam.It was also the directorial debut of A Vincent,the Cinematographer.The camera for the movie,was wielded by,P Bhaskar Rao.It was the debut movie of an actor,Padmadalakshan,who became famous later,as Kuthiravattam Pappu.His name in the movie,was,M P Kuthiravattam.The film was shot in Thalassery.

Bhargavi Nilayam poster

Its sound track,containing seven songs,crafted by M S Baburaj,was a master piece.Except the dance song,Anuraga madhu chashakam,By S Janaki,all the other songs were hits.Thamasamenthe became a sensation.Other songs were,Ekanthathayude aparatheeram,Arabikadaloru manavatti(Yesudas,P Suseela),Pottatha ponnin(Janaki),Pottithakarnna kinavu(Janaki).It is not easy to count two songs in the same movie among the first 10 in a language.But I consider the song,Ekanthathayude , sung by Kamukara Purushothaman,picturised on the Thalayi beach,one among the best 10 songs in Malayalam.

Most of the best songs in Malayalam, have been lipped by Madhu.He lipped for Ekanthathayude....

It was easy for P Bhaskaran to write the lyrics.The content of the songs and some of the lines too,were there in the script.Ekanthathayude apara theeram(the vast sea shore of loneliness)was there in Baheer's story,Anarghanimisham.In Neelavlicham,the writer was expecting the ghost any moment,but she made him wait.From there,began,Thamasamenthe...(Why the delay,my dear..)

(The above video is Yesudas singing the song,2o years later,in 1985 film award nite)

The song,was set to Hindustani Raga,Bhimpalasi,a combination of two ragas,Bhim and Palasi.It is a late afternoon raga,related to Hindustani ragas,Dhanashree,Dhani,Patdeep,Hamsakinkini and Patdeepaki.In Carnatic music,it is close to Abheri,falling with melakartha 22,Kharaharapriya.The famous song,Manasanilayil,in Dhwani is set to Abheri.Raga Bhageshree also is related.The madhyamam is the important note in Bhimpalasi.No wonder,Yesudas perfected the song only in the 23rd take!

Baburaj had Talat Mahmood in his mind to sing the song.Thamasamenthe was inspired by the Talat song,Humse aaya na gaya in the 1957 movie,Dekh Kabira Roya.The lyric was by Rajesh Kishen and music by Madan Mohan.

I do not know why Babukka could not rope in Talat.He realized his dream in 1977,by calling Talat to sing for the movie,Dweep.Another song,by the sea.

There is one song too,close to Thamasamenthe,in Bhimpalasi,in the 1957 movie,Chandrakantha,sung by Rafi.The song is,Maine chaand aur Sitaron ki.

Many have suspected the Rafi song by Noushad,Mere mehboob tujhe in the 1963 film,Meri Mehboob,as the original.But,it is in raga,Jhinjhoti.

The most interesting myth is that,Baburaj tried to imitate Bhimpalasi again in the famous song,Pranasakhi njan Verumoru,in the movie,Pareeksha(1967).It is in raga,Sindhubairavi.It was the same team:Bhaskaran,Baburaj and Prem Nazir.Rathisukhasaramayi in Dhwani is in Sindhubairavi.

There are several famous Hindi songs in raga,Bhimpalasi.

1.Beena madhur kuch bol/Ramarajya/Saraswati Rane(1943),2.Asmanwale Teri duniya se/Laila Majnu/Talat & Lata(1953),3.Aa Neele Gagan/Badshah/Lata(1954),4.Tere Sadke Balam/Amar/Lata(1954),5.Maine Chaand aur Sitaron ki/Chandrakantha/Rafi(1956),

6.Humse Aaya Na gaya/Dekh Kabira Roya(1957),7.Nagma O sher ki/Ghazal/Lata(1964),8.Naini are Badra Chaiye/Mere Sayya/Lata(1966),9.Khilte hain Gul Yahan/Shirmilee/Kishore Kumar(1972),10.Ae Ajnadi tu Kabhi/Dil Se/A R Rahman+Udit Narayan998),11.Samay O Dhire/Rudali/Bhupen Hazarika.

Here is a classical Bhimpalasi from Pandit Jasraj.

For Thamasamenthe,Sitar was the main accompaniment.Let us listen to maestro,Pandit Ravi Shankar playing Bhimpalasi,in Sitar.

Jayachandran the singer,who had accompanied Yesudas in Mridangam, once at the school youth festival,considers,Thamasamenthe,the ultimate song.Just to listen to the song,he had watched,Bhargavi Nilayam,27 times,in the Ponni theatre at Irinjalakuda.I end my tribute with Jayachandran's tribute to Yesudas and the immortal song.