Ilaya
Nila
Rendered
by
late
legendary
singer
SP
Balasubrahmanyam,
the
romantic
track
beautifully
composed
by
Ilaiyaraja
has
to
be
one
of
the
evergreen
songs
in
the
favourite
list
of
every
south
Indian.
During
one
of
his
concerts,
SPB
had
recalled
that
the
recording
of
‘Ilaya
Nila'
required
as
many
as
20
retakes
as
Ilaiyaraja
wanted
guitarist
R
Chandrasekhar
to
play
the
notes
to
his
satisfaction.
Upon
Payanangal
Mudivathillai's
(1982)
release,
the
singer
was
seen
getting
incessant
requests
from
the
audiences
to
croon
the
song
during
every
other
concert
and
live
performances,
such
was
the
power
of
the
original
track.
With
just
two
instruments
used-
an
acoustic
guitar
and
a
flute,
the
song
has
the
quality
that
could
make
one
fall
in
the
deepest
ocean
of
love
and
innocence.
The
song
turned
out
to
be
so
popular
that
it
was
adapted
as
‘Neele
Neele
Ambar
Par'
in
the
Hindi
remake
of
Payanangal
Mudivathillai,
Kalaakaar
(1983).
The
Tamil
film
was
directed
by
R
Sunder
Rajan.
Kalyana
Then
Nila
Our
next
pick
is
Ilaiyaraja's
song
‘Kalyana
Then
Nila' from
the
1990
film
Mounam
Samadham
directed
by
K
Madhu.
Featuring
Mammootty
and
Amala
Akkineni,
the
melodious
number
will
always
remain
a
gem
of
a
song
for
its
beautiful
composition,
heart-melting
lyrics
and
of
course
the
lead
actors'
enthralling
chemistry.
Also,
the
song
wouldn't
have
been
so
impactful
if
not
for
KS
Chitra
and
KJ
Yesudas'
amazing
voices,
that
easily
subsumed
with
the
other
elements.
Set
in
Darbari
Kanada
raga,
‘Kalyana
Then
Nila'
is
penned
by
Pulumaippithan.
Notably,
Mounam
Samadham
was
Mollywood
superstar
Mammootty's
debut
Tamil
film.
Kattukuyilu
Not
just
visuals,
but
‘Kattukuyilu' from
the
1991
film
Thalapathi
also
delivered
an
astounding
audio
treat.
If
Kollywood
and
Mollywood
superstars
Rajinikanth
and
Mammootty
were
impressing
the
audiences
with
their
breathtaking
performances
on-screen,
just
behind
the
camera,
legendary
singers
SPB
and
KJ
Yesudas
were
crooning
for
the
dance
number
with
their
powerful
voices,
that
eventually
gave
life
to
the
popular
song.
With
lyrics
penned
by
Vaali,
Ilaiyaraja
has
given
the
song
a
tinge
of
tribal
essence
that
goes
perfectly
well
with
the
visualisation.
The
composer
has
apparently
used
a
western
kick
drum
and
a
synth
pad
for
the
song.
Thalapathi
is
helmed
by
Mani
Ratnam.
Notably,
the
film
fetched
Ilaiyaraja
the
year's
Filmfare
Award
South
for
Best
Music
Director.
Inji
Idupazhaga
Did
you
know
S
Janaki
is
the
only
singer
who
has
crooned
most
number
of
songs
for
Ilaiyaraja?
Trust
us,
selecting
one
from
the
superhit
combo's
innumerable
songs
has
been
a
difficult
task,
however,
we
pick
‘Inji
Idupazhaga'
on
this
special
occasion.
With
lyrics
written
by
Vaali,
Thevar
Magan's
this
song
features
Kamal
Haasan
and
Revathi.
Interestingly,
the
playful
number
is
inspired
by
the
Hindi
song
‘Yeh
Dil
Deewana'
from
the
1970
romantic
drama
Ishq
Par
Zor
Nahin.
Set
in
Raga
Jaunpuri,
‘Inji
Idupazhaga'
reportedly
was
made
within
10
minutes
after
Ulaganayagan
requested
Ilayaraja
to
compose
music
along
the
lines
of
the
Hindi
song.
Helmed
by
late
director
Bharathan,
the
song
also
had
another
version
in
the
film
which
was
jointly
sung
by
S
Janaki,
Kamal
Haasan
and
‘Chinna
Chinna
Aasai'
fame
Minmini.
Notably,
S
Janaki
won
National
Award
for
Best
Female
Playback
Singer
for
the
song
in
1993.
Kanmani
Anbodu
Ilaiyaraja
is
the
undisputed
master
when
it
comes
to
effortlessly
composing
any
style
of
song.
Not
just
lyrics,
the
composer
also
knows
best
to
skillfully
incorporate
dialogues
in
between
while
making
sure
that
it
doesn't
take
away
the
true
essence
of
the
song
and
‘Kanmani
Anbodu'
is
the
proof.
The
song
is
said
to
be
the
first
in
Tamil
cinema
to
have
dialogues
and
lyrics.
Featuring
Kamal
Haasan
and
Roshini,
the
light-hearted
song
is
from
the
1991
psychological
romantic
drama
Gunaa.
With
lyrics
penned
by
Vaali,
the
song
has
been
sung
by
Ulaganayagan
himself
and
S
Janaki.
Filmibeat
wishes
legendary
music
director
Ilaiyaraja
a
very
happy
birthday!