16 Vayathinile (soundtrack)

16 Vayathinile
Original album cover
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
Released1977
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length16:53
LanguageTamil
LabelEMI Records
ProducerIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja chronology
Bhuvana Oru Kelvi Kuri
(1977) 		16 Vayathinile
(1977) 		Gaayathri
(1977)

16 Vayathinile is the soundtrack album for the 1977 film of the same name directed by Bharathiraja in his debut film and stars Rajinikanth, Kamal Haasan and Sridevi in the lead roles. The soundtrack and background score for the film is composed by Ilaiyaraaja and featured lyrics written by Kannadasan, Gangai Amaran and Alangudi Somu. It was released under the EMI Records label.[1]

Development

16 Vayathinile was Ilaiyaraaja's maiden collaboration with Bharathiraja, Rajinikanth and Haasan.[2][3] Bharathiraja insisted that Rajkannu had met Ilaiyaraaja, although Rajkannu was skeptical on whether he would sign on due to Ilaiyaraaja's popularity after his debut film Annakili (1976). Ilaiyaraaja initially refused the offer because of an earlier bet with Bharathiraja that Ilaiyaraaja's mentor, G. K. Venkatesh, would compose the music for Bharathiraja's first film. But, Venkatesh insisted Ilaiyaraaja to score the film.[4] Ilaiyaraaja, in an April 2015 interview with Maalai Malar, stated that lyricist Kannadasan accepted salaries ranging from ₹1,000 to ₹1,500, and he requested him to accept ₹750 citing the film's budget constraints, to which Kannadasan agreed.[4]

The soundtrack combines with folk and Western classical music,[5] using Viennese musical tropes, according to film critic Baradwaj Rangan.[6] The first song to be recorded for the film was "Chavanthi Poo";[7] initially Ilaiyaraaja wanted S. P. Balasubrahmanyam to sing "Chavanthi Poo" and "Aattukkutti", but as Balasubrahmanyam being diagnosed with pharyngitis, he was replaced by Malaysia Vasudevan.[7]

Gangai Amaran debuted as lyricist with "Chendoora Poove".[8] The term "Chendoora Poove", which refers to a flower, was coined by Amaran since there is no such flower by that name.[9] Ilaiyaraaja debuted as a singer with this film by singing "Solam Vidhaikkaiyile",[10][11] although it does not appear on the original soundtrack.[12]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Manjakkulichi"Alangudi SomuS. Janaki4:26
2."Chendoora Poove"Gangai AmaranS. Janaki3:33
3."Aattukkutti"KannadasanMalaysia Vasudevan, S. Janaki4:20
4."Chavanthi Poo"KannadasanMalaysia Vasudevan, P. Susheela4:34
5."Solam Vethaikayile"KannadasanIlayaraja2:41
Total length:16:53

Reception

The soundtrack was critically acclaimed, with B. Kolappan of The Hindu regarding the song "Chendoora Poove" wrote that it "employs a rush of violins to set up the intro for the folk melody that follows."[13] Critic based at Film Focus article in Tribune described the song as "silver lined melody that paced the film and added to its brilliance".[14] Ananda Vikatan's review for the film described Ilaiyaraaja's music as "sweet to the ears".[15] Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai, who researched on the trends of Tamil cinema in the 1970s, reviewed 16 Vayadhinile and added that Ilaiyaraaja's "ability to draw from composers like [Johann Sebastian] Bach to the very specific folk music of the narrative locale" on the compositions, were instrumental in the film's success.[16] He also appreciated Bharathiraja for the visualization of the songs through his "unique style of repeated entry of faces in close-ups, freeze-frame shots, and symmetrical reversing of movement".[16] The song "Aattukkutti" established Vasudevan's popularity.[12]

Accolades

Award Category Recipient(s) Result Ref.
National Film Awards Best Female Playback Singer S. Janaki Won [17]
Tamil Nadu State Film Awards Best Music Director Ilaiyaraaja Won [18]
Best Female Playback Singer S. Janaki Won

Remastered version

The album was later remastered in DTS 5.1 surround sound by A. Muthusamy of Honey Bee Music in June 2013.[19]

References

  1. ^ "Pathinaru Vayathunilae (1977)". Raaga.com. Archived from the original on 15 August 2014. Retrieved 1 October 2013.
  2. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (6 September 2014). "And more on the Ilaiyaraaja connection". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  3. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (18 November 2019). "'Ungal Naan': In Search Of The "Greatest" Kamal Haasan-Ilaiyaraaja Album". Film Companion. Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  4. ^ a b Ilaiyaraaja (19 April 2015). "பாரதிராஜாவின் 16 வயதினிலே படத்திற்கு இசை அமைக்க இளையராஜா மறுப்பு!" [Ilayaraaja refuses to compose for Bharathiraja's 16 Vayathinile]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  5. ^ Ramachandran 2014, p. 67.
  6. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj (14 October 2011). "The strange man in a Superman suit". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  7. ^ a b Ilaiyaraaja (20 April 2015). "16 வயதினிலே படத்தின் பாடல் பதிவு: எஸ்.பி.பாலசுப்பிரமணியத்துக்கு பதிலாக மலேசியா வாசுதேவன்" [16 Vayathinile song recording: S. P. Balasubrahmanyam replaced with Malaysia Vasudevan]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  8. ^ Ilaiyaraaja (21 April 2015). "இளையராஜா இசை அமைப்பில் செந்தூரப்பூவே பாடலை எழுதினார், கங்கை அமரன்" [Gangai Amaran wrote the lyrics for Ilaiyaraaja's "Chendoora Poove"]. Maalai Malar (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  9. ^ Bala, Ramesh [@rameshlaus] (16 April 2013). "@minieSayz No Its not.. That is something Gangai Amaren came up with for his famous song in 16 Vayadhiniley." (Tweet). Archived from the original on 6 October 2017. Retrieved 6 October 2017 – via Twitter.
  10. ^ "Isaignani Ilaiyaraaja in Conversation with G. Venket Ram". The Brew. January 2013. pp. 22–26.
  11. ^ "இளையராஜாவின் இதயத்தில் இடம்பெற்ற எம்.எஸ்.வி" [MSV, who found a place in Ilaiyaraaja's heart]. Dina Thanthi (in Tamil). 16 April 2016. Archived from the original on 14 July 2016. Retrieved 14 July 2016.
  12. ^ a b "Singer Malaysia Vasudevan passes away". The Times of India. 21 February 2011. Archived from the original on 20 February 2017. Retrieved 20 February 2017.
  13. ^ Kolappan, B. (25 December 2012). "In tune with nativity and modernity". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.
  14. ^ "FILM FOCUS | Kamalahasan". Tribune. Ceylon News Service. 19 February 1983. pp. 52–53. Archived from the original on 27 August 2021. Retrieved 14 October 2020.
  15. ^ "16 வயதினிலே!". Ananda Vikatan (in Tamil). 9 October 1977. Archived from the original on 27 May 2019. Retrieved 27 May 2019.
  16. ^ a b Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (31 January 2012). "The 1970s Tamil Cinema and the Post – classical Turn" (PDF). Temple University. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  17. ^ "25th National Film Awards" (PDF). Directorate of Film Festivals. 1978. Archived from the original (PDF) on 19 January 2017. Retrieved 19 January 2017.
  18. ^ Ramachandran 2014, p. 68.
  19. ^ Jeshi, K. (13 June 2013). "Music to his ears". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 24 May 2015. Retrieved 24 May 2015.

Further reading