Aval Appadithan (soundtrack)

Aval Appadithan
Original album cover art
Soundtrack album by
Ilaiyaraaja
Released1978
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length10:43
LanguageTamil
LabelEMI Records
ProducerIlaiyaraaja
Ilaiyaraaja chronology
Sigappu Rojakkal
(1978) 		Aval Appadithan
(1978) 		Sonnadhu Nee Thanaa
(1978)

Aval Appadithan is the soundtrack to the 1978 film of the same name directed by C. Rudraiah starring Sripriya, Rajinikanth, and Kamal Haasan. The soundtrack featured three songs composed by Ilaiyaraaja that spans around 10 minutes and released under the label of EMI Records.[1]

Development

Aval Appadithan's soundtrack and background score were composed by Ilaiyaraaja. Despite his busy schedules, he agreed to compose for Aval Appadithan at the insistence of Rudhraiya and Haasan.[2] After the recording session of "Ninaivo Oru Paravai" from Sigappu Rojakkal (1978), Ilaiyaraaja asked Haasan to record "Panneer Pushpangale" that same afternoon. During the recording session, Ilaiyaraaja suggested that Haasan tone down the opening notes; when Haasan sang perfectly as per his suggestion, Ilaiyaraaja accepted Haasan's next rendition of the song.[3] Ilaiyaraaja wanted Vanna Nilavan to write the lyrics for "Uravugal Thodarkathai", but since Vanna Nilavan had difficulties in writing the lyrics, he opted out. He was subsequently replaced with his brother Gangai Amaran.[4]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Uravugal Thodarkathai"Gangai AmaranK. J. Yesudas4:13
2."Panneer Pushpangale"Gangai AmaranKamal Haasan3:09
3."Vazhkkai Odam"KannadasanS. Janaki3:21
Total length:10:43

Reception

B. Kolappan of The Hindu reviewed the film's soundtrack.[5] Regarding "Uravugal Thodarkathai", he added that the song "poignantly captures the vulnerable moments in the life of a woman", while "Panneer Pushpangale" and "Vaazhkai Odam Chella" had a "philosophical touch."[5] According to Swarnavel Eswaran Pillai, author of the article The 1970s Tamil cinema and the post-classical turn, the songs were used "to punctuate the interiority of the characters rather than as a spectacle or as a device to move the plot forward."[6] Nandhu Sundaram of The News Minute added that Ilaiyaraaja's score "is in perfect sync with the film's seriousness" and "hints at what is to come even while trying to capture the inner life of the primary characters";[7] he further said that both "Uravugal Thodarkathai" and "Panneer Pushpangale" were "radio favourites".[7] Rakesh Thara of ABP Live Tamil described "Uravugal Thodarkathai" as "a song that gives hope".[8] On Ilaiyaraaja's 80th birthday (2 June 2023), Mathrubhumi listed "Uravugal Thodarkathai" as one of Ilaiyaraaja's best compositions saying "the melody of the maestro is complemented by the lyrics".[9]

Legacy

In June 2013, A. Muthusamy of Honey Bee Music enhanced the songs from their original version on the film's soundtrack album to 5.1 surround sound.[10] The song "Uravugal Thodarkathai" was reused in the film Megha (2014).[11]

References

  1. ^ Ilaiyaraaja (1978). Aval Appadithan (liner notes). EMI Records. Archived from the original on 26 October 2014. Retrieved 2 December 2014.
  2. ^ Srinivasan, Sudhir; Haasan, Kamal (19 November 2014). "Rudhraiya: The man whose film shook the Tamil industry". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 29 November 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  3. ^ Rangan, Baradwaj; Hassan, Kamal (28 August 2014). "He taught me to sing with abandon". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 2 December 2014. Retrieved 30 November 2014.
  4. ^ Vannanilavan. "Memories of 'Aval appadiththaan'". Chennai Online. Archived from the original on 10 November 2001. Retrieved 7 February 2015.
  5. ^ a b Kolappan, B. (20 November 2014). "Rudhraiyah was inspired by French New Wave films". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 5 December 2014. Retrieved 29 November 2014.
  6. ^ Pillai, Swarnavel Eswaran (31 January 2012). "The 1970s Tamil cinema and the post-classical turn" (PDF). South Asian Popular Culture. 10. Temple University: 77–89. doi:10.1080/14746689.2012.655109. S2CID 145607867. Archived from the original (PDF) on 26 September 2016. Retrieved 15 July 2016.
  7. ^ a b Sundaram, Nandhu (18 November 2017). "'Aval Appadithan': Why this '70s drama was ahead of its time in telling women's stories". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 26 February 2020. Retrieved 20 February 2018.
  8. ^ Thara, Rakesh (30 October 2023). "45 Years Of Aval Appadithaan: 'ஆணின் பார்வையில் பெண் என்பவள் யார்?'.. சாட்டையடி கொடுத்த "அவள் அப்படித்தான்" ரிலீசான நாள் இன்று..!" [45 Years Of Aval Appadithaan: From men's perspective, who is a woman? Hard-hitting Aval Appadithaan released on this day]. ABP Live Tamil (in Tamil). Archived from the original on 31 January 2024. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  9. ^ "Ilayaraja turns 80 today; Let's revisit some of maestro's evergreen compositions". Mathrubhumi. 2 June 2023. Archived from the original on 30 September 2023. Retrieved 31 January 2024.
  10. ^ Jeshi, K. (13 June 2013). "Music to his ears". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 1 December 2014. Retrieved 1 December 2014.
  11. ^ "Review : Megha". Sify. 29 August 2014. Archived from the original on 22 November 2015. Retrieved 18 May 2016.