Vaanam (soundtrack)

Vaanam
Soundtrack album by
Yuvan Shankar Raja
Released30 March 2011
Recorded2010–2011
VenuePrasad Studios, Chennai
GenreFeature film soundtrack
Length23:25
LanguageTamil
LabelVenus Music
ProducerYuvan Shankar Raja
Yuvan Shankar Raja chronology
Kadhal 2 Kalyanam
(2011) 		Vaanam
(2011) 		Jolly Boy
(2011)
Singles from Vaanam
  1. "Evan Di Unna Pethan"
    Released: 1 December 2010

Vaanam is the soundtrack album composed by Yuvan Shankar Raja for the 2011 Tamil film of the same name directed by Krish and stars Silambarasan, Bharath, Anushka Shetty, Santhanam, Sonia Agarwal and Saranya Ponvannan. The film featured five songs with the lyrics of Silambarasan, Yuvan, Abhishek–Lawrence and Na. Muthukumar.

The song "Evan Di Unna Pethan" was released as the lead single from the album on 1 December 2010 and achieved significant commercial success. It received widespread popularity amongst youngsters while also drawing notable attention and criticism for its lyrics. The album was released on 30 March 2011 through the Venus Music label to positive reviews from critics.

Background

Yuvan Shankar Raja was assigned to score music for Vaanam; he previously scored for Silambarasan's Manmadhan (2004), Vallavan (2006) and Silambattam (2008) whose albums being chartbusters.[1] Silambarasan wrote lyrics for the song "Evan Di Unna Pethan", an "international level club mix" number that blended Tamil and English lyrics written by the composer himself.[1] The composer duo Abhishek–Lawrence wrote and performed the song "Cable Raja";[2] the remaining tracks are written by Na. Muthukumar.[2] Yuvan and Simbu went to Bangkok in early 2010, to compose the songs for the film.[3]

Release and marketing

Single

Main article: Evan Di Unna Pethan

In an attempt to popularize the film and its music, the team launched the song "Evan Di Unna Pethan" as a single from the album.[4] According to Sify, it was the first time, a single was released ahead of the film's audio launch.[5][a] An event was supposed to be held at London on 17 October 2010, to release the single,[8] but after numerous complications and delays,[9] it was officially unveiled on 1 December 2010 at the Citi Center, Chennai.[5][10] The song achieved massive popularity amongst youngsters and set tremendous records in sales and digital downloads.[11][12] A Hindi version of the song was composed under the title "Kaun Hai Baap Tera", featuring Silambarasan in his Bollywood debut.[13][14]

Music launch

The album was launched on 30 March 2011 at the Residency Towers in Chennai with the attendance of the cast and crew.[15]

Reception

The soundtrack received positive reviews from music critics. Pavithra Srinivasan of Rediff gave a two and a half out of five rating and said "Like some of Yuvan's most recent albums, Vaanam too, scores in some areas: the number Vaanam and Who am I. The rest fall into the Yuvan template, while the appeal of Evandi Unnai Pethan is almost purely its in-your-face lyrics. For those who hoped for melodious numbers, this one might prove a dampener".[16] Vipin Nair of Music Aloud rated 6.75 out of 10 to the album and wrote "Yuvan Shankar Raja sticks to the regular Simbu template in Vaanam's soundtrack as well but fails to match the usual quality."[17]

In contrast, R. Richard Mahesh of Behindwoods rated three out of five stars and wrote "Vaanam can be regarded as one of the Yuvan’s better compositions and it is sure to make high waves now."[18] Karthik Srinivasan of Milliblog wrote "Despite all drawbacks, Vaanam remains a very listenable soundtrack".[19] Malathi Rangarajan of The Hindu wrote "Thought-provoking lyrics from Na. Muthukumar (‘Who Am I?' in particular) and Yuvan Shankar Raja's foot-tapping score are the other accentuating features."[20] Sify wrote "Music of Yuvan is just ok, but it is the background score which keeps you hooked to the narration."[21]

Impact

Following the success of "Evan Di Unna Pethan", filmmakers and music directors capitalized on the resurging trend of releasing singles before the music launch.[22][23] Yuvan followed the similar strategy for Mankatha (2011),[24] with Vijay Antony did the same for his film Naan and Dharan Kumar for Podaa Podi (both 2012), also starring Silambarasan.[25][26]

Controversy

Despite its success, the song "Evan Di Unna Pethan" faced opposition for its lyrics.[27][28] A women's right organization in Chennai issued a statement against Silambarasan for the lyrics being "chauvinistic" and "demean women",[29] and demanded to censor the song, albeit several prominent people from the film industry came in support for the actor.[30] The debate against the misogynistic lyrics saw a resurgence after the Swathi murder case,[31][32] with activists and cinephiles who speculated that the cinematic portrayals of women and romance in Tamil films deemed to be unrealistic and dangerous for women in real life situations.[33][34] In May 2017, a video was published by three women police offers expressing their awareness about misogyny in films and used a snippet of the song "Evan Di Unna Pethan".[35][36][37] The song "Evada Unna Petha" from the C. S. Amudhan-directorial Tamizh Padam 2 (2018) was named after this song and considered to be a spoof on it as well as the other "soup songs" in Tamil films.[38][39]

Track listing

No.TitleLyricsSinger(s)Length
1."Evan Di Unna Pethan"Silambarasan, Yuvan Shankar RajaSilambarasan, Yuvan Shankar Raja5:54
2."Vaanam"Na. MuthukumarYuvan Shankar Raja3:46
3."Cable Raja"Abhishek–LawrenceAbhishek–Lawrence4:01
4."Who Am I"Na. MuthukumarBenny Dayal4:20
5."No Money No Honey"Na. MuthukumarSilambarasan, Andrea Jeremiah, Srikanth Deva5:24
Total length:23:25

Notes

  1. ^ Though this was incorrect, the trend of releasing a single from the album was attempted first with Lesa Lesa (2003).[6][7]

References

  1. ^ a b "Yuvan's track will rock: Simbu". The Times of India. 14 November 2010. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  2. ^ a b "Vaanam". JioSaavn. 2010. Archived from the original on 6 April 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  3. ^ "Kollywood: Not on track". The Times of India. 20 October 2011. Archived from the original on 6 December 2013. Retrieved 19 November 2011. Yuvan Shankar Raja and Simbu went to Bangkok to compose for Vaanam
  4. ^ "Yuvan's Vaanam single track". Sify. 3 October 2010. Archived from the original on 7 October 2010. Retrieved 30 November 2010.
  5. ^ a b "Yuvan's single track for Vaanam". Sify. 1 December 2010. Archived from the original on 11 August 2011. Retrieved 12 December 2010.
  6. ^ "A sound single". The Hindu. 29 June 2002. Archived from the original on 30 October 2023. Retrieved 15 October 2020.
  7. ^ Radhakrishnan, Sankar (5 June 2002). "A gentle promo for Lesa Lesa". Business Line. Archived from the original on 28 November 2009. Retrieved 22 May 2018.
  8. ^ "'Vaanam' audio on Oct 17 from London - Tamil Movie News". IndiaGlitz. Archived from the original on 16 October 2010. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  9. ^ "Vaanam's audio launch postponed!". The Times of India. 19 October 2010. Archived from the original on 23 July 2012. Retrieved 16 September 2011.
  10. ^ "Single special". The New Indian Express. 1 December 2010. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  11. ^ "Vaanam is on Cloud nine!". Sify. 5 March 2011. Archived from the original on 4 March 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  12. ^ "'Vaanam'for Valentine's Day". IndiaGlitz.com. 27 December 2010. Archived from the original on 28 December 2010. Retrieved 27 December 2010.
  13. ^ "Simbu is busy with music video!". The Times of India. 9 March 2011. Archived from the original on 3 June 2012.
  14. ^ "Simbu rocks in Mumbai". Deccan Chronicle. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 11 October 2012. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  15. ^ "A star-studded music launch of 'Vaanam'". The Times of India. 1 April 2011. Archived from the original on 8 July 2012. Retrieved 1 May 2011.
  16. ^ "Review: Vaanam music has mixed appeal". Rediff.com. 15 April 2011. Archived from the original on 29 August 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  17. ^ Nair, Vipin (1 April 2011). "Vaanam (Tamil Movie) – Music Review". Music Aloud. Archived from the original on 31 March 2014. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  18. ^ Mahesh, R. Richard (30 March 2011). "Vaanam Music Review". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 4 August 2011. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  19. ^ Srinivasan, Karthik (30 March 2011). "Vaanam (Music review), Tamil – Yuvan Shankar Raja". Milliblog. Archived from the original on 16 June 2017. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  20. ^ Rangarajan, Malathi (1 May 2011). "Stars stomp the sky – Vaanam". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 3 May 2011. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  21. ^ "Vaanam – Review". Sify. Archived from the original on 30 January 2014. Retrieved 18 August 2011.
  22. ^ "Kollywood's 'single' success". The Times of India. 10 October 2011. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 16 October 2024. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  23. ^ "Happy birthday Yuvan Shankar Raja: 15 songs that prove why he is the most versatile composer ever". The New Indian Express. 31 August 2020. Archived from the original on 26 January 2022. Retrieved 16 October 2024.
  24. ^ Janani, K. (10 May 2011). "Just one song of Mankatha". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 14 May 2011. Retrieved 20 May 2011.
  25. ^ Kumar, S. R. Ashok (4 August 2012). "Audio Beat: Naan". The Hindu. Archived from the original on 12 October 2012. Retrieved 18 August 2012.
  26. ^ "Simbu does it again". The New Indian Express. 8 September 2012. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  27. ^ "5 times when lyrics in Tamil film songs courted controversy". The Times of India. 28 March 2021. ISSN 0971-8257. Archived from the original on 24 September 2023. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  28. ^ "Chennai High Court Quashes Beep Song Case Against Tamil Actor Silambarasan". News18. 17 February 2022. Archived from the original on 7 October 2024. Retrieved 4 October 2024.
  29. ^ Murali, Divya; Iniyan. "Kollywood's brush with controversy". Behindwoods. Archived from the original on 6 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  30. ^ Rajagopal, Srinidhi (14 March 2011). "Simbu, controversy's child?". Deccan Chronicle. Archived from the original on 17 May 2011. Retrieved 15 February 2012.
  31. ^ Vangal, Uma (9 July 2016). "Swathi murder: Tamil cinema is a convenient villain, the roots of violence lie elsewhere". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 14 October 2022. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  32. ^ "Swathi was not the first...and she will not be the last". The New Indian Express. 30 June 2016. Archived from the original on 23 July 2021. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  33. ^ Rajendran, Sowmya (3 July 2016). "Glorifying stalking and violence, when will Kollywood end this Kolaveri?". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 27 October 2023. Retrieved 26 December 2023.
  34. ^ Srivatsan (12 October 2016). "Sivakarthikeyan's Remo to Dhanush's Kolaveri Di: When will Tamil cinema bid goodbye to misogyny?". India Today. Archived from the original on 21 July 2021. Retrieved 21 July 2021.
  35. ^ "Tamil Nadu female cops release video condemning misogynistic portrayal of women in Indian movies". India Today. 4 May 2017. Archived from the original on 12 November 2020. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  36. ^ Upadhyaya, Prakash (4 May 2017). "These Lady IPS officers want 'misogynist' film industry to behave: Are Dhanush, Simbu, Sivakarthikeyan, GV Prakash listening?". ibtimes.co.in. Archived from the original on 25 May 2021. Retrieved 10 January 2021.
  37. ^ Staff, T. N. M. (3 May 2017). "Filmmakers need to step up: Three women TN IPS officers take on misogyny in cinema". The News Minute. Archived from the original on 17 October 2024. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  38. ^ Aiyyappan, Ashameera (8 March 2018). "Tamizh Padam 2.0 song Evada Unna Petha: We finally get the soup song for women". The Indian Express. Archived from the original on 11 April 2018. Retrieved 17 October 2024.
  39. ^ Scroll Staff (8 March 2018). "'Tamizh Padam 2.0' song 'Evada Unna Petha' is an ode to the 'soup girls'". Scroll.in. Archived from the original on 3 September 2019. Retrieved 17 October 2024.