TMS's first song

TMS's first song TMS's first song

Topic started by sk (@ 202.156.2.8) on Tue Jan 14 06:55:47 EST 2003.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

I am writing this to share info about TMS's first song, 'rAdhE nee ennai vittu OdAdhEdi' in the movie 'Krishna Vijayam' (MD: SMSN).

Responses:

From: sk (@ 202.156.2.8) on: Tue Jan 14 06:56:22 EST 2003

From vAmanan's biography of TMS titled "TMS: oru paNpAttu sariththiram"...
In those days, TMS used to frequent Central Studio of Coimbatore looking for chances to sing. Sundar Rao Nadkarni was a famous director those days. He was having a special residence within the Central Studio campus. TMS used to go and help Nadkarni's wife in her household activities like idli-dOsai maavu araiththal, taking care of Nadkarni's little son Mohan etc. He became a good friend of Nadkarni's wife, who in turn listened to TMS's singing and kept recommending his voice to her husband. Nadkarni's favourite MD those days was SM Subbaiah Naidu. (MSV was a teenager doing edupidi work under SMSN in those days.) One day, after listening to TMS's singing, Nadkarni told SMS that TMS should be given a chance in their next movie. SMS took TMS's voice test and got two old film songs (the song 'sinam kaamam poi kaLavu' of MKTB from Ashok Kumar, and 'sindhai aRindhu vaadi' of TA Periyanayaki from Sri vaLLi) sung by TMS and recorded. One day, these songs happened to be played during the intermission of a movie in Madurai Chinthamani theatre. The audience was impressed with the voice and said it resembled MKTB's. SMSN and TMS were present there. SMSN assured TMS then that he will definitely give TMS a chance in the next movie.
Nadkarni's next movie was 'Krishna Vijayam'. MKTB's 'rAdhE unakkuk kObam AgAdhadi' of 'Chinthamani' was turned into 'rAdhE nee ennai vittu OdAdhEdi'. TMS was chosen to sing this song. TMS knew that his voice was different from MKTB's... "bAgavadharukku peNmai kalandha kural. nAlarai kattai vaiththuk koNdu mEl sanjArangaLaiyum sAdhAraNamAga seyya mudiyum. adhu enakku sariyA varAdhu. bAgavadhar kural keezhE base-il iyalbAga olikkAdhu. AnAl enakku adhu thaNNi patta pAdu." With this thinking, TMS sang the song in iraNdarai kattai and SMSN approved it. The song was recorded in 'kachchEri' style with a lot of swara kalpana from TMS. The lady voice that comes briefly in the song is that of TV Rathnam. The song was picturized with Narasimha Bharathy acting as Krishna and Premavathy acting as Radha. (Interestingly, Narasimha Bharathy, for whom TMS first gave voice, and TMS were born exactly on the same day.) The picturization had special effects: in some parts, four 'Krishnas' were shown playing various instruments.
A preview was arranged for the song in Jupiter theatre. Most people who saw that song commented that TMS's voice came nowhere near to reminding MKTB's voice. (The whole plan of lifting the song from Chinthamani was to have the song remind MKTB!) When SMSN discussed this TMS, they understood the reason.. It was the sruthi! So TMS suggested to SMSN that he would like to sing the song again, doing synch with Narasimha Bharathi's lip movements! SMSN agreed for that bold attempt. So, with the picturized song being shown on screen, TMS sang the song again, in synch with Narasimha Bharathy's lip movements, but this time making sure to sing the song in 5.5 kattai sruthi. The recording which started at 5:30 pm ended at 2:30 am in the night! When the song was shown to the producers and others the next day with the picturization, they were extremely impressed. Everyone commented that the voice was very similar to MKTB's. The song also made TMS very well known.
From: sk (@ 202.156.2.8) on: Tue Jan 14 06:57:34 EST 2003

I have put the mp3 of the song here...

http://briefcase.yahoo.com/bc/geethakee/vwp2?.tok=bc.EA8QBoHYwvfHF&.dir=/Friends&.dnm=rAdhE+nee+ennai+vittu.mp3&.src=bc
From: Saravanan (@ 213.42.1.175) on: Tue Jan 14 07:05:13 EST 2003

Great, sk! The book is a real labour of love and painstaking research.

Thank you for the song.

Btw, TMS did sing a modified 'Radhey unakku kobam aagadhadi' years later in Kulamagal Radhai-1963, in a much softer pitch.
From: Sreedhar (@ 24.30.132.23) on: Tue Jan 14 08:03:40 EST 2003

Thanks, SK, for sharing this wonderful story!! It is interesting that TMS had to first "mimic" MKTB
before he could establish himself. Similarly, when my parents lived in Coimbatore in the mid-60s, they heard KJ Yesudas sing TMS film songs at public meetings / temple gatherings. Today, perhaps there is some aspiring young singer singing Yesudas's songs!

Note to others:

When I first read SK's write-up, I somehow misinterpreted the line where TMS requests SMSN for a re-recording. SK clarified that
"TMS suggested to SMSN that he would like to sing
the song again, [assuring him that he would synch]
with Narasimha Bharathi's lip movements!"
From: OISG (@ 193.188.97.152) on: Tue Jan 14 08:04:15 EST 2003

sk

That was great.For long i was thinking that "Pengalai Nambadhey -GRR-Thooku thooki " was his first song.Then some of my friends told about this Krishna Vijayam song.

Can we get some more...ofcourse without any copyright infringements?
From: sk (@ 137.132.3.7) on: Tue Jan 14 21:03:19 EST 2003

Saravanan:

You are right about vAmanan's book.

OISG:

You mean you want to know more info from the book? There is a lot of interesting info in the book. You may want to buy a copy and go from top to bottom. But, if you are living outside TN, I don't know how you can immediately get a copy!
From: Are Yaar (@ 203.115.31.67) on: Wed Jan 15 02:40:45 EST 2003

A great singer like TMS is forgotten now a days by current generation music fans....They don't even consider him for any debate....
Every thing just revolves around rafi,KK, SPB, KJY etc...Poor and pathetic stae of mind...
From: Sreedhar (@ 24.30.132.23) on: Sun Jan 19 01:20:25 EST 2003

TMS will continue to live as long as TFM, in the hearts of genuine music lovers. And his 'reign' of 25+ years won't be easily matched, either.
From: dobri (@ 195.226.230.37) on: Sun Jan 19 12:57:15 EST 2003

Are Yaar, the current generation are better off debating on current music, current singers and they are very comfortable with it. They enjoy it. Why don't the oldies in the forum start threads and debate about TMS. No ones stopping. But calling a whole new generation as pathetic state of mind just becos TMS is not debated shows that the oldies are really pathetic. REALLY PATHETIC !
From: Are Yaar (@ 203.115.31.67) on: Mon Jan 20 05:06:29 EST 2003

No it is not the point of debating him alone..He is not even considered a matter of subject at all in many of the discussion. This is really to do with the lack of knowledge about the oldies...

If you say longivity of a song is a testemony of its greatness, then on other song other than TMS's for SG and MGR will stand the testimony of time...

My point is we should atleast include him as a player in our game.
From: Saravanan (@ 213.42.1.164) on: Sat Jan 25 12:49:23 EST 2003

I heard that TMS has been honoured with 'Padma Shri' in this year's Republic Day Honours. Can anyone confirm this news? It is heartwarming that national recognition has come him, though very late. Wish he had been given 'Pama Bhushan' though!
From: yaaro (@ 213.121.212.121) on: Sat Feb 1 09:46:43 EST 2003

who is this vamanan?all his biographies seem well informed like the one he is doing in cinema express on IR.
From: sivaprasad (@ 210.214.242.51) on: Sun Feb 2 05:14:05 EST 2003

dear tfmfans

I have seen that song, it is really nice! Krishan Vijayam CD is available.

Sivaprsad
From: bb (@ 12.234.176.52) on: Sun Feb 2 23:32:17 EST 2003

Song of the Day: raadhE unakku from Chindhamani, Krishna Vijayam & KulamagaL radhai.

Today's SOTD features three very similar songs.

1. RaadhE unakku kObam aagaadhadi -

http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/raadhe_mktb.rm

MD and Lyricist - Papanasam Sivan. Sung by M.K.Thyagaraja Bhagavathar. This is from the film Chinthamani. Raagam - Senchurutti.

2. RaadhE nee ennai vittu

http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/raadhe_tms1.rm

This is the first film song by TMS. Please see the thread "TMS' first song" by SK for more details. It is a very interesting story on the first song by TMS, and how it was modelled after the rendition by MKT.
http://www.tfmpage.com/forum/24693.06.55.47.html
This is from the film Krishna Vijayam, MD: SM Subbiah Naidu.

3. RaadhE unakku kObam aagaadhadi -

http://www.tfmpage.com/cgi-bin/stream.pl?url=http://www.dhool.com/sotd/raadhe_tms2.rm

TMS, later sung the original song by MKT in the movie "KulamagaL raadhai". MD: KVM.
From: Pritham (@ ) on: Wed Sep 22 06:20:33 EDT 2004

If I recall right, after Shivaji "sings" the song in Kulamagal Radhai, he says "I have just finished signing a very difficult song without breathing (mooch udamal), and at least for this reason you (Saroja Devi) should forgive me".
From: s ramaswamy (@ 203.94.212.183) on: Fri Sep 24 23:15:57 EDT 2004

Hi all,

Tks for the info on the incomparable TMS's first song. In fact jaya tv had a serial on tms a little while ago where the great singer actually goes to the place where the studio existed in coimbatore and
reminiscences abt the past, his first song etc. I did not have the chance to see the entire serial, but had watched it in parts. It must contain lot of first hand info.
btw i agree with the mention made by one that tms is a forgotten man. i really laugh when someone asks who is the best singer and names the modern day nonentities and forget to mention tms, pbs, amr, csj, mkt, dandapani deskikar etc. it only shows their shallow knowledge.

tms certainly deserved a national award. I don't think he has even got a padma shri. blame the successive tn govts. for not recommending his name to the centre which can't see beyond its delhi and north nose. ask the great subbudu!

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