Kaaviya Thalaivan Music Review

A R Rahman is back with Kaaviya Thalaivan. Apparently, the subject impressed him so much that he turned down a Hollywood offer Seventh Son to compose for the Vasanthabalan film.
This album by Rahman stands out for various reasons which are discussed here. ARR goes back to experimental music after the commercial success of the music for Kochadaiiyaan.

The album consists of 7 seven songs penned by Na.Muthukumar, Pa.Vijay and Valee.

The album opens with Vaanga Makka Vaanga. The song might remind some of Kumari from Anniyan, based on the same raga. Rahman has a found a new favourite in Haricharan and he sings the classical verses with ease. Lyrically, the song is an invitation to people to attend the plays organised by the protagonist's drama troupe. The tavil, ghanjeera, and mridangam in the rhythm section blend brilliantly and are switched between verses. The song ends beautifully and feels like an apt beginning to an album that surprises in each song.

Rahman introduces the retro theme of the album in the second song, Aye Mr. Minor. Saasha Tripathi sounds a lot like Swetha Menon in her Tamil debut. The song gets the listener interested right away with its catchy intro. Haricharan delivers deftly once again especially in the verse "Ennai unakku rasiganaaga maathara!". The use of bongos is responsible for the retro feel of the song. The tune isn't unfamiliar but the treatment makes this song a compelling listen. Thumbs up!

How often does a song begin with the sound of a horse neigh? Sanda Kuthirai is sung by Haricharan once again. The song is for a funny drama as suggested by the sounds. This rock 'n' roll MSV-esque song on the lines of "Vishwanathan Velai Vendum" is delivered with full energy by Haricharan and is meant to be enjoyed more when coupled with the visuals. The tune incorporates the lyrics brilliantly towards the end. Each word is assigned a different note and kudos to the singer once again for pulling it off. To come up with a tune such as this, given the constraints offered by the subject, is quite a feat. Thumbs up!

After two experimental songs, the album returns to more familiar territory. The retro theme remains in Yaarumilla, sung by Swetha Mohan. The song was released as a single and impressed listeners right away. Swetha Mohan's voice is modern and sweet at the same time. Srinivas delivers a small portion in this romantic number. The interlude after the second paragraph is reminiscent of the one in Mannipaaya. The higher portions of the song are rendered with deftness and impresses throughout, though the tune is familiar in parts. Typical Rahman at his best. Thumbs up!

Sollividu Sollividu is the peace song you might have read about in the newspapers. The song depicts pain and the protagonist's frustration over war. Mukesh is splendid when he sings the phrase "Yaen ambai yenga vaithai." The until then powerful song changes track halfway. "Ulagame yuddham edharku?"  - an appeal is made to the listener. The second half loosely based on the Charukeshi raga is high on emotion. Mukesh expresses the meaning of the song delightfully. This song might just make you tear eyed. My pick of the album. Thumbs up!

Thirupugazh by yesteryear playback singer Vani Jayaram is the next song. This interesting adaptation that runs just for a little more than two minutes leaves us longing for more. Vani Jayaram's voice is sweet and the arrangement is simple and neat.

If you thought the experimentation in the album was done, you are in for another surprise. Alli Arjuna has a runtime of over ten minutes! The song is presumably the entire background score when the troupe stages the Alli Arjuna play in the movie. The song begins with the nadaswaram - tavil combination and goes Vandanam welcoming the audience to the play. Percussion shifts to mridangam and a flute interlude follows introducing us to the first scene in the play. Haricharan does the honours again and he is not going to get an opportunity like this ever again. Energetic beats follow and the song follows the next part of the play. We are taken through the play in the song scene by scene in similar fashion and the transitions fall in place seamlessly. This song is going to be new experience to every listener! Thumbs up!

This is one of those movies that had to go to Rahman's table for the music. The subject of the movie offers many constraints right from the lyrics to the instruments used. As Rahman mentioned in an interview, it was a challenge for him. He succeeds and very easily so. Haricharan gets a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. This is also one of the very few albums that does not feature Rahman, the singer.
Rahman explores and exploits South Indian music to give a perfect representation of its variety and expression. The album will stand out for its very nature. A big thumbs up!

The Missing Pencil

I was trying to replicate a very complicated diagram in my sketch book with the only pencil I could find. The diagram was an intricate arrangement of straight lines. My fingers played the pencil game and dropped the pencil on the floor, like it had to happen just when I was trying to employ all my thinking cells. I erased the mark it had just caused and looked for the pencil. It was nowhere to be seen. I looked again, closer, in frustration. I was holding the pencil a moment ago when it was under my eyes and then, it disappeared.

I looked for it around, first in places where it probably could have fallen - under the cot, on the bed, in the pillow covers, in the gaps of the chair or just still in my hand and later..in the cupboard, in the refrigerator, in the restroom. I realised I had gotten too carried away and I had to look closer in my room. All my efforts ended in vain. 

I came up with a few theories later, about the mystery of the missing pencil.

1. The pencil could have shattered into microscopic pieces that are are not visible to the human eye and these pieces could have been scattered by the wind. 

2. The pencil could have been stolen by a thief who carried out the theft, literally, at the blink of an eye. 

3. It could have bounced off the floor, fallen through the window, into the swimming pool in which case it would have been impossible to find it even with the best search team.

4. It could have disappeared due to the presence of supernatural elements.

Just as my pencil went missing, the TV channels told me that an aircraft had gone missing over the oceans. Is that even possible? - all of us thought. Turns out it is!

In an age where technology surpasses human imagination and surprises with each innovation, goes an aircraft missing with no signals left behind, with no emergency calls, with no trace. The aircraft had (or still has) 239 passengers on board with five Indians, doesn't matter, 239 people. 

True, it is undemanding to make statements about the failure of the rescue operations from the comfort of my living room, but such is what the hype about technology sets in the mind. "Is this all your technology can do?", when pointed at the rescue teams is a very difficult question to answer however. Imagine your parent asking you, "You can't fix the tube light and you call yourself an engineer?". 

Agreed, no more blaming the ones looking for the aircraft. But the question still remains as unsettling as ever "Where is the flight?". I told my mother, "I just dropped the pencil. Where could it be!".

If the internet makes the world seem small, the case of the missing MH370 shows its immensity - something as big as an aircraft could get lost in this world. However, some wild theories from the members of  "The world is definitely small" group include an alien hijack and they hope the Curiosity Rover would find it on Mars one day. Another theory says that the hijacked plane could return piloted by terrorists for a 9/11 kind of attack in India. However, the expertise required for such an attack in India is immense, for there is no building as tall as the WTC and the hijacked plane would most probably fly freely over the tallest building in vain, no matter how much the pilot tries to lower the flight.

Most people are however still left wondering, "Something is fishy.." because there are loopholes in the issue visible even to a common man like me - Two passengers in the aircraft were reportedly carrying fake passports. How could this become news after the flight went missing and not before?

None of what we watch or listen might be true, this might be the biggest conspiracy of all time.

Theories aren't convincing, they only confound more because the fact remains that the flight is missing and the reason for 239 people missing remains unknown. 26 countries have come together to look for the missing flight. My search team included my mother, my sister, the maid and a friend who looked for the pencil upon my persuasion. The pencil is missing and they don't care about it anymore just like we have forgotten about the missing flight.