Images of bell bottoms, polka-dotted saris and women with flowers on their hairs rush to our minds as the golden melodies of Ilaiyaraaja and R.D Burman waft across the Ball Room in The Residency. Singers, Ambika Mohan, Gnanasekar, B. Jaganmohan and Roshni Roopesh croon popular Hindi, Tamil and Malayalam numbers at Meustalgia II, an evening of music organised by The Residency in collaboration with Jaswant and Jaganmohan.
“These songs evoke nostalgia and love, and hence the name Meustalgia,” says Jaganmohan. It is the second edition of Meustalgia in Coimbatore. “We are a group of singers, who are passionate about music. And Kishore da and Mohammed Rafi are my personal favourites,” says the artist who has been performing for shows for the past 35 years. It is an evening of music and camaraderie. Friends catch up, relax on the chairs and sip their drinks. “We need more of these events in the city,” says Menaka Manickaraj, who has come to enjoy the music.
Ambika Mohan, an animation artist, sings her way into our hearts with Asha Bhonsle’s ‘Aage Bhi Jane Na Tu’ from Waqt .
Kishore da comes alive as Jaganmohan and Ambika belt out ‘O Meri Soni, Meri Tamanna’ from Yaadon Ki Baaraat . They again team up to recreate the Rahman magic by humming ‘Puthu Vellai Mazhai’ from Roja .
“We want more of Kishore da,” shouts out someone from the audience. And Jaganmohan obliges him with ‘O Hansini’ from Zehreela Insaan . It is followed by Ambika rendering the spellbinding ‘Lag Ja Gale’ from Who Kaun Thi immortalised by Lata Mangeshkar. She also sings the Malayalam number ‘Ennodenthini Pinakkam’ from Kaliyattam .
The audience claps as Gnanasekar, an assistant engineering professor, launches into ‘Ilayanila Pozhigirathey’. Known endearingly as the “SPB of the troupe”, he sounds exactly like the veteran playback singer!
There are some new numbers too. Love and desire is in the air as Roshni, a playback singer, sings ‘Sun Raha Hai Na Tu’ from the film Ashiqui 2 . The youngsters root for her.
She wins the hearts of the Malayalis as she belts out ‘Nilavae Nilavae’ from Chattakkari . Her voice carries the romantic flavour of the number, sung originally by Shreya Ghoshal. Ambika oozes oomph factor as she sizzles with ‘Kaise Paheli Zindagani’ from Parineeta .
The mood turns upbeat when Roshni bursts into the peppy, fast number from Ustad Hotel , composed by Gopi Sunder, ‘Appangal Embadum Ottakku Chuttammayi’. Her energy is infectious and the children jump off their chair and dance.
