There is excitement in Vidyasagar’s voice, coming through the not-so-clear line from Chennai. He is in the midst of a rehearsal session. On Wednesday in Chennai, he is presenting his first ever stage show, exclusively of his Malayalam compositions.
“I am quite excited,” he tells The Hindu . “I am planning an even bigger concert in Kerala some time soon. For the Chennai concert, I have lined up some 25 songs.” They would all be lilting melodies, one can be assured. “I have worked in Tamil, Telugu [his mother tongue], Kannada, and Hindi, but my best work has come in Malayalam, no doubt about that,” he says.
His stint in Malayalam, which began with Azhakiya Ravanan , has given us some outstanding melodies over the last couple of decades. “Varamanjaladiya…” ( Pranaya Varnangal ), “Pinneyum pinneyum…” ( Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu ) and “Karimizhi kuruviye…” ( Meesha Madhavan ).
Now, when melodies are fast being replaced by mindless ‘filmi music’ that will last only as long as the film, Vidyasagar is one of the few composers one could look up to. His latest film, Bhayya Bhayya , too has a beautiful melody, “Aarodum aararodum…”, sung by P. Jayachandran.
“It is disappointing to find that music in Malayalam cinema is drifting away from its strong melody-base,” says Vidyasagar. “Even if you want to try out something new, that should not be done without losing your roots.”
Mellifluous ensemble
“ >Varamanjaladiya …” (Pranaya Varnangal)
“ >Karimizhi kuruviye …” (Meesha Madhavan’)
“ >Kaathirippoo kanmani …” (‘Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu’)
“ >Oru kunju poovinte …” (Chandranudikkunna Dikkil’)
“ >Oru rathri koodi …” (Summer in Bethlehem )
“ >Prabhathile nizhalu pole ...” (Madhuranombarakkattu)
“ >Aaro viral neetti …” (Pranaya Varnangal)
“ >Pinneyum pinneyum …” (Krishnagudiyil Oru Pranayakalathu)
“ >Vennila chandanakkinnam …” (Azhakiya Ravanan)
“ >Marannittumenthino …” (Randam Bhavam)
