Early on Saturday evening at The Music Academy, pianist Anil Srinivasan took the stage and played just a few notes of the beginning of a song. The audience cheered wildly, for they knew it well — it was the popular ‘Superstar-u Yaarunu Keta Chinna Kozhandaiyum Sollum’ number.
With that, we knew the subject. It was someone who is fast (‘Engaeyum Eppodhum’) and slow (‘Maya Nadhi’) at the same time. It was someone called Rajinikanth.
‘Kaali to Kabali’, a musical tribute to the actor as part of Navotsavam, showcased the wide spectrum of numbers that Rajinikanth has featured in. As lyricist Madhan Karky would put it, later that evening, “He has written none of these songs nor has he sung any of them. But we call them all ‘Rajini songs’.”
From M.S. Viswanthan to Santhosh Narayanan, the actor has featured in songs across generations. Anil threw the spotlight on the vintage with the Kaali section and swung to the modern era with Kabali, banking on his team of talented musicians.
The success of the evening was not just the presentation of the songs, but also how the younger generation had taken to it. Music composer Vishal Chandrasekhar (remember ‘Shoot the Kuruvi’?) and his singer-wife Sinduri took audiences back to the days of ‘Entha Poovilum Vaasam’ by presenting an unplugged version, while other composers like Girishh ( Marina ) put forth their own interpretation of the numbers.
When young composer Nivas Prasanna took the stage, introducing himself with a rendition of his own ‘Konji Pesida Venaam’ ( Sethupathi ), the audience knew they were up for something interesting. Nivas didn’t disappoint, as he soon sojourned to Ilaiyaraaja-land with ‘En Vaanile’ and Johnny ’s theme tune.
Leon James (of Ko 2 fame) joined him soon, and the two youngsters — along with the experience of Anil — got the crowd onto their feet, going crazy with the trippy ‘Thillu Mullu’ .
Lyricist Karky presented a picture of calm after the musical storm, reeling off Rajinikanth-song lyrics in a voice that would easily put a hundred children to sleep. He played a guessing game with the audience, who were equally up to the task, shouting out (and sometimes even singing) the songs that he was referring to.
When it comes to Rajinikanth, Chennai surely knows how to celebrate.
