சிங்களத் தீவினுக்கோர் பாலமமைப்போம்…
Invasion of Kafrinha in Tamil Film Music
All the writings I have been doing, especially lately at this time of my life, have given me immense pleasure in doing deep-dive research and also dig deep inside in bringing out my childhood memories of growing up in Nandambakkam and Saidapet. Most importantly, it keeps my brain active and memories fresh still before falling into that inevitable stage of dementia etc which is bound to happen in future. To quench my thirst for finding more about my childhood, I recently started watching a series on Youtube, The Anglo-Indians of Madras (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wzyMKC6XzsA ). In this, Episode 5 (two parts), gets into St. Thomas Mount, the place I grew up. It was so much fun listening to words like மாஞ்சா நூல், கில்லி தாண்டு, கோலி பேந்தா, காத்தாடி, all those terms I grew up with. Having lived in the middle of Anglo-Indians, I can immediately place myself in the middle of these episodes,
So what else do I remember about growing up in 60s and 70s?
As this was prior to TV and other visual communications, listening to Radio played a crucial role in our day-to-day entertainment. If we needed to see any news, then we would go to theatres to watch the Newsreel, a short documentary film consisting of current news, and then the movie. We never missed the newsreel if I remember correctly.
About radio, besides All India Radio, Radio Ceylon played a pivotal role. I still remember
Amit Sayani’s Binaca Geethmala
S.P. Mayilvaganam and `Radio Mama' Saravanamuttu
Cricket commentary (eg, West Indies vs Australia)
பொங்கும் பூம்புனல், பிறந்த நாள் வாழ்த்து, இன்றய நேயர் என் விருப்பம் ஒரு படப்பாடல் , பூவும் பொட்டும் மங்கயர் மஞ்சரி விவசாய நேயர் விருப்பம்
During this time, you could hear the songs from Ilangai Vaanoli:
கமலாப் பொண்ணு, கடைக்குப் போகாதே..
I also remember some of these songs sung by young men used as message in their eve teasing endeavors. But I did not know where this music came from: Ceylon or Anglo-Indians.
Over the years, this type of music has been copied, partly or wholly, in songs such as:
Surangani (Avar Enakke Sondham)
I realize that Ravichander’s Jolly O Gymkhana (Beast) created ripples among music buffs not only because it was rendered by Vijay, but also because it brought back the Baila flavor, music originated from Ceylon, in Kollywood. Tamil cinema music has always experimented with genres, and this resurgence of Baila has gotten fans excited. The electrical guitar portion in Vaada Maappilley (Villu) was based on the Ceylon Baila style.
The origin of Baila dates back to when the Portuguese landed in Sri Lanka with African workers.
After arriving in Ceylon in 1505, the Portuguese gradually set out to convert the Sinhalese and Tamils to Roman Catholicism, and to build their wealth and power through both the spice and slave trades. As early as 1630, African Kaffirs were brought to Ceylon to work as slaves or soldiers. The Kaffirs were once described as a people 'steeped in opium and witless with drink'. It was the carefree spirit of the Kaffirs that inspired two music forms known as chicote and Kafrinha infusing them with humor and satire. The word Kafrinha itself comes from kaf (Kaffirs) and rinha which means 'local lady'. The Kaffirs and Portuguese Burghers mixed freely together, and in time both chicote and Kafrinha came to be subsumed under the general term Baila, which is a Portuguese verb meaning 'to dance'. In Spanish, “bailar” means “dance”.
Tamil cinema’s music composers and playback singers who also worked in Sinhala films in the early fifties were quite familiar with Baila:
Chandrababu, the singing comedian who had lived for some years in Colombo rendered the lovely Baila-style number ‘Pambara Kannaale’ (‘Manamagan Thevai’, 1957).
Veda composed the very typical song of the genre in ‘Dingiri Dingaale’ (‘Anbu Engey’, 1958).
Music composer G Ramanathan invested ‘Chinna Kutti Naathana’ (‘Aaravalli’, 1957) with ‘bailaesque’ hues.
The identification of the genre with carefree and youthful celebration is clear from ‘Once a Pappa met a Mamma’ in ‘Anbe Vaa’ (1966), in which a bus full of young holidayers is shown rocking to the Baila song.
One surprising piece that appeared in the earlier days of SPB was that of Shyam-Phillip’s ‘Poondamalliyile Oru Ponnu Pinnaale’ in ‘Karunthel Kannaayiram’ (1972) with Manorama. An hilarious scene with Manorama, Thengai and others. Please watch it if you get a chance.
A noteworthy mentiom here is the contribution by AE Manoharan, a Ceylon Singer, who was called the “Pop Isai Chakravarthy”. Manohar’s career-transforming moment as a singer came with ‘Suraangani’ in Sinhala and Tamil in 1972 with a Surya label record which was frequently broadcast over Ceylon Radio. The foot-tapping number in which Manohar had written of a youth wooing his girl named Surangani was so infectiously catchy that soon every Tamil Nadu college student fest was rocking to the number.
Now, coming to our main topic, the Baila song, “Dingiri Dingale” from the movie Anbu Engey (1958). Veda (aka Vedhasalam), the music director (well known for reproducing hindi music in JaiShanker movies) lived in Ceylon (now Sri Lanka) in the 1940s. This song was hugely popular amongst the Sinhalese community in Sri Lanka and they took it almost as their own despite the language being different. The Goans in India too played similar music. As a dancer,
S.S.Rajendran was the best amongst the top Tamil hero actors, far better than M.G.R, Sivaji Ganesan and Gemini Ganesan. Otherwise, this song should have gone to comedian Chandrababu who also lived in Sri Lanka and knew the Baila music and the Baila dance.
When the film was planned it was decided by the director and music director that a dance sequence in a western – style club should be filmed. The director wanted an upbeat toe-tapping number. The music director suggested a Baila type melody. Yoganand, the director of the movie, gave the green light to Vedha. He composed a “Bailaistic” tune. The producer Govindarajan rejected it and wanted Vedha to compose a light classical number instead. Fortunately, the director overruled the producer and the original tune stayed.
The lyricist V. Seetharaman was given the task of writing the song. Seetharaman had a flair for writing humorous songs and was known as “Sirippu Paadal Seetharaman”. When Seetharaman was searching for a catchy opening line, it was Vedha who suggested “Dingiri Dingaaley”. Apparently, Vedha who composed music for “Dingiri Menike” (Dingiri – sweet little girl, manike- my love) liked the sound of the word “Dingiri”. Seetharaman went on to write the words of the song in a satiric mode. It was a general indictment of the pretentious changes in society due to western influence. In a song laced with pin- pricks of a lighter vein several English words too were used. Each verse was in two lines with an alliterative touch. The song is sung by TM Soundararajan.TMS and of course, TMS does justice to the mood intended for the song with with his full –throated voice. Finally, it is worth noting that a large number of Anglo- Indians in Madras were hired as dancers for the film shoot.
The song starts with a BGM intro accompanied by typical instruments used in any Baila music: violin, viola, acoustic guitar, drum, tambourine etc. Now the Pallavi starts and gets repeated:
Watch the comical steps (in combination with typical Southern kuthu steps with elongated tongue) by SSR. Then he gets into this hilarious comical posture and starts the first charanam, split into two parts, a common these throughout this song:
In the first part, you hear
Followed by an interlude of BGM that extends the fervor of the song itself. You may note the intention of the lyricist, satire, and the general indictment of the pretentious changes in society due to western influence, which is then reaffirmed in the second part of the charanam:
Followed by உலகம் போற போக்கப் பாரு தங்கமே தில்லாலே and the whole Pallavi is repeated. Wow, in the year 1958, thinking this style as well as the pattern must have been something new and raised some eyebrows in the industry. Kudos to Vedha!
And then the next charanam:
And the BGM follows similar to the first charanam with a delightful/funny “ha ha” from TMS. The next part of the charanam has a kicker:
When SSR sings this second part, you will see a man smoking in the cormer. SSR goes down to him singing the charanam and reaches out and snatches the cigarette from the man’s lips saying, “I am very sorry”. Wow, what a situational song and picturization and the way TMS says “I am very sorry” was way ahead in times.
The last two charanams (3 and 4) are:
ரொட்டித் துண்டும் சூப்பும்
One point I enjoyed in the third charanam was the way TMS says “minor” and “dinner” with stressing “irr” at the end of “dinner”. Also TMS’s humming of “ah aha” as part of the interlude. Just totally ahead of its time creation by Vedha.
And the song concludes with anglo-Indians dancing around the floor. A timeless classic, a total entertainment way ahead of its time with classic taunting lyrics that was rendered without rancor. Or advice. You may agree that this original had a class compared to the remake that was done recently in a Malayalam movie Kurup with Dulquer Salmaan.
Hope you like it as much as I do and please let me know your comments.