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Hindi film songs

Malaysia Vasudevan-a  voice with many hues

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15th June  1944 – 20th  February 2011

The decade of 1970’s in Tamizh film music was very eventful. The new generation of music directors, lyricists and singers were gradually entering the scene and even the way films were made was changing, shifting  from the studio-dominated , drama-style presentation  to a more realistic story-telling based on life in  villages of Tamil Nadu. The directors were also of a younger generation, more open to experimentation .

It was the time when male playback singers K J Yesudas and S P Balasubrahmanyam stormed the industry , with the maestro Ilayaraja firing on all cylinders with a creativity that was to dominate the music scene for decades to come. Female playback singers S Janaki, Vani Jayaram were  getting established ( of course S Janaki was there for a long time-it was only during that time she got a great second innings) , and the veteran P Susheela , was still holding on to her own space despite tough competition. The legend, T M Soundararajan was active till the end of 70’s and early 80’s , having ruled like a king for more than two decades and whose songs till today remain as fresh as they were around 50 years back. Personally I keep listening to TMS ‘s songs daily and keep discovering many gems and wonder at his versatility.

In the midst of all this , especially when KJY and SPB were going so strong, there were two  male playback singers who created a niche for themselves. One was P Jayachandran about whom I had already written in this blogsite around a year ago.  The other singer was  Vasudevan Nair, popularly known as Malaysia Vasudevan. His voice somewhat resembles that of TMS but does have a unique, earthy  timbre.

Songs that required deep , classical touch went to KJY, SPB was there for almost all genres , excelling in the romantic ones , peppy and jazzy tunes . Jayachandran , with a velvety voice close to KJY , could render many melodious songs and classical ones  equally well. MV ( as I shall call Malaysia Vasudevan in this blog for simplicity) was utilized for those songs that needed  a heavy folksy touch and in the early years of superstar Rajinikanth, one can say he was the de-facto voice of the superstar .

Malaysia Vasudevan was born to Chattu Nair of Ottappalam and Ammalu of Polpulli,  on 15th June in the town of Kuala Selangor in the Federated Malay States (present day Malaysia). His  parents were basically  from Palakkad and had migrated to the  British Malaya in search of a livelihood. Vasudevan was born on 15 June 1944 as their eighth and youngest child.

MV did not have any formal training in music and was more of an intuitive singer. He  started singing on stage when he was eight and  was also interested in acting. He joined some  Tamil drama troupes in Malaysia as an actor and singer. He even sang a song for a locally produced Tamil film in Malaysia, Rathha Paei,  and veteran music director  G. K. Venkatesh, scored the music and MV had sung for this film.

It was for the 1972 film Delhi To Madras tha MV had his  first major song , in fact  a comedy song “Paalu Vikkira Padma Un Paalu Romba Suthhama?”, for the music director V. Kumar. Later on, he joined the Pavalar Brothers troupe which was run by Ilaiyaraaja and his brothers. This group used to perform on stage , many of them during political events. During one such stage performance , veteran music director M. S. Viswanathan heard MV  and gave him a small piece of a song in Bharatha Vilas (he sang the Hindi lines Suno Suno Bhai Suno Suno  in the song  “Indhiya Naadu En Veedu”) and then a song in Thalai Prasavam. One of the memorable songs from his very early career was “Kaalam Seyyum Vilaiyattu” in Gumasthavin Magal, composed by Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan. It was the producer of this film ,  A. P. Nagarajan , who christened him Malaysia Vasudevan.

Later on , with  Ilaiyaraaja entering the  Tamil film industry with Annakili, followed by Bharatiraja’s debut directorial venture 16 Vayathinile, MV got to sing the famous  “Aattukutti Muttai Ittu” which gave him the necessary break .  Ilaiyaraaja would go on to provide him all the support to make MV a star singer.

Like T. M. Soundararajan, MV was also  content with singing mostly in Tamil and did not sing much in other languages. He has sung for almost all the main music directors of his times like Ilayaraja , for whom he sang the most , MS Vishwanathan, Shankar-Ganesh, Vidyasagar and A R Rehman to name  a few. On screen, his voice was utilized maximum for  Rajinikanth and later on  for Sivaji Ganesan also. The songs he sang for Sivaji in the film Mudal Mariyadai are popular to this day.

MV also ventured into acting and did many character and negative roles and this was a unique achievement as many singers had not become successful in acting. He also scored music for few films, wrote a collection of poems titled Ennam Thondriyathu Ezhutha Thoondiyathu in 2010. He had also directed a film Nee Sirithal Deepavali in 1990.

On his personal front, Malaysia Vasudevan had married Annaporani, also known as Usha Vasudevan, on 26 January 1976 and had  three children Yugendran, Prashanthini and Pavithra. Yugendran has acted and sung in some films in Tamil and other languages. Prashanthini is a playback singer. His daughter Pavithra is married and resides in Malaysia.

Tamil Nadu government had  accorded  the Kalaimamani award to him and he  also got the Tamil Nadu State Film Award for Best Male Playback  twice.

Malaysia Vasudevan was a chronic diabetic and hypertension patient, and unfortunately had a stroke in 2003, that slowed down his mobility. He passed away due to  gangrene on 20 February 2011 in Chennai, Tamil Nadu.

I have listed 25 songs of Malaysia Vasudevan, in chronological order of the film’s release , with song, film, year, music director, lyricist and co-singer mentioned in that sequence.

  1. Kaalam Seiyyum Vilayattu-Gumastavin Magal-1974-Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan-Poovai Senguttavan

Many would not be aware about this song that can be considered as one among his very early songs. Even I heard it for the first time , while working on this blog!

2. Attukkutti Muttayittu-16 Vayathinile-1977-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan–With S Janaki

In many ways the film 16 Vayathinile gave a great career boost for  Rajinikanth, Kamal Hassan, Sreedevi, Ilayaraja and also Malaysia Vasudevan. His skill in modulating his voice was  good in this song.

3. Kovil Mani Oosai Thannai-Kizhakke Pogum Rail-1978-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan–With S Janaki

In the early days of his career, MV had a very good association with Ilayaraja and Bharati Raja, director , in whose films he must have sung his best songs. This one is a very melodious and MV showed that he was capable of singing romantic duets also.

4. Aazhakkadali Thediya Muthu-Sattam En Kaiyil-1978-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan-With  S Janaki

I do not know the reason why this song was not included in the film, but it is definitely a pleasant melody to listen to. Though MV comes at the last charanam of the song, his voice is so nice to hear.

5. Aaagaya Gangai-Dharma Yuddam-1979-Ilayaraja-M G Vallabhan -With S Janaki

Among the duets of MV , this stands tall with his best ever rendition along with S Janaki, no doubt immensely enriched by the scintillating orchestration of Ilayaraja.

6. Oru Thanga Radathil -Dharma Yuddam-1979-Ilayaraja-Kannadasan

From the same film , Dharma Yuddam, this one is Rajini singing for his sister. This song proved to the listeners , that MV is equally capable of singing an emotional song for a sister as well as how he used to sing the rustic, folk songs.

7. Kadal Vadiruchu Aasaiyil Odi Vanden-Kalyanaraman-1979-Ilayaraja-Panchu Arunachalam

Folk and Comedy were two genres, that seem to be tailor-made for MV. This song became a rage during its times.

8. Pothuvaga En Manasu-Murattu Kaalai-1980-Ilayaraja-Panchu Arunachalam

In the early days of Rajinikanth, this movie and this song brought him phenomenal fame! One can say with this song, MV became the “voice of Superstar” with his rustic delivery matching the on-screen swagger of Rajinikanth.

9. Ponmaana Thedi Naanum Poovodu-Enga Oor Raasathi-1980-Gangai Amaran- Muthulingam-With S P Shailaja

Gangai Amaran, the younger brother of Ilayaraja , is a multi-talented artist-Music composer, lyricist, director, actor, singer etc. This song is generally wrongly attributed to Ilayaraja but was actually composed by Gangai Amaran. One more very popular song of MV that used to be heard almost daily across Tamil Nadu in the 80’s.

10. Aathu mettula Oru Paattu Kekkuthu-Giramaththu Athiyayam-1980-Ilayaraja- Gangai Amaran-with S Janaki

Ilayaraja could create a folk tune with a modern touch and who else to render that so beautifully than MV & SJ!

11. Sugam Sugame Thoda Thodathane-Naan Potta Savaal-1980-Ilayaraja-Puratchi Dasan-With Vani Jayaram

One more superb melody from IR during his initial years , when his creativity was at its peak. MV and Vani Jayaram sang comparatively lesser duets but most of their songs were hits.

12. Alli Thandha Bhoomi-Nandu-1981-Ilayaraja-Madhukoor Kannan

A fine melody by Ilayaraja , beautifully executed by MV. Remains one of MV’s most memorable songs to this day. The film failed commercially , with the story set in Lucknow and lot of dialogues in Hindi that the audience could not understand ( those were the days of no sub titles!) , but the songs were good.

13. Kodai Kaala Kaatre-Panneer Pushpangal-1981-Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaran

Similar to the song from Nandu-allithantha Bhoomi, this is an even more famous , soft melody of MV and remains my personal favourite. Of course the tune, orchestration of IR was equally great and made this an evergreen favourite for all.

14. Enni Irundhadhu-Andha 7 Naatkal-1981-M S Vishwanathan-Vairamuthu-With Vani Jayaram

MV singing for MSV was somewhat rare , although one of his earliest breaks was given by MSV in his “ Indiya Nadu Yen Veedu” song way back in 1973. In MSV’s music, the inherent strength of the tune was always more prominent than orchestration , although he was never shy of using brilliant orchestration whenever required. MV teams up with Vani Jayaram for one more memorable duet.

15. Poove Ilaya Poove Varamtharum -Kozhi Koovuthu-1982-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu

One of the most famous songs of MV , this was a super hit during its release. MV proves his classical strength without having any elaborate training in classical music.

16. Thanga Changili-Thooral Ninnu Pochchu-1982-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-With  S Janaki

If we look at the repertoire of MV , we find so many lilting duets with S Janaki , in the music direction of Ilayaraja. One more popular duet from this team.

17. Ananda Then Sinthum Pooncholayil -Mann Vasanai-1983-Ilayaraja-Panchu Arunachalam-With  S Janaki

The pair of MV and SJ gave so many hits with the team of Ilayaraja & Bharatiraja.

18. Vetti Veru Vaasam-Mudhal Mariyathai-1985-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-With S Janaki

Mudal Mariyadai was a milestone film for MV ,as the songs he did for the thespian Sivaji Ganesan became super hits. For many deacdes, TMS was the voice the legendary actor and in this film MV’s voice perfectly fitted him. Ilayaraja came out with some of his best compositions , that are remembered to this day.

19. Poongatru Thirumbuma – Mudhal Mariyathai-1985-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-With S Janaki

In Vetti Veru Vasam and Poongatru Thirumbuma, S Janaki also gave her best and together , MV & SJ created wonders. The percussion used by IR is simply out of the world.

20. Mamavukku Kuduma Kuduma-Punnagai Mannan-1986-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu

Comedy was a favourite genre for MV right from his ‘ Aatukutti Muttai Ittu” song in 1977. This one is no exception!

21. Enna Ma Kannu-Mr. Bharath- 1986-Ilayaraja-With S.P.Balasubramaniam

What happens when two legend come together to come out with a rocking number?! Both SPB and MV behind the screen and Rajnikanth and Satyaraj on screen complement each other so well in this delightful male duet.

22. Malaiyoram Mayile-Oruvar Vaazhum Aalayam-1988-Ilayaraja-Ponnadiyan-With K S Chitra

IR might have used the rhythm pattern similar to the one in this song on so many occasions and was , what we can call as a sort of ‘signature style’.  MV once again proves his mettle in melodious duets.

23. Ooru Vittu Ooru Vandu-Karagatakkaran-1989-Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaran-With Gangai Amaran

Karagattakaran was a musical bonanza , with Maanguyile Poonguyile , Intha Maan Unthan Sontha Maan becoming super hits. Ooruvittu Ooru Vanthu has that typical folk style , with MV singing full of energy.

24. Eh Rasathi Rosappoo-En Uyir Thozhan-1990-Ilayaraja-Gangai Amaran-With Arunmozhi

For a very long time , I was under the impression that Ilayaraja had used superb recording technique to sound as if there were two tracks of MV’s voice, with a slight lag . I had to refer to some Internet sources and also one of my close friends , who is a music connoisseur to get it verified that one Arunmozhi also lent his voice along with MV. For me this is THE BEST song of MV. A brilliant tune, orchestration , coupled with MV’s amazing rendition.

25. Per Vechalum Vekkama-Michael Madana Kamarajan-1991-Ilayaraja-Vaali-With S Janaki

One of the best comedy films , Michael Madan Kamarajan must have been seen most film lovers multiple times including yours truly. This duet has that typical IR beat , with MV singing for Kamal Hassan -relatively rare.

My knowledge on songs after the 90’s in Tamil films is very limited and though MV sang for few more years, I have not included his songs after 1991. The impact of AI was seen in Tamil film music when MV’s voice was “ re-created” artificially for the song “ Manasilayo” for the 2024 Rajinikanth starrer-Vettaiyan.

Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:

I sincerely thank the publishers of following  Internet sources   for the information that I could gather for this article:

  1. You Tube
  2. Wikipedia
  3. A close friend who gave some inputs and also suggested few songs for inclusion.

The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.

Hindi film songs

Paliyath Jayachandran – and his honey-laced vocals

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       3rd March 1944-9th January 2025

In the late 70’s and during most of the 80’s , Tamil film music saw a plethora of new music directors, singers, lyricists , with trend-setting music styles that gave listeners a completely new way of experiencing film music. Although the legends TMS, PS , MSV , Kannadasan were still holding out despite strong competition, it was the time of K J Yesudas, S P Balasubrahmanyam, Vani Jayaram, S Janaki , Ilayaraja, Shankar-Ganesh,  T Rajendar, Vairamuthu, Gangai Amaran just to name a few. The complete list will be covered in my future blogs! But among the new singers , there was a singer from  Kerala , who had the unique ‘ midas’ touch-whatever he sang  became a super-hit !  There was not a single day without his song Rasathi Unne Kaanatha Nenju being aired . With a voice that closely resembled his illustrious peer from the same state, K J Yesudas ,  with a softer tone, Paliyath Jayachandran or P Jayachandran was known for having maximum percentage of hits . His association with Ilayaraja was one of the most successful combinations during the 80’s.

 P Jayachandran had a great career in the Malayalam film industry  but his repertoire in Tamil is also equally rich. Jayachandran was born in Bhadralayam, Ravipuram, Ernakulam, to Thiripunithura Ravivarma Kochaniyan Thampuran, a member of the Cochin Royal family,  and Subhadra Kunjamma . He was the third among the five children his parents had. Jayachandran graduated in Zoology from Christ College, Irinjalakuda. He had his schooling at  the Irinjalakuda National High  School from where he received many prestigious prizes for playing the Mridangam and light music in the State School Youth Festival. He completed his graduation in Zoology from the Christ Church college , Irinjalakuda.

Music was in his blood, his father Thiripunithura Ravivarma Kochaniyan Thampuran being  a learned musician, though not a professional singer. His mother Subhadra Kunjamma was also a great music lover and  encouraged him  to learn the notes of Mridangam. In a young age , with his mother’s encouragement , he  became well-versed with the mridangam.

Although he had not learnt any sort of classical music, his musical insight and his genuine love for music had helped him in winning many  music contests he had participated. His elder brother Sudhakaran, was a close friend of Yesudas, and  was instrumental in helping Jayachandran become a professional singer. Jayachandran used to sing the songs taught by his brother in school functions.

Jayachandran got married to Lalitha in the year 1973, who was also an ardent lover of music and  always encouraged  him. They had  a daughter named Lakshmi and a son called Dinanath. His daughter and son are also singers .

Jayachandran was also a great lover of Hindi songs in his young days. I have seen some of his interviews in which he has talked about his admiration for the great Mohammad Rafi who had inspired many other great singers of South like SPB, Yesudas .

Like few  other singers, in his case also the song he had recorded first was released later ! His song for the 1965 Malayalam film Kunjali Marakkar , Oru Mullappo Malayumai ( music composed by B.A Chidambaranath) got released later and his Manjalayil Mungithorthi song, composed by G. Devarajan in the film Kalithozhan (1966) came earlier.  Later on,  his song in the 1967 film Udhyogastha , ‘ Anuragaganam pole’ became a famous one followed by some more that fetched him great fame like the M S Vishwanathan composed Neelagiriyude (‘Suprabhaatham’) for the film Panitheeratha Veedu in 1973  for which he got the Kerala State award for best playback singing.

Music composer M B Sreenivasan was well-known for his intricate and off-beat compositions and his  song Ragam Sreeragam for the film Bandhanam fetched Jayachandran another Kerala state award . He was the recipient of the national award in the year 1985 for Sivasankara Sarva Saranya Vibho in Sree Narayana Guru composed by G. Devarajan.

Since my blogs are about Tamil and Hindi film songs, let us turn to Jayachandran’s Tamil film career. His first Tamil film song was Thanga Chimizh Pol , composed by the veteran M.S Vishwanathan for the 1973 film Manipayal. However he got noticed first in Tamil films with his song Manthara Malare,  Manthara Malare for the film Naan Avan Illai that was composed by MSV. Though this song became popular , his major hit came with  the two duets he sang for the 1976 film Moondru Mudichu, Aadi Velli Thedi Unnai and Vasantha Kala Nadigalile , composed by MSV. In the year 1978, Ilayaraja’s  songs for Jayachandran  started a long & successful  association between them  , like  Vazhkaiye Vesham for Aarilinthu Arubaduvarai and Chitira Chevvanam Sirikkakanden & Oru Vanavil Pole  for Kaatrinile Vraum Geetham.

Jayachandran continued his glorious innings with Ilayaraja till 90’s but the peak was in 80’s with many super hits in this decade. Jayachandran had sung some memorable songs with many other music directors also and I have tried to organize my song selection into 3 categories. His songs with MSV, Ilayaraja and Other composers.

Jayachandran won a National Award, five Kerala State Awards and four Tamil Nadu State Awards. In the year 2001, he was honoured with the  Swaralaya Kairali Yesudas Award. In 2020, he was awarded the J. C. Daniel Award, the highest award in Malayalam cinema, for his outstanding contributions to Malayalam cinema. He is widely regarded as one of the greatest expression singers in South India.

Jayachandran died from liver cancer in Thrissur, Kerala, on 9 January 2025, at the age of 80.  He was cremated with full state honours at his ancestral home in Chendamangalam, North Paravur, Kerala on 11 January 2025.

His songs for MSV

  1. Manthara Malare Manthara Malare- Naan Avan Illai-1974-Kannadasan & Bhaskaran-Duet with L R Eashwari

With a Tamil-Malayalam mix of lyrics, this is a very unique song , with the Tamil lyrics having a Malayalam touch and Malayalam lyrics having a Tamil touch. Jayachandran  brings out the expressions so well in his very first major hit song.

2. Adi Velli, Thedi Unnai-Moondru Mudichu-1976-Kannadasan-Duet with Vani Jayaram

I had written about the other famous song from this movie, Vasantha Kaala Nadigalile in my earlier blogs and so included this here. A classic Kannadasan’s anthathi style lyrics, composed so beautifully by MSV and rendered equally well by both, Jayachandran and Vani Jayaram

3. Paalabhishekam Seiyavo-Muthana Muthallavo-1976-Vaali-Duet with P Susheela

I think many would have forgotten this song-a rare , pleasant melody by MSV . Jayachandran’s Tamil diction was a great strength for him, coupled with his melodious voice and a soft, silky rendition.

4. Swing Swing Unathu-Vanakkathukuriya Kathaliye-1978-Vaali-Duet with Vani Jayaram

I have observed that some songs become rare as they are forgotten after the time in which they were released. I heard this sweet melodious duet after a long time. A rare occasion when Jayachandran sang for the Superstar Rajinikant!

5. Kalai Magal Alaimagal-Velli Ratham-1979-Vaali-Duet with P Susheela

That rhythm pattern is trademark MSV…one more song that must have been forgotten . Vaali’s powerful lyrics add so much meaning to the song beautifully rendered by Jayachandran and Susheela.

6. Kavithai Arangerum Neram-Antha Ezhu Naatkal-1981- Kuruvikkarai Shanmugam-Duet with S Janaki

Out of the many songs composed by MSV for Jayachandran, this must be the most popular one. It is said that the lyricist Kuruvikkarai Shanmugam learnt how to play the harmonium in order to do full justice to this song! Jayachandran renders a power-packed song.

7. Neeril Oru Thamarai-Nenjatai Alli Thaa-1984-Vaali

One more rare song that I discovered only while searching for this blog. Usually actor Mohan always had SPB doing the playback for him and had innumerable hits with him,  but this is one has  Jayachandran singing for him.

His songs for Ilayaraja

  1. Vazhkaiye Vesham-Aarilirinthu Arupathu Varai-1978-Panchu Arunachalam

The long and successful association of Ilayaraja and Jayachandran started off with the song Poonthendrale Nalla Neram from the 1977 film Bhuvana Oru Kelvijuri and they together are said to have worked for around 90+ songs, with a huge percentage of them being super hits. This song , a pathos  for Rajinikant in an off-beat role is sung with so much of expression  by Jayachandran.

2. Chitarai Chevvanam-Katrinile Varum Geetham-1978- Panchu Arunachalam

Ilayaraja creates a perfect ‘ boat’ song and Jayachandran complements perfectly with his expressive singing.

3. Mancholai Kilithano-Kizhakke Pogum Rail-1978-Muthulingam

    One of the most popular  , but so-difficult-to-sing  songs from the team of Ilayaraja and Jayachandran . The prelude is one of the best ever by IR and not only the prelude, even the interludes are simply outstanding. Jayachandran does full justice to the song that is truly difficult to sing. When this film was released , this song became one of the greatest hits!

    4. Manjal Nilavukku Indru-Muthal Iravu-1979-Kannadasan- Duet with P Susheela

      It was the time when whatever IR composed turned out to be pure gold! This one with the rhythm of a train is well known for the excellent orchestration

      5. Thalattuthe Vaanam-Kadal Meengal-1981-Panchu Arunachalam-Duet with S Janaki

        IR used to innovate in each one of his songs with something unique. This song is always remembered for that peculiar percussion. This is also a ‘boat’ song but note the difference between this and Chittira Chevvanam.

        Jayachandran comes out with a softer tone for this romantic number and make it so sweet to hear.

        6. Poonthendral Kaatre Vaa-Manjal Nila-1982-Gangai Amaran- Duet with P Susheela

          It is amazing to note that Jayachandran has sung excellent duets with all the main female playback singers like P Susheela, S Janaki and Vani Jayaram. And added to that some of the superb solos as well!

          7. Kalidasan Kannadasan-Soorakottai Singakutti-1983-Vaali-Duet with P Susheela

            This was one more song of Jayachandran that was so popular during the 80’s just like Rasathi Unne. Hardly a day passed without hearing this song , those days!

            8. Indraiku Yen Intha Ananthame-Vaidehi Kathirunthal-1984-Gangai Amaran-Duet with Vani Jayaram

              A superb Aabhogi raagam based composition of IR, this is a true masterpiece from Jayachandran and Vani Jayaram. I personally would rate this among the topmost songs of Jayachandran.

              9. Rasathi Unne Kaanatha Nenju- Vaidehi Kathirunthal-1984-Vaali

                The song that is immediately identified with Jayachandran. A simple tune that was rendered with full expressions by Jayachandran that remains evergreen to this day. I came across an article that said in a place called Cumbum in Tamil Nadu , a herd of wild elephants used to wait near a theatre in which this film was running and the elephants listened intently to this particular song and would disperse once the song was over! 

                10. Kathirunthu Kathirunthu- Vaidehi Kathirunthal-1984- Vaali

                  I was surprised to read about how all the three super hit songs from the film Vaidehi Kathirunthal were recorded in a single day! What a great team IR and Jayachandran were!

                  11. Kodiyile Mailliaypoo-Kadalora Kavithaigal-1986-Vairamuthu-Duet with S Janaki

                    One of my all-time favourites and definitely among the outstanding compositions of IR that were the pinnacles of his orchestration skills. The typical multi-layered instrumental arrangement, coupled with an outstanding singing by both Jayachandran and S Janaki…a song that will last forever.

                    12. Mayanginen Solla Thayanginen-Naane Raja Naane Manthiri-1986-Vaali- Duet with P Susheela

                      Those vintage flute notes of IR, Jayachandran’s soft romantic touch in his voice, Susheela going strong even in her 50’s -all make this one more evergreen song.

                      13. Poova Eduthu Oru Maala-Amman Koil Kizhakala-1986-Gangai Amaran-Duet with S Janaki

                      Vijayakant and Jayachandran were a hit pair and the last few songs and this one are classic examples.

                      His songs for other music directors

                      I myself was all along thinking that Jayachandran’s top songs were composed by either MSV or Ilayaraja. So it was a pleasant surprise to note he has rendered some great songs with many other composers . Although a major part of his repertoire in Tamil films consisted of songs composed by Ilayaraja, M S Vishwanathan and Shankar-Ganesh, there were at least some 40 other music directors for whom he has sung. Of course for most of them it could have been just in a single digit.

                      1. Pennalla Nee Oru Bommai-Sonthamadi Nee Enakku-1977-V Kumar-Vaali-Duet with P Susheela

                      I had written about the composer V Kumar in this blogsite-a great composer but was not so lucky in getting the recognition he richly deserved. This is a rare gem from one the early years of Jayachandran.

                      2. Ennodu Ennenavo Ragasiyam-Thoondil Meen- 1977-V Kumar-Vaali- Duet with Swarna

                      V Kumar’s wife Swarna was a good singer and it was truly great of him not to impose her in his compositions-he had mostly composed with other leading female playback singers only. This is a superb song, with the unique orchestration style of V Kumar evident throughout.

                      3. Poovannam Pola Nenjam- Azhiyada Kolangal-1979- Salil Chowdhury-Gangai Amaran-Duet with P Susheela

                      The great legend from Bengal , who had given some of the most intricate and melodious songs in Bengali, Hindi and in his later years , in Malayalam , Salil Chowdhury worked for a handful of Tamil films also. This one from Azhiyada Kolangal was a super hit and is a lilting , trademark Salil da composition that , at the time of its release , came as a whiff of fresh  breeze.

                      4. Vasantha Kalangal-Rail Payanangalil- 1981-Music & Lyrics-T Rajendar

                      T Rajendar was known for his unique style and out-of-the-box thinking in terms of tune and lyrics. Among Jayachandran’s top songs , this one will always be featured.

                      5. Kannil Vanthai Nenjil Nindrai-Lottery Ticket-1982- L Vaidyanathan-Muthulingam

                      L Vaidyanathan had composed music for few films only and is known for his unconventional  tunes. One more song that Jayachandran sang for Mohan .

                      6. Malaro Nilavo Malai Magalo- Raaga Bandhangal-1982-Kunnakkudi Vaidyanathan-Kannadasan

                      Kunnakudi Vaidyanathan, a legend in playing the violin , had a successful innings in composing for Tamil films. Many of his songs have been brilliant. This Hindolam based song is somehow forgotten and it is truly sad. Jayachandran has rendered this classical number with so much of expression and perfection.

                      7. Sangeethame En Deiveegame-Kashmir Kadali-1983- G K Venkatesh-Pulamaipithan-Duet with P Susheela

                      Mentor of Ilayaraja , G K Venkatesh was a genius , and was a legend in the Kannada film music. He composed for few Tamil films and whatever he composed were great songs. This song deserved much better recognition , but like it happens for many good songs, got into the rarely-heard category.

                      8. Mounamulla Mayakkam-Azhagu-1984-G K Venkatesh-Vairamuthu- Duet with S Janaki

                      One more rare gem from the great G K Venkatesh. The string arrangement is something great , for which GKV was well-known. A soft and pleasing romantic duet.

                      9. Paal Nilavu Kaynthathen-Yaro Azhaikiraragal-1985-Shankar Ganesh-Vaali

                      Shankar Ganesh came out with some very good songs now and I was surprised to note Jayachnadran had sung a good number of songs for them. Hoiwever I could observe very few were popular or good. This one stands out for excellent guitar and Jayachandran renders a soulful number.

                      10. Thirunaalum Varumo Swaami-Isaikku Oru Koil-1987-K V Mahadevan-??- Duet with P Susheela

                      This was a Tamil dubbed version of the Telugu film Shrutilayalu. This could be the only film in which Jayachandran sang for K V Mahadevan. The original Telegu version had K J Yesudas singing the same song. I tried my best to find out the lyricist for this song , but could not find !

                      Acknowledgement & Disclaimer 

                      I sincerely thank the publishers of following blogsites & Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:

                      1. You Tube
                      2. Wikipedia
                      3. http://www.tamil2lyrics.com

                      The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here   only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. The photograph is taken from the internet, duly recognizing the full copyrights for the same to the  original creator or the site where they were originally displayed .This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights.