I had covered Vani Jayaram’s superb twenty solo songs in my Part1 of the blog on her. Now let us look at some of the equally excellent duets that she had sung with many leading singers . Vani Jayaram should have deserved more solos but somehow she sang relatively lesser number of solos compared to duets.
One aspect of VJ that I forgot to mention in Part1 was that she had many other talents like writing poetry in Tamizh , drawing, painting which she had revealed in some of her interviews. In fact, in her school days , she had even acted ! Her parents had named her rightly Kalaivani. Whenever I watched her interviews and also tributes to her by her contemporaries, she comes across as a very humble human being, soft-spoken and a punctual, disciplinarian . Also a delight for all the music directors she worked with as she used to grasp the tune immediately and render them with least number of takes. In the days when entire song had to be done as many times as someone makes a mistake, this was a great blessing for everyone.
VJ had a tough competition with the legend P Susheela still going strong , S Janaki being supported by Ilayaraja to a great extent but despite this , she had fabulous duets with all the leading male playback singers like TMS, SPB, KJY , Jayachandran, Malaysia Vasudevan etc.
As much as her solos were excellent, Vani Jayaram’s duets had a charm of their own. When she started singing in a big way, the veteran T.M Soundararajan was slowly getting replaced by others and so we have very few duets of her with him. In Tamizh , she had some excellent duets with K J Yesudas , with both being masters in the classical genre. In other languages like Kannada, Telugu, she had many duets with S P Balasubrahmanyam. I have tried to list , to the best of my ability, some of her fabulous duets with the leading male playback singers and few rare ones with her contemporary female playback singers also. I could discover a rare triad-maybe the only one song that all the three legends of South Indian female playback singers had sung together-P Susheela , S Janaki & Vani Jayaram-although I would not say it is a great song, for the sheer rarity, I have included it at the end.
Duets with T M Soundararajan
Many-a-times songs by a particular combination of singers may be less in numbers but they leave behind memorable songs. TMS & VJ is one such combination. Whenever we talk of duets of TMS it was all along with the legend P Susheela , and few with S Janaki and L R Eashwari . I do not know how many duets he had sung with VJ but I have tried to select three great duets by these two gifted singers.
Aandavan Illa Ulagamethu-Oru Oothaapoo Kan Chimittugirathu-1976-V Dakshinamurthy-Ra. Pazhanisami
V Dakshinamurthy was a much-revered music director in South, mainly in Malayalam films . In Tamizh he had composed for very few films , but whatever he composed had a different tone and evergreen melodies. Both TMS and VJ start off at their trademark high notes. I do not know much about the lyricist Ra Pazhanisami , but he seems to have written with innovative imagination like , Nadi irunthal meen irukkum, Vidhi irunthal sernthirukkum….kaalam , athan kolam, yengo , yengo.
2. Ammanai Azhagu Migum Kanmanai-Avan Oru Sarithiram-1977- M S Vishwanathan -Kannadasan
Set in a relatively rare raagam Dharmavati, this is one of the most famous duets from this pair. TMS starts with his usual magnificent tone , followed by VJ’s adding her intricate touches . When we have two legendary singers and two immortal music director-lyricist MSV and Kannadasan , we can only expect a masterpiece.
3. Ethhanai Malargal-Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral-1978-M S Vishwanathan-Jayakanthan
In my part 1 , among the great solos of VJ, I had included her Veru Idam Thedippovaalo from the film Sila Nerangalil Sila Manithargal. From the same film maker Jayakanthan , there was one more offbeat film Oru Nadigai Nadagam Paarkiral , with MSV somehow creating very different style of songs for his films-these films had just a couple of songs only but are vintage MSV. Once again TMS and VJ come out with their great skills in rendering the intricate alaapanais that MSV ‘s tunes invariable have.
The only duet with P B Sreenivas
4. Oru Paarvai Pothum-Vadamaalai-1979-M.S.Vishwanathan-Lyrics(?)
Just as I was concluding that there was no duet in Tamizh films by P B Sreenivas and Vani Jayaram, I was lucky to come across a video in YouTube in which VJ was being felicitated in the presence of the veteran singer PBS and he himself reminded VJ that they had sung this only duet in Tamizh. I tried my best to find out about the lyricist for this song, but could not get any information. Nothing is known about this film also, except for meagre details in the IMDB site that states this was directed by one Maruthi Valli-in all probability the film never got released is my guess.
But leave all that aside-what a great tune by MSV -note the special tabla pattern towards the end of the song-trademark MSV! One really wishes PBS and VJ had sung more songs together.
Duets with K J Yesudas
5. Swargathin Thirappuvizha-Pallandu Vazhga-1975-K V Mahadevan-Pulamaipithan
Surprisingly , KV Mahadevan , who had enabled two National awards for VJ by way his Sankarabharanam and Swati Kiranam in Telugu, seems to have composed relatively few songs for her in Tamizh. This film ,a remake of the famous Hindi Do Ankhen Barah Haath that did not have any place of romance , had this famous duet in the Tamizh version. A typical KVM tune , with KJY and VJ providing a breezy duet. Personally I would rate the duets of VJ with K J Yesudas as among her best ever. I have selected seven here and all are true gems.
6. Gangai Yamunai Inguthan-Imayam-1979-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
One of the most popular duets from this golden pair, along with Antha Maanai Paarungal azhagu. By the late 70’s music style in Tamizh films had changed dramatically with the entry of Ilayaraja and his excellent orchestration. However our dear Mellisai Mannar stood firm with the inherent strength of the great, eternal melody in his tunes that would keep alive his songs even after decades.
7. Anthamanai Paarungal Azhagu-Andaman Kadali-1978- M S Vishwanathan- Kannadasan
Is there anything needed to be written about this masterpiece. For MSV, a simple guitar was enough , ably supported by two great singers to come out with a song that sings so melodious even after more than four decades.
8. Ninaivale Silai Seidu- Andaman Kadali-1978- M S Vishwanathan- Kannadasan
The fortunes were turning among the singers, with the new taking over form the old. Andaman Kadali had two songs by the veteran TMS but the two duets of KJY-VJ are popular to this day. Of course this is not a comparison as all great artists also go though a time when the new takes over. That typical rhythm pattern of MSV , the exceptional high notes through which both KJY & VJ glide over so effortlessly-all make this a great song.
9. Thendralil Aadum Koonthalil-Maduraiyai Meeta Sundarapandian-1978-M S Vishwanathan- Pulamaipithan
The film Maduraiyai Meeta Sundarapandian was last film of MGR as was already the Chief Minister of Tamil Nadu by the time this movie was released. Although the film was not a big commercial hit, as usual the songs were too good as MGR always had the great ability to select the best among the best tunes . A superb raagamalika by MSV , starting off with Suddha Saveri, then progressing into Abheri and Charukesi raagas, he rightly chose the two legends KJY and VJ , masters in the classical genre.
10. Gangai Nadi Oram-Varaprasadam-1976- R Govarthanam-Pulamaipithan
This could be among the early duets of KJY and VJ , with R Govarthanam composing a superb melody. It is said that Ilayaraja had composed the background score for this film-could be his first background score and also did the arrangement of music .
11. Thangathil Mugameduthu- Meenava Nanban-1977-M S Vishwanathan-Muthulingam
There are no limits to the innovations that MSV did in his compositions . The rhythm pattern , including that beat that is played after VJ does a small alaapanai is something that we wait with bated breath! Throughout the song the intricate alaap done by both KJY and VJ elevates the song to a different level.
Duets with S P Balasubrahmanyam
12. Bharati kannamma-Ninaithale Inikkum-1979-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
S P Balasubrahmanyam and Vani Jayaram is another successful pair. Who can forget their classical masterpieces in the Telugu film Shankarabharanam . That film fetched VJ her second National award. Ninaithale Inikkum was a musical bonanza and this song is one of the most popular duets of this pair.
As I had mentioned in my Part 1 on VJ’s solos, although she sang relatively lesser songs for Ilayaraja, whatever she sang for him turned out to be great hits.
14. Ilakkanam Marutho-Nizhal Nijamaagiradu-1978- M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
There were few songs in the noted director K Balachandar’s films , that were composed by MSV and written by Kannadasan that would summarize the entire film in just three stanzas . This is one great example of that. SPB & VJ breathe in life to the great lyrics and tune of Kaviarasar and the Mannar.
While writing about the most under-rated music director V Kumar in my blog , I realised what great tunes he had composed. This is one of the most memorable duets of SPB & VJ. The song reminds me strongly of Mana Ho Tum Behad Haseen sung by K J Yesudas for the Hindi film Toote Khilone by Bappi Lahiri. Both the films were released in 1978 ; difficult to make out who inspired whom. But leaving that aside , it is superbly rendered by SPB & VJ in Tamil and KJY in Hindi! Of course V Kumar’s orchestration is more innovative and ahead of its time.
This is the first duet of SPB & VJ in Tamizh, composed by the famous music director from the Kannada film industry, Vijay Bhaskar. Many-a-times we observe that there is a total freshness in the tunes composed by music directors who are not from the mainstream in a particular language. Vijay Bhaskar had composed some brilliant songs and one can appreciate the absolute freshness in both SPB & VJ’s voices.
17. Kalam maralam nam kadal maruma-Vazhkai-1984-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu
The alaapanai at the very beginning of the song sets the base for a great song. IR’s orchestration at its best , coupled with SPB’s and VJ’s crystal clear singing.
18. Naana Paaduvathu Naana-Noolveli -1979-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan-With SPB & L R Anjali
Vintage MSV composition , with that trademark tabla taking through the songs with so many twists and turns. An intricate composition that SPB and VJ make it seem so easy to sing! L R Eashwari’s sister , Anjali adds those peppy parts of the song.
Duets with P Jayachandran
19. Aadi Velli Thedi Unnai-Moondru Mudichu-1974- M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
The contemporary of K J Yesudas from the Malayalam film industry ,P . Jayachandran had the great ability to come out with hits after hits in Tamizh films. Almost all the songs he sang in Tamizh were super hits. The two songs from the film Moondru Mudichu are amazing for the ‘ anthathi’ style lyrics of the one and only Kaviarasar Kannadasan, composed brilliantly by MSV and sung by Jayachandran and VJ.
20. Vasantha Kaala Nadigalile- Moondru Mudichu-1974- M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan-With Jayachandran & MSV
An unconventional song in the sense that it starts off as a gentle romantic one , with the main characters of the movie having a leisurely boat ride. The twist comes when the character played by Kamal Hassan falls into the river accidentally and does not know swimming-the character played by Rajinikant watches menacingly , without rescuing him and a hapless heroine Sreedevi pleads him to save her lover, but he intentionally lets him drown. The menacing vocals of MSV takes the song to a different tone and Kaviarasar ends the anthathi with Vithi vagaiyai mudivu seyyum vasantha kaala neeralaigal. An iconic song by Vani Jayaram with Jayachandran, that remains in our memory forever.
There are very few duet songs in which the male singer contributes only by humming or just few ‘alaapanais.’ This is one such song and I was in two minds whether to include this in my list. But this is just a superb rendition by VJ and without any doubt Jayachandran makes his mark with those alaapanais in the interludes. VJ essays those terrific charanams in her characteristic flair.
Duets with Malaysia Vasudevan
22. Oru Kaathal Enbathu-Maatran Thottathu Malligai-1984-Shankar Ganesh-Pulamaipithan
While searching for best duets of Malaysia Vasudevan and VJ, I was lucky to discover this rare gem. MV had a distinct voice that one can say had some similarity with TMS but still he could chart his own unique place among the male playback singers. The number of duets with VJ may be less in numbers but the two songs I have listed are definitely worth listening to .
23. Enni Irunthathu eedere-Antha Ezhu Naatkal-1981-MSV-Vairamuthu
Duets with other female singers
24. Kelviyin Nayagane- Aboorva Raagangal-1975-M S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan-Duet with B S Sasirekha
In film music , duet songs between female singers generally revolve around two characters who are both friends , sisters and sometimes even two heroines loving the same hero! It is rare to see a song that is sung by a mother and daughter and that too an estranged one and if you add the situation that summarizes the entire film, you have almost only one song and what a masterpiece we got from the harmonium of MSV, pen of Kannadasan and the impeccable vocals from VJ and B.S Sasirekha. Kannadasan’s memorable words “illatha medai ondril ezhuthatha nadagathai ellarum nadikkindrom , naame ellorum paarkindrom,” the way MSV composed this brilliantly starting off with Darbari Kanada , then shifting to Brindavani and at the end Madyamavathi, Vani Jayaram and B S Sasirekha’s reaching those Mt Everest-high notes with their out-of-world singing …no one can describe such songs-we have to immerse ourselves in its beauty and wonder at these artists!
Songs like this must be one in a million-I wish that future generations well into the next centuries must listen to this and wonder at with limited technology , the legends were able to create music that remain eternal.
One last word but not the least-the way the song was picturized by the legendary director K Balachandar is something we should not forget to appreciate, and so is the acting by lead actor Sreevidya.
25. Intha Pennodu Piranthathu Nadanam- Samayalkaran-1974-M S Vishwanathan-Vaali-Duet with S Janaki
I keep discovering more and more rare songs while hunting around for songs for my blogs and that is my greatest reward! When we have two great singers who are well known for the ease with which they travel through the intricate notes , then what more do we wish for! The film must have been long forgotten and it is a pity that such a nice song was lost in an obscure film!
26. Kollaiyittavan Neethan-Ninaithathai Mudippavan-1975-M S Vishwanathan-Pulamaipithan
We have one of the greatest female singers of our country, P Susheela pairing with VJ in this duet from one of MGR’s last films before he entered into politics in a big way. The song has many references to his political views . There is one more famous duet of PS with VJ in the film Paritchaiku Neramachu-Malligai Poocharam . I just selected one -both these songs may not do justice to the talents of these two legendary singers but they are worth listening to just for the sake of rarity .
27. Vanthale thekku seemaiyile -Pondatti Sonna Kekanum-Chandrabose -Vaali- A rare triad of P Susheela, S Janaki and Vani Jayaram
I conclude this blog with a very rare triad by all the three legends-P Susheela, S Janaki & Vani Jayaram. Although one wishes that someone could have composed a better song with the immense talent of all the three great female singers , still this one has that unique rare quality.
Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:
You Tube
Wikipedia
Ms Subashree Thanikachalam’s QFR series in YouTube
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights 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.
If I have not covered a living legend like Sistla Janaki in my blogs it is because of a simple reason . The dilemma of how to select few songs from the huge number of hit songs that she has rendered in Tamil films alone, apart from all the other South Indian languages, in a career that spans around six decades. Of course, my own limited knowledge about her songs also prevented me from writing about her till now. Even now, I am not confident if I would be able to do some justice to her, but let me at least try.
S Janaki ( henceforth I will refer to her as SJ ) , a living legend, has rendered some of the most difficult songs in film music. In her own words , the song “Shiva shiva ennada naaligeyeke” for the Kannada film Hemavathi was her toughest song , composed in Thodi and Aabhogi , alternating between these two ragas and the lightning speed in which she sings the swaras towards the end of the song is something unbelievable. I am providing the link to that song here:
Almost similar , but more melodious, is her famous Singara Velana Deva from the Tamil film Konjum Salangai, in which she matched the virtuosity of the legendary Nadaswaram player Karakurichi Arunachalam, note by note. For many legendary singers , unfortunately we do not have any authentic source on exact number of songs rendered by them . SJ might have definitely sung thousands of films songs, albums, songs for TV & Radio , sung as solo, duet and with multiple singers. I do not have any official statistics for this number. Since she sang in all the four southern languages , it must be at least in the range of 10,000-20,000 in my own estimate.
Born on 23rd April 1938 to Sistla Sreeramamurthy & Satyavati in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Her father was an Ayurvedic doctor and teacher. Although she never had any formal training in classical music, she did learn some basics from a Nadaswara vidwan Paidiswamy. In the town of Sircilla , she spent her childhood and at the young age of 9 , she sang for the first time on stage. Later , when she was in her twenties, on the advice of her uncle she moved to Chennai and approached the noted music director R Sudarsanam. However it was with the composition of T Chalapathi Rao for the film Vidhiyin Vilayattu in 1957 ( the song was En Aasai Paazhunaathu Eno) she began her glorious career. Immediately after this film she started singing in Telugu and Kannada. Statistically , she is said to have sung the maximum songs in Kannada, followed by Malayalam , Telugu, and Tamil.
Although SJ was singing many songs in Kannada, Malayalam & Telugu , in Tamil till the mid 70’s she sang lesser number of songs as P Susheela was already established as the number one female playback singer during the 50’s & 60’s . However, in my opinion, SJ sang some of the best songs of her career during that period. Of course , in 1976 , there came a turning point in her career with the film Annakili , after which there was no looking back for her in Tamil film music .
Her versatility is unmatched- she could sing like a small kid, intensely emotional songs, folk songs, pure classical songs, devotional songs and one of the most popular genres- her romantic and sensuous songs-all with equal fervour. The ease with which she reaches the higher octaves is simple unbelievable. Starting her career with the yesteryear legends like G Ramanathan, KV Mahadevan, Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy she could easily adapt her singing style to newer generation music directors like Ilayaraja, A.R Rehman , Vidyasagar etc. Of course she did the same in other languages like Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu but I am restricting my blog to only the music I am aware of, i.e. Tamil and that too within my limited ability.
I have tried my best to select few songs from her vast repertoire and tried including a mix of her early songs that are also my personal favourites, and her later, more popular songs. They include her fabulous solos and some of her best duets. Songs have been arranged in chronological order of the film’s year of release , with song , film, year , music director , lyricist, and co-singer.
I have to confess here that my knowledge about SJ’s songs is limited-I have listened to few of them and they are mostly from the pre-90’s and so many readers may find my selection a bit strange. I have tried my best to include her best solos and duets with most of the prominent male playback singers – SPB ( the most popular pair! ) , TMS,P.B. Sreenivas, KJ Yesudas, Malaysia Vasudevan, P Jayachandran, M.S Vishwanathan & Ilayaraja . Among the composers , I have not ventured into the songs she must have sung for many later composers in Tamil films as I have very little idea about that period.
Singara Velane Deva” –Konjum Salangai -1962-S.M Subbiah Naidu-Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam-Nadaswaram played by the legend Karakurichi P. Arunachalam
Though SJ was singing for almost 5 years in Tamils films, this epic “ duet” of SJ with the Nadaswaram played by the maestro Karakurichi P Arunachalam is considered as one her career best. It is said that initially they considered many other singers , but ultimately selected SJ to sing this , matching the high octave of the nadaswaram. The making of this song itself is an interesting story and this has been explained so nicely & comprehensively by Ms Subashree Thanikachalam in her QFR series and I am providing a link to that here. The way in which SJ matches each and every note of the nadaswaram is something that has to be mentioned in golden letters of the annals of Tamil film music history.
The song:
The story behind the song’s creation
2. Kannan Mananilayai” –Deivathin Deivam -1962- G Ramanathan-Mahakavi Subramanya Bharatiyar
A rare song that is truly a gem from the early years of SJ’s career. A superb raagamaligai from the great composer G Ramanathan ( I have written about this song in my blog on GR) , that starts off with Bhimpalasi , then meanders to a soft Bhageshree and ends with raag Bihaag that smoothly flows with romance. Matching step by step with SJ is the veenai played with so much of classicism . No doubt SJ had her most popular and brilliant songs in 70’s and later, but her earlier songs had a purity and innocence that was unmatched.
3. Pon Enben Siru Poovenben-Policekaran Magal-1962- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-Duet with PBS
Sounding so sweet in lower notes is a difficult thing to achieve. PB Sreenivas and SJ are too good in this song that starts off at a slow pace and with lower octaves. And then after Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy ‘s scintillating interlude with veenai , flute & strings the song shifts to a faster tempo and higher notes. An immortal melody from V-R based on Darbari Kanada raagam. I consider this as one of the most melodious duets of PBS & SJ.
4. Chinnanjiriya Vanna Paravai-Kungumam-1963-K. V Mahadevan-Kannadasan-Duet with TMS
The same raagam Darbari Kanada is handled in a different way by another legendary composer, K V Mahadevan. In this , TMS joins SJ and both render a masterpiece together, matching note by note so well. The intricate alaapanai towards the end of the song seem so effortless when these two legends sing together.
Hidden amongst the more famous songs in this film like the evergreen TMS & P Susheela duet Muthukalo Kangal and P Susheela’s solo Enge Neeyo Naanum ange unnodu, this SJ solo remained a relatively unheard one , but as usual SJ shows her immense talent in singing this in a truly amazing way. The starting itself is at such a high note and the excellent orchestration by MSV adds so much power to the song. Those who are hearing this for the first time, like me, are sure to hear it repeatedly.
6. Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen -Avalukendru Oru Manam-1971-M.S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
As I keep discovering more and more gems of SJ from the Black & White era films, I am truly amazed at the immense variety of songs she had rendered. The tune , interludes & charanam are all vintage MSV! Superb shehnai as in most of MSV’s old songs and when we have SJ going all out , then it has to be a masterpiece.
7. Sollathan Ninaikiren- Sollathan Ninaikiren-1973- M.S Vishwanathan-Vaali-Duet with MSV
Whenever I listen to this song, I wonder how futuristic , MSV’s tunes were!
There is a sweet contrast in the voices-rustic, heavy voice of MSV coupled with a soft and velvety voice of SJ. As such MSV sang very rarely and with SJ , must be just a handful. The tune itself is so mesmerising and the orchestration by MSV , with those superb guitars, flutes, that solo violin, MSV’s trademark piano-all simply out of the world. The last stanza is normally not heard in the audio versions and I think only the film version has it.
8. Then sinthuthe vaanam -Ponnuku Thanga Manasu-1973-G.K Venkatesh-Kannadasan-Duet with SPB
G.K Venkatesh , the legendary composer in Kannada films , scored for few Tamil films only but whatever he composed were superb tunes. The golden combination of SPB & SJ would later go on to create great waves in Tamil films with Ilayaraja, GKV’s protégé . It is said that GKV was quite busy during the time of composing this song and he had created the basic melody and gave it to his assistant Ilayaraja to arrange and conduct . Note how SJ effortlessly reaches the high octaves in the lines “ Vaidehi munne raghuvamsha raman.”
Although SJ was singing for a long time in Tamil films and even more in the other southern languages, it was this song that took her to the Mt Everest of Tamil film music! The brilliance in IR’s composition was evident in his very first film , that continued at least for another two decades, almost uninterrupted.
SJ’s mastery over the emotions in the song , along with her trademark pitch makes this a milestone song in her career.
If IR had triggered the SJ wave with Annakili, MSV , who , till then had relatively given only few songs to her, came up with a masterpiece. In my purely personal opinion , this is one of her greatest songs. I simply cannot get tired listening to this. The way SJ carried this song is very difficult to explain. MSV comes up with a unique concept of starting the song with a fast tempo & chorus humming. His typical drums give the kick start and then SJ makes her grand entry like a superstar in a film scene with her extraordinary alaap. The core theme of the song , as usually written so well by the great Kannadasan, is about how the heroine feels after falling in love after years of slogging to support the large family she is burdened with . MSV’s tune, Kannadasan’s words and SJ’s singing -all create the exact feel for the situation. That is why songs created by those legends are evergreen.
After Annakili , this was one more feather in SJ’s cap. IR’s guitar, flute , strings that dominate the prelude is etched in our memory even after 48 years . This song brought the first National award for best female playback singing for SJ ; she continued to win three more National awards. There might not have been even a single day when this song was not heard at the time of its release.
One phrase from summarizes this song: ‘Jillendra Kaatre’…cool breeze. Whenever you listen to this you feel a cool breeze caressing you.
Matching note by note , the sound of ‘kuil’ (nightingale) in this song, SJ could come out with a super hit song in this movie , that also had the great classical singer M Balamurali Krishna rendering his immortal Chinna Kannan Azhaikiran.
13. Antha Purathil Oru Maharajan-Deepam-1977-Ilayaraja -Pulamaipithan-Duet with TMS
The first few years after he stormed the Tamil film music scene , Ilayaraja was having a creative explosion! Whatever he tuned turned out to be a super hit. TMS and SJ sang very few songs together and that too in IR’s composition, they were very few, but this is one song that remains in our memory whenever we think of this rare combination. Note how SJ modulates her voice in the line “ Aasai kanindhu vara avan paarthaan; annam thalai kunindhu nilam paarthaal.”
In songs like this, SJ proves that apart from those high pitched, intricate/difficult, and romantic songs, she can also render a sober , melodious song with equal fervour.
When we listen to this song, the first impression is on the extraordinary tune and orchestration of IR. But it is also the excellent singing of SJ, who took this song to a different level, and made it into a masterpiece. Especially the way she elaborates that “ kanatha…ondrai theduthe” with those subtle pauses and drag.
Like Senthoorapoove , Kaatril Yenthan Geetham , this is one iconic solo of SJ under the baton of the maestro Ilayaraja. One of my all-time favourites of this combination, the multi-layered orchestration by IR is simply world class. SJ brings the right tone to the song , with a restrained singing in some places and then going all out in the higher notes in her typical style.
That intricate humming right from the beginning of the song to the first charanam and the second one , and of course the usual orchestration brilliance of IR set the mood for the song.
18. Pothi Vechha Malliga mottu-Mann Vasanai-1983-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-Duet with SPB
The hero of this song is of course SPB , who embellishes it with all those intricate nuances that he is well known for. Equally SJ matches him in each and every note. And when these two sing together it is always magic!
19. Vetti Veru Vasam-Mudal Mariyathai-1985- Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-Duet with Malaysia Vasudevan
Mudal Mariyadai had some of the best songs from the team of IR & Vairamuthu although it is said that they did not like the film and never watched it! It even fetched Vairamuthu a National award for best lyrics. One of the best duets of Malaysia Vasudevan and SJ , with both effortlessly gliding through those high octaves in the charanams.
When two legends , MSV & IR teamed up for this film , the music is bound to be a milestone. The former had composed most of the songs in the films, with IR taking care of the arrangements and orchestration. A soft melody that lingers in your mind with SJ conveying the feelings of separation by a lovelorn woman so evocatively.
21. Kodiyile Malliyappu-Kadalora Kavithaigal-1986-Ilayaraja- Vairamuthu-Duet with P Jayachandran
Just around 3 months back we lost this legendary singer-P Jayachandran. If someone could look at the statistics of his Tamil songs, he must have had the one of the highest percentage of hits. This eternal duet by him and SJ , with that out-of-the world orchestration by IR has always been my personal favourite.
22. Adi Aathhadi -Kadalora Kavithaigal-1986-Ilayaraja- Vairamuthu- Duet with Ilayaraja
From the same film Kadalora Kavithaigal, we have one more excellent duet of SJ, this one with the composer himself. Also the unique experimentation by IR by creating an overlap of the singer’s voice adds so much charm.
23. Thoongatha Vizhigal Rendu-Agni Natchatiram-1988-Ilayaraja-Vaali-Duet with KJY
It has been IR’s mastery to take a classical raagam and compose a catchy film song , embellishing it with a superb orchestration . And when it comes to a classical base song, then who else but the Gaana Gandharvan K J Yesudas to join with SJ and come out with a timeless classic.
24. Sundari Kannnal Oru Sethi – Thalapathi -1991-Ilayaraja-Vaali-Duet with SPB
It was a real dilemma for me to choose from the numerous hits of the golden combination -SPB & SJ. All songs from Thalapathi were super hits and this duet
is one of the most famous from this duo.
25. Nenjile Nenjile-Uyire-1998-A. R Rehman-Vairamuthu
I have limited knowledge of Tamils songs after 1990 , especially those SJ hafd sung with composers other than Ilayaraja. I have to admit that I was aware of the Hindi version of this song that was also composed by ARR ( film Dil Se) sung by Lata Mangeshkar when her voice was past her prime. Only when searching for some best SJ songs for ARR , I came across this -even at the age of 60, SJ’s voice sounds so youthful.
With that I conclude my article on the versatile S Janaki. I only wish I had listened to many more songs of her . Normally I do not venture into the songs in other languages that I am not very familiar , but would like to make an exception here. This Malayalam song-Thumbi Vaa Thumbakudathin from the film Olangal, written by O N V Kuruppu ,has been my personal favourite and so posting the link here:
IR must have liked this tune so much that he later took into this into a Tamil film -Sangathil Padatha Kavithai for the film Auto Raja and in Telugu as Aakasham Ennatido for the film Nireekshana . All had one common singer-S Janaki!!
Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:
You Tube
Wikipedia
QFR series in YouTube by Ragamalika TV
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights 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.always known as S Janaki and shortened SJ for simplicity , in my blogs , it is because of this . The dilemma of how to select few songs from the huge number of hit songs that she has rendered in Tamil films alone, apart from all the other South Indian languages, in a career that spans around six decades. Of course, my own limited knowledge about her songs also prevented me from writing about her till now. Even now, I am not confident if I would be able to do some justice to her, but let me at least try.
SJ , a living legend, has rendered some of the most difficult songs in film music. In her own words , the song “Shiva shiva ennada naaligeyeke” for the Kannada film Hemavathi was her toughest song , composed in Thodi and Aabhogi , alternating between these two ragas and the lightning speed in which she sings the swaras towards the end of the song is something unbelievable. I am providing the link to that song here:
Almost similar , but more melodious, is her famous Singara Velana Deva from the Tamil film Konjum Salangai, in which she matched the virtuosity of the legendary Nadaswaram player Karakurichi Arunachalam, note by note. For many legendary singers , unfortunately we do not have any authentic source on exact number of songs rendered by them . SJ might have definitely sung thousands of films songs, albums, songs for TV & Radio , sung as solo, duet and with multiple singers. I do not have any official statistics for this number. Since she sang in all the four southern languages , it must be at least in the range of 10,000-20,000 in my own estimate.
Born on 23rd April 1938 to Sistla Sreeramamurthy & Satyavati in Guntur, Andhra Pradesh. Her father was an Ayurvedic doctor and teacher. Although she never had any formal training in classical music, she did learn some basics from a Nadaswara vidwan Paidiswamy. In the town of Sircilla , she spent her childhood and at the young age of 9 , she sang for the first time on stage. Later , when she was in her twenties, on the advice of her uncle she moved to Chennai and approached the noted music director R Sudarsanam. However it was with the composition of T Chalapathi Rao for the film Vidhiyin Vilayattu in 1957 ( the song was En Aasai Paazhunaathu Eno) she began her glorious career. Immediately after this film she started singing in Telugu and Kannada. Statistically , she is said to have sung the maximum songs in Kannada, followed by Malayalam , Telugu, and Tamil.
Although SJ was singing many songs in Kannada, Malayalam & Telugu , in Tamil till the mid 70’s she sang lesser number of songs as P Susheela was already established as the number one female playback singer during the 50’s & 60’s . However, in my opinion, SJ sang some of the best songs of her career during that period. Of course , in 1976 , there came a turning point in her career with the film Annakili , after which there was no looking back for her in Tamil film music .
Her versatility is unmatched- she could sing like a small kid, intensely emotional songs, folk songs, pure classical songs, devotional songs and one of the most popular genres- her romantic and sensuous songs-all with equal fervour. The ease with which she reaches the higher octaves is simple unbelievable. Starting her career with the yesteryear legends like G Ramanathan, KV Mahadevan, Vishwanathan -Ramamoorthy she could easily adapt her singing style to newer generation music directors like Ilayaraja, A.R Rehman , Vidyasagar etc. Of course she did the same in other languages like Kannada, Malayalam, Telugu but I am restricting my blog to only the music I am aware of, i.e. Tamil and that too within my limited ability.
I have tried my best to select few songs from her vast repertoire and tried including a mix of her early songs that are also my personal favourites, and her later, more popular songs. They include her fabulous solos and some of her best duets. Songs have been arranged in chronological order of the film’s year of release , with song , film, year , music director , lyricist, and co-singer.
I have to confess here that my knowledge about SJ’s songs is limited-I have listened to few of them and they are mostly from the pre-90’s and so many readers may find my selection a bit strange. I have tried my best to include her best solos and duets with most of the prominent male playback singers – SPB ( the most popular pair! ) , TMS,P.B. Sreenivas, KJ Yesudas, Malaysia Vasudevan, P Jayachandran, M.S Vishwanathan & Ilayaraja . Among the composers , I have not ventured into the songs she must have sung for many later composers in Tamil films as I have very little idea about that period.
Singara Velane Deva” –Konjum Salangai -1962-S.M Subbiah Naidu-Ku. Ma. Balasubramaniam-Nadaswaram played by the legend Karakurichi P. Arunachalam
Though SJ was singing for almost 5 years in Tamils films, this epic “ duet” of SJ with the Nadaswaram played by the maestro Karakurichi P Arunachalam is considered as one her career best. It is said that initially they considered many other singers , but ultimately selected SJ to sing this , matching the high octave of the nadaswaram. The making of this song itself is an interesting story and this has been explained so nicely & comprehensively by Ms Subashree Thanikachalam in her QFR series and I am providing a link to that here. The way in which SJ matches each and every note of the nadaswaram is something that has to be mentioned in golden letters of the annals of Tamil film music history.
The song:
The story behind the song’s creation
2. Kannan Mananilayai” –Deivathin Deivam -1962- G Ramanathan-Mahakavi Subramanya Bharatiyar
A rare song that is truly a gem from the early years of SJ’s career. A superb raagamaligai from the great composer G Ramanathan ( I have written about this song in my blog on GR) , that starts off with Bhimpalasi , then meanders to a soft Bhageshree and ends with raag Bihaag that smoothly flows with romance. Matching step by step with SJ is the veenai played with so much of classicism . No doubt SJ had her most popular and brilliant songs in 70’s and later, but her earlier songs had a purity and innocence that was unmatched.
3. Pon Enben Siru Poovenben-Policekaran Magal-1962- Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy-Kannadasan-Duet with PBS
Sounding so sweet in lower notes is a difficult thing to achieve. PB Sreenivas and SJ are too good in this song that starts off at a slow pace and with lower octaves. And then after Vishwanathan-Ramamoorthy ‘s scintillating interlude with veenai , flute & strings the song shifts to a faster tempo and higher notes. An immortal melody from V-R based on Darbari Kanada raagam. I consider this as one of the most melodious duets of PBS & SJ.
4. Chinnanjiriya Vanna Paravai-Kungumam-1963-K. V Mahadevan-Kannadasan-Duet with TMS
The same raagam Darbari Kanada is handled in a different way by another legendary composer, K V Mahadevan. In this , TMS joins SJ and both render a masterpiece together, matching note by note so well. The intricate alaapanai towards the end of the song seem so effortless when these two legends sing together.
Hidden amongst the more famous songs in this film like the evergreen TMS & P Susheela duet Muthukalo Kangal and P Susheela’s solo Enge Neeyo Naanum ange unnodu, this SJ solo remained a relatively unheard one , but as usual SJ shows her immense talent in singing this in a truly amazing way. The starting itself is at such a high note and the excellent orchestration by MSV adds so much power to the song. Those who are hearing this for the first time, like me, are sure to hear it repeatedly.
6. Unnidathil Ennai Koduthen -Avalukendru Oru Manam-1971-M.S Vishwanathan-Kannadasan
As I keep discovering more and more gems of SJ from the Black & White era films, I am truly amazed at the immense variety of songs she had rendered. The tune , interludes & charanam are all vintage MSV! Superb shehnai as in most of MSV’s old songs and when we have SJ going all out , then it has to be a masterpiece.
7. Sollathan Ninaikiren- Sollathan Ninaikiren-1973- M.S Vishwanathan-Vaali-Duet with MSV
Whenever I listen to this song, I wonder how futuristic , MSV’s tunes were!
There is a sweet contrast in the voices-rustic, heavy voice of MSV coupled with a soft and velvety voice of SJ. As such MSV sang very rarely and with SJ , must be just a handful. The tune itself is so mesmerising and the orchestration by MSV , with those superb guitars, flutes, that solo violin, MSV’s trademark piano-all simply out of the world. The last stanza is normally not heard in the audio versions and I think only the film version has it.
8. Then sinthuthe vaanam -Ponnuku Thanga Manasu-1973-G.K Venkatesh-Kannadsan-Duet with SPB
G.K Venkatesh , the legendary composer in Kannada films , scored for few Tamil films only but whatever he composed were superb tunes. The golden combination of SPB & SJ would later go on to create great waves in Tamil films with Ilayaraja, GKV’s protégé . It is said that GKV was quite busy during the time of composing this song and he had created the basic melody and gave it to his assistant Ilayaraja to arrange and conduct . Note how SJ effortlessly reaches the high octaves in the lines “ Vaidehi munne raghuvamsha raman.”
Although SJ was singing for a long time in Tamil films and even more in the other southern languages, it was this song that took her to the Mt Everest of Tamil film music! The brilliance in IR’s composition was evident in his very first film , that continued at least for another two decades, almost uninterrupted.
SJ’s mastery over the emotions in the song , along with her trademark pitch makes this a milestone song in her career.
If IR had triggered the SJ wave with Annakili, MSV , who , till then had relatively given only few songs to her, came up with a masterpiece. In my purely personal opinion , this is one of her greatest songs. I simply cannot get tired listening to this. The way SJ carried this song is very difficult to explain. MSV comes up with a unique concept of starting the song with a fast tempo & chorus humming. His typical drums give the kick start and then SJ makes her grand entry like a superstar in a film scene with her extraordinary alaap. The core theme of the song , as usually written so well by the great Kannadasan, is about how the heroine feels after falling in love after years of slogging to support the large family she is burdened with . MSV’s tune, Kannadasan’s words and SJ’s singing -all create the exact feel for the situation. That is why songs created by those legends are evergreen.
After Annakili , this was one more feather in SJ’s cap. IR’s guitar, flute , strings that dominate the prelude is etched in our memory even after 48 years . This song brought the first National award for best female playback singing for SJ ; she continued to win three more National awards. There might not have been even a single day when this song was not heard at the time of its release.
One phrase from summarizes this song: ‘Jillendra Kaatre’…cool breeze. Whenever you listen to this you feel a cool breeze caressing you.
Matching note by note , the sound of ‘kuil’ (nightingale) in this song, SJ could come out with a super hit song in this movie , that also had the great classical singer M Balamurali Krishna rendering his immortal Chinna Kannan Azhaikiran.
13. Antha Purathil Oru Maharajan-Deepam-1977-Ilayaraja -Pulamaipithan-Duet with TMS
The first few years after he stormed the Tamil film music scene , Ilayaraja was having a creative explosion! Whatever he tuned turned out to be a super hit. TMS and SJ sang very few songs together and that too in IR’s composition, they were very few, but this is one song that remains in our memory whenever we think of this rare combination. Note how SJ modulates her voice in the line “ Aasai kanindhu vara avan paarthaan; annam thalai kunindhu nilam paarthaal.”
In songs like this, SJ proves that apart from those high pitched, intricate/difficult, and romantic songs, she can also render a sober , melodious song with equal fervour.
When we listen to this song, the first impression is on the extraordinary tune and orchestration of IR. But it is also the excellent singing of SJ, who took this song to a different level, and made it into a masterpiece. Especially the way she elaborates that “ kanatha…ondrai theduthe” with those subtle pauses and drag.
Like Senthoorapoove , Kaatril Yenthan Geetham , this is one iconic solo of SJ under the baton of the maestro Ilayaraja. One of my all-time favourites of this combination, the multi-layered orchestration by IR is simply world class. SJ brings the right tone to the song , with a restrained singing in some places and then going all out in the higher notes in her typical style.
That intricate humming right from the beginning of the song to the first charanam and the second one , and of course the usual orchestration brilliance of IR set the mood for the song.
18. Pothi Vechha Malliga mottu-Mann Vasanai-1983-Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-Duet with SPB
The hero of this song is of course SPB , who embellishes it with all those intricate nuances that he is well known for. Equally SJ matches him in each and every note. And when these two sing together it is always magic!
19. Vetti Veru Vasam-Mudal Mariyathai-1985- Ilayaraja-Vairamuthu-Duet with Malaysia Vasudevan
Mudal Mariyadai had some of the best songs from the team of IR & Vairamuthu although it is said that they did not like the film and never watched it! It even fetched Vairamuthu a National award for best lyrics. One of the best duets of Malaysia Vasudevan and SJ , with both effortlessly gliding through those high octaves in the charanams.
When two legends , MSV & IR teamed up for this film , the music is bound to be a milestone. The former had composed most of the songs in the films, with IR taking care of the arrangements and orchestration. A soft melody that lingers in your mind with SJ conveying the feelings of separation by a lovelorn woman so evocatively.
21. Kodiyile Malliyappu-Kadalora Kavithaigal-1986-Ilayaraja- Vairamuthu-Duet with P Jayachandran
Just around 3 months back we lost this legendary singer-P Jayachandran. If someone could look at the statistics of his Tamil songs, he must have had the one of the highest percentage of hits. This eternal duet by him and SJ , with that out-of-the world orchestration by IR has always been my personal favourite.
22. Adi Aathhadi -Kadalora Kavithaigal-1986-Ilayaraja- Vairamuthu- Duet with Ilayaraja
From the same film Kadalora Kavithaigal, we have one more excellent duet of SJ, this one with the composer himself. Also the unique experimentation by IR by creating an overlap of the singer’s voice adds so much charm.
23. Thoongatha Vizhigal Rendu-Agni Natchatiram-1988-Ilayaraja-Vaali-Duet with KJY
It has been IR’s mastery to take a classical raagam and compose a catchy film song , embellishing it with a superb orchestration . And when it comes to a classical base song, then who else but the Gaana Gandharvan K J Yesudas to join with SJ and come out with a timeless classic.
24. Sundari Kannnal Oru Sethi – Thalapathi -1991-Ilayaraja-Vaali-Duet with SPB
It was a real dilemma for me to choose from the numerous hits of the golden combination -SPB & SJ. All songs from Thalapathi were super hits and this duet is one of the most famous from this duo.
25.Nenjile Nenjile-Uyire-1998-A. R Rehman-Vairamuthu
I have limited knowledge of Tamils songs after 1990 , especially those SJ hafd sung with composers other than Ilayaraja. I have to admit that I was aware of the Hindi version of this song that was also composed by ARR ( film Dil Se) sung by Lata Mangeshkar when her voice was past her prime. Only when searching for some best SJ songs for ARR , I came across this -even at the age of 60, SJ’s voice sounds so youthful.
With that I conclude my article on the versatile S Janaki. I only wish I had listened to many more songs of her . Normally I do not venture into the songs in other languages that I am not very familiar , but would like to make an exception here. This Malayalam song-Thumbi Vaa Thumbakudathin from the film Olangal, composed by Ilayaraja , written by O N V Kuruppu ,has been my personal favourite and so posting the link here:
IR must have liked this tune so much that he later took into this into a Tamil film -Sangathil Padatha Kavithai ( film Auto Raja) & and in Telugu as Aakasham Ennatido ( film Nireekhsana) . All had one common singer-S Janaki!!
Acknowledgements and Disclaimer:
I sincerely thank the publishers of following Internet sources for the information that I could gather for this article:
You Tube
Wikipedia
QFR series in YouTube by Ragamalika TV
The songs mentioned are from the popular, public domain and have been embedded here only for the listening pleasure of the music lovers. This blog does not claim any copyright over them, which rests with the respective owners of the rights 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.
Music Unrestricted 