Concerts of Raaja

radioandmusic coverage of Toronto concert

Speaking with Radioandmusic.com, Hariharan said, “’Engeyum Eppothum Raja’ Show (Maestro Live in Concert) is a three-day huge symphonic event with acoustic sounds. I will be there for two live performances one in Toronto at Rogers stadium and San Jose in United States. I will perform on all Tamil songs. Rogers stadium can accommodate around 25,000 to 30, 000 people so it is really going to be huge.”

Looks like KJY is not featured in any of the 3 North America concerts . He was part of the originally planned concert till it got postponed. I'm glad that SPB can make it.

Another press release on Toronto show

The show ‘Engeyum Eppothum Raja’ is set to go on as planned on February 16th 2013. The show which was supposed to be held on November 3rd 2012, was cancelled due to ‘Hurricane Neelam’ in the Indian Ocean and forced flights to be cancelled. Now, the show will go on as planned, the artist are in Toronto, rehearsed and ready.

Makkale,

If the WI-FI works out.. I will try to selectively webcast the concert. Here's the link for live stream. http://www.ustream.tv/channel/senthilvinu

I will try to post live updates on twitter.
https://twitter.com/SenthilVinu

Cheers,
Senthil

Final list based on various comments..Please add whatever has been missed.
#EERaja Engeyum Eppodhum Raaja - Rogers Center, Toronto concert song list.
1. Janani Janani - Maestro
2. Om shivoham- Karthik
3. Isaiyil thodangudhammaa - Hariharan
4. Annakkili unna thaedudhae - Chitra
5. Madai thirandhu - SPB Sir
6. Idhayam oru Kovil- Maestro
7. En iniya pon nilaavae - Karthik
8. Nee paarttha paarvaikkoru - Hariharan & Sadhana
9. Koondhalilae Maegam - Madhu Balakrishnan
10.Naan thaedum sevvandhippoovidhu - Maestro & Chinnakkuyil
11. Medley - Naanaaga naan illai, azhagu malarada,aanandha thaenkkaatru
12. Raatthiriyil Poorthirukkum - SPB and Priya Himesh
13. Maanchaolai kilidhaanao - Hariharan
14. Paottu vaittha kaadhal thirandhu - Yuvan & Karthik
15. Aagaaya vennilaavae- Madhu Balakrishnan & Anitha
16. Kaadhalin Deepam Ondru - SPB Sir
17. Yamunai Aatrile - Surmukhi
18. Sorgame Endralum changed lyrics - Raja & Chitra
19. Thamdhana - Chitra & Sadhana
20. Nenjukukke - SPB and Chitra
21. Rasaathi Unna - Hariharan
22. New composition without the orchestra, specially done for this show.
23. Valli Valli Enna Vandaan - IR and Surmukhi
24. Ninaivo Oru Paravai - Yuvan and Ramya NSK
25. Ananda Ragam - Sadhana Sargam
26. Sundari Kannal - SPB and Chitra
27. Saaindhu Saaindhu - Yuvan and Ramya NSK
28. Anandha Ragam - Sadhana Sargam
29. Naan Porandhu Vandha
30. Oram Po Oram Po
31. Nila Adhu Vaanathumele

^Nice playlist this. Koondhalile megam is a real surprise.

Here is a nice clear video from the concert. Glad to see SPB in his elements.

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/l2qef2

Engeyum Eppodhum Raja - #Ilayaraja Toronto Show review - Feb 16, 2013

- Ravi Natarajan

I was pretty mixed up about going to the Raja show in Toronto, due to several reasons. I have watched every Raja performance that was telecasted since 2005. So, I was not sure, what would be a new experience going for this one. Besides, I have heard SPB, Chitra, Hari or Karthik on concerts. Hari on concerts is an oxymoron, as I consider him a good studio artiste and a bad live performer with his crazy improvising. Lastly, why venture out at -15 degrees on a Saturday night. However, I have heard from a number of friends about hearing the Raja orchestra live and no recording technology till date has effectively captured it. A number of live shows of Raja on TV did sound not so great compared to the CDs that I have. Well, I yielded to the temptation and decided to go for the show in a day that was not just cold, but also very clumsy with light snow and slippery roads.

In this post, I will focus strictly on what attracts me the most of Raja – his music. I will leave out stuff related to compeering and other frills. Particularly, I will focus on his orchestra and will also point out the ones that turned out great and the ones that did not. I was glad to see the usual Raja orchestra in full strength – a number of familiar ones included Prabhakar (conductor), Sada (lead guitar), Bharani (keys), Prasad, Jayacha (percussion), Napoleon (Flute), Pt. Balesh (Shehnai), Sashi (bass guitar), Sekar (cello). Raja introduced a few others at the end – Kumar (drums), and folks on the veena, sitar, horns. Apart from this, Raja had some fantastic choir singers. They were the true icing (why the hell do we need that in CanadaJ) on the cake. While there are so many techniques that are hard to reproduce on a stage compared to the facilities in a studio, my commentary will highlight some of the places where it showed from a listener’s POV.

1. Introductory music – Unfortunately, I missed this as I was stuck on a coffee lineup. I did not find it appealing when I heard it remotely. Raja said that this was composed by Karthik Raja.

2. Janani Janani (Thai Moogambigai - 1982) – As usual, this was the opening song in this concert too. The support singers and Raja did a good job though he had some starting problems

3. Om Sivoham (Naan Kadavul – 2009) - As in the film and the CD, this was thundering and Karthik sang the original Vijay Prakash song. Good rendition by Karthik and supported ably by Satyan. The percussion ensemble was unfortunately did not sound as the original and I felt that the rhythm arrangement was simplified for a stage performance. However, attempting this on stage was hard enough, and turned out to be a first good performance of the evening

4. Isaiyil Thodangudhamma (Hey Ram 2000) - Hariharan was asked to perform the Ajoy Chakraborthy song. I was hearing Ajoy saab’s music on my way to the Rogers center and did not expect this song to be performed. Hari’s sangathis were effortless and he did a good job. His Tamil limitations did not show up as the original was sang by Ajoy. The orchestra was trying to match the studio recording with a sarangi playing its part in the BGM well. I am used to instruments getting replaced with keyboard and this was nice to hear the original instrument. However, the orchestra was somehow muted and did not bring the same level of performance in the original recording

5. Annakili Unnai Thedudhe (Annakili 1976) – Chitra took on the Janaki song and sang well. However, the percussion sounded loud and jarring. The violins came alive with the cellos and boy, that was sweeping for the first time in the evening

6. Madai Thirandhu (Nizhalgal 1980) – SPB started off with a grand orchestration that goes with this tune. God bless this man – he clearly shows what a veteran performer that he is. Along with Sashi, Sada, Sekar, Kumar and the entire violin section, they blew my socks away. The choir of this song was rendered beautifully by the team and this song sounded that the evening was worth it. There is no way that something like this can be experienced on TV or even a well cut CD. Hats off to Balu and the orchestra – I got 25% of my money’s worth already!

7. Pattu Solli (Azhagi 2001) – Sadhana Sargam sang her favorite Raja song. The prelude was nicely done with a real nadaswaram (I forgot the name of the player, Raja mentioned). On the orchestration side, I found that this song, especially its charanam was a bit muted with the bass missing. Sadhana has performed this number better in the earlier Raja shows. This was an average performance compared to her earlier ones

8. Idhayam Oru Kovil (Uyarndha Ullam 1985) Raja sang his first song as a poet and did a good job, The highlight of the song - the second interlude was performed by the orchestra (violins/flutes/cello/DB) very well. I got another 25% of the money’s worth!

9. En Iniya Pon Nilave (Moodu Pani 1980) – Karthik sang the Yesudas song and Sada’s guitar was outstanding as usual. The choir and the violins were fantastic in the first interlude. The second interlude has an electric guitar piece (sounds like veena) that sounded muted. Karthik sang out of turn before the interlude ended in the first charanam. Overall, the orchestra did much better

10. Nee Partha Paarvai (Hey Ram 2000) – Hari and Sadhana sang the song originally rendered by Hari and Asha. This is the only Hari song of the evening that Hari sang! The keys prelude was very poorly reproduced. The initial humming was missed and Raja got them to redo it. The intro keys were still not up to the mark. Hari did sing this song well. The orchestra was too loud and this was one of the below average renditions of the evening.

11. Koondhalile (Bala Nagamma 1981) – Madhu Balakrishnan performed this Yesudas one. For some reason, though Madhu sang this song well, a number of supporting elements did not turn out to be great. Firstly, the solo violin that is part of the first interlude was very muted. Normally, Prabhakar takes on those. I heard the veena also, very suppressed. Finally, Anita who did the humming was not able to do justice to Shailaja’s original rendering and she sounded muted too. The 2nd interlude was a wash too.

12. Naan Thedum Sevvanthi Poovidhu (Dharma Pathini 1986) – Raja and Chitra performed this song. The rhythm arrangement for the pallavi sounded different from the original song. It was nice to hear the drone of the instruments before Raja begins the humming in this song. Raja did sing out of turn on occasions though Chitra accommodated him. He was not very focused on singing this song and somehow multi-tasking between orchestration and singing

13. A medley of 4 songs followed. The first in the medley was Azhagu malarada (Validehi Kaathirundaal - 1984 – sang by Janaki) sang by Hari and Surmukhi – this was nicely conceived and poorly executed. Raja took the nice bass lines of Naan Thedum Sevvanthi and merged it into this track with a drums support instead of the original tabla. There was a bit of a screwup and this followed by Naanaga Naan Illai Thaaye by SPB (Thoongathe Thambhi Thoongathe - 1983). Pt. Balesh’s shehnai could be clearly heard in the introductory parts (SPB started off with the charanam). This was completed with the song of Malaysia Vasudevan (Manipur Maamiyar – 1979) where he sang like CS Jayaraman. I can’t recollect the name of the artise who sang this song along with Priya Himesh. However, both of them sang extremely well. Priya has a bright career ahead of her. I did not realize till I heard this song on how beautiful he strings of this song are. Poor quality recordings floating on the internet has to be blamed!

14. Raathiriyil Poothirukkum (Thanga Magan 1983) – SPB and Priya sang this number originally rendered by Balu and Janaki. The keys , flute, choir, violins, the singers – they just did a splendid job. Both the interludes were executed to perfection. Needless to say, SPB was in top form. But Priya was able to match him very well. I got another 25% of my money’s worth.

15. Manjolai Kilithano (Kizhakke Pogum Rayil 1978) – Hari was turned into Jayachandran for the evening. The rhythm section rocked – Napolean added spice with his flute. The sitar came out nicely, and Hari sang this song not badly. His Tamil is still a problem. While Hari made decent attempts to sing most of the Jayachandran numbers, he is no match to JC’s diction. He floats over Tamil sounds as though he is rendering a ghazal!

16. Nama Shiva Vaazhga (TIS 2005) – Vivek presented the 4 forms of this chant from a Thiruvasagam track and demonstrated the genius behind the composition. This was not performed, just demonstrated with the CD being played.

17. Pottu Vaitha Kadhal Thittam (Singaravelan 1992) Karthik and Yuvan sang the original Kamal song. Both of them did a good job and surprisingly Yuvan had practiced his lines well as he did not slip. The drummer was brilliant and synthesizers took care of the rest. Another high point of the evening.

18. Agaya Vennilave (Arangetra Velai – 1990) – Madhu and Anitha sang this song of Yesudas and Uma. Madhu was in his elements and the song turned out to be honest to its original. Somehow, in a live performance, the 1st interlude’s counter melody does not get surfaced as well as the studio recoding. However, both the signers did a good job.

19. Kadhalin Deepam (Thambikku Endha Ooru -1984) – One of the all time SPB’s favorite. The orchestra did a great job and one could experience the double bass, violins (the rush of them in the second interlude). While Balu did a good job, he was a bit slow and the rhythm was a bit louder.

20. Yamunai Aatrile (Dhalapathy 1991) – I can’t recollect the name of the lady who sang this on stage originally sang by Mitalee. She did a fine job and was a very short song. The rhythm section was truly irritating

21. Tham Thananam – (Puthiya Vaarpugal 1979). This song was rendered by Chitra and Sadhana originally rendered by Jensi and Vasantha. Raja reorchestrated this track for his performance, and boy, it sounded fantastic. The violins were a real treat and along with the bass, the arrangement reminded me of the JW style of grandeur. Every second of this was rendered perfectly by the singers and the string ensemble. Overall, this song got me another 50% of my money’s worth! This one track was good for a slide back and forth through the clumsy cold white stuff!

22. Etho Mogam (Kozhi Koovuthu 1982). Karthik and Surmukhi sang this song originally rendered by Krishnachander and Janaki. I rate this as one of the best preludes ever created and the orchestra did full justice to the original. Napoleon and the choir did a splendid job. Raja, stopped the violins in the second interlude and asked them to redo the cannon perfectly.

23. Nenjukulle (Ponnumani 1993) – SPB and Chitra rendered the original by Balu and Janaki. The ghatam (Jayacha) came out and there was no faking. The flute in the second interlude by Napolean was perfect. Another 25% of the money’s worth.

24. Rasathi Unnai (Vaidehi Kaathirunthaal – 1984) Hari, the JC of the evening, floated over the lyrics and stayed on the tune. The orchestra was brilliant. The cello, double bass, violins just weaved the magic in its entire splendor. Though I have heard this song a thousand times, hearing it in its original form was exhilarating. Technology has to go a long way to capture such splendor. Prasad was his usual self on the table for this track.

25. Naan Porandhu Vandhadhu (Maya Bazaar 1995). A capella in Indian film music is rare. Doing a full song with just human voices means that you need to master western harmony to the highest level. Performing this on stage – only Raja and his choir team can do this. Outstanding choir team – hats off to them. They meticulously reproduced the laughs at the end of track done honoring the harmony rules, brilliantly on stage. It is sad that most audiences did not appreciate this track as much till SPB explained the genius behind the work. Raja and his team should not take such feedback from the audience and start dropping such tracks from their performances. Raja’s job is to elevate listening and many of his other popular songs will more than compensate for such brilliant experimentation. In other words, he should continue with full steam! It was fitting to listen to this, as I have been publishing my research on Raja’s choir for the past 2 years in my blog and I rate this track as a true showcase of his genius, along with Eriyile Elandha Maram. He stands well above all Indian composers on several grounds, vocal harmony being one of the tall grounds! This track alone got 100% of the money’s worth.

26. Valli Valli Ena (Deiva Vaaku 1992) Raja sang this track (originally with Janaki) and was nicely supported by the Flute, guitar and claves. It was nice to see claves being performed live as these days, orchestras simply rely on synthpads and they sound so unreal.

27. Ninaivo Oru Paravai (Sigappu Rojakkal 1978). Yuvan and NSK Ramya sang this song originally sang by Kamal and Janaki. Surprisingly, Yuvan did sing this song very well. Ramya’s humming in this song was outstanding measuring up to the original Janaki. The orchestra simply took off and did a splendid job. Sashi’s bass was very nicely supportive and the violins were just splendid. There is no recorded version that can scale up to the ‘real’ sound of this song. I got another 25% of my money’s worth.

28. Ananda Raagam (Paneer Pushpangal 1981). Sadhana sang this song originally rendered by Uma Ramanan. The orchestra was the star of the song. Sadhana, did sing this song to the best of her ability, but could not measure up to Uma or Shreya who have sang the old and the new versions. The strings came out so well and the experience of going to a Raja concert was fulfilled. The DB, cello support along with Balesh’s shehnai reproduced the original in better splendor as the recorded versions are of poor quality. Raja dismissed this song as an exercise in Simmendramadhyamam. He told the audience that it is not any great composition.

29. Sundari Kannal ( Dhalapathy 1991) – SPB and Chitra sang the song that was sung originally by Balu and Janaki. I have heard the string tremolo at the beginning of this track a hundred times, but must be experienced live to understand it. When SPB said in one of the concerts that the musicians who played it originally, put their instruments down, stood up and clapped in ovation, it was just information. You could hear the place tremble when the violins play the introductory score and you start understanding what he is talking about. Raja calls this as a ‘true composition’. I don’t blame him. The horns came out very well. The choir in this track – hats off to Raja’s choir team – both male and female. Splendid job. The violins (there were about 20 of them) managed to reproduce the original war setting very well along with the horns. Another 25% of the money’s worth! It was a moment worth savoring for a very long time. I do not think, that this orchestral brilliance can be experienced in any other form other than a live orchestra like Raja’s. The normal Western string movements will struggle to keep you as engaged. He does all this magic in less than 5 minutes. Unfortunately, there is no alternative to experiencing this song truly other than listening to the Raja orchestra live!

30. Saindhu Saindhu (Neethane Enthan Pon Vasantham – 2012). Yuvan and Ramya sang this song. The electric guitar was played very well. However, the strings sounded very muted and nowhere near the original. The drumming and sax were nicely played. Not a concert highpoint

31. Orampo (Ponnu Oorukku Pudhusu – 1979). Raja and chorus performed this song. Not much to write about it as I never liked the original song

32. Idhu Namma Veetu Kalyanam (Annakili 1976) – Surmukhi and chorus performed the Janaki song. The percussion and the strings were nice in this song and it never came out that way in the mono recording of the movie sound track. Somehow, the brush strokes on the drums (to simulate a sieve) did not turn out great.

33. Nila Adhu Vanathu Mele & Thenpadi Cheemaiyile (Nayakan 1987) – Raja performed these two tracks and explained how the former was meant to be the later.

In all, it was not only money’s worth (much more than that), but also a few things that must be pointed out. Raja’s greatest strength is not just his genius, but his brilliant choir and orchestra. These folks have practiced very hard and recreate his magic. His team works so sincerely with him that he is lucky to have the best working for him. There were few mistakes and even Hariharan sang without monkeying around. While the present generation may not like the discipline and lack of ‘fun’ element to music, they must understand that everlasting music is created this way.

Specifically, the outstanding performers of the evening were SPB, the choir team, violins in that order. Priya also did a good job.

In all, despite the bitterly cold and slushy weather, I am glad I listened to friends who told me that you need to experience Raja ‘live’ – he was electric, though I wasn’t shocked!


Cheers

Ravi Natarajan
Mississauga, ON, Canada

First of all thanks to Senthil for pro-actively doing the webcast for the benefit of all Raja fans.

From whatever I listened from Senthil's channel, first time I can see the singers have done a fantastic job compared to previous Raja's concerts. Excellent song selections. I never expected Naan Poranth Vanthathu (I have not listened to this one yet in the concert). Hats off to whoever selected this song. As Ravi stated, it seems many didn't appreciate this phenomenal composition. :sad:. SPB sir is always the best. Surprisingly Hari ji sang very well this time. I loved the new orchestration for thamthana song. Definitely Jayachandran's MaanjOlai kiLithaanO cannot be compared, but it was a great performance. The biggest surprise for me is Yuvan. He sang pOttu vaitha extremely well. Very very difficult song to sing, that too on stage, I think he even trumped Karthik. Sadhana Sargam is the only sore point in singing, she could not cope up with might Chitra chEchi at all. Vivek's compering was funny and it had his moments, but sometimes he went overboard. Till I get a full picture, this is my overall impression so far.

If you see music directors of today, they boast and promote their mediocre products to extremes, but Maestro dismissing a masterpiece like Aanandha Raagam as just an experimentation, only shows how honest and humble he is and also confirms what is he capable of. He could have easily said a lot about that composition as it truly deserves it and everyone would have even agreed, but by summarily dismissing it, he also proves, he is not into marketing, people should decide that, and not him. I am damn sure, if any one composes a song like Aanandha Raagam they would remain satisfied for the rest of their lives talking about it endlessly. How music composing has gone from heights to staggering depths!.

Some more bootleg videos:

Naanaaga naanillai 'Raaja' + Aanandha Thenkaattru


Annakkili by the delightful Chitra


Terrific attempt at recreating Om Sivoham

Nerd,
Romba romba thanks. Yes Om Sivoham was mind-blowing, the orchestration was superb. Karthik sang extremely well. Still wanted to see who uttered the sanskrit verses in that song. AnnakiLi was fantastic. The humming by Chitra was flawless, but I think she started somewhat in off-key?

Toronto concert Review by Mr Veera Akkoor
My evening with the Maestro- “Raagangal Thaalangal Nooru, Raaja Un Perr Sollum Paaru”

Dream come true – I have been listening to the Maestro since 1976. My first positive impression started without any doubt from the first movie but developed when I knew how much range I could see in the music. Hence the love journey continued till Feb 16th 2013 when I got a chance to see the Maestro in person on stage. This was a real blessed moment. Nothing can equal this for me in music.
This was possible because of my family who were very supportive of this trip to Toronto as they know IR music is my passion. Also to my dear friends Chakravarthi Desikan, Niranjan Varadarajan, Niranjan Rao and Dr Suresh. The trip we had was like a college excursion and just took us back to our old memories that we badly wanted to have.
After waiting for 2 hours (5pm to 7pm) and listening to every voice in the auditorium, we got a glimpse of light at the end of the tunnel, as the program started at 7pm.
As my friend Niranjan Rao mentioned this should have been named “enge eppo” instead of “engeyum eppodhum” - because of the delay!
The only crazy thing was seating which was for $150. Very much reminded me of Indian scenarios movie-setting where aluminum chairs will be provided, once cushion seats are houseful. This could have been better for the money collected!!
Much to the delight of around 23000 avid fans. the show began with…
INTRO introduction music by Karthik Raaja was very good. The conductor was Prabhakaran sir. I could see Sada sir, Shasi sir, Napolean sir and all our favorite musicians whom we have listened to for a long time sitting on the stage.
1.Janani –IR – As usual Maestro starts off with his trade mark traditional number, much like the legendary Sunny Gavaskar square drive in a test match of the first ball . What a take-off for a great trip up the sky. It was like Maestro telling us to come for a long, enjoyable evening drive, down the memory lane.
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2. Om Shivoham - Karthik and chorus – This raised the tempo to fever pitch. One of the most classical compositions of the Maestro, was apt for the evening. Karthik did enough justice to the same and the “rudrams” were rendered with perfection. This song made us eagerly dream of what more was in store???
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3. Parthiban speaks – His style of talk and kavithai stuff about “kutt kavithai” was humorous. But he made it clear that this was a Raja day and no one can forget this.
Maestro’s experiment movie for Kamalhassan – HEY RAM - Then comes the song which anyone would not dare attempt- “Isaiyil Thodanguthamma” this time sung by the golden voice of Hariji whom IR addresses as Hariji. He came on stage and took blessings from the Maestro. This was beautifully done as being a Hindustani scale song and the lyrics were from the Maestro himself the song was well crafted. Orchestration which has been an absolute blinder was fantastic. Hariji was so mellifluous in his voice range with swarams and with such pace, it was a blessing to see him sing this song. IT WAS A GREAT CHOICE TO MAKE HARI JI SING THIS SONG. The original was sung by Pandit Ajoy Chakraborthi.
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4. Maestro then comes up with another number from his first movie ANNAKILI – Again this time we missed S JANAKI amma. She was very aptly replaced by CHITRA Chechi (as she is called) and nowadays it has become a norm for her to take SJ’s songs.
The humming was just blissful. That was a great beginning and it got better. It just took us to 1976 when every corner tea stall and every day in Vividh Bharathi had this song. Also while traveling in a bus within Tamil Nadu we would listen to all these numbers of IR. There was great nostalgia felt at this moment.
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5. There was a small unrest among the music lovers to see the ONE AND ONLY SPB (super paattu Bodhai) who has no parallels to this art of music and voice. His humility is very much admired and exemplary, as he conducted himself with utmost dignity during the whole evening.
Parthiban introduced him as “Dheerga Voice” of the industry. At age 66 he is just God's blessed child!
He had to be called by the Maestro as “Balu Ra Ra,” affectionately. IR and Balu go a long way. He comes and gives a BIG HUG to the Maestro and does his bit of “real praising” by quoting “he has seen this viswaroopam of IR and proud to be associated with him” – usual Calcutta-Kanyakumari story also comes into picture.
Then he takes over THE FIRST MASTER SONG!! Madai thiranthu – Orchestration (I am lacking words here). Please listen to the original – and I have to say, this was better than the original! Balu sings “Pudhu raagam padaipathaale, neeyum iraivane and points to IR”. IR refuses this. This is the trademark friendship which is 40+ years.
WITHOUT BALU in THE CONCERT, WE WOULD HAVE FELT A GREAT VOID!!! AS ALWAYS, HE ADDED IMMENSE VALUE TO THE EVENING!! More songs were to come which made our evening memorable.
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6. The next song was “Pattu Solli” from Azhagi. National award song from Sadhana Sargam. It was her song and she did 100% justice to this song.
It was surprising that Sadhana Sargam being a north-Indian has rendered this song - lyrics with such perfection and received a well-deserved ovation at the end of the song. She showed why she is one of the most sort after artists in the industry. A true professional.

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7. One of the best songs written and sung by the Maestro around 1984 was Idhayam oru koil from Idayakoil. We later heard this song was favorite of his late wife. What more of a tribute the Maestro could give as this day was her anniversary.
This was done immense justice with IR himself in the lead with Surmukhi as the female voice. “Chanceless Orchestration.” Just as you listened in the record format was the output in a LIVE feed.
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8. On 22nd Jan 1980 IR wrote the notations for this song with the name Das- Iniya Pon Nilave-
Since KJY was missed, Karthik had got the chance of his lifetime to sing this number. But he did not do enough justice to this.
In the second charanam he almost missed out one line and made up. This was “ponmalai nerangale, en inba raagangale” line…
My question was – HOW CAN YOU MESS UP AN EPIC SONG?? IMHO this mistake should not have been made.
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9. HEY RAM again figured one more song - Nee paartha paarvaiku nandri. - Hariji and Sadhana
To start with the chorus missed out the humming and IR had to repeat the same portion after Sadhana started the song. This was slightly embarrassing.
Hariji was not about his self with this song too. It was his song and the comfort was not felt. Sadhana was okay too but for some reason the end part was missed out by the musicians and was corrected by IR.
Overall we missed out to see a great orchestra number and enjoy it.
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10. HONEY ROASTED VOICE OF THE EVENING – Koonthalile Megam - Madhu Balakrishnan just oozes melody and his voice is just as sweet as KJY. This number from the movie Balanagama which featured Sridevi in the lead had a beautiful number which was reproduced by Madhu.
He was supported by Anitha. His voice was honey coated and blissful to listen to. How we wished him to sing more numbers like this.
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11. Typical Raaja style start and retake in the initial pallavi was his magnum opus, “Naan thedum sevanthi poo”- this had Chitra to accompany him but his voice was still intact as we listened to him in the movie “Dharmapathini” and saw the song on Oliyjum Oliyum on Doordarshan TV.
For some reason this song’s output was blasting and very noisy. The beat was over the voices and sometime could not hear both the voices felt like we were in an ARR CONCERT!!
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12. Medley section Azhagu Malar aada – Hariji and female lead. Could have been better. Left wanting for his lovely number – Female lead was too good but Hariji’s pronunciation could have been better.
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13. Medley section – Naanaaga naan illai thaaye – HOME RUN - Needless to say SPB hit it out of the park. Wished he could have sung more.
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14. Medley section – Aananda Then kaatru from Manipoor Mamiyaar- I always feel that Maestro had to sing more songs from this movie and Eer vizhi kaaviyangal and Enaakaga Kaathiru.
The beauty was the male lead who sang MV’s voice to the perfection especially like C.S.J. Great attempt by the youngster!! HAT’S OFF!! Singer was Senthil Das... he has already sung movie songs...
Such talents are a welcome treat to this industry and may they shine bright in their future endeavors.
At the end of song IR REMEMBERS Malaysia Vasudeven and says in his memory I played this song! Nice gesture by the Maestro.
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15. SURPRISE PACKET AND SONG OF THE EVENING – A popular Hamsanandhi song which has been on our lips since this was released – Thangamagan. - Original Song by SPB and SJ would be just mindblowing.
The singing Maestro (SPB) was his usual self and even more melodious than the original.
This evening a young female lead (Priya Hemesh) who was just superb in her way to accompany the best singer the industry has ever known. She had no fear or qualms about having the Maestro on the same stage and produced some amazing output.
Such was her performance of Raathiriyil poothirukkkum when I just felt, S.Janaki amma singing this song. It was so blissful and melodious to listen and especially as she held her ground with another singing Maestro the GREAT SPB! Hats off to this beautiful young find and may her future be blessed with great numbers. She is indeed blessed to sing in the Maestro’s stage show.
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16. On Balu’s demand, when he praised IR about such tunes being a rarity by any Music composer…
IR composes with SPB- He plays Maankuyile in Hamsanandhi and Balu sings this just on the stage. This is how songs are made!
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Vivek entry. He comes in with a bang. Parthiban and Vivek enact a nice cameo about IR music in his body and did emote different tunes with different parts of the body.
17. FLOP OF THE EVENING!
I should not write anything negative about the show but this song was pathetic. The majestic song from P.Jayachandran who has been the melody voice of the 1970-80’s called “Manjolai” from Kizhakke pogum Rayil” was sung by Hariji.
I had immense expectation that a singer of Hariji’s caliber should do this like a cake walk. BUT I was disappointed with his word rendering. He seems careless. A genius like Hariji should pay more attention to words sung by other folks originally, else not sing. He could not pronounce the word “salangaigal “ and also other casual words. Some more glaring mistakes were obvious.
My feeling was as Hariji’s voice is a blessing but felt Madhu could have done an amazing job.
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18. Based on Vivek’s input, Thiruvasakam plays in different tempos.
WOW! That was an inspiring piece for all music lovers, who loved the album. Especially the increase in tempo in the third rendition was simply superb and mind-blowing.
My honest feeling was we could have listened to some more such creations of the Maestro as it is a rarity to see such shows. But nevertheless was happy with the output.
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19. Song from Singaravelan – Pottu Vaita kaadhal thittam – when I was watching on a SunTV program in 1998, I saw Kamal mention about this song. As SPB refused to sing to this song and Mano was acting in this movie, IR had wanted Kamal to sing this song.
Kamal in his happy mood, after a fight sequence said YES and also confirmed it could be in any scale. True to his word, the Maestro had created a high pitch song for Kamal. Just listening makes you wonder what would have happened to his voice.
This evening we had Karthik and Yuvan sing and orchestration was out of the world. Both did some justice to the song, as it was not an easy one to sing with the scale.
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20. SONG FROM THE HONEY ROASTED SINGER- Aagaya Vennilaave - Another gem from Madhu and Anitha – Another promising singer was this girl who just reminded me of Uma Ramanan of yesteryears. This was again another tough song with lots of variations and Madhu, of course was just blissful, but this young girl Anitha was superb in her melodious variations too.
This song reminded me of KJY and Uma Ramanan from the original and was as close as possible. That is the tribute to the singers.
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21. SINGING MAESTRO’s SOLO MASTERPIECE - who can miss out on this masterpiece which IR (as per Vivek) composed through whistling. Such songs should be treasured in the annals of song history.
Kaathalin Deepam ondru was sung so sentimentally and so passionately by Balu.
Let me state this just like Pandiya mannar in Thiruvilaiyaadal, says that his naadu is adamai to Hemanatha bhagavatar – I would like to state that we could all give any amount of property to listen and see the singing Maestro deliver such songs with the same value as he did in the 1980’s almost 30 years earlier! IT WAS THE BEST TIME OF MY EVENING!!
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22. Another new singer Surmukhi just oozed melody with her “Yamunai aatrile,” originally sung by Mithali (wife of Bhupender). This singer again took it to that level. We would think it is easy to render this short song, but the nuances in the song sometimes can shock us.
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23.VARIATION OF THE EVENING - IR usually does some variations with his creations for stage shows.
Such a new variation with Sorgame endralum- IR and Chitra sang this. This had new lyrics in the charanams and was very touching.
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24. ORCHESTRATION INNOVATION OF THE EVENING-
Another innovation in orchestration was experimented on the 1978 classic Pudhiya Vaarpugal song –
“Thamthana tham thana “ . Originally sung by Jency and Vasantha this was sung by Chitra and Sadhana Sargam.
What was the innovation ? the lyrics were same, BUT the interludes were westernized.
Just OUT OF THE WORLD! Imagine, to take a song composed 35 years earlier and change the orchestration to sound modern, but not lose the essence of original song is not a mean feat!
Nowadays we find the REMIX culture BUT this was not REMIX.
My 2 cents - THIS IS WHY IR IS A LIVING MUSIC GOD IN MY OPINION!! WHEN HE CAN DO THINGS OTHERS CANNOT EVEN IMAGINE!!
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25. It has become a tradition to have this song in every stage show, because of the complex orchestration and arrangement with chorus vocals.
Edho mogam was sung well by Karthik and Surmukhi- Orchestration was CLASS, as usual with violins and chorus adding to the melody factor.
Special effects were the water sound and I think Subashree did that in her IR program and folks just took her idea (my thought), but good things can be adapted for the public to enjoy.
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26. Another gem of a melody from Ponnumani was Nenjukulle ennarunnu- SPB and Chitra. I do not have to say anything on this beauty as it was total bliss to see the two doyens of Tamil music industry enjoy every bit of the singing.
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27. ANOTHER MISS!!
Vivek quoted an incident in Udumalai pettai - there were elephants who came to listen in front of the theatre to this song from the movie Vaidegi Kaathirundhal. Such was the impact of the song as even animals loved it.
Sometimes I wonder why such good singers go haywire during programs of great importance. Such was the feeling when Hariji again disappointed us by his wrong wordings. At least practice should help him do a good job as per his caliber.
Raasathi unnai was just pathetic when it came to lyrics, but music was as usual, class!
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28. IR and Anitha (this kid was again perfect and gets full marks singing with the Maestro, which is a feat in itself!)
Song - Valli valli ena vandhan vadivelan thaan- Lovely tune and excellent arrangement.
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29. VOICE INNOVATION- Movie Mayabazaar – IR says Panchu Arunachalam wanted only voices and he had to create a new variation
Voices only. NO orchestration. –It was interesting as the male voice was bass and female voice was soprano.
I do welcome such new creations but sad part is this has come to us after a long time. Again we still do not know what is within this MAESTRO. How many such innovations can he do?!!
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30. MESS AGAIN!!
Ninaivo oru paravai - Yuvan and NSK Ramya. – My humble opinion is Yuvan should stop singing this song. He cannot insult the original song more. Ramya was superb in her imitation of SJanaki amma.
Orchestration superb over all. Missing trumpets in First BGM. This song sets of tempo with the trumpets but it was missed out or not audible.

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Karthik raja is called to the stage by Prasanna and Sneha – He says it is his mom’s anniversary!
He calls SPB uncle on stage to do some magic (element not clear to me).

SPB on stage sings a ghazal song –again this goes to composing Rathiriyil song by IR!!!
Balu as usual about IR BGM.
IR comes of with why lyrics is needed with music and gives two examples -
1. Thamarai malaril from Nenjam Marapadhillai – and praises his Vadhiyar and Guru MSV
2. Sundari kannaal oru Seidhi and praises Vaali
31. IR quotes an example for exercising a song through swaras-
Sadhana Sargam renders the best of her abilities to match the Uma Ramanan number – Aananda raagam from Paneer Pushpangal.
This brought back memories of childhood and it once again proved what a great singer Sadhana Sargam is as her diction was perfect and of course the orchestration was par excellence.
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32. ORCHESTRATION WONDER!
IR quotes what the orchestration is with this song – Sundari Kanaal oru Seithi.- Again I would have loved to listen to him say how this song was created and why he did use the symphony orchestra for this song.
No words to match the singing genius of Balu and Chitra. They were in total harmony and chorus was perfect match. Though I felt that the chorus voice could have been louder.
NEVERTHELESS GEM OF ITS OWN KIND!
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33. Yuvan sings a new song Saindhu saindhu – I must admit that he had done a better job than his original singing.
This new kid (Ramya NSK) has a great future as her vocal range is so varied and extends beyond. Moreover she has the attitude for singing that we find lacking in current crop of singers.
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34. BRINGING BACK CHILDHOOD MEMORIES
Maestro wanted to bring back some memories for him and us by singing “Orampo” . Somehow I felt internally and even wanted him to sing this song. Maybe he did listen to my voice. BUT I just loved the way this was sung even after 34 years.
THANKS THALAIVA!
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34. Muthuchamba -Annakili.- same feeling as the above song. Memories back again!
Song still fresh - even after 36 years. What more do we need??
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35. How the song Nila athu vaanathu mela was created?
IR said this was the original Thenpaandi seemaiyile and Mani wanted a more hip song and a fast number and this got created. Both have the same base.
36. FINALE - BIDDING ADEU!
The Maestro sings a new song in the same Then paandi seemayile tune wishing the folks in US a happy life.

I am not sure whether I will be able to see the Maestro’s live music again. But I wish him a good life ahead and also thank him for being here at this age and giving us so much happiness.

Ratings in my humble opinion –

Sound quality was awesome. Songs like Om shivohum, Valli valli ena , Edho mogam was absolute class!!

IR – 10/10
Balu – 10/10
Chitra – 10/10
Madhu – 10/10
Orchestration and Chorus – 10/10
Karthik – 8/10
Surmukhi – 9/10
Priya Hemesh – 10/10
Anitha – 10/10
Sadhana Sargam – 9/10
Hariji – 6/10(two songs - wordings horrible)
Ramya – 10/10
Yuvan – 5/10

“Pogum Paadhai dhooramey, Vaazhum Kaalam Konjame,
Jeeva sugam pera raaga(Ilaiyaraaja) nadhiyinil, nee needha vaa,
Indha Degam Maraindhaalum Isaiyaai Malarven…”
Leaving us all an amazing legacy and valuable treasure to cherish for a lifetime…thank you Raaja Sir…

nanRi makkaLE, for reviews / youtubes on Toronto concert! Will possibly watch the youtubes later today

(Why there's so much negativity / predominantly thittal posts in the hub? Quite contrasting to what I read here In any case, I need to watch the youtubes to come to my own conclusion)

My 2 cents about 'whistle'!

http://www.twitlonger.com/show/l340jh

திட்டித்தள்ளுறாங்க!

Sample:

எனக்கு நிகழ்வு 90 வீதம் பிடிக்கவில்லை. பாலசுப்பிரமணியத்தின் மடைதிறந்து, கார்த்திக்கின் இரு பாடல், இளையறாயாவின் சில பாடல், விவேக்கின் நிகழ்வு, இப்படி தொட்டுத்தொட்டாக ஒரு பத்துவீதம் மட்டும் பிடித்தது. பாடல்களை யார் தெரிவுசெய்தார்கள் என்று தெரியவில்லை, இளையறாஜாவைக் கூட்டிவந்து வைத்து ஏதோ கத்தினார்கள். கார்த்திக் திறமை மிக்கவர் தான், ஆனால் 'என் இனிய பொன்நிலாவே' பாடலைக் கார்த்திக் பாடியபோது எழுந்து சென்று கன்னத்தில் ரெண்டு போட்டால் என்ன என்று தோன்றியது. அன்னக்கிளி பாடலைக்கூட சித்திரா கொலைசெய்திருந்தார். வி.வி.ஐ.பி ரிற்கற் என்று காசை வாங்கி விட்டு வாங்கு போலக் கதிரை போட்டிருந்தார்கள். ஐந்து மணிக்கு நிகழ்வென்று, வாங்கில் வந்து குந்தச் செய்துவிட்டு, ஏழு மணிக்கு நிகழ்வு தொடக்கினார்கள். இளையறாஜாவால் ரசிகர்களுடன் connect பண்ண முடியவில்லை. கரகோசத்தையும் எழுந்துநின்று பாராட்டுவதையும் இரந்து பெற்றுக்கொண்டார்கள். இசை நிகழ்ச்சி பார்ப்பதற்கான பக்குவமற்ற பல பீடைகள் வந்திருந்து தண்ணியைப் போட்டுட்டு கத்தி மறைத்துக் கிடந்தார்கள். இசையை இரசிப்பதற்கான உள் உலகத்தைக் கோதி எடுக்க முடியவில்லை. அதற்கான பக்குவம் எனக்குச் சாத்தியப்படவில்லை. ஒரு இருட்டறையில் இருந்து இளையறாஜா பாடல்களை காதுக்குள் ஒலிக்கவிட்டு இந்த 7 மணிநேரத்தைச் செலவிட்டிருப்பின் மிகுந்த மகிழ்ச்சி கிடைத்திருக்கும். அதை விட்டு சொந்தக் காசில் சூனியம் வைத்து வந்தது தான் மிச்சம்.

ஒரு இசை நிகழ்விற்குச் சென்று வந்தால் மனது இறகாய்ப் பறக்கணும். ஆனால் இன்று இரும்பாய்க் கனக்கிறது. இத்தனை செலவில் இவர்களை அழைத்து வந்தவர்களிற்கு, நிகழ்வை எவ்வாறு சிறப்புற வடிவமைப்பது என்று சிந்திப்பதற்குத் தோன்றவில்லை என்பது பலத்த ஏமாற்றமாக இருக்கிறது. இளையறாஜாவின் எண்பதுகளின் முத்துக்களை மட்டும், அதைச் சரியாகப் பாடக்கூடியவர்கள் மூலம் பாடவைத்து, அவை பற்றிய இசைநுணுக்கங்களை இளைறாஜா வாயால் சொல்லவைத்துச் சென்றிருந்தால், இன்று பாடப்பட்டதில் அரைவாசிப்பாடல்கள் மட்டுமே பாடப்பட்டிருப்பினும் திருப்த்தி கிடைத்திருக்கும். அதைவிட்டுக், கடமைக்குக் கத்திச் சென்றார்கள்.

Another yAzh thread, somewhat mixed reactions in this one

7 மணியளவில் வாத்தியக்கலைஞர்கள் மேடைக்கு வந்து அமர்ந்து மிக நேர்த்தியாக, அழகான சிம்பொனி இசையுடன் ஒலியேற்றினார்கள். அதனை உருவாக்கியது இசைஞானியின் இளையபுதல்வன் கார்த்திக் ராஜா என்று நிகழ்வின் இறுதிக்கணங்களில் இசைஞானி தெரிவித்தார். அந்தச் சிம்பொனியைக் கேட்கும்போது இரண்டுமணிநேர அலுப்பு பறந்ததென்னவோ உண்மைதான். கார்த்திக் ராஜாவுக்கு இவ்விடத்தில் “பலே” சொல்லித்தான் ஆகவேண்டும்.

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நிகழ்வின் ஆரம்பம் கொடுத்த எதிர்பார்ப்பு ஒரு மணி கடக்கும் பொழுதே மெல்ல மெல்ல சரிய ஆரம்பித்துவிட்டது. நேரமின்மை காரணமான 2 மணிநேரத்திற்குரியதான பல நிகழ்வுகள் சுருக்கப்பட்டபின்னர் பாடல் தெரிவுகள் இரசிகர்களை ஈர்க்கமுடியாமல் திக்குமுக்காடியது. ஏன் இப்படி ஆனது என்பது நிகழ்வை அரங்கில் நடாத்தியவர்களுக்குத்தான் வெளிச்சம். அத்தோடு இந்நிகழ்வுக்கு வருகை தர இருந்த மேலதிக கலைஞர்கள் சிலர் இந்நிகழ்வுக்கு வரவில்லை என்பதும் இந்நிகழ்வு பற்றிய எம்முடைய எதிர்பார்ப்புக்கு சிறிது ஏமாற்றமாகவும் இருந்த்து.


இங்கு இன்னொரு விடயத்தை கூறவேண்டும் விசில் அடிப்பது பற்றி அது தனக்கு ஒவ்வாமைத் தன்மையைக் கொடுக்கும் என்று இசைஞானி தெரிவித்தார். இருந்தாலும் நம்மவர்கள் விசில் அடிப்பதை நிறுத்தவில்லை. இசையைத் தெய்வீகமாகக்கருதும் ஒரு இசைஞன் அதை பக்தி மார்க்கத்துடன் பூசிக்கும்போது அவ்விசைஞனைப் பொறுத்தவரை அது புனிதம் என்ற நிலையில் நிற்கும்போது அவ்விசைஞனின் வேண்டுகோள் அதுவாக இருக்கும் அதனை நாங்கள் கர்வம் என்று பொருள் கொள்வது தவறு என்றே படுகிறது. இவ்விடத்தில் இவ்விசைஞனும் ஆர்வத்தின் நிமித்தம் இரசிகர்கள் விசில்கள் அடிப்பதை பொறுத்துக் கொள்ளலாம் என்றும் தோன்றுகிறது.

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பனி பொழியும் காலத்தில் எத்தனையோ தேவைகளை இடர்களை புறந்தள்ளிவிட்டு இசைஞானியின் இந்நிகழ்வில் இதயங்களை இசையால் நனைக்கச் சென்றவர்களுக்கு இசையில் நனையவும் மிதக்கவும் முடியாமல்.. தெரிவு செய்யப்பட்ட பாடல்கள், குரல் மாற்றிப்பாடியவர்கள் என்று ஏகப்பட்ட கலங்கல்கள். இசைஞானியின் பூரணத்தை
தரிசிக்கமுடியாத குறையோடு வீடு திரும்பினோம்.

இசைஞானியிடம் குவிந்திருக்கும் பரி பூரணத்தை எதிர்வரும் காலத்தில்தன்னும் தரிசிக்க வாய்ப்புக் கிடைத்தால் அந்த இசை வெள்ளத்தில் அள்ளுண்டு காணாமல்போகவும் காத்திருக்கிறோம் என்பதைத் தெரிவித்து இசைவானில்
பறக்கமுடியாமல் ஏமாற்றத்துடன் தரையிறங்கிய கவலையுடன் இப்பதிவை நிறைவு செய்கிறேன்.

It looks like the program may be more enjoyable in youtube (in a relaxed setting, cushion seating etc)

I think the main reason for negativity is the 2 hour delay in start What was the reason?

2 hour delay may be an irritant for those who attended live. But singer selection itself turned me off. Hariharan and Chitra felt unfit choice. Anyways we can conclude these only after watching.

But the crew wud have got tough time by practicing twice, once in november and now, since it got cancelled on november.

Song choice too looks somewhat uninteresting. Seems Vivek irritated not only audience but Raja too(sivanE vanthu single Tea adikkiraapla - what kind of joke is this? both unfunny and an irritant for serious worshippers). The previous enrendrum Raja i guess somewhat had lesser expectations. Song selection wud have matched in fluke. But now the expectation meter for a Raja Concert that too in an unimaginable size of hall(25K!) raised the expectation meter too too high. For bigger programmes like this, not only songs but even talks shud be rehearsed. Just letting vivek handle the whole thing unprepared and with his usual junk is bad strategy. Also why Sneha Prasanna for this concert? I don't find any purpose for them. KarthikRaja cud have planned much different as this concert was of a bigger scale, and shud have tried new things..

Is the US concert over??

தம்தன நம்தன V2.0. Sadhanaji


கூந்தலிலே மேகம் வந்து. Madhu B, take a bow.

Sakalakala Vallavar wrote:2 hour delay may be an irritant for those who attended live. But singer selection itself turned me off. Hariharan and Chitra felt unfit choice. Anyways we can conclude these only after watching.

But the crew wud have got tough time by practicing twice, once in november and now, since it got cancelled on november.

Song choice too looks somewhat uninteresting. Seems Vivek irritated not only audience but Raja too(sivanE vanthu single Tea adikkiraapla - what kind of joke is this? both unfunny and an irritant for serious worshippers). The previous enrendrum Raja i guess somewhat had lesser expectations. Song selection wud have matched in fluke. But now the expectation meter for a Raja Concert that too in an unimaginable size of hall(25K!) raised the expectation meter too too high. For bigger programmes like this, not only songs but even talks shud be rehearsed. Just letting vivek handle the whole thing unprepared and with his usual junk is bad strategy. Also why Sneha Prasanna for this concert? I don't find any purpose for them. KarthikRaja cud have planned much different as this concert was of a bigger scale, and shud have tried new things..

Is the US concert over??

23rd feb.

Suhasini Maniratnam seems to be the anchor for the 23rd show.
https://www.facebook.com/iDreamMedia

engEyum eppOdhum report by a news blog

The true highpoints of the night involved the amazingly co-ordinated orchestra, rich in strings and drumming, and the proper rotation of younger performers with the classic older singers. And despite being advertised, singers KJ Yesudas, Mano, Vijay Yesudas, Shwetha Mohan and Haricharan were noticeably absent, including director Gautham Menon. The crowd was satisfied with the excellent performance of Hariharan, SPB and Chitra.

The show was nearly 5 hours of nonstop performance by Ilayaraja and it ended with a slight rewrite to one of his famous tunes to praise all those Tamil fans who “have crossed 7 seas in this life” to make a home for themselves in Canada.

Overall the show was enjoyed by true Illaiyaraja fans in Canada.

One of my friends used to frequently make this statement :

உலகத்திலேயே ரொம்ப ஃப்ரீயா நிறையக்கிடைக்கிறதும் அதே சமயம் யாருக்கும் வேண்டாததும் இது ஒன்னு தான் : "அட்வைஸ்"

Well, look at who advises rAsA : James Vasanthan

J Vasanthan wrote:

Everything in today’s Indian films is made with the common man in mind. Or else, why songs and dances in films? If he rejects a film, its a flop and a loss. When it is so, what is wrong in the audience clapping and whistling for the songs they love? If we find it so offensive or disrespectful, we must not choose to perform for them.

app_engine wrote:One of my friends used to frequently make this statement :

உலகத்திலேயே ரொம்ப ஃப்ரீயா நிறையக்கிடைக்கிறதும் அதே சமயம் யாருக்கும் வேண்டாததும் இது ஒன்னு தான் : "அட்வைஸ்"

Well, look at who advises rAsA : James Vasanthan

J Vasanthan wrote:

Everything in today’s Indian films is made with the common man in mind. Or else, why songs and dances in films? If he rejects a film, its a flop and a loss. When it is so, what is wrong in the audience clapping and whistling for the songs they love? If we find it so offensive or disrespectful, we must not choose to perform for them.

Oh I have heard "mass support" - this is "Massukku support".
Oru vaarthai rendu lachcham.