First – the disclaimer: I am an ardent fan of Kamalhasan. An i don’t intend any offense with this blog. These were the first impressions I got when I listened to the songs of Dasavathaaram. As with most other songs, these impressions could change over time – I think the more i listen to Kallai Mattum Kandal the more I will like it.
And this: I have not really written anything general in the past few years. So my language could be usty in many places.
Kallai Mattum Kandal
Creates a great expectation when it starts. Kamal is the best when it comes to high pitch first lines. With the first line I thought this would be in the same lines of the Ragupathi Raghav starting of Ram Ram in Hey Ram. The music piece after the first line makes me think that this is could be a gloomy song. With the first line I think this is some devotional song.
Then comes Ashta Aksharam and Panja Aksharam. An argument between Saivaites and Vainavites? Now I wonder how many people understand Nalayira Dhiyva Prabandham and the meaning of Thillai these days?
This song has some impressive lines. I enjoyed Illai endru sonna pinbum indri amayathu. Will be in my lips for some time as was “Naathigam Pesum” of Anbae Sivam.
The song alternates between a low and a high pitch adding a mystic effect. Hariharan has done a commendable job in many places. Its a pity that I have to say in many places, but that is the state of many songs these days: they lack completeness(I am trying to translate முழுமை here).
As with most Tamil(and, in general, Indian) movie songs the lyricist is lost somewhere after the first two stanzas. Many lines ending with … than …. than are typical fillers. Music rules (meaning the music drives the song rather than a cooperation with the lyrics), so if you are someone like me who gives importance to the lyrics as well, you cannot completely enjoy it.
When i heard llai endru sonna pinbum indri amayathu, I thought this song tries to counter Aathigam Pesum of Anbae Sivam, but no. Vairamuthu wins hands down.
The rendering of Nalayira Dhivya Prabandham is nice. Nice. But not great. I miss the maestro.
Oh O Sanam
An impressive start. But then it moves into the normal Tamil movie song-flow. Somehow this song (also) makes me feel that Ilayaraja has left a immortal impression on tamil cine music.
The lyrics are just there just because you cannot just have music instead of songs: This song is made of a combination of five lines (like Oh O Sanam, Enni Paarada, … ) and a bunch of two liners that are related only to each other. I don’t get the relation between isai nammai aalattum, veezhvathu yaar agilum vaazhvathu naadagattum and Poo pookuthae/ adhan vaazhvu eznatkalae/ analum thaen(தேன்) thandhu thaan poguthae” when they come after each other. Not to blame just this one. Most songs these days have some bits and pieces of sentences here and there and lack a central theme.
A song just for the sake of making one.
Oh O Sanam – The Remix
This is better. A lot better. Because the lines get their due respect – none. Tum Tum Tum in the lines and Dum Dum Dum of the beats.. I enjoyed this better than I enjoyed the normal version.
I get the feeling that after the real singing the speed was 1.5X’ed
Nope. Not for me. Sorry.
Mukundha Mukundha
Isn’t this song similar to some old song in, if I remember right, Gokulathil seethai? At least the same tone. And I think this one was 1.1X’ed.
It could be just me, but I am not able to completely get immersed in melodies rendered without a native touch of the language. I am a fan of Sadhana Sargam’s voice right from Snegithanae – she has an amazing voice – but I get the feeling that there are bumps and turns in unnecessary places. See the difference between her singing of “Jai Jai Ram/Jai Jai Ram/ Seetha Ram/Jai Jai Ram”(natively) and the very next line “nee ariya cheithi illai”… like the difference between runnig native win32 app and a Java App on Windows.(I love Java, but that doesn’t deny the fact that Java apps cannot even compare to their native counterparts)
I remember Vairamuthu telling in an interview how he helped her with the pronunciation of Snegithane‘s lines, but in most songs after that no one seemed to have helped her.
The lines: Konja neram aada vitu avar kanakkai theerppai – This song has a classical Tamil tone, what does kanakkai theerppai in a song rendered in the classical tamil(தூய தமிழ்) tone! come on…
Typical lines; for the sake of rhyming. But, after Andru Arjunanukku nee uraithayae ponnana Geethai, shouldn’t it be un mozhi ketka urugugiralae ingae or(ஓர்) Radhai instead of Kothai? Well…I know I am hopeless.
Describing the Dasavatharams of Mahavishnu, the song tells about the specialities of each avathram like, say, vamanan pol thotram kondu van alandhu nindrai but when it comes to Krishnan it says Kannanaga neeye vandhu kaathalum thandhai: Accepted – kannan did a lot of kaathal, but, wasn’t the geethai the most important part of the krishnavatharam?
And on the same note, Shouldn’t it be Ravanan than thaiaiGalai koyya ramanaga vandhai rather than thalaiyai koyya?
Hopefully the last lines sung by the old (wo)man fits well in the story.
Kaa Karupanukkum…
I don’t know why, but I felt refreshing when I heard this song after the last one (I did open my window just now, but that is definitely not the reason).
Shalini Singh’s voice fits perfectly for this one (The Mallika Sherawat song?). She caries you with her voice. Her voice and the music, don’t allow you to concentrate on the lyrics. Exactly what is expected out of peppy numbers. And the lines are good(!) if you consider the quality of the lyrics in contemporary peppy numbers. (The last one I remember to have enjoyed was Cheena Thana, but then I did not actively listen to songs in the recent days)
This song ends abruptly. Possibly the hero comes and slaps the dancer and the song ends immediately.
A good one, made better by the singer.
Ulaga Nayagan
Every hero likes a potri potri song. I though Kamal was an exception.
Nirandhara Ilaingnyan… Oscar thooram illai….No comments (But, didn’t kamal say sometime back that oscar was an award given by hollywood for hollywood movies?).
Nivas' 
typical tamil movie songs except kallai matum kandal… expected a lot more from kamal
Good write up of the songs da. Will be a helpful review for any one who would want to listen to these songs. But I dont get why are you pointing out the Maestro’s name in the second one!! Keep writing. Dont restrict yourself to just writing reviews. Good work over all.
Reading all this, i dint want listen to the songs anymore, Ought to be a neutrality in the comments, and ofcourse Kamal would have had very little to do with how a songs came out.
Knowing tamil audience you never know what becomes a hit and whats not, When the likes of manamadha rassa ruled the scene. Damn no one can say anything on the future of the songs !!!
What a shoddy observation you have my friend. It was Vairamuthu who penned the song and Kamal still believes that oscar is given to Hollywood movies.