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Death of Tamil identity in Tamil cinema

Topic started by Ramakrishna (@ 209.179.214.237) on Thu Jan 3 22:23:11 EST 2002.
All times in EST +10:30 for IST.

In the 80's and before, Tamil movies and songs had a flavor that made them unique. But in the 90's, there has been a slow but sure trend in Tamil movies where they have become more and more North-Indianized or even MTVised (if there is such a term).

Songs don't feature south Indian instruments like Nadhaswaram or the mridangham any more. Even the days of rich violin orchestrations of Illayaraja or Viswanathan Ramamurthy are over. Instead, the music has become more techno/pop and were it not for the lyrics, one cannot even recognize a lot of songs as being Indian, let alone Tamil.

Speaking of lyrics, the less said the better. Apart from being nonsensical, the heavy use of English phrases makes one wonder if these lyricists have secret desire to start a career with Motown.

Also why do most dance seqences feature Punjabi attire? Hello, these are supposed to be TAMIL movie about TAMILIANs.

How many times these days does a lead actress wear a saree and has a pottu? I mean, other than in Vijayakanth films.

Even other things insignificant ranging from background score to rolling credits at the end are blindly copied from Hollywood.

For me in my youth, a major portion of my cultural exposure to south Indian culture was through Tamil movies. I am afraid the current and future generations may not have that opportunity. Instead they would be stuck with watching dubbed Hindi movies because that is what Tamil movies these days essentially are.

I am not a Hindi basher but it is sad that regional language films are losing their identities to this relentless MTVisation.

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Responses:

• Old responses
  
• From: kiru (@ 192.138.150.249) on: Tue Jan 8 15:34:59 EST 2002
  
  (BTW, if ARR wants to highlight his tune or wants to do a soft song he will totally avoid percussion and do a guitar or some kind of ostinato)
  
  
• From: rasigan (@ 204.154.71.125) on: Tue Jan 8 16:05:41 EST 2002
  
  has arr used nadhaswaram ? Wish ARR was there to give music direction for "thillana moganambal"..
  
  
  
• From: Bharath (@ 156.153.255.243) on: Tue Jan 8 16:37:54 EST 2002
  
  kiru,
  
  how about this angle. Tamil music has adapted from the available resources from that period of time. IN the past if it had been carnautic and tamil folk. Now it is more of a western approach to sound arrangement.
  
  Looks like The actual tamil identity is more of being up to date and utilizing available musical thoughts and resources rather than any specific source.
  
  In that aspect TFM is just keeping its form.
  
  One thing I do agree is the drop in quality of ARR's music also. After Dilse. I cudnt find an album where I liked all the songs. IR in his stds has also gone down(due to many reasons) after a long time i found bharathi a complete album but after that nothing...
  
  I liked TI by YSR and D3 by KR and Minnale by HJ. These are the only note worthy songs in the past 5 years.
  
  
• From: Trend (@ 216.68.113.254) on: Tue Jan 8 16:57:33 EST 2002
  
  Bharath,
  
  Maybe ARR trusts his singers more than his instruments to convey the feeling he is trying to express.A MD can always control or tweak his instruments but singers?:)
  
  BTW, did you listen to "Kaathal jaathi" by IR?I thought it was one of his best albums in recent years.It has some wonderful songs.
  
  
• From: hihi:-) (@ 128.111.113.76) on: Tue Jan 8 17:22:02 EST 2002
  
  Can someone kindly identify (means write down the definition of) what is `Tamil identity'? eden: listen to s.v.sEkhar's periya thambi. there he gives a great "explanation" of what is tamizh identity (LOL) :-))))
  
  kiru: the building i am in is almost like a prison (not even a single window!! can you believe that!). ingE engE baywatch-Awathu babewatch-Awathu :-( anyways, i will send you an email this evening.
  
  
• From: Bharath (@ 156.153.255.243) on: Tue Jan 8 17:25:58 EST 2002
  
  hihi:-)
  
  enna "antha mayaandi" unnaiyum baathichittana....
  tamizha romba kindal panne apporam... "hihi-) ennai mirurgamakkathey"
  
  trend,
  
  I am goin to listen to KJ. i believe i listened to it b4.. but i will give it 1 more try...
  
  
• From: Mr. Observer (@ 64.105.35.163) on: Tue Jan 8 17:29:50 EST 2002
  
  Why all this talk of Tamil identity and the such? We need good music. PERIOD. Whether it is Carnatic/Hindustani based or WC based or Jazz based or whatever. Without entering subjective realms of "good" and "bad" music, let us atleast try bringing about a change in attitudes of composers and directors/producers. As opposed to giving formula based "item" numbers, let the composers put their heads down and start tapping their composing faculties to the maximum.
  
  Kiru, there have been beat based numbers in the past, eventhough the vocals would have been given primary importance while recording.
  
  The greatness of film music is its ability to absorb any form of music without imposition of grammar. Let that facet of film music be in place. Our job in this thread is only to create a platform for souls yearning for serious composing music to have some importance atleast and not to slavishly cling to some sentimental/idealogical crap called culture or whatever.
  
  
• From: hihi:-) (@ 128.111.113.76) on: Tue Jan 8 17:32:40 EST 2002
  
  bharat: :-))))))
  
  
• From: Bharath (@ 156.153.255.243) on: Tue Jan 8 19:39:09 EST 2002
  
  kiru,
  
  did u get my mail..?
  
  
• From: Karthi (@ 63.21.181.78) on: Wed Jan 9 00:21:03 EST 2002
  
  "let the composers put their heads down and start tapping their composing faculties to the maximum"
  
  -- What do you mean Mr.Observer, why should the composers "put their heads down" and start tapping "what" to get their composing faculties out?
  
  
• From: hehehewalrus (@ ) on: Tue Sep 21 17:33:29 EDT 2004
  
  Minister Tamizhkudimagan passes away
  http://www.hindu.com/2004/09/22/stories/2004092208210400.htm
  
  his commitment to the language be hailed!
  
  
• From: isai (@ 213.122.252.54) on: Sat Sep 25 02:02:36 EDT 2004
  
  has anyone recently listened to the History of Tamil Film Music series in bbctamil.com ? the identity issue is subtly felt when one listens to the old timers music and the contemporary music there.
  
  
• From: NaazFan (@ 83.89.145.50) on: Sat Sep 25 09:48:08 EDT 2004
  
  Naaz, your posts were excellent. Pity that many dumb dfers like WhyNot tried to thwart your sensible posts.
  
  
• From: thumburu (@ 83.89.145.50) on: Sat Sep 25 10:32:41 EDT 2004
  
  My agony is more pointed towards the state of TF than TFM
  We have become aesthetically and culturally numb enough to glorify mediocrity in TF.
  Some of the recent instances are 1. OverHyping up of a passable director like Manirathnam as if he is the only saviour of TamilFilm and giving cold response to really deserving, media publicity deprived directors like JanakiViswanathan(Kutty, Kanavu meipada vendum ). I cannot forgive Manirathnam for the casual way of showing Siddharth's disgusting behaviour in the train lavatory with his fellow classmate as if it is the norm of today's youth. May be in MR's dreamland USA . What a perverted way of projecting the youth!!!
  2. Neo satellite TV pugazh critics like Madhan ,reviewing films with kidgloves and failing in their duty as an objective critic. Today's film reviews have become mockery.I remember my school, college days when we decided to go, see a movie only based on reviews from standard magazines.
  3. Gross injustice to women by always depicting them as objects without a mind of their own. We need another KB of 70's or even Sridhar or Mahendran to show women in proper light. I really find this intriguing when today, women have pervaded all spheres, in TF(We are discussing only about TF world) or in TFM, they have been reduced to mere accessories without any identity. No TFM lyric writer including Thamarai has written anything pertinent to women's issues today. They all look alike, talk alike, wear the same kind of clothes like assemly line FTV/MTV models. We had Padmini, KRV, Bhanumathi, Sarojadevi , Sharadha , Sowcar Janaki, Manorama , Jayalalitha , Lakshmi, Srividhya, Sujatha each of them with their distinct mannerisms, south indian feminine charm intact.
  
  

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