Said Kamalhaasan- ‘Just like we have ki.mu(B.C) and ki,pi.(A,D) in the world, we should have si.mu(Sivajikku mun- Before Sivaji’s entry) and si.pi(Sivajikku pin- After Sivaji’s entry) in film world.’
Not many actors in the world
have transformed the film world with acting and redefined the grammar of acting
as much as Sivaji Ganesan has done. Many (or almost all) actors post si.pi.
have tried to emulate him and even imitate him but unfortunately have fallen
flat. Like a colossus, he rose and created a niche for himself. There is so
much talk about ‘method acting’ now, but not many can even come close to this
gentleman when it comes to ‘becoming the character itself’.
Critics ( or should I say
cynics) point out the ‘artificiality’ in his acting especially when it comes to
dialogue delivery. These people miss the wood for the trees. First of all,
there can be nothing called ‘natural acting’. People who use this oxymoron,
forget the fact that cinema is not real. It is that tinge of artificiality that
gives cinema (and theatre) the uniqueness. Moreover, Sivaji was(is)
beyond dialogue delivery. Long ago, I had mentioned in another forum about how Rajaji
(who hated the word cinema), appreciated the expression of this actor when he
just showed emotions with his eyes in the movie ‘SampoorNa RamayaNam’
(as Bharatan in the Rama-Bharata meeting after the former was
asked to go to forest by his beloved father).
The relationship Raaja sir
had with Sivaji and the mutual respect they had , have been written
mentioned in this forum many times and therefore needs no elaboration now.
Let us listen to a marvellous
composition which in a way depicts the love, affection and respect Raaja sir
had(has) on that gentleman whose name can be one of the synonyms of acting in
all dictionaries.
Laya Raaja is in full flow in the beginning itself in ‘ThoraNam
aadidum’ from ‘Vetrikku Oruvan’(1979). The percussion
sounds ‘ta ki ta’ constantly in mel kaalam, with no other
instrument backing it. It plays the 3-beat cycle 12 times after
which the electric guitar joins the percussion. A constant sound
is then produced by the keys. The flute jumps into the fray and
goes around with exuberance. The electric guitar appears again. The strings
glide and move around. Amidst all this the percussion keeps playing ‘ta
ki ta’ like a karma yogi!
The Pallavi (TMS/Janaki)
starts post-humming and now there are different sets of percussion which
play the tisram beats in medium speed (madhyama kaalam). The
interjection of electric guitar which keeps playing the melody of the
first line, adds a special flavour to the Pallavi.
The flute takes over
again in the first interlude, moving with a sense of purpose with the electric
guitar giving repartee. Interestingly, the rhythm guitar enters even
as the flute continues to enthral, and takes the role of the percussion
which appeared in the prelude and sounds ‘ta ki ta’ in mel
kaalam. This continues in the strings section as well. The strings
which play in the higher-octave, give touches of WCM. The acoustic
guitar brings sobriety to the proceedings and its subtle romance with the flute
which enters again, this time cooing almost like a cuckoo, is breathtaking. All
along, the bass guitar plays the role of a catalyst as usual.
The lines in the CharaNam
move gracefully with the flute playing between the lines.
The strings dominate
the first segment of the second interlude, moving like a swing and
giving way to the flute which continues the melody of the strings.
The guitar sings with the bells and this leads to a lullaby by Janaki.
Hundreds of variations, subtle
and detailed in a matter of 4 and half minutes. Doesn’t this symbolise
that gentleman who goes by the sobriquet – Nadigar Tilagam?
