What it is about…
R. S. Infotainment’s Neethane En Ponvasantham had a grand audio launch wherein music director Ilaiyaraja recreated his musical magic for the benefit of his fans and the Tamil film fraternity. The film, produced by S. Elred Kumar and R. Jayaraman, has been written and directed by Gautham Vasudev Menon. The others involved in the project are M.S. Prabhu (camera), Anthony (editing) and Rajeevan (art). The first CD was released by director K. Balachander and received by actor Suriya in the presence of directors Barathiraaja, Balu Mahendra, P. Vasu, R.V. Udhayakumar, R. Sundarrajan, Suresh Krishna and R.K. Selvamani. It is a love story with a difference.
Music highlights
This album shows that maestro Ilaiyaraja has not lost his mesmerising effect despite the 900-odd films he has scored the music for. There are eight songs in the album and ‘Kaatrai Konjam,’ sung by Karthik, is the best. ‘Saayndhu Saayndhu’ in the voices of Yuvan Shankar Raja and Ramya NSK is another beautiful number. Sunidhi Chauhan scores with the melody ‘Mudhal Murai.’ ‘Vaanam Mella,’ sung by Ilaiyaraja and Bela Shende, will keep ringing in your ears. ‘Pudikale Maamu’ is an interesting number by Suraj Jagan and Karthik. The other good songs in the album are ‘Yennnodu Vaa Vaa,’ sung by Karthik, ‘Pengal Yenral’ by Yuvan Shankar Raja, and ‘Sattru Munbu’ by Ramya NSK.
What they say…
Producers S. Elred Kumar and R. Jayaraman: We all grew up listening to Ilaiyaraaja’s music. When Gautham Menon, known for love stories, joins hands with the maestro, we know what to expect. We went to London with Ilaiyaraja to record the music. For the first time, the music for the entire film was recorded live.
Director Gautham Vasudev Menon: It is a musical love story, tracing the course of love in different ages, at 14, 18, 23 and 35. Both Jiiva and Samantha have done a wonderful job. We have woven comedy into the story, hence you will find actor Santhanam in a major portion of the film.
Hero Jiiva: I am happy to have worked with some of the best-known directors of Tamil cinema. I was on cloud nine when I got the offer from Gautham. And it was an icing on the cake when I heard maestro Ilaiyaraaja would be scoring the music. The film has shaped up well.
Music director Ilaiyaraaja: When Gautham Menon told me I could re-record the songs anywhere in the world, we chose London. We brought together some of the best musicians from different parts of the world, particularly Budapest. As the story is based on love, it was wonderful to work on the music.
